cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Carbon Nanotube Filled Conductive Adhesives for Aerospace Applications

Polymer matrix composites with multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWNT) filler improve the thermo-mechanical and electrical properties of the host material. The high electrical conductivity of MWNT induces a low percolation threshold in the polymer to produce electrically conductive epoxies at loadings of less than 10 wt% MWNT. Applications of these conductive adhesives address issues such as lead-free environmental legislation, metallic corrosion, tin whiskers, and lightweight electronic assemblies. MWNT filled adhesives are electrically comparable to lead-tin alloys commonly used for soldering and commercial metal filled electrically conductive adhesives. Aerospace applications also require increased strength to weigh ratio, heat dissipation and static charge dissipation. We are currently investigating the dependence of electrical and thermo-mechanical properties on loading, aspect ratio of the carbon nanotubes and various sources of carbon nanotubes. Measurements include DC resistivity, AC parameters, lap shear, laser flash thermal analysis, and volume resistivity. Commercially available isotropic conductive adhesives require up to 80 wt% metal filler to achieve minimum electrical resistivity, however the high loading content degrades the mechanical properties of the polymer matrix. Replacing the metal particles with MWNTs in ICA compositions has the potential benefits of being lead free, low process temperature, corrosion resistant, high electrical conductivity, high mechanical strength and lightweight. Preliminary results show that thermal diffusivity increases with MWNT loading compared to pure epoxy and mechanical strength is improved when compared with metal filled adhesives. Accelerated aging tests in 85C/85%RH are also underway to determine the reliability of the bonds. Carbon nanotubes filled epoxies are suitable for pressure dispensing, spin coating, stencil printing and extrusion for fabrication of structural and electronic assemblies.
Brunhes chron excursion/polarity episode recorded during the late pleistocene, Albuquerque Volcanoes, New Mexico, USA

SUMMARY All basaltic lava flows of the Albuquerque Volcanoes (lat.: 35.2"N, long.: 253.2"E), Albuquerque-Belen Basin, New Mexico, record a short excursion/polarity episode. K-Ar isotopic age determinations (weighted average: 155 f 47 ka) and evaluation of soil profiles on flow surfaces suggest the late Pleistocene (circa between 250 and 80 ka) as the time of extrusion. Results from 63 sites in a minimum of eight flows yield a mean direction of D = 101. lo, Z = -36. lo, ag5 = 1.2" (a;, = 0.7, a& = 1.2), k = 2219 (N = 8 flows) and a corresponding virtual geomagnetic pole position (VGP) of 354.1"E, 20.2"S, dp = 0.8", dm = 1.4" (A& = 0.5, = 1.4), and VGP angular standard deviation (ASD) = 1.8". The unusual magnetization in flows of the Albuquerque Volcanoes is carried by fine-grained [single-domain (SD) and/or pseudo-single-domain (PSD)] low-Ti magnetite and is apparently not a function of complex sub-solidus alteration of magnetic phases. Underlying baked soils contain a relatively low coercivity magnetization with directions comprising two groups. One is roughly antipodal to the lava remanence; the other intermediate between the lava remanence and present field direction. Because all flows yield statistically indistinguishable directions, a field directional path clearly cannot be defined. At the precision level of our age determinations, the Albuquerque feature may correlate with other short polarity episodes or excursions of late Pleistocene age (e.g., Blake or Jamaica). Though characteristically limited in directional morphology, well-dated polarity episodes (i.e. sub-chrons) and excursions recorded in volcanic rocks may provide information on the frequency of significant dynamo instabilities.
Cerebral Ischemia and the Developing Brain

The Princeton Conference has focused almost exclusively on cerebrovascular disease in the mature, or adult, brain. This session at the 25th Princeton Conference was quite unique in that the focus was on cerebral ischemia in the developing brain, ie, in both preterm and term infant. Hypoxic-ischemic injury to the developing brain is a major cause of acute mortality and chronic neurological morbidity in infants and children. Statistics suggest an incidence of systemic asphyxia in 2 to 4/1000 full-term births and an incidence …
Biochemical sensing with a polymer-based micromachined Fabry-Perot sensor.

A white-light source operated polymer-based micromachined Fabry-Perot biochemical sensor is reported. As a refractive-index sensitive optical sensor, its transducing signal varies upon the changes of the effective refractive index in the Fabry-Perot cavity. This sensor is fabricated from PDMS and glass. More specifically, this sensor is a micromachined Fabry-Perot interferometer (µFPI) and is fabricated by bonding a glass substrate and the soft-lithographically patterned PDMS. Several biochemicals have been detected with the µFPI biochemical sensors. Measurements show that rabbit IgG at a concentration of as low as 5 to 50 ng/ml can be detected even without any performance optimization of the devices.
Highly ionized plasma in the Large Magellanic Cloud: evidence for outflows and a possible galactic wind★

