cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stochastic coverage in heterogeneous sensor networks

We study the problem of coverage in planar heterogeneous sensor networks. Coverage is a performance metric that quantifies how well a field of interest is monitored by the sensor deployment. To derive analytical expressions of coverage for heterogeneous sensor networks, we formulate the coverage problem as a set intersection problem, a problem studied in integral geometry. Compared to previous analytical results, our formulation allows us to consider a network model where sensors are deployed according to an arbitrary stochastic distribution; sensing areas of sensors need not follow the unit disk model but can have any arbitrary shape; sensors need not have an identical sensing capability. Furthermore, our formulation does not assume deployment of sensors over an infinite plane and, hence, our derivations do not suffer from the border effect problem arising in a bounded field of interest. We compare our theoretical results with the spatial Poisson approximation that is widely used in modeling coverage. By computing the Kullback-Leibler and total variation distance between the probability density functions derived via our theoretical results, the Poisson approximation, and the simulation, we show that our formulas provide a more accurate representation of the coverage in sensor networks. Finally, we provide examples of calculating network parameters such as the network size and sensing range in order to achieve a desired degree of coverage.
Parenting Preschoolers: Can Mindfulness Help?

Parenting preschoolers can be a challenging endeavor. Yet anecdotal observations indicate that parents who are more mindful may have greater ease in contending with the emotional demands of parenting than parents who are less mindful. Therefore, we hypothesized that parenting effort, defined as the energy involved in deciding on the most effective way to respond to a preschooler, would be negatively associated with mothers’ mindfulness. In this study, a new parenting effort scale and an established mindfulness scale were distributed to 50 mothers of preschoolers. Using exploratory factor analysis, the factor structure of the new parenting effort scale was examined and the scale was refined. Bivariate correlations were then conducted on this new Parenting Effort—Preschool scale and the established mindfulness scale. Results confirmed the hypothesis that a negative correlation exists between these two variables. Implications are that mindfulness practices may have the potential to alleviate some of the challenges of parenting preschoolers.
Insect Choice and Floral Size Dimorphism: Sexual Selection or Natural Selection?

In considerations of sexual floral size dimorphism, there is a conflict between sexual selection theory, which predicts that larger floral displays attract more pollinators, and optimality theory—particularly the ideal free distribution—which predict that pollinators' visits should match nutritional rewards. As an alternate explanation of this dimorphism, Muller reported that pollinators tend to visit larger male flowers before visiting smaller female flowers, thereby promoting effective pollination. To investigate optimality predictions, I offered pollinators a choice between smaller, less numerous, but more rewarding flowers; and larger, more numerous, but less rewarding flowers. Foragers initially favored the larger and more numerous flowers, but rapidly shifted preferences to conform with the predictions of the ideal free distribution. To test Muller's hypothesis, I offered pollinators choices between larger and smaller corollas of equal caloric reward. Results showed that although pollinators tended to visit larger corollas first, they did not visit them more often. These experiments highlight the need for further investigation into the tradeoff between natural and sexual selection, and their respective influences in pollination ecology.
Novel polymeric alcohols by controlled catalytic polymer functionalization

Novel EPDM (ethylenepropylenediene monomer) and polybutadiene polyols can be synthesized by a two-step process of controlled hydroformylation and then reduction of the formyl groups to place a desired amount of pendant alcohol groups along the polymer chain. The degree of functionalization can be controlled by measuring gas uptake from a calibrated reservoir during hydroformylation. Hydroformylation can be performed in solution or under simulated melt-phase conditions using either HRh(CO) (PPh 3 ) 3 or Rh(acac) (CO) 2 as cat-alysts. Reduction of the polyaldehyde by NaBH 4 generates the polymeric alcohol without further reaction of the remaining double bonds. Polymer functionalization and further modifications were followed by 1 H-NMR and FTIR. These unique hydrophobic polyols can be reacted further to produce other polymer systems. As an example, urethanes have been made with these polyols by reaction with diisocyanates
Craniofacial approaches to the anterior skull base

Malignancies of the anterior skull base commonly present with benign symptomatology, causing a delay in diagnosis and involvement of structures that present a technical challenge in resection. Modern surgical techniques have made approaches to this region, previously thought inaccessible, both technically feasible and therapeutically effective. This has resulted in surgical management often being considered the primary treatment modality for the various pathologic disease processes affecting the anterior skull base. Although open craniofacial methods have remained the traditional approach for surgical treatment, technologic advances have made transfacial endoscopic techniques both accessible and appealing. This article describes the authors' method for craniofacial approaches to the anterior skull base.
Inverse Relationship between Lipid-lowering Drugs and Saturated Fat Intake in US Adults

