cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clinical and urodynamic assessment of alpha-adrenolytic therapy in patients with neurogenic bladder function.

The efficacy of alpha-adrenolytic treatment with oral phenoxybenzamine chloride (40 mg per day during three to four months) has been assessed both clinically and urodynamically among 249 patients with neurogenic bladder function. The results were significantly better in patients with autonomous (n = 95) than in the ones with automatic (n = 154) bladders (urethral sphincter spasticity and detrusor sphincter dyssynergia dominating the clinical picture in the latter event). A further striking difference was noticed when the data were analysed with regard to the patient's age, a far better therapeutic response being regularly recorded in subjects below age 35, while minimal and inconsistent improvements were observed in the older age group. No major side effects were encountered. Caution is however required in tetraplegics where phenoxybenzamine may aggravate orthostatic hypotension. On the other side the drug proves highly beneficial in these same patients in that it markedly lowers the incidence of dysreflexic states.
Rhabdomyosarcomas utilize developmental, myogenic growth factors for disease advantage: A report from the children's oncology group

Background Unresectable or metastatic disease represents the greatest obstacle to cure for children with rhabdomyosarcoma. In this study we sought to identify gene expression signatures of advanced stage and progressive disease. Procedure Using oligonucleotide gene expression analysis for a focused set of 60 genes, we analyzed the myogenic expression profiles of 89 rhabdomyosarcomas from the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study-IV. Results While the expression profile of rhabdomyosarcomas closely paralleled gene expression profiles of normal embryonic myogenic progenitors, growth factors were most closely associated with disease progression. Specifically, we identified platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptors and insulin-like growth factor as strongly correlated with decreased failure-free survival. Real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of an independent data set suggested that autocrine growth signaling, if present, is not regulated in a simple manner at the transcriptional level. Conclusions Increased transcriptional levels of PDGF receptors and insulin-like growth factor are associated with decreased survival in rhabdomyosarcomas. Dual blockade of these growth-factor-signaling pathways may be a valuable strategy in preclinical therapeutic studies. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Thrombus formation after successful stapler exclusion of the left atrial appendage.

A 67-year-old man with atrial fibrillation presented with stroke 7 weeks after stapler exclusion of his left atrial appendage (LAA), surgical maze procedure, and bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement. Transesophageal echocardiogram (mid-esophageal view at 90°) noted an excluded LAA without
Initial sticking probabilities of Cu vacuum deposited on ordered Al2O3 and MgO

The initial sticking probabilities, S0, of Cu on ordered Al2O3 and MgO have been measured using thermal desorption techniques. S0 is found to vary depending on the temperature and nature of the substrate. The sticking probabilities at room temperature are 0.84 ± 0.05 for CuAl2O3 and 0.82 ± 0.05 for CuMgO, values much greater than the S0 (0.3) previously reported for CuSiO2. S0 is independent of the Cu coverage in the range 0.2–1.5 monolayers. The present study shows that the weak adsorption of copper on silica may be anomalous and not general behavior for metals deposited onto oxides.
The Industrial Organization of Online Education

Abstract Online education has flexibility and cost advantages over in-class teaching and these advantages will grow with improvements in information technology. We consider likely market structures given that the quality aspects of online education exhibit endogenous fixed costs. Concentration in the market for courses could be high, as it is currently in the market for textbooks. The not-for-profit sector will exhibit lower costs, lower concentration, and possibly zero price.
Optical Modes in Inhomogeneous-Toroidal Open Resonators

The possibility is studied of using a medium inhomogeneous in three dimensions as a kind of open resonator to trap optical waves. The existence of realizable eigenfunctions and eigenvalues suggest the existence of bound electromagnetic wave modes in a toroidal-shaped inhomogeneous medium, the refractive index of which is assumed to decrease monotonically in the radial as well as axial direction. For a general, slowly varying refractive-index profile, the radial variations of the trapped electromagnetic wave are Bessel and Airy integral-type functions, similar to those found in gas-lens studies, whereas axial variations are gaussian–hermite polynomials like those of the open resonators. Expressions for the turning radius and angular propagation constant of the waves have been derived for a general profile, and a few particular cases have been examined in detail. In a summation-type profile, the propagation constant and turning radius are shown to be independent of the axial position, whereas in the product-type profile they become functions of the axial position, so that the electromagnetic wave will propagate around in a spiral fashion.
A COMPARISON OF MUSCULAR MECHANICAL ENERGY EXPENDITURE AND INTERNAL WORK IN CYCLING

