cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The oblique view: an alternative approach for ultrasound-guided central line placement.

Abstract Background: Numerous studies have shown significant benefits of using real-time ultrasonography for central line intravenous access. Traditionally, the ultrasound probe is placed along the short axis of the vein to visualize and direct needle placement. This view has some limitations, particularly being able to visualize the needle tip. Some practitioners place the ultrasound probe in the long axis of the vessel to direct needle placement, allowing better visualization of the needle entering the vein, but this does not allow visualization of relevant anatomic structures. Objectives: We describe an alternative means to obtain ultrasound-guided vascular access using an oblique axis rather than the traditional short-axis approach. Discussion: This view allows better visualization of the needle shaft and tip but also offers the safety of being able to visualize all relevant anatomically significant structures at the same time and in the same plane. This orientation is halfway between the short and long axis of the vessel, allowing visualization of the needle as it enters the vessel. This capitalizes on the strengths of the long axis while optimizing short-axis visualization of important structures during intravenous line placement. Conclusion: Ultrasound-guided vascular access can be obtained in a variety of ways. We describe a technique that is used by some experienced ultrasound users but that has never been fully described in the literature. This technique for obtaining ultrasound-guided vascular access offers another option for attempting ultrasound-guided vascular access that has the potential to improve success rates and minimize complications associated with intravenous access.
Pulsating Radio Sources near the Crab Nebula.

Two new pulsating radio sources, designated NP 0527 and NP 0532, were found near the Crab Nebula and could be coincident with it. Both sources are sporadic, and no periodicities are evident. The pulse dispersions indicate that 1.58 ± 0.03 and 1.74 ± 0.02 x 1020 electrons per square centimeter lie in the direction of NP 0527 and NP 0532, respectively.
Anti-inflammatory activity of anatabine via inhibition of STAT3 phosphorylation

Previous investigations have demonstrated the anti-inflammatory effects of cholinergic agonists, such as nicotine. In the present study, we investigated the potential anti-inflammatory activity of anatabine, a minor tobacco alkaloid also present in plants of the Solanacea family which displays a chemical structural similarity with nicotine. Our data show that anatabine prevents STAT3 and NFκB phosphorylation induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or TNF-α in SH-SY5Y, HEK293, human microglia and human blood mononuclear cells. Using human whole blood, we found that anatabine prevents IL-1β production induced by LPS. We assessed anatabine's anti-inflammatory activity in vivo using an acute model of inflammation by challenging wild-type mice with LPS. We observed that anatabine reduces pro-inflammatory cytokine production (IL-6, IL-1β and TNF-α) in the plasma, kidney and spleen of the animals following the injection of LPS and concomitantly opposes STAT3 phosphorylation induced by LPS in the spleen and kidney. We also investigated the impact of anatabine on neuroinflammation using a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (Tg APPsw) that displays elevated cytokine levels in the brain. Following a chronic oral treatment with anatabine, a reduction in brain TNF-α and IL-6 levels compared to untreated Tg APPsw mice was observed. Moreover, an increased STAT3 phosphorylation was detected in the brains of Tg APPsw mice compared to wild-type littermates and was inhibited by anatabine treatment. Overall our data show that the anti-inflammatory activity of anatabine in vitro and in vivo is mediated in part via an inhibition of STAT3 phosphorylation.
γ-Hydroxybutyric acid induced spike and wave discharges in rats: Relation to high-affinity [3H]γ-hydroxybutyric acid binding sites in the thalamus and cortex

Abstract γ-Hydroxybutyric acid is a naturally occurring compound which induces bilaterally synchronous spike and wave discharges in rats. The γ-hydroxybutyric acid model of absence seizures simulates clinical absence seizures behaviorally as well as electrographically. The present study was undertaken in order to establish the role of the high-affinity γ-hydroxybutyric acid binding sites in the generation of γ-hydroxybutyric acid-induced spike and wave discharges. Spike and wave discharges induced by γ-hydroxybutyric acid were recorded with the aid of bipolar depth electrodes implanted in discrete regions of thalamus, cortex and hippocampus. In the present study we found that ventroposterolateral, ventroposteromedial, medial and the reticular nuclei of the thalamus discharged synchronously with the cortical generation of spike and wave discharges. In the cortex, the superficial layers (I–IV) of frontoparietal cortex generated spike and wave discharges, whereas no spike and wave discharges were recorded from deeper layers (V–VI) of frontoparietal cortex. At the onset of spike and wave discharges induced by γ-hydroxybutyric acid, a rapid but reversible upregulation of γ-hydroxybutyric acid binding sites was observed. This increased [ 3 H]γ-hydroxybutyric acid binding was characterized by an increase in the number of γ-hydroxybutyric acid sites with no significant change in their affinity for γ-hydroxybutyric acid. Moreover, the change in [ 3 H]γ-hydroxybutyric acid binding was observed only in those thalamic structures and cortical layers which were found to be involved in the generation of spike and wave discharges induced by γ-hydroxybutyric acid. The CA3 field or dorsal hippocampus possesses the highest density of [ 3 H]γ-hydroxybutyric acid binding sites of all brain regions. However, no significant change in [ 3 H]γ-hydroxybutyric acid binding was observed in this region nor was the CA3 field involved in the generation of spike and wave discharges during γ-hydroxybutyric acid-induced absence-like seizures. These findings confirm that γ-hydroxybutyric acid-induced absence-like seizures originate from thalamocortical pathways and that the onset of γ-hydroxybutyric acid-induced spike and wave discharges is directly related to the regulation of γ-hydroxybutyric acid binding sites in those regions which constitute the involved thalamocortical loop.
Poplar woody biomass yields: A look to the future

