cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optomotor response studies of insect vision

Precise methods have been developed to study the optomotor responses of insects in correlation with microprobing and histology. These include stimulus patterns whose noise power is controlled to one part per million and a directly-connected digital computer system that permits the accurate reduction and analysis of responses. A range of flight and head torque reactions was studied for Musca domestica. Patterns producing gross temporal changes or sudden transients were found to elicit more complex reactions than hitherto reported. However, the steady flight torque responses to precision cylindrical patterns of various wavelengths, rotating at precisely constant velocity, provided detailed information on the optical properties of the ommatidia and the motion-detection capabilities of the eye. These studies indicate that the photoreceptors can be characterized by visual fields whose full width to 50% of effective light flux sensitivity is about 5 degrees in the dark-adapted state. It is, however, about 40% less in the light-adapted case. Histological investigations show that this is caused by a shielding pigment migration. Correlated temporal changes in acuity can be detected in the optomotor responses with an adaptation period of about 10 min. Detection of constant velocity motion was found to involve the interaction of only a few adjacent ommatidia with total responses given by a simple saturable summation of these unit interactions. This process of parallel summation from many unit areas of the total field provides a very high signal to noise ratio for the nervous system, enabling the insect to detect patterns of quite low intensity and contrast when the wavelength is greater than 15 or 20 degrees. Thresholds for such patterns are about three orders of magnitude below those of light response signals normally detectable by microprobing in the retinular cells. However, the relatively high ratio of ommatidia field to interommatidial spacing results in a rapid increase of threshold with reduced wavelength. The optomotor response threshold for a 3 degrees pattern exceeds that of a 15 degrees pattern by a factor of more than 1000. This is the minimum wavelength detectable with the precision patterns that were used. Many of the apparent reactions reported in other investigations can be attributed to inaccuracies in the stimulus patterns.
Planning micro-level language education reform in new diaspora sites: two-way immersion education in the rural Midwest

Discontinuities are often found between top-down language education policies and local language policy enactments, as de facto language policymaking results from stakeholders’ negotiation and interpretation of policy mandates. Teachers occupy a particular role in the execution of language education policies, as they are the “final arbiters” of what takes place in the classroom. Due to the spreading of the Latino Diaspora to non-metropolitan areas, US rural school districts experiencing a flow of English language learners represent salient new contexts for language policy implementation. Since 1973, the state of Illinois has mandated a top-down K-12 Transitional Bilingual Education policy for English language learners, which some school districts have contested by creating two-way immersion programs. Drawing on teacher and administrator personal narratives, this study describes a case of primarily White teachers’ reintepretation and “correction” of macrolevel language policies and development of a two-way immersion program in rural Illinois. It traces the processes educators experienced when enacting state language policies with limited educational resources and no professional expertise. It also unveils how the implementation of subtractive bilingual education and professional development opportunities shaped teachers’ language ideologies and transformed them into resisters of top-down mandates and enactors of a bottom-up dual language policy. While the interplay of macrolevel language policies, teachers’ individual professional experiences and evolving language ideologies generated imple- mentational and ideological spaces challenging remedial educational approaches, programmatic choices were also constrained by social forces, as community members challenged the teachers’ choice of bilingual teaching for all children.
Algorithms for floorplan design via rectangular dualization

A rectangular floorplan construction problem is approached from a graph-theoretical view. The study is based on a reduction of the rectangular dualization problem to a matching problem on bipartite graphs. This opens the way to applying traditional graph-theoretic methods and algorithms to floorplanning. Another result is a method for generating alternative rectangular duals, such that a proposed floorplan can be optimized by a sequence of iterative transformations. This approach is made more practical than others, by assuming that the given structure graph can be modified to force it to admit a rectangular dual. Algorithms that introduce edges and vertices into the given graph until a rectangular dual can be constructed are also presented. >
Treatment of human colon carcinoma cell lines with anti-neoplastic agents enhances their lytic sensitivity to antigen-specific CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes

Certain anti-neoplastic agents at subtoxic doses may exert immunomodulatory effects, which alter the expression of specific tumor cell surface molecules. We reasoned that potential increases in tumor cell surface markers, such as those important for facilitating effector-target contact, as well as triggering cell death pathways, might then improve antigen (Ag)-specific T-cell-mediated tumor cytolysis. Here, in a human colon carcinoma cell model in vitro, we examined whether the anti-neoplastic agents 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), CPT-11 or cisplatin (CDDP) could upregulate the expression of specific tumor cell surface markers, which may then enhance productive lytic interactions between CD8+ CTL and Ag-bearing tumor cells. Based on our earlier studies, IFN-gamma treatment was included as a control for sensitization to CTL-mediated lysis. Pretreatment of the SW480 primary colon carcinoma cell line with IFN-gamma, 5-FU, CPT-11 or CDDP enhanced ICAM-1 and Fas expression, resulting in Ag-specific CTL-mediated lysis involving Fas-dependent and -independent mechanisms. In contrast, pretreatment of the SW620 metastatic isolate, derived from the same patient, with IFN-gamma, CPT-11 or CDDP, but not 5-FU, enhanced ICAM-1 expression, resulting in Ag-specific CTL-mediated lysis via Fas-independent mechanisms only. Flow cytometric-based assays were then developed to measure the effects of drug treatment on caspase signaling and apoptosis incurred by tumor targets after interaction with CTL. We found that the lytic enhancement caused by drug treatment of SW480 or SW620 targets was accompanied by an increase in caspase-3-like protease activity. A peptide-based caspase inhibitor abrogated CTL-mediated apoptosis, suggesting that "chemomodulation" involved regulation of the caspase pathway. These results revealed for the first time an important role for components of the caspase pathway, such as caspase-3-like proteases, in the sensitization of human colon carcinoma cells by anti-neoplastic agents to Ag-specific CTL. Thus, certain anti-neoplastic agents may display unique immunoregulatory properties that facilitate human colon carcinoma death by engaging the lytic capacity of Ag-specific CTL, which may have implications for chemoimmunotherapy strategies.
In situ scanning tunneling microscopy studies of thiocyanate adlayers on Pt(111) single crystal electrode surfaces

Abstract In situ STM experiments examining the spatial structure and electrochemical behavior of irreversibly adsorbed thiocyanate adlayers on a Pt(111) electrode surface are reported. The adlayer structure observed for this adsorbate/electrode system in NaClO4 and Ca(ClO4)2 electrolytes at potentials around −200 mV vs Ag/AgCl is Pt(111) (2×2)-SCN, θSCN=0.5 in agreement with that initially reported by Hubbard et al. (Langmuir, 1985, 1, 66). The images reveal the adlayer is composed of SCN molecules all protruding to approximately the same extent away from the surface consistent with residence in 3-fold coordinate sites on the electrode. Other imaging experiments following the adsorption of Zn(SCN)2 complexes show that cycling the electrode mixes the orientation of the SCN adsorbates. These findings are discussed with previous structural information garnered from in situ vibrational spectroscopy measurements and ex situ ultra high vacuum (UHV) electrochemical experiments.
Dispersion of Silicon Carbide Powders in Nonaqueous Solvents

Thirty-two pure solvents were used to disperse laser-synthesized SiC powder, oxidized laser-synthesized SiC powder, and commercially available SiC powder. Five-day sedimentation tests were used to screen the solvents. Relative turbidity of the supernatant after 1 month was used as a quantitative measure of the degree of dispersion. Coagulation kinetics were measured by photon correlation spectroscopy to determine the coagulation rate. Stabilized powders were centrifugally cast into ceramic green bodies and their green densities measured. Experimental dispersion results were correlated with various solvent properties including dielectric constant, hydrogen-bond index, acid dissociation constant (pKa), and Lewis acid/base interaction energy. Microcalorimetry was used to measure the heat of wetting of the powders in various acidic and basic solvents. The heat of wetting was used to determine the Lewis interaction energy parameters for the powder surfaces. Oxidized SiC powder, either laser or commercial, was shown to have an acidic surface and was stabilized by basic solvents. Pure laser-synthesized SiC powder was shown to have a basic surface and was stabilized by acidic solvents. Solvents with high hydrogen-bond indices gave high packing densities. Other solvent properties had a much smaller influence on powder dispersibility. Good dispersibility gave ceramic green bodies with high green densities.
Some Recent Relay Developments

Some recent developments in the protection of electric power systems to meet the special problems on the system of the Southern California Edison Company, Ltd., are discussed in this paper. Among these developments are means to provide greater protection against high resistance faults, a simplified carrier current pilot protection scheme, a method of automatic system separation when out-of-step conditions occur, and several miscellaneous applications.
Treatment of acute and chronic gastrointestinal inflammation

Treating inflammation in the equine gastrointestinal tract remains a challenge. Our most potent anti-inflammatory drugs, COX inhibitors and glucocorticoids, have unwanted effects on the gastrointestinal tract and host defense that often limit their use. Newer strategies targeting specific cells and molecules that regulate a subset of the events occurring during inflammation are rapidly becoming available and should allow clinicians to reduce the detrimental effects of inflammation without inhibiting the beneficial aspects.
Wide-band QAM-over-fiber using phase modulation and interferometric demodulation

Transmission of microwave quadrature amplitude modulation over an all-Raman 105-km fiber-optic link is demonstrated. The link employs optical phase modulation and single-port interferometric demodulation to deliver up to 6 Gb/s in a single channel.
HERITABILITY OF MANTLE AREOLAR CHARACTERS IN AULACOSEIRA SUBARCTICA (BACILLARIOPHYTA)1

