cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The measurement of proton stopping power using proton-cone-beam computed tomography

A cone-beam computed tomography (CT) system utilizing a proton beam has been developed and tested. The cone beam is produced by scattering a 160 MeV proton beam with a modifier that results in a signal in the detector system, which decreases monotonically with depth in the medium. The detector system consists of a Gd2 O2 S:Tb intensifying screen viewed by a cooled CCD camera. The Feldkamp-Davis-Kress cone-beam reconstruction algorithm is applied to the projection data to obtain the CT voxel data representing proton stopping power. The system described is capable of reconstructing data over a 16 × 16 × 16 cm3 volume into 512 × 512 × 512 voxels. A spatial and contrast resolution phantom was scanned to determine the performance of the system. Spatial resolution is significantly degraded by multiple Coulomb scattering effects. Comparison of the reconstructed proton CT values with x-ray CT derived proton stopping powers shows that there may be some advantage to obtaining stopping powers directly with proton CT. The system described suggests a possible practical method of obtaining this measurement in vivo .
A semi-formal description of migrating domain-specific models with evolving domains

One of the main advantages of defining a domain-specific modeling language (DSML) is the flexibility to adjust the language definition to changing requirements or in response to a deeper understanding of the domain. With the industrial applications of domain-specific modeling environments, models are valuable investments. If the modeling language evolves, these models must be seamlessly migrated to the evolved DSML. Although the changes stemming from the language evolution are not abrupt in nature, migrating existing models to a new language is still a challenging task. Our solution is the Model Change Language (MCL) tool set, which defines a DSML to describe the migration rules and then performs the model migration automatically. In this paper, we describe the precise semantics of MCL and its execution, along with the confluence of the migration.
A lens glutathione S-transferase, class mu, with thiol-specific antioxidant activity.

Abstract A protein that protected against the thiol-mediated metal-catalysed oxidative inactivation of enzymes but did not protect against the ascorbate-dependent oxidation system was extensively purified from bovine lens. The protein was a homodimer (pI 7) of 26 kDa subunits. Sixty per cent of the protein sequence was obtained by Edman sequencing and by sequence comparison was determined to be a class μ glutathione S-transferase (GST). The sequence of the enzyme is homologous to, but not identical to, that of any other class μ GST in the databanks. The complete protein sequence was derived from sequencing the cDNA and is the first complete sequence of a class μ GST from a bovine tissue. The enzyme was cloned and expressed in E. coli . The recombinant GST also protected against the thiol-mediated oxidative inactivation of enzymes but with lower activity than the native enzyme did and the recombinant GST had a comparable higher K m for GSH. The native and recombinant enzymes possessed similar low level peroxidase activity utilizing alkyl and cumene peroxides as substrates, but exhibited little activity against hydrogen peroxide.
Scramjet missile design using genetic algorithms

The objective of this effort was to show that scramjet powered vehicle designs which are optimized for a given flight condition can be found using predictive modeling tools and a genetic algorithm (GA). This required the assimilation of basic modeling tools for the external aerodynamics, the engine internal ballistics for thrust and additive drag predictions, and for the mass and inertia properties. The GA routines for optimizing the design have been used in other design optimization efforts. The basic models have been assembled and specific designs have been developed. Results indicate that the flight envelope for a scramjet is very narrow and dimensions are critical if the engine is to develop thrust at a given design point. For the designs considered in this investigation, specific Mach number and altitude limits were established and dimensional designs were identified. Utilization of these codes and representative results are documented in this paper.
Autophagy regulates sphingolipid levels in the liver

Sphingolipid levels are tightly regulated to maintain cellular homeostasis. During pathologic conditions such as in aging, inflammation, and metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases, levels of some sphingolipids, including the bioactive metabolite ceramide, are elevated. Sphingolipid metabolism has been linked to autophagy, a critical catabolic process in both normal cell function and disease; however, the in vivo relevance of the interaction is not well-understood. Here, we show that blocking autophagy in the liver by deletion of the Atg7 gene, which is essential for autophagosome formation, causes an increase in sphingolipid metabolites including ceramide. We also show that overexpression of serine palmitoyltransferase to elevate de novo sphingolipid biosynthesis induces autophagy in the liver. The results reveal autophagy as a process that limits excessive ceramide levels and that is induced by excessive elevation of de novo sphingolipid synthesis in the liver. Dysfunctional autophagy may be an underlying mechanism causing elevations in ceramide that may contribute to pathogenesis in diseases.
The sleep switch: hypothalamic control of sleep and wakefulness