Based on an analysis of the interstellar highly ionized species C IV ,S iIV ,N V and O VI observed in the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) and Hubble Space Telescope/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (HST/STIS) E140M spectra of four hot stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), we find evidence for a hot LMC halo fed by energetic outflows from the LMC disc and even possibly an LMC galactic wind. Signatures for such outflows are the intermediate- and high-velocity components (vLSR 100 km s −1 ) relative to the LMC disc observed in the high- and low-ion absorption profiles. The stellar environments produce strong, narrow (T 2 × 10 4 K) components of C IV and Si IV associated with the LMC disc; in particular they are likely signatures of H II regions and expanding shells. Broad components are observed in the profiles of C IV ,S iIV and O VI with their widths implying hot, collisionally ionized gas at temperatures of a few times 10 5 K. There is a striking similarity in the O VI/C IV ratios for the broad LMC and high-velocity components, suggesting much of the material at vLSR 100 km s −1 is associated with the LMC. The velocity of the high-velocity component is large enough to escape altogether the LMC, polluting the intergalactic space between the LMC and the Milky Way. The observed high-ion ratios of the broad LMC and high-velocity components are consistent with those produced in conductive interfaces; such models are also favoured by the apparent kinematically coupling between the high and the weakly ionized
Influence of Feeding Practices on Behavior and Activity Level in Quarter Horse Mares

The horse is a grazing animal by nature and will forage 16-18 h per day if given the opportunity. However, today’s management practices often include restricted access to forage and feeding high amounts of concentrates in a limited number of meals throughout the day. Infrequent meals may lead to increases in stereotypic behaviors such as weaving and crib-biting. Therefore, to mimic the natural grazing patterns of the horse and decrease the incidence of stereotypic behavior, it may be beneficial to divide larger portions of the daily ration into smaller, more frequent meals. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of feeding an identical diet, with different meal frequencies and order of delivery, on behavior and activity level in horses during periods of confinement and turnout. Six Quarter Horse mares (7 ± 5 yr; 524 ± 87 kg) were used in a 6 x 6 Latin square design. Each horse received a similar quantity of feed per day (2.0% of BW of a mixed-grass hay and 0.5% of BW of a 12% CP pelleted concentrate) and was randomly assigned to one of six feeding protocols during the 7 d period: 1 meal/d (08:00) with grain fed first followed by hay 15 min later (1GH) or hay fed first followed by grain 15 min later (1HG), 2 meals/d (08:00 and 18:00) with grain fed first followed by hay 15 min later (2GH) or hay fed first followed by grain 15 min later (2HG), 3 meals/d (08:00, 13:00, and 18:00) with grain fed first followed by hay 15 min later (3GH) or hay fed first followed by grain 15 min later (3HG). Behaviors were observed each day before and after meal times (07:309:00, 12:30-14:00, and 17:30-19:00) using a scan sampling technique (6 scans/horse/5 min for 1.5 hr). Instantaneous scans (1 scan/horse/min for 2 h) were used to observe and record behaviors during daily turnout (9:30-11:30). Pedometers attached to the horse’s left front leg were used to determine activity by recording the number of footsteps taken. Horses fed more
Onset of convection in two layers of a binary liquid

We perform linear stability calculations for horizontal bilayers of a two-component fluid that can undergo a phase transformation, taking into account both buoyancy effects and thermocapillary effects in the presence of a vertical temperature gradient. Critical values for the applied temperature difference across the system that is necessary to produce instability are obtained by a linear stability analysis, using both numerical computations and small wavenumber approximations. Thermophysical properties are taken from the aluminum-indium monotectic system, which includes a liquid―liquid miscibility gap. In addition to buoyant and thermocapillary modes of instability, we find an oscillatory phase-change instability due to the combined effects of solute diffusion and fluid flow that persists at small wavenumbers. This mode is sensitive to the ratio of the layer depths, and for certain layer depths can occur for heating from either above or below.
CHANGES IN TURKEY INTESTINAL TRACT BACTERIA ASSOCIATED WITH DIETARY CHANGE FROM MONENSIN TO BACITRACIN, VIRGINIAMYCIN, OR BAMBERMYCIN

SUMMARY In a field trial involving commercial turkeys whose feed was changed at 77 d of age from one containing monensin to one containing bacitracin, the intestinal counts for total aerobic bacteria, enterobacteriaceae, lactobacilli, total anaerobic bacteria, and clostridia were similar at flock ages of 28 to 91 d. At 109 to 120 d, the numbers of lactobacilli and clostridia, but not of the other bacterial groups, were higher. In another trial, turkeys were maintained on feed with monensin until the age of 56 d. They were then given feed containing no antimicrobial, monensin as before, or a growth-promoting antibiotic: virginiamycin, bambermycin (Flavomycin), or bacitracin. Bacterial numbers in the intestinal contents of birds killed 1 d before and 1, 3, 7, or 16 d after the change varied with bacterial group, intestinal site, and time after feed change. These changes were transient and not widespread. The numbers for each bacterial group were similar in birds given feed containing the growth-promoting antibiotics.
Comment on "Wetland Sedimentation from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita"

Turner et al. (Reports, 20 October 2006, p. 449) measured sedimentation from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in coastal Louisiana and inferred that storm deposition overwhelms direct Mississippi River sediment input. However, their annualized hurricane deposition rate is overestimated, whereas riverine deposition is underestimated by at least an order of magnitude. Their numbers do not provide a credible basis for decisions about coastal restoration.
A DSP based laboratory system for exploring digital communication concepts

