cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Building design and performance: A comparative longitudinal assessment of a Children's hospital

Abstract The aim of this study was to conduct a whole-building analysis using a host of metrics, including green building metrics, with the goal of providing designers and healthcare providers quantitative data that can be used in their design and operations decisions. The intent was to fill a gap in the research, which previously analyzed only individual rooms, specific design elements, and green building metrics. Therefore, a comparative longitudinal assessment was completed that quantified the effects of building design on performance of a pediatric healthcare facility by comparing a new, LEED-certified hospital relative to its previous, traditional counterpart. This study found statistically significant improvements in productivity, staff satisfaction, and quality of care, including a 19% decrease in actual mortalities despite an 11% increase in expected mortalities (both P = 0.005). Children's energy consumption and electricity per square meter decreased over 50%, while water and sewage intensity decreased over 60% (all P
Intrathoracic vacuum-assisted management of persistent and infected pleural spaces.

Purpose This study was designed to assess the use of the intrathoracic vacuum-assisted management of persistent and infected pleural spaces. Description Five patients with a persistent and infected pleural space after pulmonary resection underwent intrathoracic vacuum-assisted management to reduce the duration and frequency of dressing changes and to accelerate the formation of granulation tissue and the obliteration of the pleural space. Three patients also underwent a pleural space filling procedure. Evaluation Resolution of the infection or complete obliteration of the pleural space, or both, was in all patients achieved using fewer dressing changes than with traditional methods. No major complications related to the vacuum-assisted management were reported. Conclusions The use of intrathoracic vacuum-assisted management of a persistent and infected pleural space after lung resection may reduce the duration and frequency of dressing changes necessary to allow spontaneous chest closure or a space filling procedure. Its use may decrease patient discomfort and contribute to a faster resolution of the infectious process.
Early and late perioperative outcomes following radical cystectomy: 90-day readmissions, morbidity and mortality in a contemporary series

Purpose: Radical cystectomy remains associated with significant morbidity. Most series report outcomes with relatively short-term followup that may underestimate the true magnitude of the procedure and many report length of hospital stay but ignore readmission rates. We analyzed the predictors of early (30 days or less), late (31 to 90 days) and cumulative 90-day hospital readmissions, as well as morbidity and mortality rates.Materials and Methods: We reviewed our prospectively collected database of 753 patients who underwent radical cystectomy for urothelial cancer between January 2001 and December 2007. We examined the relationship between clinical variables and readmission rates during the early, late and 90-day postoperative period, and reviewed mortality and perioperative morbidity rates.Results: There were 200 (26.6%) patients readmitted in the first 90 days following radical cystectomy. Of these patients 148 (19.7%) were readmitted early, 81 (10.8%) were readmitted late, and 29 (3.9%) had an early ...
Rapid evaluation of buildings and infrastructure to accidental and deliberate aircraft impact

Abstract Recent events involving the impact of large transport aircraft such as the Boeing 767 and 757 into the World Trade Center Towers and the Pentagon have revealed the vulnerability of such structures to terrorist attack. Incidents involving smaller general aviation aircraft have shown the damage that this class of plane can do beyond a protected perimeter. These incidents have elicited inquiries with regard to the effects of impacts of these aircraft types into other critical facilities including aboveground and below ground storage facilities, nuclear power plants, damns and other military and civilian installations. A significant capability to evaluate these threats has been developed during the past 10 years. Small medium and large aircraft have been impacted into buried and aboveground reinforced concrete and light steel frame storage facilities. Both explicit aircraft models and Riera functions (a simplified aircraft impact loading function) have been used to generate an extensive data base. The effects of engines impacting have been studied separately as penetrators. Illustrated in this paper is validation of computational tools for impacts into structures and the initial development of a generalized evaluation tool for rapid evaluation of threats and consequence of aircraft impact into protected facilities.
Leptospirosis in Northern Elephant Seals (Mirounga angustirostris) Stranded along the California Coast

Leptospirosis was identified in six northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) that were stranded in 1995 along the coast of California (USA). Histologic lesions in all seals included tubulointerstitial nephritis with tubular degeneration and necrosis. Infection was confirmed through identification of spirochetes using an immunohistochemical stain for Leptospira sp. antigens. One affected seal had an elevated titer to Leptospira interrogans serovar pomona. Four of the six seals developed leptospirosis during rehabilitation, and two seals had evidence of exposure in the wild. Potential sources of infection during rehabilitation include other elephant seals, California sea lions (Zalophus californianus), Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardsii), or free-ranging wildlife. These results indicate that northern elephant seals are susceptible to leptospirosis and can develop disease both in the natural environment and in a rehabilitation setting.
Privacy-preserving data exploration in genome-wide association studies

