cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Study on detection effect of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid in throat swabs and nasal swabs

Objective To analyze the detection effect of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid in throat swabs and nasal swabs of COVID-19 cases. Methods Throat swabs and nasal swabs were simultaneously collected in 541 cases from suspected cases and close contacts. Real time PCR was used to detect SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid. The positive rate of nucleic acid and Ct values of ORF1ab gene and N gene were analyzed. Results A total of 43 cases were confirmed positive by nucleic acid. 35 cases were positive and the positive rate was 6.47% in throat swabs, while 33 cases were positive and the positive rate was 6.10% in nasal swabs. There was no difference in the positive rate between the two types of samples(X2=0.06, p=0.80). The diagnostic consistency of the two specimens was good(Kappa=0.72). Ct values of ORF1ab and N genes between the two groups were no difference, too. Conclusions There was no difference in the detection of SARS-CoV-2 between throat swabs and nasal swabs from COVID-19 patients by real-time PCR. Key words: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; Nucleic acid detection; Throat swab; Nasal swab
Establishment and application of a method for classification of adenovirus genom in children respiratory tract

Objective To establish a classification method for adenovirus genome which causes children's respiratory infection by using the PCR. Methods The sequence of different types of adenovirus recorded in GenBank was analyzed. The specificity primers were designed. PCR was used to classify adenovirus genome and to study the adenovirus epidemieed in 2004 in Guangzhou. Results A classification method for adenovirus genome which caused children respiratory infection was successfully established. The outbreak of aeute conjunctivitis occurred in 2004 in Guangzhou was caused by adenovirus type 3. Conclusion The established method for genotyping adenovirus is simple and convenient. Key words: Adenovirus; Polymerase chain reaction; Genotype
Patterns of Cystatin C Uptake and Use Across and Within Hospitals.

Abstract Objective To characterize the use of cystatin C (cysC) across and within hospitals. Patients and Methods This 2-part study first evaluated access to cysC testing across 129 hospitals in the state of Minnesota, using a telephone-based survey. Second, granular data from a single center (Mayo Clinic) with on-site, rapid-turnaround testing ( Results Of the 114 hospitals (88%) that responded to the statewide survey, cysC was available in 91 (80%), but only 3 of 91 (3%) reported a turnaround time of Conclusion In the hospital, rapid-turnaround cysC testing is necessary for practical use but was not widely available in Minnesota. When available, a marked increase in cysC testing was observed over the study timeframe. Additional research is needed to determine optimal strategies for implementation of cysC within hospitals.
The natural compound obtusaquinone targets pediatric high-grade gliomas through ROS-mediated ER stress.

Background Pediatric high-grade gliomas (pHGGs) are aggressive primary brain tumors with local invasive growth and poor clinical prognosis. Treatment of pHGGs is particularly challenging given the intrinsic resistance to chemotherapy, an absence of novel therapeutics, and the difficulty of drugs to reach the tumor beds. Accumulating evidence suggests that production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and misfolded proteins, which typically leads to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, is an essential mechanism in cancer cell survival. Methods Several cell viability assays were used in 6 patient-derived pHGG cultures to evaluate the effect of the natural compound obtusaquinone (OBT) on cytotoxicity. Orthotopic mouse models were used to determine OBT effects in vivo. Immunoblotting, immunostaining, flow cytometry, and biochemical assays were used to investigate the OBT mechanism of action. Results OBT significantly inhibited cell survival of patient-derived pHGG cells in culture. OBT inhibited tumor growth and extended survival in 2 different orthotopic xenograft models. Mechanistically, OBT induced ER stress through abnormal ROS accumulation. Conclusion Our data demonstrate the utility and feasibility of OBT as a potential therapeutic option for improving the clinical treatment of pHGGs.
Assortment Optimization over Dense Universe is Easy

Assortment optimization is an important problem in revenue management arising in industries such as online advertising, retailing and airline ticketing. We study assortment optimization under an arbitrary mixture of multi-nomial logit (MNL) models, when the universe of products is dense. In general, it is NP-hard to approximate assortment optimization under mixture of MNLs model within any reasonable factor. However, if the universe of products is dense, we show that assortment optimization has an optimal solution that is well approximated by a nested-by-revenue policy. We argue this by considering an alternate, continuous-space model where product features follow a density on a continuous space, and offer set can be any open subset on the feature space. In this model, we show that there exists a nested-by-revenue policy that is optimal. This characterization holds regardless of the mixture distribution (including discrete and continuous) and the dimension of feature space. Through this characterization and linking the continuous-space to the standard discrete-item model via a "fractional" relaxation, we also show that, in the finite and discrete item case, nested-by-revenue performs nearly optimally. In particular, we derive an optimality gap, explicitly dependent on the model parameters, that shrinks to zero under suitable scaling as the number of items grows.
Anatomical projections to the dorsal tegmental nucleus and abducens nucleus arise from separate cell populations in the nucleus prepositus hypoglossi, but overlapping cell populations in the medial vestibular nucleus

