cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Determination of Unbiased Selectivity Coefficients of Neutral Carrier-Based Cation-Selective Electrodes

A new procedure for the determination of selectivity coefficients of neutral carrier-based cation-selective electrodes is established that avoids exposure to the preferred ion prior to the measurement of discriminated ions. The method is, therefore, unbiased by the presence of preferred ions in the membrane that otherwise could mask the response to discriminated ion solutions. It is generally applicable as long as a series of considerations are met and can only be applied once for a given membrane. Careful studies with a series of sodium-, silver-, and calcium-selective electrodes reveal that Nernstian response slopes can now be obtained for even highly discriminated cations. Specifically, a 1,3-bridged calix[4]arene derivative as introduced by Yamamoto and Shinkai indeed yields an extraordinary sodium selectivity of log = −4.9, with potassium showing Nernst response as well. Analogous measurements with two different silver carriers, a bisthioether-functionalized calix[4]arene and methylenebis(diisobutyld...
Quantitative feedback theory with applications in welding

Two different control systems were developed using quantitative feedback theory for weld quality improvement. The first application to be discussed was designed for the resistance pinch welding process and uses electrode displacement and force as feedback parameters. A correlation between weld quality and electrode displacement is established for constant electrode force. The system is capable of producing repeatable welds of consistent quality, with wide variations in weld parameters. This is the first time feedback control has been successfully applied to pinch welding. The second example presented in this paper was developed for penetration control of the gas-tungsten-arc welding process. The feedback signal is obtained by measuring the amount of light emitted from the back side of the weld. Welds of constant penetration have been demonstrated in tests with travel speeds varying from 1.5 to 6 inches per minute and with 200 per cent changes in part thickness.
Tissue and cell renewal in the natural aortic valve of rats: an autoradiographic study

The present study has demonstrated that tissues of the aortic valve respond to the cyclic stresses of normal cardiac function by continual synthesis and renewal. Rats were injected with tritiated-precursors specific for proteins, ground substance components, and replicating DNA, and their sites of incorporation were identified autoradiographically. Extracellular component renewal and cell proliferation were greater in the fibrous connective tissue areas of the valve, namely the leaflet and attachment region, than in the musculoelastic sinus wall. Extracellular protein synthesis was greatest in the leaflet, whereas the highest glycosaminoglycan synthesis occurred in the attachment zone. Cellular replication, although infrequent, was equal in these fibrous regions, being higher than in the sinus wall. These observations may be explained by an analysis of the histology of the valve and consideration of the functional stresses to which the valve is subjected during the cardiac cycle. The leaflet is composed of layers of dense connective tissue oriented for maximum strength. On the other hand, the attachment zone represents a fibrous connective tissue designed for maximum flexibility; this area appears to function as a hinge. Cyclic operation of the valve causes damaging mechanical stresses in these regions, necessitating the continual regeneration of structural proteins required for strength and lubricative ground substance components required for flexibility. The sinus wall, composed of smooth muscle cells and elastic fibres, is undoubtedly better suited to cyclic tissue deformation, thereby explaining the lower synthetic levels of macromolecules. Due to the low level of cell replication, it seems reasonable to conclude that the functional stresses act to modulate the cell's secretory activity rather than to stimulate proliferation. Similar observations of stress-related tissue renewal have been reported.
Dynamic and reversible surface topography influences cell morphology

Microscale and nanoscale surface topography changes can influence cell functions, including morphology. Although in vitro responses to static topography are novel, cells in vivo constantly remodel topography. To better understand how cells respond to changes in topography over time, we developed a soft polyacrylamide hydrogel with magnetic nickel microwires randomly oriented in the surface of the material. Varying the magnetic field around the microwires reversibly induced their alignment with the direction of the field, causing the smooth hydrogel surface to develop small wrinkles; changes in surface roughness, ΔRRMS , ranged from 0.05 to 0.70 μm and could be oscillated without hydrogel creep. Vascular smooth muscle cell morphology was assessed when exposed to acute and dynamic topography changes. Area and shape changes occurred when an acute topographical change was imposed for substrates exceeding roughness of 0.2 μm, but longer-term oscillating topography did not produce significant changes in morphology irrespective of wire stiffness. These data imply that cells may be able to use topography changes to transmit signals as they respond immediately to changes in roughness.
Citation classics in the burn literature during the past 55 years.