More than 70 years ago, von Economo predicted a wake-promoting area in the posterior hypothalamus and a sleep-promoting region in the preoptic area. Recent studies have dramatically confirmed these predictions. The ventrolateral preoptic nucleus contains GABAergic and galaninergic neurons that are active during sleep and are necessary for normal sleep. The posterior lateral hypothalamus contains orexin/hypocretin neurons that are crucial for maintaining normal wakefulness. A model is proposed in which wake- and sleep-promoting neurons inhibit each other, which results in stable wakefulness and sleep. Disruption of wake- or sleep-promoting pathways results in behavioral state instability.
A knowledge-based approach for real-time systems debugging

The authors consider a method of testing unpredictable sequences known as program execution monitoring. In this method, a snapshot of the system events and happenings are recorded in a noninterfering manner, i.e. without corrupting the critical timing requirements of the target system. The traces thus collected are analyzed to isolate the bug in an offline mode. The examination of voluminous traces is a laborious and tedious task that requires a high degree of expertise. It is shown how this expertise can be encapsulated in a knowledge-based system and the examination process automated to at least localize the fault and answer questions about its reasoning. Such an approach shortens the overall debugging time and contribute toward software productivity and reliability. >
The Role of Contact Line (Pinning) Forces on Bubble Blockage in Microchannels

This paper highlights the influence of contact line (pinning) forces on the mobility of dry bubbles in microchannels. Bubbles moving at velocities less than the dewetting velocity of liquid on the surface are essentially dry, meaning that there is no thin liquid film around the bubbles. For these "dry" bubbles, contact line forces and a possible capillary pressure gradient induced by pinning act on the bubbles and resist motion. Without sufficient driving force (e.g., external pressure), a dry bubble is brought to stagnation. For the first time, a bipartite theoretical model that estimates the required pressure difference across the length of stagnant bubbles with concave and convex back interfaces to overcome the contact line forces and stimulate motion is proposed. To validate our theory, the pressure required to move a single dry bubble in square microchannels exhibiting contact angle hysteresis has been measured. The working fluid was deionized water. The experiments have been conducted on coated glass channels with different surface hydrophilicities that resulted in concave and convex back interfaces for the bubbles. The experimental results were in agreement with the model's predictions for square channels. The predictions of the concave and convex back models were within 19% and 27% of the experimental measurements, respectively.
Location-aware caching for spatial queries in dynamic environments

Spatial query processing is important to the emerging mobile network applications such as ad hoc networks and mobile sensor networks. The conventional caching techniques are ineffective in dealing with spatial queries in dynamic environments due to the following reasons: first, the cache contents are described based on queries instead of data locations, which lead to the inefficiency in describing the data content distribution in the network; in addition, the results of earlier queries may be invalidated immediately after query resolution due to the mobility of data objects; moreover, the data volumes and number of clients may be quite large that deteriorate the performance of conventional caching approaches. In this paper, we address these issues using position-locus map, a caching scheme that reflects the distribution of mobile data objects based on the analysis of locations of interest and earlier queries. We show that spatial queries may be answered efficiently with the position-locus map, with reduced search cost and system overhead
Local anaesthetics use does not suppress muscle activity following an ankle injection.

To determine if peroneus longus (PL), peroneus brevis (PB), medial gastrocnemius (MG) and tibialis anterior (TA) muscle activation patterns during inversion perturbation and running tasks are suppressed following lidocaine injection to the anterior talofibular (ATF) and calcaneofibular (CF) ligament regions. Fourteen recreationally active male subjects (age, 24.8 ± 2.9 years; height, 177.0 ± 6.0 cm; mass, 77.7 ± 6.7 kg) participated. Testing was performed under five injection conditions to the ATF and CF regions: 1 ml saline, 1 ml lidocaine, 3 ml saline, 3 ml lidocaine or no injection. Following injection condition, traditional ankle taping was applied. Electromyography patterns of the PL, PB, MG and TA were collected while subjects performed continuous lateral jumps on a custom-built device which elicited an ankle inversion perturbation and treadmill running (3.35 m s−1, 0.5 % incline). No significant differences were demonstrated in muscle activation patterns of the PL (n.s.), PB (n.s.), MG (n.s.) or TA (n.s.) for any variable across injected conditions during both tasks. Statistical power was 0.214–0.526 for the PL, 0.087–0.638 for the PB, 0.115–0.560 for the MG and 0.118–0.410 for the TA. Injection of lidocaine up to 3 ml to the ATF and CF regions did not suppress muscle activity of the PL, PB, MG or TA during the inversion perturbation or running tasks. Injection up to 3 ml of 1 % lidocaine to the ATF and CF regions may be used without sacrificing the muscle activation patterns about the ankle. This finding is clinically relevant since the use of the injection does not put the patient at any higher risk of reinjury to the site. I.
Adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate-dependent protein kinase activity decreases in human muscle after insulin infusion.