While lipid-lowering drugs reduce cardiovascular risk, there is concern that their use may discourage dietary restriction of saturated fat (SF). The purpose of this analysis was to evaluate the association between taking lipid-lowering drugs and SF intake. We analyzed cross-sectional data on cholesterol and diet from 6,473 adult respondents in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2002. Respondents were classified into three groups: (1) no history of high cholesterol (Desirable Cholesterol or DC), (2) history of high cholesterol without current drug treatment (Non-Drug Treated or NDT), and (3) history of high cholesterol with active lipid-lowering medication use (Drug-Treated or DT). Regression models were used to compare the mean percentage of daily kilocalories from SF among the three groups while controlling for confounders. Unadjusted analyses revealed significantly lower mean daily intake of SF (% of Kcal/day) among DT respondents compared to both DC (−.40 SF; 95% Confidence Interval [CI], −0.71 to −0.08) and NDT respondents [−.36 SF; CI, −0.79 to 0.06]. The complete multivariate model controlling for all covariates (age, sex, education, race/ethnicity, current smoking, alcohol use, BMI, physical activity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension) attenuated the relationship compared to D (−.35 SF, CI −0.7 to −0.01) and NDT (−.25 SF, CI −0.62 to 0.12) individuals. Taking lipid-lowering medications is associated with a lower intake of SF. However, a prospective study of diet and medication use is needed to definitively evaluate the relationship between lipid-lowering medications and SF intake.
Ecdysone titers and prothoracic gland activity during the larval-pupal development of Manduca sexta

Abstract The titer of ecdysone in whole animal extracts of Manduca sexta was determined by radioimmunoassay during the fifth (last) larval instar, pharate pupal development and pupation. A subtle peak in ecdysone concentration was noted at day 4 (just prior to the onset of the wandering stage) and a second and greater peak at day 8.5 (coincident with pharate pupal development). The titer fluctuations during development were a result of changes in tissue ecdysone and not of alterations in the ecdysone content of the gut. When prothoracic gland secretory activity was analyzed in vitro at the same stages, the most rapid rate of α-ecdysone secretion was shown to occur on day 7 (one day prior to the peak in whole-animal ecdysone concentration). An earlier peak in prothoracic gland activity may occur at day 4–5. Thin layer and gas-liquid chromatographic analyses revealed developmental changes in the ratio of β:α-ecdysone in hemolymph and whole-animal extracts. It is suggested that the steroid-hydroxylating capacity of the insect increases during the instar.
PathSOM: a novel visual-spatial search strategy

In this paper, we propose an efficient similarity search system PathSOM that combines Self-Organizing Map (SOM) and Pathfinder Networks (PFNET). In the front end of the system, SOM is applied to cluster the original data vectors and construct a visual map of the data. The Pathfinder network then organizes the SOM map units in the form of a graph to yield a framework for an improved search to find the best matching map unit. The ability of PathSOM approach for efficient searches is demonstrated through well-known data sets.© (2005) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Collector’s field notebooks at The New York Botanical Garden Library

The Archives of The New York Botanical Garden is currently home to more than 600 volumes of plant collectors’ field notebooks. In many cases, these notebooks belonged to former NYBG staff members or their associates and collaborators at other institutions. An accounting of these, arranged alphabetically by collector, is presented. For each volume, or range of volumes for each collector, the title of the notebook (if any) is given, along with the locations(s) of the fieldwork, the dates, and the range of collection numbers.
Advances in Discrete GaAs JFETs and Simple Amplifiers for Deep Cryogenic Readouts

The progress of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in developing gallium arsenide junction field-effect transistors (GaAs JFETs) for application in infrared readout electronics operating below 10 Kelvin is discussed.
What Size Samples for Methods/Materials Experiments?

Careful planning of educational experiments includes decisions about the sample size to be used. This paper provides a guide to the minimum size of treatment groups, inferred from the relationships between pupil norms and norms for class averages of standardized achievement tests. With "highly effective" treatments and simple random assignment of subjects to conditions, 60 to 85 subjects is derived as the minimum number per group. With "moderately effective" treatments, the minimum number is 235 or more. Use of stratified samples reduces the minimum by fifteen to forty percent. Specification of sample size is one of the thornier problems which must be resolved in the planning of most educational experiments. It is an issue in which practical considerations pull the experimenter in one direction and statistical considerations pull him in the other. Most experienced researchers know only too well the practical difficulties involved in "selling" an experiment to many independent school administrators and research committees, in monitoring an ongoing project in widely scattered districts, and in financing large-scale projects from personal or local funds. But investigators also sense the high cost of performing an experiment with inadequate numbers of cases. Without sufficient numbers, differences of some educational consequence may not be detected, and the experimenter may commit time, energy, and resources to an investigation with negligible chances of success. Statistical consultants are often asked to strike a balance between these competing considerations-to specify a sample size that is "large enough," but is also "realistic." Unfortunately, the magical sample size that is just large enough cannot be defined in a
Success factors in manufacturing