The hypothesis that the sum of the absolute changes in mechanical energy (internal work) is correlated with the muscular mechanical energy expenditure (MMEE) was tested using two elliptical chainrings, one that reduced and one that increased the internal work (compared to circular). Upper and lower bounds were put on the extra MMEE (work done by net joint torques in excess of the external work) with respect to the effect of intercompensation between joint torques due to biarticular muscles. This was done by having two measures of MMEE, one that allowed no intercompensation and one that allowed complete intercompensation between joints spanned by biarticular muscles. Energy analysis showed no correlation between internal work and the two measures of MMEE. When compared to circular, the chainring that reduced internal work increased MMEE, and phases of increased crank velocity associated with the elliptical shape resulted in increased power absorbed by the upstroke leg as it was accelerated against gravity. The resulting negative work necessitated additional positive work. Thus, the hypothesis that the internal work is correlated with MMEE was found to be invalid, and the total mechanical work done cannot be estimated by summing the internal and external work. Changes in the dynamics of cycling caused by a non-circular chainring may affect performance and must be considered during the non-circular chainring design process.
New Theoretical Frameworks

(1964). New Theoretical Frameworks. The Sociological Quarterly: Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 122-132.
Etiological Similarities Between Psychological and Physical Aggression in Intimate Relationships: A Behavioral Genetic Exploration

Previous research has consistently shown that there is a strong association between psychological and physical aggression in intimate relationships. Theories as to why this association exists include that they have a single underlying etiology with differing thresholds, or they have separate etiologies and there is a two-step process by which psychological aggression moves to physical. The current study suggests that these two theories are not necessarily competing theories. The genetic and environmental covariance between psychological and physical intimate partner aggression were examined in 134 monozygotic (MZ) and 41 dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs. Results showed that psychological and physical aggression have largely the same genetic etiology, and any differences between the two are a function of differing nonshared environmental influences.
Finding Group Interactions in Social Clutter

We consider the problem of finding distinctive social interactions involving groups of agents embedded in larger social gatherings. Given a pre-defined gallery of short exemplar interaction videos, and a long input video of a large gathering (with approximately-tracked agents), we identify within the gathering small sub-groups of agents exhibiting social interactions that resemble those in the exemplars. The participants of each detected group interaction are localized in space, the extent of their interaction is localized in time, and when the gallery of exemplars is annotated with group-interaction categories, each detected interaction is classified into one of the pre-defined categories. Our approach represents group behaviors by dichotomous collections of descriptors for (a) individual actions, and (b) pair-wise interactions, and it includes efficient algorithms for optimally distinguishing participants from by-standers in every temporal unit and for temporally localizing the extent of the group interaction. Most importantly, the method is generic and can be applied whenever numerous interacting agents can be approximately tracked over time. We evaluate the approach using three different video collections, two that involve humans and one that involves mice.
Precursors to the shear failure of rock discontinuities

Active geophysical monitoring of potential failure along mechanical discontinuities in rock requires identification of precursory signatures to failure in geophysical signals. Active ultrasonic monitoring of shear failure along frictional discontinuities was performed to determine the signatures of potential failure. An instrumented direct shear apparatus was used to apply a constant shearing rate to a discontinuity that was held under a constant normal stress. Transmitted and reflected compressional and shear waves were recorded during the shearing process. Ultrasonic precursors were identified as distinct maxima in the amplitude of transmitted shear waves as well as minima in the amplitude of reflected shear waves that occurred well before the peak shear strength of a frictional discontinuity. The precursors are linked to changes in the local shear specific stiffness along the discontinuity, while the discontinuity's macroscopic shear strength continues to increase prior to failure.
Congressional Preferences and the Structure of Delegation: Reassessing the Effect of Divided Government on U.S. Trade Policy

How does the interaction of domestic preferences and political institutions determine the outcome of U.S. trade policy? We revise and extend conventional accounts by paying close attention to partisan constituency trends over time and the structure of delegation under the Reciprocal Trade Agreement Act (RTAA). On the level of constituency composition, we demonstrate that the “partisan switch” between Republicans and Democrats has been accompanied by a reversal in party sensitivity to exporter, and to a lesser extent, import-competing interests. In addition, due to the asymmetrical structure of delegation under the Reciprocal Trade Agreement Act (RTAA), we assert that the effect of divided government on U.S. trade policy is conditional on congressional preferences. The RTAA allows the president to lower, not raise, tariffs. This implies that a pro-trade party supported by exporters faces incentives to delegate regardless of the party identity of the president, while a protectionist party supported by import-competers will find delegation to the other-party president problematic. Our propositions find broad support in both congressional voting and U.S. tariff rate data.
A survey and evaluation of promising approaches for automatic image-based defect detection of bridge structures

Automatic health monitoring and maintenance of civil infrastructure systems is a challenging area of research. Nondestructive evaluation techniques, such as digital image processing, are innovative approaches for structural health monitoring. Current structure inspection standards require an inspector to travel to the structure site and visually assess the structure conditions. A less time consuming and inexpensive alternative to current monitoring methods is to use a robotic system that could inspect structures more frequently. Among several possible techniques is the use of optical instrumentation (e.g. digital cameras) that relies on image processing. The feasibility of using image processing techniques to detect deterioration in structures has been acknowledged by leading experts in the field. A survey and evaluation of relevant studies that appear promising and practical for this purpose is presented in this study. Several image processing techniques, including enhancement, noise removal, registratio...
The Effect of a Community Hospice Rotation on Self-Reported Knowledge, Attitudes and Skills of Third-Year Medical Students