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have become a popular method for analyzing sets of DNA sequences in order to discover the genetic basis of disease. Unfortunately, statistics published as the result of GWAS can be used to identify individuals participating in the study. To prevent privacy breaches, even previously published results have been removed from public databases, impeding researchers' access to the data and hindering collaborative research. Existing techniques for privacy-preserving GWAS focus on answering specific questions, such as correlations between a given pair of SNPs (DNA sequence variations). This does not fit the typical GWAS process, where the analyst may not know in advance which SNPs to consider and which statistical tests to use, how many SNPs are significant for a given dataset, etc. We present a set of practical, privacy-preserving data mining algorithms for GWAS datasets. Our framework supports exploratory data analysis, where the analyst does not know a priori how many and which SNPs to consider. We develop privacy-preserving algorithms for computing the number and location of SNPs that are significantly associated with the disease, the significance of any statistical test between a given SNP and the disease, any measure of correlation between SNPs, and the block structure of correlations. We evaluate our algorithms on real-world datasets and demonstrate that they produce significantly more accurate results than prior techniques while guaranteeing differential privacy.
Water balance in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell system

Polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) systems operating on carbonaceous fuels require water for fuel processing. Such systems can find wider applications if they do not require a supply of water in addition to the supply of fuel, that is, if they can be self-sustaining based on the water produced at the fuel cell stack. This paper considers a generic PEFC system and identifies the parameters that affect, and the extent of their contribution to, the net water balance in the system. These parameters include the steam-to-carbon and the oxygen-to-carbon ratios in the fuel processor, the electrochemical fuel and oxygen utilizations in the fuel cell stack, the ambient pressure and temperature, and the composition of the fuel used. The analysis shows that the amount of water lost from the system as water vapor in the exhaust is very sensitive to the system pressure and ambient temperature, while the amount of water produced in the system is a function of the composition of the fuel. Fuels with a high H/C (hydrogen to carbon atomic ratio) allow the system to be operated as a net water producer under a wider range of operating conditions.
On describing color and shape information in images

With more and more audio-visual information being available over the Web, the problem of multi-media indexing, i.e. efficient ways of searching and locating multimedia data in response to queries, has become increasingly important. Efficient content-based access, however, needs a good description and representation of multimedia information. In this paper, we present descriptors for color and shape information in images that we proposed for MPEG-7. In particular, we describe two ways of capturing color content in images called Color Histogram and Region Color. These descriptors are suitable for a wide variety of applications requiring image-to-image matching and object-to-image matching. We also present descriptors for capturing shape information on objects and within images called affine structure and location hash tree. These shape descriptors enable a pose-invariant localization and recognition of 2d patterns. The utility of color and shape descriptors is demonstrated through experiments on the MPEG-7 dataset.
Design of peptidyl compounds that affect β-amyloid aggregation : Importance of surface tension and context

Self-association of beta-amyloid (Abeta) peptide into cross-beta-sheet fibrils induces cellular toxicity in vitro and is linked with progression of Alzheimer's disease. Previously, we demonstrated that hybrid peptides, containing a recognition domain that binds to Abeta and a disrupting domain consisting of a chain of charged amino acids, inhibited Abeta-associated toxicity in vitro and increased the rate of Abeta aggregation. In this work we examine the design parameter space of the disrupting domain. Using KLVFFKKKKKK as a base case, we tested hybrid compounds with a branched rather than linear lysine oligomer, with l-lysine replaced by d-lysine, and with lysine replaced by diaminopropionic acid. We synthesized a compound with a novel anionic disrupting domain that contained cysteine thiols oxidized to sulfates, as well as other compounds in which alkyl or ether chains were appended to KLVFF. In all cases, the hybrid compound's ability to increase solvent surface tension was the strongest predictor of its effect on Abeta aggregation kinetics. Finally, we investigated the effects of arginine on Abeta aggregation. Arginine is a well-known chaotrope but increases surface tension of water. Arginine modestly decreased Abeta aggregation. In contrast, RRRRRR slightly, and KLVFFRRRRRR greatly, increased Abeta aggregation. Thus, the influence of arginine on Abeta aggregation depends strongly on the context in which it is presented. The effect of arginine, RRRRRR, and KLVFFRRRRRR on Abeta aggregation was examined in detail using laser light scattering, circular dichroism spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thioflavin T fluorescence, and transmission electron microscopy.
Cation-exchange high-performance liquid chromatographic assay of piperazine in some pharmaceutical formulations

