cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterization of Pd-Composite Membrane Fabricated by Surfactant Induced Electroless Plating (SIEP): Effect of Grain Size on Hydrogen Permeability

Polycrystalline palladium (Pd) was deposited on micro-porous stainless steel (MPSS) substrate using a suitable surfactant of various concentrations in the electroless plating process. The micro-structural characterization was carried out using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The concentrations of the surfactant were chosen as a function of critical micelle concentration (CMC) in order to elucidate the interaction of the surfactant in solid-liquid and solid-gas interface during grain coarsening. It appears that during electro-crystallization, the driving force between the newly formed crystallite and the originally coarsed grains depends on the relative size and crystalline configuration of the newly formed crystallite. This crystallite on the other hand is affected by the localized over potential, the presence of active nucleating particles, and the texture of MPSS surface and operating conditions. The size of the newly formed grain is...
Improving the Reading Recall of High School Students With ADHD

Students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often have difficulty with reading comprehension. This multiple baseline across participants design with multiple probes study examined the effectiveness of a multicomponent reading comprehension strategy (TWA: Think Before Reading, Think While Reading, Think After Reading) taught following the self-regulated strategy development model on social studies expository text recall of three high school students with ADHD. Results showed improvement in the number of main ideas and percentage of supporting details recalled. Gains were maintained and some improvement occurred at 2- and 4-week follow-ups. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
Arginine Vasopressin Induces Endothelium-dependent Vasodilatation of the Pulmonary Artery: V1-Receptor-mediated Production of Nitric Oxide

Infusion of arginine vasopressin (AVP) decreases pulmonary artery pressure. To determine whether this is due to stimulated release of endothelium-derived relaxing factor in the pulmonary circulation, the authors studied segments of canine pulmonary artery suspended in organ chambers for measurement of isometric force. In segments in which contraction was induced with phenylephrine (10 −6 mol), AVP (10 −12 to 10 −7 mol) produced concentration-dependent relaxation in segments with endothelium but not in segments without endothelium. Greater concentrations of AVP (3 × 10 −7 to 3 × 10 −5 mol) produced comparable contraction in segments with or without endothelium. Endothelium-dependent vasodilatation in response to AVP was inhibited by N G -nitro-L-arginine (10 −4 mol) and N G -monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA) (10 −4 mol), inhibitors of nitric oxide synthesis from L-arginine. The inhibitory effect of L-NMMA was attenuated by L-arginine (10 −4 mol). Endothelium-dependent vasodilatation in response to AVP was inhibited reversibly by the vasopressin V 1 -blocker. Arginine vasopressin induces release of endothelium-derived nitric oxide through action on endothelial V 1 -receptors. Endothelium-derived nitric oxide mediates vasodilatation, which may explain decreased pulmonary resistance during AVP infusion.
A performance evaluation of hyper text transfer protocols

Abstract Version 1.1 of the Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) was principally developed as a means for reducing both document transfer latency and network traffic. The rationale for the performance enhancements in HTTP/1.1 is based on the assumption that the network is the bottleneck in Web transactions. In practice, however, the Web server can be the primary source of document transfer latency. In this paper, we characterize and compare the performance of HTTP/1.0 and HTTP/1.1 in terms of throughput at the server and transfer latency at the client. Our approach is based on considering a broader set of bottlenecks in an HTTP transfer; we examine how bottlenecks in the network, CPU, and in the disk system affect the relative performance of HTTP/1.0 versus HTTP/1.1. We show that the network demands under HTTP/1.1 are somewhat lower than HTTP/1.0, and we quantify those differences in terms of packets transferred, server congestion window size and data bytes per packet. We show that when the CPU is the bottleneck, there is relatively little difference in performance between HTTP/1.0 and HTTP/1.1. Surprisingly, we show that when the disk system is the bottleneck, performance using HTTP/1.1 can be much worse than with HTTP/1.0. Based on these observations, we suggest a connection management policy for HTTP/1.1 that can improve throughput, decrease latency, and keep network traffic low when the disk system is the bottleneck.
Diffusion-weighted spin-echo fMRI at 9.4 T: microvascular/tissue contribution to BOLD signal changes.