Are size and arrangement of valve mantle areolae in Aulacoseira Thwaites adapted to light intensity? To test one criterion demonstrating an adaptation, heritability experiments were run on isolates of Aulacoseira subarctica (Muller) Haworth. Several clones of A. subarctica were isolated from Yellow-stone Lake (Wyoming, USA), Lewis Lake (Wyoming), and East Rosebud Lake (Montana, USA). Two to four clones from each lake were grown in batch cultures under three irradiance levels: 2, 11.4, and 115 μmol photons . m - 2 . s - 1 . Five randomly chosen valves for each of two replicates of each clone were examined using a scanning electron microscope for a total of 300 valves. Size measurements were taken for each valve examined, and images of mantle areolae were captured on film at a magnification of 20,000 ×. Each image was digitized, and quantitative morphometric areolar characters were measured. A quantitative genetic analysis was performed within each light environment for the mean area of the external opening of mantle areolae, the mean distance between areolae within pervalvar striae, and the mean distance between pervalvar striae. Resulting estimates of heritability from among-lake and within-lake analyses indicate that all three mantle areolar characters could presently respond to selection and thus have potentially done so in the past.
Specific Sequence Elements Are Required for the Expression of Functional Tumor Necrosis Factor-α-converting Enzyme (TACE)

The tumor necrosis factor-α-converting enzyme (TACE) is a membrane-anchored zinc metalloprotease involved in precursor tumor necrosis factor-α secretion. We designed a series of constructs containing full-length human TACE and several truncate forms for overexpression in insect cells. Here, we demonstrate that full-length TACE is expressed in insect cells inefficiently: only minor amounts of this enzyme are converted from an inactive precursor to the mature, functional form. Removal of the cytoplasmic and transmembrane domains resulted in the efficient secretion of mature, active TACE. Further removal of the cysteine-rich domain located between the catalytic and transmembrane domains resulted in the secretion of mature catalytic domain in association with the precursor (pro) domain. This complex was inactive and function was only restored after dissociation of the complex by dilution or treatment with 4-aminophenylmercuric acetate. Therefore, the pro domain of TACE is an inhibitor of the catalytic domain, and the cysteine-rich domain appears to play a role in the release of the pro domain. Insect cells failed to secrete a deletion mutant encoding the catalytic domain but lacking the inhibitory pro domain. This truncate was inactive and extensively degraded intracellularly, suggesting that the pro domain is required for the secretion of functional TACE.
Acceleration of restenosis by diabetes: pathogenetic implications.

Van Belle et al,1 who were among the first to emphasize the potential importance of diabetes in adverse late outcomes after percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), provide useful observations in their present study of a large cohort of diabetic patients who were treated with standard balloon angioplasty, scheduled for repeated angiography 6 months later, and followed for an average of 6.5 years. They conclude that the incidence of both nonocclusive and occlusive restenosis is higher in diabetic subjects as judged from comparison with historical control subjects. Furthermore, they report that occlusive restenosis is “a strong, independent correlate of long-term mortality.” These results implicate accelerated restenosis as both a consequence of diabetes and a cause for increased mortality after PCI in diabetic patients. They are consistent with results in prospective, long-term–mortality, controlled trials2 3 and with results in observational mortality and angiographic studies.4 5 Observations such as those reported by Van Belle et al raise important clinical questions. One is whether either surgery or PCI is a preferred initial treatment strategy for patients with diabetes who require coronary revascularization. The advent and wide utilization of stents, powerful antiplatelet agents, and technological advances after enrollment in the studies cited above had been largely completed makes extrapolation difficult and precludes a definitive answer. However, stenting does not obviate accelerated restenosis with diabetes6 even though it reduces its incidence in some patients and in some types of vessels.7 Furthermore, in patients with diabetes who sustain myocardial infarction after previous, remote revascularization, mortality is lower when the antecedent intervention has been CABG compared with PCI.8 Another question that arises from observations such as those of Van Belle et al is whether the nature of management of diabetes per se influences the incidence and severity of restenosis. Adverse outcomes after PCI …
Robotics: Past, Present, and Future Considerations

Surgical robots, although relatively new, have developed quickly. The development of surgical robots is reviewed in this article. The surgical robots have applications in many surgical specialties. The most widely used surgical robotic system is the da Vinci Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA) that is based on an immersive, "master-slave" paradigm which enhances the surgeon's abilities. Surgical robotics is changing rapidly, and any development in surgical robots in future will allow greater application of robotic devices to increasingly more difficult procedures and hard to access anatomical sites, with significant improvement in patient outcomes.
Adeno-Associated Virus DNA Structure and Replication

The primary structure of adeno-associated virus (AAV) DNA has been pivotal in understanding its replication. The nucleotide sequence arrangement in virion DNA and the structure of replicative forms have suggested rather directly an experimentally verifiable model for replication. Thus, as each detail of genome structure became known, the mechanism of replication became better defined. For this reason we have chosen to describe experiments leading to our present ideas of AAV DNA structure and replication in more or less historical order.
Neaves' Whiptail Lizard: The First Known Tetraploid Parthenogenetic Tetrapod (Reptilia: Squamata: Teiidae)

