cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Benign dermal iridophore aggregates in a crested gecko (Correlophus ciliatus)

Abstract A 1-year-old, female intact crested gecko was evaluated because of skin discoloration on her ventrum. Full-thickness biopsies were taken and evaluated histologically. Multifocally and regularly, there were collections of birefringent, granular material, localized primarily to the most superficial dermis subjacent to the overlying epithelium, throughout the length of examined sections. Polarized illumination revealed birefringent iridophores. This case either represents a benign aggregation of iridophores or simply regions of variable depigmentation, which may be considered as differential diagnoses when geckos are presented with similar clinical signs.
The Preoperative Evaluation of Drug-Resistant Epilepsy

Abstract Antiepileptic drugs afford good seizure control for approximately 70% of individuals with epilepsy. Epilepsy surgery is extremely helpful for appropriate individuals with drug resistance. Since antiquity, trephination was a crude and invasive technique to manage epilepsy. The late 1800s saw the advent of a more evidence-based approach with attempts to define seizure foci and determine areas of function. Seizure localization initially required direct brain stimulation during surgery before resection. Fortunately, improved knowledge of seizure semiology and advancements in preoperative investigations have enabled epilepsy specialists to better analyze the benefit of seizure reduction versus risk of functional harm. This preoperative phase and the investigative techniques used to analyze surgical candidacy will be discussed in this article.
Healthcare Worker With Large Vessel Acute Ischemic Stroke Likely Related to Mild SARS-CoV-2 Infection

We report the case of a healthcare worker who presented with a large vessel acute ischemic stroke in setting of a mild SARS-CoV-2 infection and provide a review of the emerging literature on COVID-...
Abstract MP18: Association Of Longitudinal Social Determinants Through Young Adulthood With Mid-life Cardiovascular Health: The Coronary Artery Risk Development In Young Adults (CARDIA) Study

Introduction: Deeper understanding of the longitudinal associations of social determinants of health (SDOH) at younger ages with cardiovascular health (CVH) in middle age is needed to address persi...
Effect of random fiber networks on bubble growth in gelatin hydrogels.

In hydrodynamics, the event of dynamic bubble growth in a pure liquid under tensile pressure is known as cavitation. The same event can also be observed in soft materials (e.g., elastomers and hydrogels). However, for soft materials, bubble/cavity growth is either defined as cavitation if the bubble growth is elastic and reversible or as fracture if the cavity growth is by material failure and irreversible. In any way, bubble growth can cause damage to soft materials (e.g., tissue) by inducing high strain and strain-rate deformation. Additionally, a high-strength pressure wave is generated upon the collapse of the bubble. Therefore, it is crucial to identify the critical condition of spontaneous bubble growth in soft materials. Experimental and theoretical observations have agreed that the onset of bubble growth in soft materials requires higher tensile pressure than pure water. The extra tensile pressure is required since the cavitating bubble needs to overcome the elastic and surface energy in soft materials. In this manuscript, we developed two models to study and quantify the extra tensile pressure for different gelatin concentrations. Both the models are then compared with the existing cavitation onset criteria of rubber-like materials. Validation is done with the experimental results of threshold tensile pressure for different gelatin concentrations. Both models can moderately predict the extra tensile pressure within the intermediate range of gelatin concentrations (3–7% [w/v]). For low concentration (∼1%), the network's non-affinity plays a significant role and must be incorporated. On the other hand, for higher concentrations (∼10%), the entropic deformation dominates, and the strain energy formulation is not adequate.
APPLICATION OF THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT OF 1969 TO THE DARIEN GAP HIGHWAY PROJECT

The construction of the Inter-American Highway linking North, Central and South America may have detrimental effects. DOT has done an environmental assessment at the Darien Gap. This has come under fire as not meeting the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act's environmental impact statement. The crucial question then arises as to whether NEPA applies to projects outside of U.S. territorial boundaries. This question has been answered differently by various courts. Some courts broadly interpret NEPA to mean that everyone should be protected from any U.S. related project. Others take a narrower view that NEPA only applies to those projects where the primary mission will effect the environment. The decision to apply NEPA to the Darien Gap must not only rest on judicial precedent, foreign policy must also be considered.
On the asymptotic stability of the intrinsic and fractional bayes factors for testing some diffusion models

Random processes, from which a single sample path data are available on a fine time scale, abound in many areas including finance and genetics. An effective way to model such data is to consider a suitable continuous-time-scale analog, X t say, for the underlying process. We consider three diffusion models for the process X t and address model selection under improper priors. Specifically, fractional and intrinsic Bayes factors (FBF and IBF) for model selection are considered. Here, we focus on the asymptotic stability of the IBF's and FBF's for comparing these models. Specifically, we propose to employ certain novel transformations of the data in order to ensure the asymptotic stability of the IBF's. While we use different transformations for pairwise comparisons of the models, we also show that a single common transformation can be used when simultaneously comparing all three models. We then demonstrate that, when FBF's are used to compare these models, we may have to employ different, model-specific training fractions in order to achieve asymptotic stability of the FBF's.
Rat Liver Lactate Dehydrogenase: AMINO-TERMINAL AND ACETYLATION STATUS

