cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
THE VISUAL ECOLOGY OF PUERTO RICAN ANOLINE LIZARDS : HABITAT LIGHT AND SPECTRAL SENSITIVITY

The visual ecology of six closely related species of Puerto Rican anoline lizards was investigated and they were found to occupy four distinct habitat types in terms of light conditions: “full shade”, “partial shade”, “no shade”, and “forest canopy.”The habitats differed substantially in total radiance and irradiance as well as in the shape of the irradiance spectrum. The shape of the radiance spectrum was similar in all of the habitats. We used electroretinogram (ERG) flicker photometry to measure spectral sensitivity and found the curves for all six species to be similar. The spectral sensitivity peaked in the range 550–560 nm, which matched the peak in spectral radiance for all of the habitats. The shape of the spectral-sensitivity curve was similar to those of a number of other terrestrial vertebrates. We suggest that the convergence of the shape of the photopic ERG-determined spectral-sensitivity curve in many terrestrial vertebrates may, in part, be due to the fact that the background radiance of many terrestrial habitats is dominated by the reflectance spectrum of green vegetation which peaks at 550 nm.
HUWE1 is a Molecular Link Controlling RAF-1 Activity Supported by the Shoc2 Scaffold

Scaffold proteins play a critical role in controlling the activity of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) pathway. Shoc2 is a leucine-rich repeat scaffold protein that acts as a positive modulator of ERK1/2 signaling. However, the precise mechanism by which Shoc2 modulates the activity of the ERK1/2 pathway is unclear. Here we report the identification of the E3 ubiquitin ligase HUWE1 as a binding partner and regulator of Shoc2 function. HUWE1 mediates ubiquitination and, consequently, the levels of Shoc2. Additionally, we show that both Shoc2 and HUWE1 are necessary to control the levels and ubiquitination of the Shoc2 signaling partner, RAF-1. Depletion of HUWE1 abolishes RAF-1 ubiquitination, with corresponding changes in ERK1/2 pathway activity occurring. Our results indicate that the HUWE1-mediated ubiquitination of Shoc2 is the switch that regulates the transition from an active to an inactive state of the RAF-1 kinase. Taken together, our results demonstrate that HUWE1 is a novel player involved in regulating ERK1/2 signal transmission through the Shoc2 scaffold complex.
Climate Change and Floodplain Management in the United States

Federal agencies use flood frequency estimates to delineate flood risk, manage the National Flood Insurance Program, and ensure that Federal programs are economically efficient. The assumption behind traditional flood risk analysis is that climate is stationary, but anthropogenic climate change and better knowledge of interdecadal climate variability challenge the validity of the assumption. This paper reviews several alternative statistical models for flood risk estimation that do not assume climate stationarity. Some models require subjective judgement or presuppose an understanding of the causes of the underlying non-stationarity, which is problematic given our current knowledge of the interaction of climate and floods. Although currently out of favor, hydrometeorological models have been used for engineering design as alternatives to statistical models and could be adapted to different climate conditions. Floodplain managers should recognize the potentially greater uncertainty in flood risk estimation due to climate change and variability and try to incorporate the uncertainties into floodplain management decision-making and regulation.
Comparative Intelligibility of Word Lists and Continuous Discourse

Intelligibility scores on Harvard Phonetically Balanced (PB-50) Word Lists, Central Institute for the Deaf (W-22) Monosyllabic Word Lists, and a sample of continuous discourse were compared. Speech...
User mobility in IEEE 802.11 networks: extended abstract

We observed wireless network traffic at the 65th IETF Meeting in Dallas, Texas in March of 2006, attended by approximately 1200 engineers. We observed distinct differences among client implementations and saw a number of factors that made the overall system less than optimal, pointing to the need for better design tools and automated adaptation mechanisms.In order to solve many of the problems encountered in the IETF measurements and many other issues such as Layer 2 (L2) and Layer 3 (L3) handoffs, critical for real-time applications, we propose a novel approach, namely Cooperative Roaming (CR), in which mobile nodes (MNs) can collaborate with each other and share useful information about the network in which they move.
Emotional intelligence: An admission criterion alternative to cumulative grade point averages for prelicensure students

summary article i nfo Article history: Accepted 31 March 2013 Background: Predicting potential student success is of great interest to nursing educators and academic admin- istrators alike. Cumulative grade point average (CGPA) has traditionally been used to screen nursing program candidates, but CGPA itself has shown to have no statistically significant predictive value and may in fact screen out individuals who possess social intelligence attributes that are essential for success in nursing practice. The purpose of this study is to determine if students whose emotional intelligence characteristics meet or exceed those of successful staff nurses are more likely to be successful in a baccalaureate nursing program. Methods: A descriptive, correlational design was used to compare the emotional intelligence attributes of 116 potential nursing students and 42 successful staff nurses using the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i). Results: Nursing students who remained in the nursing program were found to have significantly higher levels of total emotional intelligence, interpersonal capacity, and stress tolerance. Students who dropped from the nursing program were not significantly different from successful staff nurses in terms of emotional intelligence. Conclusion: Emotional intelligence presents a compelling adjunct to current selection criteria for nursing stu- dents. However, the lack of research prevents widespread adoption of this criterion. This study suggests that students with higher levels of emotional intelligence, particularly intrapersonal capacity and stress tolerance, are more likely to be successful in a baccalaureate nursing program than students with lower levels. Further re- search is needed to determine the usefulness of EI as a predictor of student success in nursing programs.
Polarization holding in elliptical-core birefringent fibers

