cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Non-textual Event Summarization by Applying Machine Learning to Template-based Language Generation

We describe a learning-based system that creates draft reports based on observation of people preparing such reports in a target domain (conference replanning). The reports (or briefings) are based on a mix of text and event data. The latter consist of task creation and completion actions, collected from a wide variety of sources within the target environment. The report drafting system is part of a larger learning-based cognitive assistant system that improves the quality of its assistance based on an opportunity to learn from observation. The system can learn to accurately predict the briefing assembly behavior and shows significant performance improvements relative to a non-learning system, demonstrating that it's possible to create meaningful verbal descriptions of activity from event streams.
Hypnosis and Pain Control

Hypnosis, begun as a therapeutic discipline in the eighteenth century, was the first Western conception of a psychotherapy. It is a powerful analgesic, and there is compelling clinical documentation of its effectiveness as far back as the mid-nineteenth century. The British surgeon James Esdaile reported that 80 % of subjects obtained anesthesia with hypnosis during major surgical procedures such as amputations. Hypnosis has been proven effective in treating pain and anxiety in the medical setting using randomized prospective trial methodology among both adults and children. Hypnosis is a state of highly focused attention coupled with a suspension of peripheral awareness. This ability to attend intensely while reducing awareness of context allows one to alter the associational network linking perception and cognition. The hypnotic narrowing of the focus of attention is analogous to looking through a telephoto lens rather than a wide-angle lens – one is aware of content more than context. This can also facilitate reduced awareness of unwanted stimuli, such as pain, or of problematic cognitions, such as depressive hopelessness, that can amplify pain. Such a mental state enhances openness to input from others – often called suggestibility – and can increase receptivity to therapeutic instruction. Yet despite much clinical and neurobiological evidence, hypnosis is rarely used as an analgesic for adults or children.
An Improved Broadcast Retransmission Protocol

A recent paper by Calo and Easton proposes a broadcast protocol for identical file transfers to M different sites wherein a large block of transmitted data is divided into N frames of B bits each, and in a second transmission cycle all frames not acknowledged by all sites are retransmitted. This paper shows several versions of a different technique which can result in better efficiency. In the technique, additional frames sent are not exact replicas of initially unacknowledged frames, but are chosen to provide additional information to all sites having one or more nondecodable frames. New frames are sent to provide additional information until all sites acknowledge the entire block.
A review of models and frameworks for designing mobile learning experiences and environments

Mobile learning has become increasingly popular in the past decade due to the unprecedented technological affordances achieved through the advancement of mobile computing, making ubiquitous and situated learning possible. At the same time, there have been research and implementation projects whose efforts centered on developing mobile learning experiences for various learners’ profiles, accompanied by the development of models and frameworks for designing mobile learning experiences. This paper focuses on categorizing and synthesizing models and frameworks targeted specifically on mobile learning. A total of 17 papers were reviewed, and the models or frameworks were divided into five categories and discussed: 1) pedagogies and learning environment design; 2) platform/system design; 3) technology acceptance; (4) evaluation; and 5) psychological construct. This paper provides a review and synthesis of the models/frameworks. The categorization and analysis can also help inform evaluation, design, and development of curriculum and environments for meaningful mobile learning experiences for learners of various demographics.
Electromigration in tin single crystals

Abstract Atom transport in high-purity tin single crystals due to the influence of large direct currents has been measured by the “vacancy flux” technique. Cylindrical specimens were selected with c-axis oriented with 9° perpendicular or parallel to the direction of current flow. Rates of both longitudinal and transverse dimensional changes were used to calculate the anode-directed atom drift velocity. The results gave Z ∗ ‖ ƒ ‖ = −18±2 and z ∗ ⊥ ƒ ⊥ = −18 ±2 , where Z∗ is the effective charge number and ƒ‖ = 0.89 and ƒ⊥ = 0.54 are the estimated correlation factors in the parallel and perpendicular directions. These values for Z∗ are appreciably smaller than the results reported earlier for polycrystalline tin by Kuz'memko. The activation energies for Z ∗ ƒ agree within experimental error with those of self-diffusion.
Tetradentate Platinum Complexes for Efficient and Stable Excimer-Based White OLEDs

A series of tetradentate platinum complexes that exhibit both efficient monomer and excimer emission are synthesized. Via small modifications to the cyclometalating ligands, both the monomer and excimer emission energy can be separately tuned. Devices employing all of the developed emitters demonstrate impressively high external quantum efficiencies (EQEs) within the range of 22% to 27% for concentrations between 2% and 16%. The halogen-free design of the complexes also enables the fabrication of single, doped, white organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with long operational lifetimes. A balanced white device employing the complex Pt2O2, achieves a device operational lifetime to 80% of the initial luminance estimated at over 200 h at 1000 cd m–2, while also achieving 12.5% peak EQE for a warm white light with a color rendering index of 80. Furthermore, a highly doped device exhibiting nearly exclusive excimer emission showed an impressive operational lifetime, which is estimated at more than 400 h for 1000 cd m-2.
Tigecycline: A Novel Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial

OBJECTIVE:To review the literature on tigecycline, a novel antibiotic.DATA SOURCES:References were identified through MEDLINE (1966–February 2007) and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts(1970–February 2007) databases, using the key words tigecycline, glycylcycline, complicated skin and skin structure infections (cSSSI), complicated intraabdominal infections (cIAI), and in vitro. Additional articles for this review were identified by reviewing the bibliographies of articles cited. The package insert was also used as a reference.STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION:In vitro, clinical, and pharmacokinetic studies evaluating tigecycline's safety and efficacy were selected.DATA SYNTHESIS:A tigecycline 100 mg intravenous loading dose followed by an intravenous infusion of 50 mg every 12 hours was shown in clinical trials to be as effective as comparator antibiotics in treating cSSSI and cIAI. Tigecycline has a broad spectrum of activity that includes many resistant bacteria with few treatment options, such as...
Technique for Screening 2n Combinations of Nutritional Requirements

An auxanographic technique is described, which makes it possible to screen 2 n combinations of nutrients on relatively few agar plates. Images
Exposure to Violent Crime During Incarceration: Effects on Psychological Adjustment Following Release

In this study, formerly incarcerated violent (n = 38) and nonviolent (n = 86) offenders were assessed for their experiences as witnesses to or victims of violent crime during incarceration as well as outside of the prison or jail setting. Participants also provided information on several indicators of their current psychological adjustment. Analyses showed that, after controlling the effects of exposure to violence outside of the prison setting as well as a number of demographic factors, encounters with violence during incarceration were significantly related to aggressive and antisocial behavioral tendencies as well as emotional distress. In general, individuals who were witnesses, as well as victims, of violent crime showed the poorest adjustment post-release. These effects were not modified by violent offender status or by time since release from incarceration. The findings presented here underscore important new directions for research on the effects of exposure to violence.
Energetics of Contraction in Phasic and Tonic Skeletal Muscles of the Chicken

Comparative energetics of chicken latissimus dorsi muscles, tonic anterior (ALD) and phasic posterior (PLD), were investigated by measuring initial heat production. Heat components were analyzed in terms of the equation: E = A + W + apr(EL) + f(P, t) As the muscles were stretched by increments, heat produced in isometric twitches and tetani decreased in a linear fashion. Two processes are involved: one tension independent, the activation heat, or A; and the other tension de- pendent, Wi + ap(ZL) + f(P, t). In twitches, A, per unit tension, is equivalent in the PLD and ALD. Tension-dependent heat, per unit tension, is greater in the PLD due to Wi; but tension-time-related heat, f(P, t), per unit tension, is similar in both muscles. In tetanic contractions, differences in A and f(P, t), per unit tension, are attributed to the greater V,. in the PLD. The differences in the energetics of isometric contractions in the PLD and ALD, therefore, can be explained by inherent differences in tension development, compliance, and myosin and reticular ATPase activities. Data from isotonic twitches were quan- tified by means of the equivalent tension technique. Both muscles exhibited an extra heat associated with shortening, aFp(L). In the PLD, the ratio a/Pot is greater; it is load independent and 12 the value of al/P in both muscles. En- thalpy efficiency, W. + Wil/E, is comparable in both muscles. A Fenn effect is observed only when isotonic energy liberation is compared to a decreasing isometric energy expenditure base line.
Using general-purpose programming languages for FPGA design

General-purpose programming languages (GPL) are effective vehicles for FPGA design because they are easy to use, extensible, widely available, and can be used to describe both the hardware and software aspects of a design. The strengths of the GPL approach to circuit design have been demonstrated by JHDL, a Java-based circuit design environment used to develop several large FPGA-based applications at several institutions. Major strengths of the JHDL environment include a common run-time for both simulation and hardware execution, and the overall extensibility of the parent Java environment. The common run-time environment means that all validation and support software (testbenches, application-specific interfaces, graphical user interfaces, etc.) can be used without modification with the built-in simulator or with the executing application as it runs in hardware. Extensibility also plays a big role because designers can easily add new capability to the environment by writing additional tools in the parent language, Java, using the wide variety of available libraries. This paper gives a brief introduction to JHDL syntax and demonstrates its features with an end-to-end application example.
A bitten skull of Tylosaurus kansasensis (Squamata: Mosasauridae) and a review of mosasaur-on-mosasaur pathology in the fossil record

Abstract Aside from large sharks such as Cretoxyrhina mantelli, there are no other marine species known from the Late Cretaceous which could challenge the role of mosasaurs as apex predators. From the evidence of the injuries observed on mosasaur remains, however, it is likely that they occasionally fought with or were attacked by other mosasaurs. Sometimes the injuries incurred in this combat were non-fatal and show evidence of healing prior to the death of the mosasaur, while in other instances, the injuries were apparently fatal. The well-preserved skull and lower jaws of the holotype specimen of Tylosaurus kansasensis (FHSM VP-2295) in the collection of the Stemberg Museum of Natural History exhibit readily visible punctures and gouges on the frontal, left prefrontal, right dentary and right articular that are attributable to the bite of a larger mosasaur. These deep and unhealed bite marks on the skull, as well as a possible broken neck, suggest that this individual died from injuries received when i...
Compiler-based I/O prefetching for out-of-core applications

