cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Note on Order Statistics

(1971). A Note on Order Statistics. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 78, No. 5, pp. 524-524.
Genetic Differentiation in Sympatric Species of Chewing Lice (Mallophaga: Trichodectidae)

Starch-gel electrophoresis was used to assess levels of genetic differentiation among populations representing four species of chewing lice ( Geomydoecus ). These species included representatives of the subgenera Geomydoecus and Thomomydoecus that coexist on individual pocket gophers ( Thomomys ). Fourteen enzymatic loci were resolved from individual chewing lice. Samples of conspecific lice collected from different individual pocket gophers at a single locality sometimes showed marked differences in allele frequencies. Conspecific samples of lice collected from geographically distant host populations had levels of genetic differentiation similar to those of other conspecific insect populations. Levels of Nei's genetic identity ( I ) within each subgenus were typical of nonsibling species of insects. The subgenera Geomydoecus and Thomomydoecus had a mean Nei's I value of 0.332. This value is characteristic of intergeneric comparisons for insects, and it supports the elevation of these subgenera to generic rank.
Yield and tuber characteristics of 4x progeny from 2x × 2x crosses

Unrelated, unselected 2x haploid-species hybrids that produce 2n eggs, by second division restitution and 2n pollen due to first division restitution were intercrossed to generate 4x progeny. The 19, 4x families were compared with seven cultivars for tuber yield, tuber appearance and tuber set. The mean yield of the 4x families was 30% higher than the mean yield of the cultivars. The best five 4x families outyielded the best five cultivars by 57% and 69% at two locations. Cultivars were superior for tuber appearance and tuber set. The high yields of the 4x families are due to genetic diversity of the 2x parents and their ability to transmit that diversity to the 4x progeny utilizing 2n gametes. The potential of the 2x×2x breeding method is dependent on developing 2x hybrid clones that form 2n eggs and possess desirable tuber types; clones producing 2n pollen and good tuber quality are available.
Light-element diffusion in Mg using first-principles calculations: Anisotropy and elastodiffusion

The light-elemental solutes B, C, N, and O can penetrate the surface of Mg alloys and diffuse during heat treatment or high temperature application, forming undesirable compounds. We investigate the diffusion of these solutes by determining their stable interstitial sites and the interpenetrating network formed by these sites. We use density functional theory (DFT) to calculate the site energies, migration barriers, and attempt frequencies for these networks to inform our analytical model for bulk diffusion. Due to the nature of the networks, O diffuses isotropically, while B, C, and N diffuse anisotropically. We compute the elastodiffusion tensor which quantifies changes in diffusivity due to small strains that perturb the diffusion network geometry and the migration barriers. The DFT-computed elastic dipole tensor which quantifies the change in site energies and migration barriers due to small strains is used as an input to determine the elastodiffusion tensor. We employ the elastodiffusion tensor to determine the effect of thermal strains on interstitial diffusion and find that B, C, and N diffusivity increases on crystal expansion, while O diffusivity decreases. From the elastodiffusion and compliance tensors we calculate the activation volume of diffusion and find that it is positive and anisotropic for B, C, and N diffusion, whereas it is negative and isotropic for O diffusion.
Solution Structures and Molecular Associations of a Peptide-Based Catalyst for the Stereoselective Baeyer–Villiger Oxidation

The structural analysis of a peptide-based catalyst for the Baeyer–Villiger oxidation (BVO) is reported. This unique structure is then analyzed in the context of its previously documented facility to control selectivity (both enantioselectivity and migratory aptitude) in catalytic reactions. The effects of additives on the solution conformation of the peptide are found to be dramatic, revealing substrate-specific interactions and a possible “induced fit” model. The experimental observation of dynamic behavior supports the notion that flexibility in stereoselective catalysts can be an advantageous feature.
Biomimicry, a New Method for Materials Synthesis

(1990). Biomimicry, a New Method for Materials Synthesis. Materials and Processing Report: Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 1-3.
De raadsels van de giftanden

De ontwikkeling in de loop van de evolutie van tanden waarmee gif geinjecteerd wordt, bleek grote voordelen te hebben bij sommige diersoorten, voornamelijk slangen. Maar er zijn een paar kenmerken van deze elementen die tot voor kort onverklaarbaar waren.
Vulnerable C/C++ code usage in IoT software systems

An empirical study that examines the usage of known vulnerable statements in software systems developed in C/C++ and used for IoT is presented. The study is conducted on 3 open source systems comprising more than one million lines of code and containing almost 5K files. Static analysis methods are applied to each system to determine the number of unsafe commands known among research communities to cause potential risks and security concerns, thereby decreasing a system's robustness and quality (i.e., strcpy, strcmp, and strlen). Some of those statements are banned by some companies (e.g., Microsoft). These commands are not supposed to be used in new code and should be removed from legacy code over time as recommended by new C/C++ language standards. Additionally, each system is analyzed and the distribution of the known unsafe commands is presented. Historical trends in the usage of the unsafe commands are presented to show how the studied systems evolved over time with respect to the vulnerable code. The results show that the most prevalent unsafe command used across all systems is memcpy, followed by strlen.
Missed opportunities: unidentified genetic risk factors in prenatal care.