Polarization holding in high-birefringence elliptical-core fibers is evaluated for the fiber birefringence spatial frequency range 1.5 cm-1 cm-1, corresponding to beat lengths from 1.6 mm to 4.2 cm. This range of spatial frequencies is spanned by making measurements with a broad-band light source on four fibers with different degrees of birefringence. In this way, the strength of the internal birefringence perturbations is mapped to give the first experimental measure of their power spectrum. It is shown that commonly available fiber jackets can significantly degrade the polarization holding. For low spatial frequencies, the strength of the perturbations decreases rapidly with increasing frequency, but this rate decreases by more than half over a one-and-a-half order of magnitude increase in spatial frequency. A possible origin of the perturbations is suggested and it is shown that the strength of these perturbations must be reduced if polarization holding to a very high degree is to be realized in elliptical-core fibers. Presently, internal perturbations limit the polarization holding to ≤ 14.4 dB over 1 km.
FXXLF and WXXLF Sequences Mediate the NH2-terminal Interaction with the Ligand Binding Domain of the Androgen Receptor

The nuclear receptor superfamily members of eukaryotic transcriptional regulators contain a highly conserved activation function 2 (AF2) in the hormone binding carboxyl-terminal domain and, for some, an additional activation function 1 in the NH2-terminal region which is not conserved. Recent biochemical and crystallographic studies revealed the molecular basis of AF2 is hormone-dependent recruitment of LXXLL motif-containing coactivators, including the p160 family, to a hydrophobic cleft in the ligand binding domain. Our previous studies demonstrated that AF2 in the androgen receptor (AR) binds only weakly to LXXLL motif-containing coactivators and instead mediates an androgen-dependent interaction with the AR NH2-terminal domain required for its physiological function. Here we demonstrate in a mammalian two-hybrid assay, glutathione S-transferase fusion protein binding studies, and functional assays that two predicted α-helical regions that are similar, but functionally distinct from the p160 coactivator interaction sequence, mediate the androgen-dependent, NH2- and carboxyl-terminal interaction. FXXLF in the AR NH2-terminal domain with the sequence23FQNLF27 mediates interaction with AF2 and is the predominant androgen-dependent interaction site. This FXXLF sequence and a second NH2-terminal WXXLF sequence 433WHTLF437 interact with different regions of the ligand binding domain to stabilize the hormone-receptor complex and may compete with AF2 recruitment of LXXLL motif-containing coactivators. The results suggest a unique mechanism for AR-mediated transcriptional activation.
Measurements of SOx, NOx and aerosol species on Bermuda

During August 1982 and January and February 1983, General Motors Research Laboratories operated an air monitoring site on the southwest coast of Bermuda. The data show that the levels of the NOx and SOx species reaching Bermuda are determined by the direction of the air flow. The highest levels of sulfate (mean = 4.0 μg m−3), nitric acid (126 ppt) and other species are observed when air masses arrive from the northeastern United States while the lowest levels (sulfate = 1.1 μg m−3; nitric acid = 41 ppt) occur during air flow from the SE direction. With westerly air flow, increases in many anthropogenic constituents such as particulate sulfate, lead, elemental carbon, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, nitric acid and ozone are observed. These species are generally the lowest during SE winds which bring high concentrations of soil- and crustal-related aerosol species. The source of this crustal material appears to be the Sahara Desert. On the average, the levels of anthropogenic constituents are higher in winter because of frequent intrusions of N American air masses. Conversely, the levels of crustal materials are higher in summer when the SE flow is more prevalent.
Oxidative damage to DNA during aging: 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine in rat organ DNA and urine.

