cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neural Network Model For Fusion Of Visible And Infrared Sensor Outputs

Integration of outputs from multiple sensors has been the subject of much of the recent research in the machine vision field. This process is useful in a variety of applications, such as three dimensional interpretation of scenes imaged by multiple cameras, integration of visible and range data, and the fusion of multiple types of sensors. The use of multiple types of sensors for machine vision poses the problem of how to integrate the information from these sensors. This paper presents a neural network model for the fusion of visible and thermal infrared sensor outputs. Since there is no human biological system that can be used as a model for integration of these sensor outputs, alternate biological systems for sensory fusions can serve as starting points. In this paper, a model is developed based upon six types of bimodal neurons found in the optic tectum of the rattlesnake. These neurons integrate visible and thermal infrared sensory inputs. The neural network model has a series of layers which include a layer for unsupervised clustering in the form of self-organizing feature maps, followed by a layer which has multiple filters that are generated by training a neural net with experimental rattlesnake response data. The final layer performs another unsupervised clustering for integration of the output from the filter layer. The results of a number of experiments are also presented.
Magnetic suppression of arc blowout in a model arc furnace

The two most likely causes of electromagnetic instability in electric furnace arcs are shown to be the kink and the fire-hose instabilities. Stabilization by an externally imposed axially magnetic field is analyzed, and experimental results are presented demonstrating stabilization of a small, pulsed test arc by this method. >
Children's Health and Education

Young children's health and education can be facilitated by systematic supports that span traditional and innovative health care, health promotion, and disease prevention and apply scientific principles about how children learn and develop. Conversely, children's intellectual and social development can be impaired by disease and injury, nonoptimal lifestyle, and the failure to receive high-quality experiences to promote cognitive, social-emotional, and physical well-being. Advances in developmental neuroscience and prevention science have fueled research about the fundamental interconnectedness of children's health and education. Many of the health disparities and inequities in children's educational attainment are likely the result of this complex interplay between health and education. An integrative conceptual framework for studying health and education processes and outcomes – applied biosocial contextual development (ABCD)—is presented, then used to illustrate its applicability for studying interventions for at-risk young children and their families. Results of many randomized controlled trials during the first 8 years of life are summarized in terms of fundamental principles of effective early educational interventions, namely, the principles of dosage, timing, direct receipt of services, differential benefits, and continuity of supports. Participatory community collaborative research affords great potential to apply ABCD and test the efficacy of multicomponent interventions. Keywords: applied biosocial contextual development; child health; education; Head Start; research-based intervention
Sources of Return within an Emerging Markets Fixed-Income and Foreign Exchange Portfolio

Over the past decade, emerging market investments have increasingly become the focus of investor interest.Numerous academic and practitioner studies have emphasized the potential for excess return and risk reduction when adding emerging market investments to a traditional portfolio. Much of the research, however, has focused on empirical analyses rather than on highlighting the long-term structural arguments for emerging market investments. Moreover, much of the research has tended to focus on the equity markets rather than on other forms of emerging market investment, such as fixed income and foreign exchange (FX).This practitioner note introduces the reader to the non-equities emerging market (EM) investment universe,describes a prototypical EMfixed-income/FX portfolio, and quantitatively works out the expected annualized returns on such a portfolio, distinguishing between beta and alpha as the sources of returns.
Disability discrimination in social work education: Current issues for social work programs and faculty

Abstract An overview of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) is presented. The article emphasizes that Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is the federal law upon which the ADA is built. A comparison of Section 504 and the ADA is presented in the paper. An analysis is offered of the case law that has emerged under Section 504 that serves as a guide to the rights and responsibilities of social work programs and faculty under the ADA. Recommendations are made for helping social work programs comply with the ADA in the area of student admissions and retention.
Bridging Clinical Investigators and Statisticians: Writing the Statistical Methodology for a Research Proposal

Clinical investigators often find the thought of writing the statistical analysis plan daunting. Early collaboration between the clinical investigator and statistician can improve the study design and validity of the results by developing the statistical methodology that specifically addresses the research hypothesis. With the clinical investigator, a statistician often writes the statistical methods section that includes sample size and power analyses, randomization and blinding procedures, interim analysis, and data monitoring plans, in addition to the statistical analysis plan. To make this process less mysterious, we describe how the statistical methods section is developed in collaboration with a statistician.
The Politics of Gender after Socialism: A Comparative‐Historical Essay

The Politics of Gender after Socialism:. Comparative-Historical Essay. Susan Gal and Gail Kligman. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2000.169 pp.
Ethical and legal awareness in location-based wireless system design projects