Abstract The first known tetraploid amniote that reproduces through parthenogenetic cloning by individual females is named and described. The species originated through hybridization between Aspidoscelis exsanguis (triploid parthenogen) × Aspidoscelis inornata (diploid bisexual or gonochoristic species) in the laboratory. We compared multivariate morphological variation between two lineages that arose from separate F1 hybrid zygotes in one clutch and among several generations in those lineages. The tetraploid species is also compared with its ancestral taxa, with two hybrids of A. exsanguis × A. inornata that were found in nature at two localities that are 100 km apart in southern New Mexico, and with three laboratory hybrid males. This will facilitate identification of field-caught tetraploids in the future.
Filipina migrants in rural Japan and their professions of love

During fieldwork in rural Nagano, I regularly heard Filipina migrants assert that they loved their Japanese husbands. Most of these men had been customers the women met while working as “entertainers” at local Filipina hostess bars. Here I explore how, why, and to what ends these women emphasized their love for their husbands as they crafted lives and selves in both Japan and the Philippines. Taking a transnational perspective to feminist work on emotion, I explore how love is made meaningful through global processes and the roles it plays in migrants' efforts to craft new gendered and sexualized subjectivities.
Overexpression of type-1 adenylyl cyclase in mouse forebrain enhances recognition memory and LTP.

Cyclic AMP is a positive regulator of synaptic plasticity and is required for several forms of hippocampus-dependent memory including recognition memory. The type I adenylyl cyclase, Adcy1 (also known as AC1), is crucial in memory formation because it couples Ca2+ to cyclic AMP increases in the hippocampus. Because Adcy1 is neurospecific, it is a potential pharmacological target for increasing cAMP specifically in the brain and for improving memory. We have generated transgenic mice that overexpress Adcy1 in the forebrain using the Camk2a (also known as α-CaMKII) promoter. These mice showed elevated long-term potentiation (LTP), increased memory for object recognition and slower rates of extinction for contextual memory. The increase in recognition memory and lower rates of contextual memory extinction may be due to enhanced extracellular signal–related kinase (ERK)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling, which is elevated in mice that overexpress Adcy1.
Differences in citation frequency of clinical and basic science papers in cardiovascular research

In this article, a critical analysis is performed on differences in citation frequency of basic and clinical cardiovascular papers. It appears that the latter papers are cited at about 40% higher frequency. The differences between the largest number of citations of the most cited papers are even larger. It is also demonstrated that the groups of clinical and basic cardiovascular papers are also heterogeneous concerning citation frequency. It is concluded that none of the existing citation indicators appreciates these differences. At this moment these indicators should not be used for quality assessment of individual scientists and scientific niches with small numbers of scientists.
Development impacts of high-speed rail: French experience and Chinese implications

This paper examines the development impacts of French TGV and analyzes its implications for China. It first provides the research background and introduces the relevance of European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP) to the theme of China's coordinated urban and rural development and planning. The paper then reviews the most important literatures related to the development impacts of high-speed rail projects. Subsequently, the paper gives an overview of French TGV and assesses its transportation and non-transportation impacts. After briefly comparing the characteristics of China and France, the paper probes into the prospect of HSR development in China and proposes the “AAA” strategic toolbox (Agglomeration-related strategies, Access-related strategies, and Airports-related strategies) and implementation procedures to help China develop its HSR projects in a sustainable manner.
Enabling the selection of COTS components

Ensuring proper selection of COTS components is key to the success of component-based software development approaches. Although several approaches and criteria have been proposed for component selection, we lack techniques that can be used to systematically evaluate components against selection criteria for functionality, security, fault tolerance, and quality attributes. We propose a comprehensive approach for enabling the selection of COTS components by employing component understanding and fault injection testing techniques that aid in building an integrated comprehension model of the components. This model accumulates information regarding how each candidate component fared with respect to each criterion. This model can be used not only to aid in the final decision making process, but also serve as a guide during the component comprehension and evaluation stages.
Groundwater's significance to changing hydrology, water chemistry, and biological communities of a floodplain ecosystem, Everglades, South Florida, USA

The Everglades (Florida, USA) is one of the world’s larger subtropical peatlands with biological communities adapted to waters low in total dissolved solids and nutrients. Detecting how the pre-drainage hydrological system has been altered is crucial to preserving its functional attributes. However, reliable tools for hindcasting historic conditions in the Everglades are limited. A recent synthesis demonstrates that the proportion of surface-water inflows has increased relative to precipitation, accounting for 33% of total inputs compared with 18% historically. The largest new source of water is canal drainage from areas of former wetlands converted to agriculture. Interactions between groundwater and surface water have also increased, due to increasing vertical hydraulic gradients resulting from topographic and water-level alterations on the otherwise extremely flat landscape. Environmental solute tracer data were used to determine groundwater’s changing role, from a freshwater storage reservoir that sustained the Everglades ecosystem during dry periods to a reservoir of increasingly degraded water quality. Although some of this degradation is attributable to increased discharge of deep saline groundwater, other mineral sources such as fertilizer additives and peat oxidation have made a greater contribution to water-quality changes that are altering mineral-sensitive biological communities.
Coercion, Culture, and Contracts: Labor and Debt on Henequen Haciendas in Yucatán, Mexico, 1870–1915

