cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Conceptualizing Death in a Worldview Consistent, Meaningful Way and Its Effects on Worldview Defense

Research within terror management theory (TMT) has shown that when mortality is made salient, people subsequently engage in worldview defense: an increase in derogation of an individual who does not share their worldview along with an increase in veneration of an individual who does. Research has also shown that high levels of self-esteem (either dispositionally possessed or artificially enhanced) or legitimization of one's meaning supplying system (worldview) can attenuate the increase in worldview defense typically seen after mortality salience. Extending these findings, this research examined the hypothesis that motivating participants to consider their mortality in a manner that was personally meaningful and thus consistent with their particular worldview would also serve to assuage the need for worldview defense. The research reported below supported this reasoning. Specifically, participants with a Christian religious background who were given the typical mortality salience prime produced more positive evaluations of a Christian target and more negative evaluations of a Jewish target. However, participants with a Christian religious background who were presented with a meaningful mortality salience induction produced evaluations of the Christian and Jewish targets that did not differ. The implications of conceptualizing death meaningfully are discussed.
Remarks Concerning the Interpretation of Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Spectroscopy Spectral Profiles

Coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) is a nonlinear, third-order process which has now been demonstrated to have an impressive potential for probing extremely hostile combustion environments. The utilization of the technique often requires computer simulation of theoretical spectral profiles, and to this end, a mathematically useful formalism is desirable to simulate the physical process. In a recent paper we presented a detailed theoretical discussion as to how the squared susceptibility signal dependence, when weighted by an experiment configuration dependent convolution, can produce a CARS spectral profile which can be specific to the experiment design.
Learning as a nonlinear line of attraction in a recurrent neural network

A method to embed N dimensional, multi-valued patterns into an auto-associative memory represented as a nonlinear line of attraction in a fully connected recurrent neural network is presented in this paper. The curvature of the nonlinear attractor is defined by the Kth degree polynomial line which best fits the training data in N dimensional state space. The width of the nonlinear line is then characterized by the statistical characteristics of the training patterns. Stability of the recurrent network is verified by analyzing the trajectory of the points in the state space during convergence. The performance of the network is benchmarked through the reconstruction of original gray-scale images from their corrupted versions. It is observed that the proposed method can quickly and successfully reconstruct each image with an average convergence rate of 3.10 iterations.
Stability of Persistent Currents in Unsaturated Superfluid He 4 Films

We report the first measurements of the stability of persistent currents in unsaturated $^{4}\mathrm{He}$ films in an open geometry. Persistent currents are generated without rotation and exhibit several features which place strong restrictions on models of thermally activated dissipation in thin films.
Binding of Insulin to Thymocytes from Suckling and Hypophysectomized Rats: Evidence for Two Mechanisms Regulating Insulin Sensitivity

Insulin more effectively increased amino acid influx into thymocytes isolated from insulin-sensitive suckling and hypophysectomized rats than into cells obtained from normal adult animals. Thymocytes from hypophysectomized adult rats bound more insulin than did cells from sham-operated controls, suggesting that insulin sensitivity in this condition was due to an increase in the number of insulin receptors. In contrast, thymocytes from suckling rats bound the same amount of insulin as did cells from adult animals, suggesting that in this instance insulin sensitivity was the result of changes in events subsequent to the binding of insulin.
Patterns and factors associated with respiratory care protocol use

BACKGROUND: Organizational factors associated with adoption and use of respiratory care protocols have received little attention. This study examines patterns of protocol use and features of a hospital and providers that are associated with respiratory care protocol use. METHODS: Forty-four hospitals and their health-care providers responded to an online survey regarding perceived outcomes of protocol use and their level of support for using protocols. Hospital features (ie, size, teaching status, and use of information systems) were also assessed. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression were used for analysis. RESULTS: Of the 9 types of respiratory care protocols assessed (ie, asthma, COPD, ARDS, hypoxemia, pneumonia, noninvasive ventilation therapy, supplemental oxygen titration and discontinuation, ventilator weaning, and bronchopulmonary hygiene), the most commonly used were for oxygen titration and ventilator weaning. Large hospitals (> 350 beds) used protocols more widely than smaller hospitals (P = .01). Respondents felt that use of protocols enhanced cost and quality of care. Finally, hospital features that were associated with overall protocol use were stakeholder support for protocol use and use of high-quality hospital information systems. CONCLUSIONS: The study extends prior research by clarifying features of hospitals and providers associated with use of respiratory care protocols. Validation in future hypothesis-testing samples will further advance this knowledge.
Prostacyclin synthesis and deacylation of phospholipids in human endothelial cells: Comparison of thrombin, histamine and ionophore A23187

