cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Catecholamine alterations in basal ganglia after hippocampal lesions

Abstract Rats were given sham, cortical, or hippocampal lesions and sacrificed 7 or 28 days following surgery. Levels of norepinephrine, dopamine, and the major dopamine metabolites, 3, 4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and homovanillic acid (HVA), were assayed in 3 brain regions. At day 7 there was a decrease in dopamine utilization and a decrease in norepinephrine levels in the nucleus accumbens after hippocampal damage but both of these measures returned to normal levels by day 28. In the neostriatum HVA levels decreased at day 7 after hippocampal damage. The utilization of dopamine in the neostriatum was decreased at day 28 in animals that received neocortical lesions but this was not observed in animals with hippocampal destruction. No effects of any lesion at any day were found in the olfactory tubercle region, the third brain region analyzed. It is thought that the removal of hippocampal and neocortical input to the basal ganglia influences catecholamine function reflected in the loss and subsequent recovery of dopamine utilization.
Emergency repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms with immediate presentation

Abstract Objective: The objective of this report was the study of the clinical outcome of emergently repaired thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAAs). Methods: We retrospectively reviewed our experience with TAAA repairs from 1990 to 1998. During this interval, 110 TAAA procedures were performed, 33 (30%) of which were for immediate presentations. The χ 2 test and regression analysis were used for the analysis of mortality, paraplegia, and renal failure (hemodialysis) rates and of factors that predict these complications, respectively. Results: There were no significant differences between the elective and immediate presentations with respect to the use of adjunctive procedures (lumbar drain, hypothermia, and bypass grafting). The overall mortality rate was 13%. There were no statistically significant differences between the 30-day mortality rates or the complication rates in elective versus immediate presentations. Subgroup analysis results showed a significantly higher in-hospital mortality rate in type II TAAA with immediate presentation and free rupture presentation as compared with the overall mortality rate (50% vs 13%, P P P Conclusion: The emergency repair of TAAA with immediate presentation can be performed with mortality and morbidity rates that approach those of elective presentations, except in the setting of free rupture or symptomatic type II TAAA. Adjunctive circulatory management techniques and lumbar drains may reduce mortality in TAAA repair. (J Vasc Surg 1999;30:996-1003.)
Temporal-phonemic processing skills in adult stutterers and nonstutterers.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the hypothesis that stuttering is related to a dysfunction in auditory temporal processing. The performance of 20 adult male stutterers and 20 matched n...
Symptomatic benign multinodular goiter: unilateral or bilateral thyroidectomy?

Background Symptomatic benign multinodular goiter (MNG) is extremely common in the north central United States. The extent of surgery for unilateral or bilateral disease is controversial. Bilateral resection should be associated with low recurrence rates, but potentially a higher technical morbidity. The long-term outcomes of patients with obvious unilateral MNG who had unilateral resection only is not commonly reported. To determine the optimal operation for patients with symptomatic MNG, we reviewed our single institutional results. Methods From May 1994 through November 2004, 883 patients underwent a thyroid operation at our institution. Of these, 237 (27%) underwent thyroidectomy for MNG. One hundred forty patients underwent unilateral lobectomy and 97 underwent total thyroidectomy. Results The mean age was 51 ± 1 years and 196 (83%) were female. With up to 145 months’ follow-up, there was a higher recurrence rate in the lobectomy group (11% vs 3%; P = .029). However, patients in the lobectomy group had a much lower complication rate (2% vs 9%; P = .007). Importantly, in patients who underwent reoperation for recurrent MNG after lobectomy, the complication rate was low (5.5%) and not significantly higher than the initial surgery. Conclusions In patients with symptomatic MNG, 89% of those who underwent unilateral resection did not require further surgery. Unilateral thyroidectomy was associated with lower morbidity than bilateral resection. Furthermore, those patients who required operation for contralateral recurrence did not experience a significantly higher operative morbidity. Therefore, these data convincingly support recommending unilateral thyroid lobectomy as the procedure of choice for patients with symptomatic unilateral MNG.
Radiography, myelography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging of the spine.

Conventional imaging modalities using survey radiography and contrast myelography are usually the most available and the most cost-effective methods of studying the axial skeleton and the central nervous system. Improvement of the techniques and the contrast agents used with conventional methods are a universal goal. Imaging is not restricted to conventional methods. Computed tomography is routinely available to veterinarians, and magnetic resonance imaging is rapidly developing in the veterinary market. A fundamental understanding of these modalities and their diagnostic powers relieves the technological intimidation and anxiety associated with beginning a new challenge.
A formal model for emerging coalitions under network influence in humanitarian relief coordination

Identifying collaborative projects and forming coalitions for those collaborative projects are important means of coordination for humanitarian relief non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Our previous work revealed that an NGO's evaluation of candidate collaborative projects and subsequent decisions on forming coalitions are influenced by evaluations done by their peers in the NGO network. Based on a social influence model, we propose a formal model to simulate this type of influence for NGO coordination in a network setting. This model incorporates network topology, organization size of NGOs and strength of ties as network influence factors. It will be used to inform the future development of an agent-based simulation for NGOs' coordination in humanitarian relief.
Latitudinal variation in protein expression after heat stress in the salt marsh mussel Geukensia demissa.