Specialized circuitry in the brain processes spatial information to provide a sense of direction used for navigation. The dorsal tegmental nucleus (DTN) is a core component of this circuitry and utilizes vestibular inputs to generate neural activity encoding the animal's directional heading. Projections arising from the nucleus prepositus hypoglossi (NPH) and the medial vestibular nucleus (MVe) are thought to transmit critical vestibular signals to the DTN and other brain areas, including the abducens nucleus (ABN), a component of eye movement circuitry. Here, we utilized a dual retrograde tracer approach in rats to investigate whether overlapping or distinct populations of neurons project from the NPH or MVe to the DTN and ABN. We report that individual MVe neurons project to both the DTN and ABN. In contrast, we observed individual NPH neurons that project to either the DTN or ABN, but rarely to both structures simultaneously. We also examined labeling patterns in other structures located in the brainstem and posterior cortex and observed (1) complex patterns of interhemispheric connectivity between the left and right DTN, (2) projections from the supragenual nucleus, interpeduncular nucleus, and retrosplenial cortex to the DTN, (3) projections from the lateral superior olive to the ABN, and (4) a unique population of cerebrospinal fluid-contacting neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus. Collectively, our experiments provide valuable new information that extends our understanding of the anatomical organization of the brain's spatial processing circuitry.
Spectral Sojourn: Blanchotian Reading on Psalm 116

Psalm 116 is considerably paradoxical, especially with verse 15 in its midst. Longing to release the tension, and so as not to try its unity, certain scholars attempted to adjust it in some ways. Unlike such approach, and nor like other default biblical exegesis (if there is any), this writing reads the psalm as a bound chapter while maneuvring with some oeuvres of Blanchot.1 Psalm 116 is a criss-cross thread of life and death. This article will trace the loose ends at its weaving hand, and therefrom, to come at an appeal to YHWH as the spectral witness of death.
Making recommendations using transfer learning

Deep learning-based recommender systems have gained much attention due to the advantage of encoding content-based information, such as user textual reviews and item descriptions, images, or videos, without the trouble of manually crafting feature vectors. However, those systems are trained from scratch with randomly initialized parameters, where the training process can take a long time to converge. With the most recent breakthroughs in Natural Language Processing using transfer learning, pre-trained transformer-based models now provide a better foundation for textual information encoding. This inspires us to propose a transformer-based recommender system using transfer learning. As the first core contribution in this work, we apply transfer learning to the system, by fine-tuning the pre-trained transformer models for information encoding. The experiment result shows that the proposed system outperforms several other deep learning-based recommender systems on multiple datasets. As the second core contribution, we propose a novel user vector encoding algorithm that assists all the models to achieve a better performance, when the user content information is not available.
Extending Metadata Standards for Historical GIS Research: A Case Study of the Holocaust in Budapest and the Armenian Genocide in Turkey

This article proposes a structure for handling commonly observed uncertainties in geo-historical data, using as case studies two historical geographical information systems HGIS projects that interweave historical research with the geography of genocide. The first case involves the ghettoization of Budapest's Jews during the Holocaust in the second half of 1944. The more recent work, and the second case, covers the Armenian genocide spanning most of WWI and several years afterwards. The authors suggest using existing metadata standards as one way of handling the inherent uncertainties of geo-historical sources. While not a definitive solution, they argue that such an approach provides a starting point and a platform to conceptually frame the use of geo-historical data in HGIS.
Nerve Blood Flow and Oxygen Delivery In Normal, Diabetic, and Ischemic Neuropathy

Publisher Summary The chapter discusses that in experimental ischemic neuropathy caused by exsanguination, the reduction in blood flow velocity is the major factor reducing endoneurial oxygen delivery. The chapter also presents that in arterial hypoxemia caused by reduced oxygen content of inspired air, the effects of reduced arterial oxygen tension (arterial hypoxia) are supplemented by effects of reduced blood flow (venous hypoxia) caused by reduction in cardiac output due to cardiac muscle hypoxia. In experimental edematous neuropathy (e.g., galactose neuropathy), the increased intercapillary distance is a major factor in reducing the oxygen supply. The adverse effects of increased intercapillary distance are partially offset, however, by a reduced oxygen consumption rate per unit volume of tissue that results from the effects of edema, because much of the increase in nerve volume is due to accumulation of extracellular fluid that is not metabolically active. Mathematical models of the release of oxygen from hemoglobin and its diffusion from capillaries to surrounding tissue have been applied to skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle and brain.
Quantifying qualitative data: Using LibQUAL+ comments for library-wide planning activities at the University of Arizona

Abstract University of Arizona Library used the LibQUAL+™ comments to inform its strategic direction. The 303 comments received from the LibQUAL+(™) survey in 2002 were coded using a “Grounded Theory” approach. Using the qualitative statistical software QSR's N6, all comments were coded demographically and by categories around Library access, environment and service. N6 assisted the research and analysis of comments, providing a base for both quantifiable and qualitative development of data into useful information. The comments were used to determine strategic direction at the organizational and individual team level by triangulating the qualitatively organized comments with the quantitative LibQUAL+(™) data, as well as other sources of customer data. This approach provided a focused method to organize and understand information in order to meet and address Library customer needs.
Particle Tracing: Revisited

