cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optimum continuous path operating conditions for maximum productivity of robotic manufacturing systems

Abstract As in many manufacturing processes, there is a trade off between the production rate and the quality of the product in a robotic continuous path manufacturing system. The precision of the process may be increased at the programming level by defining the path by more points, employing a more sophisticated path generation method, or utilizing a feedback control system. However, increasing the number of points will reduce the maximum operation speed of the robotic operation; therefore the production rate will suffer as the operation cycle time increases. On the other hand, speeding up the operation may cause low precision which may eventually lead to unacceptable product quality. As a result, productivity in terms of the number of acceptable parts per unit time may not be improved. In this paper, the precision at which the robot should operate is quantified at the programming level. Furthermore, it is determined that an optimum level of precision exists for which the productivity of the continuous path manufacturing system is maximized. Due to inherent random errors present in the control and operational phases, the problem is formulated as a stochastic system and is solved through a stochastic optimization method.
Life‐science concept development among beginning kindergarten children from three different community settings

Two basic questions were investigated. (1) Do beginning kindergarten children from three different community settings (inner-urban, outer-urban, and rural-farm) vary significantly in performance on a Life-Science Concept Acquisition Test (L-SCAT)? (2) What independent variables are the most useful predictors of performance on the L-SCAT? The L-SCAT was developed by the investigator. It was administered to seventeen subjects from each of the three community settings (N = 51). Among the results were the following: (1) there were significant differences (p < .05) among the scores made by the subjects; (2) a major source of significance was between outer-urban and inner-urban subjects' mean scores; (3) when all physical, mental, and sociocultural variables were used as predictors, a subject's I.Q. and his chronological age were the most useful predictors of L-SCAT performance; and (4) when sociocultural variables alone were used as predictors, the number of years education of a subject's mother was the most useful predictor of L-SCAT performance.
Robust Estimation For Periodic Autoregressive Time Series

. A robust estimation procedure for periodic autoregressive (PAR) time series is introduced. The asymptotic properties and the asymptotic relative efficiency are discussed by the estimating equation approach. The performance of the robust estimators for PAR time-series models with order one is illustrated by a simulation study. The technique is applied to a real data analysis.
Comparison of two sources of gonadotropin for estrus synchronization in does

Abstract Two sources of gonadotropin, combined with norgestomet implants and cloprostenol, were compared to induce estrus in 137 lactating dairy goats during the period of transition from anestrus to estrus. Does received either reagent-grade PMSG or commercially available hCG/PMSG product labeled for use in swine. Of the does treated with hCG/PMSG, 63 of 70 (90%) became pregnant compared with 50 of 66 (76%) does treated with reagent-grade PMSG. The pregnancy rates were significantly associated with the source of gonadotropin (P = 0.047). No difference in estrus response or litter size was detected; however, more does in the PMSG group appeared to have an extended interval from implant removal to breeding than did the hCG/PMSG-treated does. The results of this study indicate that the hCG/PMSG combination product is a satisfactory source of PMSG for extra-label use with norgestomet implants and cloprostenol to synchronize estrus in transitional period does.
Substrate composition effects on the interfacial fracture of tantalum nitride films

In this study we combined nanoscratch testing with a multilayer sapphire and aluminum nitride single-substrate system to determine the effects of interface composition and structure on susceptibility to fracture of hard, thin tantalum nitride films. Nanoindentation tests showed that the elastic moduli of the tantalum nitride and aluminum nitride films, as well as the sapphire substrate, were essentially equal at 400 GPa. On both portions of the substrate, these tests also showed that near surface hardness was near 35 GPa. Nanoscratch tests triggered long blisters and circular spalls on both the sapphire and aluminum nitride portions of the substrate. The blisters showed that the tantalum nitride film was subjected to a compressive residual stress of {minus}6.7 GPa. The spalls showed that failure occurred along the tantalum nitride film-substrate interface regardless of substrate composition. Most importantly, the blisters and spalls showed that the mode I component of the fracture energies were essentially equal on both substrate materials at a value near 3.1 J/m{sup 2}. These energies are on the order of the energies for metallic bonding. {copyright} {ital 1999 Materials Research Society.}
62. Factors Influencing Reproductive Healthcare for Teens and Young Women in Southern New Mexico: A Qualitative Analysis

demonstrates a significant need for improved sexual and reproductive health education for CUTS students who may be representative of Tibetan youngpeople living in exile in India. Female students could benefit from more information and resources on menstruation and vaginal discharge. Both sexes could benefit fromgreater education on contraception and STI transmission, detection and treatment. Not only is greater access to HCPs needed, but greater comfort in discussing these issues with HCPs is required to provide CUTS students with appropriate information and resources tomaintain sexual and reproductive health. Sources of Support: Smith College and CUTS.
Method of Customer's Requirements Gain and Analysis