Abstract Yield increases of 2 to 3 times have been achieved for some agricultural crops over 40 years because of improved genetic material and culture. These increases suggest that similar yield increases might be achieved in short-rotation intensive culture (SRIC) energy plantations. Current poplar SRIC record small-plot yields are 4 to 7 times greater than average field yields. SRIC yields necessary for marginal profitability have not yet been attained in the field, but field yields are expected to increase based on the gains recently achieved in small experimental plots. The rate and potential size of future yield increases are uncertain, however. Whether the large yield gains achieved recently in agricultural crops can be duplicated in SRIC within a reasonable time will depend on a number of factors, including future investment in cultural and breeding research, and the realization of the biotechnology potential.
CHURCH CULTURE AS A STRATEGY OF ACTION IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY

Culture consists of rhetorical, interactional, and material tools that are organized into strategies of action. Social movement theory is beginning to recognize the role of culture in facilitating or frustrating collective organizing. I use social constructionism as an analytical approach to bridge social movement and cultural theory. Social constructionists ask how social action is constructed, rather than what issues or ideas are being constructed. Using data from more than three years of ethnographic research in Groveland, an African American neighborhood in Chicago, I find that the black church provides a cultural blueprint for civic life in the neighborhood. Prayer, call-and-response interaction, and Christian imagery are important parts of the cultural tool kit of Groveland's black residents, and these cultural practices invigorate activism. Particular theological foundations of black Christianity -especially its collective ethos and the notion of God as active in earthly affairs- support the content of secular activism. Black church culture constitutes the taken-for-granted practices that put civic efforts into action.
Reduction of severe hyperbilirubinemia after institution of predischarge bilirubin screening.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to demonstrate efficacy of universal predischarge neonatal bilirubin screening in reducing potentially dangerous hyperbilirubinemia in a large, diverse national population. METHODS: This was a 5-year prospective study directed at neonates who were aged ≤28 days and evaluated at facilities of the Hospital Corporation of America with a serum bilirubin level of ≥20.0 mg/dL. This time frame includes periods before, during, and after the initiation of systemwide institution of a program of universal predischarge neonatal bilirubin screening. The primary outcome measures were serum bilirubin 25.0 to 29.9 and ≥30.0 mg/dL. Neonatal phototherapy use during these years was also analyzed. RESULTS: Of the 1028817 infants who were born in 116 hospitals between May 1, 2004, and December 31, 2008, 129345 were delivered before implementation and 899472 infants were delivered after implementation of this screening program in their individual hospitals. With a program of universal screening, the incidence of infants with total bilirubin 25.0 to 29.9 mg/dL declined from 43 per 100000 to 27 per 100000, and the incidence of infants with total bilirubin of ≥30.0 mg/dL dropped from 9 per 100000 to 3 per 100000 (P = .0019 and P = .0051, respectively). This change was associated with a small but statistically significant increase in phototherapy use. CONCLUSIONS: A comprehensive program of prevention, including universal predischarge neonatal bilirubin screening, significantly reduces the subsequent development of bilirubin levels that are known to place newborns at risk for bilirubin encephalopathy.
Isolation and biological activity of a novel kinin ([Thr6] bradykinin) from the turtle, Pseudemys scripta.

Incubation of plasma from the red-eared turtle with glass beads in the presence of the kininase inhibitor 1,10- phenanthroline resulted in activation of the kallikrein-kinin system and generation of bradykinin-like immunoreactivity. The immunoreactive material comprised a single molecular form that was purified to homogeneity by reverse phase HPLC. The primary structure of the peptide was determined by automated Edman degradation and fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry. The amino acid sequence of the turtle kinin Arg-Pro-Pro- Gly-Phe-Thr-Pro-Phe-Arg contains the substitution Thr for Ser at position 6 compared with mammalian bradykinin. [Thr6] bradykinin was synthesized using solid phase methodology, and bolus injections of the peptide into the left atrium of the anaesthetized turtle produced rapid vasodilation. A dose-dependent increase in blood flow in the left aortic arch was accompanied by a decrease in peripheral vascular resistance, so that systemic blood pressure did not change. The data suggest...
Case report: metastatic renal carcinoid to the thyroid diagnosed by fine needle aspiration biopsy.