Objective Prenatal and preconception care guidelines recommend obtaining family history to screen for reproductive genetic risk. The effectiveness of this screening and subsequent referral for genetic counseling is not well established. This study describes how often pregnant women with reproductive genetic risks were not referred for prenatal genetic counseling and the indications frequently missed. Method We retrospectively reviewed genetic consultation medical records for first-trimester screen pretest counseling. These women had no documented indications for genetic counseling. We used the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics referral guidelines for genetic counseling to identify missed indications within the parents' personal and family histories. Patients with advanced maternal age were excluded. Results We reviewed 416 consultation notes. The counselor elicited a genetic risk for which a referral had not been made in 27% of the pregnant women. Of these, 70% were genetic risks in the family history, 23% in the couple's history, and 7% in the prenatal history. The most common missed indications were personal or family history of birth defects (38%), intellectual disability or autism (19%), and a prior positive genetic carrier screening test (14%). Conclusion Genetic risk factors are not consistently identified as a referral indication for reproductive genetic counseling. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Game-Theoretic Approach and Evaluation of Adversarial Vehicular Platooning

In this paper, we consider an attack on a string of automated vehicles, or platoons, from a game-theoretic standpoint. Game theory enables us to ask the question of optimality in an adversarial environment; what is the optimal strategy that an attacker can use to disrupt the operation of automated vehicles, considering that the defenders are also optimally trying to maintain normal operation. We formulate a zero-sum game and find optimal controllers for different game parameters. A platoon is then simulated and its closed loop stability is then evaluated in the presence of an optimal attack. It is shown that with the constraint of optimality, the attacker cannot significantly degrade the stability of a vehicle platoon in nominal cases. It is motivated that in order to have an optimal solution that is nearly unstable, the game has to be formulated almost unfairly in favor of the attacker.
Effectiveness of specialized military education

On the basis of sociological polls and interviews of cadets, graduates of military schools of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the Suvorov military schools, the Nakhimov military sea schools and experts in 2002–2013 theoretical construct of perspective model of secondary specialized military education is developed and its place a role in structure in cadet formation of modern Russia is empirically proved.
UMA AVALIAÇÃO DA TEORIA DA DOENÇA HOLANDESA E DA HIPÓTESE DA MALDIÇÃO DOS RECURSOS NATURAIS

This article proposes a discussion on the theory of dutch disease, its history and its main criticism. It shows the static model that demonstrates the transmission mechanisms of dutch disease for the economy. It also exposes the dynamic model based on the endogenous growth theory and principles of dutch disease, used as an explanation for natural resources curse. It presents the main theoretical and methodological criticism of these models.
Understanding the Multiple Purposes of Refractory Linings in Sulfur Recovery Units

Within Sulfur Recovery Units (SRU), many equipment and piping items are built with internal refractory linings, but between the various process areas, the refractory is being used for completely different functions. Understanding the “purpose” of the refractory is important for both the initial selection of the optimum type of refractory, and also for repair decisions whenever refractory damage is found during turnarounds. This paper will describe each area where refractory is used, the operating and turnaround conditions, and the four unique purposes of the refractory to provide a mechanistic understanding of the function of refractory. It will also discuss the relationship between the purpose and repair philosophies for use as a general guideline.Copyright © 2017 by ASME
Co-culture of adipose-derived stem cells and chondrocytes on three-dimensionally printed bioscaffolds for craniofacial cartilage engineering.

Objectives/hypothesis Reconstruction of craniofacial cartilagenous defects are among the most challenging surgical procedures in facial plastic surgery. Bioengineered craniofacial cartilage holds immense potential to surpass current reconstructive options, but limitations to clinical translation exist. We endeavored to determine the viability of utilizing adipose-derived stem cell-chondrocyte co-culture and three-dimensional (3D) printing to produce 3D bioscaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering. We describe a feasibility study revealing a novel approach for cartilage tissue engineering with in vitro and in vivo animal data. Methods Porcine adipose-derived stem cells and chondrocytes were isolated and co-seeded at 1:1, 2:1, 5:1, 10:1, and 0:1 experimental ratios in a hyaluronic acid/collagen hydrogel in the pores of 3D-printed polycaprolactone scaffolds to form 3D bioscaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering. Bioscaffolds were cultured in vitro without growth factors for 4 weeks and then implanted into the subcutaneous tissue of athymic rats for an additional 4 weeks before sacrifice. Bioscaffolds were subjected to histologic, immunohistochemical, and biochemical analysis. Results Successful production of cartilage was achieved using a co-culture model of adipose-derived stem cells and chondrocytes without the use of exogenous growth factors. Histology demonstrated cartilage growth for all experimental ratios at the post-in vivo time point confirmed with type II collagen immunohistochemistry. There was no difference in sulfated-glycosaminoglycan production between experimental groups. Conclusion Tissue-engineered cartilage was successfully produced on 3D-printed bioresorbable scaffolds using an adipose-derived stem cell and chondrocyte co-culture technique. This potentiates co-culture as a solution for several key barriers to a clinically translatable cartilage tissue engineering process. Level of evidence NA. Laryngoscope, 128:E251-E257, 2018.
Investigating the Impact of Fog on Freeway Speed Selection using the SHRP2 Naturalistic Driving Study Data

