cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SCAVENGING ENERGY FROM PIEZOELECTRIC MATERIALS FOR WIRELESS SENSOR APPLICATIONS

Wireless sensors are an emerging technology that has the potential to revolutionize the monitoring of simple and complex physical systems. Prior research has shown that one of the biggest issues with wireless sensors is power management. A wireless sensor is simply not cost effective unless it can maintain long battery life or harvest energy from another source. Piezoelectric materials are viable conversion mechanisms because of their inherent ability to covert vibrations to electrical energy. Currently a wide variety of piezoelectric materials are available and the appropriate choice for sensing, actuating, or harvesting energy depends on their characteristics and properties. This study focuses on evaluating and comparing three different types of piezoelectric materials as energy harvesting devices. The materials utilized consisted on PZT 5A, a single crystal PMN 32%PT, and a PZT 5A composite called Thunder. These materials were subjected to a steady sinusoidal vibration provided by a shaker at different power levels. Gain of the devices was measured at all levels as well as impedance in a range of frequencies was characterized. Results showed that the piezoelectric generator coefficient, g33, predicts the overall power output of the materials as verified by the experiments. These results constitute a baseline for an energy harvesting system that will become the front end of a wireless sensor network.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Neural network paradigm comparisons for appendicitis diagnoses

The results of comparisons among diagnoses of appendicitis versus nonspecific abdominal pain using three neural-network paradigms are reported. The paradigms used were the back propagation, binary adaptive resonance theory, and fuzzy resonance paradigms. It appears, from the limited testing done, that the back-propagation network performs best. Also discussed is the need to standardize input data files to facilitate paradigm comparisons and minimize software system development time. A structure for network input data files that could contribute to a process of standardization is proposed. The work is part of an effort to develop a medical practice support system to be used in isolated environments such as submarines. >
The Instrumentality of Music

Imagine that you were fortunate enough to have been in the sound room of the HMV recording studio in London in the 1930s for the legendary performances by Pablo Casals of Bach's Suites for Unaccompanied Cello. You look through the soundproof glass and you see a man, transfixed, concentrating on his music as he plays his musical instrument. You see Pablo Casals with his cello. What could be clearer than this? The picture of a musician playing his or her musical instrument seems to be at the foundation of what we mean
Toward a Population Health Model of Segmented Assimilation: The Case of Low Birth Weight in Los Angeles

The authors adapt the segmented assimilation theory to a model of population health, which posits that assimilation is actually harm- ful to migrants' health. The authors also specify models of individual and contextual factors to indirectly test the theory of segmented assimilation— a theory that posits interactions between individual and residential cir- cumstances. Using Year 2000 vital statistics data merged with 2000 U.S. census data from Los Angeles County, the authors model the probability of being born low birth weight among the native and foreign born. Results confirm an immigrant advantage at the individual level and protective effects of immigrant coresidence at the neighborhood level. Keywords: assimilation; birth weight; immigrant health
Generic recognition through qualitative reasoning about 3-D shape and object function

The work which demonstrates the feasibility of a different approach to 3-D object recognition is described. The authors construct a definition of a generic object category, such as a chair, in terms of the function required of the object. This definition is based on qualitative reasoning about 3-D shape, and does not imply any particular geometric or structural model for an object. Thus, this approach has the potential to lead to recognition systems of much greater generality than current CAD-based or model-based approaches. >
A Regulated Interaction of Syntaxin 1A with the Antidepressant-Sensitive Norepinephrine Transporter Establishes Catecholamine Clearance Capacity

Norepinephrine (NE) transporters (NETs) terminate noradrenergic synaptic transmission and represent a major therapeutic target for antidepressant medications. NETs and related transporters are under intrinsic regulation by receptor and kinase-linked pathways, and clarification of these pathways may suggest candidates for the development of novel therapeutic approaches. Syntaxin 1A, a presynaptic soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) protein, interacts with NET and modulates NET intrinsic activity. NETs colocalize with and bind to syntaxin 1A in both native preparations and heterologous systems. Protein kinase C activation disrupts surface NET/syntaxin 1A interactions and downregulates NET activity in a syntaxin-dependent manner. Syntaxin 1A binds the NH(2) terminal domain of NET, and a deletion of this domain both eliminates NET/syntaxin 1A associations and prevents phorbol ester-triggered NET downregulation. Whereas syntaxin 1A supports the surface trafficking of NET proteins, its direct interaction with NET limits transporter catalytic function. These two contradictory roles of syntaxin 1A on NET appear to be linked and reveal a dynamic cycle of interactions that allow for the coordinated control between NE release and reuptake.
Age as a predictor of rescue opioid administration immediately after the emergence of general anesthesia.