Particle tracing is a simple technique used to infer global quantitative information regarding velocity and vorticity fields from flow images. In this paper, recent advances in solving major drawbacks associated with conventional particle tracing are discussed. A quantitative automatic scheme which eliminates the photographic step and is capable of constructing the velocity field directly from the experimental set up is presented.
Inverse-Closedness of a Banach Algebra of Integral Operators on the Heisenberg Group

Let $\mathbb{H}$ be the general, reduced Heisenberg group. Our main result establishes the inverse-closedness of a class of integral operators acting on $L^{p}(\mathbb{H})$, given by the off-diagonal decay of the kernel. As a consequence of this result, we show that if $\alpha_{1}I+S_{f}$, where $S_{f}$ is the operator given by convolution with $f$, $f\in L^{1}_{v}(\mathbb{H})$, is invertible in $\B(L^{p}(\mathbb{H}))$, then (\alpha_{1}I+S_{f})^{-1}=\alpha_{2}I+S_{g}$, and $g\in L^{1}_{v}(\mathbb{H})$. We prove analogous results for twisted convolution operators and apply the latter results to a class of Weyl pseudodifferential operators. We briefly discuss relevance to mobile communications.
Evaluation of behavior changes in physical activity after implementation of CATCH Kids Club (808.3)

After school programs incorporating nutrition and physical activity may help combat the issue of childhood and adolescent obesity. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge and behaviors of physical activity, before and after the implementation of CATCH Kids Club (CKC) among 7-11 year olds attending the Boys and Girls Club in central Arkansas. Students’ knowledge and behaviors of nutrition and physical activity practices were assessed. Pre-test were administered before the students participated in nutrition and physical activity lessons and a post-test was completed following the lessons. The study population consisted of forty-three 7-11 year olds who attend after-school care at a Boys and Girls Club in central Arkansas. The comparison of pre-tests and post-tests was conducted by using paired t-tests and descriptive statistics. There was a statistically significant (p<0.05) decrease in hours spent watching weekend TV or videos (pre-test 3.21±1.34, post-test 2.91±1.23) and the likelihood to ...
Joint inversion for Vp, Vs, and Vp/Vs at SAFOD, Parkfield, California

We refined the three-dimensional (3-D) Vp, Vs and Vp/Vs models around the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD) site using a new double-difference (DD) seismic tomography code (tomoDDPS) that simultaneously solves for earthquake locations and all three velocity models using both absolute and differential P, S, and S-P times. This new method is able to provide a more robust Vp/Vs model than that from the original DD tomography code (tomoDD), obtained simply by dividing Vp by Vs. For the new inversion, waveform cross-correlation times for earthquakes from 2001 to 2002 were also used, in addition to arrival times from earthquakes and explosions in the region. The Vp values extracted from the model along the SAFOD trajectory match well with the borehole log data, providing in situ confirmation of our results. Similar to previous tomographic studies, the 3-D structure around Parkfield is dominated by the velocity contrast across the San Andreas Fault (SAF). In both the Vp and Vs models, there is a clear low-velocity zone as deep as 7 km along the SAF trace, compatible with the findings from fault zone guided waves. There is a high Vp/Vs anomaly zone on the southwest side of the SAF trace that is about 1–2 km wide and extends as deep as 4 km, which is interpreted to be due to fluids and fractures in the package of sedimentary rocks abutting the Salinian basement rock to the southwest. The relocated earthquakes align beneath the northeast edge of this high Vp/Vs zone. We carried out a 2-D correlation analysis for an existing resistivity model and the corresponding profiles through our model, yielding a classification that distinguishes several major lithologies.
LOS TRES CUERPOS DEL BOXEADOR PROFESIONAL

Based on thee yeards of participante observation and apprenticeship in a black boxing gym on Chicago’s South Side, this article reconstructs the prizefighter’s lived sense and experience of corporeal instrumentality, aesthetics, and ethics – the ‘three bodies’ that togheter define the distinctive ‘aisthesis’ of pugilistic practice as corporeal craft and ghetto trade. This serves to argue that professional boxing offers not so much an opportunity for economic betterment as the promise of social difference and even transcendence: the professional ethic of sacrifice enables boxers to tear themselves from the everday world and to create a moral and sensual universe ‘sui generis’ wherein a transcendent masculine self may be constructed.
Modelling heterogeneity in the recoveries of marked animal populations with covariates of individual animals, groups of animals or recovery time

A general framework is developed for modelling rates of survival and recovery of marked animal populations in terms of auxiliary information collected at the time of marking. The framework may be used to estimate differences in survival or recovery among individual animals, groups of animals, and recovery times. Analyses of the recoveries of tagged fish and banded bird populations are used to illustrate the specification and selection of various models.
SU-B-213-01: Introduction

