cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
909-25 Clinical Outcomes of Patients not Undergoing Coronary Artery Revascularization as a Result of Intravascular Ultrasound Imaging

Ambiguous and intermediate angiographic lesions remain an important diagnostic dilemma despite advances in non-invasive testing. In part, alternative imaging modalities, including intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), have been developed to help solve this clinical problem. However, no follow-up data is available after IVUS-based decision making. Methods From July 1, 1991 through April 30,1994, IVUS imaging was performed in 1968 lesions in 1660 pts, all of whom were referred for catheter-based h8. Pre-intervention IVUS was performed in 1446 lesions (73%) and was used to assess lesion severity in 293 lesions (20%). 195 lesions either had previous intervention within 6 months or were found to be severe enough to warrant catheter-based or operative intervention. In 98 de novo lesions (18 vein graft and 80 native vessel including 29 LM) in 90 pts, planned interventions were aborted as a result of IVUS assessment of lesion severity. These patients had the following clinical characteristics: 74% unstable angina, 72% multivessel disease, 32% previous operative revascularization, and 92% risk factors for coronary artery disease. Lesions had the fol1owing characteristics: external elastic membrane (EEM) area = 22.7 ± 12.2 mm 2 , lumen area = 6.8 ± 5.5 mm 2 , plaque area = 14.5 ± 8.0 mm 2 , %cross-sectional narrowing (%CSN = plaque/EEM area) = 67.0 ± 18.6, and arc of calcium = 74 ± 103°. Furthermore, 19/98 lesions (19%) had, at most, mild disease (%CSN l 50), 4 of which were normal. Quantitative angiographic assessment of minimum lumen diameter 12.33 ± 0.65 mm) correlated moderately well with IVUS (12.4 ± 0.8 mm, r = 0.571, P l 0.0001). In general, the threshold for intervention was a minimum lumen area l 5.0 mm 2 (minimum lumen diameter l 2.5 mm) for vein graft or left main lesions or l 3.5 mm 2 (diameter l 2.0 mm) for other native vessel lesions. Pts were interviewed at 3, 6, 9, and 12 mo intervals. As of September 1, 1994, clinical follow-up was available in 96% with a mean follow-up duration of 9.7 mos. Results During the 1 yr follow-up period, only 9 pts (10%) required target lesion-related revascularization. Another 12 undervvent either non-target lesion related revascularization (because of progression of native or vein graft disease elsewhere) or operative revascularization as part of valve replacement surgery. Conclusions Assessment of lesion severity is an important part of IVUS evaluation. IVUS criteria can be used to differentiate significant disease from insignificant lumen compromise. The low frequency of 1 yr target lesion revascularization validates this approach.
Transient Foam Displacement in the Presence of Residual Oil: Experiment and Simulation Using a Population-Balance Model

The population-balance framework of Kovscek, Patzek, and Radke is extended to model the flow of foam in porous media containing residual oil (Kovscek et al. Chem. Eng. Sci. 1995, 50, 3783). A mechanistic rate of coalescence due to oil, based on the recently proposed pinch-off mechanism (Myers, T. J. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of California, Berkeley, CA), is included in the model. New foam-flow experiments in the absence and presence of residual oil in 1.1- and 0.28-μm2 Berea sandstone cores 60-cm long are modeled. Results reported here are for total superficial velocities of 30 cm/day and 97% foam quality with a 0.5 wt % sodium dodecyl sulfate, 0.5 wt % NaCl aqueous solution, and a decane oil phase. Additional results at varying gas and liquid velocities are reported elsewhere. Agreement between experiment and simulation is good. Both experiment and simulation show that foam is destabilized by oil and has lower mobility in higher permeability media regardless of the presence of oil. These findings su...
The effect of test system misalignment in the dynamic tension test

The effects of test system misalignment are analyzed for dynamic tension tests using sheet type rectangular 1100-0 aluminum specimens. The strain rate is assumed constant only on the natural axis of the specimen even though the specimen is subjected to a constant strain rate test. The results include: (1) the lower the strain rate, the more significant the misalignment errors become; (2) misalignment errors of 50% are found at the extreme fibers of the specimen; (3) the strain rate variation in the cross section decreases with increasing plastic strain and vanishes at plastic strain equal to 0.8% at the midspan of the specimen; and (4) the neutral axis shifts toward the centerline of the specimen as the plastic strain increases, but it reaches a limit and does not completely move back to the centerline.
Dipolar interactions in molecules aligned by strong AC electric fields

Abstract We observed magnetization transfer and spectroscopic splittings due to dipolar couplings in the solution NMR spectra of neat nitrobenzene aligned using AC electric fields. Weak dipolar splittings have been previously observed for nitrobenzene in a DC electric field (T. M. Plantenga, et al., Chem. Phys. 66, 1–9, 1982); the use of homogeneous pulsed AC fields has allowed us to establish stable experimental conditions, which were more tolerable to sample impurities and required no sample purification, and to carry out multidimensional experiments. A pulse sequence is discussed in which the electric field is present only for the indirect dimension: this sequence records the dipolar splittings for each proton in the indirect dimension; the direct dimension presents the isotropic chemical shift. Another pulse sequence is discussed that uses the applied electric field only in the mixing period to produce cross peaks between dipolar coupled pairs and correlate their isotropic chemical shifts. The order parameter describing molecular alignment was in good agreement with that previously determined from deuterium quadrupolar measurements of deuterated nitrobenzene in a similar range of electric fields: S mol ∼ 0.025% for a field strength of 7.0 MV/m (rms). The dipolar splittings for ortho-meta, meta-para, and ortho-para protons were in qualitative agreement with the known geometry.
Fault diagnosis in injection moulding via cavity pressure signals