INTRODUCTION: Increasing attention is being paid to educating practicing and future physicians about end-of-life care. Since 1994, the University of California, San Diego has provided a mandatory 16 hour rotation for third-year medical students in hospice and palliative medicine at a community hospice. AIM OF INVESTIGATION: To determine the effectiveness of an intensive, community-based rotation in changing palliative medicine attitudes, knowledge and skills among third-year medical students. METHODS: Pre- and post-test questionnaires incorporating self-assessment of knowledge, attitudes and skills were administered to 195 third-year medical students before and after completion of this rotation from 1997 to 1999. Analyses compared responses, controlling for age, gender and previous clinical experience. RESULTS: In general, students report a deficit in their ability to perform palliative medicine tasks, irrespective of prior clinical experience. Students reported significant improvements in each of 17 items measuring knowledge and confidence performing palliative medicine tasks after completion of the rotation. Medical students reported positive attitudes about palliative medicine which improved after the rotation. However, as a result of the rotation, medical students were more likely to report self-awareness of personal fear about death. CONCLUSIONS: This rotation may serve as a model for teaching the art and science of palliative medicine to physicians in training. KEY WORDS: medical student, education, palliative medicine, hospice, attitudes, knowledge, selfassessment
Edge detection in echocardiographic image sequences by 3-D multiscale analysis

Robust and reliable edge detection is an important step for accomplishing automatic detection of heart wall boundaries in echocardiograms. We present an edge detection algorithm that makes use of both spatial and temporal information. Our algorithm is comprised of (1) a 3-D discrete dyadic wavelet transform carried out on a sequence of images, (2) edge detection that is carried out by maxima detection and a search strategy for maxima curves within the transform space. Using detected edges and "a priori" knowledge of cardiographic features we demonstrate the performance of fully automatic detection of epicardial and endocardial boundaries along the posterior and anterior walls in 2-D short-axis echocardiographic image sequences. >
Aggregating performance metrics for classifier evaluation

There are several performance metrics that have been proposed for evaluating a classification model, e.g., accuracy, error rates, precision, recall, etc. While it is known that evaluating a classifier on only one performance metric is not advisable, the use of multiple performance metrics poses unique comparative challenges for the analyst. Since different performance metrics provide different perspectives into the classifier performance space, it is common for a learner to be relatively better on one performance metric and not better on another performance metric. We present a novel approach to aggregating several individual performance metrics into one metric, called the Relative Performance Metric (RPM). A large case study consisting of 35 real-world classification datasets, 12 classification algorithms, and 10 commonly used performance metrics illustrates the practical appeal of RPM. The empirical results clearly demonstrate the benefits of using RPM when classifier evaluation requires the consideration of a large number of individual performance metrics.
The Generalizability of the Confirmation Bias Among School Psychologists

Research has highlighted the possibility of bias in special education decision-making practices. This study explored the potential biasing effects of prior special education placement (and associated diagnostic label) on a national sample of school psychologists. A total of 240 randomly selected NASP members were asked to make diagnostic and placement decisions in response to fictitious, written case studies that were mailed to them. Each psychologist received one of four case studies that varied the referred child's educational placement (special vs. regular class) and current psychological test results (LD vs. normal). Eighty-eight school psychologists returned completed materials. The findings indicated that the school psychologists' decisions were not biased by knowledge of the child's prior special education placement but were influenced appropriately by current psychological test results. School psychologists who reevaluated a child who had been previously placed in a resource program for learning d...
Amino acid transport in human lymphocytes: distinctions in the enhanced uptake with PHA treatment or amino acid deprivation.

Human blood lymphocytes increase their concentrative uptake of amino acids when treated with plant lectins such as phytohemagglutinin or when exposed to an amino acid deficient environment (adaptation). Previous studies of the PHA effect have been conducted principally with α-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB). We have studied the transport characteristics of naturally occurring amino acids by PHA-treated lymphocytes. These studies have been conducted in the absence and presence of added carrier amino acid to determine whether an in-crease in transport after PHA treatment is mediated by the same mechanism that occurs during adaptation to a low amino acid environment. PHA stimulated the uptake of AIB, alanine, and proline 1.5- to 2-fold after 4 hours' exposure. AIB and proline, but not alanine transport, also increased when lymphocytes were in an amino acid-deficient medium. When lymphocytes were in an amino acid-deficient medium with PHA, the increase in uptake induced by PHA was superimposed on the increase that occurred in response to an amino acid-deficient medium. Also, PHA stimulated a delayed increase (16–20 hours) in the transport of leucine, whose uptake does not adapt to an amino acid-deficient medium. These data suggest that PHA and amino acid deprivation stimulated rate increases in amino acid transport by separate mechanisms.
A METHOD OF STUDYING RESPIRATION