The North American medical physics community validates the education received by medical physicists and the clinical qualifications for medical physicists through accreditation of educational programs and certification of medical physicists. Medical physics educational programs (graduate education and residency education) are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs (CAMPEP), whereas medical physicists are certified by several organizations, the most familiar of which is the American Board of Radiology (ABR). In order for an educational program to become accredited or a medical physicist to become certified, the applicant must meet certain specified standards set by the appropriate organization. In this Symposium, representatives from both CAMPEP and the ABR will describe the process by which standards are established as well as the process by which qualifications of candidates for accreditation or certification are shown to be compliant with these standards. The Symposium will conclude with a panel discussion. Learning Objectives: 1. Recognize the difference between accreditation of an educational program and certification of an individual 2. Identify the two organizations primarily responsible for these tasks 3. Describe the development of educational standards 4. Describe the process by which examination questions are developed GS is Executive Secretary of CAMPEP.
The Role of Press Councils in a System of Media Accountability: The Case of Quebec

Abstract: This paper analyzes the Quebec Press Council as a mechanism for media accountability and traces its effectiveness as a forum for complaints about media ethics. Data come from the QPC's 800 case files and from a series of interviews. Resume: Cet article analyse le fonctionnement du Conseil de presse du Quebec et son efficacite comme tribunal d'honneur ou sont adressees et traitees les plaintes concernant l'ethique journalistique. Les donnees de base proviennent des 800 dossiers du CPQ et de plusieurs entrevues.
Multiangle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) ancillary radiometric product

The in-flight calibration program for the EOS-AM1 Multi- angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) includes on-orbit calibration, characterization of instrument properties and a calibration integrity process. One of the primary activities of the in-flight radiometric calibration and characterization group responsible for the MISR calibration program at the Science Computing Facility is to produce a data file called the Ancillary Radiometric Product (ARP). Radiance scaling and conditioning processing at the distributed active archive center, as well as other science data product generation, proceed using ARP parameters. The parameters that make up the ARP include pre-flight data which give an account of the instrument radiometric response, along with other instrument descriptors. Radiometric response will be maintained and updated throughout the mission.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Using Web Selectors for the Disambiguation of All Words

This research examines a word sense disambiguation method using selectors acquired from the Web. Selectors describe words which may take the place of another given word within its local context. Work in using Web selectors for noun sense disambiguation is generalized into the disambiguation of verbs, adverbs, and adjectives as well. Additionally, this work incorporates previously ignored adverb context selectors and explores the effectiveness of each type of context selector according to its part of speech. Overall results for verb, adjective, and adverb disambiguation are well above a random baseline and slightly below the most frequent sense baseline, a point which noun sense disambiguation overcomes. Our experiments find that, for noun and verb sense disambiguation tasks, each type of context selector may assist target selectors in disambiguation. Finally, these experiments also help to draw insights about the future direction of similar research.
Introducing embedded systems in the first C/C++ programming class

A new approach for laboratory assignments in the first C/C++ programming course is introduced. An easy-to-use low-cost ARM SOC computer module with a parts kit is used in the first C/C++ programming class taught by the School of ECE. Each student purchases a processor module along with a parts kit. A cloud based C/C++ compiler is used for software development and breadboards are used with breakout boards containing common I/O devices. Simple C++ APIs are provided for all I/O hardware interfaces along with code examples for each I/O device. Extensive wiki pages and short videos are used to provide documentation.
Measurement of anxiety in children and adolescents using semistructured interviews

Abstract The contribution of anxiety to psychopathology in children and adolescents is less well understood than in adults. The Children's Anxiety Evaluation Form (CAEF), based on history, signs, and symptoms obtained through semistructured interviews, was developed to measure anxiety levels in nonpsychotic children of normal intelligence. Sixty-three inpatients, average age 11.6, were assessed using the CAEF, the self-rated State-Trait Inventory for Children (STAIC), and Reynolds and Richmond's Revised Measure of Children's Manifest Anxiety (RCMAS). CAEF scores differentiated patients independently diagnosed on discharge as having anxiety disorders from those who were diagnosed as oppositional disorder, nonaggressive conduct disorders, aggressive conduct disorders, and dysthymic disorders. Patients with nonaggressive conduct disorders scored lower on the CAEF than did those with aggressive conduct disorders and dysthymic disorders. Despite a positive correlation between CAEF and STAIC trait scores and with RCMAS, the STAIC and RCMAS failed to differentiate diagnostic groups. The data support the importance of interviewing in assessment of anxiety levels. The different anxiety levels in two groups of conduct disorders may have important therapeutic implications.
Ocular Findings in Human Babesiosis (Nantucket Fever)

Human babesiosis (Nantucket fever) is a rare, tick-borne intraerythrocytic parasitic disease characterized by fever, lymphadenopathy, arthralgias, and hemolytic anemia. A 34-year-old woman, who had previously undergone surgical removal of her spleen, was hospitalized because of presumed hepatitis. The many retinal nerve fiber layer infarcts and serologic abnormalities suggested collagen disease. The diagnosis of babesiosis was established by the demonstration of intraerythrocytic parasites and a greatly elevated titer to Babesia microti. The infection was treated with chloroquine, orally administered quinine, and pyramethamine, and her symptoms resolved within one month. The retinopathy was probably the result of focal vasculitis secondary to immune complex disease caused by chronic infection.
Sorption coolers using a continuous cycle to produce 20 K for the Planck flight mission