In this paper we demonstrate the feasibility of applying pattern recognition techniques for monitoring and diagnosis to an injection moulding process. Mould cavity pressure signals collected during the process are utilized for monitoring and diagnosis. Principal component analysis is applied to reduce the dimensionality of multivariate signals to a univariate representative signal, while preserving the characteristics of the original signals. Process ‘fingerprints’ are gleaned through wavelet decomposition and multi-resolution analysis of the ‘reduced’ signal. Feature elements defined from these fingerprints are interpreted by an artificial neural network for process condition monitoring and fault diagnosis. The experimental results indicate that this approach is effective for ‘run to run’ process monitoring, diagnostics and control. The diagnostic system can be updated adaptively as new process faults are identified.
Triboluminescence in sodium chloride

The emission of light due to rubbing or impact of two surfaces (Triboluminescence) has been traditionally studied under visible and ultraviolet spectrum. The current study provides an experimental insight into infrared emission occurring during low velocity impact on common salt crystals. The high speed IR imaging done using a whole field IR camera is first of its kind of measurement that provides experimental verification of IR emission occurring in these events. It was observed that the nature of impact surface and the crystalline structure of the material have a marked role in the IR emission. Of the existing theories that explain the origin of light emission in TL, the model provided by Chapman, that TL is a thermal radiation from high temperature regions, which propagate along with the crack, matches closely with the current experimental observations.
Reconstruction From Aperture-Filtered Samples With Application to Scatterometer Image Reconstruction

This paper approaches scatterometer image reconstruction as the inversion of a discrete noisy aperture-filtered sampling operation. Aperture-filtered sampling is presented and contrasted with conventional and irregular sampling. Discrete reconstruction from noise-free aperture-filtered samples is investigated and contrasted with conventional continuous reconstruction approaches. The discrete approach enables analytical treatment of the reconstruction grid resolution and the effective resolution imposed by the sampling and reconstruction operations. The noisy case is also explored. A reconstruction estimator based on maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation is proposed to recover the conventional samples from noisy scatterometer measurements. This approach enables the scatterometer noise distribution to be appropriately accounted for in the reconstruction operation. The MAP and conventional reconstruction approaches are applied to the SeaWinds scatterometer and the Advanced Wind Scatterometer, and the effective resolution of the different methods is analyzed. The MAP approach produces results consistent with the well-established scatterometer image reconstruction (SIR) algorithm. The MAP approach significantly enhances the resolution at the expense of increased noise. Although a detailed noise-versus-resolution tradeoff analysis is beyond the scope of this paper, the new framework allows for a more general treatment than the ad hoc tuning parameters of the SIR algorithm.
Virtual landmarks for the internet

Internet coordinate schemes have been proposed as a method for estimating minimum round trip time between hosts without direct measurement. In such a scheme, each host is assigned a set of coordinates, and Euclidean distance is used to form the desired estimate. Two key questions are: How accurate are coordinate schemes across the Internet as a whole? And: are coordinate assignment schemes fast enough, and scalable enough, for large scale use? In this paper we make contributions toward answering both those questions. Whereas the coordinate assignment problem has in the past been approached by nonlinear optimization, we develop a faster method based on dimensionality reduction of the Lipschitz embedding. We show that this method is reasonably accurate, even when applied to measurements spanning the Internet, and that it naturally leads to a scalable measurement strategy based on the notion of virtual landmarks.
Management of Hyperglycemia in Diabetic Kidney Disease.

The growing incidence and prevalence of diabetes has made a significant impact on the development of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) (1). DKD is among the most frequent complications of diabetes; indeed, diabetes accounts for ∼50% of all cases of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in developed countries (2). Patients often have comorbid diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Although intensive glycemic management has been shown to delay the onset and progression of increased urinary albumin excretion and reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in diabetes patients (3), conservative dose selection and adjustment of antidiabetic medications is necessary to balance glycemic control with safety. A1C has limitations related to its precision and interpretation in the CKD population (4), with erythrocyte turnover being a major cause of A1C imprecision in this population. Red blood cell survival times become shorter as eGFR falls, resulting in a reduction in measured A1C. Treatment with erythrocyte-stimulating agents lowers A1C further, perhaps because of changes in hemoglobin concentrations (5,6). Observational data support the notion that higher A1C levels in nondialysis diabetes patients with CKD stages 3–5 (eGFR levels <60 mL/min/1.73 m2) are associated with worse outcomes, including progression of kidney disease (7). However, these patients are at higher risk for hypoglycemic events (8). Factors that may contribute to this increased risk can include slowed elimination of hypoglycemic agents, alcohol intake, chronic malnutrition, acute caloric deprivation, and decreased renal gluconeogenesis as kidney function declines (8–10). In the ACCORD (Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes) study, when compared with patients with normal renal function, those with baseline serum creatinine of 1.3–1.5 mg/dL had a 66% increased risk of severe hypoglycemia (11). A U-shaped relationship between A1C and mortality has been demonstrated, suggesting that hypoglycemia may be one reason for higher mortality in those …
Compensation schemes and performance analysis of IQ imbalances in OFDM receivers

