cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Price ceilings, product quality and consumer welfare

~j~q IQP8 (Q)L where p8 ( Q ) is the supply price at Q which is higher than marginal product benefit (equals average product cost equals price). Hence, consumers are made better off by movement down the supply curve until marginal product benefit equals marginal product cost. At a more rigorous level, one can show that there exists an interval of price ceilings sufficiently close to the initial equilibrium price such that for any ceiling in this range, every consumer's utility is increased regardless of the distribution of the resulting shortfall in quantity1. Intuitively this rationalization for a price ceiling is weakened for a market with variable quality, since quality variation, or variation in the pricing of different product types, may outweigh superficial pecuniary savings so that on balance consumer welfare suffers due to the price ceiling. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate and sharpen this intuition by means of a simple formal model. General sufficient conditions are presented for every consumer's utility to fall when an effective ceiling is imposed on price regardless
A fact about the logistic distribution

For the problem of weak signal detection, the locally optimum test statistic for a known signal in independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) noise of probability density function f(/spl middot/) is given. We show that the logistic distribution is the only example for which the locally-optimal nonlinearity has a uniform distribution.
Postnatal α-methylphenylalanine treatment effects on adult mouse locomotor activity and avoidance learning

Abstract Neonatal mice were injected for five days with a combination of α-methylphenylalanine and phenylalanine to determine the influences of excess phenylalanine during development upon the behavior of these mice as adults. Spontaneous activity, bolus production, passive avoidance learning, simple active avoidance learning and complex active avoidance learning were tested in mice treated at two different postnatal periods. The results show that the treatments during development produced adult behavioral alterations compared to controls. The effects were most pronounced in mice treated in the postnatal period immediately after birth. The behavioral effects can be summarized as increased emotionality and generalized, stimulus-induced activity as well as decreased passive avoidance performance and complex active avoidance performance. These behavioral deficits are consistent with those usually reported in various models of human phenylketonuria.
Peritonitis Associated With Disseminated Mycobacterium avium Complex in an Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Patient on Chronic Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis

Chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) is a commonly used form of renal replacement therapy in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). An increased incidence of peritonitis, as well as an increased rate of infections with unusual and serious organisms, has been reported in these patients. We report the first case of an HIV-infected patient who developed clinical peritonitis associated with Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare (MAI) infection. We suggest that the diagnosis of MAI peritonitis be suspected in HIV-infected patients with clinical CAPD peritonitis, negative cultures for bacteria or fungi, and a CD4 count less than 100 cells/μL. Therapy with a two-drug regimen for disseminated MAI infection without removal of the peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter appears to provide symptomatic improvement while allowing ongoing PD.
2010 Victor A. McKusick Leadership Award Introduction and Address

An early version of these remarks was presented in San Francisco on March 30, 2010, when there was worry that Charlie might be unable to travel for the meeting in early November.
Simplified Enzymatic‐gravimetric Method for Total Dietary Fiber In Legumes Compared with a Modified AOAC Method

Two methods (an AOAC and a simplified enzymatic-gravimetric method) were used to analyze seven types of canned legumes and eight cooked legumes. Total dietary fiber (TDF) of the canned products ranged between 17% and 23% (dry basis) for chick peas, Great Northern beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, pork & beans, vegetarian beans in tomato sauce, and 27–31% for wax beans. These values were comparable for both methods. However, results on cooked legumes were very different between methods. TDF values for several types of beans and peas were higher and ranged between 31% and 5.5% by the AOAC/Tris-Mes buffer method as compared to 17% and 29% using the simplified method. Chemical analysis of dietary fiber residues showed the major difference between the methods was in the extent of starch removal as affected by starch gelatinization.
Repeated or long-duration TASER electronic control device exposures: acidemia and lack of respiration.

Conducted energy weapons (CEWs), such as TASER® devices, may be applied to subjects in repeated or long-duration modes. Such applications may result in more potentially harmful effects (as reflected in blood factor changes) than shorter exposures. In this review, results from a number of studies of repeated and long-duration CEW exposures in an animal model are examined. Additionally, a few limited investigations of shorter CEW applications to human subjects are considered. Specifically, in anesthetized swine, increased blood acidity (acidemia) and lack of effective respiration were found to be common during or immediately after CEW exposure. The acidemia could have been due to both metabolic and respiratory acidosis. A relatively rapid recovery toward baseline pH levels occurred. The lack of effective respiration has not been verified in experiments of CEW applications to human subjects; however, in some incidents of human deaths after CEW exposures subjects have been reported to stop breathing immediately after the exposure. It is not known if all human subjects exposed to CEW applications in the field (often “on drugs” or “in excited delirium”) would be able to maintain adequate breathing. Since a limited number of short CEW applications would be less likely to cause adverse effects, however, CEWs can still be a valuable tool for law enforcement activities.
Self-reactive T cells can escape clonal deletion in T-cell receptor V beta 8.1 transgenic mice.