Synopsis Individuals of a broadly distributed species often experience significantly different environmental conditions depending on location. For example, the mussel Geukensia demissa occurs intertidally from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to central Florida; within this range, northern populations are exposed to temperatures cold enough to freeze the tissue, whereas southern populations can experience temperatures approaching the species’ upper lethal limit. Thus, G. demissa provides an ideal system with which to study physiological variation in conspecifics occurring across a broad latitudinal range. We collected G. demissa at five sites from Maine to Florida, encompassing a range of 1900km, and have used a proteomic approach to describe how protein expression varies in individuals from the different locations. We acclimated individuals from each site to common conditions (188C) for 4 weeks, and exposed a subset of these to acute heat stress (408C). We separated gill proteins using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and quantified abundances of the resulting protein spots. Among mussels acclimated to 188C protein, expression profiles were more similar among individuals from the same site than among sites, but there was no discernible correlation with latitude. In contrast, after acute heat stress, protein expression among mussels from different locations varied substantially, with 31 of 448 proteins changing in abundance in the northernmost (Maine) group, compared with 5–11 proteins in the four southern groups. Identification of 27 of these proteins revealed five functional clusters: chaperones, cytoskeletal proteins, oxidative stress proteins, regulatory proteins, and a translation initiation factor. Across these functional categories, the two northernmost groups, Maine and New York, showed the greatest number of proteins that changed significantly in abundance, as well as the greatest fold-change in abundance for many of the proteins. We conclude that the northern populations of G. demissa are physiologically distinct from the southern groups, and that the differences in protein-expression profiles are consistent with greater sensitivity to heat stress to the north.
Russian volcano warnings reinstated

The Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) is again issuing warnings for aviation during periods of activity by Kamchatkan volcanoes. KVERT had stopped issuing warnings on 1 March due to a loss of funding by the Federal Unitary Enterprise State Air Traffic Management Corporation of Russia (see Eos 88(12), 2007). The funding for this work has now resumed. KVERT is a collaborative project of scientists from the Russian Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, the Kamchatka Experimental and Methodical Seismological Department, and the Alaska Volcano Observatory.
Treatment of early and moderately advanced vocal cord carcinoma with 6-MV X-rays

Abstract Purpose: Whereas there are many reports regarding treatment of early vocal cord cancer with cobalt 60 or 2–4-MV X-rays, there are still few reports on the results of treatment with 6-MV X-rays. Theoretically, 6-MV X-rays result in greater underdosage of tumor at the air-tissue interface and at the anterior commissure. This paper analyzes the results of irradiation of early and moderately advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the true vocal cord treated exclusively with 6-MV X-rays in a community hospital. The literature pertinent to the issue is reviewed. Methods and Materials: Eighty-three patients with Tis, T1, T2, or T3 squamous cell carcinoma of the true vocal cord were treated with curative intent at Bethesda Memorial Hospital in Boynton Beach, Florida between April 1986 and April 1998. The dose schedules most commonly used were 63 Gy in 28 fractions (2.25 Gy per fraction once a day) for T1 tumors or 74.40 Gy in 62 fractions (1.2 Gy per fraction twice a day) for T2 and T3 tumors. All patients have minimum 2-year follow-up; 63 (76%) have 5-year minimum follow-up. Results: Local control was achieved in 6 of 6 Tis, 53 of 54 (98%) T1, 8 of 8 T2, and 6 of 6 T3 lesions. No complications were encountered. Conclusions: A recent literature review indicates that the treatment of early vocal cord cancer with 6-MV X-rays remains controversial. The dose schedules used in the present paper produced a high rate of local control, a finding that is consistent with reports of other investigators who used dose schedules similar to those used in the present series. However, several other investigators have reported significantly lower rates of local control for T1 or T2 glottic cancer treated with 6-MV X-rays when compared to results obtained with cobalt 60 or 4 MV at their own institution. The latter institutions used lower total doses and/or lower dose per fraction than those institutions reporting high rates of local control with 6 MV. Data from the literature, as well as our own data, are consistent with the following hypotheses: ( 1 ) the lower rates of local control reported by several institutions when using 6 MV compared with cobalt or 2–4 MV, using the same radiation dose schedules for each beam energy, indicate that underdosage of mucosal surfaces in the laryngeal air cavity may be a clinically important phenomenon, and ( 2 ) time-dose factors, although certainly important for lower energy beams, may be even more important when using 6 MV.
Objective volumetric comparison of room air versus carbon dioxide for colonic distention at screening CT colonography

Purpose To objectively compare colonic distention at CT colonography (CTC) achieved with manual room air vs. automated low-pressure carbon dioxide (CO2) using a novel automated volumetric quality assessment tool.
Application of microgels as polymer supports for organic synthesis: preparation of a small phthalide library, a scavenger, and a borohydride reagent.

