cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Not-So-Harmless Social Function of a Word that Wounds

The N-word, as it has come to be called, is a point of contention within African American communities and in public discourses beyond that community. This essay meets the word in all its colorful variations and contends it is a signifier that wounds no matter who uses it or where one uses it. Reviewing the social and political appearance of the word in public and private discourses, the essay contends the historical content of the word operates beneath the surface of speaker intent to destroy or silence individuals and individual speech acts in the US and Africa. It is a word that cannot be changed through “innocent” appropriation. Nigger wounds. Always.
Remediation of loss in flow properties of self-consolidating concrete under various combinations of transportation time and temperature

Abstract The effectiveness of the overdosing remediation technique – that is, using a sufficient admixture dosage during mixing – to mitigate the adverse effects of a combination of hauling time and temperatures on freshly-mixed self-consolidating concretes (SCCs) was studied. Temperatures of 43, 36, 28, 21, 14, 7, and −0.5 °C and hauling time of 10, 20, 40, 60, and 80 min were used to determine the effects of temperature and transportation times, respectively. The control condition that was adopted involved mixing the concrete at a laboratory room temperature of 21 °C and transporting the concrete with a hauling time of 10 min. A polycarboxylate-based high-range water-reducing admixture (HRWRA) and viscosity modifying admixture (VMA) were used to produce the SCCs with a slump flow of 635 ± 25 mmor 711 ± 25 mm, a VSI of 0 (highly stable concrete), and T50 of 2–5 s. The test results revealed that plastic SCCs with suitable unconfined workability, adequate flow rates, high dynamic stability, and proper passing ability could be achieved once they were remediated by the overdosing technique.
Rapamycin and Alzheimer's disease: Time for a clinical trial?

The drug rapamycin has beneficial effects in a number of animal models of neurodegeneration and aging including mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease. Despite its compelling preclinical record, no clinical trials have tested rapamycin or other mTOR inhibitors in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. We argue that such clinical trials should be undertaken.
Exploiting colloidal interfaces to increase dispersion, performance, and pot-life in cellulose nanocrystal/waterborne epoxy composites

In this study, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are incorporated into a waterborne epoxy resin following two processing protocols that vary by order of addition. The processing protocols produce different levels of CNC dispersion in the resulting composites. The more homogeneously dispersed composite has a higher storage modulus and work of fracture at temperatures less than the glass transition temperature. Some properties related to the component interactions, such as thermal degradation and moisture content, are similar for both composite systems. The mechanism of dispersion is probed with electrophoretic measurements and electron microscopy, and based on these results, it is hypothesized that CNC preaddition facilitates the formation of a CNC-coated epoxy droplet, promoting CNC dispersion and giving the epoxide droplets added electrostatic stability. The implication of these structural changes in polymer network formation results in an extension of the epoxy and crosslinker mixture's pot life by three orders of magnitude.
Salience network atrophy links neuron type-specific degeneration to loss of empathy in frontotemporal dementia

Each neurodegenerative syndrome presents with characteristic symptoms that reflect the specific pattern of cellular, regional, and large-scale network vulnerability. In behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), a disorder of social-emotional function, von Economo neurons (VENs) and fork cells are among the initial cellular targets. These large layer 5 projection neurons are concentrated in the anterior cingulate and frontoinsular (FI) cortices, regions that anchor the salience network, a large-scale system linked to social-emotional function via roles in autonomic processing and homeostatic behavioral guidance. Here, we combined questionnaire-based empathy assessments, in vivo structural neuroimaging, and quantitative histopathological data from 16 patients across the FTD-amyotrophic lateral sclerosis clinicopathological spectrum linked to TAR DNA-binding protein 43 pathobiology. We sought to examine how neuron type-specific degeneration is linked to regional gray and white matter atrophy and, in turn, to loss of emotional empathy. We show that disease protein aggregation within right FI VENs and fork cells is associated with atrophy in insular, medial frontal, and subcortical regions including the dorsomedial thalamus that represent key nodes within the salience network. Gray and white matter degeneration within these structures, in turn, mediated loss of emotional empathy, suggesting a chain of influence linking the cellular, regional/network, and behavioral levels in producing the signature bvFTD clinical features. Overall, the findings suggest that VENs and fork cells facilitate specialized human social- emotional capacities by contributing to salience network function.
State of a particle pair produced by the Schwinger effect is not necessarily a maximally entangled Bell state

We analyze the spins of a Schwinger particle pair in a spatially uniform but time dependent electric field. The particle pair's spins are in the maximally entangled Bell state only if the particles' momenta are parallel to the electric field. However if transverse momentum is present, the spins are not in the maximally entangled Bell state. The reason is that the pair is created by the external field, which also carries angular momentum, and the particle pair can take away some of this external angular momentum.
Using Fiction to Support Identity Development and Transition in Conditionally-Enrolled Students