The negative effect of reduced visibility on driver performance has been recognized as one of the main causes of motor vehicle crashes in fog. Although many studies have concentrated on driver beha...
An Improved Radial Marker For Radial Keratotomy

Radial marks on the peripheral cornea in radial keratotomy can lead to confusion during incision placement. I have designed and successfully used a small radial marker that indicates the starting position for each incision, but does not mark the peripheral cornea.
EFFICIENCY OF THE CULTURE METHOD IN DETECTING LEISHMANIA DONOVANI IN ANIMAL TISSUE

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses a study to examine the efficiency of the culture method in detecting Leishmania donovani in animal tissue. Using Tanabe's medium, attempts were made to determine the sensitivity of the medium in detecting known numbers of Leishmania donovani in organs of infected hamsters. The study reveals that the probable numbers of parasites in the culture inocula were calculated to be from 1–1000 organisms. Culture tubes were run in triplicate and two or more replications of the experiments in each type were performed. In the first type of experiment, all tubes planted with 100 organisms or more became positive within the 3-week period of incubation at 25°C. In the second type experiment, 100 mg of organ of the recipient animal were ground in 5 ml. of Locke's and 0.1 ml. of the homogenate cultured. The results reveal that because only a small portion of the spleen was used in inoculating a single culture tube, the culture method obviously does not detect very low levels of parasitization in animals so sampled.
Gene Activation by 5-Azacytidine

The nucleoside analog 5-azacytidine (5-aza-C) was first synthesized in Czechoslovakia in 1963 (Piskala and Sorm, 1964); it also has been isolated from streptoverticillium (Streptoverticillus ladakanus, Hanka et al. 1966; Bergy and Herr, 1966). 5-Aza-C differs from cytidine only by the inclusion of a nitrogen atom in the 5 position of the pyrimidine ring (Figure 9.1). It was originally developed for use as a cancer chemotherapeutic agent and is still-used in the treatment of certain types of acute myelogenous leukemia. However, recent interest in the drug has been directed toward its remarkable ability to induce the expression of repressed genes in eukaryotic cells and to act as an inhibitor of DNA methylation.
Defense planning when major changes are needed

The principles and formalities of modern U.S. Defence planning stem from the 1960s and have largely served well. This paper, however, is about the special challenges that arise when major changes h...
Ultrasonic Detection of Fatigue Cracks by Thermo-Optical Modulation

Positive identification of small fatigue cracks presents a challenging problem during nondestructive testing of fatigue damaged structures. First, it is important to distinguish fatigue cracks from primary geometrical features (e.g., nearby holes, corners, and edges) and secondary irregularities (e.g., uneven machining, mechanical wear, corrosion, etc.). Second, it is important to distinguish small fatigue cracks as early as possible after crack nucleation from intrinsic material inhomogeneities such as coarse grains, anomalous microstructure, second phases, precipitates, porosity, various types of reinforcement, etc. Generally, linear acoustic characteristics (attenuation, velocity, backscattering, etc.) are not sufficiently sensitive to very small fatigue cracks. On the other hand, in a great variety of structural materials even very small fatigue damage can produce very significant excess nonlinearity, which can be orders of magnitude higher than the intrinsic nonlinearity of the intact material [1]. The excess nonlinearity is produced by the strong local nonlinearity of a microcrack whose opening is smaller than the particle displacement. Perhaps the simplest way to observe crack-closure under laboratory conditions is to ultrasonically monitor the opening and closing of fatigue cracks when subjecting the specimen to static or quasi-static external loading. The technical realization of the acousto-elastic method must incorporate two tasks. One is to find an effective way to generate crack-closure in the specimen, i.e., the “elastic” problem. The other is to find a way to monitor the resulting parametric modulation by ultrasonic means, i.e., the “acoustic” problem. The modulation stress may be generated through different ways such as external cyclic loading in a typical fatigue test [1] or exploiting the inherent vibration of the structure itself during operation [2]. The main disadvantage of using external mechanical loading is that usually the whole structure must be loaded, which requires very substantial forces and might cause additional damage in certain parts of the structure. More localized temporary stresses can be produced by simply cooling or warming the specimen to be tested [3].
The Crosstalk Analysis of FPGA High-Speed Signals with Generic Pre-layout Modeling