Modularity has been recognized as a vital factor to implement mass customization. To obtain the optimization project of modular design, Customer's Requirements must be gained firstly. There has relation between each Customer's Requirement. So, the gain technology of Customer's Requirements degree, which using investigate questionnaire, is expatiated in this paper. Then, the gray relation degrees between customer's requirements can be gained by gray correlation analysis. A questionnaire, which using the household hanging air-conditioning system as an example, is proposed in this paper. The result, which using gray system theory to analyze, demonstrates the feasibility of the proposed approaches.
A Review of “Critical Issues in Education: An Anthology of Readings”

The issue of what it means to be critical is an important philosophical, epistemological, and political question that has been addressed by many academics exploring scholarship and social activism....
Partial evaluation based triple modular redundancy for single event upset mitigation

Abstract We present a design technique, Partial evaluation-based Triple Modular Redundancy (PTMR), for hardening combinational circuits against Single Event Upsets (SEU). The basic ideas of partial redundancy and temporal TMR are used together to harden the circuit against SEUs. The concept of partial redundancy is used to eliminate the gates whose outputs can be determined in advance. We have designed a fault insertion simulator to evaluate partial redundancy technique on the designs from MCNC′91 benchmark. Experimental results demonstrate that we can reduce the area overhead by up to 39.18% and on average 17.23% of the hardened circuit when compared with the traditional TMR. For circuits with a large number of gates and less number of outputs, there is a significant savings in area. Smaller circuits or circuits with a large number of outputs also show improvement in area savings for increased rounding range.
Citation Rankings of Public Administration Journals

This article employs standard citation analysis techniques to rank the research value of public administration journals. Although prestige is a suspect measure of quality, esteem surveys have been ...
Finding Inverse Systems from Coordinates

Abstract Let I be a homogeneous ideal in R = K [ x 0 , … , x n ] , such that R / I is an Artinian Gorenstein ring. A famous theorem of Macaulay says that in this instance I is the ideal of polynomial differential operators with constant coefficients that cancel the same homogeneous polynomial F. A major question related to this result is to be able to describe F in terms of the ideal I. In this note we give a partial answer to this question, by analyzing the case when I is the Artinian reduction of the ideal of a reduced (arithmetically) Gorenstein zero-dimensional scheme Γ ⊂ P n . We obtain F from the coordinates of the points of Γ.
Can clinical biofeedback be scientifically validated? A follow-up on the Green-Shellenberger-Furedy-Roberts debates

If biofeedback is to prosper, there must be acceptance by medical and scientific communities. This is ultimately necessary for third-party reimbursements, medical referrals, and various other sources of life blood to those who do biofeedback. These medical and scientific communities accept only one kind of evidence, scientific evidence. There has been some disagreement as to what constitutes scientific evidence. This disagreement is clearly represented by a series of recent articles by Furedy, Roberts, and others on the one hand (Furedy, 1985, 1987; Roberts, 1985, 1986), and Green, Shellenberger, and colleagues on the other (Green & Shellenberger, 1986a, 1987b; Norris, 1986). The following remarks are based on my review of these and related papers. I believe that, to some extent, the disagreement is semantic. Also there has been much misrepresenta t ion-probably due to mutual misunders tandingof the respective positions of the opponents. Furedy (1987) is correct in seeming to complain about mass murder of straw men in this debate. I believe it is quite possible for clinicians and researchers together to provide scientific evidence. All that is necessary is a set of controlled observations. Furedy argues that this means if we wish to prove that the biofeedback (the fed-back biological information) is a necessary ingredient of effective clincial therapy, we must arrange for a situation in which the specific effects of feedback information are demonstrable in isolation from effects of other likely ingredients of a clinically effective situation. Such other (tobe-removed) ingredients might include positive transference, patient enthusiasm, and "feed-forward" factors such as a priori instructions.
Solid matrix polymerization and stereoisomeric complexes of poly(methyl methacrylate)

The polymerization of methyl methacrylate within solid matrices of stereoregular poly(methyl methacrylate) has been studied by proton NMR and wide angle X-ray diffraction. The semi-crystalline isotactic (i-) PMMA matrix was synthesized in the laboratory by anionic polymerization initiated by phenylmagnesium bromide, and the syndiotactic (s-) PMMA matrix was synthesized through a Ziegler–Natta reaction. Matrix polymerization of the monomer was initiated through the redox activation of benzoyl peroxide with N,N-dimethyl-p-toluidine. NMR measurements of triad distributions in matrix-polymerized chains suggest that the well-known stereospecific replica polymerization in PMMA (syndiotactic sequences promote isotactic sequences and vice versa) plays only a limited role in the systems studied. Experimental results indicate that chains grown within the i-PMMA or s-PMMA solid matrices have greater degrees of configurational disorder. The greater concentration of atactic triads in these chains could be the result of limited free volume or steric effects during polymerization in a highly condensed environment. X-ray diffraction studies of solution cast blends of isotactic PMMA and PMMA with conventional tacticity reveal some crystallinity with a structure characteristic of the stereocomplex formed by isotactic and syndiotactic PMMA from suitable solvents. Evidence was obtained for the presence of this complex in solidified mixtures of the i-PMMA solid matrix and liquid monomer. This observation is an example of special intermolecular structures that can form under conditions of in situ growth of chains within a pre-polymerized matrix.
Association of laccase activity with conidiation in an aflatoxigenic strain of Aspergillus parasiticus