Abstract To study the mechanisms of tolerance in detail, we have constructed transgenic mice expressing a V beta 8.1-D beta 2-J beta 2.3-C beta 2 T-cell receptor (TCR) gene. Since expression of V beta 8.1 is known to correlate with reactivity of CD4+CD8- T cells to minor lymphocyte-stimulating locus 1a (Mls-1a), we expected to induce tolerance in most CD4+CD8- T cells in V beta 8.1 transgenic mice of the Mls-1a allele. In one line of Mls-1b V beta 8.1 transgenic mice, the V beta 8.1 TCR was expressed on greater than 98% of mature T cells and their response to Mls-1a was highly enriched. In Mls-1a V beta 8.1 transgenic mice, CD4+CD8- T cells in these mice were severely reduced among both peripheral T cells and thymocytes. However, the deletion of these cells was not complete, and most of the residual CD4+CD8- mature T cells still expressed normal densities of V beta 8.1 TCR. The residual CD4+CD8- T cells did not respond to Mls-1a but were still able to proliferate in response to other stimuli via the TCR. Interestingly, CD4+CD8- V beta 8.1+ T-cell clones isolated from Mls-1a V beta 8.1 transgenic mice could respond to Mls-1a. We suggest that these types of T cells escape clonal deletion in the thymus.
GyroCube: A Novice-Friendly Design and Simulation Tool for Gyroscopic Analysis and Optimization of MEMS

In this paper, we present an online design tool called GyroCube that greatly simplifies the parametric exploration of ready-made Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) gyroscopes. GyroCube is able to perform gyroscopic analysis on nearly any MEMS structure imported from Sugar. In addition to Sugar’s existing MEMS solvers (i.e. frequency response, modal analysis, and transient analysis), we add gyroscope-specific analyses (i.e. quality factor, normalized sensitivity, natural frequency, stiffness, damping ratio). We also include geometry optimization given a user’s performance specification. We verify GyroCube’s results using finite element analysis and we demonstrate GyroCube’s ease of use.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Impact of Privatization on Gender and Property Rights in Africa

Abstract This paper explores the transformation of customary tenure systems and their impact on women's rights to land in Africa. Emphasis is placed on the diversity of land rights within customary tenure systems, the different institutions and structures (e.g., inheritance, marriage) that influence rights to land, and the trend toward uniformity and increasing patrilineal control. With privatization, different rights to land have become concentrated in the hands of those persons (such as community leaders, male household heads) who are able to successfully claim their ownership right to land, while other persons (such as poor rural women, ethnic minorities) lose the few rights they had and generally are not able to participate fully in the land market.
On limit classes of bounded perturbations

We obtain sufficient conditions for a given class of piecewise continuous bounded perturbations to be a limit class, i.e., to admit the computation of the least upper bound for the exponents of linear differential systems with perturbations in that class by a formula similar to well-known formulas for the central and exponential exponents.
Formal Specification and Mechanical Verification of SIFT: A Fault-Tolerant Flight Control System

This paper describes the formal specification and proof methodology employed to demonstrate that the SIFT computer meets its requirements. The hierarchy of design specifications is shown, from very abstract descriptions of system function down to the implementation. The most abstract design specifications are simple and easy to understand, almost all details of the realization having been abstracted out, and can be used to ensure that the system functions reliably and as intended. A succession of lower level specifications refine these specifications into more detailed and more complex views of the system design, culminating in the Pascal implementation. The paper describes the rigorous mechanical proof that the abstract specifications are satisfied by the actual implementation.
Second-class currents and their matrix elements in field theory

Second-class currents constructed from fermion fields are considered in the context of renormalizable field theory. It is shown that such currents can only be constructed if there exist two distinct isomultiplets of fermion fields that have all of the same quantum numbers except isospin. These currents can easily be generated by gauge theories of the weak interactions. However, the requirement that these currents actually contribute to $\ensuremath{\beta}$ decay places severe constraints on the field theory of the strong interactions. The only theories for which the $\ensuremath{\beta}$-decay matrix elements are nonzero are (a) those which include fundamental strongly interacting scalar or pseudoscalar fields and (b) gauge theories for which the weak and strong gauge groups do not commute. In the latter case the physical hadron states must not be singlets under the strong gauge group unless the gauge symmetry is broken.
Unexpected news in renal fibrosis