With the advancement of wireless technology, location-based applications are gaining popularity and more demands are made on training students to be proficient in this emerging area. The main idea of these applications is that they will be providing location-specific services to the users based on their physical location. In order to attain this goal, the systems must be able to "track" the location and movement of users, which may lead to a breach of privacy. In this paper, we present the experiences we had on a location-aware application design project involving mainly undergraduate students. We present the ethical and legal issues we faced during the design phase, and how to overcome the obstacles, both from a technical and a policy-based aspect. We also present the lessons learned by the students from working within this new paradigm that they weren't exposed to in other projects, where they have to involve ethical concerns during technical design. Finally, we will provide guidelines for instructors of these projects on how to handle these issues properly.
Some APL2 programming examples using nested arrays

Three extracts from a program currently in use are shown and discussed. The program reads seven files, formats the data as nested arrays, and prepares several reports and files. The examples are taken, respectively, from the input, process, and output sections of the program. In each section nested arrays are useful. N-WISE REDUCTION is used as the inverse of SCAN to simplify a backward scheduling algorithm. The flexible formatting of nested array output makes optimum use of print columns. An experimental depth operator described in the references is very useful.
Lithology determination from well logs with fuzzy associative memory neural network

An artificial intelligence technique of fuzzy associative memory is used to determine rock types from well-log signatures. Fuzzy associative memory (FAM) is a hybrid of neural network and fuzzy expert system. This new approach combines the learning ability of neural network and the strengths of fuzzy linguistic modeling to adaptively infer lithologies from well-log signatures based on (1) the relationships between the lithology and log signature that the neural network have learned during the training and/or (2) geologist's knowledge about the rocks. The method is applied to a sequence of the Ordovician rock units in northern Kansas. This paper also compares the performances of two different methods, using the same data set for meaningful comparison. The advantages of FAM are: (1) expert knowledge acquired by geologists is fully utilized; (2) this knowledge is augmented by the neural network learning from the data, when available; and (3) FAM is "transparent" in that the knowledge is explicitly stated in the fuzzy rules.
Surveying soil faunal communities using a direct molecular approach.

Soil faunal communities are often phylogenetically diverse and the accurate assessment of the taxonomic structure of these communities is both time-consuming and requires a high level of taxonomic expertise. Here we describe a DNA sequence-based methodology for characterizing soil micro- and mesofaunal communities that is similar to the molecular approaches commonly used to survey soil microbial diversity. The technique involves the direct extraction of faunal DNA from soil, PCR amplification of the extracted DNA with metazoan-specific primers, followed by the construction of clone libraries and direct sequencing of individual PCR products. We used this technique to characterize micro- and mesofaunal community composition from six individual soils representing two land-use types. The technique captured the more abundant faunal groups in the soils (nematodes, Collembola, Acari, tardigrades, enchytraeids) and provided sufficient taxonomic resolution to describe the overall structure of the communities. We compared the results obtained using this molecular approach to results obtained using a traditional, microscopy-based approach and found that the results were broadly similar. However, since biases are inherent in both methods it remains unclear which method provides a more accurate assessment of soil faunal community composition. Although this molecular approach has some distinct disadvantages over the more widely-used direct extraction methods, one advantage is that the taxo- nomic identification it can provide will be more accurate and consistent across research groups, facili- tating effective comparisons of mesofaunal surveys.
Believing others: pro and cons

Under the assumption that agents remain in the system for significant time periods, or that the agent composition changes only slowly Sen (1996) has previously presented a prescriptive strategy for promoting and sustaining cooperation among self-interested agents. The adaptive, probabilistic policy prescribed promotes reciprocative cooperation that improves both individual and group performance in the long run. In the short run, however, selfish agents could still exploit reciprocative agents. In this paper we evaluate the hypothesis that the exploitative tendencies of selfish agents can be effectively curbed if reciprocative agents share their "opinions" of other agents. Since the true nature of agents are not known a priori and is learned from experience, believing others can also pose other hazards. We provide a learned trust-based evaluation function that is shown to resist both individual and concerted deception on the part of selfish agents.
Taste damage: previously unsuspected consequences.