Abstract Background and objectives While previous studies have shown that elderly patients require lower dosages of opioids, the literature suggests that pain is undertreated in the geriatric population, which may lead to postoperative pain and high rescue analgesia requirements. The purpose of this study is to determine whether elderly patients undergoing hip and knee arthroplasty require higher levels of postoperative rescue opioids than their younger counterparts early after emergence from anesthesia. Methods Using a nonconcurrent retrospective cohort study design, patients who underwent hip or knee arthroplasty under general anesthesia at a tertiary academic hospital from 2007 to 2012 were identified. Demographic information and data regarding patients' anesthetic care were obtained from the institution's anesthesia information management system. To assess the presence of pain after the emergence of anesthesia, we used, as a proxy, opioid administration by the anesthesia provider after leaving the operating room and before the end of anesthesia care. Results A total of 2731 patients met inclusion criteria, of which 487 (17.8%) received rescue opioids. Patients older than 80 years were less likely to receive opioids after leaving the operating room (odds ratio, 0.57; 95% confidence interval, 0.37-0.88; P = .01) and received 1.37 mg less of hydromorphone equivalent opioid compared to patients younger than the age of 50 years (95% confidence interval, 1.18-1.55; P P Conclusions While elderly patients received lower doses of opioids intraoperatively, they were less likely to require rescue analgesia. The variability among providers in rescue opioid administration after emergence presents an opportunity for further research.
Wegener's granulomatosis of the pediatric airway: a case demonstrating a conservative management approach.

Abstract Objective Subglottic stenosis is found in 10% to 20% of patients with Wegener's granulomatosis, and at times, it may be the only indication of disease. This is particularly a problem in childhood-onset Wegener's granulomatosis, which is complicated 5 times more by subglottic and tracheal stenosis than in adult-onset disease. Because this is a rare disease that is often misdiagnosed as reactive airway disease in childhood, the discovery of subglottic stenosis is delayed until much of the chronic damage has already been done. This report discusses the diagnosis and management of a 12-year-old male with a severe, actively inflamed subglottis and trachea because of Wegener's granulomatosis. Method This study uses a retrospective case review. Results The study shows a successful symptomatic medical treatment of subglottic stenosis with resolution of tracheal inflammation and subglottic stenosis. Conclusion Treatment of an actively inflamed trachea with subglottic stenosis because of Wegener's granulomatosis should focus on medical therapy, including steroids, before making attempts at surgical intervention.
Simulation of the mutual couplings among multiple antennas on large platform using multi-region multi-solver domain decomposition

Modern aircrafts are usually equipped with multiple antennas serving for different usages, including radar, communication, etc. Many of them have highly contrasting power levels and overlapping frequency bands. The mutual couplings among antennas may cause severe electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) problem, which prevents the multiple antennas from working simultaneously. This paper proposes a multi-region multi-solver domain decomposition method (MS-DDM) to simulate the EMC problem on electrically large platform. It has been successfully applied to analyze the mutual coupling between complex antennas mounted on a real F-16 aricraft at 2GHz frequency.
Activity density map dis-similarity comparison for eldercare monitoring

This paper describes ongoing work in analyzing sensor data logged in the homes of seniors. A visualization of motion sensor data in the form of a density map which uses different colors to show levels of activity was introduced previously. For evaluating changes in activity level and periodicity of life style, we introduce a dis-similarity measurement of density maps based on co-occurrence matrices. The dis-similarity between two density maps is captured using texture features for automatically determining changes in activity patterns. A case study is included to illustrate how the density map can be used to track activity patterns over time.
Medium access control with a dynamic duty cycle for sensor networks

Energy conservation is a primary concern in sensor networks. Several MAC protocols have been proposed to address this concern. However, the tradeoff between power consumption and latency has not been thoroughly studied. In this paper, we propose a sensor medium access control protocol with dynamic duty cycle, DSMAC, which achieves a good tradeoff between the two performance metrics without incurring much overhead. Moreover, DSMAC is able to adjust its duty cycle with varying traffic conditions without assuming any prior knowledge of application requirements. Both analytical and simulation results have been presented in this paper.
Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Asymptomatic Prepubertal Household Contacts of Children with Gonococcal Infection

This report describes the occurrence of gonococcal infection among prepubertal household contacts of children younger than 12 years of age. The records of 14 index cases (12 females and 2 males) reported during the period January 1979 and June 1983 were reviewed. Among 31 asymptomatic contacts of 10 index cases, nine (29%) had positive cultures (5 females and 4 males). Three were siblings of the index cases, and six were other children in the index households. The predominant site of positive cultures was the throat (7/9). This high recovery rate of gonococci among young asymptomatic household contacts makes clear the need for aggressive surveillance of prepubertal household contacts of children with gonococcal infection, and the importance of culturing all three sites, e.g., vagina/urethra, rectum, and throat.
Effect of Load History on Damage Characteristics Near Crack Tips in a Particulate Composite Material

Abstract : The damage field in a precracked particulate composite specimen subjected to a complex cyclic loading history was investigated using acoustic imaging techniques. The acoustic imaging data were analyzed to delineate the damage field ahead of the crack tips and to generate contour plots of the damage intensity. The results of these analyses were compared and the effect of the loading history on the damage field is discussed.
Two-Dimensional Vector Wind Fields from Volume Imaging Lidar Data