Abstract An assay method for the quality control of piperazine in some formulations was developed utilizing cation-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography. A sample solution, containing 1-phenylpropanolamine-HCl as internal standard, was chromatographed on a 250 × 4.6 mm I.D. Ultrasil CX column with an aqueous mobile phase containing 0.07 M KH 2 PO 4 (pH 3.0)-triethylamine (100:0.01), and differential refractive index detection. Piperazine and 1-phenylpropanolamine-HCl eluted at about 4.9 and 6.4 min, respectively, with a resolution of 2.1. Piperazine/internal standard peak area ratio was linear over 4–477 μg of piperazine dihydrochloride monohydrate injected ( r = 0.9994). The limit of quantitation was 5.3 μg of piperazine dihydrochloride monohydrate injected. Recovery studies covering a range of ± 33% of label amount of piperazine in commercial formulations gave an overall recovery (± S.D., n = 6) of 100.2 ± 0.8% from spiked tablet placebos, and 100.3 ± 1.0% from spiked syrup placebos. The method was tested to be rugged based on Youden and Steiner's experimental design. The assay results of commercial formulations were higher than those obtained by the USP method. Stability tests indicated that degradation products of piperazine, formed upon hydrogen peroxide treatment, did not interfere with the piperazine peak, whereas piperazine dihydrochloride aqueous solutions were fairly stable in acid, base, and exposure to short-wavelength UV light.
Lymphocyte and macrophage adenyl cyclase activity in animais with enhanced cell-mediated resistance to infection and tumors

Abstract As cyclic AMP has been associated with the inhibition of lymphocyte cytotoxicity, studies were performed to investigate adenyl cyclase activity in lymphocytes and macrophages of Toxoplasma-infected mice in which the efferent limb of the cell-mediated immune response had previously been found to be activated. In peritoneal or splenic lymphocytes from Balb c mice chronically infected with Toxoplasma in which growth of an isogeneic bladder tumor was found to be inhibited, adenyl cyclase activity was significantly less than in lymphocytes from uninfected control mice. Stimulation by prostaglandin E1 or NaF in vitro led to higher levels of adenyl cyclase activity in lymphocytes from unifected animals than in cells from Toxoplasma-infected animals. Similar observations were made with peritoneal macrophages from Toxoplasma-infected and uninfected mice. Lower levels of adenyl cyclase activity were also found in lymphocytes from tumor-bearing mice than in lymphocytes from nontumor-bearing controls. These data suggest that production of cyclic AMP by lymphocytes is inhibited with activation of certain cell-mediated immune functions.
Abnormal Mucous Cell Phenotype Induced by Neutrophil Elastase in Hamster Bronchi

Bronchial mucous cell metaplasia (MCM) is a histologic component of chronic mucus hypersecretion. The hamster model of elastase-induced MCM appears to involve an irreversible conversion of Clara cells to mucous cells. The present study questioned whether the mucous cells seen in hamster bronchi exposed to neutrophil elastase produce and maintain a form of glycoconjugate secretory product different from that normally found in mucous cells or Clara cells. Ultrastructural cytochemistry using the gold-labeled lectin HPA revealed a difference in the cell surface and stored secretory granules of elastase-derived mucous cells compared to normal mucous cells and Clara cells at 3 weeks and 4 months following exposure. The results suggest that elastase irreversibly alters the glycoconjugate character of the Clara cells normally present so that they produce an abnormal form of mucus. Because secreted glycoconjugates can affect the rate of mucociliary clearance and receptor-mediated binding of microorganisms, this ch...
Photokeratometric and photorefractive measurements of astigmatism in infants and young children

We have measured corneal and total astigmatism on 161 eyes of 90 normal infants and young children aged 2 months to 5 years using the techniques of photorefraction and photokeratometry. Both the mean corneal and mean total astigmatism were found to decrease with increasing age. We found large and significant correlations between corneal and total astigmatism in the 0-1, 1-2 and 2-3 year-old infants and children. Previous studies have shown that photorefractive measurements of astigmatism compare well with retinoscopic measurements of the same infants. As part of this study we measured the corneal astigmatism of 19 adults (38 eyes) by photokeratometry and with a clinical keratometer and found that the two measures were well correlated (r = 0.820). We conclude that the major component of total astigmatism seen in uncyclopleged infants of ages 0-3 years is corneal in nature.
Retzius' cells from segmental ganglia of four species of leeches: Comparative neuronal geometry

Abstract 1. 1. Iontophoretic injection of procion yellow into Retzius' cells of four leeches ( Haemopis, Hirudo, Macrobdella and Placobdella ) demonstrates that their neuronal geometries are similar. 2. 2. Each neuron invariably sends axons out the anterior and posterior lateral roots, has processes extending into the neuropile and is electrically coupled to its contralateral partner.
Reversal of the energy metabolism responses to endurance training by weight loading.

Summary.-6 university team distance runners were randomly placed into experimental and control groups to determine the effect of progressive overloading with weights upon selected training responses. Both groups received identical training for 8 wk. with the exception that three days each week the experimental Ss wore weighted wristlets, anklets, and belts. Pre- and posttest energy metabolism measures were taken during and following both a low-intensity 15-min. run (9.7 km/hr, 0% grade) and a high-intensity run to exhaustion (16.1 km/hr, 9% grade). The energy metabolism responses to endurance training were significantly reversed by the progressive overloading with weights. The energy cost of the low-intensity run was increased and an unexpected shift toward greater anaerobic metabolism was observed.
Excitation functions and angular distributions for the reaction C12(He3, n)O14

