cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
1 YouTube for Ultrasound Education

The internet has many free resources that can be leveraged for education. We wish to present the use of two popular and free websites to more effectively disseminate educational cases and videos within a residency program and alumni network. Traditionally, sharing video was limited by cost, equipment, and technical challenges. YouTube and similar video sharing websites are attractive in that they allow free, permanent, and widely compatible hosting of videos. Realizing this potential we began using YouTube to share interesting and important video clips of emergency ultrasound cases, thus reaching a broader audience within our residency than possible during conference or tape review sessions. YouTube, however, doesn't allow extensive text and descriptions. We initially used email to convey the case details, however, to better organize and consolidate our cases, we turned to popular free webpage hosting sites like officelive.com and blogger.com. We chose officelive.com for its simplicity, free domain registration, and online web design interface. By using YouTube's ability to embed video onto any website, we were able to present case and video together on one page. All this for free and with common and easy to use online tools. Please visit emugweb.com to see what we have done. We believe that continued and innovative usage of these free internet tools can make our job as educators easier and at the same time offer a more organized and accessible format to our students.
Pollution problems give the earth a chance

Electric narrow gauge railroads near highways are torn up to provide space for exhaust‐spewing buses. New apartments and hotels are added to seaside resorts to increase the amount of unfiltered sewage in the sea. Venice and Bruges discharge untreated human faeces into the canals sailed by oblivious tourists, while Europe heralds with joy the era of the plastic container but no new dumps. Totally ignorant of the environmental disaster to which America just awoke, other countries seem to be determined to emulate the United States in a headlong rush to destruction. “Give Earth a chance”, is the author's cry. The author does not wish to be a prophet of doom, but evidence produced by scientists of repute points to the urgent need to sacrifice some of the aspects of the “easy life”, to reduce industrial pollution, to restrict demands for energy, and to control the population explosion. The alternative is an unhabitable Earth or a substandard geoecosystem housing a debilitated humanity.
Symmetrical appearance of bright and dark Mach bands from an exponential illumination gradient.

Observers viewed two families of Mach-band-inducing stimuli in which the luminance distribution G of the gradient region varied among stimuli. In one family, the function G was varied almost continuously from a convex, through a linear and an exponential, to an even more pronounced concave form. The exponential distribution was selected as appearing the most symmetrical in terms of the placement and appearance of the bright and dark Mach bands. The second family was a series of power functions in which the exponent that determines G varied between 1.47 and 12.50. Contrary to possible expectations based on Stevens’s power law for brightness perception, these stimuli appeared considerably less symmetric than the exponential stimulus. These results are consistent with the hypothesis of a logarithmic transformation prior to a linear stage of lateral inhibitory interaction in the human visual system.
EXAMINING THE BONDS AND BOUNDS OF FRIENDSHIP

Les proprietes dynamiques de l'amitie requierent parfois que les amis reevaluent leur relation a la lumiere de raisons de reciprocite ou de considerations morales. Les amis maintiennent leur relation en partie en evaluant leurs rapports de reciprocite. Ils doivent aussi considerer parfois l'impact de raisons morales sur leur amitie; il leur faut resoudre d'occasionnelles tensions entre les exigences de l'amitie et certaines considerations rivales d'ordre moral, et ils doivent agir parfois comme surveillants l'un pour l'autre dans l'ordre moral. Je discute ici la facon dont les amis peuvent gerer leur relation sans compromettre la confiance et le respect mutuels qui sont appropries entre amis.
Differential expression of adenylyl cyclases in the rat nephron.

Differential expression of adenylyl cyclases in the rat nephron. Background Adenylyl cyclases (ACs) are a family of enzymes that catalyze the formation of the second-messenger cyclic adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate (cAMP). At least nine isoforms of AC have been cloned. These isoforms differ in their tissue distribution and basal activity. AC isoforms also differ in their capacity to be stimulated or inhibited by G protein α i , α s and β;/γ subunits, protein kinase C, and intracellular calcium. The distribution of ACs in the kidney is only partially known, although it is known that ACs play important roles in kidney signal transduction. Several receptors are known to couple to AC, but their linkage to individual AC isoforms in the kidney is not known. Methods This study investigated the tissue distribution of AC isoforms along the nephron of Wistar-Kyoto rats using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), immunohistochemistry, and immunoblotting. Results While AC VI and IX mRNA were found in all nephron segments, there was no expression of AC VIII mRNA. ACs II through V and VII mRNA were variably found in specific nephron segments. mRNA for AC isoforms II, III, VI, VII, and IX were expressed in renal proximal tubules. All of the AC isoforms studied, except VIII, were found in glomeruli. Immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry confirmed the mRNA results. AC isoforms II, III, IV, and IX were expressed in luminal rather than in basolateral membranes. However, immunohistochemical studies were not feasible for the other isoforms that could be expressed in basolateral membranes. Conclusion Knowledge of the distribution of ACs may help establish the linkage between receptors and specific AC isoforms and define their functions.
Notes from the (Battle)Field for Equity in Education

I am the daughter of deaf parents and the mother of a large family, which in some respects explains why I want to dialogue with you today about culture and equity. When we discuss issues of diverse...
Patient attitudes toward issues of environmental health.