Abstract : The objective of this study was to identify the 100 most cited, peer-reviewed burn-related articles over the past half century. Burn care presents ongoing challenges to both U.S. civilian and military healthcare personnel. Improvements in burn survival and quality of life are the result of advances in burn research. The Web of Science (including Science Citation Index) was searched for the most cited articles related to burn care, published from 1955 to the present. The most cited article was Permanent coverage of large burn wounds with autologous cultured human epithelium, by G.G. Gallico et al, New England Journal of Medicine, 1984 (711 citations). Between the 1970s and the 1990s, there was a near doubling of the number of highly cited publications with each subsequent decade. A total of 85% of the articles were on the topics of pathophysiology (37%), wounds, tissue, or dressings (31%), or organ failure/sepsis (17%). B.A. Pruitt Jr. (2320 citations), D.N. Herndon (1972 citations), and A.D. Mason Jr. (1435 citations) were the most cited authors. This study identified some of the most important contributions to burn research and the areas of greatest scientific interest to the specialty during the past five decades, and highlights key research that has contributed to the evolution of modern burn care.
Functional Biogeography as Evidence of Gene Transfer in Hypersaline Microbial Communities

Author(s): Parnell, J Jacob; Rompato, Giovanni; Latta, Leigh C; Pfrender, Michael E; Van Nostrand, Joy D; He, Zhili; Zhou, Jizhong; Andersen, Gary; Champine, Patti; Ganesan, Balasubramanian; Weimer, Bart C | Abstract: BackgroundHorizontal gene transfer (HGT) plays a major role in speciation and evolution of bacteria and archaea by controlling gene distribution within an environment. However, information that links HGT to a natural community using relevant population-genetics parameters and spatial considerations is scarce. The Great Salt Lake (Utah, USA) provides an excellent model for studying HGT in the context of biogeography because it is a contiguous system with dispersal limitations due to a strong selective salinity gradient. We hypothesize that in spite of the barrier to phylogenetic dispersal, functional characteristics--in the form of HGT--expand beyond phylogenetic limitations due to selective pressure.Methodology and resultsTo assay the functional genes and microorganisms throughout the GSL, we used a 16S rRNA oligonucleotide microarray (Phylochip) and a functional gene array (GeoChip) to measure biogeographic patterns of nine microbial communities. We found a significant difference in biogeography based on microarray analyses when comparing Sorensen similarity values for presence/absence of function and phylogeny (Student's t-test; p = 0.005).Conclusion and significanceBiogeographic patterns exhibit behavior associated with horizontal gene transfer in that informational genes (16S rRNA) have a lower similarity than functional genes, and functional similarity is positively correlated with lake-wide selective pressure. Specifically, high concentrations of chromium throughout GSL correspond to an average similarity of chromium resistance genes that is 22% higher than taxonomic similarity. This suggests active HGT may be measured at the population level in microbial communities and these biogeographic patterns may serve as a model to study bacteria adaptation and speciation.
Alteration of melanocytes by DNA in White Plymouth Rock chickens.

SINCE 1944 when it was first demonstrated that the pneumococcal transforming principle was DNA1, several investigators have reported evidence suggesting genetic alteration of warmblooded animal cells by DNA-mediated transformations2–7. Attempts to transform the plumage coloration characters in White Plymouth Rock embryos have been unsuccessful8. The genetically lethal melanocytes in the White Plymouth Rock chicken do not appear abundantly or thrive for long in the feather germ. They degenerate before they can deposit a significant number of melanin granules in the feather-forming cells9. Using nucleoprotein from the Harco chicken, a standard cross between the Barred Plymouth Rock hen and the Rhode Island Red rooster, I have extended the life span of the melanocytes in White Plymouth Rock embryos.
Recognizing the untrained patterns in a noniterative perceptron learning scheme

As we reported previously, a deterministic hard-limited perceptron is a novel learning system in which the learning mechanism is different from most of the conventional learning systems. It is a noniterative, one-step learning system and yet is achieves most of the goals of the conventional learning. If an optimum algorithm is adopted in the design of this learning system, the learning is very fast and the recognition is very robust. This article reports the experimental results of several computer-implemented schemes of this novel learning system. It is seen that the system takes only one to two minutes to train several given patterns and the recognition of the untrained patterns is more than 80% successful. In one scheme, the recognition rate is almost 100% and the recognition is independent of the pattern size, pattern orientation, and pattern location.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Shear stress gradient over endothelial cells in a curved microchannel system

Our purpose was to test a scale model of the microcirculation by measuring the shear forces to which endothelial cells were exposed, and comparing this to computer simulations. In vitro experiments were performed to measure the 2-dimensional projected velocity profile along endothelial cell lined microchannels (D-shaped, 10–30 μm radius, n = 15), or in microchannels without endothelial cells (n = 18). Microchannels were perfused with fluorescently labeled microspheres (0.5 μm dia., < 1%) suspended in cell culture media. The velocity of individual microspheres was obtained off-line (videorecording), using an interactive software program; velocity was determined as the distance traveled in one video field (1/60 s). Mass balance was verified in the microchannels by comparing the microsphere velocities to the perfusion pump rate. In confluent endothelial cell lined microchannels, a velocity profile was obtained as microspheres passed an endothelial cell nucleus (identified by fluorescent dye), and again, for a paired region 100 μm away without nuclei (cytoplasm region). The velocity profile was significantly shifted and sharpened by the endothelial cell nucleus, as anticipated. Over the nucleus, data are consistent with a normal sized nucleus extending into the lumen, further confirming that this scale model can be used to determine the wall shear stress to which endothelial cells are exposed. Using the experimental bulk phase fluid parameters as boundary conditions, we used computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to predict the expected wall shear stress gradient along an endothelial cell lined D-shaped tube. The wall shear stress gradient over the nucleus was 2-fold greater in the radial versus axial directions, and was sensitive to lateral versus midline positioned nuclei.
Analysis of wide transverse inductive metal strips in a rectangular waveguide

