cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stochastic structure of alternative measures of velocity

In this paper, the author reexamines previous work on the stochastic structure of velocity by analyzing velocity over varying degrees of time aggregation and implements the augmented Dickey-Fuller tests to differentiate between trend versus difference stationary processes. It is found for both monthly and quarterly data that the four velocity measures analyzed follow a difference stationary process. The appropriate ARIMA representation to the respective velocity measures were estimated for three periods: (1) 1959 to 1990, (2) 1959 to 1979, and (3) 1979 to 1990. All the monthly velocity measures were found to follow different ARIMA representations across the three periods analyzed. However, for the quarterly velocity measures analyzed, only velocity measures based upon M1 and M2 differ across the three periods. Thus, there is some evidence that the stochastic structure of velocity has changed over time.
Decreased contractile responses to isoproterenol in isolated cardiac myocytes from ageing guinea-pigs

Abstract We have characterized the age-related changes of contractility and β-adrenoceptor function in isolated cardiac myocytes from guinea-pigs. We used either adult animals from 2 to 14 weeks of age, where body weight increases linearly with age, or senescent ones aged between 53–65 weeks. There was some indication of a decrease in contractility in maximum Ca 2+ with age, with significant differences between a young (≤4 weeks, weight 600 g) group in contraction amplitude expressed as percentage shortening (but not when expressed as μm change in length) or contraction and relaxation velocities. This decline was continued into senescence, and ANOVA showed a significant difference between the three groups for contraction amplitude (percentage shortening, 12.2 ± 0.9%, young, n = 31; 9.5 ± 0.6%, n = 28 aged; 6.7 ± 0.8%, n = 6, senescent; P = 0.005), and contraction or relaxation velocities ( P n = 30, young; 7.9 ± 0.5%, n -28, aged and 5.5 ± 1.1%, n = 6, senescent; P P P P P 50 ( P 2+ ratio ( P 2+ , suggesting a specific lesion in the adenylate cyclase related pathway. Much of the change occurred between the young adult (≤4 weeks) and the aged adult (≥8 weeks), although the trend was continued in senescent animals (>52 weeks).
The synthesis and characterization of uridine 5′-(β-l-rhamnopyranosyl diphosphate) and its role in the enzymic synthesis of rutin

Uridine 5'-(beta-L-rhamnopyranosyl diphosphate) was synthesized by the condensation of uridine 5'-diphenylpyrophosphate and beta-L-rhamnopyranosyl phosphate. That sugar 1-phosphate was made via the phosphitylation of the hemiacetal hydroxyl group of 2,3,4-tetra-O-acetyl-beta-L-rhamnopyranose. An enzyme preparation from the primary leaves of mung bean (Phaseolus aureus) was shown to catalyze the transfer of L-rhamnose from UDP-beta-L-rhamnose to the flavonol D-glucoside isoquercitrin to form rutin.
Retained Stimulating Perineural Catheters: A Report of Four Cases

Background: As the use of ambulatory continuous peripheral nerve blocks continues to grow, new management issues will inevitably arise. Previous descriptions of difficult catheter removal due to cutting, knotting, or kinking of the catheter have involved inpatients. A series of retained ambulatory interscalene catheters has recently been reported. Methods: We present a series of 4 retained stimulating perineural catheters, which could not be removed though the catheters appeared intact and not significantly bent on plain radiographs. We discuss the potential aspects of our block technique and the catheters9 design that may have complicated their removal, as well as our management of these patients. Conclusions: Stimulating perineural catheters may be difficult to remove. This may be particularly problematic for outpatients removing the catheters at home.
Novel microsatellite markers used to determine the population genetic structure of the endangered Roseate Tern, Sterna dougallii , in Northwest Atlanticand Western Australia

The Roseate Tern, Sterna dougallii, is an endangered species in the Northwest Atlantic, where it has undergone transient reductions in population size over the past 120 years. This population has been slow to regain former size and range, perhaps in part due to the female-biased sex ratio, which results in female–female pairs, reducing the average productivity of the colony. The larger populations of the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans are not endangered and there is no evidence of a biased sex ratio at breeding in Western Australia. We developed four novel microsatellite markers and adapted one other and these are the first used in the genus Sterna. We also determined the utility of these markers for 17 related species. Here we report the population genetic structure within and between two regions, the Northwest Atlantic and Western Australia. A significant finding is that the Northwestern Atlantic region has much lower allelic diversity than the Western Australia region, promoting the recommendation for increased protection of sites in this region in order to preserve remaining genetic diversity and new potential breeding habitats.
Psychometric properties of the Perceived Diabetes Self-Management Scale (PDSMS).