A striking characteristic of many diseases of the kidney is their ability to induce decreases in function that may initially be modest but that inexorably progress until all function is lost. The anatomical correlate of this evolution is a relentless substitution of renal parenchymal cells by fibrotic tissue. Fibrosis had long been recognized as a prominent feature of diseased kidneys, but nephrology’s intellectual landscape had long focused on the widely variable and aesthetically alluring glomerular changes caused by disease. A seismic change was initiated by two important discoveries that initially concerned glomerular diseases but have proven to have much wider implications in our understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the inexorable evolution of many renal diseases. First, the hypothesis by Brenner and collaborators that increases in glomerular pressures and flows initiate progressive loss of renal function led to the discovery that inhibitors of the renin-angio-tensin system retard renal-function loss and ameliorate renal fibrosis (1, 2). Second, Border and colleagues discovered that TGF-β1 is a key mediator of renal fibrogenesis (3, 4). This work not only resulted in substantial advances in patient care (2) but also initiated a veritable explosion of research aimed at elucidating the mechanisms regulating renal fibrogenesis. Elegant experimental design has attracted many research-ers to a model of fibrosis resulting from unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO), but many other types of renal diseases have also been studied. As it is likely that different pathogenetic mechanisms are activated in different types of renal fibrotic diseases, generalizations must be made cautiously. However, several observations appear to be well established and to apply to most models: (a) the critical role of TGF-β1; (b) the profibrotic action of angiotensin (at least in part mediated by TGF-β1); (c) the antifibrotic effect of inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin system; and (d) the recent demonstration that many renal fibroblasts derive from conversion of renal epithelial cells to mesenchymal cells (5), a reversal of the process that normally occurs during renal development (6). It must be noted, however, that a small number of renal fibroblasts migrate to the kidney from the bone marrow.
Electrochemical oxidation of cyclooctatetraene in the presence of allyltrimethylsilane. Anodic trialkylation with bicyclization

Abstract Anodic oxidation of cyclooctatetraene (COT) was carried out in acetonitrile containing excess allyltrimethylsilane. Under these conditions COT is oxidized preferentially to afford the COT cation radical, which then undergoes nucleophilic attack by the silane followed by further anodic oxidation. The process results in a substance in which the original eight carbons of COT are highly differentiated by the addition of three allyl groups and the formation of two new rings.
Is speculative building underappreciated in urban history

The building industry's organization has been relatively invariant down through history due to housing's unique characteristics: durability, fixity in location, complex co-ordination of various trades on site and financing its great costs. That organizational form has allowed speculative development to flourish periodically during large increases in urban population, despite considerable risk. The same building and speculative processes occurred in ancient Rome and cities in England and the US at greatly different periods of time but those histories do not acknowledge the similarities of development processes that each reports. A separate ‘housing literature’ that steps back from particulars possibly explains why these accounts are so alike.
Further delineation of the Beemer-Langer syndrome using concordance rates in affected sibs.

Six familial cases of the Beemer–Langer syndrome (BLS) were analyzed to further elucidate the spectrum and frequency of anomalies observed in this disorder. Preaxial polydactyly was found in 3/6 affected sibs, and, therefore, its frequency previously may have been underestimated. Some patients, described as infants affected with the Majewski syndrome (MS) or “atypical” short rib-poly-dactyly conditions, may indeed have BLS. A high frequency of brain defects (16/26) and cleft tongue, oral frenula, and/or natal teeth (13/29) widens the list of typical findings in this syndrome. The specific type of tibial defect seems to be the most important discrimination of the MS and the BLS. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The interlanguage metaphor and language assessment

: The concept of ‘interlanguage’ is addressed with special attention to language assessment. Interlanguage assumes a single target norm, and this paper contends that major language tests uphold that norm. The paper challenges testing's role in the concept of interlanguage by challenging the mechanism by which such tests uphold that single norm and thereby suppress linguistic variety. It is a mechanism which operates by selecting for test items that adhere to a normal-curve-derived testing model. To counter such a mechanism, the paper argues that (1) testing companies should be challenged with hard statistical data that shows their tests to be multidimensional, and (2) reasoning in favor of self-directed testing can further show the monolithic nature of major tests. The paper concludes with an appeal to language test users (as opposed to test developers) to participate in the reform of language assessment.
Risk of seizure recurrence after the first late posttraumatic seizure

Abstract Objective: To determine the incidence and risk factors for seizure recurrence after the onset of late posttraumatic seizures (ie, seizures occurring more than 7 days after injury). Design: Longitudinal cohort design. Setting: Level 1 trauma center. Patients: Sixty-three moderately to severely head-injured adults who developed late posttraumatic seizures during the course of their participation in a randomized, placebo-controlled study of the effectiveness of prophylactic phenytoin (Dilantin®) for prevention of posttraumatic seizures. Main Outcome Measures: Time from the first unprovoked late seizure to time of seizure recurrence. Results: The cumulative incidence of recurrent late seizures was 86% by approximately 2 years. However, the frequency of recurrent seizures varied considerably across subjects: 52% experienced at least five late seizures, and 37% had 10 or more late seizures within 2 years of the first late seizure. The relative risk of recurrence was highest in patients with a history of acute subdural hematoma and prolonged coma (ie, longer than 7 days). Conclusions: When late seizures develop after severe head injury, the probability of recurrence is high, which suggests that patients be treated aggressively with anticonvulsant medication after a first unprovoked late seizure.
Langerhans cell histiocytosis.