Objective Although the place of environmental health in medical education has been cautiously explored, patient attitudes toward environmental issues have been largely ignored in the medical literature. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the baseline level of family practice patient concerns about a variety of environmental issues, including their major sources of information and their level of trust in each source. Patient desire for more environmental education was also assessed. Methods This cross-sectional, descriptive study was based on a confidential, 14 question survey administered to a convenience sample of 373 adult family medicine patients at 4 University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Family Medicine affiliated clinics, including 2 urban, 1 suburban, and 1 rural site. Of 496 patients approached, 415 accepted, and 373 returned complete and acceptable questionnaires. The level of patient concern for each environmental issue, patient trust in each source of information, and the amount of education patients felt they had received from their physician were measured. Results A high level of concern for environmental issues existed among the study sample patients. Although only 18% of patients reported utilizing their physician as a major source of environmental information, physicians were considered the most trustworthy source. In general, patients felt that they had received an inadequate amount of environmental education from their physician regarding all environmental issues presented. Conclusions Patients desire and would be receptive to more environmental education from their physicians.
Congenital Heart Disease and Maternal Smoking Habits

FEDRICK et al.1 have produced data to show that the incidence of congenital heart disease in infants of mothers who are cigarette smokers is significantly higher than among infants of non-smoking mothers. In our child health development studies my colleagues and I have attempted to duplicate those findings which relate to their “control week” data. We used the same criteria, thus omitting all multiple births and all cases in which the defect was associated with anencephalus, spina bifida or Down's syndrome. We found no difference in the proportion of smokers and non-smokers between mothers of affected and unaffected children. Thus we found no difference between the children of smoking and non-smoking mothers with regard to the incidence of congenital heart disease (Table 1).
Action of 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-β-d-hexosidase from Turbo cornutus on periodate-oxidized and Smith-degraded, blood-group HLeb and Lea substances from human, ovarian-cyst fluids

Abstract Immunochemical and chemical studies were used to monitor and evaluate the structural changes produced by an enzyme from Turbo cornutus in periodate-oxidized and Smith-degraded, human blood-group substances from ovarian cysts. After the first step of periodate oxidation and Smith degradation, two blood-group substances, JS (HLe b ) and N-1 (Le a ), were precipitated by mouse-myeloma S117 serum, specific for terminal, nonreducing, β- d -linked 2-acetamido-2-deoxy- d -glucosyl groups, but not by type XIV antipneumococcal horse serum specific for terminal, nonreducing β- d -linked d -galactosyl groups. An exoglycosidase, 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-β- d -hexosidase (β- N -acetylhexosaminidase) from Turbo cornutus , split off 2-acetamido-2-deoxy- d -glucose amounting to 22.5 and 20.4 of the total weight or JS and N-1 blood-group substances, respectively. After enzymic digestion, both blood-group substances precipitated with type XIV serum, and did not precipitate with S117 serum. The findings are in agreement with the structure proposed for the water-soluble, blood-group substances [Lloyd and Kabat, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. , 61 (1968) 1477]. Specific enzymes can be of value in structural studies when used in conjunction with sequential periodate oxidation and Smith degradation.
Effect of pressure processing on amino acid digestibility of meat and bone meal for poultry

In the future, it may become desirable or required to process meat and bone meal (MBM) under pressure to reduce human health concerns associated with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). Therefore, three experiments evaluated the effects of different processing pressures on the digestibility of amino acids (AA) in MBM when the pressure processing was done after typical rendering (Experiments 1 and 2) or during the initial rendering process of raw materials (Experiment 3). Processing pressures varied from 0 to 60 psi in experimental or commercial feather meal cookers. Increasing pressure during processing reduced MBM Cys concentrations in Experiments 1 and 2. True digestibilities of most AA were significantly decreased by increasing pressures in Experiments 1 and 2, and reductions were generally largest for Cys and Lys, particularly Cys, and increased with severity as pressure increased. For example, in Experiment 1, Cys digestibility decreased from 65 to 50 to 15%, and Lys digestibility decreased from 76 to 68 to 41% as the MBM was processed at 0, 30, and 60 psi, respectively, for 20 min. When the pressure processing occurred during the initial rendering of the MBM raw material (Experiment 3), a significant reduction in digestibility of most AA was observed only at 60 psi, and the decrease was much less than that observed in Experiments 1 and 2. Our results indicate that pressure processing of MBM decreases the digestibility of AA for poultry. Thus, pressure processing of MBM to reduce potential BSE infectivity will likely decrease the nutritional value of the MBM.
Trends and seasonality of antibiotic resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Over 8,400 pretreatment isolates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae collected in the United States between November 1972 and April 1975 were tested for their in vitro resistance to penicillin, ampicillin, tetracycline, and spectinomycin. Trends and seasonality of resistance were examined by use of a harmonic regression technique. During the study period, there was a significant difference among years in the mean minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for each antibiotic (P < 0.001 for penicillin, ampicillin, and tetracycline; P < 0.05 for spectinomycin), and the mean MIC for each antibiotic decreased. Resistance to tetracycline and penicillin was highest in the winter months. Seasonality of resistance, alone or as an interaction with year, approached significance (P < 0.10) or was significant (P < 0.05) for all four antibiotics.
Instrumental Music and 'Conversazione' in Early Seicento Venice: Biagio Marini's 'Affetti Musicali' (1617)