The amino-terminal sequence of rat liver M4 lactate dehydrogenase has been investigated in an attempt to determine the number of polypeptide chains in this protein. Quantitative dinitrophenylation and phenylthiocarbamylation experiments carried out under a wide variety of conditions yielded only submolar quantities of amino-terminal residues. The conditions used included those which lead to the dissociation of lactate dehydrogenases and those which cause extensive unfolding of the polypeptide chains. The acetylation status of rat liver M4 lactate dehydrogenase was investigated by means of a microenzymatic method developed during this study. The presence of 6 to 8 moles of acetate per mole of rat liver lactate dehydrogenase was shown. Bovine heart H4 and bovine heart MH3 lactate dehydrogenases also contained 7 to 8 moles of acetate per mole. Chicken heart H4 lactate dehydrogenase contained 3 to 4 moles of acetate per mole. All the acetyl groups in rat liver M4 lactate dehydrogenase are N-acetyl residues. Rat liver M4 lactate dehydrogenase also contains a quantity of a carbohydrate-like material which is not easily removed by dialysis, precipitation with ammonium sulfate, or repeated Bio-Gel chromatography. These data, combined with the lack of reactivity of rat liver M4 lactate dehydrogenase toward leucine aminopeptidase (62), lead to the conclusion that the amino-terminal residues of rat liver M4 lactate dehydrogenase are not readily available for reaction with amino-terminal labeling reagents and are probably acetylated. The large number of acetyl residues suggests the presence of more than one polypeptide chain per subunit.
7Li + 7Li reaction studies leading to multi-neutron final states

Abstract Boron and carbon reaction products have been observed in the bombardment of 7Li by 79.6 MeV7Li. Comparisons of the 7Li(7Li, 11B)t and 7Li(7Li, 11C)3n channels and a study of the 7Li(7Li, 10C)4n reaction are presented.
Development of the concept of recycling of light

Research on increases in efficiency in illumination systems has been mainly focused on the luminaires used. This paper describes how optical fibers can be placed in a room to collect unused light and then transmit it to an area needing the illumination. By this method an efficiency can be realized by a reduction in the number or power consumption of luminaires. The light that is emitted from the fiber is measured in relation to fiber-to-source distances and alignments. The emission profiles of the optical fibers at different fiber-to-source distances and misalignments, as well as fiber-end preparation, affect the lighting distribution in the receiving area.
Implementing MPI on the BlueGene/L Supercomputer

The BlueGene/L supercomputer will consist of 65,536 dual-processor compute nodes interconnected by two high-speed networks: a three-dimensional torus network and a tree topology network. Each compute node can only address its own local memory, making message passing the natural programming model for BlueGene/L. In this paper we present our implementation of MPI for BlueGene/L. In particular, we discuss how we leveraged the architectural features of BlueGene/L to arrive at an efficient implementation of MPI in this machine. We validate our approach by comparing MPI performance against the hardware limits and also the relative performance of the different modes of operation of BlueGene/L. We show that dedicating one of the processors of a node to communication functions greatly improves the bandwidth achieved by MPI operation, whereas running two MPI tasks per compute node can have a positive impact on application performance.
The Change in Human Microvascular Function and its Relationship to Plasma Epoxide Content After Short-Term Walnut Intake

Walnuts are a source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and linoleic acid (LA). We examined the effects of short-term walnut intake on the reactive hyperemia index (RHI), a measure of microvascular function. We hypothesized that 4 weeks of 40g/day of walnuts would improve RHI compared to 5g/day of walnuts in hypercholesterolemic postmenopausal women. Microvascular function is influenced, in part, by locally produced vasodilators, such as nitric oxide and endothelial-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF). Putative EDHF include cytochrome P450 epoxides of arachidonic acid (AA) known as the EpETrEs. Epoxides are also derived from ALA (EpODE) and LA (EpODE); however, their vascular influence is currently undefined. Four weeks of 40g/day of walnut intake increased RHI compared to 5g/day (2.61 ± 0.10 versus 2.24 ± 0.12, respectively, p = 0.027). Plasma EpODE and EpOME were significantly increased with 40g/day compared to 5g/day of walnut intake. The total change in plasma epoxides was strongly associated with the ch...
Host switching vs. host sharing in overlapping sylvatic Trypanosoma cruzi transmission cycles

