cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Innate Mononuclear Phagocyte Network Depletes B Lymphocytes through Fc Receptor–dependent Mechanisms during Anti-CD20 Antibody Immunotherapy

Anti-CD20 antibody immunotherapy effectively treats non-Hodgkin9s lymphoma and autoimmune disease. However, the cellular and molecular pathways for B cell depletion remain undefined because human mechanistic studies are limited. Proposed mechanisms include antibody-, effector cell–, and complement-dependent cytotoxicity, the disruption of CD20 signaling pathways, and the induction of apoptosis. To identify the mechanisms for B cell depletion in vivo, a new mouse model for anti-CD20 immunotherapy was developed using a panel of twelve mouse anti–mouse CD20 monoclonal antibodies representing all four immunoglobulin G isotypes. Anti-CD20 antibodies rapidly depleted the vast majority of circulating and tissue B cells in an isotype-restricted manner that was completely dependent on effector cell Fc receptor expression. B cell depletion used both FcγRI- and FcγRIII-dependent pathways, whereas B cells were not eliminated in FcR common γ chain–deficient mice. Monocytes were the dominant effector cells for B cell depletion, with no demonstrable role for T or natural killer cells. Although most anti-CD20 antibodies activated complement in vitro, B cell depletion was completely effective in mice with genetic deficiencies in C3, C4, or C1q complement components. That the innate monocyte network depletes B cells through FcγR-dependent pathways during anti-CD20 immunotherapy has important clinical implications for anti-CD20 and other antibody-based therapies.
Thermal effects on the digital control of a water plant

Summary form only given, as follows. Thermal effects on the integrated semiconductors in an interface for digital control, as well as the semiconductors for alarms and activators were studied. The purpose of the study was to find the best material for thermal protection. The interface works under open air conditions. It is necessary to observe the thermal resistance and the effect of ultraviolet rays from solar radiation on semiconductors. The relationship between thermal variations and the humidity of the plant were considered, along with the effects of air currents on the circuits. The interface design was based on the 8255A (programmable peripheral interface) and various TTL circuits. The sensors and alarms used were commercial devices built by different companies, specifically adapted to the particular thermal conditions. >
Starch Gelatinization in Sugar Solutions

In limited water (<30%), the gelatinization temperature of starch increases as the moisture content decreases. When sugar is dissolved in water, the sugar displaces part of the water. Therefore, the moisture content of a wheat starch granule in a sugar solution is always less than 30%; thus, the gelatinization temperature is increased. When sugar is dissolved in water, the Aw is decreased. This decreased Aw was shown to increase the onset melting point of crystallized dextrins. Thus, the well known effect of sugar increasing the onset temperature of starch gelatinization appears to be a result of the displacement of the water inside the starch granule and the lower Aw.
Influence of the substrate binding characteristics of fibronectin on corneal epithelial cell outgrowth

The outgrowth of corneal epithelial cells onto a polymeric substrate is expected to be the primary event in the epithelialization of a synthetic corneal graft. Circular corneal buttons (5 mm) were punched from excised rabbit corneas and placed onto bare substrates or substrates preadsorbed with fibronectin (fn), albumin, or binary mixtures of both fn and albumin. Cell outgrowth areas were measured after culturing the buttons for 4 days in serumfree medium. Fibronectin adsorption to the materials was measured from pure and binary solutions with 125-radiolabeled fibronectin. A parameter thought to be related to the binding strength of fn to polymeric substrates was measured in parallel experiments by partial elution of the adsorbed fn by 3% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Following pure solution fibronectin adsorption a range of out growth areas was measured (from 0.86 ± 0.03 cm2 for glass to 1.49 2 0.03 cm2 for TCPS). On all of the materials tested cell outgrowth areas increased following fn preadsorption and decreased following albumin preadsorption relative to bare surfaces (p < 0.05). Following preadsorption with binary protein mixtures cell out growth areas increased with fibronectin adsorption, however, the outgrowth areas were not determined solely by the concentration of fn adsorbed onto the surfaces. This result suggested that the biological efficiency of the adsorbed fibronectin was substrate-dependent. When the cell outgrowth data were cross-plotted against fn retention following SDS elution, the outgrowth areas were found to increase along with increases in fn retention. Based on these data we suggest that epithelial cell outgrowth may be partially governed by the tightness of binding between the fn molecules and the underlying substrate. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Reduction of conductance-based models with slow synapses to neural nets

The method of averaging and a detailed bifurcation calculation are used to reduce a system of synaptically coupled neurons to a Hopfield type continuous time neural network. Due to some special properties of the bifurcation, explicit averaging is not required and the reduction becomes a simple algebraic problem. The resultant calculations show one how to derive a new type of "squashing function" whose properties are directly related to the detailed ionic mechanisms of the membrane. Frequency encoding as opposed to amplitude encoding emerges in a natural fashion from the theory. The full system and the reduced system are numerically compared.
Interface reaction characterization and interfacial effects in multilayers