0 ver the past decade, academics and practitioners alike have concluded that manufacturing matters. It matte?3 to the economv ,I as a whole, and it matten to the business to which it belongs. The belief that manufacturing is an important ingredient in corporate and national success has spurred the development of manufacturing strategies in firms seeking competitive advantage around the world. And yet, our understanding of how manufacturing strategies create competitive capabilities and’*profits is weak. To what extent can a common set of success factors in manufachlring be found that are linked to overall business performance? To tackle this question, we describe a series of relationships between manufacturing capabilities and business unit performance. We also determine the elements of manufacturing strategies that are systematically found in successful businesses. Using data obtained from a broad base of North American manufacturing executives, we found that successful manufacturing firms concentrate their efforts on a few critical factors, and systematically avoid others. Our study also reveals that superior manufacturing only improves the odds of relative business unit performance. It is up to general management to seize the opporhmities generated by a manufacturing function that employs these success factors.
Effects of chronic morphine on biliary tract responses to cholecystokinin-octapeptide in female guinea pigs

Acute and chronic opiates impairs the emptying of bile from the gallbladder of male guinea pigs. In view of the higher incidence of gallstone attacks in women, the aim of this study was to determine if this impairment would extend to female guinea pigs. Implantation of morphine pellets (400mg) in female guinea pigs did depress CCK-induced emptying of gallbladder bile. Likewise, gallbladder muscle strips isolated from the morphine treated animals showed depressed responses to CCK. The morphine treatment also antagonized CCK-induced cessation of bile flow present in female guinea pigs. In addition, the morphine treatment blocked both CCK-induced phasic contractions of the isolated isolated Sphincter of Oddi and the secondary cessation of bile flow observed following iv CCK. Thus this study demonstrates that opiate antagonism of CCK does extend to the biliary tract of female guinea pigs, and suggests that resultant biliary stasis could facilitate gallstone formation.
Transport modeling in performance assessments for the Yucca Mountain disposal system for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste

Abstract This paper summarizes modeling of radionuclide transport in the unsaturated and saturated zone conducted between 1984 and 2008 to evaluate feasibility, viability, and assess compliance of a repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. One dimensional (1-D) transport for a single porosity media without lateral dispersion was solved in both the saturated zone (SZ) and unsaturated zone (UZ) for the first assessment in 1984 but progressed to a dual-porosity formulation for the UZ in the second assessment in 1991. By the time of the viability assessment, a dual-permeability transport formulation was used in the UZ. With the planned switch to a dose performance measure, individual dose from a drinking water pathway was evaluated for the third assessment in 1993 and from numerous pathways for the viability assessment in 1998 and thereafter. Stream tubes for transport in the SZ were initially developed manually but progressed to particle tracking in 1991. For the viability assessment, particle tracking was used to solve the transport equations in the 3-D UZ and SZ flow fields. To facilitate calculations, the convolution method was also used in the SZ for the viability assessment. For the site recommendation in 2001 and licensing compliance analysis in 2008, the 3-D transport results of the SZ were combined with 1-D transport results, which evaluated decay of radionuclides, in order to evaluate compliance with groundwater protection requirements. Uncertainty in flow within the unsaturated and saturated zone was generally important to explaining the spread in the individual dose performance measure.
Improvement in the frequency response of 1.3-μm buried heterostructure InAsP lasers

In this paper we present results of small signal response measurements of 1.3mm strained InAsP buried heterostructure multiple quantum well lasers obtained using optical and electrical excitation. Direct modulation of the carrier population in the quantum wells with a femtosecond pulse from an Optical Parametric Oscillator yields frequency response traces with modulation bandwidths of ~ 6 GHz at biases of 1.5 and 1.8+ threshold. These results contrast with those obtained with electrical excitation for which modulation bandwidths of ~ 3 GHz are obtained at the same DC bias conditions. Analysis of the modulation traces obtained with optical excitation show that in these lasers, transport processes play a dominant role in the frequency response.
Brief report: The factor structure of the MacAndrew alcoholism scale

This study attempted to replicate the factor structure of the MacAndrew alcoholism scale using a large sample of both male (n = 1563) and female (n = 293) alcoholics and employing several methodological changes not used in past studies. Male and female factor solutions were found to be highly similar. Following adjustments for mean item differences between males and females, the overall factor structure was examined and six factors were found which were similar to past studies. However, the factors accounted for only a small portion of the MacAndrew scale item variance, scales constructed from the factors had, at best, modest internal consistency reliabilities, and it was suggested that these scales are of limited clinical use. It was concluded that the scale appears to have an insufficient item pool for uncovering more than a few dimensions of personality and behavior among alcoholics.
Consumer Demand and Equilibrium Unemployment in a Working Model of the Customer-Market Incentive-Wage Economy

Though not conceived as a constant, the natural unemployment rate was taken to be invariant to supply shocks until the late seventies and to real demand shocks until now. The largely micro-theoretic model here is one in a series deriving the natural rate path from general equilibrium. In this model the labor market exhibits generalized real-wage rigidity, resulting from the use of "incentive wages" to combat shirking, and the asset backing shares is the firms' customers, arising from customer-market friction. One finding is that increased consumer demand drives up the natural rate by driving real interest rates up.
WALL-SLIP AND POLYMER-MELT FLOW INSTABILITY