The transition to college can be difficult for many first-year students. Students who are conditionally enrolled may struggle more than their peers in terms of feeling comfortable in an academic setting. This case study explores how conditionally-enrolled students who participated in a summer bridge program read popular literature to explore their own struggles in the transition to college. Findings call for faculty and staff who work with conditionally-enrolled students to support and accept identity exploration in the classroom, particularly during the first semester.
Relational Spirituality and Dispositional Forgiveness: A Structural Equations Model:

The present study tested the associations between relational spirituality and dispositional forgiveness in an adult sample of Christian graduate students (N = 203). A relational model of spiritual dwelling and seeking (Wuthnow, 1998; Shults & Sandage, 2006) drawing on theology and social science was used to conceptualize this study of spiritual factors hypothesized to be positively and negatively associated with dispositional forgiveness. Results using structural equations modeling supported the hypothesized model with (a) gratitude mediating the positive association between securely attached forms of prayer and dispositional forgiveness and (b) spiritual disappointment mediating the negative association between quest religiosity and dispositional forgiveness. Two alternative models were unsatisfactory, however the reverse model also fit the data. Integrative implications are considered for future research and practice in the areas of relational spirituality and forgiveness.
Kappa-on-Heavy (KoH) bodies are a distinct class of fully-human antibody-like therapeutic agents with antigen-binding properties.

We describe a Kappa-on-Heavy (KoH) mouse that produces a class of highly diverse, fully human, antibody-like agents. This mouse was made by replacing the germline variable sequences of both the Ig heavy-chain (IgH) and Ig kappa (IgK) loci with the human IgK germline variable sequences, producing antibody-like molecules with an antigen binding site made up of 2 kappa variable domains. These molecules, named KoH bodies, structurally mimic naturally existing Bence-Jones light-chain dimers in their variable domains and remain wild-type in their antibody constant domains. Unlike artificially diversified, nonimmunoglobulin alternative scaffolds (e.g., DARPins), KoH bodies consist of a configuration of normal Ig scaffolds that undergo natural diversification in B cells. Monoclonal KoH bodies have properties similar to those of conventional antibodies but exhibit an enhanced ability to bind small molecules such as the endogenous cardiotonic steroid marinobufagenin (MBG) and nicotine. A comparison of crystal structures of MBG bound to a KoH Fab versus a conventional Fab showed that the KoH body has a much deeper binding pocket, allowing MBG to be held 4 A further down into the combining site between the 2 variable domains.
On a random entanglement problem.

We study a model for the entanglement of a two-dimensional reflecting Brownian motion in a bounded region divided into two halves by a wall with three or more small windows. We map the Brownian motion into a Markov Chain on the fundamental groupoid of the region. We quantify entanglement of the path with the length of the appropriate element in this groupoid. Our main results are a law of large numbers and a central limit theorem for this quantity. The constants appearing in the limit theorems are expressed in terms of a coupled system of quadratic equations.
Effect of Residential Building Wind Retrofits on Social and Economic Community-Level Resilience Metrics

AbstractTornadoes occur at a high frequency in the United States compared with other natural hazards but have a substantially small footprint. A single high-intensity tornado can result in high cas...
Food Intake Patterns of Self-identified Vegetarians Among the U.S. Population, 2007-2010

Abstract Vegetarians’ food intake patterns vary in the extent that they exclude all or some animal products (e.g., meat, poultry, fish/ seafood, eggs, and dairy). We examined the differences of consumption of selected USDA Food Patterns food groups, subgroups, and food components, total calorie intake,and the number of food items between self-identified vegetarians and non-vegetarians in the U.S. population aged 1 year and older. Weighted reliable food consumption data from day 1 of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007-2010 and the USDA Food Patterns Equivalents Database, 2007-2010 were analyzed in the U.S. population (n=15,453) using SAS 9.3. Only 3% of the self-identified vegetarians (total 2.1%; n=323) did not consume any animal products. Compared to non-vegetarians, vegetarians consumed significantly fewer calories (1862 kcal vs. 2058 kcal; p
A high data transfer rate frequency shift keying demodulator chip for the wireless biomedical implants

This paper describes a high-rate frequency shift keying (FSK) data transfer protocol and demodulator circuit for wireless operated biomedical implants in need of data transfer rates above 1 Mbit/sec. The demodulator circuit receives the serial data bit stream from an FSK carrier signal in the 2/spl sim/20 MHz range, which is used to power the implant through inductive coupling. The circuitry has been designed and fabricated in the University of Michigan's single metal, dual-poly 3 /spl mu/m CMOS process and has been tested fully functional.
Differentiating Pulmonary Arterial and Pulmonary Venous Hypertension and the Implications for Therapy