An apparatus is described which makes it possible to measure rapidly and accurately small amounts of CO2 given off by organisms of all kinds. The apparatus can also be used to measure photosynthesis.
Photocatalytic Decomposition of Aliphatic Alcohols, Acids, and Esters

Abstract The photocatalytic decomposition (PCD) of aliphatic alcohols, acids, and esters in an inert atmosphere on TiO 2 and Pt/TiO 2 at room temperature was studied using transient reaction techniques. The addition of Pt to TiO 2 increased the rate of reaction and changed the selectivity significantly, even though Pt is not a photocatalyst and does not have a measurable rate of thermal catalytic activity at room temperature. Although none of the reactants decomposed to form H 2 on TiO 2 , significant amounts of H 2 formed for some reactants during on Pt/TiO 2 , presumably because H atoms spill over onto Pt and recombine to form H 2 . Hydrogen formed on Pt/TiO 2 for all the organics with H bonded to the carbon in a –C–O– group. When only alkyl groups were bonded to the carbon in a –C–O– group, alkanes formed but not H 2 . Abstraction of a H atom appears to be the first step in PCD of alcohols, acids, and esters. Alcohols react to form the corresponding aldehyde and either H 2 or alkanes. Acids and esters react similarly through two parallel pathways, and one pathway extracted lattice oxygen.
A high-efficiency dual-frequency rectenna for 2.45- and 5.8-GHz wireless power transmission

A dual-frequency printed dipole rectenna has been developed for the wireless power transmission at 2.45- and 5.8-GHz (industrial-scientific-medical bands). For operating at dual band, a new uniplanar printed dipole antenna is developed using a coupling method. A GaAs Schottky barrier diode analysis is performed, and a proper device requirement is discussed to have high RF-to-dc conversion efficiencies at both frequencies. A novel coplanar stripline (CPS) low-pass filter integrated with two additional open-ended T-strip CPS bandstop filters effectively block higher order harmonics generated from the diode. The measured conversion efficiencies achieved at free space are 84.4 and 82.7% at 2.45 and 5.8 GHz, respectively.
Some performance issues associated with high speed LANs, MANs and WANs

Issues discussed at the 13th International Teletraffic Congress (ITC-13) regarding high speed local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs) and metropolitan area networks (MANs) are reviewed, and some important problem areas that remain are noted. Specific areas addressed include performance of two important emerging MAN standards, namely distributed queue dual bus (DQDB) and fiber distributed data interface (FDDI), retransmission protocols in high-speed networks, and related questions of fairness. >
Geographic variation in Pemphigus populitransversus (Insecta: Aphididae)*†

The geographic variation of 33 morphological characters of two morphs of the gall-forming aphid Pemphigus populitransversus is studied in 214 locality samples. Among-locality variation ranges from 1 to 69% in the elongate morph and from 0 to 44% in the globular morph. The design of the study permits separation of interlocality correlations from intralocality correlations. The former are partly a function of the latter, confirming early observations on another Pemphigus species and on ticks. Factor analyses of both correlation matrices for both morphs yield four factors. Within localities these factors agree for the two morphs; among localities only one factor corresponds. Multiple discriminant analyses among localities of the two data sets do not correspond. There is little correlation between characters of stem mother and alate morphotypes within localities but such correlations are strong among localities. Maps are furnished for characters representing the independent dimensions of variation for each morph. Patterns of variation are shown to be significant by spatial autocorrelation analysis for both morphs but are much more marked in the elongate morph. Significant positive autocorrelation occurs up to 1000 km in the elongate morph – mostly only up to 200 km in the globular morph. There are two to three geographic variation patterns in the elongate morph, whereas in the globular morph the classes of patterns are less well defined and involve few characters. The environmental factors to which the globular and elongate morphs are adapting would appear to have different autocorrelation patterns. In each morph the patterns are clearly different and cannot be explained by a single microevolutionary process. The findings are compared with an earlier study in the related and largely sympatric P. populicaulis.
Comparison of Systematic Developmental Surveillance With Standardized Developmental Screening in Primary Care

Many physicians use surveillance questions to assess development; the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends screening at 9-, 18-, and 24-month health supervision visits (HSVs). There are no studies directly comparing surveillance with screening. The authors directly compared systematic surveillance with standardized screening using a cross-sectional observational study of children with no known delays. Surveillance questions were completed at each HSV. The Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) was administered following the 9-, 18-, or 24-month HSV. The authors compared detection of delays by surveillance with ASQ screening. Using surveillance, 11/95 subjects were identified as delayed. Using the ASQ, 15/95 subjects scored fail; 28/95 scored monitor. Among the 11 delayed surveillance subjects, 5 scored fail on the ASQ and 5 scored monitor. Ten of the 15 subjects scoring fail on the ASQ were not identified by surveillance. The study's findings support the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations for periodic formal screening in addition to continued surveillance.
The effect of air pollution on inner-city children with asthma