Studies using anesthesia provide insights into oral phantoms. The chorda tympani nerve is accessible for anesthesia at two sites. First, the chorda tympani leaves the tongue with the lingual nerve (CN V) and the two travel through the pterygomandibular space. The inferior alveolar nerve, which conveys pain from the lower teeth, passes through the same space; thus dental anesthesia abolishes taste and touch as well as pain. Secondly, the chorda tympani passes through the middle ear after separating from the lingual nerve, so injection of an anesthetic just under the skin near the ear drum anesthetizes taste but not touch. Using both procedures, we showed that anesthesia of the chorda tympani intensifies tastes evoked from the contralateral rear of the tongue, the area innervated by the glossopharyngeal nerve (Lehman et al., 1995; Yanagisawa et al., 1998). This finding supports the earlier evidence of Halpern and Nelson (1965) for central inhibitory connections between the chorda tympani and glossopharyngeal nerves. This inhibition acts as a constancy mechanism: when one nerve is damaged, its input to the central nervous system (CNS) is reduced, releasing inhibition on other taste structures and thus compensating for the loss of input from the damage. During our anesthesia experiments, about half of the subjects developed taste phantoms typically localized to the contralateral rear of the tongue (Yanagisawa et al., 1998). This suggested that clinical taste phantoms (i.e. dysgeusia) might be the result of localized taste damage. Indeed, we have found taste damage in patients reporting taste phantoms (Bartoshuk et al., 2002).
Polymicrobial Early Postpartum Endometritis with Facultative and Anaerobic Bacteria, Genital Mycoplasmas, and Chlamydia trachomatis: Treatment with Piperacillin or Cefoxitin

A protected, triple-lumen transcervical culture method was used to recover organisms from the endometrium. At least one facultative or one anaerobic species of bacteria was recovered from 82% of the patients, and genital mycoplasmas were recovered from 76% of the women with endometritis. Bacteria together with genital mycoplasmas were present in 61% of the women, bacteria alone were present in 20%, genital mycoplasmas alone were present in 16%, and Chlamydia trachomatis was isolated from 2% of the patients. The most common organisms included Gardnerella vaginalis, Peptococcus spp., Bacteroides spp., Staphylococcus epidermidis, group B Streptococcus, and Ureaplasma urealyticum. A randomized, double-blind regimen of either piperacillin or cefoxitin was equally successful in treating the postpartum endometritis.
Sidelobe suppression considerations in the design of an electronically steered IFF antenna

This paper deals with considerations in the design of an electronically steered IFF antenna which is to provide sidelobe suppression through the use of a difference beam with gain higher than that of the sum beam everywhere outside of the mainlobe region. The influence of the suppression requirement upon illumination design tradeoffs in beamwidth, sidelobe levels, and taper efficiency is demonstrated theoretically for an array restricted to 16 elements. The sidelobe suppression performance for this array, with appropriate choices for amplitude taper, number of phase shifter bits and randomizing phase function, is examined in detail for susceptibility to failures in elements, failures in individual phase shifter bits, and random phase and amplitude illumination errors. In the case of random errors, performance variability with steering direction is examined and a criterion involving the radiation patterns at both the transmit and receive RF frequencies is defined as a measure of performance. It is seen that the design analyzed is successful in reducing the corresponding performance degradation to very low levels in even the worst cases. Expressions are presented for estimating the effects of increasing the number of elements upon improvements in performance in the presence of component failures or random errors.
Chronic benzodiazepine-induced reduction in GABAA receptor-mediated synaptic currents in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons prevented by prior nimodipine injection

One week oral flurazepam (FZP) administration in rats results in reduced GABA(A) receptor-mediated synaptic transmission in CA1 pyramidal neurons associated with benzodiazepine tolerance in vivo and in vitro. Since voltage-gated calcium channel (VGCC) current density is enhanced twofold during chronic FZP treatment, the role of L-type VGCCs in regulating benzodiazepine-induced changes in CA1 neuron GABA(A) receptor-mediated function was evaluated. Nimodipine (10 mg/kg, i.p.) or vehicle (0.5% Tween 80, 2 ml/kg) was injected 1 day after ending FZP treatment and 24 h prior to hippocampal slice preparation for measurement of mIPSC characteristics and in vitro tolerance to zolpidem. The reduction in GABA(A) receptor-mediated mIPSC amplitude and estimated unitary channel conductance measured 2 days after drug removal was no longer observed following prior nimodipine injection. However, the single nimodipine injection failed to prevent in vitro tolerance to zolpidem's ability to prolong mIPSC decay in FZP-treated neurons, suggesting multiple mechanisms may be involved in regulating GABA(A) receptor-mediated synaptic transmission following chronic FZP administration. As reported previously in recombinant receptors, nimodipine inhibited synaptic GABA(A) receptor currents only at high concentrations (>30 muM), significantly greater than attained in vivo (1 muM) 45 min after a single antagonist injection. Thus, the effects of nimodipine were unlikely to be related to direct effects on GABA(A) receptors. As with nimodipine injection, buffering intracellular free [Ca(2+)] with BAPTA similarly prevented the effects on GABA(A) receptor-mediated synaptic transmission, suggesting intracellular Ca(2+) homeostasis is important to maintain GABA(A) receptor function. The findings further support a role for activation of L-type VGCCs, and perhaps other Ca(2+)-mediated signaling pathways, in the modulation of GABA(A) receptor synaptic function following chronic benzodiazepine administration, independent of modulation of the allosteric interactions between benzodiazepine and GABA binding sites.
Faith communities and their response to disaster