Instabilities and complex time dependence are often associated with wall slip in polymer-melt flows. We present here a phenomenological slip model that takes into account the unsteady-state kinetics of the wall-polymer interactions. In this model, both the shear and normal stresses arise, in contrast to other models used in stability analyses of shear flow, which incorporate only shear stresses and yield only stable flow. Asymptotic analysis of viscoelastic shear flow with this slip model predicts instability with respect to short wavelength fluctuations at sufficiently high shear rates, showing that slip can lead to instability in viscoelastic shear flow.
Virus-templated self-assembled single-walled carbon nanotubes for highly efficient electron collection in photovoltaic devices

The performance of photovoltaic devices could be improved by using rationally designed nanocomposites with high electron mobility to efficiently collect photo-generated electrons. Single-walled carbon nanotubes exhibit very high electron mobility, but the incorporation of such nanotubes into nanocomposites to create efficient photovoltaic devices is challenging. Here, we report the synthesis of single-walled carbon nanotube-TiO(2) nanocrystal core-shell nanocomposites using a genetically engineered M13 virus as a template. By using the nanocomposites as photoanodes in dye-sensitized solar cells, we demonstrate that even small fractions of nanotubes improve the power conversion efficiency by increasing the electron collection efficiency. We also show that both the electronic type and degree of bundling of the nanotubes in the nanotube/TiO(2) complex are critical factors in determining device performance. With our approach, we achieve a power conversion efficiency in the dye-sensitized solar cells of 10.6%.
Electron probe microanalysis of changes in dense-body phosphorus and calcium content following alterations in platelet serotonin levels

Abstract Using intact, washed human platelets, we have evaluated dense-body phosphorus and calcium content following procedures which alter total or vesicular serotonin (5-HT) content. Platelet vesicular 5-HT stores were labeled by incubation of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) with [ 3 H]-5-HT, and washed cells were treated for varying time periods with thrombin, the ionophore X537A, or the metabolic poisons antimycin A plus 2-deoxyglucose. After each treatment, [ 3 H]-5-HT remaining in the cells was measured by formaldehyde fixation and scintillation counting. Air-dried whole mounts were prepared from the same cell suspensions, and the calcium and phosphorus content of dense bodies was evaluated by electron microprobe X-ray analysis. A large increase or decrease in vesicular [ 3 H]-5-HT can occur without any measurable change in dense-body calcium or phosphorus. In addition, the loss of [ 3 H]-5-HT, calcium, and phosphorus apparently occurs at different times during platelet incubation with metabolic poisons, suggesting that continued maintenance of vesicular stores of each of the three substrates is linked in a distinct manner to cellular energy production.
Postoperative better than preoperative C-reactive protein at predicting outcome after potentially curative nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma.

Objectives Preoperative C-reactive protein (CRP) predicts metastasis and mortality in localized renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, the predictive potential of after resection of localized RCC remains unclear. Therefore, we assessed the absolute ability of postoperative CRP to predict metastases and mortality as a continuous variable. Methods Patients with clinically localized (T1-T3N0M0) clear-cell RCC were followed for 1 year postoperatively. Metastases were identified radiologically and mortality by death certificate. Univariate and multivariate binary logistic regression analyses examined 1 year relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) across patient and disease characteristics. Results Of the 110 patients in this study, 16.4% developed metastases and 6.4% died. Mean (SD) postoperative CRP for patients who did and did not develop metastases were 69.06 (73.55) mg/L and 5.27 (7.80), respectively. Mean (SD) postoperative CRP for patients who did and did not die were 89.31 (69.51) mg/L and 10.88 (30.32), respectively. In multivariate analysis, T-stage (OR: 12.452, 95% CI: 2.889-53.660) and postoperative CRP ((B: .080, SE: .025; P P Conclusions Postoperative, not preoperative, CRP is the better predictor of metastasis and mortality following nephrectomy for localized RCC. Clinicians should consider absolute postoperative CRP to identify high-risk patients for closer surveillance or additional therapy. Predictive algorithms should consider incorporating postoperative CRP as a continuous variable to maximize predictive ability.
Quality Changes in Diced Onions Stored in Film Packages

Effects of a potassium permangenate gas absorbent and storage at 2 o C on quality changes in modified atmosphere packaged diced onions was studied. A 3 mil packaging film resulted in equilibrated O 2 of 2.65% and CO 2 level of 3.65%. Gas absorbent resulted in reduced ethylene, carbon dioxide and sulfur volatiles. Maximum shear force values and total phenolics increased during storage, but were not affected by gas absorbent. Glucose and fructose concentrations declined within one day after processing, which coincided with an increase in sucrose. Sugar concentrations remained stable thereafter, and were not affected by gas absorbent. Microbe colony forming units (CFU) increased during storage to 5.8 in controls and 7.1 (log CFU/g) in absorbent treated samples after 10 days at 2 o C
Dynamic scanpaths: eye movement analysis methods