Abstract Thrombin, histamine and ionophore A23187 stimulated human endothelial cells to release arachidonic acid and synthesize prostaglandins. To compare the activation of arachidonic acid release by these three stimuli in endothelial cells, we examined the intracellular lipid metabolism by prelabeling the cells with [ 14 C]stearic acid and [ 3 H]arachidonic acid. Thrombin stimulated the loss of 3 H and 14 C label from intracellular phospholipids. At the same time [ 3 H] arachidonic acid and prostaglandins were released into the incubation medium. Thin layer chromatography analysis indicated that prostacyclin is the major metabolite formed followed by PGF 2α , PGE 2 . HHT and PGD 2 . In addition, several intracellular lipid metabolites were accumulated. These include: phosphatidic acid and 1, 2-diacylglycerol detected by increase of both 14 C and 3 H radioactivity; lysophosphatidylinositol, lysophosphatidyle thanolamine, and to a smaller extent lysophosphatidylcholine and lysophosphatidy lserine detected by increase of 14 C radioactivity. Like thrombin, both histamine and ionophore A23187 also stimulated release of arachidonic acid and synthesis of prostaglandins. Despite the different nature of the agonists, the type and the relative amount of prostaglandins synthesized in response to histamine and A23187 were similar to that stimulated by thrombin. The relative extents of hydrolysis of phospholipids and the accumulation of phosphatidic acid, 1, 2-diacylglycerol and lysophospholipids are similar to that of 3 H radioactivity and prostacyclin released into the medium and follow the order: ionophore A23187 > thrombin > histamine. These results suggest that in human endothelial cells, histamine, thrombin and ionophore A23187 directly or indirectly activated both phospholipase C and phospholipase A 2 and these activations most likely involve mobilization of Ca 2+ .
Teaching critical television viewing: An approach for gifted learners

This study addressed a Renzulli‐based video production (VP) approach to the teaching of critical television viewing skills to fifth through eighth‐grade gifted students. Two treatment groups received direct critical viewing instruction and VP, and the no‐treatment group received only VP. Dependent variables were tests of television form and program content analysis. Separate ANOVAs found that one treatment group improved significantly more than the other two groups on television form and that there were no significant differences on program content. One conclusion was that teaching gifted students to produce video appears to also teach them critical viewing skills.
Design techniques for MOS switched capacitor ladder filters

Design techniques for monolithic, high-precision, MOS sampled-data active-ladder filters are described. Switched capacitor integrators are used to implement the "leapfrog" configuration for simulating doubly terminated LC ladder networks. Techniques are presented for designing all-pole low-pass filters, as well as methods for including transmission zeros. An approach for implementing bandpass filters is described which is derived from the conventional low-pass-to-bandpass transformation. Monolithic realizations for two different low-pass filters are briefly described which show excellent agreement with theory.
CACHET: an interactive, incremental-attribution-based program transformation system for deriving incremental programs

The paper describes the design and implementation of an interactive, incremental-attribution-based program transformation system, CACHET, that derives incremental programs from non-incremental programs written in a functional language. CACHET is designed as a programming environment and implemented using a language-based editor generator, the Synthesizer Generator, with extensions that support complex transformations. Transformations directly manipulate the program tree and take into consideration information obtained from program analyses. Program analyses are performed via attribute evaluation, which is done incrementally as transformations change the program tree. The overall approach also explores a general framework for describing dynamic program semantics using annotations, which allows interleaving transformations with external input, such as user input. Designing CACHET as a programming environment also facilitates the integration of program derivation and validation with interactive editing, compiling, debugging, and execution.
Cardiopulmonary bypass in a model of acute myocardial infarction and cardiac arrest.

Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) reperfusion has demonstrated improved resuscitation rates in ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest models. To investigate the effectiveness of CPB reperfusion in an ischemic cardiac arrest setting, simulating the clinical scenario of myocardial ischemia preceding sudden cardiac death, we developed a canine model of acute myocardial infarction followed by ventricular fibrillation. Sixteen dogs were randomly assigned to two groups. Group 1 (eight) had ventricular fibrillation induced without left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion. Group 2 (eight) had a thrombogenic copper coil placed in the left anterior descending artery and showed ECG evidence of acute myocardial infarction before induction of ventricular fibrillation. CPR commenced after eight minutes of ventricular fibrillation. Epinephrine 0.05 mg/kg and NaHCO 3 1.0 mEq/kg were administered at ten minutes. CPB was begun at 12 minutes and continued for one hour. Myocardial ischemic and necrotic areas were determined in four-hour survivors by dual histochemical staining. All animals were resuscitated; all eight group 1 and six of eight group 2 animals survived to four hours. With the onset of CPB, coronary perfusion pressures increased significantly by 68.6 ± 31.8 (SD) mm Hg in group 1 and 56.2 ± 34.6 mm Hg in group 2 over those obtained with CPR ( P P P
Blood 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D Levels and Incident Type 2 Diabetes A meta-analysis of prospective studies