The crosstalk analysis of FPGA high-speed signals with generic pre-layout modelling approach effectively identify critical and dominant parameters for further optimizations to meet the channels timing without the need of having the completed design in place. Results show that the channel noise obtained from the pre-layout model correlates well with post-layout model simulation result, with up to 10GHz signal bandwidth. This approach also reduces the design cycle time from 3 days to 0.5 days, hence reducing the lead time in overall crosstalk analysis.
Chapter 4 – A goal-oriented Web browser

Publisher Summary This chapter describes a programming-by-example system for the Web named Creo and a data detector named Miro. Working together, Creo and Miro provide the user with a goal-oriented Web browsing experience. Evaluation of software and user interface is presented on the basis of data from 34 users during an iterative design process. The creators of Apple Data Detectors described the goal-oriented nature of their system: When users invoke it on a region of the text in a document, they are saying, in effect, “Find the important stuff in here and help me do reasonable things to it.” Direct manipulation is a wasteful, frustrating way for users to interact with machines capable of showing more intelligence. Creo and Miro further enhance this type of goal-oriented user interface by enabling users to define their own services by example and increasing the types of data that can be detected from any information stored in the semantic knowledge bases ConceptNet and TAP. It demonstrated the effect these knowledge bases can have on the research areas of the programming-by-example system and data detection. However, we believe many other types of interactive applications can benefit from access to this knowledge as well.
Blood neurofilament light: a critical review of its application to neurologic disease

Neuronal injury is a universal event that occurs in disease processes that affect both the central and peripheral nervous systems. A blood biomarker linked to neuronal injury would provide a critical measure to understand and treat neurologic diseases. Neurofilament light chain (NfL), a cytoskeletal protein expressed only in neurons, has emerged as such a biomarker. With the ability to quantify neuronal damage in blood, NfL is being applied to a wide range of neurologic conditions to investigate and monitor disease including assessment of treatment efficacy. Blood NfL is not specific for one disease and its release can also be induced by physiological processes. Longitudinal studies in multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, and stroke show accumulation of NfL over days followed by elevated levels over months. Therefore, it may be hard to determine with a single measurement when the peak of NfL is reached and when the levels are normalized. Nonetheless, measurement of blood NfL provides a new blood biomarker for neurologic diseases overcoming the invasiveness of CSF sampling that restricted NfL clinical application. In this review, we examine the use of blood NfL as a biologic test for neurologic disease.
The Mitigating Toxic Stress study design: approaches to developmental evaluation of pediatric health care innovations addressing social determinants of health and toxic stress

Health care administrators must establish and promote effective partnerships with community agencies to address social determinants of health, including reducing exposure of infants and young children to chronic stress. Because infants’ experiences are inextricably tied to their caregivers, an important target for mitigating “toxic” stress exposure in early childhood is through reducing parents’ experiences of chronic stress in addition to protecting children from direct experiences of harm such as physical or sexual abuse. Conducting screening to identify when children are exposed to early life adversity is a first step; connecting families to needed support services is an essential component to addressing identified challenges. This paper presents the methodology of a three-year study of health care systems innovations designed to engage and support parents of infants to prevent and mitigate children’s toxic stress exposures. Key study features included: 1) multi-component study in five U.S. communities and nine pediatric health care clinics and the families they serve, 2) a developmental evaluation approach to describe how innovations are experienced over time at three levels—community systems, pediatric providers, and families, and 3) rapid cycle feedback conducted with communities, clinics and families to co-interpret data and findings. Data sources included: 1) focus groups and interviews with community stakeholders, clinic staff, and families, 2) electronic health record and Medicaid services data extracted to assess health care quality, utilization, and financial impact, and 3) clinic-recruitment of 908 parents of infants in a longitudinal survey. Results. The sample is briefly characterized based on responses to the enrollment phase of the parent survey. We discuss the study design elements’ contribution to generating evidence needed by innovators, communities, and clinics to modify and sustain investments in these innovations to prevent or mitigate the effects of exposure to toxic stress on young children.
Crk and Crkl have shared functions in neural crest cells for cardiac outflow tract septation and vascular smooth muscle differentiation.