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a complex disease entity comprised of three distinct clinical syndromes that demonstrate indistinguishable histology. These syndromes are: eosinophilic granuloma, which is predominantly osseous or pulmonary; Hand-Schuller-Christian's disease, which involves multiple organ systems and, most typically, the skull base; and Letterer-Siwe's disease, the most severe disease manifestation, which typically involves the abdominal viscera. This article reviews our current understanding of Langerhans cell histiocytosis by discussing the history, histology, etiology, and treatment of the disease. It focuses on the radiographic findings and imaging modalities that are the most useful in disease diagnosis and management.
The effect of periodontol proteolytic Bacteroides species on proteins of the human complement system.

Proteolytic strains of Bacteroides gingivalis, Bacteroides intermedius, Bacteroides loeschii and Bacteroides denticola were assessed for their ability to inactivate select complement proteins in pooled human serum and for their effect on purified complement components C3, C4, and factor B. Under conditions of bacterial concentration resulting in limited C3 consumption in pooled serum, it was found that EDTA-inhibitable consumption of C3, C4, and factor B occurred with nearly all strains. However, identical concentrations of B. gingivalis were also capable of inactivating purified C3, C4, and B. This property was not entirely inhibitable by EDTA. Further examination of the effect of B. gingivalis on the structure of C3 demonstrated that one strain (33277) converted purified fluid-phase C3 to a C3b-like molecule, while the other strain (W83) completely degraded the a-chain of C3. In contrast, only minor cleavage of the α-chain of C3 was apparent following incubation with B. intermedius, and no destruction of hemolytic complement activity was induced by the non-proteolytic periodontal pathogen Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans. It was thus concluded that B. gingivalis is capable of proteolysis of purified complement proteins, but that the consumption of complement proteins in serum, which is completely inhibited by EDTA, is not appreciably affected by the proteolytic capacity of B. gingivalis.
Approximations for accumulation and inversion space-charge layers in semiconductors

Abstract The solution of Poisson's equation for heavily accumulated or inverted space-charge regions in semiconductors is discussed. Closed form solutions are obtained for such regions. These solutions make it possible to obtain good approximations to potential and carrier density variations with distance in semiconductor surface space-charge layers. An example is also given of the use of the approximations in the analysis of n  n + junctions.
Prospects for novel Si-based optoelectronic devices: unipolar and p–i–p–i lasers

Abstract The creation of Si-based intersubband lasers in multiple quantum wells of Si/SiGeC, Si/ZnS, Si/Al 2 O 3 , Si/CaF 2 or Si/SiO 2 would have “spinoffs” in intersubband optical amplifiers, light emitting diodes, electro-optic modulators, switches, and photodetectors. SiGe/Si and SiGeC/Si quantum-cascade lasers appear feasible for 6 to 20 μm wavelength operation. The field-tunable Si Raman laser could operate over a wavelength range of 1.45 to 1.60 μm. A new non-cascaded intersubband laser, the Si charge-coupled laser, has a 1 V bias and a 1 μm optical waveguide height made possible by a p–i–p–i structure with selective contacts. Silicon nano-photonic structures rely upon a silicon-on-insulator platform. © 1997 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.
Inferring likely mappings between APIs

Software developers often need to port applications written for a source platform to a target platform. In doing so, a key task is to replace an application's use of methods from the source platform API with corresponding methods from the target platform API. However, this task is challenging because developers must manually identify mappings between methods in the source and target APIs, e.g., using API documentation. We develop a novel approach to the problem of inferring mappings between the APIs of a source and target platform. Our approach is tailored to the case where the source and target platform each have independently-developed applications that implement similar functionality. We observe that in building these applications, developers exercised knowledge of the corresponding APIs. We develop a technique to systematically harvest this knowledge and infer likely mappings between the APIs of the source and target platform. The output of our approach is a ranked list of target API methods or method sequences that likely map to each source API method or method sequence. We have implemented this approach in a prototype tool called Rosetta, and have applied it to infer likely mappings between the Java2 Mobile Edition (JavaME) and Android graphics APIs.
Meissner model of superconducting rectangular waveguides

The propagation properties of the TEW mode and their dispersion relations in a high temperature superconductor (HTS) rectangular waveguide using the Meissner boundary conditions on all four superconducting walls are presented. In addition to recovering some previously known results, we have obtained some unique and novel results: the dominant mode for HTSWG is the TE11 mode (instead of the conventional TE10 mode) and the tangential electric field and normal magnetic field for the dominant mode TE11 exist on the surfaces. The expressions for electromagnetic components, surface current, attenuation coefficient, the maximum transmitted power, dispersion and wave impedance are also presented. The attenuation is found to be much smaller than that of the conventional waveguides and the dispersion is negligible. The Meissner model presented here has been proved to be valid and powerful for analysis of superconducting waveguides. For the first time, we have shown that the Meissner boundary condition is a key elem...
Physical Layer Authentication via Fingerprint Embedding Using Software-Defined Radios