OBJECTIVE To quantitatively assess the strength and shape of the association between blood 25-hydroxy vitamin D [25(OH)D] levels and incident risk of type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A systematic search of the MEDLINE and Embase databases and a hand search of references from original reports were conducted up to 31 October 2012. Prospective observational studies that assessed the association between blood levels of 25(OH)D and risk of incident type 2 diabetes were included for meta-analysis. DerSimonian and Laird’s random-effects model was used. A quadratic spline regression analysis was used to examine the shape of the association with a generalized least-squares trend test performed for the dose-response relation. RESULTS A total of 21 prospective studies involving 76,220 participants and 4,996 incident type 2 diabetes cases were included for meta-analysis. Comparing the highest to the lowest category of 25(OH)D levels, the summary relative risk for type 2 diabetes was 0.62 (95% CI 0.54–0.70). A spline regression model showed that higher 25(OH)D levels were monotonically associated with a lower diabetes risk. This inverse association did not differ by sex, duration of follow-up, study sample size, diabetes diagnostic criteria, or 25(OH)D assay method. A linear trend analysis showed that each 10 nmol/L increment in 25(OH)D levels was associated with a 4% lower risk of type 2 diabetes (95% CI 3–6; P for linear trend CONCLUSIONS Our meta-analysis showed an inverse and significant association between circulating 25(OH)D levels and risk of type 2 diabetes across a broad range of blood 25(OH)D levels in diverse populations.
An index of only patient-reported outcome measures, routine assessment of patient index data 3 (RAPID3), in two abatacept clinical trials: similar results to disease activity score (DAS28) and other RAPID indices that include physician-reported measures

3Objectives. To analyse the capacity of routine assessment of patient index data 3 (RAPID3), an index of only the three patient-reportedoutcome (PRO) measures in the RA Core Data Set—physical function, pain and global status—to distinguish abatacept from controltreatments in two clinical trials, and to compare RAPID3 results with the disease activity score 28 (DAS28) and RAPID-based indices that adda tender or swollen joint count and/or physician/assessor global estimate of status.Methods. Clinical trial data from AIM (Abatacept in Inadequate response to Methotrexate) and ATTAIN [Abatacept Trial in Treatment of Anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) INadequate responders] were reanalysed. Mean values were computed at baseline, endpoint and for changebetween baseline and endpoint for RAPID3, DAS28 and additional RAPID indices to study whether they had greater capacity to distinguishabatacept from control therapy. RAPID4TJC adds to RAPID3 a tender joint count; RAPID4SJC, a swollen joint count; RAPID4MD, aphysician/assessor global estimate; and RAPID5 adds both a tender joint count and physician/assessor global estimate. RAPID2 includesonly physician/assessor and patient global estimates.Results. All indices indicated significant differences of 19–28% between abatacept and control groups. Results were similar for RAPID3 ofonly patient measures, compared to DAS28 and other RAPID-based indices.Conclusion. A RAPID3 ‘patient-only’ index, without a joint count or any measure from a health professional or laboratory, distinguishes activefrom control treatments in two abatacept clinical trials, at levels similar to DAS28 and to other RAPID-based indices that add physician-reported measures.K
Autocrine VEGF-A system in podocytes regulates podocin and its interaction with CD2AP.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A) signaling is required for endothelial cell differentiation, vasculogenesis, angiogenesis, and vascular patterning. During kidney morphogenesis, podocyte ...
Visualization of geologic stress perturbations using Mohr diagrams

Huge salt formations, trapping large untapped oil and gas reservoirs, lie in the deepwater region of the Gulf of Mexico. Drilling in this region is high-risk and drilling failures have led to well abandonments, with each costing tens of millions of dollars. Salt tectonics plays a central role in these failures. To explore the geomechanical interactions between salt and the surrounding sand and shale formations, scientists have simulated the stresses in and around salt diapirs in the Gulf of Mexico using nonlinear finite element geomechanical modeling. In this paper, we describe novel techniques developed to visualize the simulated subsurface stress field. We present an adaptation of the Mohr diagram, a traditional paper-and-pencil graphical method long used by the material mechanics community for estimating coordinate transformations for stress tensors, as a new tensor glyph for dynamically exploring tensor variables within three-dimensional finite element models. This interactive glyph can be used as either a probe or a filter through brushing and linking.
Microstrip noncontacting thickness monitor

A microwave technique for measuring of the height of a thin layer of fluid or a solid coating on a metallic surface using a planar microstrip transmission line structure is presented. A device was designed to monitor the height of a film of water up to about 1 mm. The method produced consistent results and can be adapted for use without microwave frequency measurement devices. >
Similarity between Early and Middle Adolescent Close Friends' Beliefs about Personal Jurisdiction