Current operating systems offer poor performance when a numeric application's working set does not fit in main memory. As a result, programmers who wish to solve “out-of-core” problems efficiently are typically faced with the onerous task of rewriting an application to use explicit I/O operations (e.g., read/write). In this paper, we propose and evaluate a fully automatic technique which liberates the programmer from this task, provides high performance, and requires only minimal changes to current operating systems. In our scheme the compiler provides the crucial information on future access patterns without burdening the programmer; the operating system supports nonbinding prefetch and release hints for managing I/O; and the operating systems cooperates with a run-time layer to accelerate performance by adapting to dynamic behavior and minimizing prefetch overhead. This approach maintains the abstraction of unlimited virtual memory for the programmer, gives the compiler the flexibility to aggressively insert prefetches ahead of references, and gives the operating system the flexibility to arbitrate between the competing resource demands of multiple applications. We implemented our compiler analysis within the SUIF compiler, and used it to target implementations of our run-time and OS support on both research and commercial systems (Hurricane and IRIX 6.5, respectively). Our experimental results show large performance gains for out-of-core scientific applications on both systems: more than 50% of the I/O stall time has been eliminated in most cases, thus translating into overall speedups of roughly twofold in many cases.
Altered neurophysiologic response to intermittent theta burst stimulation in Tourette syndrome

Background The motor system in Tourette syndrome has been found to be abnormal in previous fine-motor and neurophysiologic studies. Objective This novel pilot study uses repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation as a method to characterize the neurophysiology of the motor system in Tourette syndrome. Method We investigated the modulation of cortical excitability in adult Tourette syndrome patients by measuring motor-evoked potential amplitudes before and after applying intermittent theta burst transcranial magnetic stimulation. Results Motor-evoked potential amplitude changes over 1 and 10 minutes after intermittent theta burst transcranial magnetic stimulation were greater in 11 healthy controls than 10 adult patients with Tourette syndrome ( P = 0.004). Conclusions This altered neurophysiologic response to intermittent theta burst stimulation may contribute to the understanding of motor cortical mechanisms in Tourette syndrome.
Using quality-improvement methods to reduce variation in surfactant administration

Background Respiratory distress syndrome and chronic lung disease are prevalent disorders in extremely low-birth-weight infants. Evidence demonstrates that timely surfactant administration improves respiratory outcomes. Objective To assess whether basic quality-improvement methods can reduce the time to initial surfactant dose for premature infants. Design/methods The study was conducted in a 48-bed neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) within a midsize academic centre. The authors included infants less than 27 weeks born from May 2007 to November 2007. Prior to the intervention, we obtained baseline data on the timing of initial surfactant dose. The intervention was designed using a series of Plan–Do–Study–Act cycles. The authors changed the process of surfactant administration to include administration of surfactant in the delivery room and a respiratory therapist on the delivery room team. The primary outcome measures were percentage of eligible infants who received surfactant in the delivery room and minutes after delivery at which the initial dose of surfactant was administered. Results After the authors changed the surfactant administration process, 20/21 (95%) of eligible infants received surfactant in the delivery room. The authors decreased the time after delivery of initial surfactant dose from a mean of 26 min to 10.2 min (p=0.0004). The variation in timing of the initial surfactant dose also decreased. Conclusions The authors demonstrated that quality-improvement methods can be used to improve the timeliness and reduce variation in timing of surfactant administration within a NICU. Future studies should assess whether these results can be replicated in a variety of NICU settings.
Design of sampling plans for small isolated lots

Abstract The University of Dayton, School of Engineering, has developed a series of interactive computer programs that solve most of the traditional and many special quality control problems. This paper shows practical applications for six of these programs (SS.OC, SS.OC.1, SS.OC.2, SS.OC.5, SS.2POINT, and SS.2P.HYPERG). Since each program is written in FORTRAN IV and is as computer-independent as possible, each is easily compilable on most companies' computers. Further, since all programs are interactive, they may be used by any quality control person who has access to a teletype terminal. The paper discusses how to design and evaluate sampling plans for special conditions not covered in standard sampling schemes such as MIL-STD-105D. Actual examples are given, showing step-by-step procedures to design and/or evaluate sampling plans that meet defined producer and consumer risks for isolated small lots, as well as the condition covered by MIL-STD-105D, i.e. lots being received as a steady stream from a given supplier.
Myocardial infarction in progressive muscular dystrophy

Abstract The case of a 26 year old man with progressive muscular dystrophy and an acute myocardial infarction has been presented. Involvement of the myocardium by muscular dystrophic process has been briefly reviewed, and the rare occurrence of myocardial infarction in progressive muscular dystrophy has been emphasized.
Triangulation Across Methodologies: All Signs Point to Persistent Stereotyping and Discrimination in Organizations