We have previously reported that the increase in glycogen synthase activity in human muscle during a euglycemic clamp was not associated with a measured increase in glycogen synthase phosphatase activity after a 200-min insulin administration. To investigate further the mechanism of the regulation of human muscle glycogen synthase by insulin, we measured the activity of cAMP-dependent protein kinase before and after a 200-min hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp in Southwest American Indians. Insulin infusion resulted in a decreased cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity assayed at physiological cAMP concentration with increased glycogen synthase activity in all subjects (n = 5; P < 0.01). No significant change was observed in cAMP-independent protein kinase activity. These results suggest that 200 min of insulin administration during a euglycemic clamp may regulate human muscle glycogen synthase activity by mechanisms other than the stimulation of phosphatase; one probable mechanism is by decreasing the act...
Polarization quadrature measurement of subwavelength diffracting structures

The amplitude and the phase of the diffracted far field depends on polarization when the diffracting structure is comparable to or less than the wavelength. When the far-field amplitude and the phase of one polarization with respect to the orthogonal polarization is measured, small changes in the structure can be measured. To make the far-field polarization measurements, we design a detector that measures the relative polarization amplitude and the phase in quadrature. We predict numerically and verify experimentally the polarization amplitude and the phase for an optical disc and a set of gratings with varying depth. Our results show that this measurement technique is sensitive to small variations in the diffracting structure and that it can be useful in applications such as critical dimension and overlay metrology in microelectronics fabrication.
Maximum Likelihood Estimation of clock parameters for synchronization of wireless sensor networks

Clock synchronization plays a fundamental role in the operation of wireless sensor networks. This paper derives the Maximum Likelihood Estimator (MLE) of clock phase offset and skew between two nodes that assume a two-way timing message exchange mechanism to achieve synchronization. The MLE is derived under quite general conditions assuming an exponential distribution for the variable network delays and the presence of an unknown deterministic component due to the fixed network delays.
Interaction of cytosine arabinoside and lovastatin in human leukemia cells

Cytosine arabinoside (ara-C) is widely used for the treatment of leukemias and displays significant toxicities. Lovastatin, an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, is extensively used to treat hypercholesterolemia. To determine whether lovastatin could augment ara-C's activity we have examined their effects in the human erythroleukemia K562 cell line and the ara-C resistant ARAC8D cell line. A synergistic interaction between the two drugs was found. We have demonstrated that the interaction does not occur at the level of RAS but may involve lovastatin's effect of downregulating MAPK activity and preventing ara-C-induced MAPK activation. These studies represent the first description of a potentially beneficial interaction between lovastatin and ara-C that could be applied to the treatment of human leukemia.
miR-1 Overexpression Enhances Ca2+ Release and Promotes Cardiac Arrhythmogenesis by Targeting PP2A Regulatory Subunit B56α and Causing CaMKII-Dependent Hyperphosphorylation of RyR2

MicroRNAs are small endogenous noncoding RNAs that regulate protein expression by hybridization to imprecise complementary sequences of target mRNAs. Changes in abundance of muscle-specific microRN...
An overview of the use of non-steroidal aromatase inhibitors in the treatment of breast cancer

A number of potent and selective non-steroidal aromatase inhibitors are now available for the treatment of advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women. In particular, anastrozole represents a significant advantage over earlier agents, such as aminoglutethimide and formestane, in terms of both efficacy and tolerability. These agents are now established as the second-line therapy of choice in postmenopausal women with advanced disease progressing on tamoxifen and, furthermore, data are now available on the efficacy and tolerability of anastrozole as first-line treatment of advanced breast cancer compared with tamoxifen. The full potential of the new-generation aromatase inhibitors in the treatment of breast cancer is currently being investigated in a large programme of clinical trials, including evaluation as neoadjuvant treatment in postmenopausal women with newly-diagnosed locally-advanced or large operable breast cancers, as first-line treatment of advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Aromatase inhibitors have been available for over 20 years; the ability of these compounds to reduce circulating oestradiol levels has been shown to produce clinical benefit in postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer. Early aromatase inhibitors, however, such as aminoglutethimide and formestane, were not specific for the aromatase enzyme and resulted in significant side-effects.
A Role for the Parietal Cortex in Sensorimotor Adaptation of Saccades

Sensorimotor adaptation ensures movement accuracy despite continuously changing environment and body. Adaptation of saccadic eye movements is a classical model of sensorimotor adaptation. Beside the well-established role of the brainstem–cerebellum in the adaptation of reactive saccades (RSs), the cerebral cortex has been suggested to be involved in the adaptation of voluntary saccades (VSs). Here, we provide direct evidence for a causal involvement of the parietal cortex in saccadic adaptation. First, the posterior intraparietal sulcus (pIPS) was identified in each subject using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Then, a saccadic adaptation paradigm was used to progressively reduce the amplitude of RSs and VSs, while single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (spTMS) was applied over the right pIPS. The perturbations of pIPS resulted in impairment for the adaptation of VSs, selectively when spTMS was applied 60 ms after saccade onset. In contrast, the adaptation of RSs was facilitated by spTMS applied 90 ms after saccade initiation. The differential effect of spTMS relative to saccade types suggests a direct interference with pIPS activity for the VS adaptation and a remote interference with brainstem–cerebellum activity for the RS adaptation. These results support the hypothesis that the adaptation of VSs and RSs involves different neuronal substrates.
Acquired coronary artery-left ventricular pseudoaneurysm fistula after myocardial infarction.