Pulmonary arterial and pulmonary venous hypertension develop from distinctly different etiologies. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), or Group 1 pulmonary hypertension (PH), is a precapillary PH that arises idiopathically or as the result of a divergent array of causes, including connective tissue disease. Pulmonary venous hypertension (PVH), or Group 2 PH, primarily manifests as a postcapillary PH in the setting of left heart failure or valvular disease. A subset of PVH patients, however, develop a reactive precapillary component of PH that mimics PAH. These patients can be misdiagnosed as having Group 1 PH by 2-dimensional echocardiography and are sometimes treated as such, which leads to exacerbation of heart failure. Therefore, 2-dimensional or Doppler echocardiography alone cannot be used to differentiate between these two classifications of PH. This highlights the need for right heart catheterization in the clinical assessment and diagnostic work-up of PH. The combination of imaging and invasive hemodynamic assessment by right heart catheterization provides the best diagnostic approach to ensure proper delineation of pulmonary arterial and pulmonary venous hypertension, and in turn leads to appropriate treatment.
The ICSI-SRI-UW metadata extraction system

Both human and automatic processing of speech require recognizing more than just the words. We describe a state-of-the-art system for automatic detection of “metadata” (information beyond the words) in both broadcast news and spontaneous telephone conversations, developed as part of the DARPA EARS Rich Transcription program. System tasks include sentence boundary detection, filler word detection, and detection/correction of disfluencies. To achieve best performance, we combine information from different types of language models (based on words, part-of-speech classes, and automatically induced classes) with information from a prosodic classifier. The prosodic classifier employs bagging and ensemble approaches to better estimate posterior probabilities. We use confusion networks to improve robustness to speech recognition errors. Most recently, we have investigated a maximum entropy approach for the sentence boundary detection task, yielding a gain over our standard HMM approach. We report results for these techniques on the official NIST Rich Transcription metadata tasks.
Surface-Wave Effects on Winds and Currents in Marine Boundary Layers

Surface gravity waves strongly deform the air-sea interface over wavelengths as large as ~ 100 m, comparable in size to energetic components of winds and currents in the adjacent marine boundary layers. These near-surface flows are altered in several important ways due to the presence of the waves. Through a generalization of the perturbation theory of Craik & Leibovich [7], we understand how wave-averaged “vortex forces” in the ocean induce Langmuir circulations and otherwise alter the velocity and tracer distributions. In both air and water, “wave pumping” excites wave-correlated rotational motions that carry the vertical momentum and energy fluxes through a near-surface layer with a thickness comparable to the dominant surface wavelength. Finally, in the ocean, “wave breaking” enhances the nearsurface mixing and dissipation above the levels predicted by Monin-Obukhov similarity forms. The theory and representation of these effects are reviewed, and supporting Large-Eddy Simulations are shown.
Urine cytology: Pitfall due to a "remnant" lesion.

A 36-year-old G0 P0 woman presented with complaints of increased urinary frequency and nocturia. She did not report incontinence, dysuria, gross hematuria, or other medical history. Radiologic evaluation showed 2.6 cm irregular, solid and cystic lesion in the superior wall of the bladder, located immediately right of the midline. Cytopathologic findings in voided urine were as shown in Figure 1. Figure 1 Voided urine cytology in a liquid based (ThinPrep) preparation. (a) Large cohesive sheet of glandular epithelium with ragged outline (ThinPrep, Papanicolaou stain, ×100). (b) Strip of benign glandular cells exhibiting eccentric nuclei with retained ...
Shared additive genetic influences on DSM‐IV criteria for alcohol dependence in subjects of European ancestry

Background and Aims Genetic studies of alcohol dependence (AD) have identified several candidate loci and genes, but most observed effects are small and difficult to reproduce. A plausible explanation for inconsistent findings may be a violation of the assumption that genetic factors contributing to each of the seven DSM-IV criteria point to a single underlying dimension of risk. Given that recent twin studies suggest that the genetic architecture of AD is complex and probably involves multiple discrete genetic factors, the current study employed common single nucleotide polymorphisms in two multivariate genetic models to examine the assumption that the genetic risk underlying DSM-IV AD is unitary. Design, Setting, Participants, Measurements AD symptoms and genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data from 2596 individuals of European descent from the Study of Addiction: Genetics and Environment were analyzed using genomic-relatedness-matrix restricted maximum likelihood. DSM-IV AD symptom covariance was described using two multivariate genetic factor models. Findings Common SNPs explained 30% (standard error = 0.136, P = 0.012) of the variance in AD diagnosis. Additive genetic effects varied across AD symptoms. The common pathway model approach suggested that symptoms could be described by a single latent variable that had a SNP heritability of 31% (0.130, P = 0.008). Similarly, the exploratory genetic factor model approach suggested that the genetic variance/covariance across symptoms could be represented by a single genetic factor that accounted for at least 60% of the genetic variance in any one symptom. Conclusion Additive genetic effects on DSM-IV alcohol dependence criteria overlap. The assumption of common genetic effects across alcohol dependence symptoms appears to be a valid assumption.
Peripheral Ammonia as a Mediator of Methamphetamine Neurotoxicity