Abstract Oxidative damage to DNA is shown to be extensive and could be a major cause of the physiological changes associated with aging and the degenerative diseases related to aging such as cancer. The oxidized nucleoside, 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (oh8dG), one of the approximately 20 known oxidative DNA damage products, has been measured in DNA isolated from various organs of Fischer 344 rats of different ages. oh8dG was present in the DNA isolated from all the organs studied: liver, brain, kidney, intestine, and testes. Steady-state levels of oh8dG ranged from 8 to 73 residues per 10(6) deoxyguanosine residues or 0.2-2.0 x 10(5) residues per cell. Levels of oh8dG in DNA increased with age in liver, kidney, and intestine but remained unchanged in brain and testes. The urinary excretion of oh8dG, which presumably reflects its repair from DNA by nuclease activity, decreased with age from 481 to 165 pmol per kg of body weight per day for urine obtained from 2-month- and 25-month-old rats, respectively. 8-Hydroxyguanine, the proposed repair product of a glycosylase activity, was also assayed in the urine. We estimate approximately 9 x 10(4) oxidative hits to DNA per cell per day in the rat. The results suggest that the age-dependent accumulation of oh8dG residues observed in DNA from liver, kidney, and intestine is principally due to the slow loss of DNA nuclease activity; however, an increase in the rate of oxidative DNA damage cannot be ruled out.
A Reduced-Order Model for Turbomachinery Flows Using Proper Orthogonal Decomposition

This paper presents the development of a reduced-order model based on the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) method. The POD method has been developed to predict turbomachinery flows modeled by the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations. The purpose of using a POD-based reduced-order model is to decrease the computational cost of turbomachinery flows. The POD model has been tested for two configurations: a canonical channel with a bump case and the transonic NASA Rotor 67 case. The Rotor 67 case has been simulated at design wheel speed and at three off-design conditions: 70, 80, and 90% of the wheel speed. The results of the POD-based reduced-order model where in excellent agreement with the full-order model results. The computational time of the reduced-order model was approximately one order of magnitude smaller than that of the full-order model.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Response to metyrapone in children with rheumatic diseases.

The response to metyrapone was studied in 11 children with rheumatic diseases, none of whom were receiving anti-inflammatory drugs. “Pituitary reserve” was evaluated by measuring the response of urinary 17-hydroxycorticosteroid excretion to the administration of metyrapone. Only one patient had definitely subnormal, and 2 had borderline pituitary reserve. Responses of plasma cortisol and 11-deoxycortisol concentrations to metyrapone were similar to those in normal subjects. The 3 patients with least adequate pituitary reserve as indicated by urinary steroid response also had the least elevation of plasma steroid concentrations after termination of the metyrapone infusion.
Eliminating the Haptic Oblique Effect: Influence of Scanning Incongruity and Prior Knowledge of the Standards:

Although the oblique effect has been conceptualized as a purely visual phenomenon, recent studies report its occurrence in a haptic matching task and present the hypothesis that differences in haptic orientational sensitivity might be responsible for the results. The possibility that procedural variables could be responsible was investigated. Specifically, the effect of prior knowledge of the stimulus orientation standards and of use of bilateral haptic exploration of standard and comparison orientations was examined. The results indicate that the reported oblique effect is reduced either when subjects are not informed which orientations will be tested, or when a unilateral matching procedure instead of a bilateral one is used. When both conditions are combined, the haptic oblique effect is eliminated. It is concluded that this particular manifestation of the oblique effect is not related to haptic sensitivity, but stems from (i) the use of well-established imagery as referent for a match (imagery for obl...
Anatomic characteristics of a fascia and its bands overlying the ulnar nerve in the proximal forearm : A cadaver study

This study describes the characteristics of a fascia overlying the ulnar nerve for 10 cm distal to the midpoint of the retrocondylar groove. A total of 28 cadaver upper extremities were dissected. The ulnar nerve between the flexor carpi ulnaris and flexor digitorum profundus was traced distally underneath a thin fascia. The length of the fascia was measured and examined for the presence of segmental fascial thickenings, referred to as 'Bands'. Two types of fascia were found. In Type I, three Bands were identified within the fascia and the mean length of the fascia was 5.6 cm. In Type II, four Bands were identified and the mean length of the fascia was 7.7 cm. The presence of Bands within the fascia overlying the ulnar nerve in the proximal forearm may require release at the time of decompression, or anterior transposition, of the ulnar nerve at the cubital tunnel.
Early Diagenesis of a Phylloid Algal-Mound Complex, Laborcita Formation, Southeastern New Mexico: ABSTRACT

Marine carbonate cementation was the initial stage in the paragenesis of phylloid algal mounds in the Laborcita Formation (Wolfcampian), Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico, and the cements are almost identical to those in Holocene coral reefs of Belize. These cements include relicts of botryoids and crusts of needle crystals, in part defined by inclusion patterns and luminescent "ghosts" in mosaic calcite. Individual needle crystals are pseudohexagonal in cross section and range from less than 1 to 30 µm wide. These nonluminescent early cements line cavity walls, coat phylloid-algal blades and stromatolites, and are interlayered with marine sediment. Early cements also include bladed, fibrous, and rare radiaxial fibrous calcites, which are microdolomite-rich. They have a proximal nonluminescent zone, a central bright-luminescent zone, and a distal blotchy, moderate-luminescent zone. The bright zone may be time equivalent to bright-luminescent micritic coatings on botryoids and grains. Botryoids are encrusted by isopachous bladed cement, some of which has prismatic overgrowths containing an early inclusion-rich zone. This initial cementation was followed closely by: (1) dissolution of algal blades and mollusks, (2) in-situ brecciation, and (3) cementation by blocky calcite. Botryoidal and acicular cements are interpreted as originally marine aragonite precipitates, based on morphology, occurrence, susceptibility to diagenesis, and similarity to Holocene reef cements. The same criteria, plus the microdolomite inclusions, indicate that the bladed, fibrous, and radiaxial cements had a marine Mg-calcite precursor. This assemblage followed by prismatic overgrowths, dissolution, and blocky-calcite cementation indicates an evolution from marine to freshwater diagenesis. This early diagenesis was followed by, in order: (1) cementation by multiple stages of blocky calcite (interrupted by episodic fracturing), (2) local dolomitization, (3) stylolitization, (4) dedolomitization and blocky-calcite cementation, and (5) minor chertification. End_of_Article - Last_Page 315------------
Phenophases alter the soil respiration–temperature relationship in an oak-dominated forest