Patients with chronic medical conditions such as diabetes mellitus need to self-manage their condition for optimal outcomes. The degree to which patients with diabetes feel competent or self-efficacious in managing their diabetes has been related to behaviors such as dieting or exercise as well as to indicators of glycemic control. A diabetes-specific adaptation of the Perceived Medical-Condition Self-Management Scale was administered to 398 patients with either type 1 (n = 57) or type 2 (n = 341) diabetes. Cronbach’s alpha of the 8-item Perceived Diabetes Self-Management Scale (PDSMS) was .83 indicating internal consistency. PDSMS scores were uncorrelated with age, years since diagnosis, and years of schooling, but were negatively correlated with body mass index. Those with type 1 DM had higher PDSMS scores than those with type 2 DM. PDSMS scores were positively correlated with a number of self-reported self-care activities and negatively related to measures of glycemic control. The PDSMS is a valid measure of diabetes self-efficacy, and the more generic template from which it was adapted can easily be altered for use with other chronic medical conditions.
Diet selection by adult female Parcoblatta fulvescens cockroaches during the oothecal cycle.

Abstract 1. 1. Female Parcoblalta fulvescens feed selectively on diets differing in nutrient content when given a choice during the reproductive cycle. 2. 2. Diets high in carbohydrate and protein content are preferred early in the cycle, while a cellulose-containing diet is readily consumed toward the end of the cycle. 3. 3. The total diet consumed by females given a choice contained about 16% protein, and they did not excrete uric acid while on this diet. 4. 4. Females on diets high in carbohydrate or cellulose required longer to complete the reproductive cycle than females on high-protein diet or those given a dietary choice. 5. 5. Nitrogen-stressed females will consume urate-containing fecal pellets, but only if they have utilizable carbohydrate in their diet.
Defect solid state chemistry of magnetoplumbite structured ceramic oxides. I: SrAl12O19

Computer atomistic simulation techniques have been used to investigate defect solid state chemistry in SrAl{sub 12}O{sub 19}. Our calculations show that transferring interatomic potential parameters from models of binary oxides provides adequate models of the magnetoplumbite structure. Schottky disorder is found to be the dominant defect mode in SrAl{sub 12}O{sub 19}. When Sr and Al in SrAl{sub 12}O{sub 19} are replaced by La and Mg, Mg prefers to occupy 4f Al(3) tetrahedral sites.
Management of persistent lymphocele by sclerotherapy with doxycycline

Three cases of lymphocele after lymphadenectomy for gynecologic malignancy are presented. These patients had large, symptomatic lymphoceles resistant to percutaneous catheter drainage. Sclerotherapy with a single dose of doxycycline was administered percutaneously to each patient. Single treatment achieved resolution in two patients. The third had a persistent lymphocele requiring excision. To our knowledge, doxycycline has not been used for sclerotherapy for lymphocele following radical gynecologic surgery. It may represent a viable addition to the conservative management of lymphoceles.
Optical observation of dynamic ferroelectric phase transition and static domain structures in crystal ion sliced (CIS) LiNbO3 film

Abstract Crystal ion slicing (CIS) is a novel approach to produce films from bulk crystalline materials. A LiNbO 3 film with dimensions of 1.29×0.9×0.01 mm was detached from a poled bulk crystal. The ferroelectric domain characteristics and phase transition behavior of the detached film were studied using transmission optical microscopy and recorded continuously by VCR tape recorder through a CCD camera. The sample was heated gradually from room temperature to 1190°C, and then cooled down to room temperature. The phase transition from the ferroelectric to paraelectric was observed at 1163°C. High density domain structures were also observed when the sample was cooled to room temperature after it was annealed at a temperature around the Curie temperature. The experimental results show that the virgin CIS LiNbO 3 film is still in a ferroelectric state and preserves the single domain state of a poled bulk crystal. The CIS film has clear advantages over the film prepared by other techniques for various integrated applications.
Robustness of Quantitative Compressive Sensing MRI: The Effect of Random Undersampling Patterns on Derived Parameters for DCE- and DSC-MRI

Compressive sensing (CS) in Cartesian magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) involves random partial Fourier acquisitions. The random nature of these acquisitions can lead to variance in reconstruction errors. In quantitative MRI, variance in the reconstructed images translates to an uncertainty in the derived quantitative maps. We show that for a spatially regularized 2 ×-accelerated human breast CS DCE-MRI acquisition with a 1922 matrix size, the coefficients of variation (CoVs) in voxel-level parameters due to the random acquisition are 1.1%, 0.96%, and 1.5% for the tissue parameters Ktrans, ve, and vp, with an average error in the mean of -2.5%, -2.0%, and -3.7%, respectively. Only 5% of the acquisition schemes had a systematic underestimation larger than than 4.2%, 3.7%, and 6.1%, respectively. For a 2× -accelerated rat brain CS DSC-MRI study with a 642 matrix size, the CoVs due to the random acquisition were 19%, 9.5%, and 15% for the cerebral blood flow and blood volume and mean transit time, respectively, and the average errors in the tumor mean were 9.2%, 0.49%, and -7.0%, respectively. Across 11000 different CS reconstructions, we saw no outliers in the distribution of parameters, suggesting that, despite the random undersampling schemes, CS accelerated quantitative MRI may have a predictable level of performance.
Objective assessment of cervical spinal cord injury levels by transcranial magnetic motor-evoked potentials.