One problem with digital communication laboratories is the lack of flexibility. Current laboratories either use specialized equipment with little or no ability to change system parameters or extremely general equipment with limited modulation types and pulse shaping options. One solution to this problem is to use digital signal processing (DSP) techniques. DSP systems are extremely flexible and provide the ability to implement a wide range of modulation types and pulse shapes. By using complex baseband signal processing techniques and two channels of output, both one- and two-dimensional constellations can be generated. Combining the signal processing capabilities of a DSP system with a simple user interface implemented on a desktop computer provides an attractive, simple and flexible laboratory tool. This system allows the student to generate various modulation types and view the corresponding signal constellations and eye patterns on an oscilloscope. Modulated signals can be generated by connecting the system outputs to a quadrature modulator. The user interface allows the student to change the modulation type or the pulse shape with a single keystroke. This functionality provides a friendly user interface which encourages more experimentation and increases the value of the laboratory experience. This paper presents the system design and user interface. Problems encountered during the design and equipment selection criteria are discussed. Preliminary implementation results are presented.
Colonization and processing of leaf litter by macroinvertebrate shredders in streams of contrasting pH

SUMMARY 1 Leaf litter processing rates and macroinvertebrate shredder assemblages in leaf packs were compared in four streams on the Allegheny plateau in the central Appalachian Mountains, U.S.A.; these streams were characterized by different bedrock geology and streamwater pH. 2 Leaf litter processing rates were fastest in the neutral streams, slowest in the acidic stream, and intermediate in the most alkaline stream. 3 Slower processing rates in the acidic stream were associated with lower total shredder biomass, made up predominantly by small leuctrid and nemourid stoneflies. 4 The differences in processing rates between the more alkaline stream and the neutral streams were not associated with differences in shredder biomass, but appeared to be related to taxonomic differences in the shredder assembiages. Insects were dominant in the neutral streams, and amphipods were dominant in the more alkaline stream.
Pharmacodynamics of trovafloxacin and levofloxacin against Bacteroides fragilis in an in vitro pharmacodynamic model

An in vitro pharmacodynamic investigation was conducted to explore whether the area under the concentration time curve from 0 to 24 h (AUC0–24)/MIC ratio could predict fluoroquinolone performance against Bacteroides fragilis. An in vitro model was used to generate kill curves for trovafloxacin (TVA) and levofloxacin (LVX) at AUC0–24/MIC ratios of 1 to 406 against three strains of B. fragilis (ATCC 25285, ATCC 23745, and clinical isolate M97-117). TVA and LVX were bolused prior to the start of experiments to achieve the corresponding AUC0–24/MIC ratio. Experiments were performed in duplicate over 24 h and in an anaerobic environment. Analyses of antimicrobial performance were conducted by comparing the rates of bacterial kill (K) using nonlinear regression analysis with 95% confidence intervals. Statistical significance was defined as a lack of overlap in the 95% confidence limits generated from the slope of each kill curve. For both TVA and LVX, K was maximized once an AUC0–24/MIC ratio of ≥40 was achieved and was not further increased despite a 10-fold increase in AUC0–24/MIC from approximately 40 to 400 against all three strains of B. fragilis. No significant differences were found in K between AUC0–24/MIC ratios of approximately 40 to 200. In experiments where AUC0–24/MIC ratios that were ≥ 5 and ≤ 44 were conducted, 64% demonstrated regrowth at 24 h. Resistant strains were selected in 50% of those experiments, demonstrating regrowth, which resulted in increased MICs of two- to 16-fold for both TVA and LVX. Regrowth did not occur, nor were resistant strains selected in any studies with an AUC/MIC that was > 44. Our findings suggest that fluoroquinolones provide antibacterial effects against B. fragilis in a concentration-independent manner associated with an AUC0–24/MIC ratio of ≥40. Also, the potential for the selection of resistant strains of B. fragilis may increase with an AUC0–24/MIC ratio of ≤44.
Effects of Copper Source and Level on Intestinal Physiology and Growth of Broiler Chickens

Dietary copper sulfate (CuSO4) and tribasic copper chloride (TBCC) were examined for their effects on intestinal physiology and growth of broiler chickens. In 2 experiments (Experiments 1 and 2), day-old broiler chicks were fed 1 of 4 diets: a basal diet with no supplemental copper (Cu; negative control), a basal diet + 188 mg of Cu/kg of diet from TBCC or CuSO4, or a basal diet + subtherapeutic antibiotics (bacitracin and roxarsone; positive control). In Experiment 1 (recycled litter), CuSO4 and TBCC increased carcass weight (d 45 posthatch) compared with the negative control (P < 0.05 for each). In Experiment 2 (fresh litter), negative control and TBCC increased carcass weight (d 42 posthatch) compared with the positive control (P < 0.05 for each). At d 30 to 31 posthatch, intestinal histology was measured. In Experiment 1 (recycled litter), dietary TBCC, CuSO4, and positive control decreased the number of lamina propia lymphocytes or intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL), or both, compared with the negative control (P < 0.05). However, in Experiment 2 (fresh litter), TBCC and positive control increased the number of duodenum IEL compared with the negative control (P < 0.05), and negative control and TBCC increased the number of ileum IEL. These data demonstrate that broiler performance and intestinal physiology can be influenced by dietary Cu source and level as well as microbial environment (fresh vs. recycled litter).
Neonatal and Pediatric Organ Donation: Ethical Perspectives and Implications for Policy