Microgel polymers containing a series of functional groups have been prepared. These microgels were composed of cross-linked poly(styrene) and were prepared by radical polymerization in solution. The microgel polymers exhibit good solubility in an array of different organic solvents, and in addition, they can be efficiently precipitated by the addition of methanol and isolated by filtration. A nine-member phthalide library was synthesized using an aminomethyl-functionalized microgel 5. To further demonstrate the versatility of these microgel polymers, tris(2-aminoethyl)amino microgel 11 was examined as a scavenger reagent to remove unreacted isocyanate after a urea synthesis. Finally, a microgel-supported ammonium borohydride reagent 14 was successfully prepared and used as a reducing agent. Notable features of these microgels are that in all applications the progress of the reaction could be monitored by standard NMR techniques and their preparation is performed using common glassware and techniques foun...
Influence of Moisture on the Space Charge Migration and Electric Field Behavior in Oil-Paper Insulation

Moisture has a detrimental effect on oil-paper insulation life by lowering electrical breakdown strength. How does the space charge behavior of the oil-paper insulation system consisted by oil gap and oil immersed insulation pressboard with different moisture content? The space charge characteristics of the mixed insulation consisted of oil gap and pressboard with three moisture content were investigated using the PEA measurement system. The space charge accumulation behaviors at the interface between oil gap and pressboard were analyzed. The distortion of the electrical field in the oil gap and pressboard was also analyzed. Results show that there are many charges injected into the oil and the pressboard. The charges accumulated at the interface between oil gap and pressboard. The charges accumulated in the mixed insulation system become less with the moisture content increased. The difference of the electric field strength in the oil gap and pressboard become smaller with the moisture content increased.
Synthesis and Platinum Coordination Chemistry of the Perfluoroalkyl Acceptor Pincer Ligand, 1,3-(CH2P(CF3)2)2C6H4

The synthesis of perfluoroalkyl-substituted “pincer”-type PCP ligands, 1,3-C6H4(CH2P(Rf)2)2 (Rf = CF3, C2F5), and platinum coordination studies (Rf = CF3) are reported. 1,3-C6H4(CH2P(CF3)2)2 (CF3PCPH) reacts at ambient temperatures with (cod)Pt(Me)Cl (cod = 1,5-cyclooctadiene) and (cod)PtMe2 to afford unmetalated PCPH-bridged products [(CF3PCPH)Pt(Me)Cl]x and cis-[(CF3PCPH)PtMe2]2, respectively. cis-[(CF3PCPH)PtMe2]2 is soluble and has been spectroscopically and crystallographically characterized. Thermolysis of these compounds results in the loss of methane and the formation of metalated complexes (CF3PCP)PtCl and (CF3PCP)PtMe. Treatment of (CF3PCP)PtCl with MeMgBr provides an alternative route to (CF3PCP)PtMe. The carbonyl cation (CF3PCP)Pt(CO)+SbF6- (ν(CO) = 2143 cm-1) was readily prepared by chloride abstraction with AgSbF6 under 1 atm CO. ν(CO) data indicates that RfPCP ligands are electronically analogous to trans acceptor phosphine complexes such as trans-((C2F5)2PMe)2Pt(Me)(CO)+ (ν(CO) = 2149 cm-1).
Control-Oriented Model for Camless Intake Process—Part I

The improvement of internal combustion engine is largely accomplished though the introduction of innovative actuators that allow optimization and control ofthe flow, mixing, and combustion processes. The realization of such a novel system depends on the existence of an operational controller that will stabilize the engine and allow experimental testing which, consequently, leads to further development of the actuator and the engine controller. This iterative process requires a starting point which is the development of a control-oriented model. Although not fully validated, the control-oriented model reveals issues associated with uncertainties, nonlinearities, and limitation of different subsystems. Moreover, it aides in defining the controller structure and the necessary parameters for the calibration of the closed loop system. In this paper (Part I) we describe the development process of a control-oriented model for a camless intake process. We first model the multicylinder crankangle-based breathing dynamics and validate it against experimental data of a conventional engine with cam-driven valve profile during unthrottled operation. We then employ the assumption of uniform air pulses during the intake duration and derive a simple input-output representation of the cylinder air charge, pumping losses and associated uncertainties that can be used for designing an electronic valvetrain controller (Part II).
Data structure visualization: the design and implementation of an animation tool