Abstract Background The neurologic examination serves as the optimal method to record the level of spinal cord injury (SCI). However, this test is subject to interexaminer variability. To address this shortcoming, we describe a technique that uses transcranial magnetic motor-evoked potentials (tcMMEPs) and dermatomal somatosensory-evoked potentials (d-SSEPs) to more accurately measure the precise level of SCI. Methods Two groups of subjects were studied: (1) complete cervical SCI (n = 10) and (2) neurologically intact volunteers (n = 10). Two additional patients were evaluated: one with a cervical central spinal cord syndrome and another with a head injury with a suspected cervical SCI. Each subject underwent upper extremity tcMMEPs and d-SSEPs. Results Transcranial magnetic motor-evoked potentials were elicited from all upper limb myotomes (C4-T1, bilaterally) in neurologically intact volunteers (20 sides). The level of injury was determined using tcMMEPs by observing the lowest level of measurable response. The level of injury obtained using tcMMEPs was the same as that determined by neurologic examination in 13 (65%) of the 20 sides. In 7 sides, tcMMEP responses were obtained 1 level lower than that assessed by physical examination. Dermatomal somatosensory-evoked potentials were obtained from all dermatomes of volunteers tested in the laboratory compared with only 5 of the 9 patients with SCI who underwent d-SSEP testing. Conclusion Testing using tcMMEPs provides an objective supplement to the neurologic examination after acute cervical SCI. Dermatomal somatosensory-evoked potentials were of limited value in determining the level of cervical SCI.
Symptoms of chronic vaginal infection and microscopic condyloma in women.

The purpose of this study was to determine if women who self‐reported symptoms of chronic vaginal infection might be at risk for microscopic condyloma and, therefore, in need of colposcopic examinations. The hypothesis tested was that women who report yeast‐type symptom chronicity and who have yeast‐negative laboratory studies will have a significant incidence of microscopic vulvar condyloma. The hypothesis was supported by the results. Findings show a need to broaden the use of the colposcope to detect condyloma in women with a chronicity of unexplained yeast‐type symptoms.
Retirement Intentions of Same-Sex Couples

Summary Retirement intentions of same-sex and opposite-sex couples were investigated. Data were drawn from the Cornell Couples and Careers Study. The sample consists of 32 women in same-sex relationships, 7 men in same-sex relationships, 30 men and women in cohabiting relationships, and 30 married men and women. Participants' responses to such questions as age expected to retire, age they began retirement planning, degree of financial planning for retirement, degree of preparation for housing and healthcare, and plans for post-retirement work and volunteering were analyzed. Female same-sex couples self-rate on financial planning for retirement to a significantly lower degree than married couples. The implications for post-retirement well-being and the need for financial planning are discussed.
Maps, Numbers, Text, and Context: Mixing Methods in Feminist Political Ecology*

Feminist post-structuralist theory, feminist empiricism, and field practice can all contribute to insights on the value of quantitative and qualitative methods in feminist geographical research. A political ecology study of gendered interests in a social forestry program in the Dominican Republic illustrates the methodological dilemmas and potentials of feminist research on environmental change. The study combined qualitative and quantitative data collection and analytical techniques. Examples from the case study address three methodological questions in feminist geography: (1) Should identity or affinity be the basis for situating ourselves and the subjects of our research? (2) How can we reconcile multiple subjectivities and quantitative methods in the quest for objectivity? and (3) Can we combine traditional positivist methods with participatory mapping and oral histories? The paper draws on theoretical literature as well as field experience to answer these questions.
Evidence of nanobacterial-like structures in calcified human arteries and cardiac valves

Mechanisms mediating vascular calcification remain incompletely understood. Nanometer scale objects hypothesized to be a type of bacteria (nanobacteria) are associated with calcified geological spe...
The Politics of Analyzing Social Problems

Issues which become public are selected from among the social problems which parts of the population may perceive. Groups differ in their definitions of social problems in accordance with their self-interests and their ideology. For a social problem to become a public issue, a complex political process develops around the activities of major institutional actors: the media, officialdom, and private interest groups. Yet conflicts arise not only over what is to be a public issue, but also over how the problem is to be diagnosed and responded to. A somewhat different set of institutional and social actors are more intimately involved in the conflict between competing diagnoses of publicly recognized social problems. That is, official authorities, underdog partisans, privileged partisans, policy advisors and planners, and ideologues, all tend toward their own distinct set of attributions. The parties may handle the conflict by confronting each other, directly or indirectly. Alternatively, or in addition, they may attempt tacit bargaining over tangible matters such as economic resources and power, and reality negotiation over the symbolic matter of different problem definitions or diagnoses. Legislation provides a third way of handling the conflict. Whatever the strategies used, the conflict generates significant political outcomes for the policy process and the various parties concerned.
Telephone Social Support or Nursing Presence? Analysis of a Nursing Intervention