Two sorption coolers using hydrogen as the working fluid are currently being fabricated and assembled for flight delivery by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Being vibration free, scalable and with the capability for the cold end to be remotely located from the warm spacecraft are the major advantages of this class of cryo-coolers. These systems have been designed to provide a total cooling capacity (per cooler) of 1 W at a cold end temperature less than 19 K. They will be used for the Planck Surveyor mission (2007 launch). In this paper we present the level of maturity of the hydrogen sorption cooler technology at JPL by describing the design and how it has been validated at the subsystem and system levels.
Voluntary and Involuntary Nursing Home Staff Turnover

The goal of this study was to identify nursing home characteristics that have differential associations to voluntary and involuntary turnover among formal caregivers (i.e., registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and nurse aides). Primary data from 354 facilities from four states were merged with data from the 2004 Online Survey, Certification and Recording system. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine whether organizational characteristics were related to a greater probability of high or low levels of voluntary and involuntary turnover among formal caregivers. The analysis revealed that a higher ratio of nurses to beds, a smaller number of quality-of-care deficiencies, and a smaller proportion of residents using Medicaid were all associated with lower voluntary turnover but higher involuntary turnover. The findings indicate that controlling turnover is a complex process that may involve monitoring the organizational levels not only of voluntary separations but also of...
Ranolazine Reduces Mitochondrial Tyrosine Nitration During Cardiac Ischemia and Reperfusion Injury

Excess superoxide (O2•-) and nitric oxide (NO•) generate peroxynitrite (OONO-) during cardiac ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. NO• alone may be cardioprotective whereas OONO- has deleterious effects. Tyrosine nitration by OONO- may lead to dysfunctional mitochondrial proteins. Ranolazine (RAN), a slow Na+ channel blocker and anti-ischemic drug, may also attenuate mitochondrial complex I respiratory activity. We tested if the tyrosine nitration of mitochondrial proteins that occurred during IR was reduced when RAN was given just before ischemia. Method: Guinea pig hearts were perfused with Krebs -Ringer solution and subjected to one of six treatments: (i) control (no ischemia), (ii) 30 min global ischemia alone, (iii) 30 min ischemia + 10 min reperfusion, (iv) ischemia reperfusion plus RAN given for 10 min before, but not during ischemia, (v) ischemia plus RAN (no reperfusion), (vi) RAN control perfusion (no ischemia). Mitochondria were isolated immediately after each treatment. Tyrosine nitration was measured by Western blotting using 3nitro-tyrosine (3-NT) antibody. Result: RAN markedly improved cardiac function. Two bands positioned at about 25 kDa and 15 kDa were 3-NT immunopositive in all experiment groups. Compared to the control, mitochondria after ischemia reperfusion displayed increased 3-NT immunopositivity at the 25 kDa and 15 kDa positions by approximately 100% and 28%, respectively. Treating hearts with RAN before ischemia reperfusion decreased the 3-NT immunopositive 25 kDa band density to non-ischemia levels and the 15 kDa band density to 10% of the ischemia reperfusion alone level. The nitrated proteins require further identification. Conclusion: Cardiac injury increases the tyrosine nitration of selected mitochondrial proteins. Inhibition of complex I may underlie the cardiac injury-induced increase in mitochondrial protein tyrosine nitration. This reduction in mitochondrial protein nitration may correlate with the improved cardiac function we observed previously with RAN.
Heat transfer characteristics of an unsaturated light clay bed coupled to a heat pump

A brief summary of the simplified continuity, momentum and energy equations that describe heat and mass transfer through unsaturated soil is presented. Classifications of soil water and the hydrodynamic laws governing flow of water through unsaturated soil are discussed. A detailed description of an experimental investigation that was conducted to evaluate certain physical and thermal properties of soil is also included. Specifically, the experiment was to determine the thermal conductivity of moist soil as a function of water content. Another experiment was conducted to study the temperature profiles around a heat source embedded in a bed of moist light clay, the results of which are also presented and shown to be in close agreement with analytically predicted values. The effects of various heat transfer processes as well as the influence of the motion of fluids on heat transfer in an earth bed are presented. Heat diffusion into the soil by conduction is shown to be predominant through the early stages of heating while the liquid water motion contributes to heat transfer during intermediate times and the gas motion is shown to become significant during later stages of drying. The contribution of the convective transport increases with the temperature and becomes equal to the contribution by conduction at moderately high temperatures. Finally, an ‘effective’ or ‘equivalent’ thermal conductivity of the soil is determined. This value helps characterize the heat transfer behaviour of an earth bed as a purely conductive heat transfer medium.
Compact passively self-tuning energy harvesting for rotating applications