Similarity in close friends’ beliefs about personal jurisdiction was examined using questionnaires and interviews with 162 early (Mage = 11.82) and middle (Mage = 15.68) adolescents who were matched with reciprocally nominated close friends. Using the framework of social domain theory, beliefs about personal jurisdiction were assessed for personal, social conventional, prudential, and multifaceted issues. As hypothesized, close friends were more similar than non-friends in their ratings of legitimate parental authority and the degree of harm and consequences to others for prudential and multifaceted issues. Also as expected, friends were similar in their justifications for the legitimacy of parental authority over multifaceted issues. Similarity was moderated by age, direct discussion, and friendship duration; effects varied according to the domain of the issue. Results were discussed in terms of peers’ influence on adolescents’ push for increased autonomy.
KRAS mutation detection: a new look at an old gene.

The introduction of small-molecule drugs and humanized monoclonal antibodies as novel therapies that target specific receptors and proteins in specific signal-transduction pathways has renewed interest in genes that had previously been identified as being involved in the tumorigenic process. The first of these genes was the ERBB2 3 [v-erb-b2 erythroblastic leukemia viral oncogene homolog 2, neuro/glioblastoma derived oncogene homolog (avian)] oncogene (also known as HER2 ), a member of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family, which is amplified in human breast cancer. Diagnostic interests in this gene were never peaked until this receptor became the target of Herceptin, the first monoclonal antibody therapy against a cellular receptor. Similarly, EGFR has become the target of both monoclonal antibody therapies that target the binding domain and small-molecule drugs that inhibit its tyrosine kinase activity. KRAS (v-Ki-ras2 Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog) is a known oncogene that typically functions in the EGFR pathway. Although mutations in this oncogene are known to be associated with various types of human cancer, only recently has it become an attractive biomarker for the clinical laboratory and healthcare provider as a mechanism to determine therapeutic options. KRAS mutation detection has become part of the standard workup of patients with colorectal cancer, and those tumors that harbor a KRAS mutation have been shown to be nonresponsive to anti-EGFR therapies. The implementation of KRAS mutation testing in a clinical laboratory environment is surveyed below among 4 pathologists and a medical oncologist from 4 leading medical institutions in the US. Arief A. Suriawinata4 : KRAS testing for colorectal cancer is routinely performed on patients who are being considered for anti-EGFR therapy including cetuximab and panitumumab at our institution. Oncologists are responsible for ordering the KRAS mutation analysis when they are considering anti-EGFR therapy as second-line treatment in patients with …
Capacity bounds for ad hoc and hybrid wireless networks

We study the capacity of static wireless networks, both ad hoc and hybrid, under the Protocol and Physical Models of communication, proposed in [1]. For ad hoc networks with n nodes, we show that under the Physical Model, where signal power is assumed to attenuate as 1/rα, α > 2, the transport capacity scales as Θ(√n) bit-meters/sec. The same bound holds even when the nodes are allowed to approach arbitrarily close to each other and even under a more generalized notion of the Physical Model wherein the data rate is Shannon's logarithmic function of the SINR at the receiver. This result is sharp since it closes the gap that existed between the previous best known upper bound of O(nα-1/α) and lower bound of Ω(√n).We also show that any spatio-temporal scheduling of transmissions and their ranges that is feasible under the Protocol Model can also be realized under the Physical Model by an appropriate choice of power levels for appropriate thresholds. This allows the generalization of various lower bound constructions from the Protocol Model to the Physical Model. In particular, this provides a better lower bound on the best case transport capacity than in [1].For hybrid networks, we consider an overlay of μn randomly placed wired base stations. It has previously been shown in [6] that if all nodes adopt a common power level, then each node can be provided a throughput of at most Θ(1/log n) to randomly chosen destinations. Here we show that by allowing nodes to perform power control and properly choosing ν(1/log n), it is further possible to provide a throughput of Θ(1) to any fraction f, 0 f
Losartan corrects abnormal frequency response of renal vasculature in congestive heart failure

In congestive heart failure, renal blood flow is decreased and renal vascular resistance is increased in a setting of increased activity of both the sympathetic nervous and renin-angiotensin system...
Polymer-based rectifying diodes on a glass substrate fabricated by ink-jet printing

The fabrication of polymer diodes on a glass (resume illisible) cost ink-jet printing technique to produce polymer microelectronic devices and circuits.
An analytic model of a wireless mobile system with two different types of calls

Motivated from analytic models of wireless mobile system where there are new calls and handoff calls in each cell, we consider a general model with two different types of calls in this paper. The key difference here from the existing wireless models are that (1) the different types of calls possess different call holding time and different cell residence time and (2) one type of calls has the priority over another type of calls from the viewpoint of reservation and an available buffer. More detailed differences between the existing models and the proposed model in novelty are stated. For the proposed model, the state process governing the system is verified to be a quasi-birth-and-death process and the transition rate matrix of this process is explicitly derived. Furthermore, the closed formulae of the blocking probabilities for each types of calls are obtained, the blocking periods for each types of calls are verified to be phase type distributions and the corresponding distributions are explicitly derived.
Toddlers' Representations of Space The Role of Viewer Perspective