The purpose of this qualitative analysis is to elucidate more fully telephone social support as it was delivered within the context of a randomized controlled investigation. To this end, the author used constant comparative methods to analyze telephone logs. The findings are congruent with the operational definition of social support that was selected for the randomized controlled study; however, they are also suggestive of nursing presence. Components of nursing presence that emerged from the data include (a) maintenance of psychological presence, (b) interpersonal reciprocity characterized by a mutual desire to work together, (c) therapeutic communication and full attention to the here and now, and (d) expert nursing practice within the nurse-patient dyad. Outcomes include problem solving, adaptive behavior change, and diminished distress. Researchers are encouraged to continue to use qualitative methods to define and differentiate the concepts of social support and nursing presence more clearly. This i...
The Social Ecology of Time Barriers

The purpose of this inquiry is to determine how access and delay are distributed throughout the social structure. Data from a national survey of health care practices and costs confirm the conventional assumption, which is derived from a simple exchange model, that delay in doctors' offices is inversely related to income. However, the data also show that the poor, with or without appointments, wait longer at private offices as well as clinics, and that blacks wait longer than whites regardless of their income, appointment status, or source of care. Further analysis suggests that income and race are associated with waiting time because concentrations of family doctors are centered in the most affluent sectors of the white community. At the core of these concentrations, doctors compete for clients; at the periphery, clients compete for doctors. Separate race and income effects on delay exist because residential segregation by income and race are independently superimposed on one another. The ecological distribution of service units thus affects the time costs of their clientele. This fact is one manifestation of the overarching linkage between class, status, time, and space. Procurement of all goods and services requires the expenditure of both time and money. The total time cost that our society incurs in obtaining these goods and services is substantial. In 1970, for example, the average head of household was usually delayed for three-quarters of an hour during visits to his regular doctor's office. Since, in that same year, there were about 63 million heads of household in the United States averaging four visits per year (Aday and Andersen), the total waiting time expended just for medical care among household heads alone came out to over 189 million hours, or about an eight-hour work day for almost 24 million people. The objective of this investigation is to determine how these costs are spread throughout the social system. Only one inquiry has ever approached the question of how service systems and social institutions are linked in the determination of waiting time. This is a paper, written a short while ago, titled "Waiting, Exchange and Power: The Distribution of Time in Social Systems" (Schwartz, 13-46). The general assumption of this essay, which seeks to extend sociology's *This investigation was supported by the Commonwealth Fund. The author would like to acknowledge the assistance of Pietr Bakker, Robert Burns, Steven Dubin, and Allon Fisher.
Die attach delamination characterization modeling for SOIC package

Die attach delamination is a critical reliability problem which may cause thermal management and electrical issues, and can further increase the risk of contamination-related failure and stitch bond failures. In this paper, die attach delamination of a SOIC package is simulated and analyzed by 2D/3D FEA. Two major analyses for pre-delamination and post-delamination are investigated. Modeling includes the 3D moisture diffusion under 85C/60%RH, thermal stresses in different die, die pad and die attach dimensions, and characterizes the influence of these dimensions on die attach delamination at 260 degrees C reflow temperatures. Another investigation is the post-delamination analysis, in which an initial crack is assumed. The strain energy release, CTE stresses and effects of moisture vapor pressure for different die attach thickness, different defect positions and different crack lengths are studied. An effective interfacial layer delamination formulation is introduced to determine the delamination parameters, which may avoid the oscillations of the solution for crack tip stress and the invalidation of the J integral when the crack surface is subjected to the vapor pressure.
Study on the elastic–plastic interface and large deformation of axisymmetric disks under rotating status

Abstract When the angular velocity of a circular disk at room temperature is gradually increased the disk first of all behaves elastically, then, at a certain velocity, plastic yielding begins and proceeds, with work-hardening, until all the material of the disk has reached the initial yield point, Further increase in speed causes unrestricted plastic flow to take place. The system is stable as long as an increase in speed is necessary to produce further plastic flow. In the paper, theoretical analysis in polar coordinate of the elastic–plastic interface under rotating status was finished, The calculated results are given out in exact solution. The formula of large deformation analyses of rotating disk were derived out of an equation group which could become into seven independent equations with seven unknowns and can be solved by COLSYS software. Then, some calculated examples were given out. The bursting speed of rotating disk was analyzed.
Tree-Level Electron-Photon Interactions in Graphene

Graphene's low-energy electronic excitations obey a $2+1$-dimensional Dirac Hamiltonian. After extending this Hamiltonian to include interactions with a quantized electromagnetic field, we calculate the amplitude associated with the simplest, tree-level Feynman diagram: the vertex connecting a photon with two electrons. This amplitude leads to analytic expressions for the three-dimensional angular dependence of photon emission, the photon-mediated electron-hole recombination rate, and corrections to graphene's opacity $\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{\alpha}$ and dynamic conductivity $\ensuremath{\pi}{e}^{2}/2h$ for situations away from thermal equilibrium, as would occur in a graphene laser. We find that Ohmic dissipation in perfect graphene can be attributed to spontaneous emission.
Generation of upstream advancing solitons by moving disturbances