Abstract The relationship between laccase activity and asexual development in Aspergillus parasiticus was established. A. parasiticus produced a laccase activity similar to that reported for Aspergillus nidulans . Laccase activity appeared only in conidiating cultures and was absent from vegetative cultures. Shaking of the cultures inhibited conidiation and suppressed laccase activity. The composition of the media affected the degree of conidiation and the specific activity of laccase. Ammonium sulphate as sole nitrogen source was suppressive, whereas glutamate was highly stimulatory to both conidiation and laccase production. The addition of citrate was also stimulatory to conidia production and, to a lesser degree, laccase activity. There appears to be no quantitative correlation between laccase activity and the number of conidia produced.
Is Self-Esteem a Central Ingredient of the Self-Concept?:

At each of two sessions a week apart, 101 college subjects produced open-ended lists of items in nine categories of self-knowledge and also completed scales that provided measures of self-esteem, private self-consciousness, public self-consciousness, and social anxiety. Analyses showed that subjects' productions of self-knowledge were invested with self-evaluation in two ways: (a) Positiveness of self-evaluation (self-esteem) was significantly correlated with numbers of affectively positive items produced (such as liked activities, good qualities, and names of friends), and (b) concern about evaluation of self by others (social anxiety) was associated significantly with both production of relatively few items of self-knowledge and repeated production of the same items on the two testing occasions. These findings suggest that self-esteem is a pervasive component of measured self-concept, even for measures that lack manifest esteem-related content.
Purchasing and Supply Management: Trends and Changes Throughout the 1990s

Understanding the changes and trends affecting purchasing requires replacing anecdotal evidence with research-based observations. Using data collected annually from leading firms worldwide, this article details the real and projected changes and trends that have affected and will continue to affect purchasing and sourcing professionals. These changes and trends appear within seven areas: (1) performance improvement requirements, (2) supplier and purchasing/sourcing importance, (3) organization, (4) systems development, (5) performance measurement, (6) supply base management, and (7) purchasing responsibilities and activities. A lack of awareness concerning these trends by purchasing professionals limits their ability to anticipate change and respond in a way that will create competitive advantage for their organization.
Stable isotope enrichment in paleowaters of the southeast atlantic coastal plain, United States.

Paleowaters from the Floridan aquifer system in the southeastern Atlantic coastal plain have higher D/H and 18 O/ 16 O ratios than local Holocene ground water. Maximum δ 18 O enrichments in ground water having adjusted radiocarbon ages of 20,000 to 26,000 years are 0.7 to 2.3 per mil. The trend in isotopic enrichment in paleowaters is the reverse of that normally observed in continental glacial age ground water. Dissolved nitrogen and argon concentrations indicate, however, that the average recharge temperature was 5.3°C cooler than that today. The data indicate cool conditions in the southeast Atlantic coastal plain during the last glacial maximum, with recharge limited primarily to late summer tropical cyclones and hurricanes.
ERCC4(XPF) Encodes a Human Nucleotide Excision Repair Protein with Eukaryotic Recombination Homologs

ERCC4 is an essential human gene in the nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathway, which is responsible for removing UV-C photoproducts and bulky adducts from DNA. Among the NER genes, ERCC4 and ERCC1 are also uniquely involved in removing DNA interstrand cross-linking damage. The ERCC1-ERCC4 heterodimer, like the homologous Rad10-Rad1 complex, was recently found to possess an endonucleolytic activity that incises on the 5' side of damage. The ERCC4 gene, assigned to chromosome 16p13.1-p13.2, was previously isolated by using a chromosome 16 cosmid library. It corrects the defect in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) mutants of NER complementation group 4 and is implicated in complementation group F of the human disorder xeroderma pigmentosum. We describe the ERCC4 gene structure and functional cDNA sequence encoding a 916-amino-acid protein (104 kDa), which has substantial homology with the eukaryotic DNA repair and recombination proteins MEI-9 (Drosophila melanogaster), Rad16 (Schizosaccharomyces pombe), and Rad1 (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). ERCC4 cDNA efficiently corrected mutants in rodent NER complementation groups 4 and 11, showing the equivalence of these groups, and ERCC4 protein levels were reduced in mutants of both groups. In cells of an XP-F patient, the ERCC4 protein level was reduced to less than 5%, consistent with XPF being the ERCC4 gene. The considerable identity (40%) between ERCC4 and MEI-9 suggests a possible involvement of ERCC4 in meiosis. In baboon tissues, ERCC4 was expressed weakly and was not significantly higher in testis than in nonmeiotic tissues.
LINDY BOGGS: A DEMOCRAT FOR ALL SEASONS