The interrelationship of faith and health is reflected in this qualitative study of the responses of churches in the Southeastern United States following the destruction of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Actions taken by this sample of Christian but interdenominational congregations included instrumental functions of congregations and discussions of belief related to health. Discussions in the congregations centred on three areas: where God was; how a person “should” feel; and, how a person “should” act. Within these areas, topics known to be related to health such as hope, forgiveness, empowerment, personal and community transformation, were identified. Partnerships between public health organizations and communities of faith offer opportunity to extend the health-related functions of both groups for the good of the community. A presentation (by two of the authors, Olson and Ball) based on this paper was given at the International Spirituality and Health Conference, Cumbria, in April 2003. Copyright © 2003 Whurr Publishers Ltd.
An abbreviated history of the ear: from Renaissance to present.

In this article we discuss important discoveries in relation to the anatomy and physiology of the ear from Renaissance to present. Before the Renaissance, there was a paucity of knowledge of the anatomy of the ear, because of the relative inaccessibility of the temporal bone and the general perception that human dissections should not be conducted. It was not until the sixteenth century that the middle ear was described with detail. Further progress would be made between the sixteenth and eighteenth century in describing the inner ear. In the nineteenth century, technological advancement permitted a description of the cells and structures that constitute the cochlea. Von Helmholtz made further progress in hearing physiology when he postulated his resonance theory and later von Bekesy when he observed a traveling wave in human cadavers within the cochlea. Brownell later made a major advance when he discovered that the ear has a mechanism for sound amplification, via outer hair cell electromotility.
The Future of Urban Design: Opportunities of a New Pragmatism and the Disappearance of the Client-Expert

In a similar way as for architecture, the client demands for urban design have considerably changed over the last two decades. Since its official founding in the post-war era practiced as a form oriented design discipline that focused on the medium scale somewhere in between architecture and regional planning, it is now understood as an evidence-based management discipline that steers a gradual process of change and adaptation. This paper elaborates on the thesis that visibility in terms of traceability and accountability will become an increasingly important feature for the profession. The point is made that the urban designer has to convey and prove his knowledge to a decision-taking client that does not necessarily have the technical competence to decide, nor a clear program to follow. Functional considerations and their fulfillment are still key, but are complemented by far more strategic demands that have grown in relevance through the recent emphasis on the urban condition as a main driver of economic competitive capacity.It should be clarified that the author, due to his origin and research experience, often uses European references and that he focuses on an analysis of the profession in the developed rather than developing world. The content of this paper is predominantly based on the knowledge gathered during the writing of three comparative books about housing typologies, high-rise in the urban context and planning methodologies. This knowledge has been applied to the professional sector following a research consultancy mission in a campus planning agency during the summer of 2012.
Supporting Queer Youth

Children who do not conform to social expectations of sexuality or gender are either being identified or self-identifying at much younger ages. Unfortunately the effect of discrimination and violence against this population can be extensive, forcing children into the child welfare system, the juvenile justice system, or onto the street. Thus sexuality or gender identification has become one more stressor like poverty, racism, or family dysfunction that propels children away from their families and communities and into state care. In order to address this problem, which has its roots in social bias, it is necessary to articulate a broad community based prevention program.Using a public health approach to addressing violence, this chapter examines the socially supported discrimination confronting queer youth in community institutions. It surfaces the potential similarities between the movement to ensure the safety of queer children and the intimate partner violence movement, which has successfully adopted macro level prevention strategies. Several prevention strategies that can be integrated into community institutions to protect queer youth and reduce their chances entering the juvenile justice or child welfare systems are discussed. The chapter concludes with a short discussion of various techniques that can aid advocates in implementing these strategies.
Nasal Hemiretinal Vein Occlusion

Originally received: June 25, 2014. Final revision: June 8, 2015. Accepted: July 2, 2015. Available online: August 11, 2015. Manuscript no. 2014-1001. 1 Singapore National Eye Center, Singapore. 2 Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore. 3 Singapore Clinical Research Institute, Singapore. 4 Duke NUS Graduate Medical School, Singapore. 5 Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Financial Disclosure(s): The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article. Supported by grants from the National Medical Research Council (MH 95:03/1-23) and SingHealth (SHF/FG039/2004 and TEST 08-03).
Other-Regarding Preferences and Other-Regarding Cheating – Experimental Evidence from China, Italy, Japan and the Netherlands