The principle of competitive exclusion is well established for multiple populations competing for the same resource, and simple models for multistrain infection exhibit it as well when cross-immunity precludes coinfections. However, multiple hosts provide niches for different pathogens to occupy simultaneously. This is the case for the vector-borne parasite Trypanosoma cruzi in overlapping sylvatic transmission cycles in the Americas, where it is enzootic. This study uses cycles in the USA involving two different hosts but the same vector species as a context for the study of the mechanisms behind the communication between the two cycles. Vectors dispersing in search of new hosts may be considered to move between the two cycles (host switching) or, more simply, to divide their time between the two host types (host sharing). Analysis considers host switching as an intermediate case between isolated cycles and intermingled cycles (host sharing) in order to examine the role played by the host-switching rate in permitting coexistence of multiple strains in a single-host population. Results show that although the population dynamics (demographic equilibria) in host-switching models align well with those in the limiting models (host sharing or isolated cycles), infection dynamics differ significantly, in ways that sometimes illuminate the underlying epidemiology (such as differing host susceptibilities to infection) and sometimes reveal model limitations (such as host switching dominating the infection dynamics). Numerical work suggests that the model explains the trace presence of TcI in raccoons but not the more significant co-persistence observed in woodrats.
The Role of Intra-articular Hyaluronic Acid in Symptomatic Osteoarthritis of the Knee.

A 62-year-old female nursing supervisor with a history of diabetes mellitus (hemoglobin A1C score: 7.8) presents to your office with a 5þ-year history of right knee pain. She does not report any traumatic events or injuries and states that her right knee is progressively getting more painful with walking and especially when descending stairs. She has participated in both land-based and aquatic therapy in the past with limited improvement. She also reports that she received an ultrasound-guided intra-articular corticosteroid injection 8 weeks ago with tremendous improvement in her pain and function, but now the pain has returned. Examination reveals that she is obese, with a body mass index (BMI) of 34.5, and that she has moderate tenderness over the medial and lateral right knee joint lines. Her range of motion is normal with minimal swelling around the knee joint. Her right knee radiograph reveals Kellgren-Lawrence grade 3 osteoarthritis (OA). She has recently read the guidelines for treating knee OA put forth by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), in which viscosupplementation is no longer recommended. However, she has many family members and friends who received “Synvisc” in the past and experienced significant improvement in pain and function, and she would like to try this treatment option. Drs Thiru Annaswamy and Erika Gosai will argue that, despite the new AAOS guidelines, viscosupplementation should be offered to the patient to treat the symptoms caused by knee degenerative joint disease. Dr David Jevsevar will argue that there is very little evidence that viscosupplementation is effective for knee OA and that either alternative conservative treatments or surgery should be recommended.
Dahmer Discourse and Gay Identity: The Paradox of Queer Politics

This article examines the effects of Jeffrey Dahmer's serial killings on Milwaukee's lesbian and gay movement. It argues that Dahmer became a symbol of sexuality and homophobia in both the gay and lesbian community and in the larger culture in vastly different ways. Activists had to defend themselves against a wave of personal and political attacks following Dahmer's arrest. These events shaped the nature of gay identity in what activists perceived to be both positive and negative ways. The emergent meanings of gay in turn affected the nature of activism in their community, including the meanings and risks associated with coming out.
Using Ontological Reasoning for an Adaptive E-Commerce Experience

As e-commerce applications proliferates the Web, the authors are often overwhelmed by the task of sifting through the copious volumes of information. Since the nature of foraging for information in such digital spaces can be characterized as the interaction between internal task representation and the external problem domain, the authors look at how expert systems can be used to reduce complexity of the task. They describe a conceptual framework to analyze user interactions based on mental representations. They also detail an expert system implementation using the ontology language OWL to express the semantics of the representations and the rule language SWRL to define the rule base for contextual reasoning. The chapter illustrates how an expert system can be used to guide users in an e-commerce setting by orchestrating a cognitive fit between the task environment and the task solution.
Production of γ-ray lines by energetic ion interactions (determination of solar atmospheric abundances)

Abstract Acceleration of energetic ions in solar flares produces narrow and broad nuclear γ-ray de-excitation lines, by nuclear interactions with the ambient solar atmosphere. Observations of several solar flare γ-ray spectra have been made since 1972 by satellite-borne γ-ray spectrometers on OSO 7, HEAO 3, SMM, HINOTORI, GRANAT, YOHKOH and CGRO. The line intensities depend directly on the ambient and accelerated particle abundances. In addition, production of neutrons in several reactions leads to emission of the neutron–proton capture γ-ray line, from the photosphere, at an energy of 2.223 MeV. The rate of decay in intensity of this line depends on the photospheric 3He/H abundance ratio. Current analysis gives a photospheric 3He/H abundance ratio of (2.3±1.2)×105. In addition, a study of narrow γ-ray line fluxes from several flares suggests that the ratio of (Mg + Si + Fe) to (C + N + O) abundances changes with time during the flare. Since this ratio measures the abundance ratio of low first ionization potential (FIP) elements to high FIP elements, the γ-ray production site may start in the lower chromosphere and move, as the flare progresses, into the corona where the low/high FIP abundance ratio increases. A study of broad γ-ray line fluxes also permits a determination of the abundance of flare-accelerated heavy ions.
The Effects of Helmet Use on the Severity of Head Injuries in Motorcycle Accidents