The lifesaving processes of organ donation and transplantation in neonatology and pediatrics carry important ethical considerations. The medical community must balance the principles of autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, and justice to ensure the best interest of the potential donor and to provide equitable benefit to society. Accordingly, the US Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) has established procedures for the ethical allocation of organs depending on several donor-specific and recipient-specific factors. To maximize the availability of transplantable organs and opportunities for dying patients and families to donate, the US government has mandated that hospitals refer potential donors in a timely manner. Expedient investigation and diagnosis of brain death where applicable are also crucial, especially in neonates. Empowering trained individuals from organ procurement organizations to discuss organ donation with families has also increased rates of consent. Other efforts to increase organ supply include recovery from donors who die by circulatory criteria (DCDD) in addition to donation after brain death (DBD), and from neonates born with immediately lethal conditions such as anencephaly. Ethical considerations in DCDD compared to DBD include a potential conflict of interest between the dying patient and others who may benefit from the organs, and the precision of the declaration of death of the donor. Most clinicians and ethicists believe in the appropriateness of the Dead Donor Rule, which states that vital organs should only be recovered from people who have died. The medical community can maximize the interests of organ donors and recipients by observing the Dead Donor Rule and acknowledging the ethical considerations in organ donation.
Short Communication: Enhanced distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) has greater concentration of digestible and metabolizable energy than DDGS when fed to growing and finishing pigs

Soares, J. A., Singh, V., Stein, H. H., Srinavasan, R. and Pettigrew, J. E. 2011. SHORT COMMUNICATION: Enhanced distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) has greater concentration of digestible and metabolizable energy than DDGS when fed to growing and finishing pigs. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 91: 663–667. To better use distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) for non-ruminants, some of the fiber may be removed. The “elusieve” process removes approximately 10% of DDGS material, mostly fiber, yielding enhanced DDGS (E-DDGS). An experiment was conducted to compare the DE and ME in E-DDGS to those in DDGS when fed to growing and finishing pigs. Overall, E-DDGS has greater DE, ME and MEn than DDGS.
Violence and Absence

In several poems, Wordsworth considers the active representation of absence-- a stone circle, a zero, an “O the difference to me!”-- as a response to violence. Absent histories create our own involuntary misreadings, well-rehearsed in New Historicist debates surrounding Tintern Abbey, and Three Years She Grew, but present absences can heighten the descriptive violence as in a Hitchcock film where one only hears the scream as a camera cuts away, or as in Wordsworth’s lesser-known Alice Fell, wherein the violence reeked upon a girl is displaced onto surrounding objects making it at once more palatable and more subversive. This paper’s method is to consider Ovid, Wordsworth’s favorite poet as a young man, as a likely template for this trope. I show that certain of Wordsworth’s poems emerged as exercises in Ovidian imitation, and that he used the erasure of this poetic father to add darkness and suggestion to poems that are often misread as innocent.
Three models of group choice.

The notion of group responsibility has received some vary fruitful examination in recent years. But there still remains an important commonsense objection to this notion. Moral responsibility for an action is ordinarily linked to and held to depend upon the action's being the product of an act of choice on the part of the agent. The thrust of the objection here is that it is extremely difficult to understand how intentional acts like acts of choice can be properly attributed to a group. The notion of a group "consciousness" does not seem a very satisfactory resolution of this problem. In this paper I shall propose that there are actually three distinct processes, as well as many hybrid combinations of them there, by which groups "make choices." That is, when we look at the activities of groups, we discover three different kinds of analogues to the act of choice of the individual person. I shall be illustrating each of these models with examples of health care decisions. In addition, I shall also try to illustrate how the level of personal moral responsibility of each of the individuals making up the group, i.e., each one's responsibility for the group's action, can be seen to flow from the particular role that an individual plays within the process of "group choice" that is involved. In this way, I hope to shed light not only on the topics of group choice, group responsibility, and the interplay of personal and group responsibility, but also to show concretely the valuable role that these themes can play in our understanding of the moral elements of the health care setting.
GENETIC VARIABILITY WITHIN AND AMONG POPULATIONS OF THE BLACK-TAILED PRAIRIE DOG.