Abstract Acquired coronary artery fistulas have been reported as complications of chest trauma and coronary angioplasty, or after rupture of a coronary aneurysm. We describe a patient who developed a circumflex coronary artery fistula that communicated with a left ventricular false aneurysm after myocardial infarction.
Summary SQL --A Fuzzy Tool For Data Mining

The increasing use of computers for transactions and communication have created mountains of data that contain potentially valuable knowledge. To search for this knowledge we have to develop a new generation of tools, which have the ability of flexible querying and intelligent searching. In this paper we will introduce an extension of a fuzzy query language called Summary SQL which can be used for knowledge discovery and data mining. We show how it can be used to search for fuzzy rules.
Scheplan-a scheduling expert for steel-making process

Scheplan is an expert system kernel that was developed for scheduling steel-making processes. The typical constraints in such processes are a fixed sequence of production stages, no machine conflicts among products, low waiting time, continuous use of some machines, and a resting time requirement for some machines. The approach presented for designing a schedule that satisfies the constraints, is not to obtain an optimal solution, but rather to obtain a feasible solution efficiently. The reason for this is that it is very difficult to define an evaluation function for the optimum, and that a combinatorial explosion may prevent a schedule from being obtained in a reasonable time. A cooperative schedule method is introduced in which the system efficiently generates a candidate schedule by a subscheduling and merging method, and the user evaluates and modifies the candidate schedule by interactive refinement. >
THE RELATIONSHIP OF THREE FACTORS IN PRINTED MATERIALS TO STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.

In the design of curriculum materials, we should strive for a systematic method in which certain critical factors related to student achievement can be consciously incorporated, according to the author. The teacher might then assume the role of diagnostician.
Structural Features Contributing to Biodegradability

In this review it is shown that biodegradation of organic molecules by mixed bacterial cultures can be modelled successfully by an expert structure-activity relational system.
Viability of microorganisms in fluorouracil and cisplatin small-volume injections

The ability of various microorganisms to survive in cisplatin injection or fluorouracil injection in small-volume containers was assessed. Inoculum suspensions of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas cepacia, Candida albicans, or Aspergillus niger were injected into polyvinyl chloride minibags containing 20 mL of either fluorouracil injection 50 mg/mL or cisplatin injection 1 mg/mL in 0.9% sodium chloride injection. All minibags were stored at 25 degrees C for 28 days. Three minibags containing only the sodium chloride solution and 18 minibags containing the sodium chloride solution inoculated with microorganisms served as negative and positive controls, respectively. Samples (1 mL) were obtained within 30 minutes of inoculation and again on days 1, 2, 4, 7, 14, 21, and 28. All microbial species lost viability in both the cisplatin and the fluorouracil admixtures over the study period. In most instances, this loss was more pronounced than that in the positive control solution. Whether the pH of the solutions contributed to this loss of viability was not determined. Under the conditions of this study, admixtures containing cisplatin and fluorouracil did not support rapid growth of microorganisms when stored at room temperature for up to 28 days.
Implementation of Interior Point Methods on Parallel and Vector Machines

The advent of interior point methods has revolutionized the field of mathematical programming. Although various interior point methods have been considered one way or another from the 50’s, it was only after the publication of the seminal paper of Karmarkar (1984) that the scientific community engaged in an intensive theoretical and experimental study of interior point algorithms. On the theoretical side this research effort lead to improved computational complexity bounds for linear programming(LP), quadratic programming(QP), linear complementarity problems(LCP) and some convex programming problems. On the other hand the experimental work has resulted in a number of very efficient codes. These codes have performed consistently better than traditional methods, especially on very large problems. The vast amount of computation required for solving such problems often requires the use of supercomputers, wherefrom the need for studying different ways of implementing interior point methods on parallel and/or vector machines.
Dealing Effectively with Noisy Data

This chapter attacks the following issue: how should projection data be collected so that noise in the data will have the smallest effect on the choice of the reconstruction? In an experimental procedure, the data collected never exactly corresponds to $${\text{P}}_\theta f(z) = \int_{ - \infty }^{ + \infty } {f(z + t\overrightarrow \theta )dt}, forzin\theta ^ ;$$ the reasons for inaccuracies (i. e., noisy data) are as varied as there are experimental techniques. In any case, reconstruction in the presence of noise must be carefully handled because the knowledge that f is uniquely determined by Pθf gives no indication about the effect on h caused by slightly inaccurate projection data. (Remember that we have assumed that the objective function, f, is in Z(n) and that we are looking for a reconstruction of f, namely h, which is also in Z(n).) Since the data is (almost) always inconsistent, (i. e, there may not exist a solution) some type of “averaging” method must be used to choose h. This chapter attacks the problem of choosing h with noisy data by using statistical methods involving the Gauss-Markov theory or the method of Least Squares.
Effect of centrifugation at 20,000 x g on lipid distribution of human sera.