Landy (2008) claims that (a) field-based evidence of discrimination is scarce and (b) laboratory-based research is ‘‘largely useless’’ (p. 379) for understanding real-world organizational contexts. He therefore concludes that we lack sufficient evidence that stereotyping and discrimination influence organizational decision making. We strongly disagree with Landy’s conclusion and show that a large, multimethod, multidisciplinary body of research documents persistent discrimination in organizations. We counter Landy’s first claim by providing several examples of field-based research that document discrimination in real-world organizational contexts but were overlooked entirely by Landy. We then counter Landy’s assertion that laboratory findings do not generalize by highlighting the imperfect assumption upon which Landy bases this claim. We conclude that triangulated evidence—spanning both laboratory and field settings—documents the unfortunate reality that discrimination is alive and well in organizations.
Radium geochemistry of ground waters in Paleozoic carbonate aquifers, midcontinent, USA

The purpose of this study was to elucidate the processes controlling the distribution and behavior of the longerlived Ra isotopes in continuous Paleozoic carbonate aquifers of parts of Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Activities of ( 228 Ra) and ( 226 Ra) were analyzed in fresh and saline ground waters, brines, and rocks. The fluids have a wide salinity range (200‐250,000 mg l ˇ1 total dissolved solids). The ( 226 Ra) activity ranges from 0.66‐7660 dpm kg ˇ1 and correlates with salinity and other alkaline earth element (Ca, Sr, and Ba) concentrations. The range of ( 228 Ra: 226 Ra) ratios in the fluids (0.06‐1.48) is similar to that in the aquifer rocks (0.21‐1.53). The relatively low mean fluid ( 228 Ra: 226 Ra) ratio (0.30) reflects the low Th:U ratio of the predominant carbonate aquifer rock. Radium occurs mostly (r77%) as Ra 2+ species in the fluids. Salinity-dependent sorption‐desorption processes (with log K values from 10 0 ‐10 4 and negatively correlated with salinity), involving Th-enriched surface coatings on aquifer flow channels, can explain the rapid solid‐fluid transfer of Ra isotopes in the system and the correlation of Ra with
Yukawa hierarchies from split fermions in extra dimensions

The authors explore a mechanism for generating the Yukawa hierarchies by displacing the left- and right-handed components of the Standard Model fermions in a higher-dimensional space. The authors find a unique configuration of displacements which fits all quark and lepton masses and mixing angles, with a prediction for the strange quark mass m{sub s}{sup MSbar} (2 GeV) about equal to (1.19) x (V{sub ub}V{sub cb}/V{sub us}){sup 1/2} x m{sub b}{sup MSbar}(m{sub mb}) about equal to 120 MeV.
A framework for using action technologies

This chapter summarizes this volume and suggests points of comparison among the different action technologies, discusses issues of validity among action technologies, and offers a number of implications for adult and continuing education practitioners regarding the use of action technologies.
Tests for finding complex patterns of differential expression in cancers: towards individualized medicine

Microarray studies in cancer compare expression levels between two or more sample groups on thousands of genes. Data analysis follows a population-level approach (e.g., comparison of sample means) to identify differentially expressed genes. This leads to the discovery of 'population-level' markers, i.e., genes with the expression patterns A > B and B > A. We introduce the PPST test that identifies genes where a significantly large subset of cases exhibit expression values beyond upper and lower thresholds observed in the control samples. Interestingly, the test identifies A > B and B < A pattern genes that are missed by population-level approaches, such as the t-test, and many genes that exhibit both significant overexpression and significant underexpression in statistically significantly large subsets of cancer patients (ABA pattern genes). These patterns tend to show distributions that are unique to individual genes, and are aptly visualized in a 'gene expression pattern grid'. The low degree of among-gene correlations in these genes suggests unique underlying genomic pathologies and high degree of unique tumor-specific differential expression. We compare the PPST and the ABA test to the parametric and non-parametric t-test by analyzing two independently published data sets from studies of progression in astrocytoma. The PPST test resulted findings similar to the nonparametric t-test with higher self-consistency. These tests and the gene expression pattern grid may be useful for the identification of therapeutic targets and diagnostic or prognostic markers that are present only in subsets of cancer patients, and provide a more complete portrait of differential expression in cancer.
Three New Species of CARINISPHINDUS McHugh(Coleoptera: Sphindidae) from Bahamas, Florida and Puerto Rico

Abstract Three new species of Carinisphindus McHugh are described: Carinisphindus geminus, new species, the first species of Sphindidae reported from Puerto Rico; Carinisphindus skotios, new species, the first species of Sphindidae reported from Bahamas; and Carinisphindus purpuricephalus, new species, from Florida, the first North American representative of the genus. A revised key to the species of Carinisphindus is provided.
Ganzheitliches Controlling der Markenführung in der Konsumgüterindustrie