The henequen boom coincided with the rule of Porfirio Diaz (1876–1911). During the boom, many Maya in Yucatan lost their rights to land and moved to henequen haciendas. As part of the implicit contract with hacendados, peons accumulated large debts at the time of marriage, most of which were never repaid. We argue that the debts bound workers to the hacienda as part of a system of paternalism and that more productive workers incurred more debt. We examine the institutional setting in which debt operated and stress the formal and informal institutional contexts within which hacendados and workers negotiated contracts. “Debt and contract slavery is the prevailing system of production all over the south of Mexico… Debt, real or imaginary, is the nexus that binds the peon to his master…probably 5,000,000 people, or one-third of the entire population, are today living in a state of helpless peonage.”John Kenneth Turner1
The PedsQL™ Family Impact Module: Preliminary reliability and validity

The PedsQL™ Measurement Model was designed to measure health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in children and adolescents. The PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales were developed to be integrated with the PedsQL™ Disease-Specific Modules. The newly developed PedsQL™ Family Impact Module was designed to measure the impact of pediatric chronic health conditions on parents and the family. The PedsQL™ Family Impact Module measures parent self-reported physical, emotional, social, and cognitive functioning, communication, and worry. The Module also measures parent-reported family daily activities and family relationships. The 36-item PedsQL™ Family Impact Module was administered to 23 families of medically fragile children with complex chronic health conditions who either resided in a long-term care convalescent hospital or resided at home with their families. Internal consistency reliability was demonstrated for the PedsQL™ Family Impact Module Total Scale Score (α = 0.97), Parent HRQOL Summary Score (α = 0.96), Family Functioning Summary Score (α = 0.90), and Module Scales (average α = 0.90, range = 0.82 – 0.97). The PedsQL™ Family Impact Module distinguished between families with children in a long-term care facility and families whose children resided at home. The results demonstrate the preliminary reliability and validity of the PedsQL™ Family Impact Module in families with children with complex chronic health conditions. The PedsQL™ Family Impact Module will be further field tested to determine the measurement properties of this new instrument with other pediatric chronic health conditions.
Markedly improved overall survival in 10 consecutive patients with metastatic basal cell carcinoma

Background Metastatic basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is a rare but life-threatening condition. Prior estimates of overall survival (OS) from time of diagnosis of distant metastasis to death are approximately 8–14 months. However, these estimates are based on analyses of case reports published prior to 1984.
Modest Wine Drinking and Decreased Prevalence of Suspected Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

People at risk for coronary heart disease are often at risk for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The association of modest wine consumption with NAFLD has not been studied and the recommendation of wine for patients at risk for both diseases is controversial. The aim is to test the hypothesis that modest wine consumption is associated with decreased prevalence of NAFLD. We included Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey participants who either reported no alcohol consumption or preferentially drinking wine with total alcohol consumption up to 10 g per day. Suspected NAFLD was based on unexplained serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) elevation over the cut point of the reference laboratory (ALT > 43) and the cut point based on the 95th percentile of healthy subjects (ALT > 30 for men; ALT > 19 for women). Multivariate analysis was adjusted for age, gender, race, neighborhood, income, education, caffeine intake, and physical activity. A total of 7,211 nondrinkers and 945 modest wine drinkers comprised the study sample. Based on the reference laboratory cut point, suspected NAFLD was observed in 3.2% of nondrinkers and 0.4% of modest wine drinkers. The adjusted odds ratio was 0.15 (95% confidence interval, 0.05-0.49). Using the healthy subject cut point, suspected NAFLD was observed in 14.3% of nondrinkers and 8.6% of wine drinkers. The adjusted odds ratio was 0.51 (95% confidence interval, 0.33-0.79). Conclusion: Modest wine consumption is associated with reduced prevalence of suspected NAFLD. The current study supports the safety of one glass of wine per day for cardioprotection in patients at risk for both coronary heart disease and NAFLD. (HEPATOLOGY 2008;47:1947-1954.)
Bootstrap current in enhanced reversed shear tokamaks for Volume Neutron Source applications

The bootstrap current is evaluated for two reference tokamak designs for a Volume Neutron Source (VNS). One is a larger aspect ratio design using superconducting coils (VNS-SC) and the other is a small aspect ratio design using a solid core with normal conducting toroidal field coils (VNS-ST). The target plasma profiles are taken as representative of the recently observed enhanced reverse shear plasmas with hollow magnetic safety factor (q) profiles in the core and correspondingly peaked density profiles. The higher q in the plasma center in combination with peaked density is shown to move the peak in the bootstrap current toward the plasma center. This reduces the current drive requirements to a very small axial seed current and a source localized around the location of the desired minimum in the q profile. Very high bootstrap current fractions can be attained in the VNS-SC design with normalized betas (defined in terms of the vacuum toroidal magnetic field at the geometric center of the plasma) of /spl beta//sub N//spl les/3.5. The bootstrap current is lower in the VNS-ST design because of its lower aspect ratio; the highest bootstrap fraction found in these limited cases is 50% at /spl beta//sub N/=5.
Effect of local lidocaine anesthesia on ventricular escape intervals during permanent pacemaker implantation in patients with complete heart block.