This paper presents a compact, passive, self-tuning energy harvester for rotating applications. The harvester rotates in the vertical plane and is comprised of two beams: a relatively rigid piezoelectric generating beam and a narrow, flexible driving beam with a tip mass mounted at the end. The mass impacts the generating beam repeatedly under the influence of gravity to drive generation. Centrifugal force from the rotation modifies the resonant frequency of the flexible driving beam and the frequency response of the harvester. An analytical model that captures the harvester system's resonant frequency as a function of rotational speed is used to guide the detailed design. With an optimized design, the resonant frequency of the harvester substantially matches the frequency of the rotation over a wide frequency range from 4 to 16.2 Hz. A prototype of the passive self-tuning energy harvester using a lead zirconate titanate generating beam achieved a power density of 30.8 µW cm−3 and a more than 11 Hz bandwidth, which is much larger than the 0.8 Hz bandwidth calculated semi-empirically for a similar but untuned harvester. Passive tuning was also demonstrated using the more robust and reliable but less efficient polymer polyvinylidene fluoride for the generating beam.
Idiopathic cardiac hypertrophy in adults

Abstract 1. 1. A 34-year-old white man developed a supraventricular paroxysmal tachycardia of two and one-half weeks duration, with response to quinidine therapy. Progressive cardiac failure ensued, terminating with electrocardiographic evidence of myocardial infarction and followed by sudden death. Autopsy disclosed simply idiopathic cardiac hypertrophy and dilatation. 2. 2. A brief review of the literature is incorporated.
CHARACTERISTICS OF CLASSROOM TEST ITEMS IDENTIFIED BY STUDENTS AS “UNFAIR”

Student evaluations of classroom tests are frequently characterized by a concern for fairness. Although suggestions for test construction often imply test fairness, e.g., test blueprints, clarity in item writing, etc., they fail to specify in a direct fashion what constitutes a fair item. Ebel (1956, p. 131) has suggested at least three aspects of test fairness: objective and impartial test administration, appropriateness in terms of course objectives, proper in-view of the instruction received. He proposes that instructors are in the best position to judge test fairness, but that student and colleague judgment may provide useful balance. Assuming that the last mentioned aspect of test fairness (fair in-view of instruction) is subject to valid student comment, the instructor still may be understandably concerned about the objectivity of student opinion. For example, the student's opinion may be influenced by success or failure associated with the test.
MaSK: A visualization tool for teaching and research in computational chemistry

The number of researchers using computational chemistry tools is growing every year. There are multiple programs used for calculation of various molecular and electronic properties such as optimized geometry, energy, vibrational spectra, and so forth. Another set of programs is used for the visualization of these properties. However, such programs are either too complex for a beginner or too simple for an intermediate user for everyday use. Molecular Modeling and Simulation Kit (MaSK) is designed to fill this gap by presenting an easy-to-use intuitive interface to quantum chemical programs such as GAMESS and Gaussian with an array of advanced tools. The program can be used as a postprocessor to visualize calculated properties or as a preprocessor to prepare the input files for quantum chemical programs. In addition, some properties such as the surfaces of molecular orbitals, electron and spin densities, and molecular electrostatic potentials are actually calculated by MaSK. If MaSK is combined with PC GAMESS, the preparation of the input, running of the calculations, and the display of the results can all be done without leaving the program's interface. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2009
Embodied Relations Are Encoded in Language

Studies of embodied cognition have shown that comprehenders process iconic word pairs (attic-basement) more quickly than reverse-iconic pairs (basement-attic) when the pairs are presented to them in a vertical spatial arrangement. This effect disappears in a horizontal spatial arrangement. This has been claimed to show that comprehenders perceptually simulate these word pairs. A complementary explanation is that linguistic conceptualizations (word order) reflect prelinguistic conceptualizations (spatial iconicity), whereby comprehenders use these linguistic conceptualizations in the comprehension process. The results of corpus linguistic, rating, and semantic judgment studies reported here supported this explanation: Iconic word pairs were more frequent than reverse-iconic word pairs; frequency of word order explained response times in a semantic judgment task better than iconicity did; and when iconic word pairs were presented in a horizontal arrangement, the iconicity effect disappeared, but the word order effect remained. These findings show that spatial iconicity patterns are reflected in word order patterns and that comprehenders are sensitive to these word order patterns in language-processing tasks. nt]mis|This research was supported by Grant NSF-IIS-0416128. The usual exculpations apply. I thank Rick Dale, David Rapp, and Rolf Zwaan for comments on previous drafts.
Histone H3 amino terminus is required for telomeric and silent mating locus repression in yeast

HETEROCHROMATIN is a cytologically visible form of condensed chromatin capable of repressing genes in eukaryotic cells. For the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, despite the absence of observable heterochromatin, there is genetic and chromatin structure data which indicate that there are heterochromatin-like repressive structures1,2. Genes experience position effects at the silent mating loci and the telomeres, resulting in a repressed state that is inherited in an epigenetic manner. The histone H4 amino terminus is required for repression at these loci3,4. Additional studies have indicated that the histone H3 N terminus is not important for silent mating locus repression5,6, but redundancy of repressive elements at the silent mating loci may be responsible for masking its role. Here we report that histone H3 is required for full repression at yeast telomeres and at partially disabled silent mating loci, and that the acetylatable lysine residues of H3 play an important role in silencing.
Higher-dimensional charged rotating solutions in (A)dS spacetimes