Genetic heterogeneity over short geographic distances has been observed for many populations of small mammals (house mice: Selander, 1970; deer mice: Wright, 1978; pocket gophers: Patton and Yang, 1977; Smith et al., 1978; Wright, 1978; Patton and Feder, 1981) as well as for large, highly mobile species such as the elephant (Osterhoff et al., 1974), moose (Ryman et al., 1977, 1980), red deer (Gyllensten et al., 1980), and white-tailed deer (Manlove et al., 1976; Chesser et al., 1982). For most studies of the genetic structure of populations the specific mechanisms of genetic differentiation have not been identified. To understand the causes of population subdivision more fully, comparison of genetic variability should be made among the breeding and/or social units, rather than arbitrarily selected samples. Allele frequency differences among observed social groups within populations have been documented for house mice (Selander, 1970), dark-eyed juncos (Baker and Fox, 1978), marmots (Schwartz and Armitage, 1980), and humans (Neel and Ward, 1972). The organization of populations into independent breeding units may have important effects on the shortterm evolution of populations (Wright, 1980) as well as on the maintenance of genetic polymorphisms (Chesser et al., 1980; Karlin and Campbell, 1980). The black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) is perhaps the most socially complex of any rodent species (King, 1955; Koford, 1958). Prairie dog populations are comprised of several small coteries (har-
Controlling the Reactivity of C60: A Theoretical Analysis of the Electronic States Modulated by Substitutional Chemistry

The availability of large amounts of Buckminsterfullerene has allowed a plethora of experimental investigations on fullerenes. The chemical and physical studies have focussed on synthesis, isomerism, magnetism, spectroscopy and high temperature superconductivity in doped materials. The chemical reactivities of fullerenes have been defined and most of the studies are dominated by CM isomers. Some of die observed activities of fullerene* parallel those of alkenes. In our previous studies, the reactivity of the 6-6’ bond with respect to «to- addition was described. Current studies have exploited the olefinic nature of the 6-6’ bond and analyzed the effect of the addition on-cluster stability and frontier character. In this work, we describe the mechanisms of simple substitution and analyze stability and orbital effects for die addition chemistry of C60 with multiple species. Evolving changes in orbital frontier character are analyzed widi respect to site directed chemistry exhibited by C60.
Leading From the Classroom and Beyond

AbstractThe authors' study reveals leadership opportunities fostered by National Board Certification in the areas of instructional leadership, association leadership, and policy leadership. Discover how this certification program yields these opportunities.
Parasitization by Patasson luna (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) of Alfalfa Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Eggs Laid in Green Alfalfa Stems and in Litter

A field experiment was conducted in southern Wisconsin during 1981 to investigate differential parasitization by Patasson luna (Girault) of alfalfa weevil, Hypera postica (Gyllenhal), eggs laid in green alfalfa stems and ground litter. Parasitization of weevil eggs laid in litter was higher than that of eggs laid in green stems throughout the period of major weevil oviposition activity (14 April through 27 May). Overall, 13.0% of eggs in green stems and 46.9% of eggs in litter were parasitized; adjusting for the proportion (27.3%) of weevil eggs deposited in ground litter, an estimated 22.4% of all eggs were parasitized. P. luna females encountered the same proportion of weevil egg clusters in green stems and litter, but on the average, parasitized a larger proportion of the eggs in litter clusters than in green stem clusters.
Decoding details of human functions using electrocorticography

Our laboratory integrates and advances scientific, engineering, and clinical concepts to innovate, develop and test new neurotechnologies and to apply them to basic and applied research. These multidisciplinary efforts span a variety of areas, including computational, cognitive, and systems neuroscience, signal processing, machine learning, statistics, computer science, and neurology/neurosurgery. Our vision is to revolutionize the way we can study the brain, and to develop important clinical tools for diagnosis or treatment of nervous system function.
Improvement of the thiocyanate in milk by ion chromatography method

Objective To enhance the sample pretreament method and chromatographic condition for improvement of the thiocyanate in milk by ion chromatography. Methods The proteins in milk were precipitated by heating sodium hydroxide solution.Thiocyanate was separated with AS14 anion exchange column, eluted with 3.5 mmol/L Na2CO3-1.0 mmol/L Na HCO3, and quantified with conductivity detector. Results The linearity range of this method was from 0.1 mg/L-2.00 mg/L. The regression equation was y=1.314×10-6x+0.024, r=0.9997. The detection limit was 0.8 mg/kg, with the precision of 1.5%-3.6%. The extraction recoveries with the method were 93.5%-101.6%. Conclusion This method is simple, rapid and sensitive. Besides, it is suitable to determine the thiocyanate in milk.
α2-Adrenoceptor-mediated presynaptic inhibition in bulbospinal neurons of rostral ventrolateral medulla

The rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) controls sympathetic tone via excitatory bulbospinal neurons. It is also the main target of α2-adrenoceptor (α2-AR) agonists used for treatment of hypertension. In this study, we examined the synaptic mechanisms by which α2-AR agonists may inhibit the activity of RVLM bulbospinal neurons. We recorded selectively from RVLM bulbospinal neurons in brain stem slices of neonate rats (P5–P21) using the patch-clamp technique (holding potential −70 mV). α2-ARs were activated by norepinephrine (NE, 30 μM) in the presence of the α1-adrenoceptor blocker prazosin. NE induced modest outward currents (5–28 pA) in 70% of the cells that were blocked by barium and by the α2-AR antagonist 2-methoxyidazoxan. The magnitude of this current was not correlated with the tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity of the neurons. Mono- and oligosynaptic excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) or monosynaptic inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) were evoked by focal electrical stimulation. I...
Health consumers and medical practitioners: is conflict inevitable?