We report a case of primary renal carcinoid arising in a horseshoe kidney. To the best of our knowledge this is the first case to be reported in the cytology literature, which has been diagnosed by fine needle aspiration (FNA). A 32-year-old male, presented to the Emory University Hospital, with a renal mass arising in a horseshoe kidney; along with a thyroid mass. FNA of the renal mass resulted in an initial diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma, unclassified. A thyroid aspiration was attempted later, and revealed a neuroendocrine morphology. This was compared with the renal aspiration and both of them were found to have similar morphology. With the help of immunostains, a diagnosis of renal carcinoid tumor metastatic to the thyroid was made. Thus, we demonstrate that renal carcinoid, being a rare entity, can pose a diagnostic challenge. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2007;35:597-600. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Prostaglandins masculinize the mouse genital tract.

The masculinizing effects of prostaglandins (PGS) PGE2 and PGF2 on mouse fetal genital tract differentiation were studied both in vivo and in vitro. Prenatal exposure to PGE2 and PGF2 on days 11-17 of gestation (the critical period of the differentiation) increased the anogenital distance of the female fetuses in a dose-dependent manner. PGE2 also increased the anogenital distance of male fetuses in the presence of an inhibitor of testosterone synthesis, namely estradiol (2 mg/kgday), and in the androgen-insensitive Tfmy males. Internally, PGE2 induced the epididymal duct in the females, estrogenexposed males, and Tfmy males. However, no other changes were noticed in the internal genital tract of these fetuses To avoid the problems associated with the placental transfer of any external agent, we also studied the effect of PGE2 in an in vitro system. Female genital ducts on day 13 of gestation were cultured in the presence and absence of different concentrations of PGE2 for a total of 6 days. PGE2 at doses...
An ethical perspective on caregiving in the family

The emphasis on intra-family caregiving that prevailed from ancient until relatively recent times, in both philosophy and practice, was substantially displaced under the influence of the Eighteenth Century Enlightenment by an emphasis on individual independence. The ethics of familial relationships ceased to be at the center of philosophical interest. A consequence was growing inattention to the social conditions and practical arrangements needed to support family efforts to take care of the very young, the very old, the physically or mentally ill or disabled, and others in need of care. The myth of the self-sufficient family must be exploded to permit the development of a public policy that will make such support possible.
Mixed allogeneic chimerism by combined use of nonlethal radiation and antilymphocyte serum in a rat small bowel transplantation model

THE SUCCESSFUL induction of graft-specific tolerance continues to be a challenge in solid organ transplantations. Methods to enhance the natural microchimerism occuring after transplant were evaluated in a rat small bowel transplantation (SBT) model by using donorspecific bone marrow (BM) cells combined with irradiation of the recipient before transplant. The major limitation to this approach is the toxicity of lethal whole-body irradiation, which is used to inactivate host alloimmune responses and permit BM engraftment. In a previous work, we demonstrated that preconditioning regimens based on low doses of irradiation associated with whole or T-cell–depleted BM can successfully decrease the severity of graft rejection; however, an excessive mortality due to graftversus-host disease (GVHD) was observed after transplant. In this study, we evaluated the effect of donor and recipient preconditioning by either low doses of irradiation and/or anti-lymphocyte serum (ALS) on the incidence of GVHD and rejection after SBT.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in pediatric cardiac transplantation

Abstract Background We reviewed a single institution experience with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in the perioperative management of cardiac transplantation. Methods Of all pediatric cardiac transplant candidates (1984-2003), patients requiring ECMO pretransplantation/posttransplantation were identified, with particular attention to use of ECMO as a bridge to transplantation. Parameters reviewed included proportionate survival, incidence of pre-ECMO cardiac arrest, ECMO duration, and United Network for Organ Sharing list time. Results Three hundred patients were listed for transplantation. Twenty-nine required ECMO: 18 pretransplant, 3 pretransplant and posttransplant, 6 posttransplant, and 2 for delayed acute rejection. There were 21 bridge-to-transplant candidates, of which 10 eventually transplanted with 60% survival; 11 not transplanted had no survivors ( P = .004). Thirteen of 21 had cardiac arrest pre-ECMO with 1 (8%) survivor; 8 of 21 had no arrest with 5 (63%) survivors ( P = .014). Mean ECMO duration and United Network for Organ Sharing list times between transplanted and not transplanted were not significant. Nine received ECMO posttransplantation for cardiopulmonary support; 5 (56%) of 9 survived. Two patients supported with ECMO for rejection-related cardiovascular collapse survived. Conclusion ECMO can bridge children to cardiac transplantation. Survival is significantly impaired in bridge-to-transplant candidates stratified by pre-ECMO cardiac arrest. ECMO can also help transition from cardiopulmonary bypass after transplantation and provide effective support during acute rejection.
An approximate yield criterion for anisotropic porous media