Soil respiration (SR) represents a major component of forest ecosystem respiration and is influenced seasonally by environmental factors such as temperature, soil moisture, root respiration, and litter fall. Changes in these environmental factors correspond with shifts in plant phenology. In this study, we examined the relationship between canopy phenophases (pre-growth, growth, pre-dormancy, and dormancy) and SR sensitivity to changes in soil temperature (TS). SR was measured 53 times over 550 days within an oak forest in northwest Ohio, USA. Annual estimates of SR were calculated with a Q10 model based on TS on a phenological (PT), or annual timescale (AT), or TS and soil volumetric water content (VWC) on a phenological (PTM) or annual (ATM) timescale. We found significant (p<0.01) difference in apparent Q10 from year 2004 (1.23) and year 2005 (2.76) during the growth phenophase. Accounting for moisture-sensitivity increased model performance compared to temperature-only models: the error was −17% for the ATM model and −6% for the PTM model. The annual models consistently underestimated SR in summer and overestimated it in winter. These biases were reduced by delineating SR by tree phenophases and accounting for variation in soil moisture. Even though the bias of annual models in winter SR was small in absolute scale, the relative error was about 91%, and may thus have significant implications for regional and continental C balance estimates.
Acute Otitis Media and Acute Bacterial Sinusitis

Acute otitis media and acute bacterial sinusitis are 2 of the most common indications for antimicrobial agents in children. Together, they are responsible for billions of dollars of health care expenditures. The pathogenesis of the 2 conditions is identical. In the majority of children with each condition, a preceding viral upper respiratory tract infection predisposes to the development of the acute bacterial complication. It has been shown that viral upper respiratory tract infection predisposes to the development of acute otitis media in 37% of cases. Currently, precise microbiologic diagnosis of acute otitis media and acute bacterial sinusitis requires performance of tympanocentesis in the former and sinus aspiration in the latter. The identification of a virus from the nasopharynx in either case does not obviate the need for antimicrobial therapy. Furthermore, nasal and nasopharyngeal swabs are not useful in predicting the results of culture of the middle ear or paranasal sinus. However, it is possible that a combination of information regarding nasopharyngeal colonization with bacteria and infection with specific viruses may inform treatment decisions in the future.
40 MHz 0.25 um CMOS embedded 1T bit-line decoupled DRAM FIFO for mixed-signal applications

An embedded 40 MHz FIFO buffer for use in mixed-signal information processing applications is presented. The buffer design uses a 1T DRAM topology for its unit memory cell component, a sense amplifier, and two circular shift registers for implementing refresh and read-write pointers. The sense amplifier uses bit-line decoupling to improve readout performance. Our particular application requires the storage of 800 samples of a received ultrasound signal that pass through 48 channels consisting of a preamplifier, a sample-and-hold, and an 8-bit ADC. Data is written into memory in parallel in a sequential, burst-mode fashion and read sequentially at leisure, with interspersed refresh of the memory cells. Layout and design issues concerning implementing memory in a standard 0.25 um process are discussed and simulation results are presented.
Achieving organizational training objectives with short course development

Rapidly changing technology and business needs in the dynamic telecommunications field demands that Motorola employ a best-in-class and yet practical education and training program so that employees can work most effectively. This paper is an experience report that chronicles one of a number of Motorola training approaches: short course development (SCD) designed to meet software development organization training needs. Short courses present considerable challenges because they usually are developed by individuals under time pressures from regular work, and who frequently possess limited professional skills in course design and adult education philosophies. Lessons learned from SCD will help educators and internal training specialists improve this important aspect of a corporate training program.
SYLON-DREAM: a multi-level network synthesizer

SYLON-DREAM, a logic network synthesizer which consists of SYLON-DREAM-INI for designing initial networks and SYLON-DREAM-MIN for further optimization, is presented. Unlike the networks designed by other approaches, those designed by SYLON-DREAM consist of MOS cells satisfying given constraints on the maximum number of series and parallel transistors. Such networks can be easily realized by a cell generator or mapped to the gates in existing cell libraries. >
Influence of structure and chemistry on piezoelectric properties of lead zirconate titanate in a microelectromechanical systems power generation application

Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) films between 1 and 3 μm thick were grown using solution deposition techniques to study the effects of crystal structure and orientation on the direct piezoelectric output of these films on platinized Si membranes. By varying the chemistry of the film from Zr-rich to Ti-rich, the {100}/(111) relative intensity increased for films grown on randomly oriented Pt films. The 40:60 PZT had a tetragonal crystal structure and produced greater electrical output at a given strain than the rhombohedral film (Zr:Ti concentrations less than 50:50), while having a similar e 3 1 constant, between 4.8 and 6.3 C/m 2 . Orientation and voltage output at a given strain were not strongly influenced by thickness in the ranges investigated. Defects in internal PZT/PZT crystallization interfaces were identified and include porosity on the order of tens of nm, with a corresponding depletion in Pb and accumulation of O at these interfaces. The {100} texture of rhombohedral films deposited upon (111) textured Pt films is significantly greater than the {100} texture of tetragonal films, which show both a {100} and {111} orientation on the same Pt film.
Gadoteridol in multiple sclerosis patients:A comparison of single and triple dose with immediate vs. delayed imaging

Abstract Enhancement of lesions in multiple sclerosis (MS) has been investigated using standard and high doses of gadolinium. The purposes of this study are to compare the relative merits of single and triple dose as well as examine the merits of delayed triple-dose images in a large group of patients. Thirty-seven patients with multiple sclerosis underwent contrast enhanced brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). After noncontrast images, a single dose (0.1 mmol/kg) of gadoteridol was administered. Subsequently, axial T1-weighted images were obtained immediately after administration, and again after a delay of approximately 20 minutes. After an additional 0.2-mmol/kg dose was administered, to provide a total cumulative dose of 0.3 mmol/kg of gadoteridol, immediate and delayed axial T1-weighted image sequences were repeated. The contrast-noise ratio (C/N) was calculated for each identified, enhancing lesion in each series. Furthermore, blinded readings were performed to determine the lesion detection rate. Of the forty definite lesions that underwent all four sequences, triple-dose delayed images exhibited the highest contrast-noise ratio in a significantly larger number of lesions ( p p p p p −8 ) contrast noise ratios than all other sequences of this study.
Prognostic models based on statistical flowgraphs

We present a framework for developing hierarchical models for predicting system health (e.g. probability of failure within a given mission duration), based on component-level reliability and degradation models. Component models may be specified as parametric probability distributions or nonparametrically as empirical distribution functions. Flowgraph methods are then used to predict the system failure time distribution. We illustrate with an application to aircraft maintenance. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Conversion of cyclosporine to tacrolimus in heart transplant patients: a single center experience

Background: Tacrolimus (TAC) is an alternative to cyclosporine (CSA) in heart transplant (HTX) patients. We sought to evaluate the use of TAC substituted for CSA in a single center. Methods: We analysed the outcome of HTX patients who were converted from CSA to TAC for refractory rejection or intolerance to CSA. The dose of TAC was adjusted to an initial level of 12 to 18 ng/mL for rejection or 8 to 12 ng/mL for CSA intolerance. Results: From to 1985 to 2001, 652 HTXs were performed at our center. Of these, 109 (16%) patients were converted to TAC, at 28 38 mths post-HTX (range 0.5 to 156). Age at time of HTX was 45 16 yr. Reasons for conversion were: rejection 58 (53.2%), gingival hyperplasia 9 (8.2%), CSA neurotoxicity 7 (6.4%), hirsutism 6 (5.5%), & other 29 (26.7%). At 6 mths after conversion, the TAC dose was 6.4 3.7 mg/d, and the level 10.8 5.0 ng/mL. Duration of follow-up after conversion was 34 17 mths. 10/109 (9%) patients had to stop TAC for renal insufficiency and/or tremor. For those 58 patients converted for rejection, the number of rejections fell from 1.2 1.0 to 0.3 0.5 per patient per yr (p 0.0001). 42/58 (72%) of patients were free from treated rejection during follow-up. For those converted for CSA side effects, 81% had partial or complete resolution. For the whole group (n 109), other data are as follows:
Planning and Implementing a Metadata-Driven Digital Repository

SUMMARY Metadata are used to organize and control a wide range of different types of information object collections, most of which are accessed via the World Wide Web. This chapter presents a brief introduction to the purpose of metadata and how it has developed, and an overview of the steps to be taken and the functional expertise required in planning for and implementing the creation, storage, and use of metadata for resource discovery in a local repository of information objects.
Recent magnitude of and temporal trends (1994-1997) in the incidence and hospital death rates of cardiogenic shock complicating acute myocardial infarction: the second national registry of myocardial infarction.