Lindy Boggs achieved a number of firsts in her political career. Most notably, she was the first woman elected to the House of Representatives from Louisiana, as well as the first woman and first southerner to serve as ambassador to the Holy See. The keys to understanding her career are her family background, her Catholicism, and her relations with the various factions of the Democratic Party. This analysis examines the influences of these three variables on Boggs' career. It uses the pattern of Democratic factionalism identified by Nicol C. Rae to argue that Boggs was effective and influential among her Democratic congressional colleagues at least partially because she possessed characteristics of all of the party's major factional groups.
Conformance of Clinical Practice to Established Recommendations for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Venous Thromboembolic Disease: Robin Revisited:

Over a decade ago, Dr. Robin expressed concern regarding overdiagnosis and overtreatment of pulmonary embolism. Since that time, significant advances have been forthcoming in the diagnosis and treatment of venous thromboembolic disease. Using Continuous Quality Improvement concepts, this study revisits Robin's concerns and assesses the conformance of clinical practice at one institution with established requirements for the diagnosis and treatment of venous thromboembolic disease to identify remaining opportunities to improve care. The study design is a retrospective chart review. Medical records of all patients (N = 63) discharged from a university-affiliated teaching hospital from 7/1/89 to 6/30/90 with a diagnosis of primary venous thromboembolic disease were studied. Requirements for the diagnosis and treatment were established through review of the medical literature. Conformance to these requirements was assessed and described. Descriptive statistics were used. Only 7 of 63 charts (11%) met all requirements for the diagnosis and treatment of venous thromboembolic disease. Fifty-six charts (89%) failed to meet at least one criterion. There was no evidence of overdiagnosis of venous thromboembolic disease in patients with a discharge diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (N = 17). Eight of 62 patients (13%) demonstrated potential overdiagnosis of venous thromboembolic disease involving the lower extremities. Nine of 60 (15%) heparin therapies demonstrated significant nonconformance to recommendations. Fifty-four of 59 (91%) warfarin therapies failed to conform to recommendations. Eighty-three percent of these warfarin errors were considered to be technical. However, 17% were determined to be clinically significant. Of 5 patients treated with a transvenous filter device, 1 failed to meet therapeutic requirements. No patients received thrombolytic therapy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Whispers in the Stacks: The Problem of Sound Recordings in Archives

Although both audio and visual materials are distinctively twentieth-century forms of documentation, audio recordings have been largely ignored by the archival community. One reason for this lapse may be the lack of communication between "paper" and "sound" archivists. More critical reasons include the difficulties of appraisal, processing, use, and preservation that sound recordings pose for archives that are oriented toward the care of paper materials. The author explores these issues, offers suggestions for improving the status and care of sound recordings in archives, and stresses the importance of addressing this issue now, before preservation needs of aging sound recordings become overwhelming.
Meehl, Paul E. (1920–2003)

Paul Everett Meehl (1920–2003) was an American psychologist and philosopher of science. Though perhaps best known for his work on the controversial problem of clinical versus statistical prediction, Meehl is recognized to have contributed to many domains related to clinical practice and research. He wrote extensively on the difficulties associated with the testing and corroboration of theories in the “soft” sciences, and spoke against the use of statistical significance testing as a method of theory verification. Meehl was also among the first to propose a hereditary theory of schizophrenia, and, in order to provide a way to test for this theory, he pioneered a family of statistical methods known as taxometrics. Keywords: clinical vs. statistical decision making; data analysis in psychology; individual differences; judgment and decision-making; philosophy of science; psychometric testing; significance testing; taxometrics; decision making; schizophrenia
What drives interannual variability of hypoxia in Chesapeake Bay: Climate forcing versus nutrient loading?

Oxygen depletion in estuaries is a worldwide problem with detrimental effects on many organisms. Although nutrient loading has been stabilized for a number of these systems, seasonal hypoxia persists and displays large year-to-year variations, with larger hypoxic volumes in wetter years and smaller hypoxic volumes in drier years. Data analysis points to climate as a driver of interannual hypoxia variability, but nutrient inputs covary with freshwater flow. Here we report an oxygen budget analysis of Chesapeake Bay to quantify relative contributions of physical and biogeochemical processes. Vertical diffusive flux declines with river discharge, whereas longitudinal advective flux increases with river discharge, such that their total supply of oxygen to bottom water is relatively unchanged. However, water column respiration exhibits large interannual fluctuations and is correlated with primary production and hypoxic volume. Hence, the model results suggest that nutrient loading is the main mechanism driving interannual hypoxia variability in Chesapeake Bay.
Worldmaking: The Emerging Participatory Synthesis