SummaryThe effects of centrifugation at 20,000 × g for 2 hours on lipid distribution of various human sera have been studied. In general, when neutral fat was below 176 mg%, very little, if any, cholesterol or phospholipids rose to the surface. When neutral fat content was markedly elevated, as much as 90% of both cholesterol and neutral fat and 50% of phospholipids underwent flotation. However, subjects with similar degrees of marked hyperlipemia appeared to separate into 2 major groups represented by moderate and marked degrees of flotation of neutral fat, the latter group being composed primarily of subjects with familial hyperlipemia. An inverse correlation was found between whole serum neutral fat content and percentage of total cholesterol remaining in the subnatant serum. Variations from these general patterns and possible clinical interpretations are being studied.We gratefully acknowledge a grant from the Richmond Area Heart Assn. in support of our work on lipid metabolism. Our thanks are due Dr....
Are Nurse Injectors The New Norm

As Botox®/filler use has increased in recent years, a growing number of nonaesthetic health professionals have emerged to perform these procedures. Since studies have shown that patients identify training as the most important factor in considering these procedures, this study seeks to summarize the perspective of plastic surgeons regarding these paradigm shifts. In the summer of 2013, an eight-question survey was sent to members of ISAPS, ASAPS, and ASPS (approximately 26,113 plastic surgeons globally). Two questions assessed practice location and membership affiliation and six questions assessed various healthcare practitioners’ capability to administer Botox, fillers, and vaccines (control). Healthcare practitioners included plastic surgeons and dermatologists, gynecologists, dentists, nurses in plastic surgery and dermatology, or nurses in other fields. On three e-mail notifications, 14,184 plastic surgeons opened the survey and 882 responded: 36.6 % from North America, 29.1 % from Europe, 12.9 % from South America, 10.1 % from Asia, 4.5 % from the Middle East, 3.4 % from Australia, 1.9 % from Africa, and 1.6 % from Central America. Seventy-seven percent believed nurses were not as capable as plastic surgeons in administering Botox; 81 % felt the same for fillers. Conversely, 84 % agreed that nurses were as capable as plastic surgeons in administering vaccines. Plastic surgeons ranked nurses in other fields (48 %) as most capable in administering vaccines, then plastic surgeons (42 %), nurses of plastic surgeons (9 %), gynecologists (1 %), and dentists (<1 %). When asked about Botox/fillers, responders ranked plastic surgeons (98 %) most capable, then nurses in plastic surgery (2 %), gynecologists (<1 %), dentists (<1 %), and nurses in other fields (<1 %). When asked to rank according to patient perception, the order remained the same. Based on responses from over 880 plastic surgeons from around the world, plastic surgeons consider themselves and dermatologists the most capable injectors. However, they still believe nurses in other fields to be the most capable of administering vaccines. This dichotomy may define the role of various practitioners in an increasingly more competitive injectable environment to improve patient satisfaction and outcomes. Given that the majority of growth in cosmetic injectables is being driven by providers other than plastic surgeons and dermatologists, further clarification on training requirements and practice guidelines may be necessary to ensure a consistent, reproducible experience for the patient. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .
Perspectives on pediatric physical therapy education.

Purpose The Section on Pediatrics convened an Education Summit in July 2012 to examine, discuss, and respond to documented inconsistencies and challenges in teaching pediatric physical therapy content in entry-level professional education programs. This lecture was designed to provide attendees with the history of pediatric physical therapy education, stemming from the author's early involvement with the Section on Pediatrics and as a long-standing academician. Summary of key points The limited literature on pediatric physical therapy education was reviewed and used to highlight the continued variability across programs. The challenge was presented to build upon attendees' scholarship of teaching and learning. Statement of conclusions These remarks were designed to help understand the growth and development in pediatric physical therapy education over the past 40 years and to encourage others to use what has been learned to build a stronger foundation for the future.
Design of a Biocompatible and Optically-Stable Solution-Phase Substrate for SERS Detection