Abstract We derive a new yield function for materials containing spheroidal voids embedded in a perfectly-plastic anisotropic Hill-type matrix. Using approximate limit-analysis and a restricted set of trial velocity fields, analytical yield loci are derived for a hollow, spheroidal volume element containing a confocal spheroidal void. Alternatively, the yield loci are determined through numerical limit-analysis, i.e., employing a larger set of velocity fields. The numerical results are quasi-exact for transversely isotropic materials under axisymmetric loading. We show that an enhanced description of admissible microscopic deformation fields results in a close agreement between analytical and numerical macroscopic yield loci. To cite this article: S.M. Keralavarma, A.A. Benzerga, C. R. Mecanique 336 (2008).
Transactivation of Hox gene expression in a VP16-dependent binary transgenic mouse system

Mice with aberrant expression of Hox genes have provided valuable insight into the role of Hox class transcription factors in patterning the developing skeleton and the nervous system. However, a recurrent problem is the lethality of mice expressing a Hox-transgene. To circumvent premature death frequently associated with transgenes that interfere with development, we have established a binary transgenic mouse system. Transactivator mice harbor the VP16 gene regulated by a promoter of interest while transresponder mice contain the VP16-responsive immediate early (IE) promoter linked to the gene to be expressed [G.W. Byrne, F.H. Ruddle, Multiplex gene regulation: a two-tiered approach to transgene regulation in transgenic mice, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 86 (1989) 5473-5477]. Here, we report the generation of transresponder mouse strains that harbor murine homeobox genes linked to the IE promoter. We provide evidence that these transgenes are transcriptionally activated in progeny that inherit both a transactivator and transresponder transgene. By microdissection of mouse embryos and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis, we demonstrate that the expression of the Hox-transgenes is restricted to those regions of the mouse embryos where VP16 is present. The ability to activate stable Hox-transgenes in a reproducible fashion now permits a detailed in vivo dissection of the molecular mechanisms that lead to developmental abnormalities caused by deregulated Hox-gene expression.
Health care reform--why so slow?

Recent opinion surveys have disclosed the American public's deepening restiveness over the shortcomings of U.S. health care, which has grown to such a point that the majority of the respondents now look favorably on alternative systems, particularly the Canadian one.1 In the face of increasingly severe and widespread criticism and discontent, why has movement toward health reform been at best modest and at worst ineffectual? To begin with, one must distinguish clearly between actions and effectiveness. The challenge of slowing the steep rise in health care expenditures has been the focus of both public and private policy for the past . . .
Teaching Notes on Simon Gikandi's Slavery and the Culture of Taste

I am delighted that the Graduate Student Caucus requested to sponsor this review forum and highlight it in its program of activities.1 I was inspired by the interest of that constituency to prepare my remarks on Simon Gikandi’s book as teaching notes. The informality and roomier format of teaching notes should allow me to range more widely in my explorations, but also compel me to be more systematic and less allusive in my arguments, all for the sake of explanatory clarity. Gikandi’s Slavery and the Culture of Taste is a succulent book, tastefully packaged, and, available for now only for $29.98 for hardcover and $16.17 for e-book, it is tastefully priced also. It is all the more appropriate then that it has received two mouthwatering awards—the James Russell Lowell award of the Modern Language Association in January 2013 and shared the Herskovits Award of the African Studies Association in November 2012. This is a significant achievement indeed. First, I will comment on two broad aspects of the book—the archive and the method. Their specifics in the book apart, these are also the two central decisions you will face in a major way as a scholar from the dissertation stage onwards. Your profit from these remarks should, thus, be both specific and general-conceptual. Second, I will raise two queries toward the end. The archive of Gikandi’s book is that of Euro-American imperialism during what is called “the long eighteenth century,” roughly from the mid-1660s to the mid-1830s, but mostly the eighteenth century proper, 1701–1799. The curriculum of our field, African literary and cultural studies, whether in Africa or North America, rarely reaches that far back other than the occasional slave narrative in a broad survey course by an expansive-minded teacher. Our shallow attention is hardly reflective of the significance of that century and that archive in any deep history of the cultural formations and values that are constitutive of modern Africa. The archive, as we know well, has featured more prominently in the fields of African history and political economy. Part one of the reason is no doubt that the kind and volume of available records of the Africa-Europe encounter of the era, produced mostly by Europeans, appear to be more amenable to the “impact assessment” tools of those disciplines. The records at the African end by Africans at the time—and not just records of cultural, but also of social and political production and transformation—are scarce and many are subject to all sorts of debates that
An Experimental Haptic Based Skill Training Simulator for Manufacturing Applications