The implementation of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM)-based physical layers suffers from the effect of In-phase and Quadrature-phase (IQ) imbalances in the front-end analog processing. The IQ imbalances can severely limit the achievable operating signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the receiver and, consequently, the supported constellation sizes and data rates. In this paper, the effect of IQ imbalances on OFDM receivers is studied, and system-level algorithms to compensate for the distortions are proposed. The algorithms include post-fast Fourier transform (FFT) least-squares and least mean squares (LMS) equalization, as well as pre-FFT correction using adaptive channel/distortion estimation and special pilot tones to enable accurate and fast training. Bounds on the achievable performance of the compensation algorithms are derived and evaluated as a function of the physical distortion parameters. A motivation is included for the physical causes of IQ imbalances and for the implications of the approach presented in this paper on designing and implementing wireless transceivers.
Migraine and vertigo.

Vertigo and migraine are commonly co-occurring problems. The diagnostic criteria for vestibular migraine have recently been updated in the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition (beta version), which allow better detection of this under-recognized condition. In many cases, a diagnosis of vestibular migraine will be established based on a typical history of concurrent migraine headache, photophobia, and/or migraine aura with the vertigo. Certain mimickers, such as Meniere’s disease, likely exist on a pathophysiologic continuum with vestibular migraine. In our review, we provide an update on the salient literature regarding the diagnosis and management of this condition.
Do Hostile Media Perceptions Lead to Action? The Role of Hostile Media Perceptions, Political Efficacy, and Ideology in Predicting Climate Change Activism

This study joins a growing body of research that demonstrates the behavioral consequences of hostile media perceptions. Using survey data from a nationally representative U.S. sample, this study tests a moderated-mediation model examining the direct and indirect effects of hostile media perceptions on climate change activism. The model includes external political efficacy as a mediator and political ideology and internal political efficacy as moderators. The results show that hostile media perceptions have a direct association with climate activism that is conditioned by political ideology: Among liberals, hostile media perceptions promote activism, whereas among conservatives, they decrease activism. Hostile media perceptions also have a negative, indirect relationship with activism that is mediated through external political efficacy; however, this relationship is conditioned by both ideology and internal political efficacy. Specifically, the indirect effect manifests exclusively among conservatives and...
Hole-growth instability in the dewetting of evaporating polymer solution films†‡

We investigate the dewetting of aqueous, evaporating polymer (poly(acrylic acid)) solutions cast on glassy hydrophobic (polystyrene) substrates. As in ordinary dew- etting, the evaporating films initially break up through the nucleation of holes that perforate the film, but the rapidly growing holes become unstable and form nonequilibrium patterns resembling fingering patterns that arise when injecting air into a liquid between two closely spaced plates (Hele-Shaw patterns). This is natural because the formation of holes in thin films is similar to air injection into a polymer film where the thermodynamic driving force of dewetting is the analogue of the applied pressure in the flow measurement. The patterns formed in the rapidly dewetting and evaporating polymer films become frozen into a stable glassy state after most of the solvent (water) has evaporated, leaving station- ary patterns that can be examined by atomic force microscopy and optical microscopy. Similar patterns have been observed in water films evaporating from mica substrates, block copolymer films, and modest hole fingering has also been found in the dewetting of dry polymer films. From these varied observations, we expect this dewetting-induced fingering instability to occur generally when the dewetting rate and film viscosity are sufficiently large. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 2825-2832,
Design of a nano-scaffold for tissue engineering

The goal of this study is to design a scaffold, utilizing topographical features on the nanometer scale, to determine the relationship between those features and cellular orientation during in vitro cell culture. Ultimately the goal of this study is to control the structure of engineered tissue which can be accomplished by directing cellular orientation during growth. The control of tissue structure is important because tissue structure determines tissue function. The topographical nano-scale features in this design are created by using self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of the plasma protein fibrinogen. The scaffold is made out of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and is fabricated utilizing a multi-step manufacturing process. In the future, the scaffold will provide a means to culture cells and characterize cellular orientation in relation to the patterned SAMs.
Evaluation of Point-of-Care Blood Glucose Measurements in Patients with Diabetic Ketoacidosis or Hyperglycemic Hyperosmolar Syndrome Admitted to a Critical Care Unit