CRK and CRKL encode cytoplasmic adaptors that contribute to the etiology of congenital heart disease. Neural crest cells (NCCs) are required for cardiac outflow tract (OFT) septation and aortic arch formation. The roles of Crk/Crkl in NCCs during mouse cardiovascular development remains unknown. To test this, we inactivated Crk and/or Crkl in NCCs. We found that the loss of Crk, rather than Crkl, in NCCs resulted in double outlet right ventricle, while loss of both Crk/Crkl in NCCs resulted in severe defects with earlier lethality due to failed OFT septation and severe dilation of the pharyngeal arch arteries (PAAs). We found that these defects are due to altered cell morphology resulting in reduced localization of NCCs to the OFT and failed integrity of the PAAs, along with reduced expression of Integrin signaling genes. Further, molecular studies identified reduced differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells that may in part be due to altered Notch signaling. Additionally, there is increased cellular stress that leads to modest increase in apoptosis. Overall, this explains the mechanism for the Crk/Crkl phenotype.
Spectral estimation performance of circular linear prediction modeling for real-speech signals

Previously, we introduced a windowless linear-prediction method known as circular linear prediction (CLP) modeling for pitch-synchronous analysis of the speech spectrum and presented its spectral modeling properties using synthetic speech signals. In this paper, we discuss how the CLP method and its multicycle generalization can be used with real speech signals. We also present the CLP methods' spectral estimation performance using real speech. As was the case for synthetic speech, these experiments proved that the CLP method has superior spectral estimation accuracy at onsets and has similar estimation performance to the autocorrelation method in stationary regions. We also observed that the multicycle generalization of the CLP method is required for partially-voiced regions.
Failure of pancreatic polypeptide release in congenitally obese mice.

Abstract Obesity can be reversed in ob/ob mice by parabiosis to lean littermates, by islet transplantation, and by injection of pancreatic polypeptide. These observations suggest that obese mice have functioning satiety centers but lack a circulating satiety factor of pancreatic origin which could be pancreatic polypeptide. This hypothesis has been difficult to test because antisera currently available do not cross-react with rodent pancreatic polypeptide. We have raised an antiserum against the biologically active carboxyl-terminal hexapeptide that measures mouse pancreatic polypeptide specifically. This antiserum has been used to compare circulating and tissue concentrations of pancreatic polypeptide in obese and lean mice. Although pancreatic contents were significantly (p
Depressive symptoms and incidence of mild cognitive impairment and probable dementia in elderly women: the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study.

OBJECTIVES: To examine whether significant depressive symptoms in postmenopausal women increases the risk of subsequent mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Thirty nine of the 40 Women's Health Initiative (WHI) clinical centers that participated in a randomized clinical trial of hormone therapy. PARTICIPANTS: Six thousand three hundred seventy-six postmenopausal women without cognitive impairment aged 65 to 79 at baseline. MEASUREMENTS: Depressive disorders were assessed using an eight-item Burnam algorithm and followed annually for a mean period of 5.4 years. A central adjudication committee classified the presence of MCI and probable dementia based on an extensive neuropsychiatric examination. RESULTS: Eight percent of postmenopausal women in this sample reported depressive symptoms above a 0.06 cut point on the Burnam algorithm. Depressive disorder at baseline was associated with greater risk of incident MCI (hazard ratio (HR)=1.98, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.33–2.94), probable dementia (HR=2.03, 95% CI=1.15–3.60), and MCI or probable dementia (HR=1.92, 95% CI=1.35–2.73) after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle and vascular risk factors, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, antidepressant use, and current and past hormone therapy status. Assignment to hormone therapy and baseline cognitive function did not affect these relationships. Women without depression who endorsed a remote history of depression had a higher risk of developing dementia. CONCLUSION: Clinically significant depressive symptoms in women aged 65 and older are independently associated with greater incidence of MCI and probable dementia.
Production of Hemagglutinating Antigens of La Crosse Virus by Polyethylene Glycol Precipitation

Hemagglutination titers of La Crosse virus antigens prepared in BHK-21 suspension cell cultures were substantially increased by precipitating the antigens with polyethylene glycol.
Tacit knowledge sharing between IT workers: The role of organizational culture, personality, and social environment

Purpose – The transmission of tacit knowledge is crucial to organizations to ensure that individual expertise will be passed throughout a team or department, rather than centred in one employee. It is especially important among information technology (IT) professionals because, in addition to technical knowledge, they deal considerably with a combination of cognition and previous experience to solve daily problems, and implement and develop new systems. The purpose of this paper is to examine how organizational, individual, and environmental factors influence tacit knowledge sharing among IT professionals.Design/methodology/approach – In this study, the author examines how organizational, individual, and environmental factors influence tacit knowledge sharing among IT professionals. To test the hypotheses, the survey method was chosen and a standard questionnaire was applied. The author obtained a sample of 143 respondents and employed a partial least squares (PLS) analysis to assess the structural and co...
The needs and expectations of staff and students living with HIV and Aids in a South African rural-based university