In this paper we present a concept of a versatile ‘haptics’ based robotic path planning and operator training tool. Some of the earlier work in the area of robotic path planning has been visited. A suitable force model has been developed and implemented to test the method. As a first step, a system for the training of machine operators and path planners is developed. Experiments are carried out to prove the hypothesis. Preliminary results from these experiments have been presented.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Threats and Assurances in Crisis Bargaining

Both threats and assurances can be useful in international negotiations. Threats help convince the adversary that a state will fight if challenged, and assurances can convince the adversary that a state will not attack if not challenged. We develop a model that analyzes when threats and assurances are used. Threats are widely useful because there is typically a range of outcomes that are preferable to war for each side, and threats can secure a better deal within that range by strengthening a state’s bottom line. In contrast, assurances are only necessary when war would result without them because of insufficiently valued intermediate outcomes or shifting power. We discuss insights from the model, including the role of false assurances, in the context of both the Sudetenland crisis and Cold War Europe.
Non-equilibrium phonons in nonradiative rate processes

Abstract The theory of radiationless transitions is revised. At low temperatures, low energy gaps and finite concentrations of ions (impurities, defects, etc.), a usual assumption about equilibrium lattice phonons is not valid any more. For the concentrations of ions above certain characteristics concentrations, it is necessary to take into account the time dependence of phonon variables. Relaxation processes are described by coupled systems of equations for electronic and phonon variables. For specific models the characteristic concentrations are found.
Formation of dinuclear, macrocyclic, and chain structures from HgI(2) and a semirigid benzimidazole-based bridging ligand: an example of ring-opening supramolecular isomerism.

The reactions of HgI2 with the semirigid ditopic ligand 1,3-bis(benzimidazol-1-ylmethyl)-2,4,6-trimethylbenzene (bbimms) afforded three new complexes, [Hg2(μ-I)2I2(bbimms)] (1), [Hg2I4(bbimms)2] (2), and catena-poly[HgI2(bbimms)] (3). The ligand and all complexes have been structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. 1 is a triply bridged dinuclear complex comprised of two Hg(II) ions, one bridging ligand, two bridging I- anions, and two terminal I- anions. 2 is a dinuclear metallamacrocycle comprised of two Hg(II) ions, two bridging ligands, and four terminal I- anions, while 3 is a helical chain with the repeating unit of HgI2(bbimms). 2 and 3 can be classified as supramolecular isomers, and both are related to the triply bridged precursor 1 via the addition of one more ligand in a ring-opening process.
Chloride binding to photosystem II in the dark is in slow exchange

We have studied the 35Cl− NMR line broadening in the presence of photosystem II (PS II) membranes from spinach in the dark. In the presence of NH3 (which other work has shown to competitively inhibit chloride binding to PS II) we observed no decrease in 35Cl− linewidths. We conclude that binding of Cl− to the O2 evolving center in PS II in the dark (previously demonstrated by EPR) is in slow exchange on the NMR timescale. We assign the observed line broadening to interaction with non-specific binding sites and with free paramagnetics.
The Strong Association between Western Sahelian Monsoon Rainfall and Intense Atlantic Hurricanes

Abstract Seasonal variability of Atlantic basin tropical cyclones is examined with respect to the monsoon rainfall over West Africa. Variations of intense hurricanes are of the most interest, as they are responsible for over three-quarters of United States tropical cyclone spawned destruction, though they account for only one-fifth of all landfalling cyclones. Intense hurricanes have also shown a strong downward trend during the last few decades. It is these storms that show the largest concurrent association with Africa's western Sahelian June-September rainfall for the years 1949–90. Though the Sahel is currently experiencing a multidecadal drought, the relationship between Atlantic tropical cyclones and western Sahelian rainfall is not dependent on the similar downward trends in both datasets. A detrended analysis confirms that a strong association still exists, though reduced somewhat in variance explained. Additionally, independent data from the years 1899 to 1948 substantiate the existence of the tr...
Continuity in Economic Activity and Policy during the Post-Petrine Period in Russia*

To discuss economic activity in Russia of the eighteenth century is to deal with an economic and social order that antedates the age of industrialization. Industrial activity in Russia during the eighteenth century was carried on within the political framework of an autocratic state, with ill-defined norms of legal behavior, and against the background of a serf agriculture which reached its apogee during this very period. The state of the industrial arts was low in comparison with western European standards, and the use of waterpower as a motive force in manufactories was introduced in Russia by foreign entrepreneurs only in the seventeenth century. Against this background, the efforts by Peter the Great (reigned 1682–1725) to modernize Russia appear genuinely heroic. The demands of his policy forced the government to engage directly in a vast program of establishing new industries, of converting small handicraft workshops into large-scale manufactories, and of encouraging private entrepreneurs to follow the government's example.
Mechanism of Increased Fluconazole Resistance in Candida glabrata during Prophylaxis