Consumers are demanding—and getting—a stronger voice in decisions affecting health care delivery. Greater consumer participation and education should alleviate conflicts with medical practitioners arising from high medical costs, complexity of the health care system, and consumer militancy.
Cancer of unknown primary

Cancers of unknown primary (CUPs) are histologically confirmed, metastatic malignancies with a primary tumor site that is unidentifiable on the basis of standard evaluation and imaging studies. CUP comprises 2-5% of all diagnosed cancers worldwide and is characterized by early and aggressive metastasis. Current standard evaluation of CUP requires histopathologic evaluation and identification of favorable risk subtypes that can be more definitively treated or have superior outcomes. Current standard treatment of the unfavorable risk subtype requires assessment of prognosis and consideration of empiric chemotherapy. The use of molecular tissue of origin tests to identify the likely primary tumor site has been extensively studied, and here we review the rationale and the evidence for and against the use of such tests in the assessment of CUPs. The expanding use of next generation sequencing in advanced cancers offers the potential to identify a subgroup of patients who have actionable genomic aberrations and may allow for further personalization of therapy.
Be Catty and Piss on Your Work: A Cautionary Tale of Researching while Black

I start off this story feeling fortunate to have found a colleague with whom I share similar views related to the importance of conducting research in partnership with communities in order to bring about meaningful change. I found this like-minded colleague, Decoteau, when we were both masters students at the young ages of 22 and 23 years. A couple of years later with masters degrees behind us, Decoteau and I worked together spearheading a nonprofit program for high school students in North Philadelphia. The program’s purpose was to provide rigorous academic enrichment and support to low-income, primarily Black and Puerto Rican students as they worked to be the first in their families to attend a four-year college.
The Later Years of Armen Alchian

Alchian, too, harbored similar passions for the intellectual and market freedom the Hoover Institution espoused, and concerns about differential power. His family had also escaped a harsher life in Eastern Europe where there was an intense monopolization of power, and where the populace subsequently revolted to wrest power, only to replace it with another form of coercion. Alchian and Demsetz were kindred spirits in their regard for the often painful power of coercion.
Nell’alveare della memoria. Ultimi incontri letterari

Come scrive Franco Fido nella “Premessa,” questi saggi “sono nati in circostanze diverse” e vengono ripubblicati secondo un criterio che segue in parte l’appartenenza cronologica dei soggetti tratt...
Concept Analysis: Lack of Anonymity

Aim To re-examine and expand understanding of the concept, lack of anonymity as a component of rural nursing theory. Background Early healthcare literature reports lack of anonymity as part of social and working environments, particularly rural nursing. Rural nursing theory included the first published concept analysis on lack of anonymity but lacked empirical referents. Workforce, societal and rural healthcare changes support an updated analysis. To further understand lack of anonymity, its present day use and applicability to diverse environments, research from multiple disciplines was reviewed. Design Concept analysis. Data Sources A literature search using eight terms in eleven databases was conducted of literature published between 2008 and 2013. Method Walker and Avant's concept analysis methodology guided the analysis. Results The previous concept analysis is supported in part by current literature. The defining attributes, ‘identifiable’, ‘establishing boundaries for public and private self and interconnectedness’ in a community were updated. Updated antecedents include: (1) environmental context; (2) opportunities to become visible; (3) developing relationships; and (4) unconscious or limited awareness of public or personal privacy. Consequences are: (1) familiarity; (2) visibility; (3) awareness of privacy; and (4) manage or balance of lack of anonymity. Cases were constructed and empirical referents identified. Conclusion The concept of lack of anonymity was updated; portions of the original definition remain unchanged. Empirical referents reveal the defining attributes in daily life and may guide future research on the effect of lack of anonymity on nursing practice. This analysis advances the conceptual understanding of rural nursing theory. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Material reenactment: The missing and replaced paintings of Malevich’s 1929 retrospective

In 1927, Russian avant-garde artist Kazimir Malevich was recalled by Soviet authorities from Berlin, where he had received critical acclaim during a journey abroad. He returned to Moscow, leaving behind in Germany the paintings with which he had travelled. It was a cache that represented his entire painterly career. In 1929, Malevich found himself granted a retrospective exhibition at the foremost museum of Russian art in the Soviet capital, the Tretiakov Gallery. With the bulk of the material evidence of his career now missing, the artist responded by producing forty new canvases. In this article, I propose that Malevich’s exhibition of 1929 represented an attempt to materially reenact his own career, producing a counterfeit simulation of what might have happened. Furthermore, I explain how an exhibition of his work held in 2000 signifi cantly altered the scholarly discussion of the works displayed in 1929. Nel 1927, le autorita sovietiche richiamarono l’artista dell’avanguardia russa Kazimir Malevich da Berlino, dove si era recato per un viaggio all’estero e dove aveva ricevuto un’accoglienza critica. Malevich torno a Mosca lasciando in Germania le opere con le quali aveva viaggiato, una serie che documentava interamente la sua carriera pittorica. Nella capitale sovietica gli fu dedicata, due anni dopo, una mostra retrospettiva, ospitata dal principale museo di arte russa di Mosca, la Galleria Tretiakov. Sebbene buona parte delle prove materiali del suo lavoro fosse andata perduta, l’artista rispose producendo quaranta nuove tele. Scopo di questo articolo e dimostrare come la mostra del 1929 costituisca un tentativo, da parte di Malevich, di ricostruire la sua carriera per produrre una simulazione di quello che avrebbe potuto essere. Inoltre si documenta come una mostra dedicata nel 2000 all’artista ha contribuito all’analisi critica della esposizione del 1929.
After Posterior Fusions for Adult Spinal Deformity, Operative Time is More Predictive of Perioperative Morbidity, Rather Than Surgical Invasiveness: A Need for Speed?