In the present study, we examined how people code object location when an object is hidden in an enclosed space. On object location tasks involving disorientation, viewers must code the location of an object in relation to the spatial environment because they cannot directly track their changing relation to the object. Recently, we showed that viewers also code their perspective relative to the entire space (inside vs. outside) in such tasks. To determine whether viewers code perspective whenever they must locate an object, we examined young children's performance on a task in which coding perspective would be difficult. Our task involved both disorientation and translation (i.e., movement from inside to outside the space or vice versa). When translation preceded disorientation, performance was comparable to performance on tasks with no translation. However, when disorientation preceded translation, performance was at chance. The implications of these findings for location coding are discussed.
Reliability and validity of a scoring instrument for clinical performance during Pediatric Advanced Life Support simulation scenarios

Abstract Aim To assess the reliability and validity of scoring instruments designed to measure clinical performance during simulated resuscitations requiring the use of Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) algorithms. Methods Pediatric residents were invited to participate in an educational trial involving simulated resuscitations that employ PALS algorithms. Each subject participated in a session comprised of four scenarios (asystole, dysrhythmia, respiratory arrest, shock). Video-recorded sessions were independently reviewed and scored by four raters using instruments designed to measure performance in terms of timing, sequence, and quality. Validity was assessed by two-factor analysis of variance with postgraduate year (PGY-1 versus PGY-2) as an independent variable. Reliability was assessed by calculation of overall interrater reliability (IRR) as well as a generalizability study to estimate variance components of individual measurement facets (scenarios, raters) and associated interactions. Results 20 subjects were scored by four raters. Based on a two-factor ANOVA, PGY-2s outperformed PGY-1s ( p Conclusions The instruments assessed in this study measure clinical performance during PALS scenarios in a reliable and valid manner. Measurement error could be minimized further through the use of additional scenarios but additional raters, for a given scenario, would not improve reliability. Further studies should assess validity of measurement with respect to actual clinical performance during resuscitations.
Physiologic and Health Consequences of Circadian Disruption (in Animal Models)

The circadian clock has evolved over millions of years to optimize the coordination of the organism with its environment and to maintain internal coordination among multiple physiologic and molecular processes. Tremendous progress has been made in elucidating the molecular mechanisms that underlie circadian function and in detecting cell-autonomous, self-sustaining circadian clocks in tissues/organs throughout the body. The circadian research field is now in a position to move these discoveries into translational-level research and to define how circadian function is an integral component of health and disease processes. This article provides an overview of animal studies that have examined behavioral and molecular links between the circadian clock and various physiologic processes, with a focus on energy metabolism.
Do climate and fishing influence size-based indicators of Celtic Sea fish community structure?

Ecosystem-based management requires the development of indicators that allow anthropogenic impacts to be detected against the background of natural variation. Size-based community metrics are potentially useful indicators because of their theoretical foundation and practical utility. Temporal and spatial patterns in size-based community metrics for Celtic Sea fish are described and calculated using data from the English groundfish survey of the area (1987-2003). The results reveal that the size structure of the community has changed over time, and that a decrease in the relative abundance of larger fish was accompanied by an increase in smaller fish (4-25 g). Temporal analyses of the effects of fishing and climate variation suggest that fishing generally has had a stronger effect on size structure than changes in temperature. Therefore, size-based metrics respond clearly to the effects of fishing even in variable environments, reflecting the ubiquity of size-based processes in defining community structure and responses to mortality. Spatial analyses were inconclusive, probably owing to the limited area for which fishing effort, temperature, and survey data were all available.
Fuel-Specific Effect of Exhaust Gas Residuals on HCCI Combustion: A Modeling Study

A modeling study was performed to investigate fuel-specific effects of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) components on homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) combustion at conditions relevant to the negative valve overlap (NVO) strategy using CHEMKIN-PRO. Four single-component fuels with well-established kinetic models were chosen: n-heptane, iso-octane, ethanol, and toluene. These fuels were chosen because they span a wide range of fuel chemistries, and produce a wide compositions range of complete stoichiometric products (CSP). The simulated engine conditions combined a typical spark ignition engine compression ratio (11.34) and high intake charge temperatures (500-550 K) that are relevant to NVO HCCI. It was found that over the conditions investigated, all the fuels had overlapping start of combustion (SOC) phasing, despite the wide range in octane number (RON = 0 to 120). The effect of the EGR components CO2 and H2O was to suppress the compression temperature because of their higher heat capacities, which retarded SOC. For a concentration of O2 higher than the stoichiometric amount, or excess O2, there was an effect of advancing SOC for n-heptane, iso-octane, and toluene, but SOC for ethanol was not advanced. Low temperature heat release (LTHR) for n-heptane was also found to be highly dependent on excessmore » O2, and mild endothermic reaction was observed for cases when excess O2 was not present.« less
Association of amniotic fluid index with estimated fetal weight.