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) are making an impact in institutions of higher education. Studies have revealed that though few students and staff have been recorded to be suffering from HIV/AIDS, more have become ill and some have died in ways that signal the impact of HIV/AIDS. Universities can contribute to addressing the needs and expectations of staff and students living with HIV and AIDS. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the preparedness of a South African rural-based university in addressing the needs and expectations of staff and students living with HIV and AIDS. A qualitative study design was followed, with one South African rural-based university as the case setting. Qualitative interviews were conducted stemming from the central research question, â€œHow is the university addressing the needs and expectations of staff and students living with HIV and AIDS?â€ Following an open coding method of data analysis, three themes emerged relating to how the needs and expectations of staff and students living with HIV and AIDS are addressed: persistence stigma and discrimination, limited assurance to confidentiality and, inadequate treatment, care and support. Recommendations were made for improvement of service delivery to address the needs and expectations of staff and students living with HIV and AIDS and further research should be conducted on large scale to determine other needs and expectations of SSLWHA other South African rural-based universities and how they are addressed.
Cardiology—In-Depth Look: Kinases as Therapeutic Targets in the Heart

Agents that target protein kinases have been used successfully in oncology, and several have been tested in cardiology with mixed results, suggesting that in the future selective protein kinase inhibitors may be used to treat cardiovascular disease. As this chapter will discuss, protein kinases are unraveling a new and exciting area of knowledge in cardiovascular disease. Developing new agents that selectively and safely inhibit protein kinases may provide a new therapeutic line of agents that may be used in ischemic heart disease, congestive heart failure, pulmonary and systemic hypertension, and arrhythmias. Keywords: protein kinases; intracellular signal transduction network; ischemic heart disease; congestive heart failure; pulmonary and systemic hypertension; arrhythmias
Special values of L-functions of elliptic curves over Q and their base change to real quadratic fields

Abstract For an elliptic curve E over Q, and a real quadratic extension F of Q, satisfying suitable hypotheses, we study the algebraic part of certain twisted L-values for E / F . The Birch and Swinnerton–Dyer conjecture predicts that these L-values are squares of rational numbers. We show that this question is related to the ratio of Petersson inner products of a quaternionic form on a definite quaternion algebra over Q and its base change to F.
Evaluating forest biometrics obtained from ground lidar in complex riparian forests

Terrestrial laser scanning is a technique that has been used increasingly in extracting forest biometrics such as trunk diameter and tree heights. Its potential, however, has not been fully explored in complex forested ecosystems, especially in riparian forests, considered among the most dynamic and complex portions of the Earth's biosphere. In this study, forest inventory data and multiple ground scans were obtained in a sparse managed and dense natural riparian forest on the immediate banks of the mid-lower portion of the Garonne River in Southern France, dominated by black poplar (Populus nigra) and commercial hybrid poplars (Populus × euramericana). Overall, the ground-based laser-scanning analysis successfully estimated trunk diameters, tree heights and crown radii from both managed and natural riparian forests. However, the ground scanner analysis was not as successful in identifying all of the trunks in the dense natural riparian forest, with only 141 trunks identified from a total of 234. This also results in allometric scaling exponents for ground scanning, which are significantly different from field-derived exponents. This study thus shows that there may be a limit to the number of trees detected in higher density forests, even with multiple scans.
Voronoi-based placement of road-side units to improve dynamic resource management in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks

Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs) illustrate mobile P2P networks, which hold significant promise in improving traffic safety and alleviating traffic congestion. Reliable VANETbased services require dynamic resource management due to limited and often fluctuating network connectivity of VANETs that stem from the wireless and mobile nature of vehicleto-vehicle (V2V) communications. To address these needs, a collaboration with Road-Side Units (RSU) have been proposed to complement V2V communication by providing event and data brokering capability in the form of Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) communications. Deploying RSUs involves upfront investment and maintenance costs, and hence solutions are needed that maximize the benefit of RSUs by placing them effectively in accordance to existing and projected traffic density, and the types of services planned for VANETs. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a novel Voronoi diagram-based algorithm for the effective placement of RSUs using packet delay and loss as a criteria. This approach has two-fold advantages: a significant reduction in the number of RSUs required to cover a geographic region, and increase in the logical coverage area of each RSU irrespective of the dynamic vehicular traffic conditions thereby improving reliability of communications. This algorithm has been evaluated in the context of a road network and traffic conditions for an urban area. When compared with other baseline placement algorithms, communication reliability stemming from our Voronoi diagram-based placement algorithm results in less packet delay and lesser packet loss both of which are important to realize the different VANET-based services.
Characterization of a high-density plasma source for dry develop

The nature of the dry develop process demands controllable ion energies for good etch selectivity, a large highly directional ion flux for good anisotropy, and a clean etch. As a part of the plasma characterization, the plasma density, the resist etch rate, the ion energy and the ion energy flux have been determined as a function of process conditions, for an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) source. The plasma density and ion flux increase linearly with antenna power. A factor of four variation in ion to neutral flux ratio could be achieved over the rage of flow rates and power levels investigated. Independent control of the etch rate and selectivity is possible with the ICP system. However, eddy current heating of the wafer at high power levels causes loss of anisotropy. Feasibility of using an ICP for the DESIRE process is demonstrated. Good pattern linearity can be achieved for feature sizes ranging from 0.35 - 0.60 micrometers . The process latitude for the exposure time, silylation time, and etch conditions is wide. The etch is clean, exhibits good anisotropy, and no proximity effects. The ICP etch system is an attractive choice for sub half micron patterning using DESIRE.
ANALYSIS OF LOW-ENERGY ELECTRON SCATTERING BY HELIUM, NEON, AND ARGON.