In entitling his debut publication of 1617 Affetti musicali , Biagio Marini became the first composer to use the suggestive term affetti in the title of a book consisting entirely of instrumental music. Marini indicated that the book grew out of live music-making among a progressive group of Venetian listeners. Consideration of these social musical events in the context of early modern theories of friendship and civility—especially those articulated in Stefano Guazzo’s Civil conversazione (1574)—sheds light on Marini’s project. His compositions may have been intended as ‘test’ pieces, meant to inspire conversation among his listeners, thereby arousing their affetti . In its published form, the Affetti musicali constitutes a record of those discussions and the affetti they inspired, as well as a public model for emulation by other like-minded listeners.
Adaptational effects of short wave cone signals on red-green chromatic detection.

Abstract The red-green chromatic detection mechanism that responds to the difference of L and M cone test signals was isolated in forced-choice experiments. Detection contours in an L , M cone space were measured with 2 Hz Gabor test signals comprising different amplitude ratios of antiphase flickering red and green lights, which formed the 1.2° center of a 7.2° uniform adapting field. To compare the effect of short wave cone adapting levels on the red-green detection sensitivity, thresholds were measured on pairs of adapting fields that were shown to be tritanopic metamers for our individual observers: violet and green adapting lights that produce equal quantal catches in M cones and in L cones but very differently stimulate S cones. The degree to which the adapting field stimulated S cones had little effect on the red-green detection sensitivity, although the red appearance of the adapting field varied considerably owing to the S cone stimulation. Thus, while the S cones may affect the red-green hue dimension, S cone signals appear to have little adaptational effect on red-green detection mediated by the difference of L and M cone test signals.
Operational modal analysis of a rectangular plate using non-contact excitation and measurement

Abstract Operational modal analysis (OMA), or output-only modal analysis, has been extensively developed in the past decades and widely used especially when the input is unknown and difficult to measure. This paper presents a non-contact experimental technique for measuring modal parameters of a rectangular aluminum plate with free boundaries using only the output data, with the intention to apply the technique to turbine blades. OMA is used to analyze both the out-of-plane and in-plane vibrations of the plate in the frequency range of up to 15,000 Hz, which can be an operation frequency range of a turbine blade, under white noise acoustic excitation in a direction of interest. It is shown that OMA can be performed when the types of measurement at the measurement and reference points are different, since the associated cross-correlation functions contain modal characteristics of the test structure. A single-point laser vibrometer and a free-field microphone are used to simultaneously measure the responses of the plate in a non-contact manner, with the microphone measurement serving as the reference. The pressure measured by the microphone near the reference point is shown to be proportional to the normal surface acceleration at the reference point, and the cross power spectral densities obtained by the current test method can be used for modal parameter estimation. A method for measuring the in-plane modes of the plate by shining the laser beam on the plate surface with an incident angle is developed. Experimental modal analysis (EMA) is also performed on the plate using an impact hammer and the laser vibrometer. The measured natural frequencies and mode shapes of the out-of-plane and in-plane modes of the plate using OMA and EMA are compared with those calculated using commercial finite element software. The maximum error between the measured and calculated natural frequencies of the plate is 1.53 percent for the first 18 elastic modes, including 16 out-of-plane and two in-plane modes. The modal assurance criterion values between the corresponding measured and calculated mode shapes of the plate are all above 93 percent.
Freedom, Caring and Buddhist Philosophy

My visiting professorship in the Philosophy Department at Liverpool came about thanks to the generosity of the Leverhulme Trust, which awarded a grant in connection with the development of the new ...
Pancreatitis caused by a gastric duplication communicating with an aberrant pancreatic lobe

Developmental anomalies of the pancreas and its ductal drainage system are an important cause of pancreatitis. Patients with such anomalies require appropriate surgical intervention. This report concerns an uncommon foregut anomaly that causes pancreatitis. A 9-year-old girl had recurrent pancreatitis secondary to a gastric duplication communicating with an aberrant pancreatic lobe. Appreciation of the relevant anatomy led to successful surgical management of the pancreatitis.
Primary Production: Terrestrial Ecosystems