An analysis based on the variational method and the moment method has been developed to calculate the discontinuity susceptance due to one or more inductive strips in a rectangular waveguide. The strips can have wide widths and be located unsymmetrically on the transverse plane of the waveguide. The current distribution on the strips has been determined by solving a set of linear equations. The theoretical results agree closely with the experiments. >
Novel geometrical supervised-learning scheme

This paper describes a novel learning scheme derived from a geometrical study of a onelayer autoassociative neural net that possesses hard limited neuron response functions. It is a study of the nonlinear mapping relations based on the concept of convex cone in the Ndimensional state space. (N is the nurrber of neurons in the neural system. ) This theoretical approach then allows us to derive a new learning scheme that appears to have many advantages over the conventional systems. 1 . It is a very fast and efficient onestep learning scheme . It does not require iteration processes to achieve the learning. 2 . Learning new mappings will not destroy old mappings already learned. 3. Learning of DISCRETE (or binery) mapping relations allows us to do pattern recognition in CONTINUOUS (analog) manner. 4. The maximum capacity of learning is much larger than those of the conventional systems. 5. It should be very easy to implement with conventional electronic coriponents. I . IrRWlXTI Supervised learning of a neural net has been studied quited extensively in the past decade. Besides the classical outerproduct rule [1] and the Ilebb'' 5 rule [2] many other supervised learning rules have also been studied and applied in practical areas. Rumelhart Hinton and Williams [3] derived the delta learning rule based on the gradient descent iteration approach. Widrow Hoff al et [46] derived another learning rule that forces© (1990) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Drosophila Tribbles Antagonizes Insulin Signaling-Mediated Growth and Metabolism via Interactions with Akt Kinase

Drosophila Tribbles (Trbl) is the founding member of the Trib family of kinase-like docking proteins that modulate cell signaling during proliferation, migration and growth. In a wing misexpression screen for Trbl interacting proteins, we identified the Ser/Thr protein kinase Akt1. Given the central role of Akt1 in insulin signaling, we tested the function of Trbl in larval fat body, a tissue where rapid increases in size are exquisitely sensitive to insulin/insulin-like growth factor levels. Consistent with a role in antagonizing insulin-mediated growth, trbl RNAi knockdown in the fat body increased cell size, advanced the timing of pupation and increased levels of circulating triglyceride. Complementarily, overexpression of Trbl reduced fat body cell size, decreased overall larval size, delayed maturation and lowered levels of triglycerides, while circulating glucose levels increased. The conserved Trbl kinase domain is required for function in vivo and for interaction with Akt in a yeast two-hybrid assay. Consistent with direct regulation of Akt, overexpression of Trbl in the fat body decreased levels of activated Akt (pSer505-Akt) while misexpression of trbl RNAi increased phospho-Akt levels, and neither treatment affected total Akt levels. Trbl misexpression effectively suppressed Akt-mediated wing and muscle cell size increases and reduced phosphorylation of the Akt target FoxO (pSer256-FoxO). Taken together, these data show that Drosophila Trbl has a conserved role to bind Akt and block Akt-mediated insulin signaling, and implicate Trib proteins as novel sites of signaling pathway integration that link nutrient availability with cell growth and proliferation.
Ammonia Emissions of Laying-Hen Manure as Affected by Accumulation Time

A study was conducted to investigate how ammonia (NH3) emission of laying hen manure is affected by manure accumulation time (MAT). Three trials were conducted. For each trial, 108 W36 laying hens in their prime laying stage were housed in two calorimeter chambers (54 birds per chamber) that were maintained at a temperature of 24±1°C and a concomitant relative humidity of 45 to 65%. Measurements were done continuously over a 5-week period. The environmental variables measured continuously in each chamber included NH3 gas concentration, ambient temperature, dew-point temperature and air flow rate. On a daily basis, the eggs were collected, counted and weighed. The feed supplied to the birds was also weighed daily. Once a week, 18 hens per chamber were weighed. Ammonia emission rate was then calculated from the differences in NH3 concentrations between the exhaust and inlet air and the corresponding airflow rate; and it was expressed as mg·d−1·hen-1, g·d-1·AU-1 (AU=animal unit, 500kg live body weight), g·d−1·kg egg-1, and g·d-1·kg feed N intake-1. The results showed that NH3 emission progressively increased from 101±10 to 605±10mg·d−1·hen-1 when MAT increased from 1 to 5d. There was a linear relationship between NH3 emission rate and MAT and the empirical relationship has been developed for the various emission units. The NH3 emission rates measured in this study contributes to the U.S. national inventory on NH3 emissions from laying hen operations.
Biasing effects of missing data on a family illness criterion.