Abstract Spatially resolved wind fields are derived by cross correlation of aerosol backscatter data from horizontal and vertical scans of the University of Wisconsin volume imaging lidar during the 1997/98 Lake-Induced Convection Experiment. Data from three cases are analyzed. The first two cases occurred on 10 and 13 January 1998 during cold-air outbreaks. Horizontal scans at 5 m above the lake reveal cellular structure of the steam fog. Vector winds are derived with 250-m spatial resolution over 60 and 36 km2 areas. These wind fields show acceleration and veering of offshore flow in the convective internal boundary layer along the upwind edge of Lake Michigan. The wind fields are used to compute divergence and vorticity. Effects of shoreline shape and topography are evident in the data. Horizontal wind speeds derived from vertical scans show the effects of convection on the vertical distribution of momentum. In the third case, 21 December 1997, a well-defined, shallow density current flowing offshore a...
Recovery in Sybase

Sybase is a large scale and a complete database management system that provide a number of unique features for processing information efficiently and reliably. In this chapter the recovery module of Sybase is described in detail.
Combustion emissions measurements using diode-laser sensors

A diode-laser sensor system, consisting of external-cavity (ECDL) and distributedfeedback (DFB) diode lasers, has been developed for sensitive measurements of CO, CO2, C2H2, C2H4, C6H6, N2O, and NH3 concentrations using absorption spectroscopy and fast extractive-sampling techniques. An ECDL operating in the range 1.497-1.582 um was used to record high-resolution lineshapes of selected CO (3v band) and C2H2 transitions (Vj+v3 band) near 1.564 um and 1.535 urn, respectively. An ECDL with a tuning range of 1.953-2.057 um was used to record absorption lineshapes from transitions in the CO2 4v2+v 3 , V 1 +2v f 2+v 3 , and 2V[+v3 bands, N2O 2vi+4v®, v]+2v3, 3v i+2v2 ,and 4vj bands, and NH3 V)+v 4 and v3+v4bands. Measured CO2 and N2O survey spectra were compared to calculations to verify the HITRAN96 database and used to determine optimum transitions for species detection. Two DFB diode lasers operating near 1.646 um and 1.656 urn were used to measure C2H4 (V!+v9 and V5+V9 bands) and C6H6 (2v band) absorption features. The diode-laser sensor system was applied to measure CO, CO2, C2H2, and C2H4 concentrations at various axial locations from the dump plane of a 50-kW forced-vortex combustor at the Naval Air Warfare Center, China Lake, CA. The sensor system achieved a noise equivalent absorbance of 1.6xlO" in a 500-Hz noise bandwidth in continuous operation. The results demonstrate the utility of the diode-laser sensor system as an attractive diagnostic tool for sensitive, continuous measurements of combustion emissions.
A Comparison of Acoustic Radiation Force-Derived Indices of Cardiac Function in the Langendorff Perfused Rabbit Heart

In the past decade, there has been an increased interest in characterizing cardiac tissue mechanics utilizing newly developed ultrasound-based elastography techniques. These methods excite the tissue mechanically and track the response. Two frequently used methods, acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) and shear-wave elasticity imaging (SWEI), have been considered qualitative and quantitative techniques providing relative and absolute measures of tissue stiffness, respectively. Depending on imaging conditions, it is desirable to identify indices of cardiac function that could be measured by ARFI and SWEI and to characterize the relationship between the measures. In this study, we have compared two indices (i.e., relaxation time constant used for diastolic dysfunction assessment and systolic/diastolic stiffness ratio) measured nearly simultaneously by M-mode ARFI and SWEI techniques. We additionally correlated ARFI-measured inverse displacements with SWEI-measured values of the shear modulus of stiffness. For the eight animals studied, the average relaxation time constant ( $\tau$ ) measured by ARFI and SWEI were ( ${69}{\pm }{18}\ \text{ms},\ \textit{R}^{{2}}={0.96}$ ) and ( ${65}{\pm }{19}\ \text{ms},\ \textit{R}^{{2}}={0.99}$ ), respectively ( $\text{ARFI}\hbox{-}\text{SWEI}\ \text{inter-rater agreement} = {0.90}$ ). Average systolic/diastolic stiffness ratios for ARFI and SWEI measurements were ${6.01}{\pm }{1.37}$ and ${7.12}{\pm }{3.24}$ , respectively ( $\text{agreement} = {0.70}$ ). Shear modulus of stiffness (SWEI) was linearly related to inverse displacement values (ARFI) with a 95% CI for the slope of 0.010–0.011 $({1}/\upmu\text{m})/(\text{kPa})$ ( $\textit{R}^{{2}}={0.73}$ ). In conclusion, the relaxation time constant and the systolic/diastolic stiffness ratio were calculated with good agreement between the ARFI- and SWEI-derived measurements. ARFI relative and SWEI absolute stiffness measurements were linearly related with varying slopes based on imaging conditions and subject tissue properties.
Possible role of protein binding in failure of antibody to porcine relaxin to react with pregnant rabbit serum relaxin.