An eye movement sequence, or scanpath, during viewing of a stationary stimulus has been described as a set of fixations onto regions-of-interest, ROIs, and the saccades or transitions between them. Such scanpaths have high similarity for the same subject and stimulus both in the spatial loci of the ROIs and their sequence; scanpaths also take place during recollection of a previously viewed stimulus, suggesting that they play a similar role in visual memory and recall (Brandt and Stark, 1997). In a dynamic scenario the features corresponding to ROIs change their absolute and relative positions in time. We introduce a concept of `dynamic scanpath , which utilizes feature-based ROIs, so that a smooth pursuit tracking can be treated as equivalent to a fixation. Strings of the ROIs can be used to represent dynamic scanpaths in time. Quantitative comparisons with string analysis techniques are thus applicable to dynamic as well as static scanpaths. We compared dynamic scanpaths for three subjects (four trials per subject) on eight stimuli, lasting 10 seconds each. The same three-dimensional road scene was presented using three different viewpoint motions (stationary, panning and zooming) and two world models - with and without the cognitive structure. In the latter case, road and grass are replaced by a uniform background and cars by spherical blobs, so that the sequence loses its resemblance to a road scene. We found that dynamic scanpaths exist and can be described similarly to their static counterparts if a smooth pursuit is treated as an extended fixation. Highly different scenes within the same virtual world result in highly different dynamic scanpaths. Viewpoint motion has only slight effect on the scanpaths expressed as strings. Abstraction of visual scene does not critically affect the scanpath. However, there seems to be no common viewing strategy for the abstracted scene, whereas in the non-ed scene there is greater similarity among subjects. The repetitive correlation (same-subject / same-view) was the highest in all cases, suggested the use of a top-down cognitive model and thus provided evidence for the scanpath theory. Statistical significance of the results was evaluated using ANOVA analysis.
Mutational Analysis of an RNA Polymerase II Elongation Factor in Drosophila melanogaster

The ELL family of proteins function in vitro as elongation factors for RNA polymerase II. Deletion studies have defined domains in mammalian ELL required for transcription elongation activity and RNA polymerase binding in vitro, for transformation of cultured cells when overexpressed, and for leukemogenesis and cell proliferation as part of a leukemic fusion protein. The goal of this study was to identify domains required for chromosome targeting and viability in the unique Drosophila ELL (dELL) protein. Here, we show that an N-terminal domain of dELL is necessary and sufficient for targeting to transcriptionally active puff sites in chromatin, supporting a role for this domain in recruiting dELL to elongating RNA polymerase II. We demonstrate that a central domain of dELL is required for rapid mobilization of ELL during the heat shock response, suggesting a regulatory function for this domain. Unexpectedly, transgenic dELL in which the N-terminal chromosome binding domain is deleted can complement the recessive lethality of mutations in ELL, suggesting that Drosophila ELL has an essential activity in development distinct from its role as an RNA polymerase II elongation factor.
A class of multiple-criteria fractional programming problems

Abstract Multiple-criteria nonlinear programming results are extended to a class of nonlinear fractional programming problems. Some duality and optimality theorems of standard nonlinear programming are established for the multiple criteria fractional programming problems being considered. They are the converse duality theorems and the Fritz-John-type sufficient conditions.
Protective effects of adenosine on myocyte contractility during cardioplegic arrest

Abstract Background. Adenosine delivery to the left ventricular myocardium has been demonstrated to provide protective effects in the setting of ischemia and reperfusion. However, whether adenosine has direct protective effects on isolated myocytes in the setting of cardioplegic arrest was unclear. Methods. Isolated porcine left ventricular myocytes were assigned to one of the following treatment groups: (1) cardioplegia: 24 mEq/L K + , 4°C for 2 hours followed by rewarming (cell media, 37°C; n=29); (2) cardioplegia augmented with adenosine (1 to 200 μmol/L) followed by rewarming (n = 98); and (3) normothermic control (cell media, 37°C, 2 hours; n=175). Myocyte contractility was measured by computer-aided videomicroscopy. Results. Cardioplegic arrest and rewarming reduced myocyte shortening velocity compared with normothermic control (25.3 ± 2.5 μm/s versus 50.9 ± 1.4 μm/s, p p p Conclusions. This study demonstrated concentration-dependent protective effects of adenosine-augmented cardioplegia on myocyte contractile function with subsequent reperfusion and rewarming. These results suggest that stimulation of putative myocyte adenosine receptors may provide enhanced protective effects on myocyte contractile processes during cardioplegic arrest. (Ann Thorac Surg 1997;63:981–7)
Open surgical wounds: how does Aquacel compare with wet-to-dry gauze?