A method appropriate for evaluating biases in criterion statistics attributable to excluding subjects with missing data from an original sample was illustrated using a complex family illness variable. This method incorporates non-criterion information to indirectly reduce the error in bias estimates and appears more accurate than methods which utilize criterion data alone. Since non-criterion data are required, the method is particularly suited to situations in which the original sample is complete but criterion data are missing within forms or subsequently lost through attrition of subjects.
Directional selective neurons in the awake LGN: response properties and modulation by brain state

Directionally selective (DS) neurons are found in the retina and lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) of rabbits and rodents, and in rabbits, LGN DS cells project to primary visual cortex. Here, we com...
Backyard hazard: a case series of ingested grill brush bristles and a novel approach to extraction

Abstract Objectives To report a small case series of an unusual ingested foreign body and a new method for removal of tongue base foreign bodies. Methods Three patients were identified with wire bristle foreign bodies between 2009 and 2011 at our academic tertiary medical center. Their medical records were reviewed and are described in this report. Results Each patient presented to our medical center with progressive pain after ingestion of barbecued food. For 2 patients, the metallic bristle foreign body was imbedded within the lingual tonsil. In these 2 cases, radiofrequency plasma ablation (coblation) assisted partial lingual tonsillectomy was performed to identify the foreign body. In a third case, the foreign body presented as a complex deep space neck abscess and an open trans-cervical approach was required. Conclusion While oropharyngeal and esophageal foreign bodies are common, there are only a few case reports describing this particular foreign body. The presentation of an imbedded wire grill brush bristle can be insidious. Persistent pain and foreign body sensation should be taken seriously in patients with a history of barbecue food ingestion. Intraoperatively, wire bristles can be difficult to localize and extract. Radiofrequency plasma assisted lingual tonsillectomy may be helpful for identifying and removing foreign bodies that are imbedded in the tongue base. Grill brushes should undergo stringent safety regulation, as ingested wire bristles are difficult to localize and remove and may cause significant morbidity.
Consequences of flavor as a dynamical quantum number

Abstract Phenomenological consequences of composite leptons and quarks are studied in the class of models in which the fermions of the first generation (i.e. e, ν e , u and d) are the ground states of (unspecified) composite systems and each new generation is a radial excitation level. We find that the standard QED results remain practically unaffected in such a scheme. The excited quarks/leptons having mass larger than 5 GeV could be produced in e + e - experiments and would increase the value of R by several per cent as compared with the case of the pointlike quarks and leptons. An argument is given for the smallness of the anomalous magnetic moments of composite leptons.
EBV Can Protect Latently Infected B Cell Lymphomas from Death Receptor-Induced Apoptosis

The relationship between EBV infection and sensitivity to death receptor (DR)-induced apoptosis is poorly understood. Using EBV- and EBV+ BJAB cells, we provide the first evidence that EBV can protect latently infected B cell lymphomas from apoptosis triggered through Fas or TRAIL receptors. Caspase 8 activation was impaired and cellular FLIP recruitment was enriched in death-inducing signaling complexes formed in EBV-infected BJAB cells relative to parent BJAB cells. Furthermore, latent membrane protein 1 expression alone could reduce caspase activation and confer partial resistance to DR apoptosis in BJAB cells. This protective effect was dependent on C-terminal activating region 2-driven NF-kappaB activation, which in turn up-regulated cellular FLIP expression in latent membrane protein 1+ BJAB cells. Thus, the ability of latent EBV to block DR apoptosis may help to ensure the survival of host cells during B cell differentiation, and contribute to the development of B cell lymphomas, especially in immunocompromised individuals.
Antinociceptive actions of cannabinoids following intraventricular administration in rats

Abstract Intraventricuiar administration of 5 or 20 μg of the cannabinoids WIN55,212-2 and CP-55,940 markedly reduced rat's responses to noxious thermal stimuli in the tail-flick test; no significant effect was found at 1 μg. The dose-response curves were steep and monotonic, the onset was rapid, and the effect lasted abohour at the highest dose. In contrast to their antinociceptive actions, WIN55,212-2 and CP-55,940 failed to alter the latency of righting reflexes at the highest dose, suggesting that motor impairment did not cause the decreased responsiveness to the thermal stimulus. Finally, an assessment of the biodistribution of intraventricularly administered [3H]WIN55,212-2 in brain and spinal cord at the time of maximal antinociception revealed that the drug was confined to the brain. The levels of [3H]WIN55,212-2 found in S3–S4, the location of the spinal mechanisms for tail-flick, were below the limit of detectability. Together, these findings provide direct evidence that the antinociceptive effects of cannabinoids are mediated, at least in part, by their actions in the brain.
Reinforcement of spaced responding in a simultaneous discrimination