Background Limited recent data are available to describe the magnitude of, and temporal trends in, the incidence and case-fatality rates associated with cardiogenic shock complicating acute myocardial infarction. The purpose of this study was to examine recent (1994-1997) trends in the incidence of, and hospital death rates from, cardiogenic shock complicating acute myocardial infarction from a large, multihospital national perspective. Methods An observational study was performed of 426,253 patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction in 1662 hospitals throughout the United States between 1994 and 1997. Results The incidence rates of cardiogenic shock averaged 6.2%. There was evidence for a slight decline in these rates between 1994 (6.6%) and 1997 (6.0%). Results of a multivariable regression analysis controlling for factors that might affect the risk of development of cardiogenic shock indicated that patients hospitalized in more recent years were at significantly lower risk for shock. Patients with shock had a markedly increased risk for dying during hospitalization compared with patients not having shock (74% vs 10%). Significant, albeit small, absolute differences were observed in the risk of dying after cardiogenic shock over time (76% dying in 1997, 72% dying in 1994). These improving trends were magnified, however, after potentially confounding prognostic factors were controlled: patients having shock in 1997 were at approximately one fifth lower risk of dying (odds ratio 0.79, 95% confidence interval 0.71-0.87) than those hospitalized in 1994. Conclusions Our findings indicate a slight decline in the incidence rates of cardiogenic shock and improving trends in the hospital survival of patients with shock. Despite these trends, it remains of considerable importance to prevent this clinical syndrome, given its high lethality. (Am Heart J 2001;141:65-72.)
Crafting Sociocentric Selves in Religious Discourse in Rural Fiji

This article examines narratives about religious experience among rural Fijians in order to reexamine the claim that Fijians and other Pacific Islanders have "sociocentric selves." Individuals insisted in their narratives that they had actively chosen to commit to churches in order to become more sociocentric. They suggested that sodocentrism was only a satisfying orientation if freely chosen. This article suggests that in our contemporary global village, Fijians choose to adopt a sociocentric orientation to define a worthy place for themselves vis-a-vis urban relatives and Western visitors.
IMPLICATIONS OF A NEW EARLY ORDOVICIAN ASTEROID (ECHINODERMATA) FOR THE PHYLOGENY OF ASTEROZOANS

Abstract Eriaster ibexensis n. gen. and sp., from the Ibexian (Lower Ordovician) of Utah, is the oldest-known body-fossil taxon of the class Asteroidea. Although important features are not preserved, the external form of E. ibexensis is suggestive of certain living asteroids and unlike approximately coeval somasteroids. The similar ages of Eriaster and the oldest-known somasteroid challenge the candidacy of the latter as basal to asteroids. Trace fossils assigned to Asteriacites have been recovered from strata as ancient as Lower Cambrian. Asteriacites from younger strata are considered to represent resting traces of asterozoans. Mode of formation of early representatives is problematic; however, their simple existence raises the possibility of extended pre-Ibexian asterozoan evolution, which could explain the morphological disparity found among the earliest-known body-fossil asterozoans.
Influence of sodium bicarbonate and monensin on utilization of a fat-supplemented, high-energy growing-finishing diet by feedlot steers.

Two feedlot growth performance trials and a metabolism trial were conducted to evaluate the relationship between monensin (MON) and sodium bicarbonate (BICARB) supplementation on utilization of a high-energy diet by finishing steers. Two levels of MON (0 and 33 mg/kg of diet) and two levels of BICARB (0 and .75% DM) were compared in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. The basal diet contained 75% steam-flaked corn, 4% yellow grease, and 12% forage (DM basis). There were no interactions between supplemental BICARB and MON on feedlot growth performance or characteristics of ruminal and total tract digestion. With either crossbred or Holstein steers there were no treatment effects (P > .10) on ADG, DM intake, feed efficiency, or NE value of the diet. The BICARB did not influence (P > .10) ruminal or total tract digestion of OM, ADF, starch, and N, ruminal pH, or ruminal VFA molar proportions. Monensin decreased (6.6%, P .10). Monensin decreased ruminal molar proportions of acetate (5.3%, P > .10) and butyrate (29.4%, P < .05) and increased molar proportions of propionate (16.3%, P < .10). Coupled with reduced ruminal OM fermentation, the increase in molar proportions of propionate caused a decrease in ruminal methane energy loss and increased diet ME (2.7%, P < .05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Tai Chi Improves Sleep Quality in Healthy Adults and Patients with Chronic Conditions: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background: Physical activity and exercise appear to improve sleep quality. However, the quantitative effects of Tai Chi on sleep quality in the adult population have rarely been examined. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the effects of Tai Chi on sleep quality in healthy adults and disease populations. Methods: Medline, Cochrane Central databases, and review of references were searched through July 31, 2013. English-language studies of all designs evaluating Tai Chi’s effect on sleep outcomes in adults were examined. Data were extracted and verified by 2 reviewers. Extracted information included study setting and design, population characteristics, type and duration of interventions, outcomes, risk of bias and main results. Random effect models meta-analysis was used to assess the magnitude of treatment effect when at least 3 trials reported on the same sleep outcomes. Results: Eleven studies (9 randomized and 2 non-randomized trials) totaling 994 subjects published between 2004 and 2012 were identified. All studies except one reported Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index. Nine randomized trials reported that 1.5 to 3 hour each week for a duration of 6 to 24 weeks of Tai Chi significantly improved sleep quality (Effect Size, 0.89; 95% Confidence Interval [CI], 0.28 to 1.50), in community-dwelling healthy participants and in patients with chronic conditions. Improvement in health outcomes including physical performance, pain reduction, and psychological well-being occurred in the Tai Chi group compared with various controls. Limitations: Studies were heterogeneous and some trials were lacking in methodological rigor. Conclusions: Tai Chi significantly improved sleep quality in both healthy adults and patients with chronic health conditions, which suggests that Tai Chi may be considered as an alternative behavioral therapy in the treatment of insomnia. High-quality, well-controlled randomized trials are needed to better inform clinical decisions.
Converting the McMath-Pierce FTS to a Polarization Interferometer For Solar Magnetic Field Measurements