Detection of important biological molecules using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has become widely used because of the highly sensitive and label free approach offered by SERS as well as the low cytotoxic response from some SERS substrates. Gold nanoparticles are commonly used in SERS studies; however, the inherent instability of these metal nanostructures in solution adversely influences the reproducibility and quantitative nature of these measurements. Furthermore, the metal surface often denatures biomolecules upon their direct interaction. To combat this incompatibility and improve optical stability, gold nanoparticles have been encapsulated in silica shells. These Au@SiO2 nanostructures have been used extensively in cellular studies, but their SERS capabilities are generally limited to uses that include silica-entrapped SERS reporter molecules rather than direct SERS detection. This work focuses on combating these limitations via the fabrication of Au@SiO2 nanoparticles with porous silica membranes for the direct detection of target molecules in solution. Gold nanoparticles have been designed and coated with a variety of silica morphologies and subsequently interrogated using extinction spectroscopy and SERS. It will be revealed that these gold nanoparticles entrapped in silica membranes serve as optically stable substrates for the quantitative and direct detection of target molecules. These advances in nanomaterial fabrication are envisioned to impact both fundamental and applied studies in a variety of research areas including catalysis, separations, and spectroscopy.
The Comparison of Detecting Arsenic Content Tests in Drinking Water with HG-AAS and HG-AFS Detectors

Objective To establish a method for the rapid and accurate determination of arsenic in drinking water.Method We detect arsenic content in drinking water by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry and hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry.Result Under the optimal conditions selected,the detection limit of determination of arsenic in drinking water by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry and hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry were 3.030μg/L and 0.027μg/L,RSD were 0.89% and 0.65%,the recovery rate was 97.8%~103.4%.Conclusion Through the contrast test method found that the two methods of detection of the same sample results are basically consistent,can achieve rapid,convenient,accurate objective.
English and Chinese Phonemes Recognition Using K-Subspaces and Time-Delay Auto-Associators

A neural network architecture, K-subspaces and time-delay auto-associators, is proposed for phoneme recognition. It extends the phoneme filter neural networks approach by adding linear auto-associators to create p-dimension subspace, and an iteration is employed to improve the decision. It is good to capture the time-sequence information in speech signal. The architecture proposed could provide a high recognition performance without traditional neural network’s shortcoming. Some recognition simulations for both English and Chinese phonemes are conducted, and the recognition rate is 84.38% which is better than phoneme filter neural networks approach.
Prolonged and profound fatigue in a young man.

(1983). Prolonged and Profound Fatigue in a Young Man. Hospital Practice: Vol. 18, No. 3, pp. 169-170.
The Greening of Higher Education

This paper documents the current initiatives college and university campuses across North America are taking to address issues of environmental awareness and ecological sustainability. After taking a look at what campuses are doing in a practical sense to address environmental concerns, the paper then discusses some of the underlying motivations for engaging in sustainability policies, and whether the initiatives documented are in fact cost-effective, or merely attractive window-dressing to students, donors, and alumni.
Regions of variable DNA methylation in human placenta associated with newborn neurobehavior

The placenta regulates the in utero environment and functionally impacts fetal development. Candidate gene studies identified variation in placental DNA methylation is associated with newborn neurologic and behavioral outcomes including movement quality, lethargic behavior, attention, and arousal. We sought to identify novel regions of variable DNA methylation associated with newborn attention, lethargy, quality of movement, and arousal by performing an epigenome-wide association study in 335 infants from a US birth cohort. Methylation status was quantified using the Illumina HumanMethylation450 BeadChip array and associations to newborn outcomes assessed by the NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scales (NNNS) were identified while incorporating established bioinformatics algorithms to control for confounding by cell type composition. Methylation of CpGs within FHIT (cg15970800) and ANKRD11 (cg16710656) demonstrated genome-wide significance (P < 1.8 × 10(-7)) in specific associations with infant attention. CpGs whose differential methylation was associated with all 4 neurobehavioral outcomes were common to 50 genes involved in biological processes relating to cellular adhesion and nervous system development. Comprehensive methylation profiling identified relationships between methylation of FHIT and ANKRD11, which have been previously linked to neurodevelopment and behavioral outcomes in genetic association studies. Subtle changes in DNA methylation of these genes within the placenta may impact normal variation of a newborn's ability to alter and track visual and auditory stimuli. Gene ontology analysis suggested that those genes with variable methylation related to these outcomes are over-represented in biological pathways involved in brain development and placental physiology, supportive of our hypothesis for a key role of the placenta in neurobehavioral outcomes.
Mending man's ways: Wickedness, complexity and off-road travel

While the concept of wickedness has been applied frequently in planning and design environments, its application to complex regulatory problems is less well-developed. Off-road and social travel has become a significant source of environmental degradation across many regions worldwide, and the widespread failures of travel regulation suggest that it has characteristics of a wicked problem as described by Rittel and Webber. This paper presents a simulation of a complex regulatory system – the interaction of cumulative travel decisions, alternative regulatory regimes, and landscape values – using a case study of a landscape adjoining Las Cruces, New Mexico. This research is built on a morphological analysis of change in travel patterns derived from historical remote sensing imagery. The findings of this paper suggest that the cumulative nature of travel demand among off-road users has important implications for the resilience of natural systems particularly in places of high demand such as metropolitan edges. Regulatory choices can create both virtuous and vicious cycles in travel behavior,which suggests opportunities for constructing adaptive strategy in off-road travel management.
Data-Driven Individualization in Peer-Mediated Interventions for Students with ASD: a Literature Review