An understanding of the underlying mechanics of common data structures is of paramount importance to undergraduate computer science students. Developing such an understanding can be challenging for students, but provides a firm platform for success in later software engineering courses. Conversely, conveying a clear explanation of how data structures evolve under standard operations is challenging for instructors. This paper gives an overview of a data structure visualization tool designed to animate standards manipulations of several common data structures. The application is intended for use by students wanting to practice with algorithms being covered in class, as well as instructors wishing to embellish their lectures with an animated interface. We describe the requirements gathering process, detail the technologies involved in the development of the tool, and demonstrate the main features.
A Novel Esophageal-preserving Approach to Treat High-grade Dysplasia and Superficial Adenocarcinoma in the Presence of Chronic Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

Background The optimal treatment strategy of esophageal high-grade dysplasia (HGD) and superficial adenocarcinoma remains controversial.
Effect of temperature on metabolic rate of the mud turtle (Kinosternon subrubrum)

Temperature plays an important role in various aspects of the life history andphysiology of ectotherms. We examinedthe effect of temperature on standardmetabolic rate in the mudturtle, Kinosternon subrubrum. We measured O2 consumption andCO 2 production at 20C and30 C using a flow through respirometery system. Standard metabolic rate was significantly higher at 30C (9.25 ml O2/h, 6.35 ml CO2/h) comparedto 20 C (2.10 ml O2/h, 1.96 ml CO2/h). The Q10 value for O2 was 5.10, andfor CO 2 was 3.40. Our findings generally agree with those of other studies of metabolism in vertebrate ectotherms. Publishedby Elsevier Ltd .
Bronchoalveolar Lavage Neutrophilia Seen in Pneumocystis Pneumonia Presenting with Pneumothorax

Spontaneous pneumothorax is a known complication of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. From a series of 61 patients with PCP, we identified two cases, not associated with aerosolized pentamidine, that presented with spontaneous pneumothorax and cystic changes seen on chest radiographs. Bronchoalveolar lavage cell findings were remarkable for very elevated neutrophil counts in both cases, suggesting a possible inflammatory cause for the observed cystic changes. (Chest 1991; 100:865-67)
Distributed Group Management in Sensor Networks: Algorithms and Applications to Localization and Tracking

The tradeoff between performance and scalability is a fundamental issue in distributed sensor networks. In this paper, we propose a novel scheme to efficiently organize and utilize network resources for target localization. Motivated by the essential role of geographic proximity in sensing, sensors are organized into geographically local collaborative groups. In a target tracking context, we present a dynamic group management method to initiate and maintain multiple tracks in a distributed manner. Collaborative groups are formed, each responsible for tracking a single target. The sensor nodes within a group coordinate their behavior using geographically-limited message passing. Mechanisms such as these for managing local collaborations are essential building blocks for scalable sensor network applications.
A Hybrid Signal Processing Technique for Bearing Defect Severity Estimation

This paper presents a hybrid signal processing technique for bearing defect feature extraction and severity estimation. This is achieved by decomposing vibration signals measured on multiple bearings with different defect conditions into multiple sub-bands by means of the wavelet packet transform (WPT). Representative statistical features for each sub-band are then calculated. Subsequently, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is performed on the statistical features to choose the best-suited representative features as inputs to a diagnostic classifier for bearing health diagnosis.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Study of semiconductor surfaces and interfaces using electromodulation

The modulation spectroscopy technique of electromodulation (EM) is a major tool for the study and characterization of a number of semiconductor surfaces/interfaces and also for the evaluation of process-induced damage at surfaces. The most useful forms of EM are photoreflectance (PR) and contactless electroreflectance (CER) because they are sensitive to surface/interface electric fields and often yield the sharpest structure (third-derivative lineshape of the unmodulated spectrum in the case of bulk/thin-film material). For sufficiently high electric fields the PR/CER spectra may exhibit Franz–Keldysh oscillations, which are a direct measure of the relevant electric field. Furthermore, PR and CER require no special mounting of the sample and hence can be employed in situ (PR) or non-destructively on wafer-sized material. This article will discuss some recent applications of PR/CER for the investigation of a number of surfaces/interfaces, such as: process-induced effects on the surface of Si; Fermi-level pinning on a number of III–V materials, including low-temperature-grown GaAs (with excess As) and wurtzite GaN; Schottky barrier formation; process-induced damage (sputtering, reactive ion etching, chemically assisted ion beam etching) on III–V materials; homojunctions (GaAs/GaAs); heterojunctions (GaAlAs/GaAs, ZnSe/GaAs, CdTe/GaAs, AlInAs/InP, InGaAs/InP, InGaAs/InAlAs and wurtzite InGaN/GaN); and device structures such as heterojunction bipolar transistors and pseudomorphic high-electron-mobility transistors. A number of these studies have been performed in situ with an ultrahigh vacuum environment. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Registration of combined range-intensity scans: Initialization through verification