This study examines whether other-regarding preferences (ORPs) can predict cheating for different beneficiaries: cheating for-self, and other-regarding cheating for an in-group or an out-group member. The results show that, on the one hand, more prosocial subjects cheat less for self compared to more proself subjects. On the other hand, they cheat more for others. Moreover, the extent of cheating varies across the countries sampled in the study. The four countries were chosen based on the dimensions of individualism and the perceived level of corruption. While China and Japan are more collectivistic than Italy and the Netherlands (Hofstede et al., 2010), China and Italy are ranked as more corrupt than Japan and the Netherlands according to the Corruption Perception Index (Transparency International, 2010). The extent of cheating is found to vary by the dimension of the perceived level of corruption, and not by the cultural dimension of individualism. Compared to subjects from Japan and the Netherlands, the two countries that are ranked as less corrupt, subjects from China and Italy not only cheat more for self, but also cheat more for others.
Slavery, Freedom, and the Doctrine of Consensus in Islamic Jurisprudence

This Article asserts that the abolition of slavery is not and has never been an impossibility in Islamic jurisprudence. Although the argument is a difficult one, a thorough examination of the Islamic law and the current status of slavery supports this assertion. While it is clear that the Shari'a can no longer be dismissed as a pre-modern anachronism, Islamic legal scholars are struggling to articulate the broader significance of the Shari'a for Muslims living in the various traditional, modern, and postmodern socio-religious environments that make up the Islamic world today. This struggle is made even more difficult by the challenge of the proponents of twentieth century rights-based egalitarianism who suggest that the traditional Shari'a really cannot adapt to contemporary circumstances without radical reinterpretation, and hence it retards rather than advances progress in the field of human rights. In support of this position, such rights theorists cite the issue of slavery, pointing out that the Shari'a, unlike Western legal systems, never expressly abolished the practice. The basis for this contention lies in both the observation that the Qur'an, the revealed text and fundamental source of law in contemporary Islamic jurisprudence, appears to condone slavery, and the absence of an explicit prohibition of slavery by the Prophet Muhammad or those close to him. From this starting point, it could be argued that the abolition of slavery is impossible in Islamic jurisprudential theory because the Shari'a, God's law, cannot be altered by human intervention. This Article asserts that, in spite of these difficulties, Islamic jurisprudence, relying on the doctrine of consensus, can now effectively articulate a normative basis for the abolition of slavery and offer juridical support for those who continue to struggle against modern day slavery and human trafficking. The Article points to textual assertions of an egalitarian ethic as well as changing economic, social and political circumstances which make the continuation of slavery inimical to the public interest in Muslim communities and the basis for a juristic consensus. The Article suggests that the texts, and jurists interpreting those texts, can now contemplate the achievement of a slavery-free society, arguably one of the purposes of the Qur’anic revelation. This is the kind of situation that can lead to a consensus on the question, justifying the juristic conclusion that the ownership of slaves is now forbidden by the Shari’a.
A New Look at Value Line Earnings and Stock Price Forecasts

This research investigates Value Line short-horizon and long-horizon earnings and stock price forecasts. From 1987-1998, Value Line analysts issued optimistic quarterly and annual EPS forecasts. This is consistent with prior research showing that analysts generally issued upwardly biased earnings forecasts. From 1999-2008, however, the optimistic bias in Value Line forecasts disappeared. Value Line’s long-horizon earnings forecasts were too optimistic, while its long-horizon target price forecasts were slightly conservative. Like analysts generally, Value Line analysts were systematically optimistic with respect to prior-quarter change in earnings, and they systematically underreacted to negative prior-quarter earnings surprises. From 1999-2008, Value Line analysts optimally incorporated information from prior forecast errors for all but the bottom 25% of firms in terms of quarterly earnings surprise. Value Line forecasts appear to hold unique potential for use in equity valuation models, allowing researchers to avoid the distorting assumptions typically required in prior approaches to valuation modeling. The source of the impressive performance of Value Line’s Timeliness rank appears to stem from bias in analysts’ forecasts. Value Line analysts were consistently more conservative (less aggressive) in their forecasts for rank 1 stocks than in their forecasts for rank 5 stocks.
Effect of vasopressin blockade on blood pressure during water deprivation in intact and baroreceptor-denervated conscious dogs

Previous studies have provided evidence that vasopressin plays an important role in blood pressure regulation during water deprivation. However, these investigations have been complicated by reflex compensatory increases in cardiac output and renin secretion. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of blockade of the vasoconstrictor action of vasopressin in conscious water-deprived dogs in which the low- and/or high-pressure baroreceptors were denervated to minimize reflex responses. Vasopressin blockade in sham-operated dogs (n = 7) did not change arterial pressure. Heart rate rose from 78 +/- 9 to 119 +/- 13 beats/min (P less than 0.01), and plasma renin activity increased from 10.9 +/- 2.1 to 21.6 +/- 4.6 ng.ml-1.3 h-1 (P less than 0.01). In carotid sinus-denervated dogs (n = 6), vasopressin blockade again failed to decrease arterial pressure. Heart rate increased from 105 +/- 10 to 132 +/- 10 beats/min (P less than 0.01), and plasma renin activity rose from 6.8 +/- 1.7 to 15.5 +/- 2.4 ng.ml-1.3 h-1 (P less than 0.01). The antagonist also failed to change blood pressure in cardiac-denervated dogs (n = 5). Heart rate increased from 111 +/- 9 to 119 +/- 1 beats/min (P less than 0.01), but plasma renin activity did not increase significantly. In marked contrast, vasopressin blockade in sinoaortic/cardiac-denervated dogs (n = 7) promptly decreased arterial pressure from 115 +/- 8 to 94 +/- 7 mmHg (P less than 0.01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Automated damage onset analysis techniques applied to KDP damage and the Zeus small-area damage test facility