The use of fingerprint embedding at the physical layer enables a receiver to authenticate a transmitter by detecting a low-power authentication tag superimposed upon the message waveform; a theoretical framework for such fingerprinting has been outlined. We carry out single-carrier single-antenna software defined radio (SDR) experiments with a wireless communications link over which we transmit and receive packets with the embedded fingerprinting. We analyze these experimental results and find they match well with theoretical predictions. This paper demonstrates that the method of superimposed fingerprints can deliver high probability of authentication without additional bandwidth and with minimal impact on bit-error rate in SDR systems.
Corticosteroid-sensitive lymphocytes are normal in atopic asthma

Corticosteroids, well known to increase susceptibility to infection, are often administered to atopic patients. Atopy may be associated with lymphocyte abnormalities and increased susceptibility to infections caused by intracellular organisms. We sought to determine whether atopic and nonatopic subjects respond in a similar manner to corticosteroids administered both systemically and locally. We compared the response of peripheral blood leukocytes of 15 atopic asthmatics and 10 nonatopic control subjects to prednisone or beclomethasone dipropionate. We determined leukocyte number, total eosinophil count, T-cell number, complement receptor lymphocyte number, and concanavalin A (Con A)- and phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-induced lymphocyte proliferation before and 5 hr after administration of 20 mg of prednisone orally or 336 micrograms of beclomethasone dipropionate by aerosol inhalation. Baseline values of the groups differed. The atopic asthmatic group had higher total eosinophil count, lower percent lymphocyte count, and slightly lower Con A- and PHA (high concentration)-induced lymphocyte proliferation. T-cell and complement receptor lymphocyte number were equivalent in both groups. Prednisone caused a profound eosinopenia, monocytopenia, T lymphopenia, depression of mitogen-induced lymphocyte proliferation, and increase in leukocyte number and complement receptor lymphocyte percent. Beclomethasone dipropionate was associated with little or no change in these parameters. We conclude that atopic asthma is not associated with a defect in corticosteroid-sensitive leukocyte populations and that beclomethasone dipropionate aerosol, as opposed to prednisone, does not alter peripheral blood mononuclear cell populations.
Geographic variation in ambulatory electronic health record adoption: implications for underserved communities.

Objective. To describe small area variation in ambulatory electronic health record (EHR) adoption and assess evidence of a “digital divide” in whether adoption is lagging in traditionally underserved communities. Data Sources. Survey data on U.S. ambulatory health care sites (261,973 sites representing 716,160 providers) collected by SK&A Information Services in 2011. Study Design. We examined cross-sectional variation in two measures of local area EHR adoption: share of providers at sites using an EHR with e-prescribing functionality; and predicted probability of EHR adoption for the average site. Local areas were defined as Public Use Microdata Areas (n = 2,068). Using multivariate regression, we examined the association between adoption and three area characteristics: high concentration of minority population; high concentration of low-income population; and metropolitan status. Principal Findings. EHR adoption varied significantly across local areas, ranging from 8 to 88 percent with a median of 41 percent. Adoption was lower in large metropolitan areas; areas with high concentration of minority population in the Northeast and West; and areas with high concentration of low-income population in the Midwest. Conclusions. Our 2011 estimates suggest there was substantial room for increased EHR adoption across the United States, including some underserved areas with relatively low EHR adoption rates. Further research should monitor policy initiatives in these areas and examine sources of heterogeneity in low- and high-adoption communities.
Thermodynamic and transport measurements of superconducting Na0.3CoO2.1.3H2O single crystals prepared by electrochemical deintercalation.

Superconducting single crystal samples of ${\mathrm{Na}}_{0.3}{\mathrm{CoO}}_{2}\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}1.3{\mathrm{H}}_{2}\mathrm{O}$ have been produced using an electrochemical technique which dispenses with the usual bromine chemical deintercalation method. In fully hydrated crystals, susceptibility and specific heat measurements confirm that bulk superconductivity has been achieved. The extracted normal state density of states indicates Fermi-liquid behavior with strong mass enhancement and a modest Wilson ratio. Measurements of ${H}_{c2}$ for $H\ensuremath{\parallel}c$ and $H\ensuremath{\parallel}ab$ reveal significant anisotropy, and the extracted value for the coherence length is about 100 \AA{}, consistent with an extremely narrow bandwidth.
The Mixed Political Blessing of Campus Sustainability