This paper presents an automatic registration system for aligning combined range-intensity scan pairs. The overall approach is designed to handle several challenges including extensive structural changes, large viewpoint differences, repetitive structure, illumination differences, and flat regions. The technique is split into three stages: initialization, refinement, and verification. During initialization, intensity keypoints are backprojected into the scans and matched to form candidate transformations, each based on a single match. We explore methods of improving this image-based matching using the range data. For refinement, we extend the Dual-Bootstrap ICP algorithm for alignment of range data and introduce novel geometric constraints formed by backprojected image-based edgel features. The verification stage determines if a refined transformation is correct. We treat verification as a classification problem based on accuracy, stability, and a novel boundary alignment measure. Experiments with 14 scan pairs show both the overall effectiveness of the algorithm and the importance of its component techniques.
Net ecosystem exchange modifies the relationship between the autotrophic and heterotrophic components of soil respiration with abiotic factors in prairie grasslands

We investigated the relationships of net ecosystem carbon exchange (NEE), soil temperature, and moisture with soil respiration rate and its components at a grassland ecosystem. Stable carbon isotopes were used to separate soil respiration into autotrophic and heterotrophic components within an eddy covariance footprint during the 2008 and 2009 growing seasons. After correction for self-correlation, rates of soil respiration and its autotrophic and heterotrophic components for both years were found to be strongly influenced by variations in daytime NEE – the amount of C retained in the ecosystem during the daytime, as derived from NEE measurements when photosynthetically active radiation was above 0 lmol m � 2 s � 1 . The time scale for correlation of variations in daytime NEE with fluctuations in respiration was longer for heterotrophic respiration (36–42 days) than for autotrophic respiration (4–6 days). In addition to daytime NEE, autotrophic respiration was also sensitive to soil moisture but not soil temperature. In contrast, heterotrophic respiration from soils was sensitive to changes in soil temperature, soil moisture, and daytime NEE. Our results show that – as for forests – plant activity is an important driver of both components of soil respiration in this tallgrass prairie grassland ecosystem. Heterotrophic respiration had a slower coupling with plant activity than did autotrophic respiration. Our findings suggest that the frequently observed variations in the sensitivity of soil respiration to temperature or moisture may stem from variations in the proportions of autotrophic and heterotrophic components of soil respiration. Rates of photosynthesis at seasonal time scales should also be considered as a driver of both autotrophic and heterotrophic soil respiration for ecosystem flux modeling.
General Intelligence in Another Primate: Individual Differences across Cognitive Task Performance in a New World Monkey (Saguinus oedipus)

Background: Individual differences in human cognitive abilities show consistently positive correlations across diverse domains, providing the basis for the trait of ‘‘general intelligence’’ (g). At present, little is known about the evolution of g, in part because most comparative studies focus on rodents or on differences across higher-level taxa. What is needed, therefore, are experiments targeting nonhuman primates, focusing on individual differences within a single species, using a broad battery of tasks. To this end, we administered a large battery of tasks, representing a broad range of cognitive domains, to a population of captive cotton-top tamarin monkeys (Saguinus oedipus). Methodology and Results: Using a Bayesian latent variable model, we show that the pattern of correlations among tasks is consistent with the existence of a general factor accounting for a small but significant proportion of the variance in each task (the lower bounds of 95% Bayesian credibility intervals for correlations between g and task performance all exceed 0.12). Conclusion: Individual differences in cognitive abilities within at least one other primate species can be characterized by a general intelligence factor, supporting the hypothesis that important aspects of human cognitive function most likely evolved from ancient neural substrates.
Unintended consequences of eliminating medicare payments for consultations.

Background Prior to 2010, Medicare payments for consultations (commonly billed by specialists) were substantially higher than for office visits of similar complexity (commonly billed by primary care physicians). In January 2010, Medicare eliminated consultation payments from the Part B Physician Fee Schedule and increased fees for office visits. This change was intended to be budget neutral and to decrease payments to specialists while increasing payments to primary care physicians. We assessed the impact of this policy on spending, volume, and complexity for outpatient office encounters in 2010. Methods We examined outpatient claims from 2007 through 2010 for 2 247 810 Medicare beneficiaries with Medicare Supplemental (Medigap) coverage through large employers in the Thomson Reuters MarketScan Database. We used segmented regression analysis to study changes in spending, volume, and complexity of office encounters adjusted for age, sex, health status, secular trends, seasonality, and hospital referral region. Results “New” office visits largely replaced consultations in 2010. An average of $10.20 more was spent per beneficiary per quarter on physician encounters after the policy (6.5% increase). The total volume of physician encounters did not change significantly. The increase in spending was largely explained by higher office-visit fees from the policy and a shift toward higher-complexity visits to both specialists and primary care physicians. Conclusions The elimination of consultations led to a net increase in spending on visits to both primary care physicians and specialists. Higher prices, partially owing to the subjectivity of codes in the physician fee schedule, explained the spending increase, rather than higher volumes.
Metal stocks and sustainability