The nature of vascular contribution to blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) contrast used in functional MRI (fMRI) is poorly understood. To investigate vascular contributions at an ultrahigh magnetic field of 9.4 T, diffusion-weighted fMRI techniques were used in a rat forepaw stimulation model. Tissue and blood T2 values were measured to optimize the echo time for fMRI. The T2 of arterial blood was 40.8 6 3.4 msec (mean 6 SD; n 5 5), similar to the tissue T2 of 38.6 6 2.1 msec (n 5 16). In comparison, the T2 of venous blood at an oxygenation level of 79.6 6 6.1% was 9.2 6 2.3 msec (n 5 11). The optimal spin-echo time of 40 msec was confirmed from echo-time dependency fMRI studies. The intravascular contribution was examined using a graded diffusion-weighted spin-echo echo-planar imaging technique with diffusion weighting factor (b )v alues of up to 1200 sec/mm2. Relative BOLD signal changes induced by forepaw stimulation showed no dependence on the strength or direction of the diffusion-sensitizing gradients, suggesting that the large vessel contribution to the BOLD signal is negligible at 9.4 T. However, gradient-echo fMRI performed with bipolar diffusion sensitizing gradients, which suppress intravascular components from large vessels, showed higher percent signal changes in the surface of the brain. This effect was attributed to the extravascular contribution from large vessels. These find
Fixed negative charge and the Donnan effect: a description of the driving forces associated with brain tissue swelling and oedema

Cerebral oedema or brain tissue swelling is a significant complication following traumatic brain injury or stroke that can increase the intracranial pressure (ICP) and impair blood flow. Here, we have identified a potential driver of oedema: the negatively charged molecules fixed within cells. This fixed charge density (FCD), once exposed, could increase ICP through the Donnan effect. We have shown that metabolic processes and membrane integrity are required for concealing this FCD as slices of rat cortex swelled immediately (within 30 min) following dissection if treated with 2 deoxyglucose + cyanide (2DG+CN) or Triton X-100. Slices given ample oxygen and glucose, however, did not swell significantly. We also found that dead brain tissue swells and shrinks in response to changes in ionic strength of the bathing medium, which suggests that the Donnan effect is capable of pressurizing and swelling brain tissue. As predicted, a non-ionic osmolyte, 1,2 propanediol, elicited no volume change at 2000×10−3 osmoles l−1 (Osm). Swelling data were well described by triphasic mixture theory with the calculated reference state FCD similar to that measured with a 1,9 dimethylmethylene blue assay. Taken together, these data suggest that intracellular fixed charges may contribute to the driving forces responsible for brain swelling.
Grassroots Mobilization and Voter Turnout in 2004

Voter turnout increased sharply in 2004. At the same time, 2004 marked a change in campaign strategy, as both presidential campaigns and allied organizations placed unprecedented emphasis on voter mobilization. This article attempts to assess the degree to which grassroots mobilization efforts contributed to the surge in voter turnout. We conclude that although grassroots efforts generated millions of addi- tional votes, they probably account for less than one-third of the observed increase in turnout. Increased turnout in 2004 primarily reflects the importance that voters accorded the presidential contest. The 2004 presidential election witnessed a dramatic increase in voter turnout. Of 202.7 million eligible voters (excluding noncitizens and adults ineligible to vote due to felony convictions), 122.3 million (60.3 percent) cast ballots for president (McDonald 2005). The 2004 figure represents a dramatic increase over the numbers in the 2000 election, in which 105.4 million votes were cast for president (54.2 percent of the voting-eligible population), and the second highest voter turnout rate of any election since the 1960s. This surge is all the more remarkable in an era when declining turnout has become an expected feature of Western democracies (Dalton and Wattenberg 2002). Why did turnout increase in 2004? This essay focuses primarily on the role of voter-mobilization campaigns. A sharp change in campaign strategy occurred in 2004, with both parties placing unusual emphasis on voter mobilization. By this account, the increase in voter turnout reflects the sheer volume of mobilization activities such as door-to-door canvassing and calls from volunteer phone banks.
A framework for XML-Based integration of data, visualization and analysis in a biomedical domain

Biomedical data are becoming increasingly complex and heterogeneous in nature. The data are stored in distributed information systems, using a variety of data models, and are processed by increasingly more complex tools that analyze and visualize them. We present in this paper our framework for integrating biomedical research data and tools into a unique Web front end. Our framework is applied to the University of Washington's Human Brain Project. Specifically, we present solutions to four integration tasks: definition of complex mappings from relational sources to XML, distributed XQuery processing, generation of heterogeneous output formats, and the integration of heterogeneous data visualization and analysis tools.
Prevention of Hepatic Fibrosis in a Murine Model of Metabolic Syndrome with Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis

The endocannabinoid pathway plays an important role in the regulation of appetite and body weight, hepatic lipid metabolism, and fibrosis. Blockade of the endocannabinoid receptor CB1 with SR141716 promotes weight loss, reduces hepatocyte fatty acid synthesis, and is antifibrotic. D-4F, an apolipoprotein A-1 mimetic with antioxidant properties, is currently in clinical trials for the treatment of atherosclerosis. C57BL/6J mice were fed a high-fat diet for 7 months, followed by a 2.5-month treatment with either SR141716 or D-4F. SR141716 markedly improved body weight, liver weight, serum transaminases, insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, hypercholesterolemia, hyperleptinemia, and oxidative stress, accompanied by the significant prevention of fibrosis progression. D-4F improved hypercholesterolemia and hyperleptinemia without improvement in body weight, steatohepatitis, insulin resistance, or oxidative stress, and yet, there was significant prevention of fibrosis. D-4F prevented culture-induced activation of stellate cells in vitro. In summary, C57BL/6J mice given a high-fat diet developed features of metabolic syndrome with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and fibrosis. Both SR141716 and D-4F prevented progression of fibrosis after onset of steatohepatitis, ie, a situation comparable to a common clinical scenario, with D-4F seeming to have a more general antifibrotic effect. Either compound therefore has the potential to be of clinical benefit.
Steady state growth and ammonium uptake of a fast‐growing marine diatom 1