Transient asystole is often noted during the course of permanent pacemaker implantation in patients with complete heart block. Since subcutaneous lidocaine is frequently used as the local anesthetic agent for permanent pacemaker implantation, the effect of this drug on ventricular escape intervals was studied. Ventricular escape intervals after transient cessation of pacing were studied in 9 patients with complete heart block before and 10, 30, and 45 minutes after subcutaneous lidocaine administration for permanent pacemaker implantation. The total lidocaine dose ranged from 170 to 400 mg (1.9 to 9.5 mg/kg of body weight). Therapeutic blood levels were achieved in 7 patients. The mean ventricular escape interval before lidocaine was 1.83 ± 0.32 seconds, which increased to 2.58 ± 1.24, 2.96 ± 1.06, and 2.68 ± 1.27 seconds at 10, 30, and 45 minutes after lidocaine (p 4 seconds and 1 required resumption of pacing. Thus, subcutaneous lidocaine contributes to the occurrence of asystole seen during permanent pacemaker implantation. It is advisable to limit the amount of lidocaine administered during permanent pacemaker implantation to the minimum necessary to achieve adequate local anesthesia. Strong consideration should be given to the use of a temporary pacemaker in patients with complete heart block during permanent pacemaker implantation even in the absence of previous asystole.
Noise-predictive turbo equalization for partial-response channels

We consider an iterative decoding and detection system for magnetic recording channels. The system uses a zero-forcing equalizer to shape the channel response to a target polynomial, called a partial-response (PR) polynomial. We assume that the noise at the input to the equalizer is AWGN. Hence, noise enhancement and coloration occur at the output of the equalizer. In this work, the paper aims to improve the system performance by incorporating noise prediction. The approach has previously been used to improve Viterbi detectors in PRML systems.
Curriculum Reform and Mathematics Learning: Evidence from Two Longitudinal Studies

Drawing on longitudinal evidence from the LieCal Project, issues related to mathematics curriculum reform and student learning are discussed. The LieCal Project was designed to longitudinally investigate the impact of a reform mathematics curriculum called the Connected Mathematics Project (CMP) in the United States on teachers’ teaching and students’ learning. Using a three-level conceptualization of curriculum (intended, implemented and attained), a variety of evidence from the LieCal Project is presented to show the impact of mathematics curriculum reform on teachers’ teaching and students’ learning. The findings from the two longitudinal studies in the LieCal Project serve both to show the kind of impact curriculum has on teachers’ teaching and students’ learning and to suggest powerful ways researchers can investigate curriculum effect on both teaching and learning.
Das Spüren des Selbst

Sie sind jetzt bestimmt in einer guten Stimmung, uber die akademische Frage der Willensfreiheit des Menschen mitzudenken. Der Mensch ist ja nicht durch seinen Instinkt gebunden – wie das dumme Tier! Er hat ja einen Geist und kann sich zwischen dem Guten und dem Bosen frei entscheiden!
A High Power Density Dynamic Voltage Scaling Enabling a Single-Inductor Four-Output Regulator Using a Power-Weighted CCM Controller and a Floating Capacitor-Based Output Filter

This paper presents a dynamic voltage scaling (DVS) compatible single-inductor multiple-output (SIMO) voltage regulation module that enables smaller passives for a given output power, while maintaining power quality (low output ripple), suppressing cross regulation, and improving efficiency at high switching frequency. First, continuous-conduction mode (CCM) operation is utilized to deliver higher output power for a smaller inductance; the cross-regulation in CCM operation is suppressed using a novel power-weighted CCM controller. Second, a modified power stage filter is presented using floating capacitors that utilize the Miller effect to reduce the switching frequency of the output, while maintaining the power quality. The operating principles, stability, and circuit level design of the proposed SIMO VR are presented. The design is demonstrated through a 130-nm CMOS test chip that generates four outputs, each ranging from 200 to 600 mV, from a 1.2-V input. The measurements demonstrate a 20-MHz operation, the pulse width modulation signal of the power stage with 500-nH inductor, and 1-μF total load capacitance, while delivering a output power density of 150 mW/μH·μF. The test chip demonstrates DVS speed of 120 mV/μs, 73% peak efficiency at a load of 40 mA, and as high as 40% efficiency improvement using the modified power filer.
The Box Plots Alternative for Visualizing Quantitative Data.