Automated damage testing of KDP using LLNLs Zeus automated damage test system has allowed the statistics of KDP bulk damage to be investigated. Samples are now characterized by the cumulative damage probability curve, or S-curve, that is generated from hundreds of individual test sites per samples. A HeNe laser/PMT scatter diagnostic is used to determine the onset of damage at each test site. The nature of KDP bulk damage is such that each scatter signal may possess many different indicator of a damage event. Because of this, the determination of the initial onset for each scatter trace is not a straightforward affair and has required considerable manual analysis. The amount of testing required by crystal development for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) has made it impractical to continue analysis by hand. Because of this, we have developed and implemented algorithms for analyzing the scatter traces by computer. We discuss the signal cleaning algorithms and damage determination criteria that have lead to the successful implementation of a LabView based analysis code. For the typical R/1 damage data set, the program can find the correct damage onset in more than 80 percent of the cases, with the remaining 20 percent being left to operator determination. The potential time savings for data analysis is on the order of approximately 100 X over manual analysis and is expected to result in the savings of at least 400 man-hours over the next 3 years of NIF quality assurance testing.
Composite graft replacement of the ascending aorta and aortic valve with the inclusion-wrap and open techniques.

I n this presentation, I will focus on the use of the composite graft for disorders involving the ascending aorta and aortic valve. Table 1 lists the major indications for graft replacement of the ascending aorta. In some of these conditions, aortic valve replacement may also be necessary. In my experience, annuloaortic ectasia, acute or chronic aortic dissection, and atherosclerotic degenerative disease of the ascending aorta are the most common indications. Some patients with aortic dissection have cystic medial degenerative disease of the aorta, and some patients with annuloaortic ectasia and aortic dissection have the clinical stigmata of Marfan’s syndrome. Other less commonly encountered disorders that require surgical treatment include aortitis, post-stenotic aneurysmal dilatation of the ascending aorta, persistent or recurrent aneurysms of the aortic sinuses, and prosthetic graft infection. For patients with ascending aortic disease and associated aortic valvular disease that also require correction, several options in terms of a conduit are available (Table 2). For patients with ascending aortic aneurysms and normal aortic sinuses, supracoronary graft replacement combined with separate aortic valve replacement is the method of choice (Fig 1). For those with annuloaortic ectasia, replacement of the ascending aorta and aortic valve with a composite graft, or radical excision and graft replacement of the ascending aorta to the level of the aortic annulus with preservation of aortic tissue around the coronary ostia and separate aortic valve replacement are both satisfactory techniques. I prefer the composite graft technique. For patients with acute or chronic aortic dissection associated with annuloaortic ectasia or Marfan’s syndrome, composite graft replacement is the method of choice. For patients with acute aortic dissection but without ectasia of the aortic sinuses or extensive dissection surrounding the coronary ostia, graft replacement of the ascending aorta combined with suspension of the aortic valve is the preferred technique. If there is extensive disruption of the aorta around the coronary ostia (Fig 2), I believe it is often safer to use a composite graft, oversew one or both coronary ostia, and insert saphenous vein bypass grafts rather than attempt suspension of the commissures and approximation of the dissected layers of
Verification of causal influences of reasoning skills and epistemology on physics conceptual learning

Proposing and testing a model of the influences of student reasoning ability and epistemology on conceptual learning gains.
Alternative Models for the Future of Society: From the Invisible to the Visible Hand

In a complex society, differentiated social organizations are bound together in reciprocally necessary exchange relationships of two sorts, market and commissary. Norms controlling the market form prevent levels of conflict that might preclude necessary interorganizational exchange. The commissary form makes for asymmetrical exchange, guided by norms that promote cooperation. These forms of exchange are paralleled by two modes of coordination, the invisible- and the visible-hand systems, respectively. Real societies display a mixture of the two systems of control, but tend to move toward the visible-hand system, the managed society. This is owing to large scale organization, a heightened awareness of potential disasters, and new views of man derived from the social sciences. In this paper, alternative ways in which the component parts of complex highly differentiated social systems can be joined structurally into an integrated whole will be examined. After these polar, ideal types have been defined, they will be used as the basis for evaluating trends which seem to be occurring in our society. By following this procedure, a brief and perhaps hazy glimpse into the future of complex human societies in general may be obtained. In order to define the characteristics of the two polar types of social structure, it is necessary to decide in advance which dimensions of social structure will be used as the basis for model construction. In the present case, only three basic dimensions will be employed and each dimension will be treated as if there were only two alternatives for the way a given society might be structured along that dimension. Although there are many possible hybrid types which fall between the polar extremes, they will not be considered in this paper for lack of time.
Eliminate Final Exams in Intro to Flight Through the Use of Portfolios