Marken stellen zweifellos den derzeit wichtigsten unternehmerischen Erfolgsfaktor dar. Hinweise darauf geben die Unternehmensbefragungen von PricewaterhouseCoopers/Sattler und der GfK, deren zu Folge der Vermogensgegenstand „Marke“ im Durchschnitt rund 50 % des Gesamtunternehmenswertes ausmacht.
The Cognitive Costs of Context: The Effects of Concreteness and Immersiveness in Instructional Examples

Prior research has established that while the use of concrete, familiar examples can provide many important benefits for learning, it is also associated with some serious disadvantages, particularly in learners’ ability to recognize and transfer their knowledge to new analogous situations. However, it is not immediately clear whether this pattern would hold in real world educational contexts, in which the role of such examples in student engagement and ease of processing might be of enough importance to overshadow any potential negative impact. We conducted two experiments in which curriculum-relevant material was presented in natural classroom environments, first with college undergraduates and then with middle-school students. All students in each study received the same relevant content, but the degree of contextualization in these materials was varied between students. In both studies, we found that greater contextualization was associated with poorer transfer performance. We interpret these results as reflecting a greater degree of embeddedness for the knowledge acquired from richer, more concrete materials, such that the underlying principles are represented in a less abstract and generalizable form.
Arbitrage and Equilibrium Foundations of the Duration Risk Measure

This paper provides arbitrage and equilibrium foundations of the traditional duration risk measure (see Macaulay [1938] and Hicks [1939]), by relating it to the Heath, Jarrow and Morton (HJM) [1992] term structure theory and Merton's intertemporal CAPM [1973]. Under the new approach the duration model is shown to be consistent with a subset of arbitrage-free forward rate processes of HJM, some of which preclude the occurrence of negative interest rates by allowing interest rate level dependent volatilities. Conditions are derived under which the convexity risk measure may or may not be priced. Finally, we demonstrate that when Merton's [1973] ICAPM is identified with the above HJM [1992] forward rate processes, the appropriate equilibrium measure of the systematic risk of a default-free security is its duration, and not its bondbeta as derived by Jarrow [1978], and others, under more restrictive assumptions. This paper addresses all of the arbitrage-based and equilibrium-based criticisms of the duration risk measure given by Ingersoll [1978], Sharpe [1983], and others.
Kink in the Logistics Supply Chain: Interorganizational Relations in the Port Economy

The intermodal logistics supply chain is designed to move goods from the point of production to the point of consumption as quickly and as cheaply as possible. The ability to accomplish this objective has allowed for the wholesale geographic relocation and offshoring of basic manufacturing and assembly. As a chain of linked and integrated organizations characterized by sequential interdependence, interorganizational relations play a key role in determining the level of integration and seamlessness. Yet there is one critical interorganizational link in the chain that deviates from this vision. This is the relationship between the shipping container terminal and drayage trucking operations which is better described as a form of intermodal disintegration. The weakness in this link of the supply-chain is explained by the divergent industrial structures and labor market conditions, the unique nature of the transaction, and the externalization of costs to subordinate workers.
Practitioners' Voices: Group Supervisors Reflect on Their Practice

Four focus groups were structured to give voice to group supervisors' reflections on their practice of supervising agency-based professionals and graduates preparing for licensure. Data were collected in two Midwest states and at an international conference from 25 participants, primarily social workers, from a variety of social service settings. Supervisors reported learning their group supervision skills “by the seat of the pants” and reported individual and professional development benefits for supervisors and supervisees, contributions to improved client services, and challenges in balancing the role of supervisor with that of group leader. Participants recommended clear contracts for group supervision and more training in group process and leadership, which suggested implications for education and further research.
Sensitivity to sensorimotor gating-disruptive effects of apomorphine in two outbred parental rat strains and their F1 and N2 progeny.

Sensorimotor gating, measured by prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle reflex, is reduced in schizophrenia patients and in rats treated with dopamine agonists. Strain and substrain differences in the sensitivity to the PPI-disruptive effects of dopamine agonists may provide insight into the genetic basis for human population differences in sensorimotor gating. We have reported greater sensitivity to the PPI-disruptive effects of the D1/D2 agonist apomorphine in Harlan Sprague–Dawley (SDH) vs Wistar (WH) rats. In the present study, we assessed the inheritance pattern of this phenotypic difference. Sensitivity to the PPI-disruptive effects of apomorphine was compared across parental SDH and WH strains, offspring (F1) of an SDH×WH cross, and subsequent offspring (N2) of an SDH×F1 cross. Apomorphine sensitivity followed a gradient of SDH>N2>F1>WH. Parental SDH and WH strains exhibited comparable sensitivity to the PPI-disruptive effects of phencyclidine. The nature of this gradient of APO sensitivity suggests relatively simple additive effects of multiple genes on the phenotype of PPI sensitivity.
Opinion Survey to Reduce Uncertainty in Public and Stakeholder Perception of Unmanned Aircraft