A fast-growing marine diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana (3H) was grown under NH4+-limited steady state conditions in continuous culture. Growth rate could not be described as a function of external or residual NH,+ because of analytical limitations in measuring NHd+ concentrations co.03 pg-atom N * liter -‘. Neither did the data fit the internal nutrient model of Droop because the washout growth rate (I;) under N limitation is substantially less than the maximum growth rate term used in the Droop expression (p). The ratio of the minimum (ka) to the maximum ( Qm) cell quota was the key term in determining the ratio fi:&, and hence the applicability of the Droop expression. For limiting nutrients such as vitamin Blz and P, @ - p, and the expression is applicable; but, when fi < pi, as for N and Si, the usefulness of the expression is diminished, and when p + 00, as for inorganic carbon, the Droop equation is completely invalid. In a general sense the usefulness of the Droop expression diminishes as the limiting nutrient:cell weight ratio increases. The generality of the concept of cell “shift UP, ” or increasing k, and p with increasing growth rate, is questioned as no evidence for this phenomenon was found in T. pseudonana. Moreover, the demonstration of discontinuities in kinetic curves of Q vs. /.L does not a priori imply that the coefficients kR and I; are variable.
The influence of curvature and pressure gradient on the flow temperature and velocity distribution

Abstract For an asymmetrically curved channel, after obtaining the velocity distributions as solutions of the Navier-Stokes equation, the partial differential equation of energy containing the dissipation function is transformed into an ordinary differential equation by means of the separation method. Numerical solutions are found for different Reynolds and Prandtl numbers. For the accelerated flow, the velocity and temperature distributions near the channel walls experience a steep gradient, with the temperature maxima located close to the concave wall. Increasing the Reynolds number results in fuller velocity profiles and causes pronounced temperature boundary layers, particularly for higher Prandtl numbers. For the decelerated flow, the velocity distribution on the concave wall is fully attached and reveals steeper temperature gradient near the walls as a consequence of higher energy dissipation. On the convex wall, the velocity profile exhibits the tendency for separation, which is particularly pronounced for higher Reynolds numbers. The exact solutions presented in this paper with the detailed description of the method exhibit, besides the experimental verification, a powerful means to validate numerical methods dealing with the calculation of velocity and temperature distributions within viscous flows.
The Surgical Anatomy of the Coronary and the Inferior Mesenteric Veins by the Injection-Corrosion Method

The surgical anatomy of the coronary and the inferior mesenteric veins has been studied in situ and after injection-corrosion casts in 50 embalmed human cadavers, in view of the recent use of these...
``Was It Good? It Was Provocative.'' Learning the Meaning of Scalar Adjectives

Texts and dialogues often express information indirectly. For instance, speakers' answers to yes/no questions do not always straightforwardly convey a 'yes' or 'no' answer. The intended reply is clear in some cases (Was it good? It was great!) but uncertain in others (Was it acceptable? It was unprecedented.). In this paper, we present methods for interpreting the answers to questions like these which involve scalar modifiers. We show how to ground scalar modifier meaning based on data collected from the Web. We learn scales between modifiers and infer the extent to which a given answer conveys 'yes' or 'no'. To evaluate the methods, we collected examples of question-answer pairs involving scalar modifiers from CNN transcripts and the Dialog Act corpus and use response distributions from Mechanical Turk workers to assess the degree to which each answer conveys 'yes' or 'no'. Our experimental results closely match the Turkers' response data, demonstrating that meanings can be learned from Web data and that such meanings can drive pragmatic inference.
Racial Differences in Desistance From Substance Abuse: The Impact of Religious Involvement on Recovery

This study examines variations by race in the relationship between religiosity and desistance from substance abuse. Although most studies have included race as a control variable, only a few studies compared the equivalence of associations among religiosity, delinquency, recovery from substance abuse, and other variables between Black and White samples. Using data from the intake and 12-month follow-up survey of the Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Study, this study examines levels of religious involvement of Black and White drug treatment clients. In addition, it empirically tests whether religious involvement exerts differential effects on Black and White clients' recovery from substance abuse. It was found that Black clients reported higher levels of religious involvement (measured by church attendance) than did White clients. Data indicated that religious behavior at 1-year follow-up was positively associated with Black clients' recovery from substance abuse. In contrast, religious behavior was not a significant predictor of White clients' desistance from substance abuse. Directions for future research and policy implications are discussed.
Image Recovery Via Hybrid Sparse Representations: A Deterministic Annealing Approach