Abstract In 1976 the U.S. Congress removed the threat of withdrawal of certain highway funds from states that failed to enact motorcycle helmet laws. Since then over half the states have either repealed or weakened these laws. Most researchers in the field agree that this has lead to a significant increase in injuries and fatalities among motorcyclists involved in accidents. Potential limitations of many of the studies on which these conclusions are based include the facts that fatalities can result from injuries to parts of the body not protected by helmets and that other factors, such as speed and alcohol use, are not taken into account, usually due to lack of data. The former will result in a loss of power and the latter in the introduction of bias. In this article I model the level of head injury rather than the fatality rate and build a multivariate model that includes the other factors. The basic model is an ordered probit model with heteroscedasticity in the errors. The adequacy of the model is tes...
Interferometric optical filters utilizing metal patterns on free-standing thin substrates

A new technology for infrared optical filters is presented. We have produced a band pass filter consisting of a thin (12.4 micrometers ) Si wafer with cross-shaped metal patterns deposited on both sides. The crosses, with 6 micrometers arms, have been formed by direct-write electron- beam lithography on 1000 angstroms Al film. The filter is mounted on a 0.2 mm thick Si frame with 0.25 cm2 window, but it also can be bonded to detectors so that the filter and the detector temperature are the same. Due to the high index of refractive in Si, this filter is more tolerant to converging beams than interferometric filters made of metal meshes stretched in air that have been reported previously. When placed into an F/3 converging beam, the filter has a bandpass characteristic centered at 70 micrometers wavelength with width at half maximum (delta) (lambda) /(lambda) equals 7%. The transmission maximum is 44%. At present the band pass is limited by the non-uniformity of the available substrates. The out-of-band rejection need improving which can be achieved using additional non-interferometric filters with wider band pass made with similar technology. Another way of improving the performance is integrating the metal patterns onto the detector which will make it frequency selective. Extending the interference filter technology to shorter wavelengths is difficult due to the onset of absorption in the metal layers.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Relative performance of selected detectors

The quadratic polynomial detector (QPD) and the radial basis function (RBF) family of detectors -- including the Bayesian neural network (BNN) -- might well be considered workhorses within the field of automatic target detection (ATD). The QPD works reasonably well when the data is unimodal, and it also achieves the best possible performance if the underlying data follow a Gaussian distribution. The BNN, on the other hand, has been applied successfully in cases where the underlying data are assumed to follow a multimodal distribution. We compare the performance of a BNN detector and a QPD for various scenarios synthesized from a set of Gaussian probability density functions (pdfs). This data synthesis allows us to control parameters such as modality and correlation, which, in turn, enables us to create data sets that can probe the weaknesses of the detectors. We present results for different data scenarios and different detector architectures.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Preform design in H-shaped cross sectional axisymmetric forging by the finite element method

Abstract Preform design in flashless forging of three geometries of H-shaped finisher dies for both non-work-hardening and work-hardening materials is investigated by the finite element method. Design procedure uses the application of simulation methods of forward loading and backward tracing. It was shown that one preform each is required for the rib height (H) to width (B) ratios of 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 for non-work-hardening materials, and that one preform is required for H/B = 1.0, two preforms for H/B = 2.0, and three preforms are necessary for H/B = 3.0 for work-hardening materials. An extensive use of the backward tracing scheme in the design procedure resulted in an alternative design for the case H/B = 3.0 for the work-hardening material where only two preforms are necessary to satisfy the flashless forging condition. The design details of all the blocker dies used for preforming operations are also determined.
The effects of eccentric exercise on motor performance in young and older women

The purpose of the present study was to determine if old individuals show a greater exercise-induced decrement in motor performance and slower recovery compared to young individuals. Ten college-age women (23.6 years) and ten older women (67.4 years) performed an exercise consisting of 24 eccentric actions of the forearm flexors. In young subjects, eccentric exercise is known to produce repairable muscle damage. Before the exercise and for 5 days after, isometric strength, soreness, reaction time, and movement time were measured. For both groups, strength was reduced and soreness developed in the days following the exercise, generally indicating that muscle damage had occurred. The older subjects showed a slower strength recovery such that by 5 days after exercise they had not returned to their initial level of strength. There was no significant difference in soreness development between groups. Reaction time and movement time were not adversely affected by the exercise. Thus, the older subjects demonstrated a slower strength recovery after damage-inducing exercise, and, with regard to response speed, the older subjects could compensate for the impaired muscle function as well as the younger subjects.
Renormalization group treatment of a compressible Ising model

Abstract We rigorously transform a compressible Ising model into a continuous spin hamiltonian. We find a constrained Ising tricritical point at a pressure which can be shape-dependent, in which case the second order transition may be “pseudo-critical” due to instabilities recently discussed in the literature.
Conservation Value of Residential Open Space: Designation and Management Language of Florida's Land Development Regulations