A portfolio can be an extremely powerful tool to determine the degree of learning experienced by a student throughout the semester, and to force the student into a higher level of reflective learning and meta-cognition not generally possible for the student by studying for and taking the traditional in-class, timed final exam. Portfolios have been common in art, photography, journalism, business, architecture and other professions for quite some time. Strong justification can be found in learning theory for using Portfolios in engineering. Some of the numerous different types of portfolios will be briefly introduced in this paper. Portfolios have not, however, found widespread use within engineering. Even though engineering design provides the most immediately obvious application of portfolios within engineering, different kinds of portfolios can be implemented across the engineering curriculum. This paper will review the existing body of literature and specifically address the results of using portfolios in an Introduction to Flight course given to Sophomore year students in the Fall of 2004 at the University of Dayton. Feedback was solicited from the students throughout the semester to ensure open and clear communication and understanding. It was found to be important to address student fears immediately and answer their questions about the entire process and the instructor’s expectations. This communication eased the initial discomfort with the concept of using portfolios. By the time the students had submitted their portfolios, all of the students were extremely positive about the entire portfolio experience. Most importantly, the portfolios submitted made clear to both the student and instructor, the level of understanding and comprehension of the breadth and depth of the subject being examined in a manner not possible through the use of a traditional in-class timed final exam. I. Why Eliminate Final Exams? Perhaps the first question to try to answer is why would there be interest in eliminating one of the most well established institutions of summative assessment within engineering education? Before we can answer the aforementioned question, we must first determine: Why do we give final exams? To determine how much (content, process) a student has learned? To be able to assign a meaningful grade to satisfy university administration? Ourselves? Students? To attempt to force students into taking a global retrospective on what they’ve learned (through studying for the final exam)? To separate the “A”, “B”, “C” (or lower) levels of understanding of our students? To satisfy ABET? To see how well the student performs under time pressure (not indicative of that seen in most real-world
Active Release of Nitric Oxide-Releasing Dendrimers from Electrospun Polyurethane Fibers.

The fabrication of electrospun composite polyurethane fibers capable of dual-action antibacterial dendrimer release is reported. Generation 4 (G4) poly(amidoamine) dendrimers were functionalized with octyl alkyl chain or quaternary ammonium (QA) moieties followed by modification of the resulting secondary amines with N-diazeniumdiolate nitric oxide (NO) donors to produce dual-action antibacterial dendrimers. Control and NO-releasing dendrimers were doped into polyurethane solutions prior to electrospinning of the polymer to yield well-defined dendrimer-doped composite polyurethane fibers. The fiber mats were semiporous (≥30% porosity) and exhibited high water uptake (>100% relative to fiber mass). Dendrimer- and NO-release characteristics (rates and totals) were dependent on the dendrimer modification and polyurethane composition, with total dendrimer- and NO-release amounts ranging from 10–80 μg/mg and 0.027–0.072 μmol NO/mg, respectively. The antibacterial action of the fibers was evaluated against Gram...
Anti-penetration characteristics of RPC shelter plates with irregular barriers on surfaces

A reactive power concrete (RPC) shelter plate was proposed to develop a new protective technology for resisting penetration weapons. Ballistic experiments with the impact velocities of 320~705 m/s were carried out by using semi-armour-piercing projectiles with the diameter of 57 mm to investigate the anti-penetration capacities of RPC shelter plates with irregular barriers on their surfaces comprising yaw-inducing layers and basal plates. Some experimental results were obtained such as failure characteristics,deflexion angles and maximal penetration depths of projectiles,and failure modes of targets. And the simplified calculational formula for penetration depth was given. The penetration powers of the projectiles were weakened obviously by irregular barriers consisting of RPC with high strength and excellent toughness. Different buckling deformations and fractures occurred when projectiles impacted on irregular barriers. The trajectories were deflexed and penetration depths were reduced greatly. The deflexion angles of projectiles increased firstly and decreased subsequently with the increase of the impact velocity,the maximal deflexion angle was 61.4 ° in the case of 505 m/s impact velocity. There were not any impact craters with large size or any scabbing after ballistic experiments,and the integralities of targets were good for a small quantity of cracks. The calculational results are in good agreement with the experimental data,and the simplified formula is feasible.
Improving the Quality of Data in Your Database: Lessons from a Cardiovascular Center