Although bar charts are popular among researchers and are ubiquitous in quantitative software packages, they do not always provide the best visualization for a dataset. This column discusses a simple, alternative graphical method that is often underappreciated: the box plot, also known as the box-and-whisker plot. The basic elements of the box plot are presented, along with how to correctly interpret box plots, variations that are available to provide more information, and free online software that researchers can use to create box plots for publication.
Role of Oxalobacter formigenes Colonization in Calcium Oxalate Kidney Stone Disease

Oxalobacter formigenes is part of the bacterial flora in the large intestine of humans and many other mammalian species. It is unique in that it requires oxalate both as an energy and carbon source. A lack of colonization with O. formigenes is a risk factor for idiopathic recurrent calcium oxalate stone disease. Protection against calcium oxalate stone disease appears to be due to the oxalate degradation that occurs in the gut as measurements of 24 h urinary oxalate indicate that O. formigenes colonized calcium oxalate stone formers excrete less oxalate compared to non-colonized individuals when ingesting standardized diets. There is also some evidence that suggests a possible mechanism involving intestinal oxalate secretion triggered by the bacterium itself, as O. formigenes colonization appears to lower plasma oxalate. Whether high oral doses of this organism can promote sufficient intestinal oxalate secretion to diminish the oxalate burden on the kidney in individuals with Primary Hyperoxaluria is currently being tested by OxThera, Inc. in a phase 2 clinical trial. Much still remains to be learned about how O. formigenes establishes and maintains gut colonization and the precise mechanisms by which it modifies stone risk.
The organization of descending tectofugal pathways underlying orienting in the frog, Rana pipiens

We have studied the visually triggered orienting behavior of frogs following complete unilateral transection of the neuraxis at the junction of the medulla and spinal cord, as well as after smaller lesions at the same level. Complete transection produces the same behavioral deficit as previously reported (Kostyk and Grobstein 1982, 1987a) for a similar lesion at the junction between midbrain and medulla. Lesioned frogs failed to turn toward stimuli at all locations in the ipsilateral visual hemifield, responding instead with forwardly directed movements in which there was a persistance of variations related to stimulus elevation and distance. Responses to stimuli in the contralateral visual hemifield were normal. Similar deficits were seen after smaller lesions restricted to a medial white tract. Partial damage to the tract resulted in turns of reduced amplitude for stimuli throughout the ipsilateral hemifield. Lesions to adjacent tissue were without effect on the behaviors studied. In all animals, we observed a strong correlation between turn amplitude for lateral stimuli and the distance at which the animals switched from snapping to hopping. These observations provide new evidence that a transformation from a retinocentric to a lateralized and parcellated form of spatial representation occurs in going from the retinotectal projection to the descending tectofugal pathway in the caudal midbrain, and that this form of representation remains stable until the spinal cord. A second transformation involved in determining the actual movement to be triggered must occur subsequently. Our findings also suggest that the signals underlying orienting turns may not descend into the spinal cord on tectospinal axons, and suggest that the lateralization of descending signals probably occurs conicidentally with a synaptic relay in the midbrain tegmentum.
Research and Application of Data Management Methods of ERP Project

Data management plays a key role in ERP Project promotion and implementation. This paper expands analysis of the SAP ASAP implementation methods, data management organization setting, data work plan, ERP data implementation process, data scheme making, data version and problem management. The ERP data management practice of the directly affiliated enterprises of SGCC is taken as the background. It aims to provide reference to the ERP data management of the directly affiliated enterprises of SGCC, and make data management methods standardized, normalized and systematic.
Fault Measurement Analysis and Retrieving Energy Calculation at Up-Grid Pass of a Thermal Power Co.,Ltd.in Jiangsu

The paper introduces the situations of the fault measurement at the input pass of a Thermal Power Co.,Ltd,in Jiangsu.Fault reasons are the voltage drop of the electric energy measuring equipment in the side of substation or power plant is not eligible,the bypass energy is not counted and the secondary circuits connect inaccurately.The retrieving energy is calculated.Simulation results indicate the modified calculation is right.
Rapid Assessment of Ebola-Related Implications for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Service Delivery and Utilization in Guinea.