Pigeons were exposed to three stimuli simultaneously with responses reinforced according to differential-reinforcement-of-low-rate schedules. Responses to one stimulus (the positive stimulus) that were spaced appropriately resulted in food presentation. The variables manipulated were the time parameter of the schedule (5, 10, 20, 30 sec) and the consequences of responding to the other two stimuli (the negative stimuli). The percentage of the total responses that occurred to each stimulus was independent of the schedule value but was dependent on the consequences of responding to the negative stimuli. If responses to both reset the schedule timer, responding was confined largely to the positive stimulus. If responses to neither had scheduled effects, the birds were more likely to respond to those stimuli. Responding to one negative stimulus could be selectively attenuated by having responses to that stimulus alone reset the timer. With the schedule time value held constant, the absolute rate of responding to the positive stimulus was either stable or decreased with maintained exposure; it did not change as a function of increases or decreases in responding to the negative stimuli. Rather than interacting and affecting each other, responses to the three stimuli were controlled independently by their relation to reinforcement. There was no evidence that responses to the negative stimuli mediated the spacing of responses to the positive stimulus.
Exploiting redundancy for timeliness in TCP Boston

In a recently completed study, we have unveiled a new transport protocol, TCP Boston, that turns ATM's 53-byte cell-oriented switching architecture into an advantage for TCP/IP. In this paper, we demonstrate the real-time features of TCP Boston that allow communication bandwidth to be traded off for timeliness. We stall with an overview of the protocol, and analytically characterize the dynamic redundancy control features of TCP Boston. Next, we present detailed simulation results that show the superiority TCP Boston compared to other adaptations of TCP/IP over ATMs. Namely, we show that it improves TCP/IP's performance over ATMs for both network-centric metrics (e.g., throughput and percent of missed deadlines) and real-time application-centric metrics (e.g., response time and jitter).
High Resolution Neutron Spectroscopy near (p,n) Thresholds

Experimental techniques used for high resolution studies of near threshold resonance neutrons from (p,n) reactions are described, and are illustrated with measured spectra from a number of reactions. Guides which should prove useful in future explorations of the near threshold region are given.
Probabilistic re-analysis of nonlinear systems when energy of excitation changes

A reliability study of nonlinear mechanical systems under random dynamic loads often requires Monte Carlo simulation in the time domain with hundreds of thousands of replications. The uncertainties involved in design make such analyses necessary for various admissible loads, which can be impractical. The authors have already developed a methodology that reduces the computational cost of Monte Carlo simulation when the load is represented by a Power Spectral Density (PSD) function. This method is based on a probabilistic re-analysis, which uses results from a simulation for a single PSD to estimate the reliability for other admissible PSDs. However, the methodology was limited to PSDs with the same energy content. This paper proposes an approach to extend the applicability of the above method to cases in which the energy content of the PSD functions changes.
Reducing the Burden of Cardiovascular Calcification in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have a higher burden of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease compared with age- and gender-matched individuals with normal renal function. Cardiovascular calcification (CVC), a marker of atherosclerosis, is also more prevalent in these patients and is associated with serious clinical consequences. The pathogenesis of CVC is complex and includes factors that promote calcification and others that inhibit calcification. Thus, multiple therapeutic interventions should be used simultaneously to reduce the burden of calcification in patients with CKD. Thus far, interventional attempts have focused on curtailing the effects of factors that promote calcification such as management of known traditional factors for atherosclerotic coronary artery disease and on adopting specific approaches to normalize mineral metabolism, deliver adequate dialysis, and control serum cholesterol level. By contrast, interventions that may bolster the effects of inhibitors of calcification have not yet been studied well but are beginning to attract attention. Ideally, the goal of interventions is not only to slow or halt progression of calcification but also to reverse pre-existing calcification. Whether this goal is achievable is not currently known. This review examines the potential of various therapeutic interventions in reducing the CVC burden in patients with CKD. Moreover, the review is intended to stimulate more research in this area because the efficacy of these interventions has not been examined in controlled clinical trials.
Adenoidectomy as an adjuvant to primary tympanostomy tube placement: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Importance Adenoidectomy at initial tympanostomy tube placement (TT) may reduce the rate of repeated surgery for otitis media. Objective To assess the effectiveness of primary adenoidectomy as an adjuvant to TT (Ad + TT) compared with TT alone. Data Sources PubMed and EMBASE electronic databases were searched with no publication year restrictions beyond those of the individual databases. Study Selection Articles that compared outcomes of children having undergone primary Ad + TT with children having undergone TT alone for middle ear disease. Data Extraction Medical literature addressing Ad + TT was systematically reviewed. Data extracted included study design, age of children, and follow-up time frame. Level of evidence was assessed, and data were pooled where possible. Main Outcomes and Measures Proportion of children requiring repeated TT (r-TT). Secondary outcomes included proportion of children with recurrent acute otitis media (RAOM), otitis media with effusion (OME), otorrhea, or any combination of the 3. Results Fifteen articles met inclusion criteria. Ten studies (n = 71 353) reported that primary Ad + TT decreased the risk of r-TT or risk of RAOM, OME, or otorrhea compared with TT alone. Four studies (n = 538) reported no difference between Ad + TT groups compared with TT-only groups in the prevention of r-TT or of RAOM, OME, or otorrhea. Despite significant heterogeneity, limited meta-analysis and pooling of data revealed that the estimated rate of r-TT for children undergoing primary adenoidectomy was 17.2% (95% CI, 12.2%-22.2%) vs 31.8% (95% CI, 23.9%-39.8%) for children undergoing primary TT only. When stratified by age younger than 4 years, the protective effects of adenoidectomy were diminished. Conclusions and Relevance The current evidence suggests that primary Ad + TT may be superior to TT only in decreasing the risk of r-TT and the risk of RAOM, OME, or otorrhea. Limitations include heterogeneity of the source data, with the predominance of retrospective data as well as studies with older children supporting the superiority of adjuvant adenoidectomy. The practice of Ad + TT may decrease the risk of repeated surgery in children older than 4 years.
Criminal Justice Theory: Toward Legitimacy and an Infrastructure