Ammonia is metabolized by the liver and has established neurological effects. The current study examined the possibility that ammonia contributes to the neurotoxic effects of methamphetamine (METH). The results show that a binge dosing regimen of METH to the rat increased plasma and brain ammonia concentrations that were paralleled by evidence of hepatotoxicity. The role of peripheral ammonia in the neurotoxic effects of METH was further substantiated by the demonstration that the enhancement of peripheral ammonia excretion blocked the increases in brain and plasma ammonia and attenuated the long-term depletions of dopamine and serotonin typically produced by METH. Conversely, the localized perfusion of ammonia in combination with METH, but not METH alone or ammonia alone, into the striatum recapitulated the neuronal damage produced by the systemic administration of METH. Furthermore, this damage produced by the local administration of ammonia and METH was blocked by the GYKI 52466 [4-(8-methyl-9H-1,3-dioxolo[4,5-h][2,3]benzodiazepin-5-yl)-benzamine hydrochloride], an AMPA receptor antagonist. These findings highlight the importance of ammonia derived from the periphery as a small-molecule mediator of METH neurotoxicity and more broadly emphasize the importance of peripheral organ damage as a possible mechanism that mediates the neuropathology produced by drugs of abuse and other neuroactive molecules.
Homogeneously catalyzed formaldehyde condensation to carbohydrates: II. Instabilities and Cannizzaro effects

Abstract Cannizzaro reaction of formaldehyde proceeds in alkaline medium in conjunction with the “formose” condensation reaction to produce aldoses and ketoses. The ratio of the two reactions is a function of the catalyst used. In studies with Ca(OH) 2 catalyst at conversion levels below 4%, HCHO disappearance rate by Cannizzaro is triple that by formose condensation. Near 50% conversion, which is where the stoichiometry of the Cannizzaro reaction requires that its absolute rate pass through a maximum, HCHO disappearance by Cannizzaro is only 5% of that by formose. Reaction instabilities occur both at low and high Ca(OH) 2 concentration levels at fixed HCHO feed rate in a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR). As catalyst concentration is increased, reaction pH drops from 12 to 10.5 in the range of 0 to 100% HCHO conversion. Inordinate levels of Ca(OH) 2 catalyst (2 moles/mole HCHO) quench both the formose and Cannizzaro reactions—an unexpected result. The ratio of branched chain carbohydrate products, such as hydroxymethylglyceraldehyde and apiose, or straight chain species such as erythrose and arabinose, can be controlled by manipulation of operating conditions; the branched species are so subject to reduction by cross-Cannizzaro reaction with HCHO that species such as hydroxy-methylglycerol are made in large quantities by HCHO condensation in the presence of NaOH.
Anapole moments of atoms

We analyze the anapole moment or toroidal dipole moment (TDM) of an atom, resulting from the weak interaction between electrons. A simple estimate can be made if the electron density is assumed to be constant. The TDM is found to grow like ${\mathit{Z}}^{4/3}$, reaching approximately (${\mathit{eG}}_{\mathit{F}}$/\ensuremath{\Elzxh}c) for the heaviest atoms. An algorithm for calculating the TDM of an atom with a slowly varying electron density is derived using a unitary transformation which removes the weak interaction from the Hamiltonian. We have not attempted to apply this method, but it appears to be a useful method for calculating anapole moments and other effects of weak interactions in complex atoms.
A practitioner's guide to the state of large scale network and network-related problems

The primary purpose of this paper is to identify recent major accomplishments and prophesy future trends in the solution, modeling, and human engineering aspects of network and network-related problems.Network and network-related problems include such mathematical problems as assignment, transportation, transshipment, multi-commodity networks, generalized networks, plant location problems, fixed charge networks, and constrained networks. In fact, it has recently been shown that the 0--1 integer programming problems are equivalent to 0--1 generalized network problems.Network-related problems that arise "naturally" (i.e., those whose formulations make conspicuous reference to a network structure) cover a diverse spectrum of practical applications. These applications include problems in telecommunication, microdata set merging, cash flow, multi-national currency exchange, manpower planning, waste disposal, water resource management, aircraft refueling, student-professor-classroom scheduling, modular design, cutting stock, machine loading, aircraft scheduling, off-shore oil well location and drilling, and production and distribution scheduling, to mention only a few.
Esophageal dilation after laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding

Background Esophageal dilation can occur after laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB). There are few studies in the literature that describe the outcomes of patients with esophageal dilation. The aim of this article is to evaluate weight loss and symptomatic outcome in patients with esophageal dilation after LAGB.
Contact function, uniform-thickness shell volume, and convexity measure for 3D star-shaped random particles

Abstract Using a spherical harmonic series, the three-dimensional shape of star-shaped particles (e.g. most powders, sand, gravel) can be represented mathematically as readily as can a sphere, cube, or ellipsoid. In principle, any particle parameter, such as volume, surface area, moment of inertia tensor, or integrated mean curvature, can be easily computed. In this paper, we extend this list by developing three important algorithms, which have been found useful for regular particles, and adapt them to the case of random star-shaped particles using spherical harmonic series. These three algorithms are: a two-particle contact function, how to add a uniform-thickness shell to a single particle, and estimation of the convexity of a single particle using an algorithm for computing the convex hulls of non-convex particles. A derivation and numerical examples are shown for each algorithm. The two-particle contact function may be used in random particle placement programs, so that random-shaped particles may be used in suspension models as readily as spheres or ellipsoids. New results are shown for how the volume of a uniform-thickness shell, normalized by the surface area of the original particle, depends on the shell thickness t. For a sphere, the exact expression is cubic in t, with the linear coefficient unity and the quadratic coefficient equal to the reciprocal of the sphere radius. For star-shaped particles, the coefficient of the linear term is also unity. For all star-shaped particles considered, the coefficient of the quadratic term in t is approximately equal to the reciprocal of the radius of the volume-equivalent sphere, to within a few percent. The convexity measure, using convex hulls, adds to the list of useful shape parameters for random star-shaped particles and is shown to distinguish between different particle sets.
Wittgenstein and Ebersole

Frank B. Ebersole died recently. Here I remind philosophers of the thinking of this reclusive philosopher who brought out the value of Wittgenstein's dictum that philosophers should “bring words back from their metaphysical to their everyday use.” I illustrate Ebersole's singular thinking by focusing on his philosophical investigation of Wittgenstein's family resemblance metaphor.
Efficacy of an inactivated and adjuvanted “ZULVAC® 8 OVIS” vaccine produced using single-use bioreactors

Bluetongue virus (BTV) first emerged in the European Union (EU) in 2006, peaking at 45,000 cases in 2008. The EU spent million of euros in 2008 and 2009 on eradicating and monitoring programs, co-financed with member states. The number of cases in 2009 was 1118, with only 120 reported across the EU so far last year. Vaccination has proven itself as the most effective tool to control and prevent the disease and to facilitate the safe trade of live animals. Mammalian cells are commonly used as a substrate for production of most of the viral vaccines. BHK-21 cells are used for the production of bluetongue vaccines. Most companies use roller bottles or conventional bioreactors, but taking into account that the manufacturing cost is very important, the possibility of using Single-Use Bioreactor (SUB) technology as an alternative to roller bottles or conventional bioreactors was explored. Advantages like yields of production, time reduction (elimination of cleaning and sterilization steps needed for bioreactors, no validation process, etc) and quality of antigen production were studied.
Silicide/strained Si/sub 1-x/Ge/sub x/ Schottky-barrier infrared detectors

By employing a thin silicon sacrificial cap layer for silicide formation, the authors successfully demonstrated Pd/sub 2/Si/strained Si/sub 1-x/Ge/sub x/ Schottky-barrier infrared detectors with extended cutoff wavelengths. The sacrificial silicon eliminates the segregation effects and Fermi level pinning which occur if the metal reacts directly with Si/sub 1-x/Ge/sub x/ alloy. The Schottky barrier height of the silicide/strained Si/sub 1-x/Ge/sub x/ detector decreases with increasing Ge fraction, allowing for tuning of the detector's cutoff wavelength. The cutoff wavelength was extended beyond 8 mu m in PtSi/Si/sub 0.85/Ge/sub 0.15/ detectors. It is shown that high quantum efficiency and near-ideal dark current can be obtained from these detectors. >
On the origin of biological chirality via natural beta-decay

Experimental evidence that longitudinally polarized electrons having the handedness characteristic of terrestrial beta-decay electrons preferentially remove D-leucine from a racemic mixture, coupled with the probable presence of14C in pre-biotic molecules, offers a plausible hypothesis for the origin of biomolecular handedness.
Extending the concept of transaction compensation

The ability to compensate for previous activities, often in the case of failure or exceptional events, is an important feature of long-running business transactions. In this paper, we present several extensions to existing notions of compensation for business transactions. The extensions are described using a business process modeling language called StAC (Structured Activity Compensation) but are also placed in the context of IBM's BPBeans (Business Process Beans) enterprise technology. The meaning of the compensation mechanisms is made precise, as are issues of compensation scoping in multilevel transactions. The compensation extensions result in flexible and powerful mechanisms for modeling and implementing long-running business transactions.
Activation of a low specific activity form of DNA polymerase α by inositol-1,4-bisphosphate