Introduction Since March 2014, Guinea has been in the midst of the largest, longest, and deadliest outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease ever recorded. Due to sub-optimal health conditions prior to the outbreak, Guinean women and children may have been especially vulnerable to worsening health care conditions. A rapid assessment was conducted to better understand how the delivery and utilization of routine RMNCH services may have been affected by the extraordinary strain placed on the health system and its client population by the Ebola outbreak in Guinea. Methods Data were collected January-February 2015 in a convenience sample of public and private facilities in areas of the country that were Ebola active, calm and inactive. Monthly data on a number of RMNCH services were collected by facility record abstraction for the period from October 1, 2013 through December 31, 2014. Structured interviews were also held with facility directors and RMNCH service providers. Results Data on RMNCH services from forty five public facilities were obtained. A statistically significant decline of 31% was seen in outpatient visits between October-December 2013 (before the Ebola outbreak) and October-December 2014 (the advanced stage of the Ebola outbreak). Service declines appeared to be greater in hospitals compared to health centers. Child health services were more affected by the Ebola epidemic than other assessed health areas. For example, the number of children under five seen for diarrhea and Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) showed a large decrease over the one-year period in both hospitals (60% for diarrhea and 58% for ARI) and health centers (25% and 23%, respectively). RESULTS also suggest that the negative effects on service availability (such as reduced hours, closures, and service suspensions) are likely to be regional and/or facility-specific. Providers reported a number of improved infection control behaviors as a result of the Ebola outbreak, including more frequent hand-washing and the use of disinfectants. Nevertheless, 30% of interviewed staff had not received any training on Ebola infection control. Discussion Although there may be differences in RMNCH service delivery and availability in selected versus non-selected facilities, a large number of indicators were assessed in order to provide needed information on the effects of the Ebola crisis on routine RMNCH service delivery and uptake in Guinea. This information is an important and timely contribution to ongoing efforts to understand and respond to the adverse effects of the Ebola crisis on essential RMNCH services in Guinea.
Effectiveness of combination packages for HIV-1 prevention in sub-Saharan Africa depends on partnership network structure: a mathematical modelling study

Objectives Combination packages for HIV prevention can leverage the effectiveness of biomedical and behavioural elements to lower disease incidence with realistic targets for individual and population risk reduction. We investigated how sexual network structures can maximise the effectiveness of a package targeting sexually active adults in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) with intervention components for medical male circumcision (MMC) and sexual partnership concurrency (having >1 ongoing partner). Methods Network-based mathematical models of HIV type 1 (HIV-1) transmission dynamics among heterosexual couples were used to explore how changes to MMC alone and in combination with changes to concurrency impacted endemic HIV-1 prevalence and incidence. Starting from a base model parameterised from empirical data from West Africa, we simulated the prevalence of circumcision from 10% to 90% and concurrency was modelled at four discrete levels corresponding to values observed across SSA. Results MMC and concurrency could contribute to the empirical variation in HIV-1 disease prevalence across SSA. Small reductions in concurrency resulted in large declines in HIV-1 prevalence. Scaling up circumcision in low-concurrency settings yields a greater relative benefit, but the absolute number of infections averted depends on both the circumcision coverage and baseline incidence. Epidemic extinction with this package will require substantial scale-up of MMC in low-concurrency settings. Conclusions Dynamic sexual network structure should be considered in the design and targeting of MMC within combination HIV-1 prevention packages. Realistic levels of coverage for these packages within southern Africa could lead to a reduction of incidence to the low levels observed in western Africa, and possibly, epidemic extinction.
Differences in Status 1A Heart Transplantation Survival in the Continuous Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device Era.

Background Heart transplantation remains the gold standard therapy for end-stage heart failure patients; however, volumes are limited because of donor organ shortage. With the increasing availability of more durable continuous flow left ventricular assist devices (CFLVADs), the matrix of the heart transplantation waiting list and that of donor allocation have seen substantial changes. We aimed to evaluate the impact of the stated reasons for status 1A at time of transplantation on post-transplantation survival in CFVAD patients. Methods The United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) thoracic organ transplantation database was queried between 2006 and 2013 to identify patients aged 18 years or older who underwent heart transplantation as UNOS status 1A. We further assessed the data to identify reasons for status 1A at time of transplantation in CFVAD patients. We also computed post-transplantation survival of patients supported with CFLVAD who were status 1A at the time of transplantation. Results A total of 15,779 patients underwent heart transplantation during the study time period, of whom 8,429 were Status 1A, and 3,913 had CFLVAD at time of transplantation. Of all status 1A patients, 2,737 had CFLVAD at time of transplantation, of which 52% (1,413) had device complications (thrombosis, infection, malfunction, and other) and 48% (1,314) were on 30-day grace status 1A. Post-transplantation survival (at 3 years) of CFLVAD patients who received a transplant on 30-day grace status 1A was similar to patients who underwent transplantation on status 1B (84% versus 85%, p = 0.5), both of which were significantly better than status 1A patients because of device complications (84% and 85% versus 78%, p = 0.01) (Fig 1). Conclusions CFLVAD patients who underwent transplantation as Status 1B or on the 30-day grace Status 1A have similar post-transplantation survival. These data suggest that there needs to be an objective organ allocation system for recipients of heart transplant that prioritize patients with CFVAD complications and patients not eligible for CFVAD for transplantation over 30-day grace period patients.
Layered sellar reconstruction with avascular free grafts: Acceptable alternative to the nasoseptal flap for repair of low-volume intraoperative cerebrospinal fluid leak.

BackgroundAlthough the nasoseptal flap has become the method of choice for reconstruction of intraoperative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak in endoscopic minimally invasive surgery of the skull base...
Optimization of lipase synthesis by Pseudomonas fluorescens by response surface methodology

Determination experimentale des conditions optimales de pH, de temperature et d'aeration pour la production extracellulaire de lipase dans le lait par Pseudomonas fluorescens