.edu Within Criminal Justice/Criminology, “theory” is generally assumed to be concerned with crime and crime rates. Studying criminal justice is tacitly, and sometimes explicitly, relegated to the narrow role of evaluative and descriptive scholarship. This article explores the reasons for our field’s failure to recognize the importance of developing an accessible and well-recognized theoretical infrastructure not about crime, but criminal justice and crime control phenomena. It examines the complexity of our object of study when theorizing criminal justice and the efficacy of organizing criminal justice theory using multiple “theoretical orientations.” The conclusion stresses the essentiality of criminal justice theory, with particular emphasis on academic credibility, quality research, informed practices, and sound pedagogy.
Optimal drivetrain component sizing for a Plug-in Hybrid Electric transit bus using Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithm

Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) can significantly reduce petroleum consumption and the only difference from hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) is the ability of PHEVs to use off-board electricity generation to recharge their energy storage system. The fuel economy of PHEV is highly dependent on All-Electric-Range (AER), drivetrain component size and control strategy parameter. In this study we consider PHEV version of parallel hybrid NOVA transit bus model developed with the Powertrain System Analysis Toolkit (PSAT).A genetic based derivative free algorithm called Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithm (MOGA) is used to optimize conflicting drivetrain and control strategy parameters. The AER, fuel economy, emissions and main performance constraints of the PHEVs will be compared for the initial design and final optimal design.
Diabetic Ketoacidosis Precipitated by Staphylococcus aureus Abscess and Bacteremia Due to Acupuncture: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Acupuncture use is increasing in the United States. Despite multiple studies, the efficacy and safety of acupuncture are poorly defined. We report a previously healthy patient who developed a thigh abscess, bacteremia, and diabetic ketoacidosis after acupuncture treatment. We review the literature on infectious complications of acupuncture.
Effective team-driven multi-model motion tracking

Autonomous robots use sensors to perceive and track objects in the world. Tracking algorithms use object motion models to estimate the position of a moving object. Tracking efficiency completely depends on the accuracy of the motion model and of the sensory information. Interestingly, when the robots can actuate the object being tracked, the motion can become highly discontinuous and nonlinear. We have previously developed a successful tracking approach that effectively switches among object motion models as a function of the robot's actions. If the object to be tracked is actuated by a team, the set of motion models is quite more complex. In this paper, we report on a tracking approach that can use a dynamic multiple motion model based on a team coordination plan. We present the multi-model probabilistic tracking algorithms in detail and present empirical results both in simulation and real robot test. Our physical team is composed of a robot and a human in a real Segway soccer game scenario. We show how the coordinated plan allows the robot to better track a mobile object through the effective interaction with its human teammate.
Ardisia hymenandroides (Myrsinaceae), An Unusual Monoaxial Species from the Foja Mountains of West New Guinea

Abstract. Ardisia hymenandroides (Myrsinaceae) is described from the Foja Mountains of Papua Province. The new species is distinguished by its resemblance to Hymenandra, monoaxial habit, apiculate anthers, and long-peduncled racemes.
Gene transfer of endothelial nitric oxide synthase partially restores nitric oxide synthesis and erectile function in streptozotocin diabetic rats.