A low activity form of DNA polymerase alpha immunoaffinity-purified from adult-derived human fibroblasts was activated by interaction with phosphatidylinositol-4-monophosphate, while a high activity form of the enzyme did not interact with phosphatidylinositol-4-monophosphate or its derivatives. Phosphatidylinositol-4-monophosphate was apparently hydrolyzed in the presence of a highly purified low activity form of DNA polymerase alpha, effecting the release of diacylglycerol and the retention of inositol-1,4-bisphosphate by the enzyme complex. The resulting inositol-1,4-bisphosphate/protein complex exhibited increased affinity of binding to DNA template/primer and increased deoxynucleotidyltransferase activity. These data indicate that inositol-1,4-bisphosphate may function as an effector molecule in the activation of a low activity form of human DNA polymerase alpha and suggest that it may function as a second messenger during the initiation of mitosis in stimulated cells.
Efficient reduced-order modeling of frequency-dependent coupling inductances associated with 3-D interconnect structures

Reduced-order modeling techniques are now commonly used to efficiently simulate circuits combined with interconnect, but generating reduced-order models from realistic 3-D structures has received less attention. In this paper we describe a Krylov-subspace based method for deriving reduced-order models directly from the 3-D magnetoquasistatic analysis program FASTHENRY. This new approach is no more expensive than computing an impedance matrix at a single frequency. >
Recurrent breakpoints at 9q31 and 22q12.2 in extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma.

Abstract A cytogenetic study of extraskeletal myxoid chrondrosarcoma cells revealed a complex t(9;22;15)(q31;q12.2;q25) as a primary chromosome change. A reciprocal translocation involving identical breakpoints on chromosomes #9 and #22 in this tumor has been reported in the literature. We suggest that the breakpoints 9q31 and 22.q12.2 are associated with extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma, a comparatively rare tumor of adulthood.
Assessing satellite based PM2.5 estimates against CMAQ model forecasts

In this work, we focus on estimations of fine particulate matter using MODIS AOD as part of a neural network scheme and compare this to both simple linear regressions and GEOS-CHEM products. In making this comparison, it is well known the seasonal and geographical dependences observed in the PM2.5-AOD relationship; thus, to enhance our predictions, we apply WRF PBL information to our neural network method and assess its performance. As part of our analysis, we first explore the baseline effectiveness of AOD and PBL as strong factors in estimating PM2.5 in a local experiment using data collected at one site in New York City. Then, we expand our analysis to a regional domain where daily estimations are obtained based on site location and season. In our local test, we find the high efficiency of the neural network estimations when AOD, PBL and seasonality are primarily assessed (R~0.94 in summer). Later, we test our regional network and compare it with the GEOS-CHEM PM2.5 product. From this, we see better estimations from our experiment using urban/non-urban stations and applying different spatial schemes for training the neural network (R NN ~0.80, R GEOS-CHEM ~0.57 in an urban station with a distance radius of 0.1 degree; R NN ~0.74, R GEOSCHEM ~0.69 in a non-urban station with a distance radius of 0.3 degree). Finally, we create regional daily PM2.5 maps and compare them to GEOS-CHEM outputs, evaluating the corresponding estimations using ground readings.
Maternal obesity, health status during pregnancy, and breastfeeding initiation and duration

Objective. The purpose of this study was to determine whether maternal prepregnancy overweight/obesity has independent effects on breastfeeding initiation and duration and whether these effects are...
Despite high satisfaction, majority of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease patients continue to use proton pump inhibitors after antireflux surgery.

Summary Background While antireflux surgery is effective in controlling symptoms of gastro-oesophageal reflux, its role in eliminating the use of antireflux medicines after surgery and as such its long-term cost-effectiveness remains controversial. Aim To assess the patient satisfaction and the continued medication use following laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication at a tertiary level community hospital. Methods Adult patients who underwent laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication at our institution over a period of over 3 years were asked to complete a questionnaire recording their demographic information, date and reason for the surgery, preprocedure and postprocedure symptoms, smoking and alcohol use, and medication use preoperatively and post-operatively. Patients were also asked about their satisfaction with surgery. Results One hundred patients participated in the study. Overall, 90% patients experienced satisfaction with their surgery. Eighty percentage patients were willing to undergo surgery again, if needed. Over two-thirds (67%) patients had decrease in the severity of their symptoms. None of the patients had worsening of symptoms post-operatively. However, 80% patients were still taking antireflux medications including proton pump inhibitors (53%). Conclusions Most patients continue to use antireflux medications including after laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication despite high satisfaction with surgery.
A common framework for nonlinear diffusion, adaptive smoothing, bilateral filtering and mean shift