The performance of multilayer structures as x-ray, soft x-ray, and extreme ultraviolet optics is dependent an the nature of the interfaces between constituent layers. Interfacial structure and the interaction between atoms at interfaces have also been demonstrated to have significant impact on the physical properties of multilayer materials in general and thus in their performance in other applied areas. As short summary of the approaches to characterization of interfaces in multilayer structures is presented as background. Two new techniques for the experimental evaluation of interfacial structure and interfacial structure effects are then considered and examples presented. Model calculations for one of these techniques which support the experimental results are also presented. In conclusion these results are reviewed of and an assessment of their implications relative to multilayer development given.
Dynamic joint forces during knee isokinetic exercise

This study analyzed forces in the tibiofemoral and patellofemoral joints during isokinetic exercise using an analytical biomechanical model. The results show that isokinetic exercise can produce large loads on these joints, especially during extension exercises. The tibiofemoral compressive force (4.0 body weight) is approximately equal to that obtained during walking but it occurs at 55 degrees of knee flexion. Anterior shear forces (resisting force to anterior drawer) exist during extension exercise at less than 40 degrees of knee flexion, with a maximum of 0.3 body weight. Posterior shear forces (resisting force to posterior drawer) exist during extension exercise at knee joint angles greater than 40 degrees and during the flexion portion of isokinetic exercise. The maximum posterior shear force is 1.7 body weight. The patellofemoral joint can encounter loads as high as 5.1 body weight which are 10 times higher than during straight leg raises. These results suggest that isokinetic exercise should be used cautiously in patients with knee lesions.
Efficient Point-Based Rendering Techniques for Haptic Display of Virtual Objects

Computer haptics, an emerging field of research that is analogous to computer graphics, is concerned with the generation and rendering of haptic virtual objects. In this paper, we propose an efficient haptic rendering method for displaying the feel of 3-D polyhedral objects in virtual environments (VEs). Using this method and a haptic interface device, the users can manually explore and feel the shape and surface details of virtual objects. The main component of our rendering method is the “neighborhood watch” algorithm that takes advantage of precomputed connectivity information for detecting collisions between the end effector of a force-reflecting robot and polyhedral objects in VEs. We use a hierarchical database, multithreading techniques, and efficient search procedures to reduce the computational time such that the haptic servo rate after the first contact is essentially independent of the number of polygons that represent the object. We also propose efficient methods for displaying surface properties of objects such as haptic texture and friction. Our haptic-texturing techniques and friction model can add surface details onto convex or concave 3-D polygonal surfaces. These haptic-rendering techniques can be extended to display dynamics of rigid and deformable objects.
Cyberbullying: A Review of the Legal Issues Facing Educators

School districts are often given the challenging task of addressing problematic online behaviors committed by students while simultaneously protecting themselves from civil liability by not overstepping their authority. This is difficult, because the law concerning these behaviors is ambiguous and continuously evolving, and little consensus has yet been reached regarding key constitutional and civil rights issues. In the present article, the authors aim to shed light on some of the critical legal questions faced by school administrators by first reviewing several legislative actions and court cases involving problematic offline and online student speech or expressions. Next, the authors analyze the dispositions and extract principles that can inform and direct prevention and response efforts by educators. They conclude by underscoring the challenges of balancing legal guidance with humane consideration of the context and consequences of cyberbullying victimization among youth.
In vivo epinephrine reactivation of ocular herpes simplex virus type 1 in the rabbit is correlated to a 370-base-pair region located between the promoter and the 5' end of the 2.0 kilobase latency-associated transcript.

A rabbit ocular model of epinephrine-induced herpes simplex virus type 1 reactivation was employed to study the effect of a deletion in the latency-associated transcript domain. A viral construct derived from 17Syn+, designated 17deltaSty, has a deletion of 370 nucleotides between genomic positions 118880 and 119250. 17deltaSty has been shown to reactivate with wild-type virus kinetics from explants of trigeminal ganglia from latently infected mice. To determine the behavior of this mutant in an in vivo, inducible reactivation system, rabbit corneas were infected with 17Syn+, 17deltaSty, or its rescuant, 17detlaSty-Res. After viral latency was established, transcorneal epinephrine iontophoresis was performed. The rabbits latently infected with 17deltaSty exhibited a significantly reduced ability to undergo adrenergically induced reactivation, i.e., viral shedding in the tears, compared with rabbits infected with either 17Syn+ or 17deltaSty-Res. However, quantitative PCR demonstrated similar numbers of viral genomes in the trigeminal ganglia from rabbits latently infected with all three viruses, and all three viruses reactivated in vitro with wild-type kinetics in an explant cocultivation assay. These studies indicate that the 370-bp region deleted in the 17deltaSty construct plays a role in epinephrine-induced reactivation.
Implications of Public Understanding of Avian Influenza for Fostering Effective Risk Communication