The effect of daily ambient air pollution was examined within a cohort of 846 asthmatic children residing in eight urban areas of the USA, using data from the National Cooperative Inner-City Asthma Study. Daily air pollution concentrations were extracted from the Aerometric Information Retrieval System database from the Environment Protection Agency in the USA. Mixed linear models and generalized estimating equation models were used to evaluate the effects of several air pollutants (ozone, sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particles with a 50% cut-off aerodynamic diameter of 10 microm (PM10) on peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) and symptoms in 846 children with a history of asthma (ages 4-9 yrs). None of the pollutants were associated with evening PEFR or symptom reports. Only ozone was associated with declines in morning % PEFR (0.59% decline (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.13-1.05%) per interquartile range (IQR) increase in 5-day average ozone). In single pollutant models, each pollutant was associated with an increased incidence of morning symptoms: (odds ratio (OR)=1.16 (95% CI 1.02-1.30) per IQR increase in 4-day average ozone, OR=1.32 (95% CI 1.03-1.70) per IQR increase in 2-day average SO2, OR=1.48 (95% CI 1.02-2.16) per IQR increase in 6-day average NO2 and OR=1.26 (95% CI 1.0-1.59) per IQR increase in 2-day average PM10. This longitudinal analysis supports previous time-series findings that at levels below current USA air-quality standards, summer-air pollution is significantly related to symptoms and decreased pulmonary function among children with asthma.
Pharmacokinetics of oral doxycycline and concentrations in body fluids and bronchoalveolar cells of foals

The objective of this study was to determine the disposition of orally administered doxycycline in foals. Six healthy 4- to 8-week-old foals were used. Doxycycline was administered to each foal via the intragastric (IG) route at dosages of 10 and 20 mg/kg, in a cross-over design. After the first 10 mg/kg dose, five additional doses were administered at 12-h intervals. A microbiological assay was used to measure doxycycline activity in serum, urine, peritoneal fluid, synovial fluid, cerebrospinal (CSF), pulmonary epithelial lining fluid (PELF), and bronchoalveolar (BAL) cells. Following administration at 10 mg/kg, mean+/-SD time to peak serum doxycycline activity (tmax) was 3.0+/-1.2 h, maximum serum activity (Cmax) was 2.54+/-0.27 microg/mL, and terminal half-life (t1/2) was 8.5+/-2.8 h. Administration at a dose of 20 mg/kg resulted in a significantly longer tmax (5.5+/-1.8 h) as well as a tendency toward higher Cmax (2.89+/-0.33 microg/mL) and longer t1/2 (11.9+/-2.6 h). After multiple IG doses, doxycycline activity in CSF was significantly lower than concurrent serum activity, whereas peritoneal fluid, synovial fluid, and BAL cell doxycycline activity was similar to concurrent serum activity. Doxycycline activity in urine and PELF was significantly higher than that found at other sites. Oral administration at a dosage of 10 mg/kg every 12 h would maintain serum, PELF, and BAL cell activity above the minimum inhibitory concentrations of Rhodococcus equi, beta-hemolytic streptococci, and other susceptible bacterial pathogens for the entire dosing interval.
Retinoic Acid Is Present in the Postnatal Rat Olfactory Organ and Persists in Vitamin A–Depleted Neural Tissue

Vitamin A (VA), all-trans-retinol (at-ROL), and its derivative, all-trans-retinoic acid (at-RA), are required for neuron development. The effects of these retinoids are dependent upon the nutritional status of the rat and tissue-specific dynamics of retinoid access and utilization. The purpose of this study was to determine the status of at-ROL and at-RA in the peripheral olfactory organ of postnatal rats fed a normal diet and rats fed a VA-deficient (VAD) diet. Extracted retinoids were analyzed by HPLC. Resolved sample peaks were identified by comparing their elution times and spectra with those of authentic standards. Mean at-RA and at-ROL concentrations of 23 pmol/g olfactory tissue and 0.13 nmol/g, respectively, were recovered from olfactory tissue. The ratio of at-RA:at-ROL in olfactory was approximately 2 times that in testis and 200 times that in liver. at-ROL was depleted from the liver and olfactory organ of rats fed a VAD diet from birth to 70 d of age. Surprisingly, at-RA was still present in olfactory tissue from these rats. At 90 d of age, the VAD rats were frankly deficient and at-RA was no longer detectable in olfactory tissue. The comparatively high ratio of at-RA:at-ROL in the peripheral olfactory organ and the persistence of at-RA in at-ROL-depleted tissues strongly suggests that maintenance of local stores of at-RA is functionally relevant in this tissue.
Rethinking Conscious Design Liability for Prescription Drugs: The Restatement (Third) Standard Versus a Negligence Approach