Candida glabrata can become resistant to fluconazole, causing persistent colonization and invasive infection during prolonged exposure to the drug. To determine the mechanism of resistance in this setting, weekly oropharyngeal cultures for C. glabrata were obtained over a 2-year period from hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients who were receiving fluconazole prophylaxis. In 20 patients from whom at least two isolates of the same karyotype were obtained more than two weeks apart, fluconazole MICs doubled every 31 days on average. The mechanism of fluconazole resistance in isolates from the 14 of the 20 patients studied in whom MICs changed at least fourfold was studied. Cellular resistance was accompanied by increased drug efflux as measured by decreased accumulation of fluconazole and rhodamine 6G and increased abundance of transcripts from two drug transporters, CgCDR1 and PDH1. The rapidity and regularity of the rising resistance indicated that C. glabrata is able to upregulate drug efflux without losing the ability to maintain colonization.
Designing the best urban, preservice elementary science methods course: Dilemmas and considerations

This paper addresses the dilemmas encountered by two secondary science education instructors designing a course for preservice elementary teachers. Taking into consideration past experiences of teaching education and science courses in general and with preservice elementary teachers in particular and recommendations from state and national documents and state requirements regarding teacher accreditation, the two instructors engage in an introspective reflection that uncovers the complexity involved in making decisions regarding course goals, course assignments, assessment strategies, and course materials. This was all done in an effort to better prepare preservice elementary teachers to meet the new demands of contextualized urban science classrooms, focusing on inquiry science and students’ use of higher-order cognitive skills.
Nutrient Buildup in Sand Litter

SUMMARY There has been increasing need for alternative bedding sources for rearing broilers. Sand has been evaluated as a potential bedding source. One problem that might be encountered using sand could be excessive buildup of nutrients, because broilers are typically reared on sand longer than other materials without complete litter removal. High levels of nutrients in poultry litter could create environmental problems when applied to pastures or agronomic crops. This study was designed to quantify the progression of nutrient buildup in sand litter for subsequent flocks. Pooled litter samples were obtained after each flock from broiler houses using sand. The samples were evaluated at the Auburn University Soil Testing Laboratory. Results are reported on a dry-matter basis. Nutrients were measured and minerals were evaluated with a spectrometer. Results showed a significant increase (P < 0.05) in nutrient content in sand houses over time (N 0.74 and 2.26%; P 0.32 and 1.25%; K 0.45 and 1.93%, for flocks 1 and 5, respectively). Nutrient levels in sand litter were similar or lower than those on pine shavings. In general, nutrients in sand increased over time. Sand litter when compared with pine shaving litter had slightly lower nutrient levels on a percentage or parts per million basis after 9 flocks.
Evaluating the impact of workstation usage on radiology report times in the initial 6 months following installation.

Picture archiving and communications systems (PACS) workstations are reported to improve workflow by making studies immediately available for review upon their completion. This study tested the hypothesis that a workstation would decrease the time from completion of a study to dictation of results (report time). A four-monitor, 2K × 2K workstation (Imation Cemax-Icon, Fremont, CA), was installed in a body imaging computed tomography (CT) reading room. Use of the workstation by the staff radiologists was voluntary. Images were also printed on film and films continued to be hung at the routine hanging times. To evaluate the workstation’s maximum impact, data were collected for report times for studies completed during the routine day shift of the staff radiologist (Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm). Data were collected before workstation installation (August 1997 to November 1997) and for the subsequent 6 months. Histograms of the number of studies (743v 103) versus report time (mean, 11.7v 7.4 hours) showed a bimodal distribution, with peaks at approximately 6 and 24 hours, both before (8/97-11/97) and after (6/98) the workstation’s installation. However, the number of studies dictated greater than 60 hours (25.2%v 20.4%) and the percentage of studies in the second peak (16 to 48 hours; 4.4%v 0%) both decreased. In conclusion, the workstation decreased the mean (11.7v 7.4 hours) and standard deviation (19.8v 9.1 hours) for report times. This was due to a decrease in both the number of cases dictated the day following their completion and the number of outliers (markedly delayed dictations). The decrease in outliers is probably due to a decrease in the number of “lost” film-based studies.
Statistical performance of correlation-matching based channel estimators for aperiodic time hopping UWB systems

In a time hopping ultra-wideband (UWB) impulse radio system, each user is assigned a unique time-hopping sequence. If aperiodic codes are used for time-hopping sequences, some benefits, such as smoothed spectrum and better performance, can be achieved. Recently, a correlation matching method has been proposed to estimate channels in aperiodic time-hopping systems. Performance of corresponding multiuser and single user channel estimators is studied in This work. Closed-form analytical results are provided and verified by computer simulation.
Bleomycin-induced Alkaline-labile Damage and Direct Strand Breakage of PM2 DNA