Polarization measurements are an important source of information about magnetic fields on the Sun.
Postantibiotic Suppression of Bacterial Growth

Persistent suppression of bacterial growth following exposure of both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria to numerous antimicrobial agents was studied. The persistent, or postantibiotic, effect was quantitated by periodic counts of colony-forming units after removal of the drug by washing, dilution, or inactivation with penicillinase. Although a postantibiotic effect was observed with all drugs studied, there were marked differences among drugs in their postantibiotic effects on certain organisms. With gram-positive organisms, concentrations of beta-lactam antibiotics near the minimal inhibitory concentration produced persistent effects lasting 1-3 hr. With gram-negative organisms much higher concentrations were required to elicit a postantibiotic effect. Inhibitors of protein and RNA synthesis produced the longest persistent suppression of growth, which was of comparable duration in gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Only a short persistent effect of gentamicin was observed with Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, but a postantibiotic effect lasting 1.6-2.6 hr was observed with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The duration of the postantibiotic effect was related linearly to concentration of drug and duration of exposure up to a point of maximal response. Persistent effects following exposure to antibiotics were also demonstrated in 90% human serum.
Faith, Ritualism, Charismatic Leadership and Religious Behavior

CIENTIFIC studies of religion have tended to avoid the investigation of the motivating forces which hold the individual to his particular religious system, largely because of the difficulty of submitting to objective and statistical analysis the religious feelings which are so highly subjective in nature. However, the more complete understanding of religious groups will not be realized without some attention to motivation. This study is concerned with the relationship between motivation and such common cultural manifestations of religious behavior as ritual, charismatic leadership, meditation.
Comparison of intracellular flushing and cold storage to machine perfusion for human kidney preservation.

AbstractTransplant teams have been reluctant to accept kidneys preserved with intracellular electrolyte flushing followed by simple cold storage, especially when retrieved by non-transplant surgeons or when preservation time exceeds 24 hours. This study from 1 center is a comparison of 40 primary cadaver kidney grafts preserved with Collins’ C2 flushing followed by simple cold storage to 37 primary cadaver kidney grafts preserved with cryoprecipitated plasma on the MOX-100 machine. Cold storage time was 10 to 44.5 hours in the C2 group and 3.5 to 39 hours in the machine-perfused group, with a mean of 23 hours in each group. There was no significant difference between the 2 preservation methods no matter who removed the kidney with respect to 1) the incidence of acute tubular necrosis, 2) the 1-month serum creatinine nadir of surviving grafts and 3) the actuarial graft survivals up to 2 years. Among the 40 C2-preserved kidneys 17 were retrieved by community surgeons and 23 were retrieved by transplant surg...
Can We Measure the Transition to Reading? General Outcome Measures and Early Literacy Development From Preschool to Early Elementary Grades

This study evaluated the extent to which existing measures met standards for a continuous suite of general outcome measures (GOMs) assessing children’s early literacy from preschool through early elementary school. The study assessed 316 children from age 3 years (2 years prekindergarten) through Grade 2, with 8 to 10 measures of language, alphabetic principle, phonological awareness, and beginning reading. We evaluated measures at each grade group against six standards for GOMs extracted from earlier work. We found that one measure of oral language met five or six standards at all grade levels, and several measures of phonological awareness and alphabetic principle showed promise across all five grade levels. Results are discussed in relation to ongoing research and development of a flexible and seamless system to assess children’s academic progress across time for effective prevention and remediation, as well as theoretical and empirical analyses in early literacy, early reading, and GOMs.
Pros and Cons of Active Learning

Teaching is an art and can be done in various ways. I am a strong believer of traditional teaching technique (class lecture and Socrates method of testing student learning) but integrating active, ...
Age Related Outcomes for Multiple Myeloma Patients Following Autologous Transplantation