The relative proportions of metal residing in ore in the lithosphere, in use in products providing services, and in waste deposits measure our progress from exclusive use of virgin ore toward full dependence on sustained use of recycled metal. In the U.S. at present, the copper contents of these three repositories are roughly equivalent, but metal in service continues to increase. Providing today's developed-country level of services for copper worldwide (as well as for zinc and, perhaps, platinum) would appear to require conversion of essentially all of the ore in the lithosphere to stock-in-use plus near-complete recycling of the metals from that point forward.
Interventions for control of Salmonella: Clearance of microbial growth from rubber picker fingers

A study was conducted to determine if a surface material with antimicrobial properties combined with an effective disinfectant could achieve total clearance of bacterial contamination. Before beginning the project, new rubber picker fingers collected from 3 processing facilities were tested for endogenous microflora. Five species of bacteria common to soil and human handling were present: Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Bacillus cereus/thuringiensis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus hominis ssp. novobiosepticus, and Staphylococcus intermedius. In separate experiments, new (unused) rubber picker fingers from 3 manufacturers were exposed to broiler carcass rinses, and the kinetics of bacterial attachment to finger material was determined. Turbidity of the bacterial suspensions at varying dilutions containing picker finger sections was compared hourly with controls to evaluate inhibition. New rubber finger material from the 3 manufacturers significantly inhibited bacterial growth (P < 0.05), without the aid of antibacterial additives. We improved an assay for screening disinfectants against growth of pathogens and determined the activity of 5 disinfectant compounds. Two of the compounds were most effective against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella Enteritidis, and Escherichia coli, and one of the compounds was selected for further study with Salmonella Enteritidis. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed the levels of Salmonella Enteritidis before and after treatment. The most effective compound was nontoxic and completely cleared Salmonella Enteritidis contamination from the rubber picker finger surface.
High-power AlGaN/GaN HEMTs for Ka-band applications

We report on the fabrication and high-frequency characterization of AlGaN/GaN high-electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). In devices with a gate length of 160 nm, a record power density of 10.5 W/mm with 34% power added efficiency (PAE) has been measured at 40 GHz in MOCVD-grown HEMTs biased at V/sub DS/=30 V. Under similar bias conditions, more than 8.6 W/mm, with 32% PAE, were obtained on the MBE-grown sample. The dependence of output power, gain, and PAE on gate and drain voltages, and frequency have also been analyzed.
Preparing Preservice Teachers in a Virtual Space: A Case Study of a Literacy Methods Course

This article describes a case study of an online literacy methods course offered at a small, midwestern university. Formal and informal instruments were used to assess students' backgrounds, interests, and dispositions. Archival course data were analyzed to examine interactions among content, course design, and student characteristics. Despite variations in self-directedness, dispositions toward the content, and prior experience with online/hybrid learning, 19 of 20 students who originally enrolled in the course were able to complete a compacted, fully online version of this introductory methods course. However, course evaluations indicated that for approximately one fourth of the students, there was a perceived mismatch between course objectives and online delivery. Findings suggest the need for design experiments that address immediacy in online courses and grapple with the issue of whether or not methods courses can be successfully delivered in a fully online format.
Pneumoperitoneum Diagnosis from Chest Radiographs

Children under intensive care for various illnesses are usually followed closely with radiographic examinations of the chest. The recognition of a pneumoperitoneum as a complicating feature of these illneses depends on subtle radiographic signs that are frequently visible on the chest film studies. We have assembled and illustrated these findings in the hope that pediatricians will be better able to recognize this complication when it occurs.
Tolbutamide Response in Normal Pregnancy

Intravenous tolbutamide was administered to 12 normal patients during the last month of pregnancy and again post partum. Blood glucose and plasma insulin were measured before and after the stimulus. It was shown that tolbutamide causes the pancreas to release insulin during pregnancy and also that the pancreas is hyperfunctioning during pregnancy. It was also demonstrated that there is a peripheral resistance to endogenous human insulin during pregnancy.
Randomized trial comparing primidone initiation schedules for treating essential tremor.

Early side effects are common when primidone is used to treat essential tremor, with as many as one-third of patients failing to tolerate the tablets. Lower doses can be prescribed initially using a suspension formulation. We suspected suspension initiation would result in fewer early side effects, allow better acclimatization, and improve compliance. Forty patients with essential tremor were randomized to begin primidone treatment using either 2.5 mg doses in the suspension form or 25 mg doses in the tablet form. Doses gradually increased over 3 weeks to 150 mg/day. This was a double-blind, double-dummy trial. Medication cessation due to side effects was designated the primary end-point. Four patients in the suspension group and two in the tablet group dropped out due to early side effects, resulting in a relative risk of 1.9 (95% confidence interval 0.4 to 9.2). Side effects in the first 48 hours of treatment were equally common, affecting seven subjects in each group. Treatment benefits were the same in both groups. We concluded that use of a very low initial dose and a graduated titration schedule in suspension formulation did not appear to improve primidone tolerability. If anything, compliance tended to be worse when compared with the tablet formulation, though the study was under-powered to reject the null hypothesis of equivalence. © 2002 Movement Disorder Society.
Inequality-Based Properties of Detectability and Stabilizability of Linear Time-Varying Systems in Discrete Time