Excitation functions at 0 deg and 90 deg and the total yield from the reaction /sup 12/C(/sup 3/He,n/sub 0/)/sup 14/O were measured for /sup 3/He bombarding energies from 1.8 to 5.5 Mev. Angular distributions were measured at 1.87, 2.33. 2.66, 2.87, 3.11, 3.93, 4.49, 4.75, and 5.19 Mev. The excitation curves and the total yield show considerable resonance structure. The angular distributions vary from isotropic to backward peaking at low energy and above 4 Mev bombarding energy are peaked in the forward direction. (auth)
National Pathways for Suicide Prevention and Health Services Research

Context In 2012, the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention's Research Prioritization Task Force (RPTF) released a series of Aspirational Goals (AGs) to decrease suicide deaths and attempts. The RPTF asked experts to summarize what was known about particular AGs and to propose research pathways that would help reach them. This manuscript describes what is known about the benefits of access to health care (AG8) and continuity of care (AG9) for individuals at risk for suicide. Research pathways are proposed to address limitations in current knowledge, particularly in U.S. healthcare-based research. Evidence acquisition Using a three-step process, the expert panel reviewed available literature from electronic databases. For two AGs, the experts summarized the current state of knowledge, determined breakthroughs needed to advance the field, and developed a series of research pathways to achieve prevention goals. Evidence synthesis Several components of healthcare provision have been found to be associated with reduced suicide ideation, and in some cases they mitigated suicide deaths. Randomized trials are needed to provide more definitive evidence. Breakthroughs that support more comprehensive patient data collection (e.g., real-time surveillance, death record linkage, and patient registries) would facilitate the steps needed to establish research infrastructure so that various interventions could be tested efficiently within various systems of care. Short-term research should examine strategies within the current healthcare systems, and long-term research should investigate models that redesign the health system to prioritize suicide prevention. Conclusions Evidence exists to support optimism regarding future suicide prevention, but knowledge is limited. Future research is needed on U.S. healthcare services and system enhancements to determine which of these approaches can provide empirical evidence for reducing suicide.
Glass transition and relaxation behavior of epoxy nanocomposites

With advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology, there is increasing interest in polymer nanocomposites, both in scientific research and for engineering applications. Because of the small size of nanoparticles, the polymer–filler interface property becomes a dominant factor in determining the macroscopic material properties of the nanocomposites. The glass-transition behaviors of several epoxy nanocomposites have been investigated with modulated differential scanning calorimetry. The effect of the filler size, filler loading, and dispersion conditions of the nanofillers on the glass-transition temperature (Tg) have been studied. In comparison with their counterparts with micrometer-sized fillers, the nanocomposites show a Tg depression. For the determination of the reason for the Tg depression, the thermomechanical and dielectric relaxation processes of the silica nanocomposites have been investigated with dynamic mechanical analysis and dielectric analysis. The Tg depression is related to the enhanced polymer dynamics due to the extra free volume at the resin–filler interface. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 3849–3858, 2004
Fungal symbiosis from mutualism to parasitism: who controls the outcome, host or invader?

Summary • Plant symbiotic fungi are generally thought to express a single lifestyle that might increase (mutualism), decrease (parasitism), or have no influence (commensalism) on host fitness. However, data are presented here demonstrating that plant pathogenic Colletotrichum species are able to asymptomatically colonize plants and express nonpathogenic lifestyles. • Experiments were conducted in growth chambers and plant colonization was assessed by emergence of fungi from surface sterilized plant tissues. Expression of symbiotic lifestyles was assessed by monitoring the ability of fungi to confer disease resistance, drought tolerance and growth enhancement. • Several pathogenic Colletotrichum species expressed either mutualistic or commensal lifestyles in plants not known to be hosts. Mutualists conferred disease resistance, drought tolerance, and/or growth enhancement to host plants. Lifestylealtered mutants expressing nonpathogenic lifestyles had greater host ranges than the parental wildtype isolate. Successive colonization studies indicated that the ability of a symbiont to colonize a plant was dependent on previous colonization events and the lifestyles expressed by the initial colonizing fungus. • The results indicate that the outcome of symbiosis is controlled by the plant’s physiology.
Presumed rupture of a conus medullaris dermoid cyst with cervical intramedullary fat and lipomatous infiltration of the cauda equina. Case illustration.