Local smoothness and nonlocal similarity have both led to sparsity prior useful to image recovery applications. In this paper, we propose to combine the strengths of local and nonlocal sparse representations by Bayesian model averaging (BMA) where sparsity offers a plausible approximation of model posterior probabilities. An iterative thresholding-based image recovery algorithm using hybrid sparse representations is developed and its convergence property is analyzed using the theory of fixed point. Since nonlocal sparsity based on clustering relationship is nonconvex, we have borrowed the powerful idea of deterministic annealing (DA) to optimize the algorithm performance. It can be shown that as temperature decreases, our algorithm is capable of traversing different states of image structures (e.g., smooth regions, regular edges and textures). Fully reproducible experimental results are reported to support the effectiveness of the proposed image recovery algorithm.
Gait Variability Detects Women in Early Postmenopause With Low Bone Mineral Density

Background Women in early postmenopause and with low bone mineral density (BMD) may exhibit early markers for physical frailty as a result of sarcopenia and osteopenia. Objective The purpose of this study was to determine whether women in early postmenopause and with low BMD exhibit decreased physical performance and differences in gait variability and fall and fracture rates. Design This study was an observational cohort design with participants assigned to groups on the basis of BMD status. Methods Fifty-four women, 31 with low BMD and 23 with normal BMD, participated. This study was conducted in a university research facility. Physical performance was measured by assessment of dynamic balance (timed backward tandem walk test), strength (handheld dynamometry of isometric quadriceps muscle force production), and free gait speed. Gait variability was assessed on the basis of the coefficient of variation for temporal-spatial gait characteristics. Falls and fractures were assessed for the year after initial testing. Results Significant between-group differences were found for step time and stance time variability. Limitations The limitations of this study included group assignment on the basis of the results of the most recent bone density scan within the preceding 2 years. Conclusions Women in early postmenopause and with low BMD exhibited increased gait variability in step time and stance time but did not exhibit differences in balance, strength, or gait speed. Gait variability may be more sensitive for detecting differences in women in early postmenopause and with or without low BMD than more typical measures of physical performance.
Hyperosmotic stress-induced ATF-2 activation through polo-like kinase 3 in human corneal epithelial cells

Elevated extracellular solute concentration (hyperosmotic stress) perturbs cell function and stimulates cell responses by evoking MAPK cascades and activating AP-1 transcription complex resulting in alterations of gene expression, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis. The results presented here demonstrate that hyperosmotic stress elicited increases in ATF-2 phosphorylation through a novel Polo-like kinase 3 (Plk3) pathway in human corneal epithelial (HCE) cells. We found in hyperosmotic stress-induced HCE cells that Plk3 transferred to the nuclear compartment and was colocalized with ATF-2 in nuclei. Kinase activity of Plk3 was significantly activated by hyperosmotic stimulation. Further downstream, active Plk3 phosphorylated ATF-2 at the Thr-71 site in vivo and in vitro. Overexpression of Plk3 and its mutants enhanced hyperosmotic stress-induced ATF-2 phosphorylation. In contrast, suppression of Plk3 by knocking down Plk3 mRNA effectively diminished the effect of hyperosmotic stress-induced ATF-2 phosphorylation. The effect of hyperosmotic stress-induced activation of Plk3 on ATF-2 transcription factor function was also examined in CRE reporter-overexpressed HCE cells. Our results for the first time reveal that hyperosmotic stress can activate the Plk3 signaling pathway that subsequently regulates the AP-1 complex by directly phosphorylating ATF-2 independent from the effects of JNK and p38 activation.
Program Evaluation: Forms and Approaches [Book Review]

Review(s) of: Program Evaluation: Forms and Approaches, by John M Owen, Allen and Unwin, Crows Nest, NSW, Third Edition, 2006, 298 Pages, ISBN: 1741146763. Includes photo.
Prompt electron production in e + e - annihilations at 29 GeV

We have measured the inclusive prompt electron cross section over a wide momentum range (P>0.5 GeV/c) with the PEP-4 TPC detector. The semielectronic branching fractions of thec andb quarks are (9.1±0.9 (stat.)±1.3 (syst.))% and (11.0±1.8±1.0)%, respectively. Theb quark fragmentation function peaks at highz with 〈zb〉=0.74±0.05±0.03. The axial couplings to the neutral current areac=2.3±1.4±1.0 for thec quark andab=−2.0±1.9±0.5 for theb quark.
Memory for Aesthetic Qualities