Background: Point-of-care (POC) blood glucose (BG) measurement is currently not recommended in the treatment of patients presenting with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) or hyperglycemic hyperosmolar syndrome (HHS). Methods: We prospectively evaluated and compared capillary and venous POC BG values with laboratory venous glucose in patients with DKA or HHS admitted to one critical care unit over 8 months. Results: Venous laboratory glucose was strongly correlated with venous (r = 0.98) and capillary (r = 0.96) POC glucose values, though POC glucose values were higher than venous laboratory values (venous POC 21 ± 3 mg/dl, capillary POC 30 ± 4 mg/dl; both p < .001). Increased plasma osmolality had no effect on glucose meter error, while acidemia (pH < 7.3) was associated with greater glucose meter error (p = .04) independent of glucose levels. Comparing hypothetical insulin infusion rates based on laboratory venous glucose to actual infusion rates based on POC glucose values showed that 33/61 insulin infusion rates would have been unchanged, while 28 out of 61 rates were on average 7% ± 2% higher. There were no instances of hypoglycemia in any of the patients. Conclusions: Overall, both venous and capillary POC BG values were safe for the purpose of titrating insulin infusions in patients with severe hyperglycemia. Acidemia, but not hyperosmolality, increased POC BG value errors.
A Test of the Selection-Socialization Theory in Moral Reasoning of CPAs in Industry Practice

ABSTRACT: This paper investigates the Selection-Socialization Theory (SST) and its related Inverted-U Phenomenon (IUP) in the moral reasoning of Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) in industry and public practice. This is an extension of the literature that has primarily focused on CPAs in public practice and has reported mixed results. We do not find significant differences in moral reasoning (as measured by the P-score of the Defining Issues Test) between various professional ranks of practicing accountants. This result suggests an absence of SST or IUP in promotions of CPAs to higher ranks in industry or public practice. Investigation of control variables indicates that gender and ethical training do not have significant effects on the P-score. However, as expected, CPAs with graduate degrees have higher P-scores than those with only an undergraduate degree, and politically moderate or liberal CPAs score higher than conservatives.
The Fruits of Revolution: Property Rights, Litigation and French Agriculture, 1700–1860

Presents a study which attempted to evaluate the French Revolution by examining the political economy of drainage and irrigation. Reason for the lack of investment in agriculture prior to the revolution; Transaction costs involved with improving land; Empirical study of drainage in Normandy from 1700 to 1860.
Heeeere's Johnny: A Case Study in the Five Factor Model of Personality.

I describe an assignment for personality psychology or introduction to psychology classes in which students used the Five Factor Model of personality to analyze the personality of entertainer Johnn...
The Role of Pulmonary Artery Catheterization in the Management of Cardiothoracic Surgical Patients

Pulmonary artery catheterization (PAC) is a commonly used method for assessment of perfusion in critically ill patients, especially cardiothoracic surgical patients. A vast amount of clinical experience indicates that PAC provides clinicians with information about the cardiovas cular system that is otherwise not readily available at the bedside. This information is then used for the diagnosis of various hemodynamic abnormalities and subsequently to guide and judge the efficacy of thera peutic interventions. A number of small, but highly controlled, studies have suggested that outcome can be improved when data from PAC are used to guide therapy in a specific manner. Studies that have not defined specific treatment endpoints based on findings derived from PAC have failed to demonstrate outcome differences, especially when relatively small numbers of low-risk patients have been studied. A large number of other factors have precluded formal scientific validation of definitive outcome differences with PAC, and...
A Device for Assessment of Hand and Wrist Coronal Plane Strength

Diagnostic and rehabilitative assessments of hand function commonly omit measurement of twisting strength even though many activities of daily living require turning handles, lids, and objects of many sizes. A simple device to quantify twisting strength was designed and constructed to establish normative data and test hypotheses about hand function. The instrument is easy to use and includes an electronic torsional load cell and disks of several sizes. Tests were conducted on the dominant and nondominant hands of 64 normal subjects and 13 arthritic patients with arthritis of the thumb carpometacarpal joint. Hands were tested with disks ranging in diameter from 2.5 to 12.5 cm. A three-way repeated measures analysis showed that gender (p < 0.001), handedness (p < 0.001), and disk size (p < 0.001) had significant effects. There was no difference between radial and ulnar deviation strengths (p = 0.365). The arthritic group had significantly reduced strength (p < 0.02). Nine subjects were tested twice, with 1 day between tests: no differences occurred between the first and second testing (p = 0.930). The ability to distinguish the test groups with reproducible results proves that the device fulfills all basic requirements; continued testing and development are warranted.
Effect of Bt Corn Expressing the Cry3Bb1 Toxin on Western Corn Rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Biology

Abstract In Kansas, the western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is one of the most economically important pests of corn. Crop losses and control costs attributed to Diabrotica spp. reach $1 billion annually in the U.S. Recently, Bt corn hybrids resistant to western corn rootworm larval damage have been field-tested for rootworm control. This study evaluated the effect of a specific Bt corn (YieldGard Rootworm®) for corn rootworm control on larval survival. Elytra length, fecundity, percent egg hatch, and longevity of adult D. v. virgifera that survived exposure to Bt corn in the larval stage were also evaluated. Two groups of D. v. virgifera adults were assessed. One group had emerged from Bt and non-Bt corn roots; the other group was obtained from a colony with no larval exposure to Bt corn and fed Bt or non-Bt corn silk and ears. Bt corn significantly reduced the number of D. v. virgifera beetles emerging from corn roots. In general, Bt corn had no sign...
Advocacy for Child Welfare Reform