The American Law Institute is presently drafting a new approach to prescription product design liability in its proposed Restatement (Third) of Torts. This new approach would reduce confusion surrounding prescription products by almost completely immunizing them from design defect liability. The proposed new Restatement justifies its near-immunity standard by arguing that prescription product designs are unique in their potential for helping some classes of consumers while hurting others, that warnings defect claims provide consumers sufficient protection, and that the Food and Drug Administration approval process lessens the need for design liability. This Article challenges these arguments and contends that a near-immunity standard provides too much protection for manufacturers and too little protection for consumers. However, this Article agrees that prescription products merit some special protection and rejects applying a strict liability standard to such products. Instead, this Article supports utilizing a middle-ground negligence test for prescription product design liability. Applying a negligence test would offer prescription products designers significant protections not available under a strict liability standard but would not allow the negative consequences of nearly immunizing drug manufacturers from design liability.
Determining the Effects of Cross-over Point on the Running Time of Strassen Matrix Multiplication Algorithm

This paper studies Strassen’s algorithms for fast multiplication of two finite dimensional matrices. However, one pertinent issue that has deterred Strassen’s scheme from been considered for practical usage is determining the cross-over point. In this light, large matrices with different sizes were randomly generated on which Strassen and conventional matrix multiplication algorithms were implemented in MATLAB R2008b. Two MATLAB built-in functions nextpow2 and pow2 were used for implementing padding techniques to ensure that the matrices are to the power of two. Three different experiments were carried out using five, four and three levels of recursion (divide and conquer algorithm) respectively to determine the suitable cut-off point which were used to evaluate the optimal running time for Strassen’s algorithm. For each experiment, eight finite dimensional square matrices of real numbers were generated and iteratively multiplied. The experiment reveals that the cut-off point with five level of recursion optimized the Strassens time.
Selective removal of semivolatile components of cigarette smoke by activated carbon fibers

In order to examine the relationships between micropore radius and adsorption efficiency, removal of Total Particulate Matter (TPM), tar, water and semivolatiles in cigarette smoke by five kinds of activated carbon fibers (ACF) with micropore radii from 8 to 16 A was measured. An ACF having wider micropores reduced TPM and tar effectively but, the water reduction was in opposition to this tendency. Molecular sieving effect was observed in AFC's having narrow micropores, while competitive effect due to the differences in the volatilities of smoke components was observed in those having wide micropores. AFC's having micropores wider than 10 A had high adsorption abilities for semivolatiles, especially for components of boiling points between 100 and 200°C. The enhanced reduction for high boiling point components due to adsorption was detected in the last half of smoking.
Preferential CO Oxidation in the Presence of H2, H2O and CO2 at Short Contact-times

High selectivities and conversions in the preferential oxidation of CO in the presence of large quantities of H2, H2O and CO2 are demonstrated on noble metal catalysts at millisecond contact times (~10–15 ms) for temperatures between 150 and 500 °C. With a simulated water-gas shift product stream containing 0.5% CO and varying amounts of H2, H2O and CO2, we are able to achieve ~90% CO conversions on a Ru catalyst at temperatures of ~300 °C using a stoichiometric amount of O2 (0.25%). Experiments with and without O2 and with varying H2O reveal that significant water-gas shift occurs on Pt and Pt-ceria catalysts at temperatures between 250 and 400 °C, while significant CH4 is formed on Ru and Rh catalysts at temperatures greater than 250 and 350 °C, respectively. The presence of H2O blocks H2 adsorption and allows preferential CO oxidation at higher temperatures where rates are high. We propose that a multistage preferential oxidation reactor using these catalysts can be used to bring down CO content from 5000 ppm at the reactor entrance to less than 100 ppm at very short contact-times.
Correlation of GDF-15 with Worsening Functional Capacity and Echocardiographic Parameters in Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy

s S141 and August 2015. We measured HL using the Newest Vital Sign tool, disease knowledge with the validated English-version Dutch Heart Failure Knowledge Scale, and self-care with the validated Self-Care Heart Failure Index. Results: The sample was predominantly male (72.6%) with an average age of 56.6 years. 43 (32%) had low HL (28/90 in HF; 15/45 in VAD/HTx). Patients with low HL were significantly older (61.3 vs 54.4 years; p 0.1). HF patients with low HL also trended towards poorer self-care maintenance (71.48% vs 78.36%, p= 0.06) and self-care confidence (67.71% vs 75.42%, p= 0.06) but these did not reach statistical significance. Neither self-care maintenance (79.48% vs 81.03%; p> 0.5), nor confidence (75.99% vs 78.21%, p> 0.5) was associated with low HL in the VAD/HTx group. Conclusion: This study found that 32% of patients with HF or VAD/HTx have low HL. This population is characterized by increased age, less formal education, and English as a second language. In HF patients, low HL is associated with poorer HF knowledge and self-care, which may negatively impact outcomes. Despite this effect of low HL in the HF population, in VAD/ HTx patients, low HL does not appear to correlate with HF knowledge or self-care. Low HL represents a marker for patients who may benefit from additional educational supports.
Viral vector-mediated gene therapies.