SummaryAntibody to porcine relaxin fails to inactivate the biological activity of circulating pregnant rabbit serum relaxin. However, treatment of the serum with protein dissociating agents such as glacial acetic acid or 8 M urea makes the circulating hormone amenable to neutralization by the exogenous antibody. A possible explanation for this phenomenon is discussed.
Physical Barriers to Reduce Damage by Lepesoma Lecontei (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) to Conelets in a Douglas-Fir Seed Orchard in Western Oregon

Damage to Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirh.) Franco) conelets by Lepesoma Lecontei (Casey) was significantly reduced by the application of a sticky barrier around the bole of the seed orchard trees. Early conelet injury was reduced from 25% in controls to 6% in sticky barrier treatments. No significant protection was observed in a test of a metal baffle placed around the bole. Significant treatment effects on cone survival could not be detected. Sticky barriers are a low-cost control that is highly pest specific and need be applied only to those trees producing a crop in a particular year.
Achievement Sets of Sequences

AbstractGiven a real sequence (xn), we examine the set of all sums of the form Σi∊Ixi, as I varies over subsets of the positive integers. We call this the achievement set of (xn), and write it AS(xn). For instance, AS(1/2n) = [0, 1] by the existence of binary expansions, and AS(2/3n) is the Cantor middle-third set. We explore the properties of these two sequences that account for their very different achievement sets. We give a sufficient condition for a sequence to have an achievement set that is an interval, and another sufficient condition for the achievement set to be a Cantor set. We also examine what sets can occur as achievement sets, and give results on the topology of achievement sets.
History, Instrumentation, and Techniques of Flexible Endoscopic Laser Surgery in Horses

There are clearly a number of applications for which flexible endoscopic laser surgery has become the state of the art in equine surgery, and the Nd:YAG laser seems to be the most versatile instrument for this type of surgery. Nevertheless, it is critical to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each laser technique. For example, the Nd:YAG laser used in a noncontact fashion seems to be superior when ablation of tissue is required such as treatment of upper airway masses. Conversely, contact Nd:YAG laser techniques have proven themselves to be superior when more precise cutting is advantageous such as treatment of epiglottic entrapment. Ultimately, it seems that a range of lasers is necessary to ensure selection of the most appropriate technique, adding significantly to the expense of equipment but improving the outcome for a range of equine diseases.
Psychopharmacologic Interventions in Childhood Cancer Survivors

Adolescent and young adult survivors of childhood cancers have been shown to have elevated risks of adverse behavioral and social outcomes including depression, anxiety, attention deficits, antisocial behaviors [1, 2] post-traumatic stress [3]and suicidal ideation [4, 5]. These symptoms may lead health care providers to consider psychopharmacologic agents to treat these symptoms and improve function and quality of life in this population. Survivors may also have medical late effects such as endocrine dysfunction [6, 7], insomnia and fatigue [8–10], as well as increased rates of obesity [11] that may interact with or mediate psychiatric syndromes. Prevalent neurocognitive late effects in survivors [12–14] also affect educational, health and behavioral outcomes, and may be a common focus of psychopharmacologic intervention. The data on the use of psychotropic use in survivors of childhood cancer is limited to stimulant treatment of attentional and cognitive dysfunction [15]. However, survivors with other significantly impairing symptoms of depression, anxiety, or behavioral dysregulation may nonetheless benefit from psychopharmacologic intervention. Clinicians seeking to treat survivors with psychotropic medications need to consider both their psychological vulnerabilities, and how their medical late effects may impact their treatment responses and their susceptibility to side effects of psychiatric medications.
Epigenomic and transcriptional control of insulin resistance

Insulin resistance is one of the defining features of type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome and accompanies many other clinical conditions, ranging from obesity to lipodystrophy to glucocorticoid excess. Extraordinary efforts have gone into defining the mechanisms that underlie insulin resistance, with most attention focused on altered signalling as well as mitochondrial and endoplasmic reticulum stress. Here, nuclear mechanisms of insulin resistance, including transcriptional and epigenomic effects, will be discussed. Three levels of control involving transcription factors, transcriptional cofactors, and chromatin-modifying enzymes will be considered. Well-studied examples of the first include PPAR-γ in adipose tissue and the glucocorticoid receptor and FoxO1 in a variety of insulin-sensitive tissues. These proteins work in concert with cofactors such as PGC-1α and CRTC2, and chromatin-modifying enzymes including DNA methyltransferases and histone acetyltransferases, to regulate key genes that promote insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, gluconeogenesis or other pathways that affect systemic insulin action. Furthermore, genetic variation associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes is often related to altered transcription factor binding, either by affecting the transcription factor itself, or more commonly by changing the binding affinity of a noncoding regulatory region. Finally, several avenues for therapeutic exploitation in the battle against metabolic disease will be discussed, including small-molecule inhibitors and activators of these factors and their related pathways.
Efficacy of the hypomethylating agents as frontline, salvage, or maintenance therapy among older adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

e18002 Background: The hypomethylating agents, azacitidine and decitabine, have emerged as an alternative to initial and salvage therapy in patients with AML. Little is known about how AML responds...
Who makes the cut? Parental involvement and math trajectories predicting college enrollment