The history of growth in understanding of primary productivity and in making estimates of biosphere production is reviewed. Two approaches to estimation of land production are discussed. Production may first be estimated by mean values for ecosystem types and the areas of these. A total production of 100×10 9 tons/year is thus estimated for the continents, making up 29% of the earth's surface. The energy content of net primary production is 426×1018 cal for the continents and 261×1018 cal for the seas, implying a biosphere energy efficiency of 0.13% relative to incident sunlight of the full spectrum at the earth's surface. As a second approach, the relation of productivity to mean annual temperature and precipitation is analyzed. On the basis of these relationships, a “Miami model” map of primary productivity of the continents is presented.
SIMULTANEOUS OPTICAL DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING OF LOW-TEMPERATURE, DOUBLE-INJECTION COMBUSTION IN A HEAVY-DUTY DI DIESEL ENGINE

Abstract A highly diluted, low-flame-temperature diesel engine combustion strategy with two separate fuel-injections per cycle was investigated using simultaneous optical diagnostics at a low-load operating condition. In-cylinder processes were visualized with a suite of laser/imaging diagnostics. The cool flame first-stage ignition reactions occur along the entire length of the jet for the first combustion event. For both injections, the second-stage ignition reactions occur after the end of injection, primarily in the downstream regions of the jet. OH is found throughout the cross-section of the jet, indicating greater mixing and leaner mixtures than observed for conventional diesel combustion. For the first combustion event, very little soot is formed and it is found in small pockets near the tip of the jet. For the second combustion event, much more soot is formed throughout the downstream jet cross-section. Finally, Sandia's conceptual model of diesel combustion has been extended to describe this ope...
GROWTH AND STROMATA PRODUCTION OF HYPOVIRULENT AND VIRULENT STRAINS OF CRYPHONECTRIA PARASITICA ON DEAD QUERCUS RUBRA AND ACER RUBRUM

Dead red oak (Quercus rubra) and red maple trees (Acer rubrum) that had been girdled were inoculated with one virulent and six hypovirulent strains of Cryphonectria parasitica. Bark samples were removed from specific points on the trees and fungi from them were subsequently cultured to determine the potential for survival and growth of the C. parasitica strains. All seven strains survived up to ten months after inoculation on red oak. Virulent strain 5-9-IB was recovered from oak bark plugs with a higher frequency than any of the hypovirulent strains but produced low numbers of stromata. Hy? povirulent strains that produced the highest rates of stromata on dead red oaks were more frequently reisolated. Survival of all seven strains on red maple stems was very poor. Seven months after stem inoculations, approximately 0.5% ofthe bark plug samples yielded reisolations of C. parasitica. Only strain Ep 88 produced a few stromata during one sampling date on two red maple trees. Survival of hypovirulent strains of Crypho? nectria parasitica (Murr.) Barr on different tree species may be essential for control ofthe chest? nut blight organism. The first collection of the fungus on a host other than American chestnut (Castanea dentata [Marsh.] Borkh.) was ob? tained by J. Franklin Collins at Martic Forge,
Contemporary developments and issues in China's economic transition

List of Figures List of Tables List of Contributors Introduction Acknowledgements Map of Provinces PART I: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS Economic Reforms and Recent Macroeconomic Performance C.Harvie Growth, Inflation and the Asian Financial Crisis T.Van Hoa Corporate Governance and State-Owned Enterprise Reform C.Harvie & T.Naughton Business Alliances, Organizational Change and Township and Village Enterprises C.Harvie Financial Sector Reform G.O'Leary Trade and Investment C.S.Suh & J.S.Seo PART II: KEY ISSUES Balanced Development: The Challenge for Science, Technology and Innovation Policy T.Turpin & X.Liu Labour Migration since 1978 R.Iredale Regional Income Inequality K.Chowdhury, C.Harvie & A.Levy Land Reform and the Competitiveness of China's Cities D.McKay Index
Study of Carrier Mobility of Low-Energy, High-Dose Ion Implantations Using Continuous Anodic Oxidation Technique/Differential Hall Effect (CAOT/DHE) Measurements

New carrier mobility (μ) data for boron-, phosphorus-, and arsenic-doped Si in a low-energy, high-dose implant regime are measured and studied using continuous anodic oxidation technique/differential Hall effect (CAOT/DHE) technique. The data show that when the doping concentration is >1020/cm3, both hole and electron mobility values are lower than the conventional model predictions, and the electron mobility of the As-doped Si is lower than the P-doped ones. The data also show that when the doping concentration is >1021/cm3, the hole mobility in B-doped Si and the electron mobility in P-doped Si are almost equal and reach as low as ~40 cm2/V sec, and the electron mobility of As-doped Si is the lowest and reaches ~30 cm2/V sec. These mobility data are much lower than the conventional model predictions and are also lower than the previously published data. For the ULSI device and circuit analyses, simulations, and designs, these new mobility data need to be taken into consideration.
Using a Biphasic Finite Element Model of the Human Knee Joint to Identify Robust Designs for a Meniscal Substitute