Well-known properties of uniform detectability and uniform stabilizability are sharpened in terms of Lyapunov and Riccati inequalities for discrete-time linear time-varying systems. In particular, it is shown that the stabilizing output injection law can be taken to depend solely on a finite path of past and present system coefficients and the stabilizing state feedback law solely on a finite-path of present and future coefficients. These results are applied to time-varying systems where the system coefficients vary among a finite set, and lead to precise and computable convex conditions for the stability and dynamic-output-feedback stabilizability of such systems.
An examination of gender differences in elementary constructionist classrooms using Lego/Logo instruction

Sally R. Beisser is an Associate Professor of Education in the Teaching and Learning Department of the School of Education at Drake University. She can be contacted at: sally.beisser@drake.edu
in and Out of the academy: Policy and the Case for a Strategic anthropology

The paper is structured around a sequence of autobiographical accounts of engagements with policymakers. Each of these encounters elaborates on the challenges anthropologists face in engaging policy because of the nature of United States policy goals, the relative power of anthropologists vis-a-vis policymakers, and the incompatibility of ethnographic knowledge with the epistemological demands of policymaking. I embrace instead a call for collaborative engagement with activist, communitybased, and issue-based movements as well as the more complicated work of collaborating with marginalized communities that may not envision themselves as activists but who have community goals for how to define their place in the broader society. I focus on the particular constraints and strengths of academic anthropologists for working with activists, communities, and issue-oriented networks to affect policy.
Affirming Ego through Out-of-Class Interactions: A Practitioner's View

This chapter discusses the opportunities created by out-of-class interactions. These interactions allow for ego-engaged exchanges between students and professors.
Electrochemical Switching in Reducible Lariat Ethers: from Cation Binding Enhancements to Electrochemically-Mediated Transport

The evolution of lariat ethers from relatively simple, substituted crown ethers into electrochemically sensitive ligands is presented. Although nitrogen-pivot lariats were observed to be better binders than the corresponding parent crowns and to retain considerable flexibility after complexation, overall stability constants were not favorable for cation transport applications. This led to the syntheses of nitrobenzene- and anthraquinone-substituted systems capable of reversible redox behavior and drastically enhanced cation binding abilities when reduced. Application of these in enhanced cation transport processes has been demonstrated.
Can Poverty Rates Be Estimated Using Satellite Data

Standard methods for estimating poverty rates produce aggregated results for individual countries or administrative units. There are a wide number of potential applications for disaggregated grids of population numbers in poverty. We have investigated the possible use the brightness of satellite observed nighttime lights along with along with gridded population count data in the estimation of poverty numbers. Preliminary results indicate that in general lighting is dimmer or absent in areas with high poverty numbers. It is likely that several calibration curves would need to be developed to account for cultural and technological differences in lighting.
Sensing Switchboard Arc Faults

In the late 1970s, the Navy recognized that electrical fires were becoming a major problem in submarines. Approximately three fires per year were occurring in the main electrical distribution switchboards across the submarine fleet. These fires have a major impact on mission readiness and could potentially cause loss of life and ship. In three-quarters of a second, the current from the smallest shipboard generator can bum a fist-sized hole in the side of a switchboard. The damage initially increases exponentially with time, limited only by available current from the generators. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL) worked with the Navy to design two basic arc fault detection (AFD) and continuous thermal monitoring (CTM) systems. The first systems were designed using all military- specification (Mil-Spec) hardware. At that point in time, Mil-Spec hardware greatly increased system reliability but it drove up the system cost. The most recent systems were designed using commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) assemblies and parts and are cost effective for commercial use. These systems have proven effective in 450 V ac, 4,160 V ac, and 700 V dc switchboards. The timing on the systems is adjustable to allow for optimum usage with air circuit breakers or sealed breakers. While the AFD/CTM systems have seen extensive use in military ships, they are equally suited for the protection of all types of critical switchboards. Commercial ships, power generation facilities, power distribution switchboards, hospitals, web hosting facilities, etc., could all benefit from the increase in power reliability offered by this type of technology. These systems can be included in the original design of the switchboard or installed in existing switchboards with equal ease. At this time, JHU/APL is interested in licensing these systems for commercial applications.
Distributed architectures and implementations of observer based controllers for performance optimization

In this paper we address the problem of synthesizing controllers that have to be implemented distributively and have structure. The effect of sub-controller to sub-controller communication noise on stability and performance is considered. Using an observer based controller parameterization, we provide suitable stabilizing sub-controller architectures that directly take into account the effect of communication noise on performance. In particular, the overall performance optimization can be cast as a convex problem in the Youla-Kucera parameter Q. Similar results hold for banded controller structures, i.e., when there is also a delay in the subsystem to subsystem communication.
Graceful Work: Practical Theological Study of Spirituality