This study investigates the recently identified phenomenon whereby a forcing disturbance moving steadily with a transcritical velocity in shallow water can generate, periodically, a succession of solitary waves, advancing upstream of the disturbance in procession, while a train of weakly nonlinear and weakly dispersive waves develops downstream of a region of depressed water surface trailing just behind the disturbance. This phenomenon was numerically discovered by Wu & Wu (1982) based on the generalized Boussinesq model for describing two-dimensional long waves generated by moving surface pressure or topography. In a joint theoretical and experimental study, Lee (1985) found a broad agreement between the experiment and two theoretical models, the generalized Boussinesq and the forced Korteweg de Vries (fKdV) equations, both containing forcing functions. The fKdV model is applied in the present study to explore the basic mechanism underlying the phenomenon. To facilitate the analysis of the stability of solutions of the initial-boundary-value problem of the fKdV equation, a family of forced steady solitary waves is found. Any such solution, if once established, will remain permanent in form in accordance with the uniqueness theorem shown here. One of the simplest of the stationary solutions, which is a one-parameter family and can be scaled into a universal similarity form, is chosen for stability calculations. As a test of the computer code, the initially established stationary solution is found to be numerically permanent in form with fractional uncertainties of less than 2% after the wave has traversed, under forcing, the distance of 600 water depths. The other numerical results show that when the wave is initially so disturbed as to have to rise from the rest state, which is taken as the initial value, the same phenomenon of the generation of upstream-advancing solitons is found to appear, with a definite time period of generation. The result for this similarity family shows that the period of generation, T[sub]S, and the scaled amplitude [alpha] of the solitons so generated are related by the formula T[sub]S = const [alpha]^-3/2. This relation is further found to be in good agreement with the first-principle prediction derived here based on mass, momentum and energy considerations of the fKdV equation.
The cardiometabolic consequences of replacing saturated fats with carbohydrates or Ω-6 polyunsaturated fats: Do the dietary guidelines have it wrong?

A recent publication by Malhotra1 was refreshing, inspiring and hit on an important topic that has been heavily debated for over 50 years, that is, are saturated fats as bad as we have been led to believe? The vilification of saturated fat by Keys2 began two decades before the seven countries study, where Keys showed a curvilinear association between fat calories as a percentage of total calories and death from degenerative heart disease from six countries. However, he excluded data from 16 countries that did not fit his hypothesis. Indeed, data were available at the time from 22 countries, and when all countries were looked at the association was greatly diminished.3 Furthermore, no association existed between dietary fat and mortality from all causes of death.3 Thus, past data promoted by Keys showing that an increased percentage of fat calories consumed increases the risk of death are not valid (and certainly could never have proved causation). These data seemingly lead us down the wrong “dietary-road” for decades to follow, as pointed out by others.4 ,5 The initial Dietary Goals for Americans, published in 1977, proposed increasing carbohydrates and decreasing saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet.6 ,7 This stemmed from the belief that since saturated fats increase total cholesterol (a flawed theory to begin with) they must increase the risk of heart disease. Moreover, it was believed that since fat is the most “calorie-dense” of the macronutrients, a reduction in its consumption would lead to a reduction in calories and a subsequent decrease in the incidence of obesity, as well as diabetes and the metabolic syndrome. However, the advice to increase carbohydrate intake seemingly made things worse, with an increase in its consumption (mainly corn syrup) paralleling the increased incidence of diabetes and obesity …
Comparison of Fuzzy Signal Detection and Traditional Signal Detection Theory: Approaches to Performance Measurement

A recent advance upon Signal Detection Theory (SDT) promises to enhance measurement of performance in complex real world domains where stimuli do not fall into discrete, mutually exclusive categories. This development, Fuzzy Signal Detection Theory (FSDT) combines traditional SDT with Fuzzy Set Theory (FST) to extend signal detection analysis beyond the traditional crisp, categorical decision making model. FSDT allows for events to simultaneously be in more than one state category (e.g. signal and non-signal), so that stimulus and response dimensions can be continuous rather than categorical. This study compared the differences in methods of analyses from FSDT and traditional SDT using the same data set. Data suggests that FSDT analysis and traditional SDT provide different vistas into signal detection performance. FSDT provided a better description of the effects of stimulus uncertainty on observers' response bias and sensitivity. This is because the FSDT model explicitly captures this uncertainty and ca...
Effect of biologically active plants used as netst material and the derived benefit to starling nestlings

The European starling Sturnus vulgaris preferentially incorporates fresh sprigs of particular plant species for use as nesting material. Chemicals found in these plants may act to reduce pathogen and ectoparasite populations normally found in nest environments. The present experiments were performed to test this Nest Protection Hypothesis. In the fild, we experimentally determined that wild carrot Daucus carota, a plant species preferred as nest material, effectively reduced the number of hematophagous mites found within nests relative to control nests without green vegetation. Chicks from nests containing wild carrot had higher levels of blood hemoglobin than chicks from control nests. However, there were no differences in weight or feather development. In the laboratory, we found that wild carrot and fleabane, Erigeron philadelphicus, (also preferred by starlings as nest material) substantially reduced the emergence of feeding instars of mites, while garlic mustard, Alliaria officinalis, (commonly available but not preferred) had little effect on the emergence of mites. We infer that preferred plant material may act to inhibit feeding or otherwise delay reproduction of mites, thereby reducing risk of anemia to developing nestlings.
Comprehensive approach to student sectioning