J. Neurosurg: Spine / Volume 5 / August, 2006 Spinal dermoid cysts result from a congenital or acquired inclusion of ectodermic and mesodermic embryonic rests. They can be intramedullary, intradural extramedullary, or extradural lesions. Ruptured dermoid cysts of the lumbar spine in patients without spinal dysraphism are very rare. This 35-year-old man presented with ascending left-foot numbness after golfing. A T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging sequence revealed an intramedullary lesion extending from T12 to L-1 and a C1–7 enhancing lesion (Figs. 1 and 2). A syrinx extended to T-11 and subarachnoid fat droplets were present (Fig. 1). Examination of computed tomography findings ruled out the diagnosis of spinal dysraphism. A combined L-1 laminectomy and cordotomy was performed. Pathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of a dermoid cyst. In addition, an intradural extramedullary lipomatous mass involving the cauda equina was found intraoperatively, consistent with a terminal filum lipoma. The patient’s symptoms resolved postoperatively, and MR images at 1 year are unchanged. Symptomatic lumbar spinal dermoid cysts can present as syndromes of the conus medullaris, cauda equina, or as radicular pain. Their rupture can be spontaneous, posttraumatic, or occur following surgery and can cause meningitis, seizures, hydrocephalus, and transient ischemic attacks. Fat droplets have been found in asymptomatic ruptured dermoid cysts located in the central canal in three cases1,2 and in the central cord in one case.2 The intramedullary migration of fat droplets is unexplained and the possible presence of a multifocal dermoid cyst cannot be excluded. A combination of a lipoma and a teratoma of the conus medullaris has been reported4 as well as a dermoid cyst with an intramedullary lipoma.3 In the present case the patient probably had a dermoid cyst with a terminal filum lipoma, which was not visible on MR images. Surgeons should be aware of these combinations because they can affect the surgical plan.
Ethics and species integrity.

(2003). Ethics and Species Integrity. The American Journal of Bioethics: Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 15-17.
Formin homology 2 domain containing 3 variants associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Background— Incomplete penetrance and variable expression of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is well appreciated. Common genetic polymorphisms variants that may affect HCM penetrance and expression have been predicted but are not well established. Methods and Results— We performed a case-control genomewide association study to identify common HCM-associated genetic polymorphisms and then asked whether such common variants were more represented in HCM or could explain the heterogeneity of HCM phenotypes. We identified an intronic FHOD3 variant (rs516514) associated with HCM (odds ratio, 2.45; 95% confidence interval, 1.76–3.41; P =1.25×10 −7 ) and validated this finding in an independent cohort. Next, we tested FHOD3-V1151I (rs2303510), a nonsynonymous variant in partial linkage disequilibrium with rs516514, and we detected an even stronger association with HCM ( P =1.76×10 −9 ). Although HCM patients were more likely to carry these, FHOD3 allele subjects homozygous for FHOD3-1151I had similar HCM phenotypes as carriers of the V1151 allele. FHOD3 expression is increased in the setting of HCM, and both alleles of FHOD3-V1151I were detected in HCM myectomy tissue. Previously, FHOD3 was found to be required for formation of the sarcomere, and here we demonstrate that its fly homolog fhos is required for normal adult heart systolic contraction. Conclusions— Here we demonstrate the association of a common nonsynonymous FHOD3 genetic variant with HCM. This discovery further strengthens the potential role of gene mutations and polymorphisms that alter the amino acid sequence of sarcomere proteins and HCM.
An unconditionally stable three level finite difference scheme for solving parabolic two‐step micro heat transport equations in a three‐dimensional double‐layered thin film

Heat transport at the microscale is of vital importance in microtechnology applications. The heat transport equations are parabolic two-step equations, which are different from the traditional heat diffusion equation. Inthis study, we develop a three-level finite difference scheme for solving the micro heat transport equations in a three-dimensional double-layered thin film. It is shown by the discrete energy method that the scheme is unconditionally stable. Numerical results for thermal analysis of a gold layer on a chromium padding layer are obtained.
Point symmetry of convex digital regions

The authors define point symmetry for convex digital regions. They restrict their attention to convex digital regions that are N-connected. An efficient algorithm is presented to determine the points of symmetry of such regions by eliminating portions of a feasible region. If a convex digital region is not N-connected, the main result still applies and algorithm can still be used after modifications. However, point symmetry for convex digital regions that are not N-connected may not be meaningful. >
The effects of hunger on locomotory behaviour in two species of wolf spider (Araneae, Lycosidae)

We compared the influence of recent feeding history on locomotory behaviour in two species of wolf spiders, Hogna helluo (Walckenaer) and Pardosa milvina Hentz, in the laboratory. Both species are cursorial hunters. We maintained the spiders in the laboratory on satiation and stringent feeding regimes and measured their locomotory activity levels for 1 h using a digital activity recording device. We subjected H. helluo to either ad libitum feeding for 14 days or no food for 14 days. We subjected P. milvina to ad libitum feeding or fasting treatments for 7 and 14 days. We found that H. helluo showed a shift in locomotory activity depending on feeding regime, whereas P. milvina did not. Food-limited H. helluo travelled further than satiated H. helluo, and did so by moving more frequently. Pardosa milvina was in general much more active than H. helluo. We propose that P. milvina is an active forager compared with the sit-and-wait strategy of H. helluo. This difference in foraging strategy is correlated with differences in body size and habitat use.
Seven Populations of the Southern Kidneyshell (Ptychobranchus jonesi) Discovered in the Choctawhatchee River Basin, Alabama