Avian influenza has three of the four properties necessary to cause a pandemic. However, are we as individuals and communities prepared for a pandemic flu in the United States? To help answer this question, 12 focus groups (N = 60) were conducted in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to determine the level of awareness of avian and pandemic flu for the county health department to develop effective communication messages. The overall findings indicate that the general Tulsa public lacks information about avian influenza or pandemics, does not believe a pandemic will occur, and believes if one does occur the government will take care of it. Finally, the groups agreed that education would be the key to preventing widespread panic if a pandemic occurred. Five themes emerged: confusion about terminology, seriousness of avian influenza, disaster fatigue, appropriate precautions, and credibility of health information. Each should be considered in developing effective risk communication messages.
Automatic indexing of documents from journal descriptors: a preliminary investigation

A new, fully automated approach for indexing documents is presented based on associating textwords in a training set of bibliographic citations with the indexing of journals. This journal-level indexing is in the form of a consistent, timely set of journal descriptors (JDs) indexing the individual journals themselves. This indexing is maintained in journal records in a serials authority database. The advantage of this novel approach is that the training set does not depend on previous manual indexing of hundreds of thousands of documents (i.e., any such indexing already in the training set is not used), but rather the relatively small intellectual effort of indexing at the journal level, usually a matter of a few thousand unique journals for which retrospective indexing to maintain consistency and currency may be feasible. If successful, JD indexing would provide topical categorization of documents outside the training set, i.e., journal articles, monographs, WEB documents, reports from the grey literature, etc., and therefore be applied in searching. Because JDs are quite general, corresponding to subject domains, their most probable use would be for improving or refining search results.
Remote positioning optical breast magnetic resonance coil for slice-selection during image-guided near-infrared spectroscopy of breast cancer

The design and testing of a pneumatic optical positioning interface produced with the goal of improving fiber positioning in magnetic resonance (MR)-guided diffuse spectral imaging of breast cancer is presented. The system was created for vertical positioning of optical fibers inside the MR bore during a patient exam to target suspicious lesions with MR scans for reference and collect multiple planes of optical data. The interface includes new fiber plates for mechanical and optical coupling to the breast, and was tested in phantoms and human imaging. Reconstructions with data taken in the new interface show acceptable linearity over different absorber concentrations (residual norm = 0.067), and exhibit good contrast recovery at different imaging planes, which is consistent with previous work. An example of human breast imaging through the new interface is shown and a discussion of how it compares to other patient interfaces for breast imaging is presented. Design goals of increasing the available degrees of freedom for fiber positioning while maintaining good patient-fiber contact and comfort were accomplished. This interface allows improved volumetric imaging with interactive and accurate slice selection to quantify targeted suspicious lesions.
Delegation, Committees, and Managers

Attempts to economize on decision-making time imply that groups of peers may delegate authority to a small committee of managers even though this means that the information and preferences of the uninvolved players are neglected. Decisions are more likely to be delegated to players with better information and more representative preferences. The possibility of ex post protests may force managers to take the preferences of others into account but may also give them incentives to ignore their private information. The argument may explain employees’ willingness to let bosses decide, and thus throw some light on the theory of the firm.
Mechanism of resonant infrared laser ablation of polystyrene

Although resonant infrared (RIR) pulsed laser deposition (PLD) was discovered in 2001 [1] and has since been applied to produce technologically interesting thin films and rudimentary opto-electronic devices [2], the mechanism governing RIR-PLD has been primarily a matter of conjecture. Understanding these mechanisms at the microscopic level has significant implications for process control in thin-film deposition, by linking laser parameters to film characteristics such as surface roughness. In this paper, we describe new experiments and calculations on the model material polystyrene that facilitate quantitative conclusions about these issues.
The Transit-Time Distribution from the Northern Hemisphere Midlatitude Surface

The distribution of transit times from the Northern Hemisphere (NH) midlatitude surface is a fundamental property of tropospheric transport. Here we present an analysis of the transit time distribution (TTD) since air last contacted the northern midlatitude surface layer, as simulated by the NASA Global Modeling Initiative Chemistry Transport Model. We find that throughout the troposphere the TTD is characterized by long flat tails that reflect the recirculation of old air from the Southern Hemisphere and results in mean ages that are significantly larger than the modal age. Key aspects of the TTD -- its mode, mean and spectral width -- are interpreted in terms of tropospheric dynamics, including seasonal shifts in the location and strength of tropical convection and variations in quasi-isentropic transport out of the northern midlatitude surface layer. Our results indicate that current diagnostics of tropospheric transport are insufficient for comparing model transport and that the full distribution of transit times is a more appropriate constraint.
The rise and fall of the Institute for Government Public Information Research, 1978–1981