Objective: To compare the healing rates of a hydrofibre dressing (Aquacel) and normal wet-to-dry gauze in the treatment of open surgical wounds. Method: Fifty patients with open surgical wounds were randomised to receive either saline-moistened gauze or Aquacel. The rate of wound healing was measured as ml/day (deep wounds) or cm2/day (superficial wounds) at each dressing change until an investigator blinded to the patient group diagnosed the wounds as having healed or the patient was withdrawn from the study. Results: Of the 50 patients, seven were withdrawn from the study after the first evaluation. Of the remaining 43 patients, 21 had been randomly allocated to the gauze group and 22 to the Aquacel group. For deep wounds, a mean change in the wound healing rate of 1.9 ±1.3cm3/day was reported for the gauze group and 2.9 ±2.3cm3/day for the Aquacel group. These results approach statistical significance (p=0.082). For superficial wounds, the mean change in the healing rate was 1.6 ±1.5cm2/day for the gau...
The Premature Demise of Postmodern Urbanism

The articulations of the global and local have long exercised geographers, anthropologists, and others concerned with the spatial structure of society. This globallocal dialectic has recently been rendered acutely problematic by the burgeoning postmodern "hyperspace," the coordinates of which are, according to Jameson (1984), so far only "dimly perceived." Thus it is of some consequence that two prominent Marxist geographers have recently published books on postmodern urbanism. The appearance of Edward Soja's Postmodern Geographies: The Reassertion of Space in Critical Social Theory (1989) and David Harvey's The Condition of Postmodernity: An Enquiry into the Origins of Cultural Change (1989) provide an opportune template for examining the prospect of a postmodern urban theory. Marxists have, by and large, been highly critical of the postmodern turn (see, for example, Callinicos 1990). In keeping with this heritage, Harvey mounts a sustained, hostile attack on postmodernism and postmodernists; by contrast, Soja celebrates the cross-fertilization between the two realms. Both authors ultimately devise a thoroughly modernist reconstruction of urban theory. What interests me in this article are the ramifications of their responses. How were these modernist reconstructions achieved? What emasculations of postmodern thought were necessary to enable the authors to rescue the modernist project? And what are the principal consequences of Soja's and Harvey's encounters with a postmodern urbanism? I shall attempt to answer these questions by examining the authors' respective readings of postmodernity; their representations of contemporary urban process; and, finally, their reconstructions of a modernist urbanism via Marxian social theory. In concluding, I shall argue that Soja and Harvey have obtained their coherent visions of urban theory by adopting Enlightenment strategies that effectively foreclose on the promise of postmodern urbanism.'
Alterations in Atrial Electrophysiology and Tissue Structure in a Canine Model of Chronic Atrial Dilatation Due to Mitral Regurgitation

Background— Clinically, chronic atrial dilatation is associated with an increased incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF), but the underlying mechanism is not clear. We have investigated atrial electrophysiology and tissue structure in a canine model of chronic atrial dilatation due to mitral regurgitation (MR). Methods and Results— Thirteen control and 19 MR dogs (1 month after partial mitral valve avulsion) were studied. Dogs in the MR group were monitored using echocardiography and Holter recording. In open-chest follow-up experiments, electrode arrays were placed on the atria to investigate conduction patterns, effective refractory periods, and inducibility of AF. Alterations in tissue structure and ultrastructure were assessed in atrial tissue samples. At follow-up, left atrial length in MR dogs was 4.09±0.45 cm, compared with 3.25±0.28 at baseline (P<0.01), corresponding to a volume of 205±61% of baseline. At follow-up, no differences in atrial conduction pattern and conduction velocities were noted b...
The unilateral incentives for technology transfers: Predation (and deterrence) by proxy

Abstract Joint production between rival firms often entails knowledge transfers without direct compensation, leaving the question as to why more efficient firms would give their rivals such an advantage. We find that such transfers are credible mechanisms to make the market more competitive so as to deter entry or force exit. We determine that with free entry such transfers are profitable and further it may be optimal to predate or deter every firm possible so that a market with many firms can become a duopoly. While consumers are harmed by such action, production efficiency normally increases sufficiently so that welfare increases.
Stochastic ecological network occupancy (SENO) models: a new tool for modeling ecological networks across spatial scales

Stochastic ecological network occupancy (SENO) models predict the probability that species will occur in a sample of an ecological network. In this review, we introduce SENO models as a means to fill a gap in the theoretical toolkit of ecologists. As input, SENO models use a topological interaction network and rates of colonization and extinction (including consumer effects) for each species. A SENO model then simulates the ecological network over time, resulting in a series of sub-networks that can be used to identify commonly encountered community modules. The proportion of time a species is present in a patch gives its expected probability of occurrence, whose sum across species gives expected species richness. To illustrate their utility, we provide simple examples of how SENO models can be used to investigate how topological complexity, species interactions, species traits, and spatial scale affect communities in space and time. They can categorize species as biodiversity facilitators, contributors, or inhibitors, making this approach promising for ecosystem-based management of invasive, threatened, or exploited species.
Annular Field Systems And The Future Of Optical Microlithography