Right-handed subjects preferred paintings containing cues that suggested left-to-right (LTR) motion over their mirror-reversed versions. When members of a pair were presented successively, the effect was larger if the LTR version was seen first, but interpolation of other images reduced aesthetic choices to chance levels, even though subjects remembered the first version. When seen second, LTR versions were preferred even when four other images were interpolated, so normally-preferred versions continued to be favored when other images did not follow them. The information required for aesthetic choice is different from that required for simple recognition and is easily disrupted by other visual-cognitive experience.
Integrated pan/tilt sensor system and flight controls

Pointable sensor systems for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are essential for required tasks such as vehicle tracking. This paper details the avionics and controller design, integration, and testing effort of a pan/tilt sensor package for use with the GTMax helicopter testbed, based on the Yamaha RMax platform, in use at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The sensor package was designed to be self-contained with its own control computer and angle sensors; it requires only a 12V power supply and serial interface to an external computer for targeting commands. Additionally, the control system was designed to use feedforward information from the helicopter flight control system to anticipate and compensate for commanded helicopter attitude changes. The integrated pan/tilt and helicopter flight control aspect was added to improve pointing performance during helicopter maneuvers. This paper discusses the tests performed on the system to verify that all requirements were met, gives an analysis of the control system, and includes suggestions for improvement. I. Introduction Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) can be utilized for many purposes including surveillance, search and rescue, munitions delivery, and recreation. For the majority of these tasks, and especially for fully autonomous vehicles, sensor systems are required for the UAVs to interact with their environment. The purpose of this project was to design, build, and control a pan/tilt sensor package. The sensor package was designed to be capable of pointing or scanning and as such was equipped with a video camera, an infrared camera, and a laser range finder. Additionally, the package was designed to be self-contained, allowing it to be used on any UAV capable of carrying the system and interfacing with the control computer. This multiplatform capability included size and weight requirements. One reason for this project was to replace a previous pan/tilt/roll camera mount whose size, weight, and slow response time limited its utility to slow moving vehicles in tracking and limited its platform capabilities to the GTMax 3 . In contrast, this new package is also designed for use on fixed-wing UAVs. This paper provides a description of the pan/tilt sensor system and the control and user interface architectures. Additionally, the paper details the integrated helicopter flight controls and pan/tilt control system along with performance comparisons between the system with the original controller and the system with the integrated feedforward controller. The system requirements are given first, followed by the hardware and software designs to meet those requirements. Finally, the laboratory test results are presented, culminating with conclusions about the system and suggestions for improvements.
Punctuated equilibrium and evolutionary stasis

Writers as disparate in professional interest as those describing speciation in Drosophila, predicting weather, or supporting creationism have all recently focused on the “sudden” appearance of taxa in the geologic record. In the process, each has cited the punctuated equilibrium argument. Owing to the enormously wide attention which this issue has received since its introduction almost a decade ago, it seems worthwhile to try to place the paleontological and biological evidence in a 1981 perspective. The focus I have chosen is to try to analyze the issue, much as in recent columns in Current Happenings on competitive exclusion, and on larval dispersal and biogeography, in which are put forth alternative explanations for a set of data on a general problem.
INSTABILITIES: TRANSIENT PHENOMENA WITH CONSTANT INPUT

This chapter discusses the transient phenomena that arise either from instabilities in the bistable systems or from fluctuations in the number of nonlinear atoms or in the number of intracavity photons. There are regenerative pulses in several bistable hybrid systems. The frequency of hybrid oscillators can be controlled electronically by simplifying the stabilization or locking of such devices. Such hybrids may perform important functions in the interface between electronics and all-optical devices. The chapter discusses a relaxation oscillation type of instability for a bistable system in which the nonlinear refractive index has two contributions of opposite sign and with different time constants. One would expect the oscillations to be perfectly periodic, but typically, they are somewhat random in occurrence mainly due to noise from the input laser. Random oscillations can be obtained from a single nonlinear effect if the input intensity fluctuations exceed the difference between switch-up and switch-down intensities.
A Comparison of Writing Skills and Test-Taking Skills in an Environmental-Geology Course

A set of five writing exercises, assigned in a survey course in environmental geology in which multiple-choice tests have traditionally been the only means of assessment, showed that many students who test poorly can nevertheless express themselves clearly on scientific concepts. The students wrote about material from books, journals, and newspapers on topics relevant to the course, and they were graded on both organization and grammar. Many students who “tested poorly” managed to write well enough that their final grades were raised by a complete letter grade. As would be expected, the data from the exercises indicate that no statistically significant relationship exists between (standardized) test-taking skills and expository skills. In addition, the bulk of the students who benefited from the exercises were in the lower half of the grade distribution on standardized tests.
A Daughter No More: (National) Identity and the Adult Orphan in Loin de mon père by Véronique Tadjo