Bleomycin-inducedbreakage of an isolated covalently closed circular DMA from bacteriophage PM2 was as sayed fluorometrically after agarose gel electrophoresis and staining with ethidium bromide. When bleomycindamaged DMA was assayed under neutral conditions, there was a decrease in the amount of Form I DMA and a simultaneous increase in both Forms II and III of DMA. However, when the damage was assayed under nondenaturingalkaline conditions,there was a greater decrease in the amount of Form I DMA and a corresponding in crease in both Forms II and III DNA compared with neutral conditions. Approximately one alkaline-labile site was formed for every single-strand break introduced.The rate of formation of Form III DNA was found to be approxi mately twice as fast when measured under alkaline con ditions compared with neutral conditions. Reaction of bleomycin-treated PM2 DNA with the Escherichia coli apurinic specific endonuclease IV demonstrated that the loss of Form I DNA was very similar to that observed with alkali treatment suggesting that the bleomycin-induced alkaline-labile damage is the result of base removal from the DNA helix. Similar results were obtained when the bleomycin-treated DNA was reacted with E. coli endonu clease III. However, no increase in double-strand break age was observed with either endonuclease III or IV, which may reflect an inability of the endonuclease to cleave at a site of base loss across from a single-strand break or another lost base. Alkali treatment of purified Form I DNA which was pretreated with bleomycinrevealed that some of the alkali-induced double-strand breaks
Energy-latency tradeoffs for data gathering in wireless sensor networks

We study the problem of scheduling packet transmissions for data gathering in wireless sensor networks. The focus is to explore the energy-latency tradeoffs in wireless communication using techniques such as modulation scaling. The data aggregation tree - a multiple-source single-sink communication paradigm - is employed for abstracting the packet flow. We consider a real-time scenario where the data gathering must be performed within a specified latency constraint. We present algorithms to minimize the overall energy dissipation of the sensor nodes in the aggregation tree subject to the latency constraint. For the off-line problem, we propose (a) a numerical algorithm for the optimal solution, and (h) a pseudo-polynomial time approximation algorithm based on dynamic programming. We also discuss techniques for handling interference among the sensor nodes. Simulations have been conducted for both long-range communication and short-range communication. The simulation results show that compared with the classic shutdown technique, between 20% to 90% energy savings can be achieved by our techniques, under different settings of several key system parameters. We also develop an on-line distributed protocol that relies only on the local information available at each sensor node within the aggregation tree. Simulation results show that between 15% to 90% energy conservation can be achieved by the on-line protocol. The adaptability of the protocol with respect to variations in the packet size and latency constraint is also demonstrated through several run-time scenarios.
Tracking Waves and Spiral Drift in Reaction-Diffusion Systems with Finite Bandwidth Dispersion Relations

We report experimental results on chemical waves in 1,4-cyclohexanedione Belousov−Zhabotinsky systems that obey finite bandwidth dispersion relations. Although solitary pulses and long-wavelength pulse trains are unstable, pacemakers can generate short-wavelength patterns in which fast waves periodically annihilate at the slowly expanding pattern boundary. Along these boundaries, one finds numerous traveling defects that can nucleate rotating spirals which drift outward with the island's boundary. The drift follows logarithmic spirals and can induce spiral pair annihilation.
Automatic analog test signal generation using multifrequency analysis

A new multifrequency test generation technique for detecting catastrophic and parametric failures in this class of circuits is presented. Testability transfer factors for circuit elements are introduced and we use them to construct an efficient dynamic test set. Fault detectability and fault coverage are also defined. We also describe the signature analysis methodology used to evaluate the generated test set. Circuits from the suite of analog and mixed-signal benchmark circuits are used to validate our approach. The approach presented may be used to construct input signals for the selection of an external stimulus applied through an arbitrary waveform generator.
DyTa: dynamic symbolic execution guided with static verification results

Software-defect detection is an increasingly important research topic in software engineering. To detect defects in a program, static verification and dynamic test generation are two important proposed techniques. However, both of these techniques face their respective issues. Static verification produces false positives, and on the other hand, dynamic test generation is often time consuming. To address the limitations of static verification and dynamic test generation, we present an automated defect-detection tool, called DyTa, that combines both static verification and dynamic test generation. DyTa consists of a static phase and a dynamic phase. The static phase detects potential defects with a static checker; the dynamic phase generates test inputs through dynamic symbolic execution to confirm these potential defects. DyTa reduces the number of false positives compared to static verification and performs more efficiently compared to dynamic test generation.
Insight into overturning circulation measurements from southern Atlantic

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is a major component of global ocean circulation and thus has a profound effect on global climate. The AMOC transports warm, salty water from tropical regions northward on the surface and cool, fresher water southward as deep water. Although much effort has concentrated on examining AMOC dynamics in the easily accessible north, few studies have ventured south.
Busy bee: how to use traffic information for better scheduling of background tasks