Abstract The present study examined the associations between parental involvement and college enrollment using a national sample of 3116 U.S. youth (52% male, 70% White). Four dimensions of parental involvement (academic values, behaviors promoting future academic success, home structure, and school involvement) were examined from 7th–12th grade. Higher initial levels of all four parenting dimensions in junior high school were associated with a greater likelihood of college enrollment. Less steep declines in academic values and behaviors promoting future academic success, and increases in school involvement were also associated with an increased likelihood of college enrollment. Math achievement trajectories from 8th through 12th grade were examined as mediators of these associations. Math achievement intercepts mediated the association between the parental involvement intercepts (academic values, behaviors promoting future academic success, home structure, and school involvement) and college enrollment. No mediation was detected among math achievement linear slopes. Practical implications are discussed.
Innovation in Foreign and Domestic Firms: The Advantage of Foreignness in Innovation and the Advantage of Localness in Innovation

I integrate the literatures on global strategy and innovation management to explain how domestic firms and subsidiaries of foreign firms innovate. Building on the knowledge-based view, I argue that subsidiaries of foreign firms and domestic firms have access to different knowledge sources and manage their employees differently, resulting in them following different innovation paths. Specifically, I propose that subsidiaries of foreign firms may benefit from what I call the advantage of foreignness in innovation, in which their access to global knowledge sources and management of employees to have a multicultural mindset support their global innovation. I also argue that domestic firms may enjoy what I call the advantage of localness in innovation, in which their deep and contextualized local knowledge and management of employees to focus on the local market support their local innovation. As a result, domestic firms and subsidiaries of foreign firms may generate different types of innovations, which provide them with a relative competitive advantage when they face each other depending on whether the innovations are for end-user customers or for other firms, and whether the industry is global or local in nature. Although the strength of these relative advantages diminishes over time as subsidiaries and domestic companies imitate each other, the relative advantages remain because each type of firm faces a particular constraint in its ability to imitate the other type of firm.
STUDIES ON THE BLOOD CYTOLOGY OF THE RABBIT : IX. BLOOD PLATELET COUNTS ON HEALTHY MALE RABBITS

1. Repeated platelet counts, 991 in number, were made on 148 adult male rabbits of various breeds and types which were specifically selected on the basis of physical fitness and continued freedom from disease. The observations extended over a 2(1/2) year period (1929-32). 2. A unimodal, peaked, moderately asymmetrical distribution curve was obtained and an analysis of the results gave the following values: the mean, 532,645 platelets per c.mm.; the median, 520,604 per c.mm.; the mode, 503,962 platelets per c.mm. respectively. 3. The extent of the variation among the counts is shown by the standard deviation of 124,960. High platelet counts were found to occur more frequently than low counts, a result that is reflected in a significant skew to the right in the frequency curve. 4. It was calculated that in healthy male rabbits a platelet count of less than 220,000 or more than 845,000 per c.mm. should be considered abnormal.
Cooperation predictors for dental patients with autism.

PURPOSE This study evaluated potential predictors of cooperation during dental appointments for children with autism. METHODS Data were collected from 108 parent/child pairs and their dentists. Questions included: (1) medical/dental history; (2)functional language; (3) personal hygiene skills; (4) academic setting; and (5) achievements. Behavior was scored using the Frankl scale. RESULTS Subjects were 80 males and 28 females 2.7 to 19 years old with a mean age of 9.8 years. Frankl scores were 65% uncooperative (definitely negative or negative) and 35% cooperative (positive or definitely positive). Multiple factors predicted uncooperative behavior: (1) appointment type (P=.03); (2) concurrent medical diagnoses (P=.04); (3) nonverbal/minimal or echololic language (P=.005); (4) inability to understand language appropriate for age (P=.02); (5) inability to follow multistep instructions (P=.04); (6) parents providing most/all tooth-brushing (P=.004); (7) partially or not toilet trained at 4+ years (P=.02); (8) inability to sit for a haircut (P=.01); (9) attending special education (P<.001); and (10) inability to read at 6+ years (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS Five questions readily answered by a caregiver may indicate a child's cooperative potential. Preappointment inquiry about toilet training, toothbrushing, haircuts, academic achievement and language can give the dentist insight into the child's ability to respond positively to behavior guidance techniques based on communication.
There's No Such Thing as Postracial Medicine.