Although providing significant benefits compared with manned aircraft or ground systems, unmanned aircraft also introduce costs and risks. Because of the rapidly increasing number of unmanned aircraft operating in the United States, the air transportation community must develop a framework for maximizing the benefits and minimizing the costs and risks. Public opinion will inevitably shape this framework, but that community’s perception of how the public perceives unmanned aircraft is considerably uncertain. Thus, in this investigation, an opinion survey was administered to assess participants’ knowledge, attitude, and practices about unmanned aircraft. The survey was taken by 400 individuals representing the general public and 135 individuals representing key stakeholder groups. The survey responses illustrate the complexity of stakeholders’ and the general public’s opinions about unmanned aircraft. Most respondents reported that their support or opposition to unmanned aircraft is conditional. Risks, appl...
Epidemiological analysis of human rabies in Nanjing City from 2005-2012

[Objective]To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and epidemic trends of human rabies in Nanjing City from2005-2012,provide the scientific basis for prevention and control of human rabies.[Methods]Descriptive epidemiological method was applied to analyze the data of human rabies in Nanjing City.[Results]A total of 22 human rabies cases were reported in Nanjing City from 2005-2010,the average annual incidence rates were between 0.012 /lakh and 0.08 /lakh,and the fatality rate was100%.All cases occurred in suburbs(counties),and the incidence rates in Jiangning,Luhe and Pukou were the highest,with 16cases(72.73%).Most patients were people aged 50-70 years old,which were 11 cases(50.00%).72.73% of cases were farmers and migrant workers,and male to female ratio was 2.14∶ 1.[Conclusion]Although the incidence rate of rabies in Nanjing City has declined in recent years,the fatality rate is still 100%.Therefore,it is vital to strengthen the control and prevention of rabies,especially in rural areas.
Fatty acid composition of human plasma lipoprotein fractions.

Serial samples of plasma were obtained from two fasting normal adult men who had consumed a diet with a slightly reduced fat content for 1 week previously. Three lipoprotein fractions were collected from each sample by ultracentrifugation at densities of 1.019, 1.063, and 1.21. The fatty acid distribution of cholesterol esters, triglycerides, and phospholipids of each lipoprotein fraction was determined. The fatty acid compositions of corresponding lipid classes were very similar in the three lipoprotein fractions in each subject, although small but distinct differences did exist. Linoleic acid predominated in the cholesterol esters, oleic acid in the triglycerides, and palmitic acid was the major fatty acid in the phospholipids. The results suggest that in the postabsorptive state each lipid class originates from the same source in all three lipoproteins.
Intermediate time scale response of atmospheric CO2 following prescribed fire in a longleaf pine forest

Fire plays an essential role in maintaining the structure and function of longleaf pine ecosystems. While the effects of fire on carbon cycle have been measured in previous studies for short periods during a burn and for multi-year periods following the burn, information on how carbon cycle is influenced by such changes over the span of a few weeks to months has yet to be quantified. We have analyzed high-frequency measurements of CO2 concentration and flux, as well as associated micrometeorological variables, at three levels of the tall Aiken AmeriFlux tower during and after a prescribed burn. Measurements of the CO2 concentration and vertical fluxes were examined as well as calculated net ecosystem exchange (NEE) for periods prior to and after the burn. Large spikes in both CO2 concentration and CO2 flux during the fire and increases in atmospheric CO2 concentration and reduced CO2 flux were observed for several weeks following the burn, particularly below the forest canopy. Both CO2 measurements and NEE were found to return to their pre-burn states within 60-90 days following the burn when no statistical significance was found between pre-burn and post-burn NEE. This study examines the micrometeorological conditions during a low-intensity prescribed burn and its short-term effects on local CO2 dynamics in a forested environment by identifying observable impacts on local measurements of atmospheric CO2 concentration and fluxes.
Emotional Stress and Tako-Tsubo Cardiomyopathy: Observations on 2 Distinct Clinical Phenotypes

Background Tako-tsubo syndrome is a transient cardiomyopathy usually precipitated by an acute emotional or physiological stress. Our study objectives were to review and analyze the impact of emotional stress on clinical variables, echocardiographic characteristics, and short-term outcomes in patients with tako-tsubo syndrome. Methods Retrospective chart review. Results Eleven patients presented with tako-tsubo syndrome (1 man and 10 women) during the 8-year period (January 2000 to January 2008). The patients were split into 2 groups, defined by presenting either after emotional stress (6/11, 54.5%) or after idiopathic/physical stress (5/11, 45.5%). The mean age was 53.8 (12.6) years. The mean peak troponin T level was 0.54 ng/mL (range, 0.03-2.06 ng/mL), and the mean left ventricular end-diastolic pressure was 15.8 (8.1) mm Hg. Emotional stress was associated with younger age (P = 0.024), a lower left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (P Conclusions We conclude that clinical, echocardiographic, and outcome characteristics can differentiate tako-tsubo patients presenting with emotional stress from those with idiopathic/physical stress into 2 distinct clinical phenotypes. Clinicians should monitor idiopathic/physically stressed tako-tsubo patients carefully for hemodynamic compromise.
Realistic phantoms to characterize dosimetry in pediatric CT.