Computer systems, in general, and storage systems, in particular, rely on meeting their performance, reliability, and availability targets via scheduling of management and maintenance activities as background tasks.Such tasks may cause significant delays to user workload if scheduled extemporaneously. Here, we propose a scheduling policy for background tasks that is based on the statistical characteristics of the system's busy periods and that aims at completing background work expediently.Extensive trace-driven simulations show that the scheduling policy is robust and that it succeeds in completing background work faster than common practices while impacting user performance minimally.
Survival of cancer in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a follow-up study in Sweden of patients hospitalized with rheumatoid arthritis 1 year before diagnosis of cancer

Objectives. Patients diagnosed with RA have an increased risk of some cancers. However, limited data are available on the important issue of prognosis of RA patients with cancer. Methods. RA patients were identified from the Swedish Hospital Discharge Register by linkage to the Cancer Registry. Follow-up of patients was started from the date of diagnosis of cancer through year 2006. Hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated in cancer patients with RA compared with subjects without RA. Results. A total of 1 411 163 cancer patients were identified in the database, of whom 6309 had a previous hospitalization for RA. Compared with all cancer patients without RA, patients with RA had a worse prognosis, with an HR of 1.29 and 1.31 for cause-specific and overall survival, respectively. For specific cancer sites, skin and breast cancers and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma showed worst survival. Age stratification did not change the results. Conclusion. Cancer patients with a previous hospitalization for RA had a worse prognosis for all and many site-specific cancers compared with patients without RA, independent of age at diagnosis and tumour staging. Improvement of survival for cancer patients with RA may require a multidisciplinary approach to accommodate the comorbidity. (Less)
The effects of cambial age and position within the stem on specific conductivity in Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii ) sapwood

Specific conductivity (k s, m2s–1MPa–1) describes the permeability of xylem and is determined by all aspects of xylem anatomy that create resistance to the flow of water. Here we test the hypothesis that k s is a function of radial and vertical position within the stem, rather than solely a function of cambial age (ring number from the pith), by measuring k s on samples excised from 35-year-old Douglas-fir [Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii (Mirb.) Franco] trees at six heights and two or three radial positions. Sapwood k s decreased from the cambium to the heartwood boundary, and the difference between outer and inner sapwood increased with height in the tree. Beneath the live crown, inner sapwood had 80–90% the k s of outer sapwood, but only 55% just 10 m higher in the stem (about 10 nodes down from the tree top). Outer sapwood k s peaked near the base of the crown and declined toward both the base and top of the stem. These patterns can be explained by two superimposed effects: the effect of cambial age on the dimensions of tracheids as they are produced, and the effect of xylem aging, which may include accumulation of emboli and aspiration of bordered pits. Tracheid lumen diameter and earlywood and latewood density and width, all factors known to vary with cambial age, were measured on different trees of the same age and from the same stand. Lumen diameter increased with cambial age, whereas the proportion of latewood and growth ring density increased after an initial decrease in the first 5 years. Our results suggest that the effect of cambial age on xylem anatomy is not sufficient to explain variation in k s. Instead, physical position (both vertical and radial) in the stem and cambial age must be considered as determinants of conductivity.
Optically pumped far-infrared laser lines and frequencies from 13 CD 3 OH

We report 26 new far-infrared laser lines from optically pumped 13CD3OH and the frequencies of 20 of these lines along with 8 other previously reported lines. Most of the new lines were pumped by regular and sequence lines of the 10R branch of a cw CO2 laser. Nine of the new lines are in the range 32–70 μm, helping to fill the gaps in this wavelength region. To our knowledge, the 32.4-μm laser line is the highest frequency of an optically pumped methanol laser ever measured with the heterodyne technique. The pump offsets for 30 laser lines were also measured (including 20 of the new lines).
Effects of Rearing Density on Survival, Growth, and Development of the Ladybird Coleomegilla maculata in Culture

Our research focuses on developing techniques to rear ladybird beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). We evaluated the effects of rearing density on survival, growth, and development of Coleomegilla maculata. The hypothesis that a low to moderate rearing density has limited or no effects on survival and development was tested. C. maculata first instars were reared to pupae at a density of 1, 5, 10, 15, or 20 individuals per arena (2.5 cm high, 9.0 cm diameter, and 159 cm3 volume) and fed powdered brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana) eggs. More larvae survived at the 1 and 5 densities, but no differences were detected between the 10, 15, or 20 densities. Median survival rate was at least 90% for larvae and 100% for pupae at the 10, 15, and 20 densities. Development time, body weight, and sex ratio were unaffected by rearing density. Overall, this study suggests that C. maculata larvae can be reared successfully at a density of 20 larvae/159 cm3 (≈ 0.126 larvae/cm3) in containers provisioned with powdered A. franciscana eggs. Scaling-up the size of containers, and C. maculata density in these containers, should be possible.