Article-at-a-Glance Background Creating and having a database should not be an end goal but rather a source of valid data and a means for generating information by which to assess process, performance, and outcome quality. The Cardiovascular Center at Shands Jacksonville (Florida) made measurable improvements in the quality of data in national registries and internally available software tools for collection of patient care data. Methods The process of data flow was mapped from source to report submission to identify input timing and process gaps, data sources, and responsible individuals. Cycles of change in data collection and entry were developed and the improvements were tracked. Results Data accuracy was improved by involving all caregivers in datasheet completion and assisting them with data-field definitions. Using hospital electronic databases decreased the need for manual retrospective review of medical records for datasheet completion. The number of fields with missing values decreased by 83.6%, and the number of missing values decreased from 31.2% to 1.9%. Data accuracy rose dramatically by real-time data entry at point of care. Discussion Key components to ensuring data quality for process and outcome improvement are (1) education of the caregiver team, (2) process supervision by a database manager, (3) commitment and explicit support from leadership,(4) increased and improved use of electronic data sources, and (5) data entry at point of care.
Heat stability of virulence-associated enzymes from Listeria monocytogenes SLCC 5764.

The enzyme activities of listeriolysin O (LLO), phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC), catalase (CA), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) from Listeria monocytogenes SLCC 5764 were examined after heat treatment, growth at elevated temperatures, and anaerobic growth. Growth at elevated temperatures may influence virulence as expressed by virulence enzyme activity. The enzymes were heated for 0 and 10 min at temperatures ranging from 40 to 100°C. The production of LLO was examined when the bacterium was grown at elevated temperatures, and the production of LLO, CA, and SOD were examined after anaerobic growth. LLO was the most heat-labile factor, losing almost all activity when heated above 50°C. CA was more heat stable, showing no decrease in activity until it was heated at 55°C. The PI-PLC enzyme was most heat resistant: the activity decreased between 40 and 50°C and continued to decrease when heated between 65 and 100°C. When L. monocytogenes was grown at elevated temperatures, it produced le...
Late Recurrence of Testicular Tumor (choriocarcinoma)

A case is presented in which a large choriocarcinoma was excised from the contralateral retroperitoneal area 15 years after a radical orchiectomy for seminoma with elements of embryonal carcinoma.
Super-Resolution of Video Sequences Using Local Motion Estimates

We present a method for boosting the resolution of 'target' frames of video using available supra-Nyquist information in surrounding frames during slow scene motion. Pixels in the frames surrounding a target frame were aligned to the target frame at subpixel resolution, by estimating translations of small upsampled image patches surrounding each pixel. This analysis was performed locally in order to account for the kinds of complex scene motion typical of human face imagery, motion which cannot often be effectively modeled using whole-image 2D affine transforms. Composite super-resolved images were built up from translated pixels, and missing pixels in the super-resolved pixel plane were imputed via adaptive-bandwidth bandpass interpolation and median filtering. Ambiguities in motion estimation due to the 'aperture problem' were systematically explored through visualization.
Air Pollution in Major Chinese Cities: Some Progress, But Much More to Do

Background: Ambient (outdoor) air pollution has been implicated as a major cause of acute cardiovascular and pulmonary illnesses and increased risk for acute and chronic effects after chronic exposures, including mortality and morbidity. In 2008, due to persistent health concerns about its workforce and their dependents, the US Mission in China began monitoring air quality at the US Embassy in Beijing. Subsequently, monitoring stations were also established at US consulates at Shanghai (2011), Guangzhou (2011), Chengdu (2012), and Shenyang (2013). Objectives: To determine whether there have been definable trends in air quality in these five Chinese cities. Methods: Air monitoring results from each locale for accumulated PM2.5 particulate matter were calculated hourly. Accumulated data were organized, culled using a standardized set of heuristics, and analyzed for trends. Results: China’s capital city, Beijing, experienced decreased PM2.5 from 2013 through 2015, but no significant long-term downward trend from 2008 through 2015. Shanghai has not shown any definable air quality trend since 2012. Chengdu experienced some improvement in air quality since 2013, but none discernible from 2012 through 2015. Guangzhou had generally better air quality, and a downward trend since 2012. Shenyang experienced increasingly severe air pollution from 2013 through 2015. Conclusion: There appear to have been recent tangible, though modest, improvements in air quality in three large Chinese cities: Beijing, Chengdu, and Guangzhou, but no apparent progress in Shanghai, and a worrisome decline in air quality observed in Shenyang. Despite recent progress, there is a long way to go before even the cities which show improvement reach Chinese standards.