Annular field projection optical systems have been used in production for the manufacture of circuits with feature sizes about 75% of the size of those produced by stepper lenses with the same diffraction limits. One factor contributing to this is the uniformity of imagery over the field inherent in these systems, both in and out of focus. The limits of optical microlithography will be determined by the smallest feature sizes that can be recorded with adequate focal range. For partially coherent illumination, the intensity/defocus (l-D) diagram of an optical system for a particular pattern can be used to give both the depth of focus for a given recording window and the recordability of a pattern as measured by the slope of the intensity distribution of the aerial image at the recording point. The inherent focal range advantage of annular field optical systems, when combined with their other advantages, makes them prime candidates for extending the range of optical lithography to feature sizes below 0.5 µm.
A cooperative deployment strategy for optimal sampling in spatiotemporal estimation

This paper considers a network composed of robotic agents and static nodes performing spatial estimation of a dynamic physical process. The physical process is modeled as a spatiotemporal random field with finite spatial correlation range. We propose a distributed coordination algorithm to optimize data acquisition across time. The robotic agents take measurements of the process and relay them to the static nodes. The static nodes collectively compute directions of maximum descent of the estimation uncertainty, and relay them back to the robotic agents. The technical approach combines tools from geostatistics, parallel computing, and systems and control. We illustrate the soundness of the algorithm in simulation.
Bacteria Associated with Immunoregulatory Cells in Mice

This study examined bacteria-immune interactions in a mouse model possessing microbiota-dependent immune regulatory features similar to those occurring in human atopy, colitis, and immune regulation. Associations between the abundance of several bacterial phylotypes and immunoregulatory target cell types were identified, suggesting that they may play a role in these phenotypes.
Coffee, tea, or milk? Part 1: The service side of care delivery

NURSING THEORIES clearly describe nursing as the art and science of providing for the health and well-being of those in a nurse’s care. The nursing process has established the steps taken to deliver this care in a consistent and organized manner. We are taught to consider the patient as a whole by incorporating the mental, physical, spiritual, and social aspects of each individual’s makeup. We are empathetic and caring. We understand what it is that we do. We strive everyday to deliver safe, quality care based on well-developed standards in an environment that assures safety and positive outcomes. Why then does a patient satisfaction rating of less than outstanding rankle us and cause doubt in our performance?
Proust-Envy: Fiction and Autobiography in the Works of Iurii Olesha

Iurii Olesha's works present us with a series of episodes for a fictional autobiography: the self-portrait of the artist as failure. Already early in his career, Olesha was committed to the achievement of success through the creation and manipulation of images of failure. These images are also dominant in his last work No Day Without a Line, which this article analyzes. Olesha declares in No Day that he wishes to "go backwards through life the way Marcel Proust succeeded in doing in his time." There are interesting similarities between the two writers, particularly the fact that A la Recherche du temps perdu is also in a sense based in the imagination of failure. But Olesha misunderstands Proust's procedure, and in so doing reveals much about the nature of his own talent and his inability to come to terms with time. This article is available in Studies in 20th Century Literature: http://newprairiepress.org/sttcl/vol1/iss2/2 PROUST-ENVY: FICTION AND AUTOBIOGRAPHY IN THE WORKS OF IURII OLESHA ELIZABETH KLOSTY BEAUJOUR Hunter College of The City University of New York "Man constitutes himself as what he is in order not to be it." "What might have point to one end, "It's not my fault; Jean-Paul Sartre been and what has been which is always present."
Economizing in a context of strategizing: governance mode choice in Cournot competition

Abstract This paper builds on Riordan and Williamson’s (1985) paper by exploring the economizing choice of organizational form by firms competing in a homogeneous good market. The paper investigates rivalrous firms’ investment and organization choice in a Cournot competition. The model suggests that both governance cost and strategic interactions can influence which asset–organization pair each firm chooses. Application of the model is illustrated with a discussion of the cola wars and the organization of the fountain channel.
Spent fuel storage experience

Irradiated nuclear fuel has been stored in water pools at essentially all nuclear reactors, beginning with the earliest plants in 1943. Fuel from water-cooled power reactors is clad either with Zircaloy or with stainless steel. Zircaloy-clad fuel has been stored US pools since 1959. Some experimental stainless-steel-clad fuel was stored for 12 yr in the US before reprocessing. Canadian Zircaloy-clad fuel has been stored since 1962. There has been no evidence that the fuel has degraded during pool storage, based principally on visual observations and radiation monitoring of pool air and water. However, several fuel rods have been subjected to metallographic examination after pool exposures up to 11 yr, also with no evidence that the fuel cladding has degraded in the pool. Canadian fuel stored up to 10 yr was returned to a reactor and performed well. Favorable storage experience also has been indicated for other countries with fuel residence times of 5 to 10 yr. The pool storage environment is high-purity water at 5.3 to 7.5 pH, except for pools for pressurized water reactors, which utilize boric acid pool chemistry at 4.5 to 6.0 pH. Pool water temperatures generally range between 20 and 50/sup 0/C. The favorable storage experience,more » demonstrated technology, successful handling of fuel with reactor-induced defects, benign storage environments, and corrosion-resistant materials offer sufficient bases to proceed with expanded storage capacities and extended fuel storage until questions regarding fuel reprocessing and final storage of nuclear wastes have been resolved. Some surveillance is justified to detect degradation if it becomes significat. Surveillance programs are already under way in several countries. 1 figure, 6 tables.« less
Optical Measurements of Soot Size and Number Density in a Spray-Atomized, Swirl-Stabilized Combustor