The story of the development of creativity theories covered in previous chapters provides a basis for thinking, not just about the particular theories, but also about the relation of individuals to their cultural contexts. Every theorist profiled developed a distinct, individual perspective on creativity. Sigmund Freud was a bold thinker who constantly challenged others’ and his own ideas, even though he did not take well to his colleagues’ deviations from his model. J. P. Guilford’s original call for the study of creativity, speaking to an audience dominated by behaviorists and psychometricians, was a bold move. It was part of an even bigger, though not wholly successful, project to disprove the existence of a general intelligence factor and replace it with a broader, more nuanced view of intelligence. The humanistic psychologists exemplified the high aspirations they preached. Howard Gruber went to Geneva to meet Jean Piaget on his own initiative and then helped promote Piaget in America, helped start the cognitive revolution, and produced a groundbreaking study of Charles Darwin’s thinking. Patricia Stokes left a successful career in advertising to pursue psychology and, even then, took an unusual path to the study of creativity through behaviorism. And a directionless teenager in the aftermath of World War II, Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi, stumbled onto a field that responded to his questions about the world. Then he came to America to study psychology, where his research on flow and his sociocultural model would have wide impact.
Review of inputs provided to Jason Associates Corporation in support of RWEV-REP-001, the Analysis of Postclosure Groundwater Impacts report.

Report RWEV-REP-001, Analysis of Postclosure Groundwater Impacts for a Geologic Repository for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High Level Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada was issued by the DOE in 2009 and is currently being updated. Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) provided support for the original document, performing calculations and extracting data from the Yucca Mountain Performance Assessment Model that were used as inputs to the contaminant transport and dose calculations by Jason Associates Corporation, the primary developers of the DOE report. The inputs from SNL were documented in LSA-AR-037, Inputs to Jason Associates Corporation in Support of the Postclosure Repository Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement. To support the updating of the original Groundwater Impacts document, SNL has reviewed the inputs provided in LSA-AR-037 to verify that they are current and appropriate for use. The results of that assessment are documented here.
Order-Disorder Transformations in the σ3 (111)/[110] Symmetrical Tilt Boundary in Tungsten

The structure of the {Sigma}3 (111)/[110] symmetrical tilt boundary in tungsten was modeled by molecular statics using Finnis-Sinclair type many body potentials. Several multiple structures have been found which are composed of two types of structural units and the interaction energy between these units is negative. Hence, order-disorder structural transitions may occur in the boundary with structures being ordered and/or disordered mixtures of the two units. the transition temperature is found to be 1,158 K if only the internal energy and configurational entropy are included when evaluating the free energy. However, the transition temperature is 782 K if the vibrational entropy is also incorporated. This demonstrates that the vibrational contribution to the entropy may be as important as the configurational contribution when considering the interfacial transformations.
The effect of ethanol on the concentration of gluconeogenic intermediates in rat liver.

SummaryEthanol administration to fasted rats increased the hepatic concentration of glutamate, malate, and α-glycerophosphate. The concentration of lactate was unchanged. The concentrations of asparate, 2-phosphoglycerate, 3-phosphoglycerate, fructose-1-6-P, fructose-6-P, and glucose-6-P were decreased by ethanol. Although these data are consistent with the hypothesis that ethanol decreases hepatic glucose production as a result of shunting substrates to lactate and α-glycerophosphate, the amount of α-glycerophosphate, lactate, and malate which accumulated after ethanol feeding was small in comparison to reported estimates of glucose production by the rat liver. It is concluded that the primary mechanism for ethanol-induced inhibition of hepatic glucose production is that ethanol blocks the entry of intermediates into the gluconeogenic pathways.
Effect of the Local Microenvironment on Survival and Thermal Inactivation of Salmonella in Low- and Intermediate-Moisture Multi-Ingredient Foods

Multi-ingredient foods having low- or intermediate-moisture characteristics may pose a special challenge to process design and validation. Ingredients of these foods can create local microenvironments that may have a distinct impact on pathogen survival and processing requirements. In this study, two model systems, each consisting of 80% commercial peanut butter (P) and 20% nonfat dry milk powder (M), were formulated to be identical in composition, but different in the source of the Salmonella contamination as originating in either the ingredient P or M. Immediately after inoculation, Salmonella showed a 2.0-log reduction when M was the contaminated ingredient compared with a 0.6-log reduction when P was the contaminated ingredient. This pattern of survival was consistent with the single-ingredient control containing only M (2.5-log reduction) or only P (0.7-log reduction), suggesting that the immediate proximity of cells is determined by the contaminated ingredient in the model system. After 5 weeks of s...
Pickering emulsions stabilized by nanoparticle surfactants.