Purpose of reviewGene therapy as a treatment for neuromuscular disease has significantly advanced over the past decade. In the present review, the progress of adeno-associated viruses (AAV) vector-mediated gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) during the past year is highlighted.Recent
Leading Sectors and the Take-off

The purpose of this chapter is to clarify the basic economic mechanism which underlies the notion of the take-off — the idea of leading sectors — and to relate the workings of this mechanism to the other conditions required for take-off.
Chemical Control of Gastric Secretion

Discovery of chemical control of gastric secretion immediately followed discovery of chemical control of pancreatic secretion. Consequently, I must describe the latter as an introduction to the former.
Effect of thermal nonequilibrium on ignition in scramjet combustors

Abstract The effect of thermal nonequilibrium on flame ignition and stabilization in supersonic scramjet combustors is studied using reaction-layer resolved high resolution numerical simulations. The flow configuration is based on the HyShot-II experiment, with a sonic H2 jet injected into a supersonic crossflow. A detailed H2/air chemical kinetics model is used to simulate the combustion process. Nonequilibrium is described using a multi-temperature model, where the vibrational population distribution of each species is treated using a species-specific temperature. Ab initio derived chemical rates are used for key initiation reactions, while a vibrationally-coupled model is used to describe other reactions under nonequilibrium conditions. The simulations reveal an interesting phenomenon, namely, temperature inversion driven flame stabilization. While conventional wisdom states that ignition should be delayed behind a compression shock due to underpopulation of vibrational levels, the results show that ignition occurs much earlier than in equilibrium flows. The main reason is the generation of a temperature inversion region due to cross-stream fuel injection. Here, the slower vibrational relaxation produces regions of higher vibrational temperatures with combustible mixtures, while the nonequilibrium-driven translational temperature is higher than the equilibrium temperature. The ab initio rates show that certain reactions are relatively insensitive to vibrational energy distribution. Hence, for the same total energy, the reaction rates are increased when the translational energy is higher, leading to stable combustion with enhanced dissociation very close to the nozzle exit. Further analysis shows much of the combustion heat release occurs in this zone where O2 vibrational temperatures are higher than translational temperatures. Even though the presence of H2O quenches nonequilibrium relatively quickly, the initial differences in temperatures created by the nonequilibrium flow is sufficient to substantially alter ignition location.
On Precoding for High Spatial Rate Space-Time Codes

MIMO wireless systems have been studied over the past few years due to the promise of increased capacity and reliability. Additional performance gains are possible when channel state information is available at the transmitter (CSI-T). In this work, we consider the case of partial CSI-T (channel transmit covariance) and revisit precoder design for high rate space-time codes which do not have a unique minimum error matrix. Using a set of minimum error matrices combined with traditional MIMO precoder design results in improved performance over that of previous design techniques based a single minimum error matrix.
Apps in therapy: occupational therapists' use and opinions.

AbstractTo gather information on occupational therapy practitioners’ use and opinions of apps, an online survey was distributed to occupational therapy practitioners licensed in the state of Ohio. The survey sought information regarding clinical populations and skill areas for which apps are used, potential barriers to use of apps and preferred apps/app features. OTs working in medical and education-based settings and with clients of all ages responded to the survey. Over half (53%) reported not using apps in therapy, with “not having access to the technology at work” being the leading reason endorsed. Of practitioners who did report using apps, the majority used them with ≤25% of their case load and primarily used tablets to do so. Clinicians indicated that they use apps for a wide variety of reasons, including to promote skill building and to support the therapeutic process. Preferred features included the ability to grade difficulty up/down, multiple uses and accurate feedback. Recommendations from pee...
Salience in orientation-filter response measured as suspicious coincidence in natural images