Abstract In this paper, a common framework is outlined for nonlinear diffusion, adaptive smoothing, bilateral filtering and mean shift procedure. Previously, the relationship between bilateral filtering and the nonlinear diffusion equation was explored by using a consistent adaptive smoothing formulation. However, both nonlinear diffusion and adaptive smoothing were treated as local processes applying a 3×3 window at each iteration. Here, these two approaches are extended to an arbitrary window, showing their equivalence and stressing the importance of using large windows for edge-preserving smoothing. Subsequently, it follows that bilateral filtering is a particular choice of weights in the extended diffusion process that is obtained from geometrical considerations. We then show that kernel density estimation applied in the joint spatial–range domain yields a powerful processing paradigm—the mean shift procedure, related to bilateral filtering but having additional flexibility. This establishes an attractive relationship between the theory of statistics and that of diffusion and energy minimization. We experimentally compare the discussed methods and give insights on their performance.
Sex Differences in the Relationship between Loneliness and Academic Performance

Entering college for the first time is a major life transition for a substantial number of people in American society. Such major transitions can disrupt familiar social relationships, which in turn can lead to loneliness for many students ( 2 ) . Although most students are able to reestablish satisfying laterpersonal relationships, continued loneliness can result in many negative outcomes such as depression, psychosomatic difficulties, and even suicide ( 5 ) . For the college student, the most likely manifestation of many of these negative outcomes would be a lowering of academic performance. However, the effect of loneliness on academic performance might differ for males and females. For example, single men report being significantly less happy than single women, married men, and married women ( 3 ) . One interpretation of this finding might be that single men are more affected by their interpersonal relationships than other individuals. One might expect single college men would be more adversely affected by loneliness, as indicated by academic performance, than single college women. The present study investigated sex differences in the relationship between loneliness and academic performance. The participants were 51 male and 46 female undergraduates recruited from campus residence halls of a large university in the northwest United States. Loneliness was assessed using a version of the Bradley ( 4 ) Loneliness Scale, modified to 37 Liken-type items indicative of loneliness (internal consistency = .92) oc a 6-point scale format (from rarely true to always true), which are summed to yield a total loneliness score. The original scale was validated against the MMPI. Academic performance was determined by ascertaining the participants' grade point averages. The correlations between loneliness and academic performance as expected, for males showed, as loneliness increased, there was a corresponding decrease in academic performance (? = -.32, p < .05), while no significant relationship was found for females ( r = -.14). The factors affecting the relationship between loneliness and academic performance ate complex. The observed negative relationship between these two variables for males might be rooted in the relative inability of men to express their feelings to others (1). If men do not feel free to share with others their feelings of loneliness, then the negative consequences of loneliness might affect them in many ways, one of which might be performance in college. Funher research is needed to examine the complexity of this important relationship.
Preparation and properties of LnMX3, where Ln = rare earths, Bi; M = Ta, Nb, Ti, V, and X = S, Se

Abstract Compounds were prepared of the general formula LnMX 3 (where Ln = all rare earths or Bi, X = S, and M = Ta or Nb; Ln = La through Tb, X = S, and M = Ti or V; Ln = La through Gd, X = Se, and M = Ta or Nb; Ln = La, X = Se, and M = Ti or V). They were prepared by reaction of the elements in evacuated silica tubes with iodine as a mineralizing agent. They form as black shiny lamella crystals which exhibit plastic deformation, good thermal and hydrolytic stability, low coefficients of friction, and metallic conductivity. The crystal structures have subcells like PbNbS 3 but the actual cells are larger and more complex. LaTiS 3 is isotypic with LaCrS 3 .
The Lived Experiences of Midwives with Spirituality in Childbirth: Mana from Heaven

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to describe the lived experiences of midwives who experienced the phenomenon of spirituality when they attended births. Methods: The research design was descriptive, using a transcendental phenomenological approach reflected in Moustakas’15 model. Purposive and snowball sampling were used to recruit the sample of 10 certified nurse-midwives. Results: The major findings of this study consisted of 5 theme categories that revealed the essential structure of the midwives’ lived experiences of spirituality during childbirth: belief in the existence of a higher power, the essence of spirituality, birth is spiritual, the essence of midwifery, and relationships. Discussion: The midwives in the study experienced spirituality as an integral and essential component of childbirth. The midwives reported using elements of spirituality as instruments that helped them assist their clients through the process of pregnancy and birth. The midwives also revealed their dependence on spirituality and belief in a higher being who guided their lives and their calling to midwifery.
Ubiquitous computing: connecting Pervasive computing through Semantic Web