Abstract Ptychobranchus jonesi (Southern Kidneyshell) is one of the most imperiled freshwater mussels in North America. It is endemic to eastern Gulf of Mexico drainages from the Escambia to the Choctawhatchee River basins. Numerous recent surveys considered it restricted to a single population in the West Fork Choctawhatchee River in southeastern Alabama. We conducted comprehensive (9–15 hr per site) mussel searches in three high-quality reaches of the Pea River, a Choctawhatchee River tributary, to assess microhabitat associations for the Southern Kidneyshell. Habitat features were later used to identify subsequent search localities. We found undetected Southern Kidneyshell populations at a total of seven localities in the Choctawhatchee River Basin, AL. Although widely-distributed, the Southern Kidneyshell is extremely rare (n = 13) and comprised <0.3% of all mussels encountered. Prior surveys may have underestimated the distribution of the Southern Kidneyshell because they were broadly focused and thu...
Mercury-cadmium-telluride focal plane array performance under non-standard operating conditions

This paper highlights a new technique that allows the Teledyne Scientific & Imaging LLC TCM6604A Mercury-Cadmium-Telluride (MCT) Focal Plane Array (FPA) to operate at room temperature. 12 The Teledyne MCT FPA has been a standard in Imaging Spectroscopy since its creation in the 1980's. This FPA has been used in applications ranging from space instruments such as CRISM, M3 and ARTEMIS to airborne instruments such as MaRS and the Next Generation AVIRIS Instruments1. The substrate removed MCT FPA has particular advantages in Imaging Spectrometer applications. This approach was pioneered by DARPA/NVESD NIRFPA program.2 Precise focal plane alignment is always a challenge for such instruments. The current FPA alignment process results in multiple cold cycles requiring week-long durations, thereby increasing the risk and cost of a project. These alignment cycles are necessary because optimal alignment is approached incrementally and can only be measured with the FPA and Optics at standard operating conditions, requiring a cold instrument. Instruments using this FPA are normally cooled to temperatures below 150K for the MCT FPA to properly function. When the FPA is run at higher temperatures the dark current increases saturating the output. This paper covers the prospect of warm MCT FPA operation from a theoretical and experimental perspective. We discuss the empirical models and physical laws that govern MCT material properties and predict the optimal settings that will result in the best MCT FPA performance at 300K. Theoretical results are then calculated for the proposed settings. We finally present the images and data obtained using the actual system with the warm MCT FPA settings. The paper concludes by emphasizing the strong positive correlation between the measured values and the theoretical results.
Dialectical Reason and Necessary Conflict—Understanding and the Nature of Terror

Taking as point of departure Hegelrsquo;s early reflections on his historical present, this essay examines the relationship between dialectical reason and the activity of the understanding in generating contradiction. Dialecticmdash;as logic and methodmdash;is Hegelrsquo;s attempt at a philosophical comprehension of the conflicts and the deep changes of his contemporary world. This idea of dialectic as logic of historical transformation guides the development of consciousness in the emPhenomenology of Spirit/em. Since my claim is that the dialectic of consciousness and its capacity of overcoming contradiction are rooted in the historical situation of 1807, the question is raised of what would be the specific problems encountered by consciousness in our contemporary worldmdash;in 2007. What are the challenges posed by our globalized world to a phenomenology of contemporary spirit; and what is the role that contradiction and dialectic play in the understanding of our own historical present?
Modeling of losses in switched reluctance machines

Switched reluctance motor (SRM) performance prediction requires the modeling of iron losses. The iron loss model in this paper separates the iron losses into two components, eddy-current and hysteresis losses, and models the losses as a function of the derivative of flux density. The model is suitable for the nonsinusoidal flux densities in the SRM and predicts the iron losses as a function of time. The model is general and can be applied to any electromagnetic device with known geometry and material property. The equations of iron loss are verified and validated through experiments with two simple geometries (a transformer and a toroid) and two SRMs.
Effects of Extrinsic Conditions on Measurement of Sensation Seeking

The effects of experimentally induced changes in levels of arousal on a measure of arousal (sensation-seeking) were studied. Different levels of arousal were induced in three groups of 40 subjects, then the Sensation Seeking Scale was administered to each group. Total arousal score and several subscores were significantly affected by the experimental conditions. Although individual differences in arousal levels measured by the scale are postulated to be relatively enduring, situational functions must be taken into consideration in the interpretation of test scores.
DETERMINATION OF ETHYLENEDIAMINETETRAACETIC ACID AS THE NICKEL CHELATE IN ENVIRONMENTAL WATER BY SOLID-PHASE EXTRACTION AND CAPILLARY ELECTROPHORESIS/ TANDEM MASS SPECTROMETRY