Child welfare system (CWS) in the United States commonly refers to services and institutions concerned with the physical, social, and psychological well-being of children (Child Welfare, 2012). The main goals of the CWS are to protect children who have been abused and/or neglected or who are at risk of being maltreated; to provide a stable, safe, and caring environment for them; and to support families that are under stress. The system is designed to provide an array of prevention and intervention services and oriented toward ameliorating conditions that put these families at risk (National Association of Social Workers, 2005). These services include screening and responding to reports of child abuse and neglect, maintaining children in out-of-home (foster) care, supporting families who experienced maltreatment, and preparing for and supporting adoption of children whose parents have lost their parental rights.
Effect of Combined Treatment with Ursolic Acid and Resveratrol on Skin Tumor Promotion by 12-O-Tetradecanoylphorbol-13-Acetate

In this study, the effects of combining ursolic acid + resveratrol, for possible combined inhibitory effects on skin tumor promotion, were evaluated. Ursolic acid, resveratrol, and the combination of ursolic acid + resveratrol were applied topically prior to 12-O-tetracanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) treatment on mouse skin to examine their effect on TPA-induced signaling pathways, epidermal hyperproliferation, skin inflammation, inflammatory gene expression, and skin tumor promotion. The combination of ursolic acid + resveratrol produced a greater inhibition of TPA-induced epidermal hyperproliferation. The combination of ursolic acid + resveratrol inhibited TPA-induced signaling pathways, including EGFR, STAT3, Src, Akt, Cox-2, Fas, NF-κB, p38 MAPK, c-Jun, and JNK1/2 while increasing levels of tumor suppressors, such as p21 and PDCD4, to a greater extent compared with the groups treated with the individual compounds. Ursolic acid + resveratrol also induced a dramatic increase of p-AMPK-α(Thr172). Combined treatment with ursolic acid + resveratrol resulted in a greater inhibition of expression of proinflammatory cytokines, including Il1a, Il1b, and Il22. Furthermore, NF-κB, Egr-1, and AP-1 DNA binding activities after TPA treatment were dramatically decreased by the combination of ursolic acid + resveratrol. Treatment with ursolic acid + resveratrol during skin tumor promotion with TPA produced greater inhibition of tumor multiplicity and tumor size than with either agent alone. Collectively, the greater ability of the combination of ursolic acid + resveratrol to inhibit skin tumor promotion was due to the greater inhibitory effects on growth factor and inflammatory signaling, skin inflammation, and epidermal hyperproliferation induced by TPA treatment.
Effects of Purified Dietary Fiber Sources on β-Carotene Utilization by the Chick

Effects of various purified dietary fiber components on AŸ-carotene utilization by the chick were investigated in two experiments (expt.). Eight-day-old Columbian x New Hampshire male (expt. 1) or female (expt. 2) chicks were fed a vitamin A-deficient diet for 1 wk and then fed /3-carotene-supplemented diets con taining 0% fiber, 7% arenaceous flour or 7% of a purified fiber source for 4 wk. Results of expt. 1 showed that hemicellulose, lignin and citrus pectin, but not arena ceous flour or polygalacturonic acid, depressed /3-carotene utilization by the chick, as measured by percentage of consumed 0-carotene stored in liver as vitamin A relative to the 0% fiber control. In expt. 2, effects of the methoxyl content of pectin were studied. High and medium methoxyl apple pectin, citrus pectin and polygalacturonic acid reduced storage of vitamin A in liver. Low methoxyl apple pectin had no signifi cant effect on 0-carotene utilization. Thus, several purified forms of dietary fiber sig nificantly reduced iS-carotene utilization by chicks when fed at the 7 % supplementary level. Moreover, with pectin, there was an inverse relationship between methoxyl con tent of pectin and iS-carotene utilization. J. Nutr. 116: 2415-2423, 1986.
mLearning and Individualized Learning

Proceedings of E-Learn 2009--World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education (pp. 1383-1388). Vancouver, Canada: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).
Poverty, affluence and the Socratic method: Parents' questions versus statements within collaborative problem-solving

Abstract Parents' rhetorical questions to preschoolers are ubiquitous within collaborative problem-solving, and central to Vygotskian pedagogy. This perspective privileges questions as a discourse structure, important for emergent metacognitive self-regulation. Few studies investigate effects of poverty on parents' collaborative talk, particularly frequency of questions relative to statements, or factors such as parenting-stress and children's language ability. Analyses of 25 parents' scaffolding language during a construction task revealed suppressed questioning among low-SES parents, and among only those High-SES parents reporting high parenting stress. Correlations controlling for child age and language ability revealed associations between parenting stress and less frequent questioning as a discourse style. Discussion focuses on the question of how exposure to rhetorical questions helps children internalize language as a thinking tool.
Phyllobius oblongus and Sciaphillus asperatus Associated with Sugar Maple Reproduction in Northern Michigan