Perez-Rodriguez and de la Fuente think that race should not be used in the biomedical sciences on the grounds that such use “perpetuates the fallacy of natural differences” (Perez-Rodriguez and de ...
Evaluation of SuperNO2VA™ mask technology in a clinical setting: A pilot study

Abstract Background One of the biggest challenges for anesthesia practitioners during airway management is the maintenance of adequate oxygenation and ventilation during difficult and emergency airway situations. Providing nasal ventilation during the "apneic period", defined as the time between the end of bag-mask ventilation and successful placement of an appropriate airway device, may allow for improved oxygenation throughout the process in which the airway is secured. The SuperNO 2 VA™ mask (Revolutionary Medical Devices, USA) is a newly developed nasal mask that delivers non-invasive positive pressure nasal ventilation that is designed to provide continuous oxygenation and ventilation during anesthetic induction until the airway is secured. Aim The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical performance of the SuperNO 2 VA™ mask for nasal oxygenation and ventilation during pre-induction, post-induction, laryngoscopy, and tracheal intubation in adult patients requiring general anesthesia. Methods Following IRB/ethical board approval and written informed consent, 30 adult patients, ages 18 years or older, with an ASA status I-III, who were scheduled for an elective surgery that required general anesthesia and tracheal intubation, were enrolled into this study. Patient demographic characteristics and intervening outcomes were all recorded. The SuperNO 2 VA™'s efficacy was evaluated by the measurement and recorded values of peak airway pressures, tidal volumes, minimal oxygen saturation values (while the airway was secured), as well as, an objective assessment grading scale for mask ventilation. The time required to secure the airway, including laryngoscopy, was also recorded. Results The SuperNO 2 VA™ nasal mask provided adequate oxygenation and successful ventilation in 29 of 30 patients, resulting in an overall success rate of 97% (95% confidence interval: 83%–100%). One patient was unable to be successfully ventilated by the SuperNOVA™ mask and was noted a Grade IV. The mean duration of laryngoscopy was 50.7 ± 23.2 s, with an average SpO 2 of 99.6 ± 0.8% calculated for this interval. The lowest observed SpO 2 for the 29 patients at preoxygenation, pre-induction, pre-ETT insertion, during laryngoscopy, post-intubation, and in the PACU was 95, 97, 97, 97, 98, and 94%, respectively. The average for the lowest SpO 2 during the entire airway procedure was 98.1 ± 7.0%. And the average peak airway pressure, for all 29 patients, was 17.97 ± 3.95 mmHg, with a mean tidal volume of 573.7 ± 40.7 mL. Conclusion This observational study demonstrated that the SuperNO 2 VA™ mask facilitates non-invasive positive pressure ventilation while providing adequate oxygenation and ventilation during pre-induction, post-induction, laryngoscopy, and tracheal intubation in elective surgical patients. Conversely, considering the novelty of this particular study, further research is warranted to determine its usefulness in patients with known/predicted difficult airways, or even during emergent situations.
Single Vehicle Round-trip Routing

In the single vehicle routing problem a single vehicle is used to serve a set of customers. The vehicle travels on an underlying network consisting of a number of nodes and a number of arcs and edges. If the customers are located in the nodes, the problem is said to be a node routing problem. If the customers are located nearly uniformly along an arc or edge then the problem is said to be an arc routing problem. Node routing is more coabstrammon in supply chain planning, where the customer correspond to individual customers or facilities in the supply chain. Arc routing is common in public service applications such as mail delivery, garbage collection, and snow removal. The single vehicle Roundtrip node routing problem is more commonly known as the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) . The single vehicle arc routing problem in which the vehicle has to visit a subset of the arcs and edges is also known as the Rural Postman Problem (RPP) . If all the edges and arcs have to be visited then the problem is known as the Chinese Postman Problem (CPP) . The remainder of this chapter will be focused on the TSP.
Recognition of Neonatal Lymphatic Flow Disorder: Fetal MR Findings and Postnatal MR Lymphangiogram Correlation.

Rationale and Objectives This study aimed to describe prenatal and postnatal imaging features and outcomes of neonates with neonatal lymphatic disorders (NLDs). Materials and Methods An institutional review board-approved search of the radiology database for patients with NLD identified five patients. Inclusion criteria include prenatal imaging (fetal magnetic resonance [MR] imaging and ultrasound) and postnatal three-dimensional T2 Sampling Perfection with Application optimized Contrasts using different flip angle Evolution (SPACE) and dynamic contrast-enhanced MR lymphangiography within 6 months of life. Chart review was undertaken to evaluate morbidity and mortality. Results Prenatal finding of “nutmeg lung” or fetal pulmonary lymphatic disorder was identified in all five patients on fetal MR imaging, and in four of five patients on fetal ultrasound. Postnatal dynamic contrast-enhanced MR lymphangiography demonstrated abnormal lymphatic flow to the lungs in four of five patients, but absent in the single patient with coexisting hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). Dermal backflow was seen in one patient, also the only patient with prenatal body wall edema. Three patients with lymphatic flow to the lungs only were classified as neonatal chylothorax. The patient with dermal backflow and perfusion to the lungs was diagnosed with central lymphatic flow disorder (CLFD). The HLHS patient with normal lymphatic perfusion maintained the HLHS diagnosis. Of the five patients, the patient with CLFD and the one with HLHS expired because of respiratory distress. Conclusions NLDs can be recognized on prenatal and postnatal imaging and may be primary, as in neonatal chylothorax or CLFD, or secondary. In this small series, “nutmeg lung” was present in all patients. Prenatal imaging demonstrates that body wall edema may correlate with postnatal dermal backflow, which, in our small cohort, carried a poor prognosis.
Generating anxiety, short-circuiting desire: Battery waste and the capitalist phantasy:

While batteries are ubiquitous in modern life, they often go unnoticed; that is, until they stop working. Each time a battery dies and becomes waste, our modernist expectations of convenient, relia...
Some Perspectives on the Habitats and Comparative Ecology of Flagellates

The establishment and growth of a species in a habitat depends on a combination of biotic and physico-chemical environmental parameters. These include, among other abiotic factors, an adequate sourceof energy (carbon source or its production by autotrophy), essential nutrients, proper temperature, pH, tonicity, oxygen level, and redox potential. The stability of a community of organisms also depends on balanced growth among the component species and an equitable partitioning of resources. If one species becomes so dominant as to utilize much of the primary resources, the complex web of sustaining interactions may be seriously jeopardized, causing the total community to collapse. As an instance, an increasingly dominant member dependent on another for auxotrophic substances (a vitamin, for example), may compete too heavily for basic resources, leading to the attrition or exclusion of the vitamin producer. As a result, the total community may decline or completely collapse. Often, however, interactions are balanced by the competing needs of each member, so that eventually a relatively steady association develops. The many biotic and abiotic interrrelated variables accounting for population growth and development of protozoan communities are formalized in the principles of microbial ecology. Some of these fundamental principles, pertinent to a wide variety of protozoa, are introduced at this time with special reference to the flagellates. They are not necessarily limited to flagellate biology, but in many cases illustrations are easily made, and hence fundamental concepts to be used in subsequent discussions of protozoan ecology can be established early on.
Gross anatomical and histomorphometric characteristics of the oviduct and uterus during the pubertal transition in sheep.

Gross anatomical and histometric characteristics of oviducts and uteri were evaluated during the pubertal transition in ewe lambs. Lambs were hysterectomized prepubertally (PP; n = 10) or 26 +/- 2 h after onset of first (FE; n = 13) or third estrus (TE; n = 12), or estrus in mature pluriparous ewes (ME; n = 4). Gross characteristics included diameters, lengths, and weights of oviducts; diameters of uterine cornua; and weights of uteri. Histometric characteristics of ampullae, isthmi, and uterine cornua included epithelial cell volume, total luminal surface area, and total number of cells per ampulla or isthmus and area of the muscularis. Side of the reproductive tract did not affect (P > 0.10) any gross or histometric characteristic. Gross uterine characteristics increased (P 0.10) between TE and ME ewes. Oviductal weight and length showed little change (P > 0.10) at puberty or by third estrus, but they were greater (P 0.10) at puberty but increased (P 0.10) at puberty or by third estrus and was largest (P < 0.05) in ME ewes. Results of this study indicate that gross morphological characteristics of uteri and oviducts increase at puberty with either slight increases or changes after two estrous cycles. This relationship is also reflected by histological characteristics of these organs during the pubertal transition of sheep.
Analytic Aspects of Yang-Mills Fields

The Yang-Mills equation have played a fundamental role in our study of physics and geometry and topology in last few decades. Its regularity theory is crucial to our understanding and mathematical applications of its solutions. In this note, we briefly discuss some analytic aspects and recent progress on the Yang-Mills equation in an Euclidean space.
Slavery in Late Prehistoric Europe: Recovering the Evidence for Social Structure in Iron Age Society

There is a silent majority in Celtic society unrepresented in the tumulus cemeteries and merely implicit in the fortified settlements of the late Hallstatt and La Tene periods which tends to be glossed over or oversimplified in the archaeological literature. Most reconstructions of Celtic society make assumptions about the lower echelons that in fact have no firm investigative basis, but which are seminal to the arguments developed. I believe that an understanding of the nature of this group and its relation to the upper echelons is essential to any general reconstruction of Celtic society, and can no longer be avoided simply because of the difficulties inherent in its interpretation.
Infrastructures of taste: Rethinking local food histories in Lithuania.

Abstract Lithuania hosts a diversity of places that offer consumers a taste of local food, which appear to mirror the recent popularity of local and alternative food initiatives globally. In this paper we show that the proliferation of local foods in the region is not a novel phenomenon, nor is it solely a manifestation of taste preferences or identities associated with food. Drawing on the growing scholarly work on the role of infrastructures in mediating social, economic and political relations, we conceptualize the taste for local food as embedded in broader networks and reproduced through material facilities. To advance this argument, our empirical analysis shows how the infrastructure for local food has been fostered, transformed, threatened, but never eradicated during: the Soviet policies that supported subsidiary agriculture and market infrastructures; neoliberal market reforms in the 1990s that made public markets into mainstays for farmers and consumers; and EU accession that brought more stringent regulations and subsidies. Our research demonstrates that today's taste for local foods in Lithuania is neither a local nor global phenomenon, but an outcome of historical processes that foregrounded the formation of smallholder agriculture, direct sales, and self-provisioning practices in the region. More broadly, our research shows how local food persists as an integral part of a broader agro-food infrastructure.
Studies of homogeneous and heterogeneous ice formation by aerosols in upper tropospheric cloud conditions