An automated extraction procedure using solid-phase extraction (SPE) disk technology was developed for the qualitative and quantitative determination of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) in water samples. The procedure involves conversion of all free and chelated EDTA present into the nickel EDTA chelate followed by extraction on strong anion exchange extraction disks, A 5 mL water sample is extracted and concentrated to 30 microL. This extract is then analyzed by capillary electrophoresis (CE) using ion spray-tandem mass spectrometry (MS) for selective detection. An amine-coated capillary column is used to separate anions using negative voltage and high electroosmotic flow. A self-aligning liquid junction is used as the CE/MS interface. The sample is injected using field amplification for enhanced concentration detection limits down to 0.15 microgram/L. This detection limit is about five times lower than any report we have found in the literature and provides the unique specificity afforded by mass spectrometry. Total sample preparation and run time was forty minutes per sample, including evaporation steps and capillary rinsing between runs. A tray of 24 vials, including samples and standards, was analyzed for these experiments and was easily finished within one day. These experiments demonstrate that CE/MS can be a rugged, quantitative technique, which, with proper sample preparation and focusing techniques, can compete with the concentration sensitivity of established analytical methods.
The Effect of Active Versus Passive Training Strategies on Improving Older Drivers’ Scanning in Intersections

Objective: This study aimed (a) to determine whether older drivers looked less often for potential threats while turning than younger drivers and (b) to compare the effectiveness of active and passive training on older drivers’ performance and evaluation of their driving skills in intersections. Background: Age-related declines in vision, physical abilities, psychomotor coordination, and cognition combine to make it less likely that older drivers will look for potential threats during a turn. Research suggests that active training should be an effective means of improving older drivers’ performance and self-awareness. Method: In Experiment 1, younger and older participants drove a series of virtual intersection scenarios, were shown video replays, and were provided feedback. In Experiment 2, older drivers were assigned to one of three cohorts: active simulator training, passive classroom training, or no training. Pre- and posttraining simulator and field drives assessed training effectiveness. Results: In Experiment 1, older drivers looked less often during turns than younger drivers. Customized feedback was successful in altering drivers’ perception of their abilities. In Experiment 2, active training increased a driver’s probability of looking for a threat during a turn by nearly 100% in both posttraining simulator and field drives. Those receiving passive training or no training showed no improvement. Conclusion: Compared with passive training, active training is a more effective strategy for increasing older drivers’ likelihood of looking for threats during a turn. Application: The results of this research can guide the development of programs that could reduce intersection crashes among older drivers.
Evolutionary learning for improving performance of robot navigation

This paper presents the application of evolutionary learning techniques for improving performance of robot navigation. The goal is to build an intelligent control algorithm that drives the robot in an unknown environment at the maximum allowable speed, while avoiding obstacles and keeping its rate of turns to a minimum. The robot controller is based on an artificial neural network that takes inputs from range sensors and produces outputs to control the drive motors. The ANN is evolved using a simple genetic algorithm. Two different evolutionary learning approaches are evaluated. In the first approach synaptic weights of the network are evolved, while in the second one the adaptation rules of the synapses are evolved. At the end of the evolutionary processes, both solutions resulted in best performing controllers, that can avoid collisions while maximizing linear speed and minimizing turning.
MKS: A multisensor kernel system

The MKS is presented as a means for multisensor integration and data acquisition. The system has been developed in the context of a robot workstation equipped with various types of sensors utilizing three-dimensional laser range finder data and two-dimensional camera data. Specific goals that have been achieved include: developing a suitable low-level representation on raw data and/or features extracted from the raw data of the various sensors; providing a method for efficient reconfiguration of the sensor system in terms of `logical' sensors which map into physical sensors and computation; and providing a basis for high-level object modeling techniques.
Automatic adaptive limit and level management of arrhythmia alarms

Automatic adaptive alarm limit and level management logic, to reduce workflow for electrocardiographic monitoring devices, is described. Performance and functional requirements for alarm limit and level adaptation logic are developed. The design for a single patient processing unit of adaptive alarm management logic for a single alarm, a collection of concurrent and asynchronous Timed Input/Output Automata, is presented. Performance results are provided on a data set consisting of 158 alarm records, roughly approximating a month's admissions in an Intensive Care Unit at a large hospital.
Incentives for Retailer Forecasting: Rebates Versus Returns

This paper studies a manufacturer that sells to a newsvendor retailer who can improve the quality of her demand information by exerting costly forecasting effort. In such a setting, contracts play two roles: providing incentives to influence the retailer's forecasting decision, and eliciting information obtained by forecasting to inform production decisions. We focus on two forms of contracts that are widely used in such settings and are mirror images of one another: a rebates contract which compensates the retailer for the units she sells to end consumers, and a returns contract which compensates the retailer for the units that are unsold. We characterize the optimal rebates contracts and returns contracts. Under rebates, the retailer, manufacturer and total system may benefit from the retailer having inferior forecasting technology; this never occurs under returns. We show that the manufacturer is better off offering returns, and, in fact, returns contracts are optimal among all contracts.
Young Women's Dating Behavior: Why/Why Not Date a Nice Guy?