ABSTRACTPurpose: We determined whether adenoviral gene transfer of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) to the penis of streptozotocin induced diabetic rats could improve the impaired erectile response.Materials and Methods: Two experimental groups of animals were transfected with adenoviruses, including streptozotocin (Sigma Chemical Company, St. Louis, Missouri) diabetic rats with AdCMVβgal and streptozotocin diabetic rats with AdCMVeNOS. At 1 to 2 days after transfection these study animals underwent cavernous nerve stimulation to assess erectile function and their responses were compared with those of age matched control rats. In control and transfected streptozotocin diabetic rats eNOS and neuronal NOS (nNOS) were examined by Western blot analysis. Constitutive and inducible NOS activities were evaluated in the presence and absence of calcium by L-arginine to L-citrulline conversion and nitrate plus nitrite levels were measured. In control and streptozotocin diabetic penes β-galactosidase activit...
Identifying scales of pattern in ecological data: a comparison of lacunarity, spectral and wavelet analyses

Abstract Identifying scales of pattern in ecological systems and coupling patterns to processes that create them are ongoing challenges. We examined the utility of three techniques (lacunarity, spectral, and wavelet analysis) for detecting scales of pattern of ecological data. We compared the information obtained using these methods for four datasets, including: surface temperature across space (linear transect), surface temperature across time, understory plant diversity across space (linear transect), and a simulated series of known structure. For temperature and plant diversity across the transect, we expected to find dominant scales of pattern of approximately 220 m and, for plant diversity scales of pattern of >450 m, corresponding to management activities on the study landscapes. For temperature across time, we predicted a dominant scale of 24 h. The simulated data included a sine wave with a known period of 9.9 units, an edge at approximately 30 units, and a random component. The different analyses provided unique but complementary information. Lacunarity and spectral analyses were most consistent with each other across datasets, both indicating a dominant scale of pattern at 400–500 m (coarser than expected) for the transect temperature series, a lack of dominant scale in the pattern of understory diversity, and scales of pattern at 1.8–5.1 and 8.5–11.1 units (≈wavelength) for the simulated data series. Spectral analysis best approximated an expected, 24 h period in the temporal temperature series. Wavelet variance detected finer scales of pattern (240 m) in transect temperature and suggested patterns in plant diversity at scales of 460 and 1100 m. By retaining locational information, only the wavelet transform and associated position variance detected the abrupt edge in the simulated data series. Wavelet analysis also emphasized variability, even within cyclic phenomena, not identified by spectral or lacunarity analyses, and suggested hierarchical structure in the pattern of understory plant diversity. The appropriate technique for assessing scales of pattern depends on the type of data available, the question being asked, and the detail of information desired. This comparison highlighted the importance of: (1) using multiple techniques to examine scales of pattern in ecological data; (2) interpreting analysis results in concert with examination and ecological knowledge of the original data; and (3) utilizing results to direct subsequent descriptive and experimental examination of features or processes inducing scales of pattern.
An agent-based simulation study of a complex adaptive collaboration network

One of the most significant problems in organizational scholarship is to discern how social collectives govern, organize, and coordinate the actions of individuals to achieve collective outcomes. The collectives are usually interpreted as complex adaptive systems (CAS). The understanding of CAS is more likely to arise with the help of computer-based simulations. In this tutorial, using agent-based modeling approach, a complex adaptive social communication network model is introduced. The objective is to present the underlying dynamics of the system in a form of computer simulation that enables analyzing the impacts of various mechanisms on network topologies and emergent behaviors. The ultimate goal is to further our understanding of the dynamics in the system and facilitate developing informed policies for decision-makers.
HABITAT SELECTION BY MULE DEER: FORAGE BENEFITS OR RISK OF PREDATION?

Abstract Risk of predation may affect individuals in prey populations by limiting their use of high-quality habitat. Predation risk, however, cannot be implicated as a factor in habitat selection by prey without data comparing quality of selected and avoided habitats, along with the predation risk associated with those habitats. If forage benefits and predation risk are not positively correlated among habitat types, then predation risk may have little influence on the habitat selected by prey. We evaluated habitat selection by mountain lions (Puma concolor) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in the eastern Sierra Nevada, California, USA, from 1994 to 1997, to determine how forage benefit or risk of predation by mountain lions affects habitat selection by mule deer. Mountain lions were the primary predator of mule deer in our study area. Stands of bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata) in the Great Basin provided more cover for mule deer than surrounding patches of rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosum) or deser...
Public philology: text criticism and the sectarianization of Hinduism in early modern south India

By the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, south India had witnessed a widespread sectarianization of its religious landscape. We observe a growing polarization among religious institutions, the social and economic networks they mediated, and religious discourse across genres, whether Sanskrit or vernacular, whether devotional poetry or systematic theology. The present article examines the textual culture that emerged from the intersectarian discourse of the sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Tamil country. In particular, I focus on a definitive but overlooked dimension of this discourse that I refer to as ‘public philology’: text criticism that serves as public theology. During the early modern centuries, sectarian theologians across community boundaries increasingly challenged their rivals specifically on philological grounds, combing the scriptures of their rivals for textual corruptions and unstable recensions. Focusing on one particular case of public philology in practice – the debate concerning th...
Book Review: Dan Immergluck, Foreclosed: High-Risk Lending, Deregulation, and the Undermining of America's Mortgage Market (Cornell University Press 2009)