Student sectioning is the problem of assigning students to particular sections of courses they request while respecting constraints such as course structures, section limits, and reserved spaces. Students may also provide preferences on class times and course alternatives. In this paper, three approaches to this problem are examined and combined in order to tackle it on a practical level: student sectioning during course timetabling, batch sectioning after a complete timetable is developed, and online sectioning for making additional changes to student schedules. An application and some practical results of the proposed solutions based on actual data are also included.
Diabetic foot ulcerations

Abstract In patients with diabetes, foot ulceration is a major cause of morbidity and hospitalization. Ulceration is a result of a peripheral neuropathy that produces abnormal weightbearing and decreased sensation. Proper foot care will decrease the risk of ulceration. In the absence of infection and dysvascularity, most foot ulcers heal with non-operative care involving total contact casting. Surgical intervention is occasionally required to remove infected tissue, improve blood flow, or decrease abnormal pressure distribution.
Pulmonary Hypertension in Older Patients

Shortness of breath is a common complaint in older patients, and it can be quite difficult to determine the etiology. Multiple diseases that can present with dyspnea including anemia, pulmonary and cardiac disease disproportionately affect the aging population. There is increasing recognition that pulmonary hypertension (PH) is an important cause of dyspnea in the elderly. PH can lead to insidious and progressive dyspnea and hypoxemia and can be easily missed without a reasonable index of suspicion. The presence of PH has prognostic implications and, in some instances, provides a therapeutic target. Thus, it is important to consider PH in the evaluation of dyspnea in the older patient.
The cardiovascular effects of cocaine

Cocaine use continues to be prevalent among all races and socioeconomic groups in the United States. Patients presenting to emergency departments after cocaine ingestion frequently present with a chief complaint of chest pain. Although acute myocardial infarction is perhaps the most concerning diagnosis in this setting, there are many other potential causes of chest pain after cocaine ingestion. This article reviews the pharmacology of cocaine, as well as the etiologies and treatment of cocaine-associated chest pain, with an emphasis on this drug's range of cardiovascular effects.
A silicic acid adsorption method for the determination of ganglioside sialic acid

SUMMARY A semimicro method for the analysis of ganglioside sialic acid is presented. The method is based upon the fact that brain gangliosides can be adsorbed on a small amount of silicic acid from 92y0 n-butanol and eluted with methanol. Recovery of added gangliosides was found to be 93.5y0, and the coefficient of variation for the analysis of 5 to 50 mg of tissue was found to be &4.4’3&‘,.
ASSESSING AVIAN RICHNESS IN REMNANT WETLANDS: TOWARDS AN IMPROVED METHODOLOGY

Because the North American Breeding Bird Survey provides inadequate coverage of wetland habitat, the Wetland Breeding Bird Survey was recently established in Ohio, USA. This program relies on volunteers to conduct 3 counts at each monitored wetland. Currently, all counts are conducted during the morning. Under the premise that volunteer participation could be increased by allowing evening counts, we evaluated the potential for modifying the methodology. We evaluated the sampling efficiency of all 3-count combinations of morning and evening counts using data collected at 14 wetlands. Estimates of overall species richness decreased with increasing numbers of evening counts. However, this pattern did not hold when analyses were restricted to wetland-dependent species or those of conservation concern. Our findings suggest that it would be reasonable to permit evening counts, particularly if the data are to be used to monitor wetland-dependent species and those of concern.
Making Sense with Democratic Dollars: How Congress Can Use the Disclose Act to Incentive Small Donor Participation After Citizens United

In this paper I argue that the Congressional response to Citizens United - the DISCLOSE Act - presents an opportunity to do more than just play defense; if modified just slightly the DISCLOSE Act can be a powerful offensive tool. One small change in the bill would start encouraging smaller donor participation by providing incentives to all non-profit groups that voluntarily agree to contribution limits to their Campaign-Related Activity Accounts. I first lay out what I see as the money in politics problem. I then discuss the effects of the Citizens United ruling on the current landscape and how the DISCLOSE Act aims to mitigate them. I propose a change in the DISCLOSE Act that would keep the small donor trend alive by providing incentives for all non-profit groups such as unions, advocacy groups, and trade organizations, to voluntarily limit their contributions. These incentives would be bundled together and labeled “democratic dollars.” I explain how this label will provide a powerful heuristic in helping voters sort through the cacophony of electioneering communications that flood the airwaves while also respecting First Amendment rights. Focusing on contribution limits for electioneering communications makes all independent election expenditures more democratic by laundering larger contributions through participatory channels. I conclude by evaluating the constitutionality of this proposal in light of doctrine that upholds a similar scheme in the tax code - where organizations get the benefits of §501(c)(3) status in exchange for agreeing not to engage in certain political activities.
PET imaging of CD146 expression with a novel 89Zr-labeled monoclonal antibody