Abstract This historical case study recounts the short life of the Institute for Government Public Information Research at American University in Washington, DC. It was established in 1978 and was largely defunct by 1981. The significance of this brief event is that it helps illuminate the status of the subject of the Institute's attentions, namely the practice and study of government public relations. The somewhat shaky status of public information officers in the federal executive branch partly explains the fate of the Institute. It could not thrive in a field that itself was not thriving. The case study serves as an historical documentation of this (failed) effort to elevate the practice and study of public relations in the American national government in face of the second class status that Congress has relegated the profession to.
Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor with splenic vein tumor thrombus: A case report

INTRODUCTION Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNET) are rare, often indolent malignancies. PNET are classified as functional or nonfunctional based on the secretion of hormones without a negative feedback loop; the latter account for up to 60% of PNET. Although PNET are associated with a better prognosis compared to pancreatic adenocarcinomas, they are often diagnosed in advanced stages, making them a significant source of morbidity for patients. Here we present a rare case of venous tumor thrombus arising from a nonfunctional PNET.
Predicting Visibility of Aircraft

Visual detection of aircraft by human observers is an important element of aviation safety. To assess and ensure safety, it would be useful to be able to be able to predict the visibility, to a human observer, of an aircraft of specified size, shape, distance, and coloration. Examples include assuring safe separation among aircraft and between aircraft and unmanned vehicles, design of airport control towers, and efforts to enhance or suppress the visibility of military and rescue vehicles. We have recently developed a simple metric of pattern visibility, the Spatial Standard Observer (SSO). In this report we examine whether the SSO can predict visibility of simulated aircraft images. We constructed a set of aircraft images from three-dimensional computer graphic models, and measured the luminance contrast threshold for each image from three human observers. The data were well predicted by the SSO. Finally, we show how to use the SSO to predict visibility range for aircraft of arbitrary size, shape, distance, and coloration.
Policy: Its History, Intentions, and Consequences for Children with Special Health Care Needs

Children who have special health care needs are a vulnerable population developmentally, socially, and politically. The programs and services they depend on to promote their optimal growth and development are subject to the vagaries of public policy and its often inexplicable development process. At the same time, children with special health care needs stand to benefit greatly from policies that enable the provision of services and supports to them and their families. In this chapter, we will describe policy, the evolution of policies for this population of children over time in a variety of arenas, policy themes, and future avenues for policy direction.
Inhibition of Con a Mitogenesis by Serum from Procainamide-Treateo Patients and Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Serum obtained from patients with spontaneous systemic lupus erythematosus or from patients treated at least 3 months with procainamide could specifically inhibit Con A mitogenesis of cultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained from procainamide-treated patients or from normal donors. Transfer of procainamide-treated patients to N-acetylprocainamide eliminated the blocking factor from their serum. The blocking factor is not procainamide itself since adding the drug to normal serum had only slight effects on mitogenesis of normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells. These data suggest that systemic lupus erythematosus and procainamide-induced lupus may differ in the relative reversibility of a regulatory defect associated with a Con A responsive population of peripheral blood mononuclear (PBM) cells.
Restraints: Patient Safety and Regulatory Compliance - Extended Version

The use of restraints in health care facilities is necessary but fraught with regulatory dangers, patient safety risks and negative optics. Proper use of restraints within regulatory guidelines can enhance patient safety and outcomes, but every use of restraints must be viewed as a risk event for the facility and the professionals involved.
2-Scale Hierarchical Multiscale Modeling of Piezoresistive and Damage Response in Polymer Nanocomposite Bonded Explosive

The current work aims to explore the effective piezoresistive response of polymer bonded explosive (PBX) materials where the polymer medium is reinforced with carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The effective piezoresistive response of these nanocomposite bound polymer explosives (NCBX) is evaluated using micromechanics based 2-scale hierarchical model connecting the CNT-polymer nanocomposite scale (nanoscale) to the explosive grain structure scale (microscale). The binding nanocomposite medium is modeled as electromechanical cohesive zones between adjacent explosive grains which are representative of effective electromechanical response of CNT-polymer nanocomposites. The hierarchical framework developed here is used to explore key features of the NCBX microstructure, e.g. ratio of grain to nanocomposite stiffness, ratio of grain to nanocomposite conductivities etc., and related to the NCBX effective piezoresistive response. The results obtained from the current work show dependence of effective NCBX piezoresistive properties on each of these microstructural features with and without interfacial damage between the explosive grains.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Acute Encephalopathy with Dravet Syndrome

Researchers at thirteen university medical schools in Japan report 15 patients with Dravet syndrome complicated by acute encephalopathy.
Sequencing of Peptides by SIMS from the C or N Terminus