The menisci of the knee are C-shaped fibrocartilage disks with a cross-sectional wedge-shape that occupy the periphery of the knee joint. Although surgical treatment of the damaged meniscus is the most commonly performed orthopaedic procedure in the US, surprisingly few treatment options exist. This is in part because the structural properties of a meniscal substitute required to ensure function across a wide patient population has not been established.© 2013 ASME
A radiometric antenna gain calibration method

A radiometric method is presented for measuring the power gain of a microwave antenna. It is particularly applicable to horns with gains in the range 20-45 dB, and an absolute uncertainty ( 3\sigma ) of less than 0.1 dB is achievable in favorable cases. An absorbing screen with a circular aperture is placed in the far-field of the test antenna. The diameter of the aperture is chosen to subtend an angle much smaller than the main lobe of the radiation pattern of the test antenna. Then two sheets of microwave absorber (one at ambient temperature and the other cooled to the boiling point of liquid nitrogen) are alternately placed first behind the screen aperture and then, for normalization, across the aperture of the test horn. The ratio of the antenna temperature differences measured with a sensitive microwave radiometer is proportional to the effective antenna solid angle, and thus its directivity. Corrections must be applied for near-field effects, diffraction at the screen aperture, partial resolution of the screen aperture by the main lobe of the test antenna pattern, and ohmic losses. A comparison of black disk measurements using a large conical horn at 86 GHz with theoretical calculations confirms the accuracy of this gain calibration technique.
Circular and extended circular harmonic transforms and their relevance to image reconstruction from line integrals

It is well known that the inversion of a Radon transform can be replaced by an angular Fourier-series expansion, an ensemble of inversions of circular harmonic transforms (CHT’s), and an angular Fourier-series synthesis. The nonunicity of the inverse CHT kernel is a well-established fact that is examined here in detail through a number of enlightening space- and frequency-domain approaches. The extended circular harmonic transform (ECHT) is then introduced as a generalization of the CHT, and the relationship between this transform and the Radon transform is carefully examined. This discussion finally leads to a revised formulation of the principles of coherent optical reconstruction through circular harmonic expansion.
The importance of multicenter integrals in semiempirical calculations of nuclear spin-spin coupling constants. 2. Anisotropic coupling

Abstract A molecular orbital (MO) study of anisotropic nuclear spin-spin coupling is presented in terms of a semiempirical formulation with inclusion of all multicenter integrals in the Fermi contact, orbital, and spin-dipolar contributions. This formulation extends existing semiempirical MO theories to include the large class of coupling constant anisotropies involving protons. Calculations for representative molecules are based on the first-order polarization propagator approach, which is equivalent to coupled Hartree-Fock theory, and the semiempirical INDO MO level of approximation for the wave-functions. The calculated results agree with ab initio MO results, but the very large errors in most of the experimental data make detailed comparisons difficult. The asymmetry features of the anisotropic coupling tensors are also discussed.
Interpretation of capacitance-voltage characteristics in thin-film solar cells using a detailed numerical model

The objective of this paper is to present a numerical simulation tool that can be used as an aid in the interpretation of the C-V characteristics of thin-film solar cells. The example simulations presented here are for a ZnO/CdS/CuInSe/sub 2/ solar cell, but the simulation tool can be used for a variety of solar cells, including CdTe. Model equations for the simulation of the small-signal behavior of semiconductor devices are presented. Sample simulations incorporating these small-signal equations into a detailed numerical model are interpreted.
Central and peripheral hemodynamics during maximal leg extension exercise.

The purpose of this study was to examine the central and peripheral hemodynamic adaptations to maximal leg extension exercise. Seventeen men (¯X=25 years, 84 kg) performed leg extension exercise (Universal equipment) for 12 repetitions (90s) to fatigue. Each repetition consisted of a 3s lifting motion, 1s pause, and 3s lowering motion. Impedance cardiography was used to measure stroke volume (SV), cardiac output (\(\dot V_{{\text{O}}_{{\text{2 max}}} } \)), systolic time intervals, and impedance contractility indices on a beat-by-beat basis. There were significant increases in systolic, diastolic, mean arterial pressure, total peripheral resistance, and HR during exercise. The mean\(\dot Q\) remained similar throughout the protocol. SV decreased even though indices of myocardial performance indicated an enhancement of contractility. The magnitude of\(\dot Q\) and SV were dependent upon the phase of leg extension. SV and\(\dot Q\) during the lifting portions of the exercise were smaller than the lowering portions. The differences in SV and\(\dot Q\) during the concentric and eccentric phases of the exercise most likely reflect the large static forces in exercising muscle which impeded venous return and increased afterload.
Photochemically induced transition of 4-thiouridine to uridine or uridine and cytidine in E. coli transfer ribonucleic acid.