Visual cortex neurons have receptive fields resembling oriented bandpass filters, and their response distributions on natural images are non-Gaussian. Inspired by this, we previously showed that comparing the response distribution to normal distribution with the same variance gives a good thresholding criterion for detecting salient levels of edginess in images. However, (1) the results were based on comparison with human data, thus, an objective, quantitative performance measure was not taken. Furthermore, (2) why a normal distribution would serve as a good baseline was not investigated in full. In this paper, we first conduct a quantitative analysis of the normal-distribution baseline, using artificial images that closely mimic the statistics of natural images. Since in these artificial images, we can control and obtain the exact saliency information, the performance of the thresholding algorithm can be measured objectively. We then interpret the issue of the normal distribution being an effective baseline for thresholding, under the general concept of suspicious coincidence proposed by Barlow. It turns out that salience defined our way can be understood as a deviation from the unsuspicious baseline. Our results show that the response distribution on white-noise images (where there is no structure, thus zero salience and nothing suspicious) has a near-Gaussian distribution. We then show that the response threshold directly calculated from the response distribution to white-noise images closely matches that of humans, providing further support for the analysis. In sum, our results and analysis show an intimate relationship among subjective perceptual measure of salience, objective measures of salience using normal distributions as a baseline, and the theory of suspicious coincidence.
The prevalence of fatal police shootings by U.S. police, 2015-2016: patterns and answers from a new data set

Abstract Purpose Previous studies on police use of fatal force in the United States are limited to specific cities. This is the first analysis of its type to rely on incident-level national data and to establish state-level base rates for police shooting fatalities. Methods Publicly available data from the Washington Post were used to model the data, which cover the period from January 2, 2015 to December 29, 2016 ( n = 1948). Results Although the data are limited, the patterns are not consistent with the national rhetoric that the police are killing Black people because of their race and that officer-involved shooting fatalities are increasing; fatalities are generally stable across both years and the evidence shows those who are attacking are more likely to be killed. The data help establish state-level base rates for fatal police shootings, which has yet to be done. Conclusions The United States government should develop a nationwide use of force database to assist police executives, elected leaders and researchers in understanding police use of force. Future research should rely on the situational context of the shooting and the micro-level factors the courts consider when analyzing the legal aspects of use of force instead of sociodemographic factors.
EFFECT OF BOARD SIZE ON THE FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF MERGED INSTITUTIONS

Purpose : The purpose of this study was establishing the effect of board size on the financial performance of merged institutions. Methodology: The study adopted a mixed methodology research design. The study population included all the 51 merged financial service institutions in Kenya. Purposive sampling was used. Primary data was obtained from questionnaires and a secondary data collection template was also used. The researcher used quantitative techniques in analyzing the data. Descriptive analysis for the study included the use of means, frequencies and percentages. Inferential statistics such as correlation analysis was also used. Panel data analysis was also applied. Further, a pre and post merger analysis was used. Results: Board size had a significant relationship with financial performance of merged institution. Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: It was recommended that, firms are place a remarkable degree of emphasis on the area of corporate governance and to some extent embark on eliminating CEO duality. The study also recommends a board size (6 and 8) for better financial performance. This will reduce the problem of free rider and enhance effective monitoring and decision making. It will also bring about cohesion among the board members.
Conway’s Subprime Function and Related Structures with a Touch of Fibonacci Flavor

While the previous chapter was primarily devoted to recurrences involving sequences of primes, or sequences of vectors with prime components, or sequences of sets of primes in the context of algebraic structures defined on the set of primes, all of them set up in terms of the greatest prime factor function, in the present chapter we will address special recurrent sequences of integers defined in terms of two other number-theoretic functions that involve in an essential way in their definitions the prime factors of their argument. These are the Euler’s phi (or totient) function, and Conway’s subprime function.
Sensor selection and static output feedback of parabolic PDEs via state feedback kernel partitioning using modification of Voronoi Tessellations

The major contribution of this work is on the reduced complexity of controller design for a class of distributed parameter systems. An optimal full state controller is first designed and the full state feedback operator is assumed to admit a kernel representation (integral representation). With the aid of the feedback kernel, the spatial domain of definition of the distributed parameter system is partitioned into cells with the property that the kernel over each cell has the same area and is equal to the area of the kernel over the entire spatial domain divided by the total number of sensors. This partition is subsequently used to place a single sensor in each cell. To approximate the full state feedback controller by a static output feedback controller, an optimization scheme is subsequently provided to obtain the scalar output feedback gain corresponding to each cell. Such a domain partition has similarities with the computational geometry method of Centroidal Voronoi Tessellations with the additional requirement that each cell centroid must also result in two subcells of equal area of the kernel. Once the sensor locations are obtained, then a least squares scheme, considered in weak form, minimizes the error between the full state controller and the approximate output feedback controller and provides the static output feedback gains. Extensive simulation studies of a diffusion partial differential equation are included to provide an insight on the specifics of this new domain partitioning with the simultaneous sensor placement and static output feedback gain computation.
Electrical Boundary Resistance in an Aluminum-Stabilized Superconductor

There has been considerable effort to develop aluminum-stabilized superconductors. 1–4 One possible way to form a metal-lurgical bond between an aluminum stabilizer and a NbTi in Cu superconductor is soft soldering.2, 4, 5 The technique of manufacturing such composite conductors in lengths long enough for practical applications, however, is still in the developmental stage.