The rise of sustainability rhetoric, curriculum, infrastructure, and marketing on college campuses is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, college presidents are pledging to eliminate their campuses' global warming emissions; colleges and universities are building wind turbines, composters, and green buildings; and sustainability coordinators are the latest surge in new staff hires. However, the greening of college campuses has a less welcome side as well, and examination of the campus sustainability movement suggests an unsettling lack of theoretical and ideological analysis. In this article, I praise what is being done well, identify the political analysis that has been avoided, and provide arguments for what has yet to be addressed. I argue that the trend toward campus sustainability, while praiseworthy in some significant ways, has left some troubling theoretical assumptions largely undisturbed.
Thayer quiz method: Replacing homework with frequent quizzes in engineering classes

This paper investigates the consequences of eliminating graded homework assignments in engineering courses and replacing them with ungraded study problems and short periodic in-class quizzes. The authors of this paper have taught electrical engineering courses under both course models over four semesters, and this paper outlines the benefits realized by switching to a course structured around study problems and quizzes in lieu of assigned homework problems in an environment where students have little discretionary time. Test and comprehensive final exam performance were similar under the quiz models. Surveys of students also indicated that students believe they had sufficient time to achieve course objectives.
Monte Carlo modeling of silicon crystal growth

Abstract The crystallization of pure silicon has been simulated using Monte Carlo computer modeling. These are atomic scale simulations, which permit an examination of the relationship between the configuration of atoms at the interface and the local growth conditions. It is well known that silicon growing from its melt facets on the (1 1 1) face, which implies a nucleation barrier to growth. None of the other orientations facet, and the interface for these other orientations lies very close to the melting point isotherm. The relationship between the growth rate and undercooling has been modeled for the (1 0 0) and (1 1 1) faces, and the results of the simulations agree well with experimental observations.The data indicate that the specific interfacial free energy of a step edge on the (1 1 1) face of silicon in contact with its melt is about one-tenth of the specific interfacial free energy of the (1 1 1) facet.
Focal retention of Tc-99m sestamibi at central venous catheter tip: a potential source of artifact.

A 41-year-old female patient with history of hypertension and chronic lung disease was hospitalized following a presentation with transient hypoxia and chest tightness. Following stabilization, a 2-day pharmacologic Tc-99m sestamibi cardiac SPECT study was performed for diagnostic evaluation of the acute clinical picture with subsequent mild troponin elevation. Because of lack of peripheral venous access, tracer injections were performed via central venous catheter (placed via left subclavian vein on admission), with each dose followed by 10 cc saline flush.
A Strengthening of the Caesar Problem

The neo-Fregeans have argued that definition by abstraction allows us to introduce abstract concepts such as direction and number in terms of equivalence relations such as parallelism between lines and one-one correspondence between concepts. This paper argues that definition by abstraction suffers from the fact that an equivalence relation may not be sufficient to determine a unique concept. Frege’s original verdict against definition by abstraction is thus reinstated.
High-temperature wear of cemented tungsten carbide tools while machining particleboard and fiberboard

Published research on the wear processes of cemented tungsten carbide tools used for machining reconstituted wood products was reviewed, and the current state of knowledge in this area was evaluated. Underlying assumptions and conclusions regarding high-temperature oxidation/corrosion wear during machining were examined in view of known reaction kinetics of cemented tungsten carbide alloys in oxidative and corrosive environments at temperatures that may occur at the cutting edge. This examination indicated that some wear mechanisms other than high-temperature oxidation/corrosion are likely to be rate-controlling when machining reconstituted wood products such as particleboard and fiberboard.
Prednisolone-3, 20-bisguanylhydrazone: Na+, K+-ATPase inhibition and positive inotropic action.

Abstract The relationship between two known actions of prednisolone-3,20-bisguanylhydrazone (PBGH); Na + ,K + -ATPase inhibition and positive inotropic effects, was investigated. In electrically driven left atrial preparations of guinea pig heart, the positive inotropic action of PBGH was not affected by β-adrenergic or histamine antagonists. Pre-treatment of animals with reserpine also failed to influence the positive inotropic action of PBGH. Inotropic concentrations of PBGH inhibited Na + ,K + -ATPase and the ATP-dependent binding of ( 3 H)-ouabain to Na + , K + -ATPase preparations in vitro. Additionally, ouabain-sensitive 86 Rb uptake, an estimate of sodium pump activity was inhibited when sodium-loaded ventricular slices were obtained from Langendorff preparations at the peak inotropic response to PBGH. Guinea pig heart was highly sensitive to PBGH to the positive inotropic action, the inhibition of Na + ,K + -ATPase and ( 3 H)-ouabain binding, whereas rat, rabbit and dog heart were markedly less sensitive. These findings suggest that the mechanism of the positive inotropic action of PBGH resembles that of ouabain and probably involves Na + ,K + -ATPase inhibition, although the mode of interaction of these steroids with Na + ,K + -ATPase may be different.
Development and testing of advanced redundancy management methods for the F-8 DFBW aircrapt

A reliable aircraft sensor failure detection and identification (FDI) technique is presented. The technique exploits the kinetic and dynamic relationships that exist between variables measured by dissimilar sensors to identify failures in the sensors. The method is applied to management of dual redundant sensors on the NASA F-8 digital flyby-wire (DFBW) research aircraft.
Formulation and stability of busulfan for intravenous administration in high-dose chemotherapy.