The purpose of this study was to investigate why some women report a desire to date nice guys but prefer dating jerks. Specifically, young women’s dating choices based on their reasons for dating in general and the attractive/unattractive traits that they perceive that a man possesses were explored. Popular texts offer evidence that young women may/may not select nice guys as dating partners because nice guys may/may not be able to provide them with what they want from their dating experiences. Scholarly texts offer evidence that the answer may lie in how the young woman perceives the nice guy—does he possess attractive or unattractive personality traits? The results of the present study suggest that reasons for dating (i.e., not wanting physical contact, wanting stimulating conversation, and wanting an exclusive relationship) and perceived personality traits (i.e., sweet/nice and physically attractive) influence a young woman’s desire to date a nice guy, and that perceived personality traits are better predictors of her choice of a man to date than are reasons for dating.
Vagal influence during worry and cognitive challenge

Abstract The primary foci of the study were exploration of the linkage between cognitive and autonomic inflexibility of worry and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and examination of the effects of an analog cognitive restructuring task on this relationship. Cardiac responses of GAD and non-GAD participants were measured to examine the sympathetic and parasympathetic effects of worry and cognitive challenge. Diagnostic groups of undergraduate students were determined via administration of a structured interview, yielding a GAD group (n=16) and a control group (n=19) of individuals without GAD, depression, or panic disorder diagnoses. Cardiac autonomic responses were acquired via electrocardiogram during rest, worry, and cognitive challenge conditions by an experimenter blind to diagnosis. Metrics were compared between the two groups and across the three conditions. Individuals diagnosed with GAD did not differ significantly from controls on autonomic indices. Worry was associated with significantly decre...
Results of Pulmonary Resection: Colorectal Carcinoma

Whether pulmonary metastasectomy improves survival in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer is controversial. Wedge resection is the most common form of surgical intervention. When anatomic resection is required, segmentectomy may be preferable to lobectomy for preservation of lung parenchyma. Each intervention to remove metastatic pulmonary parenchymal disease should consider future disease recurrence. Nonoperative modalities, such as radiofrequency ablation, cryoablation, and microwave ablation, are becoming more popular regarding parenchymal preservation. The future may embrace complex risk-profile analysis including molecular markers, nomograms to predict survival, and hybrid treatment approaches. Minimally invasive surgical techniques are used with increased frequency, making reoperative metastasectomy less tedious.
Convex Duality and Generalized Solutions in Optimal Control Problem for Stopped Processes

The approach consists of imbedding the original control problem tightly in a convex mathematical programming problem on the space of measures and then solving the latter problem by duality in convex analysis. The dual to the control problem is to find the supremum of all smooth subsolutions to the Bellman equation. Because of the effect of stops at the boundary of the domain, a different formulation of strong and weak problems will be adopted to make use of the convex duality method. The results about the decomposition of weak measures provide a clear intepretation for such a effect in the weak formualtion of our control problem.
Response: Some Confusions about Critical Intelligence: A Response to Russell T. McCutcheon

Ces trois articles sont deux 'reponses', respectivement de P. Griffiths et de June O'Connor a l'article de T. McCutcheon concernant ce que les savants en matiere de religion devraient et ne devraient pas faire, et la 'replique' de McCutcheon. Griffiths considere que l'article comporte des confusions concernant l'intelligence critique, tandis que J. O'Connor suggere d'elargir l'intelligence critique et presente les tâches et roles nombreux des intellectuels publiques. McCutcheon 'replique' a Griffiths qu'il fait confiance au jugement des lecteurs au courant de l'argument et de la preuve qu'il a presentes dans son article. Par contre il pense que l'argument d'O'Connor est rationnel et invite a une reponse reflechie tout en suggerant de verifier deux fois la liste faite.
A Mathematical Model for the Common-Drain Amplifier Using a Metal-Ferroelectric-Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor

This paper presents a new mathematical model created for the common-drain amplifier using metal-ferroelectric-semiconductor field effect transistors (MFSFET). The model developed in this paper is based upon empirical data collected through experimentation with the common-drain amplifier while using a MFSFET. Several parameters are considered when calculating the output voltage, such as varying gate capacitance, input voltage, quiescent point, and power supply voltages. A comparison between collected and modeled data is presented as verification of the model's performance when applied to the common-drain configuration.
X-Ray Tomographic Microscopy of Nicalon Preforms and Chemical Vapor Infiltrated Nicalon/Silicon Carbide Composites

Following the evolving microstructure of composites through all stages of chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) is a key to improved understanding and control of the process. X-ray Tomographic Microscopy (XTM), i.e., very high resolution computed tomography, allows the microstructure of macroscopic volumes of a composite to be imaged nondestructively with resolution approaching one micrometer. Results obtained with XTM on dense SiC/SiC composites and on woven SiC fiber preforms illustrate how details of the densification process can be followed using this technique during interruptions in processing. Ways in which the three-dimensional microstructural information may be used to improve modeling are also indicated.