Abstract Little is known about the contribution of the minor nucleotides to the functional properties of tRNA. Although impressive progress has been made for the chemical synthesis of the gene for alanine tRNA from yeast (Kumar et al. , 1968) the total synthesis of a tRNA containing the minor bases is not expected in the near future. The selective chemical modification of specific minor components in tRNA provides an approach for the study of the functional role of the minor nucleotides avoiding de novo synthesis of tRNA. Modification of a minor but not of a major component allows the alteration of topographically well-defined regions for tRNA species with known primary structure. A novel reaction is described in this paper which selectively transforms the minor nucleoside 4-thiouridine to uridine or uridine and cytidine in E. coli tRNA under extremely mild photochemical conditions.
Identifying Indicators During Pregnancy for Child Maltreatment

To measure the effect of a short interpregnancy interval (IPI), along with other indicators routinely asked during pregnancy on later report of child maltreatment. We hypothesized that an IPI of <18 months was associated with increased risk of child maltreatment. This study was a secondary analysis of a linked population-based dataset from 2005 to 2007 in Florida. Data were derived from three sources: Birth Certificates, Healthy Start Prenatal Risk Screens, and the HomeSafeNet Database. Primary predictor variables were IPI, and mothers’ evaluations of the timing of the pregnancy and perceptions of harm. Logistic regression analyses were used to estimate the odds of child maltreatment, adjusting for demographic and other known risk factors for maltreatment. The final study sample consisted of 85,258 multipara women-infant dyads with credible IPIs and with completed Healthy Start Prenatal Risk Screens. Seventeen percent of children had a report of child maltreatment in the first 5 years of life. An IPI of less than 18 months was associated with 18 % higher odds of maltreatment compared to an IPI of greater than 18 months (95 % CI 1.13, 1.23). Mothers’ perception of harm and desire to be pregnant at a later time were also significantly associated with higher odds of maltreatment report (AOR = 2.43 95 % CI = 2.17, 2.71 and AOR = 1.18 95 % CI 1.13, 1.24, respectively). Ascertaining short IPI and asking pregnant and peripartum women about their perception of harm and desire for a longer birth spacing can alert obstetricians, family practitioners and pediatricians to potential child maltreatment.
Parotid gland swelling in HIV diffuse infiltrative CD8 lymphocytosis syndrome

Abstract HIV can affect salivary gland tissue. Parotid swellings have been observed in a subset of patients who are HIV-positive; the swellings are the result of a condition that has been termed diffuse infiltrative CD8 lymphocytosis syndrome. Initially the glandular enlargement results from a massive CD8 cell lymphoproliferation, but with time lymphoepithelial cysts become manifest. Two case reports are presented to illustrate this progression of diffuse infiltrative CD8 lymphocytosis
Práticas Musicais e Identificações Sociais

The article presents a theoretical proposal for the relationship between musical practices and social identifications. Looking to differentiate himself from homological theories on this relationship, Vila proposes that musical practices articulate an identification anchored on the body, through the different alliances we establish between our diverse, fragmented, situational and imaginary narrative identities, and the diverse, fragmented, situational and imaginary narrative identities different musical practices attempt to materialize.
Selective expression of latency-associated peptide (LAP) and IL-1 receptor type I/II (CD121a/CD121b) on activated human FOXP3+ regulatory T cells allows for their purification from expansion cultures

Although adoptive transfer of regulatory T cells (Foxp3+ Tregs) has proven to be efficacious in the prevention and treatment of autoimmune diseases and graft-versus-host disease in rodents, a major obstacle for the use of Treg immunotherapy in humans is the difficulty of obtaining a highly purified preparation after ex vivo expansion. We have identified latency-associated peptide (LAP) and IL-1 receptor type I and II (CD121a/CD121b) as unique cell-surface markers that distinguish activated Tregs from activated FOXP3− and FOXP3+ non-Tregs. We show that it is feasible to sort expanded FOXP3+ Tregs from non-Tregs with the use of techniques for magnetic bead cell separation based on expression of these 3 markers. After separation, the final product contains greater than 90% fully functional FOXP3+ Tregs. This novel protocol should facilitate the purification of Tregs for both cell-based therapies as well as detailed studies of human Treg function in health and disease.
PHENOBARBITAL AND ATROPINE IN COMBINATION, AN ACTIVE CONTROL SUBSTANCE FOR PHENOTHIAZINE RESEARCH.

Abstract A combination of phenobarbital and atropine which, it was believed, would mimic the side effects of certain phenothiazines was chosen for investigation as an active control substance for use in phenothiazine research. Reported are the results of a two-phase study in normal subjects, each phase employing a double-blind, crossover design. Phase I contrasted the side effects of an inactive control substance (lactose) with those of the active control substance, while Phase II compared the active control substance to a phenothiazine (thioridazine). Subjects filled out daily side effects questionnaires, which were later examined by 15 judges. In Phase I judges were able to separate the active from the inactive control substance subjects. The judges called the active control substance a phenothiazine. These findings were consistent with our predictions. In Phase II two groups were again distinguished, but the judges considered both to be taking phenothiazines. The latter was predicted, but the former was not. Judges' performances were also examined for between-phases relationships. Clyde Mood Scale Q-sort data were obtained in each phase. Significant differences were found on the friendly and dizzy scales in Phase I, while in Phase II the clear thinking scale was significant.
Subependymal seeding of low-grade oligodendroglial neoplasms: a case series