The bionomics of 2 weevils, Phyllobius oblongus (L.) and Sciaphillus asperatus Bonsdorff (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) were studied in Michigan during 1972–74. P. oblongus adults were present from late May to about July 20. Adult abundance peaked during the 3rd week of June. Adults fed on 22 plant species, but primarily defoliated sugar and mountain maple, American elm, yellow birch, and black cherry. They laid eggs a few cm into the soil. The mean hatch was 24.2 days. The larvae fed on young rootlets of sugar maple and other host trees. Five larval instars occurred from late June until late fall. The insect overwintered as a mature larva and pupation occurred in early spring. The mean duration of the pupal stage was 17.7 days. Most twig scarring, resulting in terminal die-back and forking on small sugar maple trees, was caused by S. asperatus adults. Sugar maple was the primary host of S. asperatus . Dense adult populations were found in all study areas from late April until late September. Surveys of 6600 sugar maple terminal buds showed an average of 0.28 terminal buds per 100 stems per year damaged by weevil-like bud feeding. No conclusive causal agent was determined, but S. asperatus was the most probable suspect.
Propofol: A New Treatment in Intensive Care Unit Sedation

Intubated, mechanically ventilated adult patients often require continuous sedation to alleviate anxiety and stress. Treatment decisions must balance the appropriateness and results of therapy with cost/benefit analysis. Propofol is a new drug to the intensive care setting; previously, it was used as an anesthetic sedative in the operating room. Many staff nurses are not familiar with the use of propofol in intensive care. In this article, the author reviews current practical uses and benefits for patients.
Metabolic recruitment of spinal locomotion: intracellular neuromodulation by trace amines and their receptors

The trace amines (TAs) are a family of endogenous amines with structural, metabolic, physiological and pharmacological similarities to classical monoamine neurotransmitters. The TA family includes tyramine, octopamine, β-phenylethylamine (PEA), and tryptamine (Figure 1). Their presence has been well documented in all vertebrate and invertebrate species studied. Like the classical monoamines, the TAs are synthesized via enzymatic decarboxylation of the precursor aromatic amino acids phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan with aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC; also called DOPA decarboxylase). For decades, researchers have known that these amines are present in the brain. A large earlier literature asserted their role as endogenous neuromodulators of monoaminergic excitability and neurotransmission, challenging the more conventional view of the TAs as metabolic byproducts that interfere with classical monoamine modulatory functions (Berry, 2004).
Postoperative nursing of 25 patients with transfemoral domestic aortic valve implantation

Objective To summarize the postoperative nursing experience during transfemoral domestic aortic valve implantation in 25 patients with single serious aortic stenosis at Fuwai Hospital.Methods Retrospective analysis was performed in 25 patients with single serious aortic stenosis during transfemoral domestic aortic valve implantation from March 2012 to December 2013.Results Every patient had a good recovery after operation by aborative nursing.Conclusion It' s beneficial to the patients' postoperative recovery by improving nutritional support and preventing infection.Signs and symptoms in nervous,circulatory,respiratory and alimentary system occupy an significant position in postoperative nursing.
Response Surface Methodology for the Optimization of Extraction Process for Polyphenol Oxidase from Banana(Musa nana L.) Using Herbal Blitzkrieg Extractor

Response surface methodology was applied to optimize the extraction of polyphenol oxidase(PPO) from banana (Musa nana L.) pulp using a herbal blitzkrieg extractor system.One-factor-at-a-time method was used to investigate the effects of extraction buffer type,ionic strength and pH,solid-to-solvent ratio,extraction time,polyvinylpyrrolidone(PVPP) concentration,and polyethylene glycol octyl phenyl ether(Triton X-100) concentration at six different levels on the PPO specific activity of banana pulp extracts.Phosphoric acid-citric acid buffer was found to be the best solvent for the extraction of PPO.Extraction buffer pH,solid-to-solvent ratio,extraction time,and PVPP concentration were identified as main affecting parameters and optimized by response surface analysis based on a Box-Behnken experimental design were 5.58, 1.57:1,2.5 min and 1.13 g/100 mL,respectively.
Surface-Functionalized Nanoporous Carbons for Kinetically Stabilized Complex Hydrides through Lewis Acid–Lewis Base Chemistry

Complex metal hydrides are an attractive hydrogen storage option due to their high gravimetric hydrogen capacities, but the re/dehydriding reactions generally possess unfavorable thermodynamics and kinetics. Recent studies have attempted to alter these properties through confinement of complex hydrides in nanoporous substrates. For example, LiBH4 may be melt-infiltrated into a nanoporous carbon (LiBH4@NPC), where electron-withdrawing boron concomitantly incorporates into the substrate, facilitating the wetting of the pores with molten LiBH4. We present results of the surface functionality displayed by incorporation of electron-donating nitrogen into a nanoporous carbon. The presence of pyridinic nitrogen in the substrate, confirmed by XPS analysis, acts as a Lewis base. Our results indicate partial decomposition on melt-infiltration of LiBH4 may produce electron-accepting BH3 defects at the surface of the hydride forming a stabilizing capping layer. Isothermal hydrogen desorption measurements indicate an ...
High efficiency 20–400 MHz PWM converters using air-core inductors and monolithic power stages in a normally-off GaN process