Study Design.A retrospective cohort study.Objective.The aim of this study was to determine the independent effects of operative time and surgical invasiveness on perioperative outcomes after posterior spinal fusions for adult spinal deformity.Summary of Background Data.Morbidity is high after poster
Stereochemistry of Nucleophilic Substitutions on Benzyl-silane and -germane Cation Radicals: Application of the Endocyclic Restriction Test

Benzyltrialkylgermane cation radicals were generated and spectroscopically characterized by nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. The germane cation radicals were found to rapidly react with nucleophiles (e.g., alcohols) in reactions that were first-order in cation radical and first-order in nucleophile. The geometries of the transition states for nucleophilic substitutions on benzyl-silane and -germane cation radicals were investigated by using the endocyclic restriction test. Cation radicals containing tethered nucleophiles that required endocyclic transition states with small angles between the bond being formed to the nucleophilic atom and the bond to the leaving group reacted ∼250 times more slowly than cation radicals with tethered nucleophiles where a large bond angle can be accommodated. The results are consistent with the nucleophile-assisted fragmentations proceeding through an inversion transition state.
Andy Warhol: Computational Thinking, Computational Process

This article positions Andy Warhol as a model for computational thinking and art-making, linking him to concepts in new media art. Warhol's work is analyzed for its variability in form generation a...
Effect of Standardized Handoff Curriculum on Improved Clinician Preparedness in the Intensive Care Unit: A Stepped-Wedge Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance Clinician miscommunication contributes to an estimated 250 000 deaths in US hospitals per year. Efforts to standardize handoff communication may reduce errors and improve patient safety. Objective To determine the effect of a standardized handoff curriculum, UW-IPASS, on interclinician communication and patient outcomes. Design, Setting, and Participants This cluster randomized stepped-wedge randomized clinical trial was conducted from October 2015 to May 2016 at 8 medical and surgical intensive care units at 2 hospital systems within an academic tertiary referral center. Participants included residents, fellows, advance-practice clinicians, and attending physicians (n = 106 clinicians, with 1488 handoff events over 8 months) and data were collected from daily text message–based surveys and patient medical records. Exposures The UW-IPASS standardized handoff curriculum Main Outcomes and Measures The primary aim was to assess the effect of the UW-IPASS handoff curriculum on perceived adequacy of interclinician communication. Patient days of mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit length of stay, reintubations within 24 hours, and order workflow patterns were also analyzed. Mixed-effects logistic regression was used to compute odds ratios and confidence intervals with adjustment for location, time period, and clinician. Results A total of 63 residents and advance practice clinicians, 13 fellows, and 30 attending physicians participated in the study. During the control period, clinicians reported being unprepared for their shift because of a poor-quality handoff in 35 of 343 handoffs (10.2%), while UW-IPASS–period residents reported being unprepared in 53 of 740 handoffs (7.2%) (odds ratio, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.03-0.74; P = .03). Compared with the control phase, the perceived duration of handoffs among clinicians using UW-IPASS was unchanged (+5.5 minutes; 95% CI, 0.34-9.39; P = .30). Early morning order entry decreased from 106 per 100 patient-days in the control phase to 78 per 100 patient-days in the intervention period (−28 orders; 95% CI, −55 to −4; P = .04). Overall, UW-IPASS was not associated with any changes in intensive care unit length of stay, duration of mechanical ventilation, or the number of reintubations. Conclusions and Relevance The UW-IPASS standardized handoff curriculum was perceived to improve intensive care provider preparedness and workflow. IPASS-based curricula represent an important step forward in communication standardization efforts and may help reduce communication errors and omissions. Trial Registration isrctn.org Identifier:ISRCTN14209509
Processing Dialectal Arabic: Exploiting Variability and Similarity to Overcome Challenges and Discover Opportunities

We recently witnessed an exponential growth in dialectal Arabic usage in both textual data and speech recordings especially in social media. Processing such media is of great utility for all kinds of applications ranging from information extraction to social media analytics for political and commercial purposes to building decision support systems. Compared to other languages, Arabic, especially the informal variety, poses a significant challenge to natural language processing algorithms since it comprises multiple dialects, linguistic code switching, and a lack of standardized orthographies, to top its relatively complex morphology. Inherently, the problem of processing Arabic in the context of social media is the problem of how to handle resource poor languages. In this talk I will go over some of our insights to some of these problems and show how there is a silver lining where we can generalize some of our solutions to other low resource language contexts.
Responses of Salt Marsh Plant Rhizosphere Diazotroph Assemblages to Drought