Description des mesures optiques des particules de suie dans un combusteur turbulent a recirculation, de laboratoire. On introduit les combustibles par pulverisation et on ajoute aux combustibles testes un JP-8 derive du schiste. Etude de l'impact des parametres-cles (Structure moleculaire du combustible qualite d'atomisation, etat d'injection) sur la distribution spatiale de la suie
Beyond parallel programming with domain specific languages

Today, almost all computer architectures are parallel and heterogeneous; a combination of multiple CPUs, GPUs and specialized processors. This creates a challenging problem for application developers who want to develop high performance programs without the effort required to use low-level, architecture specific parallel programming models (e.g. OpenMP for CMPs, CUDA for GPUs, MPI for clusters). Domain-specific languages (DSLs) are a promising solution to this problem because they can provide an avenue for high-level application-specific abstractions with implicit parallelism to be mapped directly to low level architecture-specific programming models; providing both high programmer productivity and high execution performance.In this talk I will describe an approach to building high performance DSLs, which is based on DSL embedding in a general purpose programming language, metaprogramming and a DSL infrastructure called Delite. I will describe how we transform DSL programs into efficient first-order low-level code using domain specific optimization, parallelism and locality optimization with parallel patterns, and architecture-specific code generation. All optimizations and transformations are implemented in Delite: an extensible DSL compiler infrastucture that significantly reduces the effort required to develop new DSLs. Delite DSLs for machine learning, data querying, graph analysis, and scientific computing all achieve performance competitive with manually parallelized C++ code.
Statistical characteristics and multiplexing of MPEG streams

This paper presents a study of the statistical characteristics and multiplexing of variable-bit-rate (VBR) MPEG-coded video streams. Our results are based on 23 minutes of video obtained from the entertainment movie, The Wizard of Oz. The experimental setup which was used to capture, digitize, and compress the video stream is described. Although the study is conducted at the frame level (as opposed to the slice level), it is observed that the inter-frame correlation structure for the frame-size sequence involves complicated forms of pseudo-periodicity that are mainly affected by the compression pattern of the sequence. A simple model for an MPEG traffic source is developed in which frames are generated according to the compression pattern of the original captured video stream. The number of cells per frame is fitted by a lognormal distribution. Simulations are used to study the performance of an ATM multiplexer for MPEG streams.
Bladder distension improves the dosimetry of organs at risk during intracavitary cervical high-dose-rate brachytherapy

Abstract Purpose To evaluate dose-volume histograms (DVHs) and dose-surface histograms (DSHs) to analyze bladder distension during cervical brachytherapy. Methods Twenty brachytherapy fractions from five cervical cancer patients were selected. For each fraction, empty and full (200cc of contrasted saline) bladder simulation CT scans existed, one of which was used to plan treatment. An alternative plan was then created with the unused scan. DVH for each fraction was generated for the bladder, rectum, sigmoid colon, and small bowel. Mean DVH dose, D0.1cc, and D2cc were calculated for each organ at risk. Plans were then exported to a MATLAB-based program to generate a DSH. Results Full bladder plans showed no difference in bladder D2cc or D0.1cc compared with empty bladder plans; however, bladder mean DVH dose and DSH dose were both significantly reduced. Full bladder plans showed a significant reduction in small intestine D2cc from 2.81 Gy to 1.83 Gy and reduction in D0.1cc from 4.07 Gy to 2.57 Gy (p Conclusions Bladder distension during cervical brachytherapy significantly reduced dose in all DVH and DSH parameters for sigmoid and small intestine with no change in bladder parameters. It reduces dose to organ at risk, but the correlation to toxicity requires further investigation.
Particle Free Exhaust Gas Recirculation by Molecular Diffusion: Proof of Concept

This work included design and fabrication of a particle free exhaust gas recirculation element (PF-EGR-E) that included two concentric tubes, one for a clean air stream and the other for a simulated exhaust stream. The inner tube was a perforated tube to allow molecular diffusion between the two streams. The design and dimension of the PF-EGR-E was guided with the help of theoretical prediction of gas and particle diffusion. The goal was to build a PF-EGR-E that retains particles in a dilute exhaust stream while allowing maximum molecular exchange with the air stream. The performance of the PF-EGR-E was investigated using dilute diesel engine exhaust and clean air flowing in parallel at different flow and temperature levels. Measurements of NO x , CO 2 , and particle concentration at inlet and exit of the perforated tube demonstrated that it was possible to achieve high molecular transfer between a dilute exhaust stream and clean air stream while particle transfer was still at minimum level. This work proofed the concept of achieving particle free EGR with a single perforated tube using molecular and particle diffusion principles. The next step will be to demonstrate this concept in a prototype system to be used on a diesel engine.