This paper presents high efficiency de-de converters based on monolithic normally-off GaN half-bridge power stages with integrated gate drivers. A new gate driver circuitry is introduced, which enhances both the power stage efficiency and the converter overall efficiency. While using only n-type transistors in the GaN process, the proposed gate driver maintains low quiescent power consumption by emulating the complementary operation commonly employed in CMOS processes. Level shifting is accomplished using a bootstrap technique, with the bootstrap capacitor and the bootstrap diode integrated on the same chip. A family of monolithic GaN chips has been designed, targeting operation from up to 45 V, delivering up to 16 W of output power, and operating at 20–400 MHz switching frequencies. The GaN chips are verified in synchronous buck converters, demonstrating record peak power stage efficiencies of 95.0% at 20 MHz, 94.2% at 50 MHz, 93.2% at 100 MHz, 86.5% at 200 MHz, and 72.5% at 400 MHz.
Metabolic characterization of long-term successful pancreas transplants in type I diabetes

Background The encouraging results of the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial emphasize the need for improved methods of glycemic control to prevent the potentially devastating complications of Type I diabetes mellitus. However, current conventional approaches have failed to consistently achieve normal HbAlc levels and increase the risk of hypoglycemia. Pancreas transplantation is a consistently reliable method of achieving postoperative normal glucose levels, but no extensive assessment has been made of the long-term stability of its metabolic benefits. Methods To ascertain long-term stability of metabolic function of pancreas transplants in Type I diabetic patients, we studied fasting glucose levels, glucose disposal after intravenous glucose challenge, HbAlc levels, and pancreatic islet beta and alpha cell responsiveness in a series of 96 successfully transplanted recipients. Patients were studied cross-sectionally and, when possible, longitudinally for up to five years post-transplantation. Special emphasis was given to the longitudinal analysis to determine whether initial metabolic benefits maintain stability or undergo deterioration during the first five postoperative years. Results Pancreas transplantation was accompanied by normal or nearly normal fasting plasma glucose levels, intravenous glucose disappearance rates, and HbAlc levels. Beta cell function assessed by acute insulin responses and acute C-peptide responses to intravenous glucose injections revealed no deterioration in the magnitude of these responses. Analysis of acute insulin and C-peptide responses to intravenous arginine provided similar results. Alpha cell function, assessed by measuring acute glucagon responses to intravenous arginine, were significantly (p > .001) greater than preoperative responses and remained stable over the ensuing five-year period. In grafts that maintained function, none of these metabolic measures showed deterioration during the five-year postoperative period. Conclusions Successful pancreas transplantation provides pancreatic islet function that results in normal or near normal glycemic control for up to five years postoperatively in Type I diabetic recipients receiving no exogenous insulin or oral hypoglycemic agent therapy.
The EndometriumPathologic Principles and Pitfalls

•Context.-Endometrial tissue specimens are commonly encountered in daily practice. It is well known that a number of problematic diagnostic scenarios occur relative to these specimens. Objective.-To emphasize practical aspects of endometrial specimen handling and reporting, with selected comments on common diagnostic pitfalls, including (1) the diagnosis of endometrial intraepithelial carcinoma in atrophic endometrial biopsy specimens, (2) evaluation of adequacy of endometrial sampling specimens, (3) problems in diagnosing and measuring the depth of myometrial invasion in endometrial carcinoma, (4) the question of metastasis versus independent primaries in concurrent carcinomas of endometrium and one or both ovaries, (5) the problematic differential diagnoses between type 1 (primarily endometrioid) and type 2 (primarily serous) adenocarcinomas, and (6) atypical hyperplasia and proposed classification systems for its replacement. Data Sources.-Published literature, consensus statements, and personal experience. Conclusions.-A systematic approach to the handling and reporting of endometrial specimens reduces the potential for omission and error. Recognition of diagnostic pitfalls and practical approaches to their resolution help improve quality.
Response Time Characteristics of the Fast-2D Optical Array Probe Detector Board

AbstractTwo-dimensional optical array probes are commonly used for imaging raindrops and ice particles on research aircraft. The ability of these probes to accurately measure particle concentration and size partly depends on the response characteristics of the detection system. If the response characteristics are too slow, then small particles are less likely to be detected and the associated effective sample volume decreases. In an effort to better understand the sample volumes of optical array probes at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the temporal response of the Fast-2D optical array probe detector board from optical input on the detector to digitization was characterized. The analysis suggests that the board electronics have a response time constant consistently near 50 ns. However, there is also a slow decay term that conforms to a decay rate. The amplitude of this slow function can impact the probe response, varying the minimum detectable pulse width between 60 and 150 ns. Also, the am...
Airborne Precision Spacing: A Trajectory-Based Aprroach to Improve Terminal Area Operations