A least-squares method has been used to fit Ramsauer and Kollath's data on the scattering of electrons from helium, neon, and argon with a set of four phase shifts. All the known experimental points between 1.0 eV and an energy 0.6 eV below the threshold for inelastic scattering in each gas were analyzed. The effect of spin-orbit splitting on the description of the scattering has been neglected, as usual. The angular distributions and the total cross sections computed from the four phase shifts at each energy agree well with the original data, except possibly for argon, where more than four phase shifts are probably required. A graphical comparison has been made between the variation with energy of the phase shifts so determined and various recent theoretical predictions, as well as Andrick and Ehrhardt's recent direct measurements.
Production of Korean Case Particles in a Korean—English Bilingual Child With Specific Language Impairment: A Preliminary Study

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of Korean case particles in a Korean—English bilingual child with specific language impairment (SLI). The child's production of four types of Korean case particles were compared to those of three typically developing children during probe and storytelling tasks. The Korean—English bilingual child with SLI produced the vocative and the nominative for person case particles similar to children matched on age and mean length of utterance (MLU). He produced the nominative for object and accusative case particles similar to the MLU-matched child but exhibited lower performance than that of his age-matched peers. The results suggest that longer duration of Korean case particles in the phrase-final position may provide perceptual salience and not pose particular difficulty for the Korean—English bilingual with SLI. Frequent omission of the accusative by the child with SLI and his MLU-matched peer, however, supports the argument that frequency effect in linguist...
PMDR studies of intramolecular spin-orbit perturbations on the triplet state properties of substituted benzenes

Abstract PMDR studies on a series of halobenzenes have shown that the in-plane electron spin distribution is highly perturbable and that spin-orbit contributions to the relative energies of the spin states become significant in the heavier halobenzenes. A distortion in the triplet state of the heavier dihalobenzenes is also indicated.
Corporate social responsibility and career decisions

Person–organisation fit looks at the compatible fit between applicants’ values, goal, traits and that of an organisation. The purpose of this research was to further understand the role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) as it relates to person–organisation fit and job selection choices of postgraduates. A self-report survey was completed by 247 students at three US universities offering fashion programs. Students were asked to respond to four separate scenarios each with two distinct positions from which to choose. Students overwhelming (77%) choose positions paying lower salaries with better working conditions and higher levels of CSR over positions that treated potential employees in a less desirable manner and did not place a high value on CSR. The students reacted adversely to accepting a position where a potential employer valued physical appearance over forward thinkers, profits over CSR and long hours over community service. This study supports the need for firms to establish sound CSR polic...
Solution of static electric and magnetic problems using the integral definitions of the curl and divergence operators

Numerical methods are described which use a basis consisting of the values of the electric field intensity along each edge of a cell and the values of the magnetic flux density normal to each face of a cell. Definitions of the curl and divergence operators in terms of line and surface integrals respectively, as well as Gauss' law and Ampere's law, are used to define mesh and nodal equations for determining the field values within the grid from values specified on the outer boundary. Static electric and magnetic problems are solved as examples. >
Predictable long-delay matching-to-sample trials result in long-latency sample responding by pigeons☆

Abstract When a delayed matching-to-sample task does not involve short-delay trials interspersed among the long-delay trials, there is evidence that pigeons show long latencies in responding to the sample (sample observing response). They may even stop responding altogether. Two experiments were conducted to confirm the phenomenon and determine what aspect of the procedure is responsible for it. In Experiment 1 pigeons were trained on a delayed matching-to-sample task in which the delay remined constant throughout each session and was increased as each bird reached a performance criterion. The results indicated that sampleresponse latency increased in a regular fashion as delay increased. When the delay increased to 8.0 s, responding to the sample often stopped for long periods of time. In Experiment 2 pigeons were exposed to constant delay sessions (LONG), or mixed delay sessions with the delay length signaled (COR) or unsignaled (UNC). Sample-response latencies increased with increasing delay on long-delay trials for the LONG and the COR groups but not for the UNC group. Results supported the hypothesis that predictability of the long delay and not the loss of association between sample responses and reinforcement was responsible for the increased sample-response latency.
Damage evolution and damage model validation in spalled tantalum