A novel method has been developed to sequence proteins and peptides from either the C or N terminus using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) [1]. Unlike other mass spectrometric methods, fragmentation during ionization or desorption in the mass spectrometer is not relied upon. Instead, this method is based on observations by Cooks and coworkers [2] that the emission of ‘preformed ions’ is greatly enhanced over that of non-charged species. If a peptide is labeled at either the N or C terminus with a charged moiety and randomly cleaved with acid or enzymes, only the products with the charged grouping are observed in the SIMS spectrum of the mixture. The sensitivity for some peptides is in the picomole range.
A site in history: archaeology at Dolní Věstonice/Unterwisternitz

Dolni Věstonice, a classic Palaeolithic site, is a crucial place for our understanding of human settlement in glacial Europe. In that central European zone of moving national boundaries, it has been crucial in another sense; frontiers, ideologies and attitudes have moved across the place, each time re-making the frame of ideas through which it is seen. Those changes continue. Dolni Věstonice is presently located in the Czech Republic, a state founded in 1993: it remains a site alive in history as well as in prehistory.
A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Enrichment Programs on Gifted Students.

Although descriptions of enrichment programs are valuable for practitioners, practices, and services for gifted students, they must be backed by evidence, derived through a synthesis of research. This study examined research on enrichment programs serving gifted students and synthesized the current studies between 1985 and 2014 on the effects of enrichment programs. A total of 26 studies were included in this meta-analysis, and the findings show that enrichment programs had a positive impact on both gifted students’ academic achievement (g = 0.96, 95% CI [0.64, 1.30], under a random-effects model) and socioemotional development (g = 0.55, 95% CI [0.32, 0.79], under a random-effects model). Regarding moderators of the effects, types of programs, and grade levels influenced both effect sizes of academic achievement and socioemotional development. The largest effect size was observed for summer residential programs in terms of academic achievement and for a combination of summer and academic year program in ...
Securing a Connected Mobile System for Healthcare

Connected mobile systems are useful to provide remote and continuous monitoring, which has been increasingly applied in healthcare. In order to protect patients' privacy based on HIPPA regulation, the security of connected mobile systems decides if users can trust and adopt the system. This paper proposes a novel approach to protect a connected mobile system in a mobile cloud environment. The novel approach is able to provide connected mobile systems with authentication, encryption, and usable security that counter attacks such as sniffing, replay, and man-in-the-middle attacks. The performance including encryption, decryption, and key generation time has been evaluated based on a real-world mobile cloud environment. Security robustness has been analyzed based on several threat models as well.
Artificial Antigen-Presenting Cells: Biomimetic Strategies for Directing the Immune Response

Antigen-specific immune modulation and bioengineered immunotherapy have many applications in medicine. One promising technology to achieve the goal of immune control is the use of artificial antigen-presenting cells (aAPCs). aAPCs are synthetic constructs that mimic natural APCs in their ability to direct and maintain a T cell response. Several design criteria are important in the construction of an aAPC including its biomaterial composition, the size and shape of the aAPC for T cell interaction, the type and density of surface proteins presented, the delivery of soluble signals, and the recreation of the dynamic immunological synapse. Various aAPCs have been developed as therapeutics including those that activate the immune system against cancer or infectious disease and others that suppress the immune system in the context of autoimmunity. Additional research into the design and application of aAPCs could unlock the full potential of this technology to direct the immune response.
Amorphization and Dynamic Recovery of A2BO4 Structure Types During 1.5 MeV Krypton Ion-Beam Irradiation

The temperature dependence of the critical amorphization dose, D c , of four A 2 BO 4 compositions, forsterite (Mg 2 SiO 4 ), fayalite (Fe 2 SiO 4 ), synthetic Mg 2 GeO 4 , and phenakite (Be 2 SiO 4 ) was investigated by in situ TEM during 1.5 MeV Kr + ion beam irradiation at temperatures between 15 to 700 K. For the Mg- and Fe-compositions, the A-site is in octahedral coordination, and the structure is a derivative hep (Pbnm) ; for the Be-composition, the A- and B-sites are in tetrahedral coordination, forming corner-sharing hexagonal rings (R3). Although the D c 's were quite close at 15 K for all the four compositions (0.2–0.5 dpa), D c increased with increasing irradiation temperature at different rates. The D c -temperature curve is the result of competition between amorphization and dynamic recovery processes. The D c rate of increase (highest to lowest) is: Be 2 SiO 4 , Mg 2 SiO 4 , Mg 2 GeO 4 , Fe 2 SiO 4 . At room temperature, Be 2 SiO 4 amorphized at 1.55 dpa; Fe 2 SiO 4 , at only 0.22 dpa. Based on the D c -temperature curves, the activation energy, E a , of the dynamic recovery process and the critical temperature, T c , above which complete amorphization does not occur are: 0.029, 0.047, 0.055 and 0.079 eV and 390, 550, 650 and 995 K for Be 2 SiO 4 , Mg 2 SiO 4 , Mg 2 GeO 4 and Fe 2 SiO 4 , respectively. These results are explained in terms of the materials properties (e.g., bonding and thermodynamic stability) and cascade size which is a function of the density of the phases. Finally, we note the importance of increased amorphization cross-section, as a function of temperature (e.g., the low rate of increase of D c with temperature for Fe 2 SiO 4 ).
Penile prosthesis implantation in the treatment of Peyronie's disease and erectile dysfunction