Objective. The relationship between amniotic fluid volume and gestational age has been described previously. The association of body weight and urine output has been observed in human neonates. Our goal was to assess the correlation of the amniotic fluid index (AFI) with estimated fetal weight (EFW) in the third trimester. Methods. We conducted a retrospective observational study on 426 pregnant women with singleton gestations who were referred to our unit for sonographic evaluation in the third trimester. The AFI, EFW, and EFW percentile corrected for gestational age were evaluated. The sonographic examinations were stratified into 3 gestational age categories: 28 through 33.9 weeks, 34 through 37.9 weeks, and 38 weeks and later. Maternal and fetal outcome variables were collected from medical records. Linear regression, Mann-Whitney U, and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for statistical analysis. Results. There was no significant relationship between the AFI and EFW in the entire group of patients (R = 0.08; P = .096). There was a significant relationship between the AFI and EFW after 38 weeks' gestation (R = 0.30; P = .003). In addition, in female fetuses the EFW percentile correlated with higher AFI values at all gestational ages (R = 0.31; P<.001); this, however, was not observed in male fetuses. Conclusions. There is no relationship between the AFI and EFW during the third trimester, although a positive relationship between the AFI and EFW was noted late in gestation. In pregnancies with female fetuses, the AFI was positively associated with EFW percentile before 38 weeks' gestation.
Application of iterative moment-method solutions to ocean surface radar scattering

Numerical methods such as the banded matrix iterative approach (BMIA) represent a major advance in the direct numerical simulation of rough surface-wave scattering. This paper considers the application of iterative methods such as the BMIA to ocean-radar scattering. It is shown that for typical microwave radar frequencies and sea-surface roughness, the BMIA is actually of limited use. A more general iterative solution based on a multigrid decomposition and the generalized conjugate residual (GCR) method, is thus developed. The multigrid approach is ideally suited to the broad-band ocean surface, as it solves the scattering problem on a sequence of grids, each corresponding to a different range of spatial frequencies or length scales. This approach is applied here to several sea scattering problems, including very low grazing angles and both horizontal and vertical polarization. Good agreement is obtained with perturbation theory in the appropriate limits and several qualitative characteristics of radar backscatter data are reproduced.
The Impact Of Non-Audit Fees Disclosures On Company Value Following The Enron Collapse

Investor confidence regarding the reliability of financial statements is absolutely critical for publicly traded companies. The bankruptcy of Enron has brought to the forefront the issue of auditor independence and financial statement reliability. As a response to the criticism that the growth in consulting services by CPA firms was leading to a conflict of interest and significantly hindering auditor independence, the SEC approved new auditor independence regulations that required publicly traded firms to disclose the level of fees that were paid to their external auditor for non-audit services. This paper investigates the impact that the Enron collapse has had on investor perceptions about auditor independence and financial statement reliability. Using data from proxy statements concerning non-audit fees paid to external auditors, we find evidence that auditor independence and therefore financial statement reliability are compromised by the provision of these non-audit services. The results indicate that in the wake of the Enron revelations, investors perceive financial statements as being less reliable and thus require an additional risk premium, which translates into lower stock prices and a loss of firm value. We also find that there is negative relationship between the extent to which firms use non-audit services and the negative abnormal returns they suffered during the Enron collapse.
A Poverty of Representation: The Attorney's Role to Advocate for the Powerless

This paper uses the celebration of Somerset v. Stewart, the English case finding slavery illegal there, as an opportunity to look at why attorneys take cases to right the wrongs of the underrepresented. This look is particularly timely in light of a current resurgence of interest in civil Gideon policies that seek to obtain representation for the poor in matters when law can help protect their basic human needs. In Somerset, an abolitionist hired an attorney to take the case of Somerset, a slave who would otherwise have been unrepresented, and got the far reaching result of banning slavery in England. This article argues that we do not always have patrons to pay attorneys to take cases for the underrepresented. We also do not have strong enough professional rules to convince attorneys to provide enough people with the representation they need. Although the article does not intend to minimize slavery and the imperative need to end slavery through any means possible including legal ones, the article argues that many people who cannot pay for legal representation when their basic human needs are being challenged need attorneys to step up and represent them. The article argues that the methods that we have to pay attorneys for this representation are good as far as they go and should continue to be supported, including fee shifting statutes and government sponsored legal services organizations. However, these methods do not come close to addressing the need for legal services. It further argues that ABA Model Rule of Professional Conduct 6.1 is deficient in describing attorneys' responsibilities to ensure that all are represented when they cannot pay a full fee, limiting the volunteer help that attorneys provide to meet the basic human needs of the underrepresented. It looks at the limited amount of pro bono work being done presently to meet the huge need left unaddressed by means available to pay attorneys to represent those that cannot afford representation. It suggests modifying Model Rule 6.1 to begin to address the problem more fully, in part by making responsibilities suggested in the rule more forceful and in part by adding civil Gideon language to ensure that attorneys understand that they are not complying with the Rule unless they are addressing the basic human needs of clients or client bases.
Medical school hotline: The Institute for Biogenesis Research: a flower in the Pacific.