The bifunctional alkylating agent busulfan (Bu) was solubilized in a cosolvent mixture of anhydrous dimethylacetamide (DMA), polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG400), and water at a ratio of 1:2:2(v/v/v), to achieve a Bu concentration of 3 mg/ml, a preparation that would be suitable for parenteral administration in high-dose chemotherapy preceding bone marrow transplantation. The complete formulation was stable for more than 54 h at room temperature (RT, 22° C). An accelerated stability study of Bu in anhydrous DMA or DMA/PEG400 (1:2) as stock solutions indicated shelf-lives of 191 and 180 days respectively, at RT, and 8.2 and 7.5 years, respectively, at 4°C. Although the complete formulation with Bu was very hypertonic, hemolysis studies indicated that the formulation would be safe for intravenous (i.v.) administration, since it would be rapidly diluted to harmless tonicity levels in the blood. Cytotoxicity studies of the complete formulation in vitro proved that Bu retained its activity when dissolved in the complete vehicle. A preliminary pharmacokinetic study in a rodent model after the i.v. administration of Bu at a dose of 1 mg/kg body weight yielded high plasma concentrations of Bu for at least 5 h after injection.
Fermentation, phlogiston and matter theory: chemistry and natural philosophy in Georg Ernst Stahl's Zymotechnia Fundamentalis.

This paper examines Georg Ernst Stahl's first book, the Zymotechnia Fundamentalis, in the context of contemporary natural philosophy and the author's career. I argue that the Zymotechnia was a mechanical theory of fermentation written consciously against the influential "fermentational program" of Joan Baptista van Helmont and especially Thomas Willis. Stahl's theory of fermentation introduced his first conception of phlogiston, which was in part a corpuscular transformation of the Paracelsian sulphur principle. Meanwhile some assumptions underlying this theory, such as the composition of matter, the absolute passivity of matter and the "passions" of sulphur, reveal the combined scholastic and mechanistic character of Stahl's natural philosophy. In the conclusion I show that Stahl's theory of fermentation undermined the old fermentational program and paved the way for his dualist vitalism.
Data as a catalyst for change: Stories from the frontlines

The landmark 1999 Institute of Medicine report, “To Err Is Human,” challenged us all to reduce the number of preventable medical errors. While vulnerabilities and patient harm continue at unacceptable rates, there are also many success stories. This article presents a series of case studies that illustrate how healthcare organizations have used data—quantitative, qualitative, and comparative—to address vulnerabilities and guide meaningful change to improve patient safety. These examples are drawn from the data-sharing community of CRICO Strategies, a division of the Risk Management Foundation of the Harvard Medical Institutions, Inc. (CRICO). CRICO's data-driven strategy uses intelligence from thousands of medical malpractice cases across the country to examine what has gone wrong and why, and to help members and clients manage their risk and provide better care.
Viscoelastic Response of Photo-Cross-Linked Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Coatings by QCM-D

The viscoelastic behavior of surface-tethered poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), or poly(NIPAAm), networks in contact with aqueous solutions was characterized by the quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D). To avoid ambiguities in the data analysis, four integer multiples of the dry thickness (h = k·36 nm, where k = 1, 2, 3, 4) were analyzed at the third through ninth overtones of the QCM-D signal. At the third overtone, the networks resembled rigid films and the viscoelastic behavior could not be ascertained. With increasing overtones, however, the films showed deviation from the rigid film limit, allowing for analysis of the viscoelastic parameters. As the network collapsed over the temperature range of 15−40 °C, the shear modulus of the network increased by a factor of 24 (from 5 to 120 MPa); the shear viscosity, on the other hand, increased only by a factor of 2 (from 40 to 80 cP). The high values of the shear modulus suggest the QCM-D probes a regime where the polymer mesh does not adequately ...
The Role of Antibody Polyspecificity and Lipid Reactivity in Binding of Broadly Neutralizing Anti-HIV-1 Envelope Human Monoclonal Antibodies 2F5 and 4E10 to Glycoprotein 41 Membrane Proximal Envelope Epitopes