This article calls for closer conversation between two growing academic fields: the scholarly study of spirituality and practical theology. Practical theology investigates the contemporary situation as it relates to questions of faith, ministry, and public religious leadership. Practical theology loses its center when it neglects the critical study of spirituality. Practical theological study of spirituality can help to integrate the three dominant methods in spirituality scholarship: the anthropological, the historical-contextual, and the theological approaches. The integration of these three approaches promotes a mutually critical correlation between the Christian tradition and the contemporary situation. Reflection on the practices of ministry students and teachers further reveals the importance of practical theological study of spirituality, which should inform the practice of teaching, the conception of theological education, and the formation of ministry students.
Evaluation of Incremental Siliconization Levels on Soluble Aggregates, Submicron and Subvisible Particles in a Prefilled Syringe Product

The evaluation of stability with respect to particles in prefilled syringes is complicated by the presence of silicone oil. The mobility, colloidal characteristics, and kinetic instability of silicone oil in contact with a protein formulation may be influenced in unpredictable ways by pharmaceutical variables, storage, and handling conditions. To provide insight into the impact of these variables on silicone oil originating specifically from the siliconized prefillable syringe (PFS), a series of studies were conducted at incremental syringe barrel siliconization levels. Size-exclusion chromatography and particle counting methods were used to quantitate soluble aggregates and submicron and subvisible particles in peginterferon beta-1a in a PFS siliconized with a fixed nozzle spray-on siliconization process. The effect of silicone oil on the peginterferon beta-1a molecule was examined under pharmaceutically relevant conditions, accelerated degradation, and under denaturing conditions. Resonant mass measurement was used to discriminate silicone oil from protein particles establishing that silicone oil does not mask adverse trends in non-silicone oil particles. The peginterferon beta-1a molecule was shown to be stable in the presence of silicone oil and robust with respect to the formation of soluble aggregates and submicron and subvisible particles in its PFS siliconized over the range of 0-1.2 mg silicone oil per syringe barrel.
Using Note-Taking Apps to Support Professional Development

AbstractEnhance a long-standing tradition of paper-based coaching notes with digital apps to record anecdotes and observations that support professional development.
Pollen as an Indicator of Long-distance Movement of Heliothis zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Adult male bollworm, Heliothis zea (Boddie), moths were collected from sex pheromone traps located in Arkansas and were examined for pollen. Pollen was found on 68.3% of the moths, primarily on the proboscis or eye area. Pollen of false mesquite, Calliandra , and ape's earring, Pithecellobium , were found on moths during each of 2 yr. Neither plant occurs in Arkansas; Calliandra's closest distribution to Arkansas is south central Texas, and Pithecellobium occurs in south Texas near the Mexican border. The presence of these pollens on H. zea indicates immigration from at least 750 km to the Arkansas capture sites.
Pituitary porcine growth hormone (pGH) and a recombinant pGH analog stimulate pig growth performance in a similar manner.

This study was conducted to establish the extent to which different doses of pituitary porcine growth hormone (ppGH) increase pig growth performance. Pigs were treated daily for 11 wk with 0, 35 or 70 micrograms ppGH/kg BW. In addition, these effects were compared with those produced by treating pigs with 0, 35, 70 or 140 micrograms.kg BW-1.d-1 of a recombinantly derived analog of porcine growth hormone (rpGH). This analog lacks the first seven amino acids at the NH2 terminus. Growth rate was increased similarly by ppGH and rpGH (the maximal increase was 19%). Feed efficiency was improved by ppGH and rpGH (the maximal response was 25%). This improvement in feed efficiency was associated with a decrease in feed intake (17% with the largest dose of rpGH). Both ppGH and rpGH decreased adipose tissue growth and increased muscle mass. Carcass lipid was decreased by 68% in pigs treated with the largest dose of rpGH. The recombinant pGH analog appeared to be less potent than ppGH in decreasing adipose tissue growth rate. All other parameters measured, however, indicated that rpGH mimicked the biological effects of ppGH (including binding to pig liver membranes and induction of insulin-like growth factor I production). Sensory panel evaluations indicated that neither ppGH nor rpGH affected pork palatability. Larger doses of pGH (greater than 70 micrograms/kg BW) adversely affected pig mobility. This impairment in mobility appears to be due to osteochondrosis. Our findings establish that the rpGH analog is equipotent to ppGH in stimulating growth performance and that pigs can be treated without any significant adverse effects when they are treated with less than 70 micrograms of pGH.kg BW-1.d-1.
Diffuse, Hyperpigmented Rash in an Adult.

A man presented with generalized pruritus and an erythematous rash on his trunk and extremities. He also had neurologic difficulties.