Although peer-mediated interventions have emerged as an evidence-based practice for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), little attention has focused on approaches for tailoring these interventions to meet individual students’ unique needs. In this systematic literature review of 29 studies, we identified assessment procedures used to inform peer-mediated social interventions for students with ASD. Few studies included well-described assessment methods. While direct observations often were used to tailor social outcomes, weaker methods were used to individualize intervention components. Furthermore, the focus of most assessment procedures was narrow, addressing only one feature of the intervention or outcome. Results of this review highlight the need to improve assessment reporting, use more rigorous assessment methods, and further evaluate the effectiveness of assessments to individualize peer-mediated interventions.
Testosterone and Striatal Dopaminergic Neurotoxicity

Testosterone (T) enhances the degree of neurotoxicity when present prior to the administration of neurotoxins that target the nigrostriatal dopaminergic (NSDA) system, but does so only for NSDA neurotoxicity induced by the psychostimulant methamphetamine (MA). No such effect was observed on 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine, and in response to 6-hydroxydopamine it appears that the increased neurotoxicity obtained in intact versus orchidectomized rats is due to estrogen produced by aromatization of T. Some mechanisms through which T may enhance striatal neurotoxicity include effects upon transporters, both dopamine transporters and vesicular monoamine transporter-2; heat-shock proteins; hyperthermia; and infarcts. In addition, generalized effects of T upon apoptosis and necrosis may contribute to striatal neurotoxicity. Some notable inferences of these findings include the potential damage to NSDA function with the combination of T and MA as can occur in athletes striving to augment their performance. In addition, endogenously elevated T levels that accompany training and/or result from exogenous supplements may increase brain damage resulting from trauma (e.g., MA, concussions).
Sex Cord-Stromal Tumors of the Ovary

Sex cord-stromal tumors (SCSTs ) are rare neoplasms derived from, or display differentiation towards primitive sex cords or stromal cells. The tumors in this category exhibit a great diversity of patterns with a long array of mimickers, and accordingly may pose a diagnostic challenge. Some of the derivative cells are involved in hormone production under physiologic conditions; therefore, many tumors under this category produce excess hormones, which may lead to the development of hormone-mediated syndromes. There are clear age-related differences in the incidence of several tumors in this category, with juvenile granulosa cell tumors, for example, occurring primarily in the <20-year age group, Sertoli-Leydig cell tumors predominating between menarche and 25 years, and adult granulosa cell tumors most commonly occurring between ages 25–50 years. The correct diagnosis of an ovarian tumor is important in all patients, but is arguably particularly so for this category, since young patients represent a significant proportion of patients, and issues of fertility preservation abound. This makes awareness of the diagnostic criteria and the differential diagnosis of the SCSTs an important task. The 2014 World Health Organization classification of SCSTs categorized this group under three main categories: pure stromal tumors, pure sex cord tumors, and mixed SCSTs. This chapter highlights all SCSTs, with an emphasis on the clinicopathologic characteristics and advances in molecular features of each entity, as well as a detailed discussion of differential diagnostic considerations, and the utility and limitations of immunohistochemical markers and ancillary studies in their diagnostic work-up.
Scale Dependence of the Mechanical Properties of Interfaces in Crustaceans Thin Films

Crustacean exoskeletons in the form of thin films have been investigated by several researchers in order to understand the role played by the exoskeletal structure in affecting functioning of species such as shrimps, crabs and lobsters. These species exhibit similar design in their exoskeleton microstructure. Bouligand pattern (twisted plywood structure), layers of different thicknesses across cross section, changes in mineral content through the layers etc. are common feature changes. Different parts of crustacean exoskeletons exhibit a significant variation in mechanical properties based on the variation in the above mentioned features. Mechanical properties have been analyzed by authors using imaging techniques such as SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy), EDX (Energy Dispersive X-ray) and using mechanical characterization based on nanoindentation. Analyses show that the confinement effect arising from interfaces sandwiched in crustacean microstructure layers along with the strain rates of deformation plays a major role in the deformation of such layered systems. A new constitutive model is proposed that couples the effect of strain-rate and confinement to predict interface deformation behavior. The model predictions are validated based on experiments in glass/epoxy interfaces.
Relative contribution of envelope and fine structure to the subcortical encoding of noise-degraded speech