Amy Baram Reid’s chapter identifies and explores a crucial transitional stage in a woman’s life as depicted in Tadjo’s Loin de mon pere: when an adult women experiences the deaths of both of her parents, there is a profound realignment of her personal identity. The adult orphan claims a new role within her family story and new responsibilities for the future. Tadjo’s autobiographical novel retraces a daughter’s confrontation with mortality, a confrontation central to the self-redefinition that often accompanies the approach of old age. As Reid’s analysis demonstrates, the reflections on adult orphanhood in Tadjo’s novel are also embedded within broader social contexts, specifically the practice of de facto polygamy and the redefinition of Ivorian national identity in the twenty-first century.
Automating maintenance for a one-way transmitting blackboard system used for autonomous multi-tier control

The blackboard architecture has particular utility in applications where conclusions must be drawn in the absence of human involvement. Through properly crafted rules, this approach can determine what a collection of data may mean. This can be utilized by other onboard software to limit transmission to only relevant data or conclusions. Some applications, such as robotic exploration, may preclude or severely limit the availability of controller-to-craft-agent communications. In this case, the maintenance of the system must be performed autonomously.This paper discusses common maintenance tasks that may be relevant to a long-running blackboard-based system e.g. clearing extraneous data from the blackboard regularly to improve performance, archiving relevant but infrequently used data for performance enhancement. A system for automating these tasks is presented that is suitable for most blackboard-style systems. Its particular utility to those that cannot be easily accessed is discussed. Quantitative analysis of the value of removing rules from the system is performed and presented, and these results are extrapolated to several prospective blackboard maintenance approaches.
Should we treat severe vasovagal syncope with a pacemaker

Cardiac pacing for vasovagal syncope (VVS) addresses the cardioinhibitory component of the reflex but cannot directly affect vasodepression, which occurs in every reflex even when hidden by dominant cardioinhibition. The randomized controlled trials of pacing in VVS have, after almost 2 decades, determined that a small number of patients can benefit because their vasodepressor component is not severe. Early studies compared pacing with no therapy yielding highly significant benefits. Subsequently, all study patients had implanted devices with half being switched off. No benefit was seen. The ISSUE-3 study found significant benefit (P < 0.039) in prevention of syncope recurrence in older patients. A sub-study later showed those with negative tilt tests, otherwise indistinguishable from tilt-positives, had 5% recurrence in 21 months (P < 0.004). There is acceptance that pacing must be dual chamber, but the question of how pacing is delivered remains open. Relying on falling heart rate is insufficient, probably because it occurs too late. Other algorithms which indirectly detect neuroendocrine changes earlier than heart rate fall may have useful application. In clinical terms, the patient to be considered for pacing should not be young and have severe symptoms. Ideally, tilt testing should be negative implying vasodepression of lesser severity and, therefore, yielding fewer syncope recurrences. When selecting pacing, additional concern must be given to regression to the mean of symptoms, severe to less severe. Patients seek help when they are at their worst. Moreover, many years of pacing are unlikely to be free of complications related to implanted hardware.
Chronic graft-specific cell-mediated immune response toward candidate xenogeneic biomaterial

Despite rabbits becoming an increasingly popular animal model, a flow cytometry panel that combines T cell markers (CD3, CD4, CD8, CD25, FOXP3) with a method for monitoring proliferation is lacking in this species. It has been shown that the rabbit model can be used to identify xenoantigens within bovine pericardium (BP), a common biological heart valve replacement material; however, these methods rely on monitoring the humoral immune response. The development of a rabbit T cell proliferation assay has utility in monitoring graft-specific cell-mediated immune responses toward bovine pericardium. Isolation and culture conditions were optimized to avoid cell death, red blood cell contamination, and non-specific proliferation. Effect of cell culture and stimulation on distribution and intensity of T cell markers was analyzed and compared between cells isolated from naive and BP-immunized rabbits. Submaximal levels (0.25 μg/mL) of concavalin A were used to stimulate proliferation toward BP extract, with resultant proliferation compared between naive and BP-immunized rabbits. Density stratification followed by ammonium potassium chloride (ACK) lysis yielded the greatest number of viable peripheral blood mononuclear cells with the least amount of erythrocyte contamination. Flat-bottomed plates were necessary to reduce non-specific proliferation in culture. T cells responded appropriately to maximal mitogenic stimulation (5 μg/mL concavalin A). Interestingly, immunization increased the intensity of FOXP3 in T regulatory cells compared to cells from naive animals. With addition of submaximal levels of concavalin A, T cells from immunized rabbits proliferated in response to BP protein extract, while cells from naive rabbits did not. In immunized rabbits, not only did more CD4+ T cells proliferate in response to BP re-stimulation, but the intensity of CD25 was increased indicating cell activation. This research provides a functional cell-mediated screening assay for assessment of BP-based biomaterials in rabbits, overcoming the limitations of previous humoral immune system-based assessments of biomaterial antigenicity in this important experimental animal species.
Rural Grandparent Headed Households: A Qualitative Description.