Two neutralizing human mAbs, 2F5 and 4E10, that react with the HIV-1 envelope gp41 membrane proximal region are also polyspecific autoantibodies that bind to anionic phospholipids. To determine the autoantibody nature of these Abs, we have compared their reactivities with human anti-cardiolipin mAbs derived from a primary antiphospholipid syndrome patient. To define the role of lipid polyreactivity in binding of 2F5 and 4E10 mAbs to HIV-1 envelope membrane proximal epitopes, we determined the kinetics of binding of mAbs 2F5 and 4E10 to their nominal gp41 epitopes vs liposome-gp41 peptide conjugates. Both anti-HIV-1 mAbs 2F5 and 4E10 bound to cardiolipin with Kd values similar to those of autoimmune anti-cardiolipin Abs, IS4 and IS6. Binding kinetics studies revealed that mAb 2F5 and 4E10 binding to their respective gp41 peptide-lipid conjugates could best be defined by a two-step (encounter-docking) conformational change model. In contrast, binding of 2F5 and 4E10 mAbs to linear peptide epitopes followed a simple Langmuir model. A mouse mAb, 13H11, that cross-blocks mAb 2F5 binding to the gp41 epitope did not cross-react with lipids nor did it neutralize HIV-1 viruses. Taken together, these data demonstrate the similarity of 2F5 and 4E10 mAbs to known anti-cardiolipin Abs and support the model that mAb 2F5 and 4E10 binding to HIV-1 involves both viral lipid membrane and gp41 membrane proximal epitopes.
A new global average model of the coupled thermosphere and ionosphere

[1] A model representing the global average ionosphere and thermosphere (GAIT) is developed as a tool to explore the response of the coupled system to changes in the input solar irradiance between 3 and 360 nm. The GAIT model self-consistently solves the coupled continuity, momentum, and energy equations for the three major neutral species, N2, O2, and O, as well as minor neutral constituents important to the global energy budget. In the ionosphere the model includes five different ion species and two excited states of O+. The GAIT model also includes an approximate treatment of photoelectrons, in order to calculate secondary ionization and thermal electron volume heating rates. After examining the sensitivity of the GAIT model to uncertainties in key reaction rates and inputs, we consider its response to four different extreme ultraviolet irradiance models. With three of the irradiance models we reproduce the expected variation in exospheric temperature to within 2%; however, the dynamic range of the fourth is deemed to be too small. We conclude with an analysis of the model's wavelength-dependent sensitivity to input solar photons.
Changes in systemic sympathetic nervous system activity after mitral valve surgery and their relationship to changes in left ventricular size and systolic performance in patients with mitral regurgitation

Abstract Background We have shown that the systemic sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is activated in patients with chronic mitral regurgitation (MR). However, the fate of systemic SNS activity after surgical correction of MR is currently unknown. Methods We examined 14 patients with MR who had normal sinus rhythm with an investigational, preoperative cardiac catheterization, including arterial norepinephrine (NE) sampling and [ 3 H]-NE infusions and arterial blood sampling to determine NE kinetic parameters using a 2-compartment modeling analysis. The arterial NE and NE kinetic parameters were determined in all patients after mitral valve surgery (MVS) at a mean of 12 months. A 2-dimensional echocardiographic examination was also performed before and after MVS. Results The average extravascular NE release rates (NE 2 ) before and after MVS were 1.89 ± 0.66 and 2.26 ± 0.82 μg/min/m 2 ( P = .24), respectively. The average left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic dimension, fractional shortening, and ejection fraction decreased, whereas the mean LV end-systolic dimension did not change between the pre- and post-MVS echocardiographic studies. However, these group averages were comprised of patients with MR in whom the NE 2 and echocardiographic values both increased and decreased. This lack of homogeneity was a reflection of our new observation that the pre- to post-MVS changes in NE 2 were directly proportional to the changes in LV end-systolic dimension ( r = 0.91, P r = −0.82, P r = −0.78, P Conclusions The response in systemic SNS activity in patients with MR after MVS is not homogeneous, and these changes are concordant with the post-MVS changes in LV size and systolic performance. These data further support our earlier observations and extend them to suggest that systemic SNS activation in patients with chronic MR is related to LV remodeling and impaired systolic performance.
Evaluation of Interest Point Detectors and Feature Descriptors for Visual Tracking

Applications for real-time visual tracking can be found in many areas, including visual odometry and augmented reality. Interest point detection and feature description form the basis of feature-based tracking, and a variety of algorithms for these tasks have been proposed. In this work, we present (1) a carefully designed dataset of video sequences of planar textures with ground truth, which includes various geometric changes, lighting conditions, and levels of motion blur, and which may serve as a testbed for a variety of tracking-related problems, and (2) a comprehensive quantitative evaluation of detector-descriptor-based visual camera tracking based on this testbed. We evaluate the impact of individual algorithm parameters, compare algorithms for both detection and description in isolation, as well as all detector-descriptor combinations as a tracking solution. In contrast to existing evaluations, which aim at different tasks such as object recognition and have limited validity for visual tracking, our evaluation is geared towards this application in all relevant factors (performance measures, testbed, candidate algorithms). To our knowledge, this is the first work that comprehensively compares these algorithms in this context, and in particular, on video streams.