Although men afflicted with Peyronie's disease (PD) usually have a number of treatment options, those who also present with erectile dysfunction (ED) arising from unknown or iatrogenic causes are not easily treated. Surgical straightening procedures that have been used to treat PD may not restore erectile function and failure to straighten the penis with surgery may be the result of erectile inadequacy during the post-operative period. This paper discusses penile prosthesis implantation as a surgical option for patients with PD, placing emphasis on the choice of devices and surgical techniques. Several new techniques which hold the promise of high success rates and low morbidity are mentioned. International Journal of Impotence Research (2000) 12, Suppl 4, S122-S126.
Spatial Angular Compounding of Photoacoustic Images

Photoacoustic (PA) images utilize pulsed lasers and ultrasound transducers to visualize targets with higher optical absorption than the surrounding medium. However, they are susceptible to acoustic clutter and background noise artifacts that obfuscate biomedical structures of interest. We investigated three spatial-angular compounding methods to improve PA image quality for biomedical applications, implemented by combining multiple images acquired as an ultrasound probe was rotated about the elevational axis with the laser beam and target fixed. Compounding with conventional averaging was based on the pose information of each PA image, while compounding with weighted and selective averaging utilized both the pose and image content information. Weighted-average compounding enhanced PA images with the least distortion of signal size, particularly when there were large (i.e., 2.5 mm and 7 $^{\circ}$ ) perturbations from the initial probe position. Selective-average compounding offered the best improvement in image quality with up 181, 1665, and 1568 times higher contrast, CNR, and SNR, respectively, compared to the mean values of individual PA images. The three presented spatial compounding methods have promising potential to enhance image quality in multiple photoacoustic applications.
Presentation of Drug Prescribing Guidelines and Physician Response

Most Medicaid Drug Use Review (DUR) Programs disseminate prescribing practice guidelines by providing written reviews to physicians about specific prescribing practices that do not follow established criteria and inviting their comment. This study reviewed physicians' written responses to explore relationships between DUR communications and the degree to which these communications affect awareness of prescribing issues, increase knowledge, change erroneous beliefs, and generate intentions to apply the information appropriately. The form, content, and effective tone for all responses received in 1990 regarding five different drug therapy issues (N = 240) was recorded. Response rates, comprehension, counterarguments, and prescribing intentions varied by drug therapy issue. Attention to the communication process could improve the dissemination of prescribing practice guidelines by DUR Programs.
Why Physician Leaders of Health Care Organizations Should Participate in Direct Patient Care

The authors think that physicians who hold leadership positions in health care organizations, such as chairs of clinical departments, hospital chief executive officers, and deans of medical schools...
3.14 – Prefrontal Cortex and Memory

Recent research has demonstrated that the lateral prefrontal cortex is extensively involved in human memory, including working memory processes that support retention of information across short delays and episodic long-term memory encoding and retrieval processes. Here, we will review results from neuroimaging studies of memory and from studies of memory in patients with prefrontal lesions and present a framework to understand the roles of different prefrontal regions in memory processes. Central to this framework is the idea that different prefrontal regions implement cognitive or executive control processes that support working memory and episodic long-term memory encoding and retrieval.
Entorhinal Place Cells: Trajectory Encoding

If an animal is to successfully navigate through its environment it must not only know where it is, but also where it has been, where it should go, and the relationship among positions in its environment. An animal scavenging for food, for example, needs to remember the set of locations it has visited so that it does waste time retracing its steps. In addition, unless food is randomly scattered through the environment, the animal must be able to learn and remember the locations that are most likely to contain food. Furthermore, the animal must know the relationship between its current position and those locations so that it can plan and execute the movements necessary for it to reach its goals. Our task, then, is to relate neural activity in the brain to the specific requirements of goal directed navigation: knowledge of current, past, and future position, and knowledge of the relationships among positions. Here we will examine how a rat’s movements through its environment relate to neural activity in the CA1 region of the hippocampus and in the entorhinal cortex, the primary source of neocortically derived input to the hippocampus and the primary target of neocortically bound hippocampal outputs.
Reformulate or Quit: Predicting User Abandonment in Ideal Sessions

We present a comparison of different types of features for predicting session abandonment. We show that under ideal conditions for identifying topical sessions, the best features are those related to user actions and document relevance, while features related to query/document similarity actually hurt prediction abandonment.
Experiments on the evolution of laccolith morphology in plan-view