The estimation of organ doses and effective doses for children receiving CT examinations is of high interest. Newer, more realistic anthropomorphic body models can provide information on individual organ doses and improved estimates of effective dose. Previously developed body models representing 50th-percentile individuals at reference ages (newborn, 1, 5, 10 and 15 years) were modified to represent 10th, 25th, 75th and 90th height percentiles for both genders and an expanded range of ages (3, 8 and 13 years). We calculated doses for 80 pediatric reference phantoms from simulated chest-abdomen-pelvis exams on a model of a Philips Brilliance 64 CT scanner. Individual organ and effective doses were normalized to dose-length product (DLP) and fit as a function of body diameter. We calculated organ and effective doses for 80 reference phantoms and plotted them against body diameter. The data were well fit with an exponential function. We found DLP-normalized organ dose to correlate strongly with body diameter (R2>0.95 for most organs). Similarly, we found a very strong correlation with body diameter for DLP-normalized effective dose (R2>0.99). Our results were compared to other studies and we found average agreement of approximately 10%. We provide organ and effective doses for a total of 80 reference phantoms representing normal-stature children ranging in age and body size. This information will be valuable in replacing the types of vendor-reported doses available. These data will also permit the recording and tracking of individual patient doses. Moreover, this comprehensive dose database will facilitate patient matching and the ability to predict patient-individualized dose prior to examination.
Interaction of chronic food restriction and methylphenidate in sensation seeking of rats

It is necessary to understand better how chronic food restriction (CFR) and psychostimulant drugs interact in motivated behavior unrelated to food or energy homeostasis. We examined whether CFR augments methylphenidate (MPH)-potentiated responding reinforced by visual sensation (VS) and whether repeated MPH injections or prolonged CFR further augments such responses. Before starting the following experiments, rats on a CFR diet received a limited daily ration in such a way that their body weights decreased to 85–90% of their original weights over 2 weeks. In experiment 1, rats on CFR and ad libitum diet received four injections of varying MPH doses (0, 2.5, 5, and 10 mg/kg). In experiment 2, CFR and ad libitum groups received repeated injections of MPH (2.5 mg/kg). In experiment 3, half of CFR rats received repeated injections of MPH (2.5 mg/kg), and the other half received saline, and following a 7-day abstinence, they all received the 2.5-mg/kg dose of MPH. CFR rats increased VS-reinforced responding more than ad libitum rats when they received MPH. Repeated injections of MPH with prolonged CFR further increased VS-reinforced responding. We found a double dissociation where prolonged CFR (3 vs. 6 weeks) made VS-reinforced responding, but not locomotor activity, more responsive to MPH, whereas repeated MPH injections made locomotor activity, but not VS-reinforced responding, more responsive to MPH. CFR markedly potentiates effects of MPH on VS-reinforced responding. The present study demonstrates that the longer CFR continues, the greater psychostimulant drugs augment behavioral interaction with salient stimuli.
Treatment patterns of children with spine and spinal cord tumors: national outcomes and review of the literature

Tumors of the spine in children are rare, and further clinical description is necessary. This study investigated epidemiology, interventions, and outcomes of pediatric patients with spine and spinal cord tumors. The National Inpatient Sample and Kids’ Inpatient Database were used for the study. Outcomes were studied, and bivariate significant trends were analyzed in a multivariate setting. Analysis of 2870 patients between 2000 and 2009 found a median age of diagnosis of 11 years (Tables 1 and 2). Most were white (65.2%) and had private insurance (62.3%), and 46.8% of procedures were emergent operations. Treatment occurred at teaching (93.6%) and non-children’s hospitals (81.1%). Overall mortality rate was 1.7%, non-routine discharges occurred at a rate 19.9%, complications at 21.1%, and average total charges were $66,087. A majority of patients (87.5%) had no intervention, and of those patients receiving treatment, 78.2% underwent surgery and 23.1% had radiotherapy. Treatment with surgery alone increased significantly over time (p < 0.0001). Odds ratio (OR) of mortality was significantly higher in 2006 (OR 3.5) and 2009 (OR 2.6) when compared to 2000. Complications (OR 7.9) and disease comorbidities (OR 1.5) were associated with significantly increased odds of mortality. Hospital characteristics, length of stay, and charges remained relatively unchanged. In recent years, there has been a decreasing incidence of spine and spinal cord tumors in children. Notably, a higher mortality rate is evident over time in addition to an increase in the proportion of patients undergoing surgery. The high percentage of emergent operations suggests a weak recognition of spine tumors in children and should prompt a call for increased awareness of this cancer. In spite of these findings, lack of tumor type identification was a limitation to this study.
Exploring the utilization of end-of-life documentation among an online sample of sexual- and gender-minority individuals in the United States

ABSTRACTLesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) persons often receive end-of-life care incongruent with wishes. Evidence with heterosexual samples supports associations among end-of-life documentation (do not resuscitate [DNR] orders, durable power of attorney for health care orders [DPOAH], living wills [LW]), and care consistent with wishes. However, little is known about the knowledge, attitudes, and willingness regarding utilization of these documents among LGBTQ persons. Of 107 participants, most had heard of each document (95% DNR, 91% DPOAH, 97% LW), but had not procured them (26% DNR, 50% DPOAH, 51% LW). Answers above 4 on a 5-point Likert scale indicated willingness to pursue these documents and belief documents would be enforced. However, approximately one-third of respondents believed documents would be enforced more for heterosexual persons than themselves. This result indicates sexuality or gender minority-related stigma may be a barrier to document utilization. Future research...
A new species of Choerophryne (Anura: Microhylidae) from Papua New Guinea

Abstract I describe a new species of small microhylid frog from the southern versant of New Guinea that is characterized by its long and narrow proboscis, relatively large size and long legs, narrow discs on all fingers, hidden tympanum, and details of color pattern. This represents the twelfth species of long-snouted Choerophryne known and the third from the southern versant of the island's Central Dividing Range. It is only known from a single specimen, so phylogenetic and biogeographic relationships remain unassessed.
Inhaled Nitric Oxide for Preterm Infants: What Can Change Our Practice?

* Abbreviations: iNO — : inhaled nitric oxide PPHN — : persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn Although little evidence of effect is provided in trials and meta-analyses,1,2 the use of inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) in preterm infants with hypoxemic respiratory failure persists.3 This persistent and increasing use of iNO has occurred despite the publication of the National Institutes of Health Consensus Statement and the report from the American Academy of Pediatrics; in both of these, the authors conclude that the evidence does not support the use of iNO in preterm infants with respiratory failure.4,5 Despite these cautionary guideline statements, almost half of newborn patients administered iNO in the United States are preterm infants.3 Finer and Evans6 argue that this persistent use of iNO in preterm infants is not due to ignorance of the evidence; more likely explanations are that clinicians feel that the evidence is not generalizable to a particular clinical situation or that, despite the evidence, the instinct to attempt to normalize … Address correspondence to Roger F. Soll, MD, Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Division, University of Vermont Medical Center, Smith 551, 111 Colchester Ave, Burlington, VT 05401. E-mail: roger.soll{at}uvmhealth.org
Clinical agreement in the American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification

The American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status (ASA-PS) classification is not intended to predict risk, but increasing ASA-PS class has been associated with increased perioperative mortality. The ASA-PS class is being used by many institutions to identify patients that may require further workup or exams preoperatively. Studies regarding the ASA-PS classification system show significant variability in class assignment by anesthesiologists as well as providers of different specialties when provided with short clinical scenarios. Discrepancies in the ASA-PS accuracy have the potential to lead to unnecessary testing and cancelation of surgical procedures. Our study aimed to determine whether these differences in ASA-PS classification were present when actual patients were evaluated rather than previously published scenario-based studies. A retrospective chart review was completed for patients >/= 65 years of age undergoing elective total hip or total knee replacements. One hundred seventy-seven records were reviewed of which 101 records had the necessary data. The outcome measures noted were the ASA-PS classification assigned by the internal medicine clinic provider, the ASA-PS classification assigned by the Pre-Anesthesia Unit (PAU) clinic provider, and the ASA-PS classification assigned on the day of surgery (DOS) by the anesthesia provider conducting the anesthetic care. A statistically significant difference was shown between the internal medicine and the PAU preoperative ASA-PS designation as well as between the internal medicine and DOS designation (McNemar p = 0.034 and p = 0.025). Low kappa values were obtained confirming the inter-observer variation in the application of the ASA-PS classification of patients by providers of different specialties [Kappa of 0.170 (− 0.001, 0.340) and 0.156 (− 0.015, 0.327)]. There was disagreement in the ASA-PS class designation between two providers of different specialties when evaluating the same patients with access to full medical records. When the anesthesia-run PAU and the anesthesia assigned DOS ASA-PS class designations were evaluated, there was agreement. This agreement was seen between anesthesia providers regardless of education or training level. The difference in the application of the ASA-PS classification in our study appeared to be reflective of department membership and not reflective of the individual provider’s level of training.
Influence of Bilateral Plugs of Pairs of Semicircular Canals on Optokinetic and Vestibuloocular Reflexes

The participation of the vestibular nuclei in the control of reflexive eye movements is emphasized by the physiologically demonstrated convergence of vestibular, neck proprioceptive and visual information onto secondary neurons (Henn et al, 1974; Keller, Daniels, 1975; Rubin et al, 1977). This sensory convergence is also reflected in the deficits in reflexive eye movements caused by damage to the vestibular apparatus. Bilateral labyrinthectomies and neurectomies not only abolish vestibuloocular reflexes, but also reduce the gain of optokinetic reflexes and shorten the duration of optokinetic after-nystagmus in cats (Capps, Roth, 1978), monkeys (Cohen et al, 1973), humans (Zee et al, 1976) and rabbits (Baarsma, Collewijn, 1974; Barmack et al, 1980; Collewijn, 1976). One possible explanation for the reduction in gain of the HOKR caused by bilateral labyrinthectomies is that the spontaneous activity of secondary vestibular neurons is reduced by the loss of spontaneous primary afferent input.