We present a class of solutions to the Einstein–Maxwell equations in d-dimensions, all of which are asymptotically (anti)-de Sitter spacetimes. They describe electrically charged rotating solutions, which are generalizations of those found by Lemos (1994 Preprint gr-qc/9404041). These solutions have toroidal, planar or cylindrical horizons and can be interpreted as black holes, or black strings/branes. We calculate the inverse temperature and entropy, and then we use the Brown–York stress tensor to calculate mass and angular momenta of these solutions.
A 1-V 5 GHz Variable Gain Low Noise Amplifier in 0.18-μm CMOS

This paper describes a 1-V 5 GHz fully differential variable gain low noise amplifier (VGLNA) in a 0.18-mum CMOS process. The LNA provides 50-Omega input impedance and utilizes a tuned load to provide high selectivity. The VGLNA achieves a maximum small signal gain of 10.11 dB within 1-dB compression point (iCP1 dB) of -16.0 dBm and a minimum gain of 1.6 dB within iCP1 dB of -14.5 dBm. In the high gain and low gain modes, the noise figures (NFs) are 1.94 dB and 3.96 dB, respectively with good input return loss. The LNA's IIP3 in the high gain mode is -5.15 dBm. The LNA consumes only 6.4 mA of current from a 1-V power supply
Geometrical constraints on microstructural development in block copolymer ultrathin films

The fact that microstructures form in microphase-separated block copolymers, endowing the materials with unique thermo-mechanical properties, is well-established. However, no thermodynamic theories directly address the problem of microstructural development in ultrathin films, which might be useful as adhesives or resists. To predict the microstructural dimensions in such films, a model based on unit-cell geometries and material/volume balances is developed. Predictions of the ratio of the characteristic length of the domain core to domain repeat distance are obtained for poly (styrene-butadiene) diblock (SB) copolymers at 298 K. The finite interphase region is included in the volume balances with the parameterf, the volume fraction of interphase material, obtained from a modified version of the Leary-Henderson-Williams thermodynamic theory and shown here not to be a strong function of composition. An approach, implementingf, for accurately estimating the critical molecular weight of microphase separation in the strong-segregation limit (Mc), as a function of bulk composition for monodisperse SB copolymers at 298 K, is also presented.
Duck Plague Virus-Induced Intranuclear Inclusions in Duck Embryo Hepatocytes

Summary Characteristic intranuclear inclusion bodies were present in the hepatocytes, and focal or massive coagulative liver necrosis was found consistently in duck embryos inoculated with duck plague virus. Zusammenfassung Durch Entenpest-Virus verursachte intranukleare Einschlusse in Hepatozyten von Entenembryonen In Entenembryonen, die mit Entenpest-Virus beimpft worden waren, konnten regelmasig Lebernekrosen verschiedener Ausdehnung, sowie charakteristische intranukleare Einschusse in den Hepatocyten nachgewiesen werden. Resume Inclusions intranucleaires induites par le virus de la peste du canard dans des hepatocytes d'embryon de canard Dans des embryons de canards, auxquels on avait inocule le virus de la pest du canard, on a pu mettre en evidence regulierement des necroses hepatiques d'importance variable, ainsi que des inclusions intranucleaires caracteristiques dans les hepatocytes. Resumen Inclusiones intranucleares en hepatocitos de embriones de patipollos, ocasionadas por virus de la peste de los patos En embriones de patipollos, inoculados con virus de la peste de los patos, se pudieron identificar con regularidad necrosis hepaticas die extension diversa, asi como inclusiones intranucleares caracteristicas en los hepatocitos.
Sources of Variation of Semen Output

Data from 5033 ejaculates during 1 yr from 55 mature Holstein bulls were analyzed to determine the effects of ejaculate number, days between ejaculates, month of the year, solunar periods, and sires on spermatozoal output and seminal characteristics. First ejaculates contained 49.7% more sperm and 40.8% more sperm per ml than second ejaculates. Increasing the interval between collections from 2 to 6+ days resulted in 45.9% more sperm per ejaculate, 31.0% more sperm per ml, and 14.0% greater volume. However, daily sperm output was highest when bulls were ejaculated most frequently. Lowest semen output was in February and March, associated with a decrease in sperm per ml. Highest semen output was in April and June, associated with the highest concentration of sperm per ml. Solunar periods had no effect on any measure of semen output. The concentration of sperm per ml varied more than the volume per ejaculate and had the largest influence on variation in total sperm harvested per ejaculate. Frequency of ejaculation was a major factor in total sperm harvested per bull per year.
Merging the Fields of Mental Health and Social Enterprise: Lessons from Abroad and Cumulative Findings from Research with Homeless Youths