Purpose: To explore, from an emic perspective, the unique socio ecological context in which rural grandparent headed households (GHH) exist, and therefore provide a foundation for the development of culturally-appropriate interventions that might impact their health. Methods: This qualitative descriptive study was based on the conduct of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with fifteen grandparents, residing in rural Appalachian Kentucky, who were the primary caretakers for their grandchildren. The interviews were conducted using an interview guide that was based on the premises of the Social Ecological Model (SEM). A basic assumption of this model is that intrapersonal, social-cultural, organizational, and policy factors influence individual health and health behaviors, and that these influences are interrelated and reciprocal. Data was analyzed by the research team using line by line coding of the audio recorded transcriptions of the interviews. Findings: GHH experience both barriers and facilitators to maintaining the health of GHH. Many grandparents viewed the experience of belonging to a GHH as a positive one, believing that having their grandchildren in their home improved their health. They relied on formal and informal networks such as extended family and churches to help with caretaking responsibilities. Grandparents experienced notable barriers to health related to having the primary responsibility of their grandchildren, including lack of resources and family tension related to incarceration and/or opioid drug use by biological parents. Conclusions: GHH, one of the fastest growing family constellations in rural Appalachia and the US, may be particularly vulnerable to health threats elevating their risk for many chronic diseases. Effective health related interventions to address this risk should be based on the socio-ecological context in which these families exist. Keywords : Rural, Grandparent headed households, Qualitative, Socio-ecological model DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14574/ojrnhc.v18i1.486
9 – Ultrathin films: disjoining pressure

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses about different levels of disjoining pressures induced in the ultrathin films. Surface tension gives rise to a force or pressure associated with the curvature of the interface. When the film thickness approaches molecular dimensions it appears that additional forces, associated with long-range electrostatic interactions among the interfaces that bind the film, must be taken into account to explain observed behavior. When a planar liquid film intervenes between a solid and a vapor, there is a free energy per unit of interfacial surface area, the magnitude of which is a sum of contributions from the solid–liquid surface tension and the liquid–vapor. The measurements of the equilibrium film thickness permit the estimation of the spreading parameter for a particular liquid on a surface. In hydrodynamic theories, the energy density function associated with the interfaces can be thought of as corresponding to a pressure within the liquid phase. This pressure is called the “disjoining pressure”. The effect of a disjoining pressure is to thicken a film.
The Risk Identification Protocol

In this chapter we shall attempt to stand back and take a broader look at the phenomenon of reactivity, how best to evaluate it, and possible connections to hypertensive disease. The preceding chapters have addressed specific aspects in our examination of cardiovascular response to psychological stress in detail, and so reiteration will be avoided as much as possible. Instead, this chapter speculates on the possible application of reactivity testing in the cardiovascular risk ascertainment process.
Antibodies against ADP-ATP carrier enhance Ca2+ current in isolated cardiac myocytes

Antibodies previously described to inhibit specifically nucleotide transport (ADP-ATP carrier) of the inner mitochondrial membrane were found to bind specifically to the sarcolemma of the enzymatically isolated rat ventricular myocytes. In this communication, we report for the first time that a component of these antibodies enhanced the Ca2+ current in isolated cardiac myocytes and potentiated twitch tension in ventricular strips. Prolonged exposure of rat myocytes to large concentrations of antibodies caused spontaneous contractions, progressive cell deterioration, and death. Our results thus show that a component of antibodies against ADP-ATP carrier cross-reacts with cardiac sarcolemmal proteins enhancing the Ca2+ channel.
Linear Scaling Second Order Møller Plesset Perturbation Theory

All traditional methods for electron correlation share a steep power law dependence on the molecular size. This high scaling prohibits the use of these methods to large systems in spite of the very impressive advances in computer technology over the past decades. Clearly, this problem cannot be solved with improvements of computers alone, and new methods reducing the power law scaling to one or near one must be developed. In this chapter some linear of low scaling methods for electron correlation will be reviewed. The focus will be on the linear scaling MP2 methods, but other more accurate correlation methods will also be briefly discussed. In addition, the very efficient RI-MP2 will be discussed even though the high power law scaling of conventional MP2 has not been reduced. A discussion of the RI-MP2 method has been included since it is perhaps an order of magnitude more efficient than other efficient MP2 methods. The RI or density fitting approach has now been combined with the local correlation method, and the RI-LMP2 method exhibits linear scaling with the size of the system. Most of the methods discussed herein are based on the local correlation method introduced by Pulay and Saebo in the early eighties and developed further by Schutz, Werner and co-workers. The topic was reviewed in 2002 and this review will focus on the more recent advances in this field. A new linearly scaling LMP2 approach yielding essentially identical results to conventional canonical MP2 will be described, and MP2 calculations with around 5,000 contracted basis functions have been performed without density fitting using this approach.
The impact of enoxaparin administration in relationship to hemorrhage in mild traumatic brain injury.