Abstract The ultimate shape of a laccolith is the result of competition between internal magmatic phenomena (e.g. overpressure and the process of solidification), and the state of the external host rock (e.g. thickness of the overburden, the presence of faults, and regional tectonic stresses). Intrusion morphology can be utilized as an inferential tool to better understand emplacement dynamics and history. One specific shape aspect rarely considered is the intrusion's ellipticity, which is the ratio of its long to short axes in plan view. Here, with a series of simple analog experiments that integrate the effects of flow along pre-existing fractures and solidification during emplacement, an assessment is performed of the existing models for formation of a laccolith's plan morphology; i.e. growth-dependent and feeder-dependent. The results of these experiments suggest that neither model fully captures the behavior of laccolith ellipticity evolution, and an updated model of formation that takes into account the control of the feeder dike, homogenization of overburden bending moments, and the processes involving solidification is presented. Furthermore, experimental results are compared with ellipticity measurements of natural laccoliths. There are proportionately more high ellipticity laccoliths in Nature than in experiments. This is interpreted as an induced morphological effect by magma viscosity, crustal heterogeneities, and/or incremental assembly.
Comparisons of Rare-Earth and Rare-Earth-Free External Rotor Permanent Magnet Assisted Synchronous Reluctance Motors

This paper presents the comparisons of five-phase external rotor permanent magnet assisted synchronous reluctance motors (PMa-SynRMs) with neodymium (Nd) and ferrite (Fe) based PMs. Five-phase PMa-SynRMs, in general, have been proposed as an alternative to conventional three-phase motors utilized in automobile applications. However, with increased attention towards higher torque density and lower torque pulsations in electric motor designs, five-phase external rotor PMa-SynRMs can be highly attractive. In addition to increased fault tolerance and reliability of five-phase PMa-SynRMs, an adaptation of external rotor design can significantly increase the average torque developed with reduced torque pulsations and back-electromotive force (EMF) harmonics. However, with the design complexity involved in such high performance five-phase PMa-SynRM designs, the shape of flux barrier and choice of PMs have been one of the main challenges. In this study, novel five-phase external rotor PMa-SynRM designs with optimal flux barrier number and shape with Nd and Fe PMs are presented. Finite element simulations are conducted on the 2-D designs to compare their performance characteristics such as torque developed, torque pulsations, structural stability, thermal heat flow, demagnetization effects, and back-EMF harmonics. Optimal 3.8 kW Nd-based and 3.7 kW Fe-based five-phase external rotor PMa-SynRM designs are fabricated, and experimental tests are conducted on the prototypes to compare the results with a benchmark internal rotor PMa-SynRM.
Cognitive Procedures and Self-Management

In this chapter, we shall examine the utilization of cognitive procedures and self-control procedures in the treatment of child behavior problems. Historically, the field of behavior therapy and, in particular, child behavior therapy has been characterized by rather strict adherence to traditional operant and classical conditioning paradigms (Kazdin, 1978). The role of the individual and his/her cognitions has been relatively ignored. Although behaviorists have acknowledged the individual and the individual’s capacity for complex perceptual and cognitive activities as early as the 1940s, traditional stimulus-response notions have prevailed. Such is no longer the case. As Bellack and Hersen (1977) recently noted, “More and more, it has become apparent that the black box S-R model, in which the individual is viewed as a passive responder to the environment, is not adequate to explain substantial portions of behavior” (p. 96).
“Two Constant” Theorems and the Phragmén-Lindelöf Theorems

The Two Constant Theorem. Suppose that f is holomorphic in \( \mathbb{D} = \{ z:|z| < 1\} \) and continuous in \( \bar{\mathbb{D}}\backslash \{ 1\} \). Suppose further that |f| le; N in \( \mathbb{D} \) and |f| le; M in \( \partial \mathbb{D}\backslash \{ 1\} \). Then |f| le; M in \( \bar{\mathbb{D}}\backslash \{ 1\} \).
SASE: implementation of a compressed text search engine

Keyword based search engines are the basic building block of text retrieval systems. Higher level systems like content sensitive search engines and knowledge-based systems still rely on keyword search as the underlying text retrieval mechanism. With the explosive growth in content, Internet and Intranet information repositories require efficient mechanisms to store as well as index data. In this paper we discuss the implementation of the Shrink and Search Engine (SASE) framework which unites text compression and indexing to maximize keyword search performance while reducing storage cost. SASE features the novel capability of being able to directly search through compressed text without explicit decompression. The implementation includes a search server architecture, which can be accessed from a Java front-end to perform keyword search on the Internet. The performance results show that the compression efficiency of SASE is within 7-17% of GZIP one of the best lossless compression schemes. The sum of the compressed file size and the inverted indices is only between 55-76% of the original database while the search performance is comparable to a fully inverted index. The framework allows a flexible trade-off between search performance and storage requirements for the search indices.
Women's Rights in Africa: From Feminism to Reality