Amphiphilic gold nanoparticles are demonstrated to effectively stabilize emulsions of hexadecane in water. Nanoparticle surfactants are synthesized using a simple and scalable one-pot method that involves the sequential functionalization of particle surfaces with thiol-terminated polyethylene glycol (PEG) chains and short alkane-thiol molecules. The resulting nanoparticles are shown to be highly effective emulsifying agents due to their strong adsorption at oil–water and air–water interfaces. The original nonfunctionalized gold nanoparticles are unable to effectively stabilize oil–water emulsions due to their small size and low adsorption energy. Small-angle X-ray scattering and electron microscopy are used to demonstrate the formation of nanoparticle-stabilized colloidosomes that are stable against coalescence and show significant shifts in plasmon resonance enhancing the near-infrared optical absorption.
Colon Cancer Metastatic to the Biliary Tree

Metastasis of colon adenocarcinoma is commonly found in the lung, liver, or peritoneum. Common bile duct (CBD) tumors related to adenomas from familial adenomatous polyposis metastasizing from outside of the gastrointestinal tract have been reported. We report a case of biliary colic due to metastatic colon adenocarcinoma to the CBD. Obstructive jaundice with signs of acalculous cholecystitis on imaging in a patient with a history of colon cancer should raise suspicion for metastasis to CBD.
Investigation on Effect of MgO on Reduction Metallurgical Properties of Iron Ore Pellet

The effect of MgO on reduction metallurgical properties of pellets were investigated,such as low-temperature reduction degradation index( RDI),reduction index( RI) and reduction swelling index( RSI). The results showthat,with the addition of MgO-bearing additive from 0 to2. 0% in pelletizing,the RDI and RSI decrease gradually,and the value of RDI and RSI decrease by 6. 46% and 6. 21% respectively,which means that the reduction degradation phenomenon and reduction swelling phenomenon are inhibited. The RI of pellets increased by 4. 66% with the addition of MgO bearing additive from 0 to 2. 0% in pellets,and therefore the addition of MgO is favorable to improve the reduction metallurgical properties of pellets. Based on the pore space analysis and mineral composition analysis of different MgO-bearing pellets,the reasons for the variation of metallurgical properties of pellets were clarified.
The value of urban ecosystem services in New York City: A spatially explicit multicriteria analysis of landscape scale valuation scenarios

Abstract Mapping, modeling, and valuing urban ecosystem services are important for integrating the ecosystem services concept in urban planning and decision-making. However, decision-support tools able to consider multiple ecosystem services in the urban setting using complex and heterogeneous data are still in early development. Here, we use New York City (NYC) as a case study to evaluate and analyze how the value of multiple ecosystem services of urban green infrastructure shifts with shifting governance priorities. We first examined the spatial distribution of five ecosystem services – storm water absorption, carbon storage, air pollution removal, local climate regulation, and recreation – to create the first multiple ecosystem services evaluation of all green infrastructure in NYC. Then, combining an urban ecosystem services landscape approach with spatial multicriteria analysis weighting scenarios, we examine the distribution of these ecosystem services in the city. We contrast the current NYC policy preference – which is focused on heavy investment in stormwater absorption – with a valuation approach that also accounts for other ecosystem services. We find substantial differences in the spatial distribution of priority areas for green infrastructure for the valuation scenarios. Among the scenarios we examined for NYC, we find that a scenario in which only stormwater absorption is prioritized leads to the most unevenly distributed ES values. By contrast, we find least variation in ES values where stormwater absorption, local climate regulation, carbon storage, air pollution removal, and recreational potential are all weighted equally. We suggest that green infrastructure planning strategies should include all landscape components that contribute to the production of ecosystem services and consider how planning priority alternatives generate different ecosystem services values.
Arrhythmias in Context

Only by assaying the effect of a specific cardiac arrhythmia on the heart's most vital function—oxygen transport—can the therapeutic approach that best suits the individual patient be determined. Here, Dr. Hurst outlines the principles by which the essential differentiations should be made and invites the reader to test himself by “diagnosing and treating” a selection of patients.
The Attalid victory at Magnesia on a lost plaque from Pergamon

This article explores the battle scene on a small bronze plaque recovered during the 19th-century excavation of Pergamon, initially published in 1913 and subsequently lost. It argues that the most likely identification of the scene is the Battle of Magnesia, fought in 190 BC. The scene features Attalid cavalry riding to the rescue of distressed Roman legionaries, both fighting in opposition to Antiochus the Great's heavy phalanx and Gallic cavalry. The heroics of the Attalid cavalry are central to the scene, and likely reflect a courtly narrative that gave Eumenes II and his small contingent outsized credit for the joint victory.
Role of Glycated Proteins in the Diagnosis and Management of Diabetes: Research Gaps and Future Directions