Brainstem frequency-following responses (FFR) were elicited to the speech token /ama/ in noise containing only envelope (ENV) or fine structure (TFS) cues to assess the relative contribution of these temporal features to the neural encoding of degraded speech. Successive cue removal weakened FFRs with noise having the most deleterious effect on TFS coding. Neuro-acoustic and response-to-response correlations revealed speech-FFRs are dominated by stimulus ENV for clean speech, with TFS making a stronger contribution in moderate noise levels. Results suggest that the relative weighting of temporal ENV and TFS cues to the neural transcription of speech depends critically on the degree of noise in the soundscape.
What drives post-adoption usage? Investigating the negative and positive antecedents of disruptive technology continuous adoption intentions

Abstract This article focuses on the pre-adoption antecedents of disruptive technology continuous adoption intentions at the firm level. Understanding how to make a quality adoption decision, as measured by the firm's satisfaction and intention to continue using the technology after the initial adoption phase, is of critical importance for a buying manager. Given this challenge, a model for disruptive technology continuous adoption intention is proposed that considers the following: pre-adoption interorganizational trust, mimetic competitor pressures, normative supplier pressures, efficiency motives, searching efforts, and post-adoption satisfaction. This model was tested using survey results from 211 recent purchasing managers of a cloud computing service, an emerging disruptive technology. Interestingly, normative pressures from supplying firms prior to adoption led to lower user satisfaction and, consequently, lower intentions to continue adopting and using the technology. Moreover, these pressures were driven by pre-adoption levels of interorganizational trust and mimetic pressures from competitors. Potential adopting managers of a disruptive technology should instead be driven by efficiency-oriented motives and actually aim to increase their searching efforts in order to better understand the disruptive technology prior to adoption. These findings add to prior literature demonstrating the complex interplay of external pressures and internal motives on technology adoption strategies.
Another look at the determinants of the financial condition of state pension plans

Given the financial troubles facing state pension plans in recent years, we examine determinants of the ratio of assets to liabilities, or the funded ratio, based on data for 153 pension plans from 2001 to 2014. The focus is on the relationship between both the actual investment return on pension assets and the assumed return used to discount pension liabilities, or the funded ratio. Importantly, only when appropriate empirical techniques are employed to address potential econometric problems do we find that these two factors have the expected relationship with the funded ratio. Surprisingly, we also find the actual and assumed returns are negatively correlated, even though the correlation is quite low. Furthermore, the assumed return is on average higher than the actual return and has a much larger marginal effect on the funded ratio. We therefore show how a relatively high value can be assigned to the assumed return to make a pension plan appear to far healthier than actually is the case.
Learning Laboratory Chemistry through Electronic Sensors, a Microprocessor, and Student Enabling Software: A Preliminary Demonstration

We describe the construction and initial demonstration of a new instructional tool called ROXI (Research Opportunity through eXperimental Instruction). The system interfaces a series of electronic sensors to control software via the Arduino platform. The sensors have been designed to enable low-cost data collection in laboratory courses. Data are collected by a computer and can be displayed or plotted in nearly real time, allowing chemistry to come to life. In addition, student data can be analyzed by the computer automatically and used to provide feedback to assess whether students are analyzing experimental results correctly. Because the computer and software are able to perform all computations and data analysis independently of the student, the software can assess the accuracy of student calculations and even assign grades based upon performance. In addition, since measurement data are logged and plotted, it is possible for the software to assist in assembling laboratory report files that students can...
Al 0.65 Ga 0.35 N channel high electron mobility transistors on AlN/ sapphire templates

We report on an Al 0 85 Ga 0.15 N-Al 0 65 Ga 0 35 N high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) on low-defect AlN buffers over basal plane sapphire substrates. A new epilayer design consisting of a doped barrier layer yielded sheet resistivity values as low as 1800 Ω per square. Devices with a source-drain spacing of 5.5 μm and a gate length of 1.8 μm exhibited peak drain-currents as high as 290 mA/mm at a gate bias of +4 volts. This is at least an order of magnitude higher than previous reports. We also show that 3μm thick low-defect AlN buffer layers provide enough thermal conduction enabling stable device operation over 250oC.
Marixa Lasso, Myths of Racial Harmony: Race and Republicanism during the Age of Revolution, Colombia, 1795-1841 (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2007), 203 pp

On January 20, 2009 the United States celebrated the inauguration of the first African American president. This milestone marked progress in that country’s struggle to overcome its history of violent racial conflict which has characterized much of its recent past. Latin Americans also rejoiced over the election of Barack Obama, recognizing the significance of such a momentous event. They had observed and even experienced discrimination on their visits to their northern neighbor and often criticized American racial chauvinism while touting their own racially harmonious national histories. Yet as 2010 signals the year to begin commemoration ceremonies of the bicentennial of Spanish American independence throughout the region it offers an opportunity to reflect on the progress Latin Americans have also made toward the building of strong nation-states undivided by class and color.