The conservation value of open space depends upon the quantity and quality of the area protected, as well as how it is designed and managed. This study reports the results of a content analysis of Florida county Land Development Regulations. Codes were reviewed to determine the amount of open space required, how open space is protected during construction, the delegation of responsibilities, and the designation of funds for management. Definitions of open space varied dramatically across the state. Most county codes provided inadequate descriptions of management recommendations, which could lead to a decline in the conservation value of the protected space.
The microscopic structure of rigid polyurethane foam

In a microscopic study of rigid polyurethane foam, the fundamental cell is described as an irregular polyhedron whose edges form the structural “ribs” of the foam. Blowing conditions and location in the block or panel influence the shape of the cell. Cells are elongated in the direction of movement of the foam mass.
HF mismatch characterization and modeling of bipolar transistors for RFIC design

This paper presents a methodology to characterize and model BJT's mismatch behavior for RFIC design. A measurement technique based on the conventional S-parameter measurement is developed to measure the mismatch behavior at high frequencies (HFs). First, besides the typical de-embedding, the bondpad mismatch is subtracted statistically from the capacitance mismatch measurement. Second, a semi-empirical methodology using physical parameters, such as window CD and vertical doping, is developed to model the measured AC mismatch behavior for transistors of different size. Finally, a systematic procedure is proposed to extract the mismatch parameters, which can be used in the SPICE Monte-Carlo mismatch simulation. The proposed mismatch modeling methodology is validated on an industrial 0.35μm RF BiCMOS process. The proposed model fits the mismatch characteristics of the key AC parameters, such as CBE, CBC, and fT at different current densities. The model also scales well with geometry for the transistors with sizes useful for RFIC application.
Influence of Humic Products on Soil Health and Potato Production

Since 1900, soil organic matter (SOM) in farmlands worldwide has declined drastically as a result of carbon turnover and cropping systems. Over the past 17 years, research trials were established to evaluate the efficacy of different commercial humates products on potato production. Data from humic acid (HA) trials showed that different cropping systems responded differently to different products in relation to yield and quality. Important qualifying factors included: source; concentration; processing; chelating or complexing capacity of the humic acid products; functional groups (Carboxyl; Phenol; Hydroxyl; Ketone; Ester; Ether; Amine), rotation and soil quality factors; consistency of the product in enhancing yield and quality of potato crops; mineralization effect; and influence on fertilizer use efficiency. Properties of humic substances, major constituents of soil organic matter, include chelation, mineralization, buffer effect, clay mineral-organic interaction, and cation exchange. Humates increase phosphorus availability by complexing ions into stable compounds, allowing the phosphorus ion to remain exchangeable for plants’ uptake. Collectively, the consistent use of good quality products in our replicated research plots in different years resulted in a yield increase from 11.4% to the maximum of 22.3%. Over the past decade, there has been a major increase in the quality of research and development of organic and humic acid products by some well-established manufacturers. Our experimentations with these commercial products showed an increase in the yield and quality of crops.
A CASE-CONTROL STUDY OF FLUCTUATING DERMATOGLYPHIC ASYMMETRY AS A RISK MARKER FOR DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY

In traits which are normally bilaterally symmetrical, asymmetries may arise as a result of genomic or environmental stress. Such asymmetries are called fluctuating asymmetry. Symmetry is known to be decreased in a variety of disorders of developmental origin, and thus could potentially serve as a risk marker for disorders with a developmental component. We examined this idea by conducting a case-control study of 49 developmentally delayed children and 51 controls. Using two dermatoglyphic characters as a measure of symmetry (finger print concordance and A-B triradial ridge count difference), we found odds ratios of 2.32 (95% CI 0.65-3.17) and 2.11 (95% CI 0.57-3.27) ; depending on which character was measured. These results suggest that fluctuating asymmetry may have potential as a risk marker for developmental disorders, and that this area of research warrants further research.
Structures that contribute to middle-ear admittance in chinchilla

We describe measurements of middle-ear input admittance in chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera) before and after various manipulations that define the contributions of different middle-ear components to function. The chinchilla's middle-ear air spaces have a large effect on the low-frequency compliance of the middle ear, and removing the influences of these spaces reveals a highly admittant tympanic membrane and ossicular chain. Measurements of the admittance of the air spaces reveal that the high-degree of segmentation of these spaces has only a small effect on the admittance. Draining the cochlea further increases the middle-ear admittance at low frequencies and removes a low-frequency (less than 300 Hz) level dependence in the admittance. Spontaneous or sound-driven contractions of the middle-ear muscles in deeply anesthetized animals were associated with significant changes in middle-ear admittance.
Improving communication of drug risks to prevent patient injury: proceedings of a workshop.