The CSF dissemination of low-grade glial tumors is a known albeit rare entity. Few cases have been reported in the literature. We describe a unique series of six patients with supratentorial low-grade gliomas who presented to our institution at ages 20–41 years, and developed signal abnormality along the margin of the fourth ventricle without enhancement at variable times during their disease course (0 to 95 months). MR spectroscopy and perfusion-weighted imaging through the region of abnormality in two of these patients were consistent with a low-grade glial tumor. We hypothesize that this finding represents dissemination of the supratentorial low-grade glioma along the ventricular ependyma or through the ventricular CSF. Although the small size of our series does not allow us to draw statistically significant conclusions, this abnormality correlates with progression of the supratentorial disease with or without features of a higher grade malignancy. Additional variables that were present in all six patients include the presence of an oligodendroglial component within the supratentorial tumor, mutated IDH1, and the supratentorial tumor contacting the ventricular margin. All six patients were males.
Towards real-time binocular stereo range and motion detection

To carry out complex tasks, such as reconnaissance missions in relatively unknown terrain, autonomous systems will need to constantly sense and perceive various aspects of their local environment. Range and motion detection capabilities will be required by an autonomous agent to create an internal representation of the environment that will be used in mission planning. Conventionally, shape-from-binocular stereo has been a popular, yet compute intensive and hence slow, technique for detecting range using passive sensors. In this paper, we present a pipeline architecture that performs correlation-based stereo matching and motion detection in near real-time. The system has been implemented using DATACUBE image processing boards and can match 256 x 256 pixel stereo image pairs in one second using a search range of 64 pixels. It has been tested on various indoor and outdoor images with generally successful results and is being used for obstacle detection in our work on autonomous navigation. The system demonstrates the feasibility of real-time stereo matching in the near future using miniaturized hardware that fits inside a vehicle. After discussing our approach, we present results using real images. We present the application of this work to autonomous navigation research.
Evolutionary, mechanistic, and predictive analyses of the hydroxymethyldihydropterin pyrophosphokinase family of proteins.

Abstract A prediction has been prepared ab initio for the secondary structure of the hydroxymethyldihydropterin pyrophosphokinase (HPPK) family of proteins starting from a set of aligned homologous protein sequences. Attempts to identify a fold by threading failed, judging by the inability to find a threading “hit” that had a secondary structure that was plausibly congruent to the predicted secondary structure for the HPPK family. Therefore, a set of tertiary structure models was assembled ab initio, where alternative models were built and used to select between alternative secondary structure models. This prediction report illustrates the importance of non-computational approaches to structure prediction at its present frontier, which is to obtain medium resolution models of tertiary structure.
Advances in anaphylaxis and hypersensitivity reactions to foods, drugs, and insect venom

This review highlights some of the research advances in anaphylaxis and hypersensitivity reactions to foods, drugs, and insect venom that were reported primarily in this Journal from 2001 to 2002. Among the topics highlighted: Epinephrine injected intramuscularly into the thigh provides the most efficient absorption profile for adults and children; determination of serum IgE antibody-specific food allergen concentrations and atopy patch tests with foods show promise for enhanced diagnostic accuracy; numerous food allergens are now characterized on the molecular level, allowing for improved diagnostic and treatment modalities; the complex immunologic mechanisms underlying drug hypersensitivity reactions are being elucidated; venom immunotherapy improves quality of life for sufferers, and increased venom immunotherapy doses are useful in recalcitrant cases.
Cholinergic symptoms due to nerve agent attack: a strategy for management

This article provides a brief history of nerve agent development and use and discusses the pharmacology, symptoms, signs, and treatment of nerve agent exposure. In addition, this article discusses the challenges of mass-casualty triage, decontamination, resuscitation, and intensive care.
Reference Frame Optimization for Multiple-Path Video Streaming With Complexity Scaling

Recent video coding standards such as H.264 offer the flexibility to select reference frames during motion estimation for predicted frames. In this paper, we study the optimization problem of jointly selecting the best set of reference frames and their associated transport QoS levels in a multipath streaming setting. The application of traditional Lagrangian techniques to this optimization problem suffers from either bounded worst case error but high complexity or low complexity but undetermined worst case error. Instead, we present two optimization algorithms that solve the problem globally optimally with high complexity and locally optimally with lower complexity. We then present rounding methods to further reduce computation complexity of the second dynamic programming-based algorithm at the expense of degrading solution quality. Results show that our low-complexity dynamic programming algorithm achieves results comparable to the optimal but high-complexity algorithm, and that gradual tradeoff between complexity and optimization quality can be achieved by our rounding techniques
Voice conversion with linear prediction residual estimaton