Blood oligosaccharides are attached to many proteins after translation, forming glycoproteins. Glycosylation refers to an enzyme-mediated modification that alters protein function, for example, their life span or their interactions with other proteins (1). By contrast, glycation refers to a monosaccharide (usually glucose) attaching nonenzymatically to the amino group of a protein. Glycated hemoglobin is formed by the condensation of glucose with select amino acid residues, commonly lysine, in hemoglobin to form an unstable Schiff base (aldimine, pre-HbA1c) (Fig. 1). The Schiff base may dissociate or may undergo an Amadori rearrangement to form a stable ketoamine. Figure 1 Formation of glycated protein. A reversible interaction between a primary amino group (depicted as NH2) of a protein and the carbonyl group of d-glucose yields a labile intermediate, called a Schiff base. This can undergo a slow and spontaneous Amadori rearrangement to form a stable ketoamine. HbA1c is formed if glucose attaches to the N-terminal valine of the β-chain of hemoglobin. If the glucose attaches to proteins in the plasma, fructosamine or glycated albumin results. RBC, red blood cell. Glycated hemoglobin, particularly HbA1c, has for decades been widely incorporated into the management (and, more recently, the diagnosis) of patients with diabetes. An important attribute is that glycation occurs continuously over the lifetime of the protein, so the concentration of the glycated protein reflects the average blood glucose value over a period of time. This contrasts with the measurement of blood glucose, which reveals the glucose concentration at the instant blood is sampled and which is acutely altered by multiple factors such as hormones, illness, food ingestion, and exercise (2). While HbA1c is by far the most extensively used—and studied—glycated protein (2–4), other glycated proteins that have been evaluated in clinical studies include fructosamine, glycated albumin, and …
Silicon micromachined thermal profilers

This paper presents a class of scanning thermal profilers micromachined from bulk silicon. Each device consists of an Au-polysilicon thermocouple supported by a probe shank overhanging the edge of the device substrate. The probe shank is suspended by flexural beams and can be electrostatically excited into physical motion by lateral comb drives. A polysilicon heater that can be used to provide a thermal bias during the scan lies at its base. Variations of the basic design include suspension of the thermocouple on a dielectric diaphragm, and replacing the thermocouple by a thermopile. A single-sided, IC-compatible 8 mask process has been developed to fabricate these devices. Preliminary data from test scans obtained using a simple set-up indicates that temperature resolution better than 20/spl deg/mC is possible even with basic silicon shank devices. >
Macrophage migration inhibitory factor downregulation: a novel mechanism of resistance to anti-angiogenic therapy

Anti-angiogenic therapies for cancer such as VEGF neutralizing antibody bevacizumab have limited durability. While mechanisms of resistance remain undefined, it is likely that acquired resistance to anti-angiogenic therapy will involve alterations of the tumor microenvironment. We confirmed increased tumor-associated macrophages in bevacizumab-resistant glioblastoma patient specimens and two novel glioblastoma xenograft models of bevacizumab resistance. Microarray analysis suggested downregulated macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) to be the most pertinent mediator of increased macrophages. Bevacizumab-resistant patient glioblastomas and both novel xenograft models of resistance had less MIF than bevacizumab-naive tumors, and harbored more M2/protumoral macrophages that specifically localized to the tumor edge. Xenografts expressing MIF-shRNA grew more rapidly with greater angiogenesis and had macrophages localizing to the tumor edge which were more prevalent and proliferative, and displayed M2 polarization, whereas bevacizumab-resistant xenografts transduced to upregulate MIF exhibited the opposite changes. Bone marrow-derived macrophage were polarized to an M2 phenotype in the presence of condition-media derived from bevacizumab-resistant xenograft-derived cells, while recombinant MIF drove M1 polarization. Media from macrophages exposed to bevacizumab-resistant tumor cell conditioned media increased glioma cell proliferation compared with media from macrophages exposed to bevacizumab-responsive tumor cell media, suggesting that macrophage polarization in bevacizumab-resistant xenografts is the source of their aggressive biology and results from a secreted factor. Two mechanisms of bevacizumab-induced MIF reduction were identified: (1) bevacizumab bound MIF and blocked MIF-induced M1 polarization of macrophages; and (2) VEGF increased glioma MIF production in a VEGFR2-dependent manner, suggesting that bevacizumab-induced VEGF depletion would downregulate MIF. Site-directed biopsies revealed enriched MIF and VEGF at the enhancing edge in bevacizumab-naive patients. This MIF enrichment was lost in bevacizumab-resistant glioblastomas, driving a tumor edge M1-to-M2 transition. Thus, bevacizumab resistance is driven by reduced MIF at the tumor edge causing proliferative expansion of M2 macrophages, which in turn promotes tumor growth.
Equine Zoonoses: Consequences of Horse-Human Interactions