Purpose The Centers for Education & Research on Therapeutics (CERTs) is conducting a series of workshops on managing the risks of therapeutics, with the ultimate goal to develop an agenda for research and education about risk and its management. This paper presents the results of the first workshop in the series, a 2-day meeting focused on communication of drug risks to healthcare professionals and patients. Methods The 50 workshop participants represented the medical-products industry, academia, consumer groups, regulatory bodies and the media. Together, they sought to identify and understand barriers to successful risk communication, to identify tools or methods that could improve risk communication, and to develop research and education agendas that would lead to better risk communication in the future. Results Limitations of current methods of risk communication were identified, and research and education agendas were proposed to clarify and resolve these issues. Conclusion Common themes for potential solutions include enhanced education of healthcare providers, increased motivation of patients and families, use of creative communication technologies, and better organization of and access to medical records and information. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Narrative learning: Its contours and its possibilities

This chapter outlines the foundations of narrative theory, describes narrative learning, and examines some of the possibilities of a narrative perspective for understanding transformational learning.
Responses of Largemouth Bass from Different Latitudes to Elevated Water Temperatures

Abstract The effects of elevated temperatures on largemouth bass Micropterus s. salmoides, from Minnesota and Wisconsin (our northern stock) and from Tennessee (our southern stock), were compared at four first-year life stages. Our purpose was to determine if data gathered from one part of a species' range could be used to set thermal standards for that same species elsewhere within its normal range. Eggs and embryos, when first exposed early in development to an array of elevated temperatures, lost 50% of their maximum hatching success (TL50) at 29.5 C for the northern stock and at 29.1 C for the southern stock. When embryos from the same pooled egg lots were exposed late in development, their TL50 temperatures were 32.3 C and 30.9 C, respectively. Median lethal 24-hour temperatures (TL50) for 0–3-day-old hatched larvae acclimated to 20, 24, 27, and 30 C averaged 32.1 C for the northern stock and 32.6 C for the southern stock. Median survival times for juveniles depended on acclimation temperature, expos...
The pedicled superficial temporalis fascial flap: A new method for reconstruction in otologic surgery

Abstract Objectives: Our goal was to describe a novel fascial flap of the temporal region and its use for reconstruction in otologic and neurotologic surgery. Methods: The superficial temporalis fascia has an axial blood supply derived from the middle temporal artery and can be raised independently from the overlying temporoparietal fascia or the underlying deep temporalis fascia. This flap was used on 15 consecutive patients to solve a wide variety of reconstructive problems after otologic procedures. Results: No additional morbidity was observed from the use of this flap. There were no complications related to the reconstruction. Adequate exposure for raising this flap was obtained using standard incisions for the otologic procedures. Follow-up ranges from 2 to 25 months. Conclusions: This fascial flap provides a wide surface area of tissue on a narrow-based pedicle capable of a wide arc of rotation. It provides thin, pliable tissue that can be adapted to the needs of various reconstructive otologic/neurotologic problems. (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2002;126:538-47.)
Enterococcal superinfection in patients treated with ciprofloxacin

Two patients developed serious enterococcal superinfection following therapy with intravenous ciprofloxacin. The strains causing bacteraemia were susceptible to low concentrations of ciprofloxacin when tested at a standard inoculum. However, at an inoculum of 1 X 10(7) cfu/ml they were resistant to high concentrations of ciprofloxacin. Our data suggest that ciprofloxacin should not be used to treat patients with serious enterococcal infection and that patients treated with ciprofloxacin should be monitored carefully for the development of enterococcal superinfection.
IMPACT OF ENHANCED SIMULATED SOLAR ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION UPON A MARINE COMMUNITY

—There is evidence to indicate that an increased exposure to solar radiation in the UV-B region (specifically, 290–320 nm) may occur as a result of anthropogenic degradation of stratospheric ozone. The fact that present levels of solar UV radiation can detrimentally affect marine organisms led to experiments to quantify the impact of increased UV radiation upon a marine community. Two 720–l seawater chambers (continuous flow-through design) were exposed to simulated solar UV radiation. Fluorescent sunlamps filtered by a 290 nm cutoff filter (a 0.13 mm thickness of cellulose triacetate film) were used as the radiation source. Utilization of three different weighting factors for the spectral irradiances at the surface of the chambers yielded differences of 18%, 35% and 40% in biologically effective fluence rate between the two chambers. Analysis of attached forms of algae at various depths demonstrated that a surface exposure of 1.4W/m2 in the 290–315nm waveband as contrasted with the chamber receiving a surface exposure of 1.0W/m2 resulted in depressed Chl a concentrations, reduced biomass, increased autotrophic indices, and decreased community diversity. These results indicate a potential for adverse effects of increased solar UV-8 radiation: decreased community diversity, community structure shifts, and decreased productivity.
Acute inhalation exposure to epichlorohydrin transiently decreases rat sperm velocity