The work presented here shows a comparison between a voice conversion system based on converting only the vocal tract representation of the source speaker and an augmented system that adds an algorithm for estimating the target excitation signal. The estimation algorithm uses a stochastic model for relating the excitation signal to the vocal tract features. The two systems were subjected to objective and subjective tests for assessing the effectiveness of the perceived identity conversion and the overall quality of the synthesized speech. Male-to-male and female-to- female conversion cases were tested. The main objective of this work is to improve the recognizability of the converted speech while maintaining a high synthesis quality.
A Pledge Unredeemed: The Housing Crisis in Weimar Germany

If every German had had his own home,” wrote the National Socialist Karl Fiehler in 1932, “the revolution of 1918 would not have been possible.” Typical of the Nazi tendency toward exaggeration, Fiehler's assertion nevertheless recognized the role of housing in a stable society. Article 155 of the Weimar constitution of August 11, 1919, promised suitable housing for every German, but that promise remained unfulfilled. The Weimar regime, in fact, left many promises unfulfilled, and the collapse of the republic might be attributed to a lack of effectiveness in solving basic social and economic problems. Existing studies of the Weimar republic provide inadequate treatment of the problem-solving process employed to attack specific problems such as the housing shortage. Students of Weimar Germany have been fascinated with the beginning and the end of the republic, paying little attention to the relatively stable years from 1924 to 1929. Examination of the German housing problem will not explain why the republic fell. Historians have already supplied a rich variety of “explanations” for the fall of the republic: the burden of Versailles, reparations, inflation, depression, constitutional deficiencies, political fragmentation, and unhealthy compromises between the republic and the military, labor and management, and federal and state governments. Not everyone has been convinced. The German sociologist Ralf Dahrendorf criticizes “explanations that do not explain, statements that do not state anything.” Perhaps, as Michael Sturmer suggests, it is time to go beyond the origins and collapse of the Weimar republic. The historical significance of the Weimar republic lies in how it functioned as well as how it fell.
A comparative study of quantum transport properties of silver and copper nanowires using first principles calculations

The electronic structure and transport properties of silver (Ag) and copper (Cu) nanowires of diameters up to 1.7 nm are investigated using first principles density functional theory and the Landauer formalism in conjunction with a supercell approach. A direct comparison of the ballistic conductances, quantum capacitances, and kinetic inductances indicates that Ag and Cu nanowires show very similar performances. Compared to the electrostatic capacitance, the quantum capacitance is found to have a negligible effect on the total capacitance of the nanowire interconnect. In contrast, the overall inductance has a dominant contribution from the kinetic inductance over the magnetic inductance.
Monitoring tree moisture using an estimation algorithm applied to SAR data from BOREAS

During several field campaigns in spring and summer of 1994, the NASA/JPL airborne synthetic aperture radar (AIRSAR) collected data over the southern and northern study sites of BOREAS. Among the areas over which radar data were collected was the young jack pine (YJP) tower site in the south, which is generally characterized as having short (2-4 m) but closely spaced trees with a dense crown layer. In this work, the AIRSAR data over this YJP stand from six different dates were used, and the dielectric constant and hence the moisture content of its branch layer components were estimated. The approach was to first derive a parametric scattering model from a numerical discrete-component forest model, which is possible if the predominant scattering mechanism can be identified. Here, a classification algorithm was used for this purpose, concentrating on areas where the volume scattering mechanism from the branch layer dominates. The unknown parameters mere taken to be the real and imaginary parts of the dielectric constant, from which the moisture content can be derived. Once the parametric model was derived, a nonlinear estimation algorithm was employed to retrieve the model parameters from SAR data. This algorithm is iterative, and takes the statistical properties of the data and unknown parameters into account. The inversion process was first verified using synthetic data. It was observed that the algorithm is robust with respect to the a priori estimate. The estimation algorithm was then applied to AIRSAR data of BOREAS. The results show how the environmental conditions affected the moisture state of this forest stand over a period of six months. It is observed that canopy moisture increased during the thaw season, was stable starting from the end of the thaw season throughout most of the growing season, after which a period of dry-down was observed at the end of the growing season.
Development of a cognitive testing apparatus for socially housed mother-peer-reared infant rhesus monkeys.

Though cognitive testing of infant monkeys has been practiced for the past 40 years, these assessments have been limited primarily to nursery-reared infants due to the confounds of separating mother-reared infants for assessments. Here, we describe a pilot study in which we developed a cognitive testing apparatus for socially housed, mother-peer-reared rhesus macaques under 1 year of age (Macaca mulatta) that allowed the infants to freely return to their mothers for contact comfort. Infants aged 151.2 ± 18.3 days (mean ± SEM; n = 5) were trained and tested on an object detour reach task. Infants completed training in 5.0 ± 0.2 days, and completed testing in 6.2 ± 0.9 days. Across 4 days of testing, infants improved to nearly errorless performance (Friedman test: χ(2) = 13.27, df = 3, p = 0.004) and learned to do the task more quickly (Friedman test: χ(2) = 11.69, df = 3, p = 0.009). These are the first cognitive data in group-housed, mother-peer-reared rhesus monkeys under 1 year of age, and they underscore the utility of this apparatus for studying cognitive development in a normative population of infant monkeys.