Fortunately, horses have a limited number of diseases that can be transmitted to humans under natural circumstances. However, due to the close contact of horses with many people as work, exhibition or companion animals, human exposures to horse diseases can be more numerous than for other large animals. Some equine zoonoses are significant and emerging, such as Hendra virus, while others are well known: anthrax, rabies and salmonellosis. International and national transportation of horses for competition and sales also require steadfast testing and surveillance of equine infectious diseases to reduce the risk of spread. This chapter will review the zoonotic diseases of horses that can spread to humans via natural exposure: anthrax, brucellosis, cryptosporidiosis, dermatophilosis, Hendra virus, glanders, leptospirosis, MRSA, rabies, ringworm, salmonellosis, trichinosis, VEE and vesicular stomatitis. These diseases have been divided into categories of significant risk to public health and moderate or low risk based on North America. This categorization may vary from country to country on other continents.
Preventing Violence by Promoting the Development of Competent Conflict Resolution Skills: Exploring Roles and Responsibilities

This article explores the relationship between conflict and violence through a review of the literature about young children's conflict with their peers. Information about the nature of young children's conflicts and how teachers respond is presented and discussed in relation to 3 questions. First, do conflicts between children lead to violence? Second, what constitutes competent conflict resolution behavior? Third, how do children develop competent conflict resolution skills? This review of the literature indicates that conflicts between children do not naturally lead to violence. Rather, it is when children are unable to resolve their own conflicts, and when they are not supported in their efforts at resolutions, that violence is likely to result. While conflicts with peers provide a natural opportunity for children to develop competent conflict resolution skills, teachers must provide assistance as needed. Suggestions for further reading on this topic are provided.
Training in Readmission Reduction in an Indonesian Hospital

The authors implemented a new discharge protocol to reduce readmission rates in a hospital in West Java, Indonesia. Forty nurses were trained in the use of the protocol. Results indicate that posttest group readmission rates were significantly lower after the implementation of protocol, from 6.11% to 4.21%. The protocol was effective in reducing readmissions for patients discharged from internal medicine, pulmonology, and women. Differences were also found by type of insurance or payment method, generally suggesting that the lower the socioeconomic status of the patients was, the more effective the discharge protocol was.
The Platelet Cytoskeleton

The platelet cytoskeleton, a system of actin and tubulin polymers, maintains the discoid structure of the resting platelet as it circulates in blood. Tubulin is assembled into microtubules that are organized into a marginal ring and confer the discoid shape on the platelet. To change shape following activation, platelets disassemble their spectrin-based membrane cytoskeleton and its underlying actin filaments and then reassemble new cortical actin filaments to spread over surfaces and to generate filopods. Actin assembly is regulated by numerous actin binding proteins. Microtubules are reorganized during platelet actin and shape change. The microtubule coil is compressed into the cell center, disassembled, and individual microtubule are sent from the cell center into the various platelet projections.
Using interview questions as short-term programming assignments in CS2

In this paper, we describe our experiences with using technical interview questions as the basis for programming assignments in a CS2 course. Several books have been published that chronicle popular questions that have been asked on technical interviews at companies such as Microsoft, Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon. The books are written as a service to professionals interviewing for a job, but they also serve as an excellent set of short exemplar questions from concepts that are typically covered in an introductory programming sequence. We found that the programming assignments based on interview questions were particularly motivating for students. The interview questions, given in short-term programming assignments throughout the semester, resulted in an increased performance on midterm exams and final exams when compared to the performance of students in a section that utilized standard programming assignments.
Partnering with People with Disabilities to Prevent Interpersonal Violence: Organization Practices Grounded in the Social Model of Disability and Spectrum of Prevention

The chapter provides a framework for religious organizations to contribute within their communities to prevent interpersonal violence of people with disabilities through collaboration with people with disabilities as equal members of their faith communities. Collaboration with people with disabilities requires moving from a medical model, deficit-based orientation of disability to a social, empowering, and strength-based model. This chapter examines how each model intersects with vulnerability to interpersonal violence. Prevention of interpersonal violence requires an understanding of how multiple factors (knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, policies) and multiple system levels (individual, relationship, community/environmental, societal/cultural) interconnect, influence interpersonal violence, and can be targets for prevention. Prevention of interpersonal violence is examined using the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) public health perspective of primary, secondary, and tertiary intervention (a.k.a. prevention) and using the Prevention Institutes’ Spectrum of Prevention. Strategies for religious organizations to examine and modify organizational teachings, policies, and practices, which aim to prevent interpersonal violence or improve response to interpersonal violence perpetrated against people with disabilities, are grounded in the six-level Spectrum of Prevention. Engagement in each of the levels of prevention is predicated upon religious organizations recognizing their roles and responsibilities in preventing and responding to interpersonal violence of their members with disabilities. Emphasis is placed on coordinated community responses to address interpersonal violence. Given that people of faith may prefer to seek guidance and support from their own places of worship, rather than community-based secular organizations, it is imperative that religious organizations collaborate with other community agencies involved in prevention or response to interpersonal violence and organizations serving people with disabilities.