Abstract The effect of inhaled epichlorohydrin on rat sperm motility characteristics was evaluated. Male F-344 rats were exposed to 100 ppm epichlorohydrin via inhalation for 4 hr in the morning of Day 0 and killed immediately and on Days 1, 2, 6, and 14 postexposure. Videotapes of cauda epididymal sperm were analyzed (300–350 sperm/sample) with a Hamilton Thorn motility analyzer (HTM-2000, Hamilton Thorn Research, Danvers, MA). Epichlorohydrin did not affect the percentage of motile sperm at any time. However, transient changes in sperm velocity were found. On Day 1 postexposure mean progressive (straight line) and mean path (smoothed curvilinear) velocity were significantly decreased to 80 and 85% of control, respectively. The progressive velocities of sperm from both control and treated rats were normally distributed, indicating a general effect of epichlorohydrin on all sperm as opposed to a more severe effect on a specific sperm subpopulation. Sperm velocity was not significantly affected at later times. Other endpoints (testis and epididymis weights, testicular spermatid counts, and cauda epididymal sperm reserves) were unaltered by epichlorohydrin. Thus, inhaled epichlorohydrin at 100 ppm produced specific, transient decreases in rat sperm velocity. Furthermore, computer-assisted sperm analysis was able to detect these relatively subtle, toxicant-induced changes in rat sperm velocity, demonstrating the utility of this technology in reproductive toxicology studies.
High-Technology Manufacturing in the Nonmetropolitan West: Gold or Just Glitter

Tobit analysis was utilized to determine if employment, occupational, and market-linkage characteristics of nonmetropolitan high- and low-technology manufacturers differed after controlling for select firm and community characteristics. Data on manufacturers' characteristics were collected through an extensive survey of nonmetropolitan firms in the eleven contiguous western states. The results indicate that the employment size of high- and low-technology manufacturers was similar. Nonmetropolitan high-technology manufacturers were more rapidly growing, export oriented, and skilled-labor intensive than low-technology firms. The low-technology manufacturers maintained stronger backward linkages with the local economy.
Resiliency-Oriented Microgrid Optimal Scheduling

One of complementary value propositions of microgrids is to improve power system resiliency via local supply of loads and curtailment reduction. This subject is investigated in this paper by proposing a resiliency-oriented microgrid optimal scheduling model. The proposed model aims at minimizing the microgrid load curtailment by efficiently scheduling available resources when supply of power from the main grid is interrupted for an extended period of time. The problem is decomposed to normal operation and resilient operation problems. The normal operation problem solution, i.e., unit commitment states, energy storage schedules, and adjustable loads schedules, is employed in the resilient operation problem to examine microgrid capability in supplying local loads during main grid supply interruption. The schedule is revised via resiliency cuts if a zero mismatch is not obtained. Prevailing operational uncertainties in load, non-dispatchable generation, and the main grid supply interruption time and duration are considered and captured using a robust optimization method. The final solution, which is obtained in an iterative manner, is economically optimal, guarantees robustness against prevailing operational uncertainties, and supports a quick islanding with minimum consumer inconvenience and load curtailment. Numerical simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed resiliency-oriented microgrid optimal scheduling model applied to a test microgrid.
A New Finite-Conductivity Droplet Evaporation Model Including Liquid Turbulence Effect

A new approach to account for finite thermal conductivity and turbulence effects within atomizing droplets of an evaporating spray is presented in this paper. The model is an extension of the T-blob and T-TAB atomization/spray model of Trinh and Chen [9]. This finite conductivity model is based on the two-temperature film theory in which the turbulence characteristics of the droplet are used to estimate the effective thermal diffusivity for the liquid-side film thickness. Both one-way and two-way coupled calculations were performed to investigate the performance cf this model against the published experimental data.
Improving performance of computer-aided detection of pulmonary embolisms by incorporating a new pulmonary vascular-tree segmentation algorithm

We developed a new pulmonary vascular tree segmentation/extraction algorithm. The purpose of this study was to assess whether adding this new algorithm to our previously developed computer-aided detection (CAD) scheme of pulmonary embolism (PE) could improve the CAD performance (in particular reducing false positive detection rates). A dataset containing 12 CT examinations with 384 verified pulmonary embolism regions associated with 24 threedimensional (3-D) PE lesions was selected in this study. Our new CAD scheme includes the following image processing and feature classification steps. (1) A 3-D based region growing process followed by a rolling-ball algorithm was utilized to segment lung areas. (2) The complete pulmonary vascular trees were extracted by combining two approaches of using an intensity-based region growing to extract the larger vessels and a vessel enhancement filtering to extract the smaller vessel structures. (3) A toboggan algorithm was implemented to identify suspicious PE candidates in segmented lung or vessel area. (4) A three layer artificial neural network (ANN) with the topology 27-10-1 was developed to reduce false positive detections. (5) A k-nearest neighbor (KNN) classifier optimized by a genetic algorithm was used to compute detection scores for the PE candidates. (6) A grouping scoring method was designed to detect the final PE lesions in three dimensions. The study showed that integrating the pulmonary vascular tree extraction algorithm into the CAD scheme reduced false positive rates by 16.2%. For the case based 3D PE lesion detecting results, the integrated CAD scheme achieved 62.5% detection sensitivity with 17.1 false-positive lesions per examination.
Measuring enforcement windows with symbolic trace interpretation: what well-behaved programs say