The Institute for Biogenesis Research (IBR, www.ibr.hawaii.edu) was founded in September of 2000 to advance the study of reproductive and developmental biology. The incentive for the creation of the IBR was to propagate the legacy of the University of Hawai‘i's world renowned expertise in reproductive biology largely due to the outstanding research contributions of Dr. Ryuzo Yanagimachi. Since its inception, the IBR has grown from its first founding member to 9 full time faculty and 4 associate members. The success of the institute is measured in its worldwide recognition, its success in competing for federal grant funding, and its contributions to the university in teaching and extended research support.
How the Program was Adopted (Continued)

The fact that the SPD’s ideological development after 1945 was at all times firmly under the control of the leadership becomes significant when the composition of the leadership is examined.
Mechanism of Thermal Al2O3 Atomic Layer Etching Using Sequential Reactions with Sn(acac)2 and HF

Thermal Al2O3 atomic layer etching (ALE) can be performed using sequential, self-limiting reactions with tin(II) acetylacetonate (Sn(acac)2) and HF as the reactants. To understand the reaction mech...
Growth of Young Acromyrmex Colonies in Their First Year (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Laboratory colonies of Trinidad Acromyrmex octospinosus Reich originating from females of a 1 July 1965 nuptial flight were followed for a year. Three females had variable histories depending on their early success in rearing first broods of workers or, in one case, being adopted by a few workers with a garden fragment of a mature colony. By March 1966 their gardens were 12, 22, and 50 cc, respectively. In June these increased to 45, 70, and 280 cc and in July 1966 to 80 (about 150 ants), 300 (200–300 ants), and 500 cc (600–1000 ants), respectively. A fourth female reared her first worker in about 40 days (a media), the pupal stage taking 10–12 days.
A Review and Prospect of Studies on the Brand Integration in the Context of Mergers and Acquisitions

As China's economic growth gradually slows down,the horizontal mergers and acquisitions are surging,and the resulting brand integration has become a key factor for the success of mergers and acquisitions.In view of this,the paper reviews the literatures on brand integration in the context of mergers and acquisitions from both strategic choice perspective and integration process perspective.The study shows that researchers have mainly focused on integration strategies,and researches on factors influencing strategic choice as well as some procedures and rules are even less;especially,the results of strategic choice are seldom studied.On the whole,the researches on this question are very limited and there is not a mature theoretical system.Finally,the paper states that both the brand integration strategy and factors,and the relationship between brand integration strategy and brand portfolio performance in the context of Chinese horizontal mergers and acquisitions are valuable research questions.In addition,there should be more extensive explorations of research methods in this field.
Determination of Acidity of Fresh Royal Jelly by Automatic Potentiometric Titrimeter

Objective To explore the assay method of acidity of fresh royal jelly determined by automatic potentiometric titrimeter.Method The digital operating interface was set up with LabX software,and each parameter of automatic operating interface was set.The acidity of fresh royal jelly was determined by automatic potentiometric titrimeter.Results The recoveries were from 90.0% to 96.3%,and the RSD was 0.24%.Conclusion The results of acidity for fresh royal jelly determined by automatic potentiometric titrimeter were no significant difference with the results obtained by GB/T 9697—2002.The digital operating interface in whole experiment process was fulfilled.The method has the characteristic of simple,fast,accuracy and efficiency.
Surface Chromatic Difference Control for Passenger Car

The concord of color is one of main surface features of an automobile especially for passenger cars,and the chromatic difference is a defect of paint.At present,in domestic automotive industry it doesn't still attach enough importance to chromatic difference control,and systematic theory has not formed.The paper introduces two main methods to control chromatic difference,discusses the factors caused chromatic difference and gives corresponding control methods.
COMPARISONS OF ORDER STATISTICS AND OF SPACINGS FROM HETEROGENEOUS DISTRIBUTIONS