Ubiquitous computing refers to building a global computing environment where seamless and invisible access to computing resources is provided to the user. Pervasive computing deals with acquiring context knowledge from the environment and providing dynamic, proactive and context-aware services to the user. A Ubiquitous computing environment is created by sharing knowledge and information between Pervasive computing environments. In this paper we propose a framework that uses the potential of the Semantic Web to weave Pervasive computing environments into a Ubiquitous computing environment. We discuss how the collaboration of these Pervasive environments can create an effective Ubiquitous computing environment referred herein as the Integrated Global Pervasive Computing Framework (IGPF). We test the effectiveness of the Ubiquitous environment through a small scenario from a prototype system that we have implemented over this framework to handle medical emergency scenario.
Insurability of the pediatric patient with cardiac disease.

This paper provides the pediatrician with suitable guidelines to counsel parents and their children when applying for life insurance. Knowledge of the natural and unnatural history, as influenced by surgical intervention of cardiovascular disorders in the child, has increased to the point where each condition for the most part can be critically defined as to severity and survival characteristics. This should lead to more uniform standards of insurability for this group of patients. The procurement of health insurance for individuals or small groups represents a continuing problem which will require new policies by the insurance industry or federal and/or state support.
The atmospheric processes associated with the tornadic super-outbreak of April 25 th through 28 th 2011 in relation to global change

A large and violent super-tornado outbreak occurred from April 25th – 28th, 2011, becoming the deadliest 24-hour outbreak in U.S history. According NOAA and the SPC, there were approximately 190 tornadoes reported with 320 deaths within the southern, mid-western and northeastern U.S. In the current study, Arctic sea ice loss affecting the North Atlantic Oscillation, a negative ENSO episode, Gulf of Mexico Sea Surface Temperatures (SST's) and an unusual shift of dry-line associated with parent mid-latitude cyclone (MCL) are potentially influenced by global change in association with the outbreak and studied using NCEP/NCAR reanalysis, GFS modeling, NCEP/CPC CAMS & NOAA/ESRL/PSD NOAA/AOML/TCHP analysis, and stability parameters obtained from remote sensing. Larger implications state the Arctic sea ice lost reversed upper-level wind distribution and affected major wind systems such as the jet stream. Reduced albedo in the arctic increased solar insolation and shifted the temperature differential between latitudes, potentially perturbing Earth's feedback system.
Analysis of simple programs over different sets of primitives

It is well known that most questions of interest about the behavior of programs--such as equivalence, halting, optimization, and other problems--are undecidable. On the other hand, it is possible to make some or all of these questions decidable by introducing appropriate restrictions on the programming language under consideration. And once such restrictions are made, the next step is to ask how hard it is to solve these problems for programming languages for which they are decidable.This analysis of programming languages has been undertaken by others, in particular by Jones and Muchnick [4], who choose to restrict their programs to operate over finite memory. Our approach starts from the language of loop-programs, as defined by Meyer and Ritchie [1], in which we in fact allow more general arithmetical operations. Unlike Jones and Muchnick, we do not place any restriction on memory here; instead, we (primarily) restrict our attention to loop-programs without nested loops.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Assessment for formulary inclusion.

Depression is a common and significant health problem associated with impairment in a patient’s ability to function in their role (e.g. student, worker, homemaker), and may have a fatal outcome in the case of suicide. Recently there has been progress in developing new antidepressant medications, such as the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). These agents, while no more effective than the tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) drugs, are generally better tolerated than traditional medications used to treat depression. Further, because of their adverse effect profiles, they are generally better tolerated, and safer in overdose, than the TCAs.
Polygonal plate modeling of realistic structures

A technique for the electromagnetic modeling of arbitrary perfectly conducting structures using polygonal plates is described. The method is illustrated by three realistic examples.
Heating of Finite Slabs Subjected to Laser Pulse Irradiation and Convective Cooling

An analytical solution was obtained for one-dimensional heat conduction within a finite region that was subjected to a realistic laser pulse profile. The results provide an improved model of laser heating at a surface by combining a spatially and temporally decaying laser pulse with a finite slab. Analyses were performed to define high-energy laser effects on solids. A variety of convective boundary conditions were applied to the solution. Variation in thermal response of the solids was established for a number of slab thicknesses and external cooling characteristics due to airflow over the heated surface. It was found that both surface convection and material properties affect the peak temperature location within the slab over time. In addition, the change in depth of the peak temperature increases for greater surface cooling.
The generation and reactions of some diaryl-dihalomethylcarbonium ions

Abstract Previously unknown diaryl-dihalomethylcarbonium ions, formed in high yield from the respective alkenes in trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (triflic acid) undergo facile rapid equilibration of aryl groups in triflic acid with a second added aryl component.