A glimpse into Africa seems to reveal that gender inequality between men and women is a public issue. In fact, men in African seem to have more rights than women in almost every sector. While men seem to be represented as the leaders, breadwinners, chiefs on top of everything, women’s roles in Africa seem to be limited to being household managers, mothers, and objects of pleasure and nurses of the families. In addition, there is a tendency for men to exclude women in key positions and decision-making in the communities, which simply marginalize women. I intend to examine the condition of women in Africa by putting a particular emphasis on their rights.
Epistemology in the Era of Fake News: An Exploration of Information Verification Behaviors among Social Networking Site Users

Fake news has recently garnered increased attention across the world. Digital collaboration technologies now enable individuals to share information at unprecedented rates to advance their own ideologies. Much of this sharing occurs via social networking sites (SNSs), whose members may choose to share information without consideration for its authenticity. This research advances our understanding of information verification behaviors among SNS users in the context of fake news. Grounded in literature on the epistemology of testimony and theoretical perspectives on trust, we develop a news verification behavior research model and test six hypotheses with a survey of active SNS users. The empirical results confirm the significance of all proposed hypotheses. Perceptions of news sharers' network (perceived cognitive homogeneity, social tie variety, and trust), perceptions of news authors (fake news awareness and perceived media credibility), and innate intentions to share all influence information verification behaviors among SNS members. Theoretical implications, as well as implications for SNS users and designers, are presented in the light of these findings.
A Highly Efficient and Stable Copper BTC Metal Organic Framework Derived Electrocatalyst for Oxidation of Methanol in DMFC Application

In present work the development of copper benzenetricarboxylic acid metal organic framework (Cu-BTC MOF) based electrocatalyst and the effect of graphene oxide on catalytic activity of metal organic framework were studied for methanol oxidation reaction. Cu-MOF was prepared by a facile hydrothermal method and graphene oxide flakes were synthesized via improved Hummer’s method. Surface morphological studies of catalyst were analyzed through scanning electron microscopy technique, which revealed cubic structure of crystals, while the crystallinity and functional groups present were characterized through X-ray Diffraction and FTIR spectroscopy respectively. Electrochemical studies were conducted by using cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and chronoamperometry techniques. Among all series of catalyst, 5 wt% GO/Cu-MOF exhibit highest current density of 120 mA/cm2 at a scan rate value of 50 mV/s at a voltage of 0.9 V.
Sedation Using Nitrous Oxide in Children with Special Health Care Needs

“Know me for my abilities, not my disabilities.”—Robert Hensel. To be able to successfully treat children with special health care needs is one of the most satisfying yet the most challenging aspects of our day. Many of us are in pediatric dentistry to be able to better serve these children. When discussing care for children with special health care needs, we must adopt the “People First” language. This means respecting the child or the individual first, and realize that he/she has unique abilities, interests and needs. They are first and foremost a person, and their “disability” does not define them. This chapter discusses the role nitrous oxide can play to facilitate the delivery of dental care to children who may need little more attention, love, and care from us than other children. Will nitrous oxide be safe for a child with asthma? Will it be helpful for kids with ADHD? Many a times, such patients and their parents are left with no other option but to accept the use of general anesthesia for dental rehabilitation. Perhaps with some experience and understanding of nitrous oxide, the use of general anesthesia may be avoided in some of the children with special health care needs.
What Every Outcomes Research Fellow Should Learn

Many general surgery residents dedicate time during residency training to research. Being successful during your research time is dependent upon your own personal and professional goals. Once you determine your goals, you should surround yourself with the mentors and resources you need to achieve them. By creating a realistic plan for your time and making the most of available opportunities you can develop the skills and relationships you need to build a successful career.
Effects of a Need-Supportive Motor Skill Intervention on Children’s Motor Skill Competence and Physical Activity

A need-supportive environment can provide various motivational benefits to impact children’s psychomotor developmental levels. However, very little is known about the effects of need-supportive motor skill intervention on children’s motor skill competence and physical activity by gender. Guided by self-determination theory (SDT), this study aimed to (a) investigate the effect of a need-supportive fundamental movement skill (FMS) program on children’s FMS competence and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and (b) explore potential gender differences in these effects. Thirty-six children (63.8% girls; Mage = 6.52 ± 0.97) participated and were divided into two groups: an intervention group (24 need-supportive FMS sessions over eight weeks) and a control group. A repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to examine the influence of the motor skill intervention on FMS competence and MVPA over time by group (intervention, control) and gender (boys, girls). The results showed (a) significant group differences between the intervention and control group in FMS competence and MVPA (p < 0.001), (b) non-significant gender differences between boys and girls in FMS competence and MVPA (p = 0.85), and (c) non-significant interaction effects over time (p = 0.52). The findings highlight that a need-supportive FMS program may enhance FMS development and daily physical activity for both genders during the early school years.