279 Objectives The expression of CD146 has been associated with tumor progression and metastasis in multiple cancer types, making it a good target for cancer diagnosis and therapy. However, no in vivo imaging of CD146 has been reported to date. The goal of this study is to develop a monoclonal antibody for in vivo PET imaging of CD146 expression, using 89Zr (half-life: 3.3d) as the radiolabel. Methods A fast immunization approach was used to generate murine antibodies that specifically bind to human CD146. Five hybridoma clones secreting monoclonal antibodies were selected, which reacted strongly with human CD146 based on the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. One of these antibodies, YY146, was conjugated to desferrioxamine (Df) for 89Zr-labeling. The binding affinity of Df-YY146 to two cell lines, U87MG (CD146+) and PC3 (CD146-), was compared to that of the unconjugated antibody using flow cytometry (FACS) and confocal microscopy. The avidity and specificity of 89Zr-Df-YY146 for CD146 was evaluated by sequential PET scans, blocking, biodistribution, and histological studies in the U87MG and PC3 tumor models. Results YY146 was generated in large quantity (> 100 mg) and high purity. FACS studies and immunofluorescence staining showed no significant difference in cell binding affinity between YY146 and Df-YY146. Df-YY146 was labeled with 89Zr in good yield (~60%), which was purified by size exclusion chromatography. Sequential PET imaging of U87MG tumor-bearing mice displayed prominent 89Zr-Df-YY146 uptake in the tumor tissue, at 8.9±1.0, 15.3±2.1, and 12.7±3.1 %ID/g at 4, 48, and 120 h post-injection respectively (n=3). These values were significantly higher than that for the PC3 tumors (CD146-). Blocking and immunohistological studies confirmed CD146 specificity of 89Zr-Df-YY146. Conclusions This is the first study on PET imaging of CD146 expression. Prominent, persistent, and CD146-specific uptake of 89Zr-Df-YY146 was observed, which demonstrated the potential of radiolabeled YY146 for PET imaging of CD146 expression to guide future anti-cancer therapies and/or predict therapeutic response.
Charcoal Adsorption as a Method for the Preparation of a Concentrated Liver Extract

SummaryA method for the preparation of liver extract based on the property of the hematopoietically active principle of becoming absorbed by charcoal from an acid solution is described. This allows the concentration of the fluid to a smal volume without much loss of potency.
General approach to low-molecular-weight metallogelators via the coordination-induced gelation of an L-glutamate-based lipid.

A twin-tailed glutamate-based lipid with a pyridine headgroup was prepared in good yield using standard amide coupling and protection/deprotection chemistry. The resulting Lewis basic lipid gels a ...
Micro-Mechanical Characterization of Tantalum Nitride Thin Films on Sapphire Substrates

The adhesion of Ta2N thin films–often used as thin film resistors–to sapphire substrates has been studied by continuous microindentation and microscratch techniques. Ta2N films, 0.1-0.63μm in thickness, were sputter deposited onto single crystal substrates. Continuous microscratch experiments were performed by driving a conical diamond indenter simultaneously into and across the film surface until stresses high enough to delaminate the film were developed. Continuous microindentation experiments were performed to induce film spallation by normal indentation. From both of these experiments, interfacial fracture toughness was determined as a function of film thickness. The interfacial fracture toughness obtained from continuous microscratch experiments is 0.53±0.17 MPa√m, independent of film thickness. This observation indicates that there is almost no plastic deformation in the film prior to fracture so that a ‘true’ interfacial fracture toughness is measured. For the 0.63 µm thick film, continuous microindentation data yielded a fracture toughness of 0.61 ±0.08 MPa√m, which matches closely the value obtained from the microscratch test. Hence, the continuous microscratch and microindentation techniques are viable methods for determining the interfacial fracture toughness in such bi-material systems.
Accounting for Intimate Partner Violence in the Treatment of Substance Use Disorders: Staff and Agency Readiness for Screening and Referral

ABSTRACTIntimate partner violence (IPV) represents a serious threat to initiating and sustaining recovery from substance use disorder (SUD), but early research has demonstrated that addiction counselors may not systematically screen and refer victims and perpetrators of IPV for services, that addiction treatment programs may not provide systematic policies about IPV screening, and that practitioners and agencies may not formally engage IPV agencies in the community. The current study utilizes formative evaluation data from 294 addiction professionals in four states to quantify practitioner IPV screening practices, agency support of IPV screening, and agency engagement with community-based IPV providers. Results suggest that individual practitioners engage in relatively high levels of IPV screening behavior, but neither agencies nor practitioners are engaging IPV providers in sufficient numbers to make robust referrals for IPV services. The authors conclude with policy and practice recommendations for impr...
Single Center Experience of Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis

Investigators at Department of Pediatrics, Neurology Division, Adana Medical Research Center; and Division of Child Neurology, Ankara, Turkey, retrospectively evaluated 15 children with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) in children from the center in Adana.
Optimized modeling of signalized intersections coordination based on two-way bandwidth maximization