The dynamic damage resistance of two grades of very clean tantalum is compared. The materials were loaded to incipient failure using an 80 mm gas gun equipped with soft recovery using a parallel flyer plate experimental configuration. Both loading time and applied shock pressure was varied from 1.1-2 μs and 5.6-9.8 GPa, respectively. A VISAR recorded the back surface velocity. The recovered samples were metallographically sectioned, polished, and etched. Image analysis and optical profilometry quantified the resulting damage. Longitudinal porosity distributions of the tests are compared. A calibrated hydrocode based damage model was used to simulate the tests. We compare predicted and experimental measurements of free surface velocity and porosity. The model also produced free surface pullback signals suggesting high spall strength with little evolved porosity. This is further confirmation that in clean, high Peierls energy materials the VISAR pullback signal is associated with the creation of a region of enormous hydrostatic tensile stresses in the material, but is relatively distinct from the void coalescence process. A transition in coalescence mechanism, from primarily void growth impingement to long-range plastic instabilities, occurs with increasing hydrostatic tension and increasing stress pulse duration.
Necrotizing Fasciitis: Review of the Literature and Case Report

l c p s “Necrotizing fasciitis” was the name rendered by Wilson in 1952. However, severe life-threatening necrotizing infections have been recognized throughout history, especially among military surgeons. Hippocrates, the reek “father of medicine,” described necrotizing fasciiis (NF). NF was also described by Claude Ponteau, hief surgeon to the Hotel Dieu in Lyon, in 1783. Past names given to the disease complex include malignant ulcer, gangrenous ulcer, putrid ulcer, phagedenis ulcer, phagedena gangraenosa, hospital gangrene, gangreous erysipelas, necrotizing cellulitis, Fournier ganrene, and Meleney gangrene. NF was recorded at the Gendarmerie Hospital in Brussels after the Battle of Waterloo, and Florence Nightingale noted 80 cases in 1 month in Scutari. In 1871 Jones, a Confederate Army surgeon, referenced over 2,600 cases of “hospital gangrene” that bore a 46% fatality rate. Pfanner in 1918 escribed “necrotizing erysipelas” shown to be caused y a -hemolytic streptococcus. Meleney in 1924 described 20 cases from Peking characterized by extensive and rapid subcutaneous necrosis due to -hemolytic treptococci. Reports of “suppurative fasciitis” by Mcafferty and Lyons in 1948 referred to a reduction in morbidity through early recognition and surgical intervention. With improved anaerobic techniques, NF is recognized as having, most commonly, a polymicrobial origin. NF describes the pathologic course initially involving fascial and subcutaneous necrosis with resultant extensive undermining. The foundation for
Heavy Ion Development at the Berkeley 88-Inch Cyclotron

A new internal Penning ion source is now being tested for production of nitrogen and oxygen beams. Nitrogen beams of N5+ have been accelerated to 250 MeV. An external source for lithium beams is being developed.
Predicting adolescent alcohol drinking patterns after major injury.

BACKGROUND: Bedside alcohol counseling provided to injured adolescents during their acute medical care reduces subsequent alcohol consumption and reinjury. This counseling would be even more effective if extended beyond hospitalization to help injured youth return to normal functioning. To enhance this counseling, we first need to know the natural course of adolescent drinking during the year after injury, as well as the predictors of problem drinking during that year. METHODS: Prospective cohort study that described the natural history of adolescent drinking during the year after traumatic injury and identified predictors of increased alcohol use. Randomly sampled injured adolescents 12 years to 18 years of age, admitted to the surgical services of a Level I trauma center were interviewed to assess alcohol consumption at baseline and 2 months, 5 months, and 12 months after injury admission. RESULTS: Drinking increased steadily over the year, with this increase beginning in the months immediately after injury. Greater preinjury alcohol consumption, greater number of cumulative preinjury traumatic life experiences, and increasing age were independent positive predictors of increased drinking during the year after injury. Increased injury severity was a negative predictor such that the more severe the injury was, the less the adolescent drank during the year after injury. CONCLUSIONS: This documented postinjury drinking pattern and its predictors can now identify for the purposes of extended counseling those adolescents most likely to drink heavily during the year after injury. Language: en
Recent legal trends in child sexual abuse cases: Direction for child protection workers

Considerable changes have occurred in criminal proceedings involving sexually abused children. As a result, perpetrators of child sexual abuse have been convicted more easily and sentenced to long prison sentences. However, a number of these convictions have been tainted and, thus reversed on appeal, based on either problems in the investigatory process or expert witnesses' exceeding the limits of proper testimony. Because many investigators and some expert witnesses were social workers, the author discusses recent decisions where appellate judges have criticized child protection workers' behaviors. By becoming familiar with cases such as these, child protection workers should gain a better understanding of the limits of their roles in the investigatory process and court proceedings. The result more likely would be that just convictions would be upheld by appellate courts, and falsely accused defendants would be spared the stigma of accusation, trial, and perhaps conviction.
Perinatal Nicotine Exposure Increases Angiotensin II Receptor-Mediated Vascular Contractility in Adult Offspring

Previous studies have reported that perinatal nicotine exposure causes development of hypertensive phenotype in adult offspring.