Airborne precision spacing has been developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) over the past seven years as an attempt to benefit from the capabilities of the flight deck to precisely space their aircraft relative to another aircraft. This development has leveraged decades of work on improving terminal area operations, especially the arrival phase. With APS operations, the air traffic controller instructs the participating aircraft to achieve an assigned inter-arrival spacing interval at the runway threshold, relative to another aircraft. The flight crew then uses airborne automation to manage the aircraft's speed to achieve the goal. The spacing tool is designed to keep the speed within acceptable operational limits, promote system-wide stability, and meet the assigned goal. This reallocation of tasks with the controller issuing strategic goals and the flight crew managing the tactical achievement of those goals has been shown to be feasible through simulation and flight test. A precision of plusmn2-3 seconds is generally achievable. Simulations of long strings of arriving traffic show no signs of instabilities or compression waves. Subject pilots have rated the workload to be similar to current-day operations and eye-tracking data substantiate this result. This paper will present a high-level review of research results over the past seven years from a variety of tests and experiments. The results will focus on the precision and accuracy achievable, flow stability and some major sources of uncertainty. The paper also includes a summary of the flight crew's procedures and interface and a brief concept overview
Linear ion-trap MSn with high-resolution MS reveals structural diversity of 1-O-acylceramide family in mouse epidermis.

1-O-acylceramide is a new class of epidermal cer­amide (Cer) found in humans and mice. Here, we report an ESI linear ion-trap (LIT) multiple-stage MS (MSn) approach with high resolution toward structural characterization of this lipid family isolated from mice. Molecular species desorbed as the [M + H]+ ions were subjected to LIT MS2 to yield predominately the [M + H − H2O]+ ions, followed by MS3 to cleave the 1-O-acyl residue to yield the [M + H − H2O − (1-O-FA)]+ ions. The structures of the N-acyl chain and long-chain base (LCB) of the molecule were determined by MS4 on [M + H − H2O − (1-O-FA)]+ ions that yielded multiple sets of specific ions. Using this approach, isomers varied in the 1-O-acyl (from 14:0- to 30:0-O-acyl) and N-acyl chains (from 14:0- to 34:1-N-acyl) with 18:1-sphingosine as the major LCB were found for the entire family. Minor isomers consisting of 16:1-, 17:1-, 18:2-, and 19:1-sphingosine LCBs with odd fatty acyl chain or with monounsaturated N- or O-fatty acyl substituents were also identified. An estimation of more than 700 1-O-acylceramide species, largely isobaric isomers, are present, underscoring the complexity of this Cer family.
The Magasanik Paradox

The journal Nature published a study of the 100 most cited scientific papers that provides food for thought to the working stiffs (I used to be one). First of all, I find it quite natural for any researcher to keep an eye on how often his or her work is cited. Other than a personal reaction from colleagues and friends, there is no better way to find out how well one’s paper is accepted beyond the confines of one’s own lab. And who would not want to know? So, the topic of frequency of citations touches most of us.
A Comparison of Models for Electric Generation Planning

A simple deterministic model for the optimum program of the generation expansion and operation of electric systems was tested against a sophisticated probabilistic model for 5-, 10-, and 25-yr time horizons and different levels of aggregation of plants in the sophisticated model. The results indicate that the sophisticated model, in its least aggregated form, is best suited for small system operation or short- and medium-term investment planning. The simple model proves very useful for large system operation or long-term investment planning.
Structural features of human inositol phosphate multikinase rationalize its inositol phosphate kinase and phosphoinositide 3-kinase activities.

Human inositol phosphate multikinase (HsIPMK) critically contributes to intracellular signaling through its inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate (Ins(1,4,5)P3) 3-kinase and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PtdIns(4,5)P2) 3-kinase activities. This catalytic profile is not conserved; orthologs from Arabidopsis thaliana and Saccharomyces cerevisiae are predominantly Ins(1,4,5)P3 6-kinases, and the plant enzyme cannot phosphorylate PtdIns(4,5)P2 Therefore, crystallographic analysis of the yeast and plant enzymes, without bound inositol phosphates, do not structurally rationalize HsIPMK activities. Here, we present 1.6-A resolution crystal structures of HsIPMK in complex with either Ins(1,4,5)P3 or PtdIns(4,5)P2 The Ins(1,4,5)P3 headgroup of PtdIns(4,5)P2 binds in precisely the same orientation as free Ins(1,4,5)P3 itself, indicative of evolutionary optimization of 3-kinase activities against both substrates. We report on nucleotide binding between the separate N- and C-lobes of HsIPMK. The N-lobe exhibits a remarkable degree of conservation with protein kinase A (root mean square deviation = 1.8 A), indicating common ancestry. We also describe structural features unique to HsIPMK. First, we observed a constrained, horseshoe-shaped substrate pocket, formed from an α-helix, a 310 helix, and a recently evolved tri-proline loop. We further found HsIPMK activities rely on a preponderance of Gln residues, in contrast to the larger Lys and Arg residues in yeast and plant orthologs. These conclusions are supported by analyzing 14 single-site HsIPMK mutants, some of which differentially affect 3-kinase and 6-kinase activities. Overall, we structurally rationalize phosphorylation of Ins(1,4,5)P3 and PtdIns(4,5)P2 by HsIPMK.