To reduce traffic delays,relieve congestion,and improve the operation of urban traffic network,a phase sequence optimization model was presented based on the idea of maximization of two-way green wave bandwidth.Under 15 difference groups of scenarios,VISSIM was used for testifying the effectiveness of the optimization model.The simulation results show that the optimized scheme reduces the intersection delay by 2% ~ 29%,the number of stops by 14% ~ 28% and travel time by 1% ~ 9%,which greatly improves the operation condition of urban road network.
Focal Neurologic Deficits with Hypoglycemia and Diabetes

Focal neurologic deficits on 19 occasions in seven children with diabetes are reported from Children’s Hospital, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
MocaBit 2.0: A Gamified System to Examine Behavioral Patterns through Granger Causality

In this paper, we approach the study to shed light on the relationship between multi user's movement and influence through vision-based technology, gamification, and Granger Causality (GC). This research utilizes GC test in a gamified mo-cap system, named MocaBit, in order to figure out whether player's personal movement and influence affect each other with specific time-lag. As a result, it turned out that user's velocity and curvature have statistically affected other user's actions.
Time for Judicial Enforcement of ESA Recovery Plans?... "When [Squirrels] Fly"

In August 2008, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a final rule in the Federal Register officially removing the West Virginia northern flying squirrel from the List of Threatened and Endangered Wildlife, approximately twenty-three years after it was originally listed. The flying squirrel’s delisting proved quite controversial and many environmentalists challenged the agency’s decision for violating of the Endangered Species Act. The D.C. Circuit, in Friends of Blackwater v. Salazar, nevertheless upheld the FWS’s delisting decision, finding that ESA recovery plans merely provide non-binding guidance. This Comment argues that although the D.C. Circuit decided the case correctly on the basis of proper statutory interpretation and adherence to common law precedent, the practical implications of this decision create significant cause for concern. Congress should therefore amend the ESA to impart legal enforceability on recovery plans if it wishes provide endangered species with a heightened degree of protection.
Can blood flow restriction augment muscle activation during high-load training?

SummaryIntroduction Blood flow restriction has been shown to augment muscle activation and increase muscle size when combined with low-load training; however, much less is known on whether blood flow restriction can augment muscle activation during high-load exercise. Purpose To determine whether applying blood flow restriction can augment muscle activation with traditional high-load resistance exercise. Method Ten individuals completed two sets of elbow flexion exercise to volitional fatigue. The control arm rested for 3 min between sets while the experimental arm had blood flow restriction applied for 3 min. Result The blood flow restricted arm completed significantly fewer repetitions in set 2 in comparison with set 1 [set 1: 9 (1), set 2: 4 (1); P<0·001], whereas no meaningful differences were observed in the control arm [set 1: 8 (1), set 2: 7 (1); P = 0·057]. There was no interaction for muscle activation (P = 0·851) with both conditions significantly lower at the start of set 2 [87 (26)%] in comparison with the end of set 1 [106 (40)%] or end of set 2 [103 (33)%]. Conclusion The application of blood flow restriction does not augment muscle activation present with high-load exercise and would seem unlikely to induce greater muscle hypertrophy.
Role of hybridization in NaxCoO2 and the effect of hydration

Density functional theory is used to understand the electronic properties of Na1=3CoO2 and Na1=3CoO2� H2O� 4=3. Comparing the charge density of CoO2 and the Na doped phases indicates that doping does not simply add electrons to the t2g states. In fact, the electron added in the t2g state is dressed by hole density in the eg state and electron density in the oxygen states via rehybridization. In order to fully understand this phenomenon, a simple extension of the Hubbard Hamiltonian is proposed and solved using the dynamical mean-field theory. This model confirms that the rehybridization is driven by a competition between the on-site Coulomb interaction and the hybridization, and results in an effective screening of the low-energy excitations. Finally, we show that hydration causes the electronic structure to become more two dimensional.
In vitro human skin permeation of benzene in gasoline: Effects of concentration, multiple dosing and skin preparation.

In vitro human skin benzene permeation was measured from gasoline formulations with benzene concentrations ranging from 0.8 to 10 vol% and from neat benzene. Steady-state fluxes (JSS), permeability coefficients (kp) and lag times (tlag) were calculated from infinite dose exposures. Permeation of benzene from small gasoline doses administered over a two-day period was also studied. The thermodynamic activity of benzene in gasoline at 30 °C was determined and the solution is near-ideal over the range from 0.8 to 100 vol%. JSS through human epidermal membranes were linear (R2=0.92) with concentration over the range from 0.8 to 10 vol%. JSS (μg/cm2/h) from gasoline (0.8 vol% benzene=6.99 mg/ml) through epidermis and full-thickness skin were 9.37±1.41 and 1.82±0.44, respectively. Neat benzene JSS was 566±138. Less than 0.25% of the total applied benzene mass from finite doses (10 μl/cm2) of gasoline was detected in receptor cells, and a small reduction of barrier function was observed from six total doses administered over 2 days. Application of these results to dermal exposure assessment examples demonstrates a range of systemic benzene uptakes that can be expected from occupational and consumer dermal exposures to gasoline, depending on the type and extent of exposure.