Publisher Summary This chapter studies numerical modeling to help define the potential roles of homogeneous freezing of soluble cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) aerosols and heterogeneous freezing by ice nuclei in determining the composition of cirrus clouds. The apparent sensitivity of cirrus cloud properties to changes in the abundance and sizes of heterogeneous IN is much greater than that for soluble CCN. Consideration of existing data on upper tropospheric aerosol characteristics and cirrus cloud microphysics also suggest that the heterogeneous process dominates. It describes laboratory and field studies underway to address uncertainties in understanding the two ice formation processes. It shows that both the magnitude of ice formation and the relative humidity needed for ice formation are typically overestimated by the homogeneous freezing process compared to available observations from cirrus clouds. These discrepancies do not appear explainable by uncertainties in aerosol composition and abundance and/or a poor knowledge of the freezing behavior of small solution droplets in upper tropospheric conditions. However, it was demonstrated that the presence of insoluble aerosol components acting as heterogeneous ice nuclei could explain the concentrations of ice crystals formed in cirrus and the observed relative humidities of their formation. Laboratory and field studies relevant to these issues are in progress.
“When I Take Off My EPA Hat”: Using Intersectional Theories to Examine Environmental Justice Governance

Environmental justice governance is affected not just by the political context within which it is executed but also by the choices made by the individuals who are responsible for implementing, enac...
Exposure to 17 trace metals in pregnancy and associations with urinary oxidative stress biomarkers

Abstract Background Exposure to some toxic metals, such as lead and cadmium, has been associated with increased oxidative stress. However less is known about other metals and metal mixtures, especially in pregnant women who are a vulnerable population. Methods To study the relationship between exposure to trace metals and oxidative stress, we analyzed a panel of 17 metals and two oxidative stress biomarkers (8-isoprostane and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine [8-OHdG]) in urine samples collected at ~26 weeks gestation from pregnant women in Boston (n = 380). We used linear regression models to calculate percent differences and 95% confidence intervals (CI) in oxidative stress markers for an interquartile range (IQR) increase in each urinary metal with adjustment for other metals. In addition, we applied principal components analysis (PCA) and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR), to examine cumulative effects (within correlated groups of exposures as well as overall) and interactions. Results We estimated 109% (95% CI: 47, 198) higher 8-isoprostane and 71% (95% CI: 45, 102) higher 8-OHdG with an IQR increase in urinary selenium (Se). We also estimated higher 8-isoprostane (47%, 95% CI: 20.5, 79.4) and 8-OHdG (15.3%, 95% CI: 5.09, 26.5) in association with urinary copper (Cu). In our PCA, we observed higher 8-isoprostane levels in association with the “essential” PC (highly loaded by Cu, Se, and Zinc). In BKMR analyses, we also estimated higher levels of both oxidative stress biomarkers with increasing Se and Cu as well as increasing levels of both oxidative stress biomarkers in association with cumulative concentrations of urinary trace metals. Conclusion We observed higher 8-isoprostane and 8-OHdG levels in association with urinary trace metals and elements, particularly Se and Cu, in linear models and using mixtures approaches. Additionally, increasing cumulative exposure to urinary trace metals was associated with higher levels of both oxidative stress biomarkers. The beneficial effects of these compounds should be carefully questioned.
I don’t care about who you are, but what you are doing for me? Examining perceptions of helpful comments and identity in user-generated content

User-generated content is common feature of news websites. Individuals use these features to express thoughts, opinions, and suggestions about news stories. Previous research suggests an impact of ...
Characterization of residues from non-woody pulping process and its function as fertilizer.

Abstract Pulping and paper industries using non-woody feedstocks face the challenge of its notorious waste disposal problem. To resolve this problem, in this study, we evaluated a variety of properties of solid residues reclaimed from the effluents of both wheat straw ammonium sulfate and Kraft pulping processes as organic fertilizers. The results show that both residues from the ammonium sulfate (RAS) and Kraft pulping (RKP) processes possess desirable C/N ratios, appropriate nutritional compositions, and low levels of harmful heavy metals. The high solubilities (>35 g/L) of both residues allow their use for fertigation or foliar applications. The salt index (30–50) is within the range of commercial chemical fertilizers such as potassium sulfate (42.6) and magnum sulfate (44). The E3/E5 ratios of residues suggest that the residues have small molecular sizes, which are similar to fulvic acids. Overall, wheat straw pulping residues demonstrate the potential as the sustainable organic fertilizers and the beneficial soil amendments. This work has the potential to resolve the severer effluent disposal problem faced by the non-woody pulping and papermaking industries, open a door to effectively utilize residues as value-added byproducts, and lead to both environmental sustainability and economic benefits.