Multiple myeloma is the second most common hematological malignancy in the United States. The risk of developing multiple myeloma increases with age; with approximately 85% of patients are over age 55 and 62% over age 65. Through improved supportive care, increased access to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and introduction of new biologic agents, survival has increased over the past 20 years. Currently, autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is the standard of care after primary therapy for eligible patients. Research has suggested a greater survival benefit after ASCT for patients Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Analysis of Roach (Blattodea:Blattellidae) populations in colonies of Solenopsis invicta (Buren) (Hymenoptera:Formicidae)

Fire ant colonies infested with cockroaches were examined with attention to prevalence of roaches. Colonies were grouped by age, presence or absence of covered areas, and placement in an incubator or lack thereof. Examination of population density over a four-day period showed a higher prevalence of roaches in covered areas. Cockroaches who hid in narrow spaces thus preferred hiding in covered areas for comfort, or else faced improved conditions for survival in narrow spaces. The furthered understanding of roach habitats could be used to more effectively control or eliminate roach populations.
A novel offset method for improving bitstring quality of a Hardware-Embedded delay PUF

Statistical properties including uniqueness, randomness and reproducibility are commonly used as metrics for Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs). When PUFs are used in authentication protocols, the first two metrics are critically important to the overall security of the system. Authentication reveals the bitstrings (and helper data if used) to the an adversary, and makes the PUF vulnerable to tactics that can lead to successful cloning and impersonation. In this paper, we investigate security metrics including Entropy, uniqueness and randomness using hardware data collected from a set of 45 Xilinx Zynq FPGAs which implements a Hardware-Embedded Delay PUF called HELP. HELP measures and analyzes variations in path delays that occur within a hardware-implemented macro. A novel technique is proposed that allows the verifier to randomly or purposefully offset path delays to obfuscate (in the former case) and/or tune (in the latter case) the bitstring generation process. We show that tuning additionally has a significant impact on the statistical quality of the bitstrings.
AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF CHEMICALLY DISPERSED OIL ON FEATHER STRUCTURE AND WATERPROOFING IN COMMON MURRES ( URIA AALGE)

Following an oil spill in the marine environment, chemical dispersants, which increase oil droplet formation and distribution into the water column, are assumed to provide a net benefit to seabirds by reducing the risk of exposure to oil on the water surface. However, few data are available regarding acute, external impacts of exposure to dispersed oil. We evaluated the effects of known concentrations of dispersant and crude oil in artificial seawater on live Common Murres ( Uria aalge). Waterproofing and microscopic feather geometry were evaluated over time and compared to pre-exposure values. Birds exposed to a high concentration of dispersant experienced an immediate, life-threatening loss of waterproofing and buoyancy, both of which resolved within 2 d. Birds exposed to oil, or a dispersant and oil mixture, experienced dose-dependent waterproofing impairment without resolution over 2 d. Alterations in feather geometry were observed in oil-exposed or dispersant- and oil-exposed birds and were associated with increased odds of waterproofing impairment compared to control birds. At a given contaminant concentration, there were no significant differences in waterproofing between oil-exposed and dispersant- and oil-exposed birds. We found that acute, external effects of oil and dispersed oil exposure are comparable and dose-dependent. Our results also indicate that a zero-risk assumption should not be used when seabirds are present within the dispersant application zone.
The Electrochemistry, Corrosion and Hydrogen Embrittlement of Titanium

Titanium has the reputation of being one of the most corrosion resistant metals. It can be used in many acidic and basic environments and not suffer attack. Only exposure to hydrofluoric acid and concentrated boiling mineral acids cause significant corrosion. The reason for this general immunity is that titanium forms a tenacious oxide film on its surface. Figure 1 shows the Pourbaix diagram for titanium, and one notes the large range of pH and electrochemical potential over which an oxide is stable.1 This film is usually ductile, but even if it is broken it can be easily repaired because most solutions contain sufficient oxygen to allow it to reform. As a result of this characteristic, the greatest concern about the use of titanium occurs in situations in which the titanium oxide films can be reduced or in which the degrading species can penetrate the oxide film. An example of the first situation would be crevice corrosion. An example of the second would be pitting.
Representations of Vectors and Operators

We have managed to get through four chapters of this text without specifying any concrete form of the state vectors, and treating them as some abstractions defined only by the rules of the games that we could play with them. This approach is very convenient and rewarding from a theoretical point of view as it emphasizes the generality of quantum approach to the world and allows to derive a number of important general results with relative ease. However, when it comes to responding to experimentalists’ requests to explain/predict their quantitative experimental results, we do need to have something a bit more concrete and tangible than the idea of an abstract vector. The similar situation actually arises also in the case of our regular three-dimensional geometric vectors. It is often convenient to think of them as purely geometrical objects (arrows, for instance) and derive results independent of any choice of coordinate system. However, at some point, eventually, you will need to get to some “down-to-earth” computations, and to carry them out, you will have to choose a coordinate system and replace the “arrows” with a set of numbers—the vector components.