Given two sets of independent, possibly unlike, components, conditions involving majorization are given which insure that any k-out-of-n system constructed of components in the first set will have reliability at least as great as that of a corresponding system constructed of components in the second set. Since the ordered failure times of the components represent order statistics from heterogeneous distributions, we obtain stochastic comparisons between the order statistics from one set of underlying distributions {F 1 , …, F n } and those from another set{F 1 *, …, F n *} under both parametric and nonparametric assumptions. As a sample result, if one vector of component hazards (−log[1 −F 1 (t)], …, −log[1 − F n (t)]) majorizes a second such vector (−log[1 − F 1 *(t)], …, −log[1 − F n *(t)]) for each t ≥ 0, then for k = 1, …, n, the k-th order statistic from the set {F 1 , …, F n } is stochastically larger than the k-th order statistic from the set {F 1 *, …, F n *}. Results of this type can be used to find bounds for the reliability of a k-out-of-n system of unlike components in terms of a k-out-of-n system of like components.
IJzerbedevaart: The Pilgrimage to the IJzer

As noted in prior chapters, the IJzer Pilgrimage began as a simple commemoration ritual to the sites of the ten primary IJzer martyrs. Since it was difficult to prioritize one over the other, the IJzertoren was built to commemorate not only these ten, but all of the fallen sons of Flanders. But once built, some five years after the idea was broached, the IJzertoren became a symbol for the conflict over which Flemish memory to commemorate: the heroic behavior of the Flemish soldiers of World War I, the martyrdom of those same soldiers, amnesty for the Activists of the Great War, and then, after destruction and reconstruction, amnesty for the Flemish/Nazi collaborators of World War II, or the history of the Flemish people and the primacy of the Dutch language within Flanders. Paul Connerton provides a useful context with which to understand the specific memory perpetuated by the IJzer pilgrimage. For Connerton, social memory is an element of political control and regulation over a society’s memory and is usually a consequence of the hierarchy of power.1 Social memory images of the past commonly legitimize a present social order.2 Participants in any social order must accept a shared memory and he argues that images of the past and recollected knowledge of the past are conveyed and sustained by ritual performance. If there is such a thing as social memory, then Connerton finds its origins in commemorative, ritualistic ceremonies.
Smart building energy efficiency via social game: a robust utility learning framework for closing–the–loop

Given a non-cooperative, continuous game, we describe a framework for parametric utility learning. Using heteroskedasticity inference, we adapt a Constrained Feasible Generalized Least Squares (cFGLS) utility learning method in which estimator variance is reduced, unbiased, and consistent. We extend our utility learning method using bootstrapping and bagging. We show the performance of the proposed method using data from a social game experiment designed to encourage energy efficient behavior amongst building occupants. Using occupant voting data we simulate the game defined by the estimated utility functions and show that the performance of our robust utility learning method and quantify its improvement over classical methods such as Ordinary Least Squares (OLS).
Patient factors associated with 30-day complications after partial nephrectomy: A contemporary update

Abstract Introduction Patient-level factors associated with perioperative complications after partial nephrectomy (PN) have not been well described in a contemporary series. Methods Single-institution retrospective study evaluating patients undergoing open, laparoscopic, and robotic PN between 2001 and 2012. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models were evaluated to assess factors associated with complications within 30 days of surgery. Results We identified 1,763 patients who underwent 1,773 PNs between 2001 and 2012. From 2001 to 2006, 766 PNs were performed (85% open, 15% laparoscopic, and P P P P = 0.004). On multivariable analysis, factors independently associated with an increased risk of any complication included male sex (odds ratio [OR] = 1.40), solitary kidney (OR = 1.71), estimated glomerular filtration rate (OR = 2.89 for estimated glomerular filtration rate P Conclusion Several patient-level factors are associated with 30-day complications after PN, regardless of surgical approach. These data may inform counseling before PN, including potential identification and selection of high-risk surgical candidates for percutaneous ablative approaches.
MiR-21 and miR-205 are induced in invasive cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas.

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is a malignant proliferation of keratinocytes with an uncertain molecular basis causing significant morbidity. MicroRNAs (miRs) are small RNA molecules that regulate gene expression on post- transcriptional level. MiRs are critical to various biological processes. To determine if miRs play a role in pathogenesis of invasive cSCC, we collected patients’ specimens from in situ and invasive cSCC (n = 19) and examined miRs expression levels using qPCR. Specifically, we evaluated miR-21, miR-103a, miR-186, miR-200b, miR-203, and miR-205 expression levels due to their role in skin biology and epithelial to mesenchymal transition. MiR levels were compared between in situ and invasive cSCCs. We found statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05) upregulation of miR-21 and miR-205 in invasive cSCC compared to cSCC in situ. We concluded that miR-21 and miR-205 may have diagnostic value in determining the invasive properties of cSCCs and that each cSCC displays unique miR profile, underscoring the possibility of personalized medicine approach in developing potential novel, less invasive treatments.