This is a short book review of Dan Immergluck, FORECLOSED: HIGH-RISK LENDING, DEREGULATION, AND THE UNDERMINING OF AMERICA’S MORTGAGE MARKET (Cornell University Press 2009). The book provides a good introduction to the causes of the crisis in the mortgage market. Given, however, that the book was written before the crisis has fully taken its course, it does have certain limitations. In particular, the book deals with some fundamental questions too superficially. These fundamental questions include, what is the right level of complexity for the secondary mortgage market? What is the right level of credit access for subprime borrowers? And, what are the strengths and limitations of a heightened regulatory response to the problems in that market?
Studies on the Genus Archangium (Myxobacterales) I. Morphology

Two Archangium isolates, A. primigenium and A. gephyra, were secured from soil and elm tree bark. Pure cultures were established and maintained on a variety of media. Agar plates containing rabbit ...
Ion Implantation Induced Effects at Polysdlicon Gate Feature Edges

Recently, an enhanced leakage associated with ion implantation at polysilicon gate edges has been reported (1). In this study, TEM and SIMS characterization have been done to supplement electrical measurements in order to better understand the degradation. SIMS, XTEM, and TRIM analyses of arsenic implants through 7 nm gate oxides show considerable ion mixing. A roughening of the underlying silicon substrate leads to asperities which are believed to play an important role in enhancing leakage (2). XTEM analysis of a polysilicon gate edge also reveals the effects of volume expansion associated with the incorporation of both dopant and knock-on oxygen.
The Feasibility of Moving Terabyte Files between Campus and Cloud

Cloud/Grid computing is envisioned to be a predominant computing model of the future. The movement of files between cloud and client is intrinsic to this model. With the creation of ever expanding data sets, the sizes of files have increased dramatically. Consequently, terabyte file transfers are expected to be the “next big” Internet application. This application is different from other Internet applications in that it requires extensive bandwidth, orders of magnitude larger than the bandwidth requirements of existing applications. It is essential to determine whether or not existing network infrastructures can handle the augmented workload that terabyte transfers would create. This is particularly critical for academic campus networks that are already under strain from high user demand. The paper evaluates the system level challenges of incorporating terabyte transfers into an existing campus network. The evaluation finds that large file transfers can be handled by the current campus network without making major changes to the infrastructure. It is vital to employ a system level service that schedules and monitors the terabyte transfers on users’ behalf. By removing control from users, the service is able to leverage low demand periods and dynamically repurpose unused bandwidth.
Adaptive finite element methods for forward modeling in fluorescence enhanced frequency domain optical tomography

An adaptive finite element scheme for forward modeling in fluorescence optical tomography is implemented and the simulation results are compared with experimental data obtained from a tissue phantom by an area-illumination and area-detection scheme.
Monitoring and Fault Diagnosis of High Power Rectifier

This paper introduces how to monitor and diagnose the rectifier using Alternative Current Root of Mean Square(AC-RMS),and confirms the fault in rectifier or in controller.To the fault of the hardware of rectifier,the Programmable Logic Controller(PLC) closes the trigger pulse and cut off the High Voltage(HV) breaker,but to the fault of the controller,the PLC switchs to the standby controller with no-disturbance.How to launch the standby controller automatically after relieving the fault controller is introduced.
Clinical features and etiology of childhood purulent meningitis

Objective To explore the etiology of purulent meningitis in children to provide scientific basis for diagnosis and treatment.Methods Collected 371 cases diagnosed as purulent meningitis including 252 of male and 119 of female.The average age of patients was(2.67 ± 3.32)years old.The clinical features,parameters of blood and cerebrospinal fluid(CSF)were analyzed.Results Infants(≤ 1 y)accounted for 46.36%,1-3 year children accounted for 80.59%.The clinical manifestations of patients mainly were fever(90.29%)and seizures(52.56%).White blood cell(WBC)accounts were more than 10 × 109/L in 82.21% of patients,neutrophils ratio 50% in 74.42% of patients and WBC in CSF ≥ 500 × 106/L in 85.44% of cases.Blood culture of 37 cases were indicative of gram staining positive(GSP)including 24 cases of gram-positive bacteria(GPB)and 13 cases of gram-negative bacteria(GNB).CSF culture of 34 cases of GSP showed 19 cases of GPB and 15 cases of GNB.Streptococcus pneumonias were detected in 8 patients'CSF,Haemophilus influenzas in 3 cases and Neisseria meningitides in one case.Seven patients deceased,2 of them had GNB positive in CSF and 5 of them showed purulent opacity.CSF protein was more than 150 mg/dl in 4 cases and glucose was found less than 1 mg/dl in the other 4 cases.Conclusions Purulent meningitis mostly happens in infantile period with variety of clinical manifestations.The parameters of blood and cerebrospinal fluid analysis can provide basis for diagnosis and reference for treatment and prognosis.
The Influence of Native Language on Students' English Writing

Language acquisition is long time internality processing.During this processing,not only can learners distinguish the native vocabulary and phrases, but also can tell the differences of non-native sentences and know the deep meaning.It is clearly known that native language has great influence in second language or foreign language teaching,especially the output of learners.Comparing with the differences between Chinese and English writing,how to make use of mother language and have English writing in a native way is the key point here.