A static analysis design is sufficient if it can prove the property of interest with an acceptable number of false alarms. Ultimately, the only way to confirm that an analysis design is sufficient is to implement it and run it on real-world programs. If the evaluation shows that the design is insufficient, the designer must return to the drawing board and repeat the process--wasting expensive implementation effort over and over again. In this paper, we make the observation that there is a minimal range of code needed to prove a property of interest under an ideal static analysis; we call such a range of code a validation scope. Armed with this observation, we create a dynamic measurement framework that quantifies validation scopes and thus enables designers to rule out insufficient designs at lower cost. A novel attribute of our framework is the ability to model aspects of static reasoning using dynamic execution measurements. To evaluate the flexibility of our framework, we instantiate it on an example property--null dereference errors--and measure validation scopes on real-world programs. We use a broad range of metrics that capture the difficulty of analyzing programs along varying dimensions. We also examine how validation scopes evolve as developers fix null dereference errors and as code matures. We find that bug fixes shorten validation scopes, that longer validation scopes are more likely to be buggy, and that overall validation scopes are remarkably stable as programs evolve.
Mohs Surgery for Malignant Eccrine Neoplasms

Background. Eccrine carcinomas (ECs) are rare tumors with potentially aggressive clinical behavior and a high recurrence rate following conventional surgical excision. With the exception of microcystic adnexal carcinoma (MAC), there have been few reports on the use of Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) as a primary treatment for EC. Objective. To review the use of MMS for EC and compare treatment outcomes with those of conventional surgical excision. Methods. We report our use of MMS in 7 cases of EC and review the literature regarding the use of MMS for EC excluding microcystic adnexal carcinoma (MAC), which has been described elsewhere. Results. A total of 19 case reports describing MMS for non-MAS malignant eccrine neoplasms were reviewed. There were no reported recurrences over an average follow-up period of 29 months, whereas the local recurrence rate following conventional surgical excision of these neoplasms from 10–70%. Conclusions. While the clinical experience is limited, the use of MMS appears to decrease recurrence rates when compared to conventional surgical excision. Further experience and longer follow-up intervals will be necessary to demonstrate superior efficacy and recommended surgical margins.
Yes, Personality Matters: Moving on to More Important Matters

(2005). Yes, Personality Matters: Moving on to More Important Matters. Human Performance: Vol. 18, No. 4, pp. 359-372.
Characterisations of absolute phase noise in fibre-laser modelocked by sapphire-loaded cavity resonator oscillator at 10 GHz

Results from characterisations of the absolute phase noise in a fibre laser modelocked, at 10.24 GHz, by a sapphire-loaded cavity resonator oscillator, are reported. From the phase noise measured, an absolute timing jitter of /spl sim/2.48 and /spl sim/14.3 fs, respectively, for frequency-offset (/spl Delta/f) ranges that spanned /spl Delta/f=100 Hz to 1 MHz, and /spl Delta/f=100 Hz to 40 MHz, were estimated.
Rapid Thermal Processing and the Control of Oxygen Precipitation Behaviour in Silicon Wafers

The use of Rapid Thermal Processing to install lattice vacancy profiles into silicon wafers for the purpose of forming a template for the nucleation and ideal control of oxygen precipitation has become an important materials engineering tool for the microelectronics industry. This paper reviews the principles of the technique and the precise materials/defect engineering that it engenders. It furthermore discusses what has been learned regarding the elusive properties of the intrinsic point defects in silicon through studies of the distributions of vacancies created by use of the technique. Also discussed are recent discoveries about the critical role of the other intrinsic point defect, the self-interstitial and the development of oxygen precipitates and their distributions post-nucleation and the critical importance of what has become to be called the “ninja transformation” in the switching-on of gettering efficiency of oxygen precipitate systems.
The zero point average structure of isobutane as determined by electron diffraction and microwave spectroscopy

Abstract The molecular structure of isobutane in the gas phase was investigated by combining electron diffraction data with microwave spectroscopic rotational constants of Lide. The analysis indicated that the tertiary C-H distance ( r g = 1.122±0.006 A) was substantially longer than the average methyl C-H distance ( r g = 1.113±0.002 A). Other structural parameters obtained were: r g (C-C) = 1.535±0.001 A, ∠CCC = 110.8±0.2°, and the average ∠CCH (methyl) = 111.4±0.2°.
Is There Any Ethical and Moral Consideration in the Theory and Practice of Global Business Social Darwinism

Abstract This article has revisited the interchangeable meanings of morality and ethics in today's global business practices. This article argues that in the theory and practice of the global business Social Darwinism, there is no room for ethics and morality because the competitive international business ideology promotes the “survival of the fittest.” Furthermore, the purpose of this article is to first define the distinction between morality and ethics and their application in the real world of today's business; second, to analyze the ideological foundation of the international business practices of Social Darwinism in relation to global production, consumption, profitability, and efficacy.