Drought has many consequences in the tidally dominated Spartina sp. salt marshes of the southeastern US; including major dieback events, changes in sediment chemistry and obvious changes in the landscape. These coastal systems tend to be highly productive, yet many salt marshes are also nitrogen limited and depend on plant associated diazotrophs as their source of ‘new’ nitrogen. A 4-year study was conducted to investigate the structure and composition of the rhizosphere diazotroph assemblages associated with 5 distinct plant zones in one such salt marsh. A period of greatly restricted tidal inundation and precipitation, as well as two periods of drought (June–July 2004, and May 2007) occurred during the study. DGGE of nifH PCR amplicons from rhizosphere samples, Principal Components Analysis of the resulting banding patterns, and unconstrained ordination analysis of taxonomic data and environmental parameters were conducted. Diazotroph assemblages were organized into 5 distinct groups (R2 = 0.41, p value < 0.001) whose presence varied with the environmental conditions of the marsh. Diazotroph assemblage group detection differed during and after the drought event, indicating that persistent diazotrophs maintained populations that provided reduced supplies of new nitrogen for vegetation during the periods of drought.
Practicing what we preach: developing a data sharing policy for the Journal of the Medical Library Association

Providing access to the data underlying research results in published literature allows others to reproduce those results or analyze the data in new ways. Health sciences librarians and information professionals have long been advocates of data sharing. It is time for us to practice what we preach and share the data associated with our published research. This editorial describes the activity of a working group charged with developing a research data sharing policy for the Journal of the Medical Library Association.
The Tile-Based Mapping Transition in Cartography

Arguably, the major development of the first two decades of maps and the Internet is a method of map distribution that divides the map into smaller tiles. The tiling of maps along with a more interactive form of communication with a server called AJAX transformed the online mapping experience. Soon after the method was introduced through Google Maps, all other online map providers switched to the new form of map distribution. The introduction of Application Programmer Interfaces that allowed user information to be added to the maps solidified this form of online map presentation. Whether for good or bad, online mapping is currently in a tile-based era and will likely be so for the foreseeable future. The method is examined more closely along with the potential for adding user-defined maps.
A comparison of machine learning with human judgment

This paper compares human judgment with machine learning in a check processing context. An experiment was conducted comparing teams of subjects with three commercially available machine learning algorithms: recursive partitioning, ID3, and a back-propagation neural network. Also, the statistical technique discriminant analysis was compared. The subjects were allowed to induce rules from historical data under ideal human conditions, such as adequate time and opportunity to sort the data as desired. The results on multiple holdout samples indicate that human judgment, recursive partitioning, and the ID3 algorithm were equally accurate and more accurate than a back-propagation neural network. Subjects who chose mixed strategies of judgment were more accurate than those using noncompensatory strategies, while no subjects chose compensatory strategies. Large decision trees were not more accurate than smaller ones. There appeared to be a time threshold for humans to form accurate decision rules. Holdout sample accuracy tended to increase with primary sample accuracy. ID3 built larger trees than did either humans or recursive partitioning. The conclusion of this research is that the knowledge engineer faced with available historical data concerning a classification problem should not waste his time discerning rules, since he will only take longer and be no more accurate than a good learning tool. Knowledge of these tools will be the requisite skill for the knowledge engineer of the 1990s. Implications for IS design and further research are discussed.
Flexible RF Filtering Front-End For Simultaneous Multinuclear MR Spectroscopy

Simultaneously interrogation of multiple nuclei has been of interest since the very earliest days of MRI [1]–[3]. Our group and several others are revisiting this topic [4]–[6]. Very fast broadband electronics make it possible to digitize a wide spectrum, including multiple nuclei, but this places great demands on data throughput. Another issue is that there can be great variance between RF preamplifier gain required for the different nuclei. To overcome the data problem, it is desirable to use undersampling, but this requires passband filtering around the resonant frequency of each nuclei. Here we present a frequency agile front end that provides separate data paths for each nucleus, either from a single coil or from multiple ports, allows independent gain, filters each using very flexible transmission line filtering, and then combines them back for undersampling.
Annihilation coefficients

This paper is motivated by algebraic identities of the type (x - 1)4 + 4(x-2)3 + 18(x-3)2 + 64(x -4)1 + 125 = x4 and 16(x-1)1+ 48(x-2)2+ 16(x - 3)3 + (x - 4)4 = x4. We define general Convolution Annihilation Coefficients A(n, k; A) and general Dot Product Annihilation Coefficients B(n, k; A) by the expansions Σk=0n A(n, k; A)(x - Ak)n-k = xn and Σk=0n B(n, k; A)(x - Ak)k = xn, where {An}(n = 0, 1, 2,...) is a subsequence of the natural numbers and give formulas and algorithms for computation of the A(n, k; A) coefficients. Let [x] = [x]q = (qx - 1)/(q - 1). P and Q are found such that Σk=0n P(n, k)[x - k - 1]k = Σk=0n Q(n, k)[x - k - 1]n-k = [x]n. Certain q-coefficient extensions are noted, for example Σk=0n qn-k[x-k-1 n-k] = [x n].