Despite the growing integration of supported employment within the mental health system in the United States as well as the widespread use of social enterprises abroad, the fields of mental health and social enterprises remain largely separate in the USA. The mental health field currently lacks a response that strengthens homeless youths’ existing human and social capital, provides them with marketable job skills and employment, and impacts their mental health. To address this gap, this paper establishes a case for using social enterprises with homeless youths, drawing on both global precedents and findings from a mixed-methods study of a social enterprise intervention with homeless youths. Recommendations are offered for how to integrate social enterprises with mental health treatment as well as how to evaluate their impact on mental health outcomes.
Evaluation of Linear Dodecyl Benzene Sulfonic Acid as a Teat Dip in a Commercial Dairy

A postmilking teat dip containing 1.94% linear dodecyl benzene sulfonic acid was evaluated for approximately 6 mo on a commercial dairy farm that milked an average of 75 cows. Sixteen Staphylococcus aureus infections were diagnosed, 12 in the undipped control quarters and 4 in the dipped. Incidence of intramammary infection with Staphylococcus aureus was reduced 68.1%. Seventy-five infections were diagnosed as micrococci, 42 in control and 33 in the dipped group, a 23.6% reduction. A total of 37 Corynebacterium sp. infections were diagnosed, 21 and 16 in control and dipped groups, a 25.8% reduction. Teat skin condition did not change during the study.
Laser-induced etched grating on InP for integrated optical circuit elements

Based on a non-linear coupling between the etchant species and the photo-induced carriers during photo-electrochemical etching of semiconductor surfaces, we propose that the reaction residue, the oxide layer, regulates the reaction.
A comparative study of different classifiers for handprinted character recognition

In this paper, we present a comparative study of four different classifiers for isolated handprinted character recognition. These four classifiers are i) a nearest template (NT) classifier, ii) an enhanced nearest template (ENT) classifier, iii) a standard feedforward neural network (FNN) classifier, and iv) a hybrid classifier. The NT classifier is a variation of the nearest neighbor classifier which stores a small number of templates (or prototypes) and their statistics generated by a special clustering algorithm. Motivated by radial basis function networks, the ENT classifier is proposed to augment the NT classifier with an optimal transform which maps the distances generated by the NT classifier to character categories. The FNN classifier is a 3-layer (with one hidden layer) feedforward network trained using the backpropagation algorithm. The hybrid classifier combines results from the FNN and NT classifiers in an efficient way to improve the recognition accuracy with only a slight increase in computation. In this paper, we evaluate the performance of these four classifiers in terms of recognition accuracy, top 3 coverage rate, and recognition speed, using the NIST isolated lower-case alphabet database. Our experiments show that the FNN classifier outperforms the NT and ENT classifiers in all the three evaluation criteria. The hybrid classifier achieves the best recognition accuracy at a cost of little extra computation over the FNN classifier. The ENT classifier can significantly improve the recognition accuracy of the NT classifier when a small number of templates is used.
Empowerment and Powerlessness: A Closer Look at the Relationship Between Feminism, Body Image and Eating Disturbance

Objectification Theory (Frederickson & Roberts, 1997) states that women’s bodies are viewed as objects to be evaluated and this societal objectification may lead to self-objectification when women view their own bodies as objects. The current study theorized that empowerment is an important factor in reducing self-objectification. Although empowerment is a central tenet of feminist theory, this study is the first to examine the relationship between empowerment, feminism, and body image and eating disturbance. Participants were 276 women from the southeastern USA. Results demonstrated that empowerment was more predictive of body image and eating disturbance than was feminism. Development of a validated empowerment scale specific to body image and eating disturbance may be useful for future research, prevention, and treatment efforts.
Fatal parathyroid hormone-related protein-induced humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy in a 3-month-old infant

Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) is the factor responsible for the syndrome of humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy (HHM). The syndrome is well documented in adult cancer patients, but has not previously been described in young children. We report the case of a 3-month-old infant who developed refractory hypercalcemia (peak total calcium 13.8 mg/dl; normal 8.5–10.5, ionized calcium 3.3 meq/l; normal 2.0–2.5) associated with a high-grade, poorly differentiated malignant hepatic sarcoma. Parathyroid hormone (intact) levels were suppressed (7.5 pg/ml; normal 10–65). Fractional excretion of phosphate was markedly elevated (73.5%; normal 8%–20%) as were urinary cAMP levels (12.48 nmol/dl glomerular filtrate; normal 1.83–4.47) suggesting a PTH-like effect. Increased levels of PTHrP were present both in the serum (4.9 pmol/l; normal for adults <1.5) and ascitic fluid (6.1 pmol/l). Since previous studies have demonstrated a potential role for PTHrp in the regulation of embryonal tissue differentiation and transmembrane calcium flux, our observation of elevated PTHrP levels associated with the development of a poorly differentiated hepatic sarcoma in a young infant may provide insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying HHM. We suggest that serum or plasma PTHrP levels be determined in all children with hypercalcemia of malignancy in whom the hypercalcemia cannot otherwise be explained.