Abstract Background Venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in the general trauma population is well established. However, risk of increased intracranial hemorrhage in traumatic brain injury (TBI) population is of concern. The aim for this study is to identify a reproducible model of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), evaluated by clinical and histological markers and test the hypothesis that enoxaparin increases the risk of spontaneous brain hemorrhage. Methods 40 male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned to 5 groups: group 1 (sham) with no TBI along with 4 groups comparing mTBI with and without pharmacological intervention using enoxaparin at 24 h and 72 h respectively. Mild traumatic brain injury was induced using a weight drop apparatus, with a clinical endpoint of time to right (TTR), along with histological and spectrophotometer analysis for qualitative hemorrhage. Results There is a statistically significant difference between group 1 (sham) and all other groups with a mean longer time to right of 64 s (p = 0.005) in the mTBI groups. There was a statistically significant difference between group 1 (sham) and all other groups with an increase of 6 g/dL hemoglobin (p Conclusion The weight drop apparatus is a reproducible model for mTBI that has correlations with clinical and qualitative data. This model was able to produce clinical signs of concussion, as reflected by longer TTR and increased hemoglobin in the mTBI groups. Upon further analysis, there was no increase in hemorrhage in the pharmacological intervention groups with enoxaparin.
Improving Integrated LTE-WiFi Network Performance with SDN Based Flow Scheduling

Due to the explosive growth of data demand from mobile devices, cellular operators have been exploring the use of WiFi to offload traffic from the LTE network. Such an integration opens the door for exploiting the network usage diversity for further overall network performance improvement, by intelligently and dynamically scheduling flows over the most appropriate network. However, how such a function can be efficiently and systematically realize, is missing from the current standard specifications, especially on the network infrastructure side. In this paper, we aim to solve such a challenge by proposing a Software-Defined Networking (SDN) based flow scheduling system that is compatible to the 3GPP LTE-WiFi integration framework. The global view provided by SDN makes it easy to collect necessary flow information, and the flexible control of SDN enables efficient flow scheduling. We view the flow scheduling problem as an overall network utility maximization problem. We prove its hardness and propose an approximation algorithm for solving the problem. The proposed system can be incrementally deployed over existing wireless network infrastructure. With extensive simulations in NS3 and demo implementation, we prove the feasibility and effectiveness of both the framework and the scheduling algorithm.
Kidney transplant outcomes associated with the use of increased risk donors in children.

Increased risk donors (IRDs) may inadvertently transmit blood-borne viruses to organ recipients through transplant. Rates of IRD kidney transplants in children and the associated outcomes are unknown. We used the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients to identify pediatric deceased donor kidney transplants that were performed in the United States between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2015. We used the Cox regression analysis to compare patient and graft survival between IRD and non-IRD recipients, and a sequential Cox approach to evaluate survival benefit after IRD transplants compared with remaining on the waitlist and never accepting an IRD kidney. We studied 328 recipients with and 4850 without IRD transplants. The annual IRD transplant rates ranged from 3.4% to 13.2%. IRDs were more likely to be male (P = .04), black (P < .001), and die from head trauma (P = .006). IRD recipients had higher mean cPRA (0.085 vs 0.065, P = .02). After multivariate adjustment, patient survival after IRD transplants was significantly higher compared with remaining on the waitlist (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.26-0.88, P = .018); however, patient (aHR: 0.93, 95% CI: 0.54-1.59, P = .79) and graft survival (aHR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.70-1.13, P = .32) were similar between IRD and non-IRD recipients. We recommend that IRDs be considered for transplant in children.
The Emotion Profile of Web Search

Emotions are an essential part of most human activities, including decision-making. Emotions arise in response to information, e.g., presented in web pages, and are also expressed in the words used to convey that information in the first place. In this paper, we study the emotion profile of retrieved and clicked web search results towards the goal of better understanding the role of emotions in web search. Using click logs from a four-month period, up to the end of January 2019, we examine the emotions associated with search results and contrast them to the emotions of clicked results, taking rank and relevance into account. Emotions are assigned to web pages based on two lexicons: SentiWordNet (positive, negative and objective sentiments) and EmoLexData (afraid, amused, angry, annoyed, don't care, happy, inspired, and sad emotions). We look at the sentiment/emotion profiles of search results grouped around a set of controversial and mundane topics and hypothesise that users are more likely to click emotionally charged results than emotionless results, both in general, and in particular when their query relates to controversial topics.
Arthroscopic Resection of the Radial Head

Radial head fractures often require excision in the acute or chronic setting. Elbow arthroscopy is useful for removal of comminuted fragments in acute isolated radial head fractures. Similarly, arthroscopic resection of a malunited and incongruous radial head is a minimally invasive method for management of chronic radiocapitellar pathology. Arthroscopy provides access for evaluation and concurrent treatment of any associated intra-articular pathology and may also be used to retrieve any fixation implants from the radial head and capitellum [1, 2].