cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Exploring the Relationship between Students' Learning Styles and Learning Outcome in Engineering Laboratory Education.

AbstractIt is a commonly accepted notion that people take different approaches in learning. Although attention has been given to learning styles as one of the determinants of learning performance, ...
Blood Pressure Management: Beyond the Guidelines

See related article, pp e13–e115 Since 1977, national blood pressure (BP) management guidelines have served the medical community and patients well.1 Implementation of these guidelines has contributed to a decline in the mean BP level in the United States and to a remarkable reduction in age-adjusted cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality rates.2 However, the decline in CVD death rates has leveled in the past 5 years, and CVD remains the leading cause of death in the United States and most industrialized countries. These trends are cause for concern because they indicate we are losing some progress toward achieving the ultimate goal of the American Heart Association, as expressed in its mission statement: Building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.3 Although management of other risk factors is a part of the picture, perhaps the largest opportunity for moving toward that goal can be found in effective BP management. Could we better equip ourselves to address cardiovascular disease by focusing on the issues involved in the residual risk of elevated BP? Certainly, some of the residual risk lies in nonadherence to treatment. But, let us examine the residual risk from the current approach to BP goals of therapy. The 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Blood Pressure Management Guideline begins the process of addressing the need for more progress in reducing CVD events and deaths by implementing lower goal BP based on the best available evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs).1 Effective implementation of the new systolic BP (SBP) goal …
Characterization of uranium ore concentrate chemical composition via Raman spectroscopy

Uranium Ore Concentrate (UOC, often called yellowcake) is a generic term that describes the initial product resulting from the mining and subsequent milling of uranium ores en route to production of the U-compounds used in the fuel cycle. Depending on the mine, the ore, the chemical process, and the treatment parameters, UOC composition can vary greatly. With the recent advent of handheld spectrometers, we have chosen to investigate whether either commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) handheld devices or laboratory-grade Raman instruments might be able to i) identify UOC materials, and ii) differentiate UOC samples based on chemical composition and thus suggest the mining or milling process. Twenty-eight UOC samples were analyzed via FT-Raman spectroscopy using both 1064 nm and 785 nm excitation wavelengths. These data were also compared with results from a newly developed handheld COTS Raman spectrometer using a technique that lowers the background fluorescence signal. Initial chemometric analysis was able to differentiate UOC samples based on mine location. Additional compositional information was obtained from the samples by performing XRD analysis on a subset of samples. The compositional information was integrated with chemometric analysis of the spectroscopic dataset allowing confirmation that class identification is possible based on compositional differences between the UOC samples, typically involving species such as U3O8, α-UO2(OH)2, UO4•2H2O (metastudtite), K(UO2)2O3, etc. While there are clearly excitation λ sensitivities, especially for dark samples, Raman analysis coupled with chemometric data treatment can nicely differentiate UOC samples based on composition and even mine origin.
Melting-Pot or Homophily? - An Empirical Investigation of User Interactions in Virtual Investment-Related Communities

Much has been discussed in popular press about virtual communities being melting pots of ideas and opinions. However, little is known as to how individuals actually interact in virtual communities and to what degree interactions occur between individuals with different ideas and opinions, which are reflected in how individuals respond (i.e., post) to others’ messages. In this study, we analyze individual interactions in virtual communities based on the cognitive dissonance theory. We argue that individual interaction decisions are motivated by the desire to decrease dissonance between an individual’s own opinion and the opinions of others in the community. This desire results in confirmation bias and homophily phenomenon in individual interaction decisions, i.e., individuals prefer interaction with others with similar opinions. Based on the cognitive dissonance theory, we propose that, the degree of confirmation bias is moderated by the magnitude of dissonance, the availability of objective references, and the community size. Using 72,019 individual interactions in 29 stock message boards on Yahoo! Finance investment-related communities, we show significant support for the hypotheses. We discuss the implications of the confirmation bias on individual decision making, information dissemination and the value of virtual communities as an information source.
Genius and the Establishment at a Polite Standstill in the Modern University: Bateman (1976, 1981)

Since The Johns Hopkins University is most famous as a teacher of teachers, we must not be astonished to learn that many of its eminent scholars left it long before they reached the age of retirement. That the greatest men of Hopkins are no longer there, is such a commonplace as to make those who remain uneasy. Some who left did so because they had come only to take a degree in the first place; others, because they were let go or at least not encouraged to remain. It is fitting that a part of the centennial commemoration should refer to these migrant if not fugitive sons of capricious and miserly Alma. One of them, C. S. Peirce, has been celebrated already. Our lectures beginning today are dedicated to the memory of another, Harry Bateman (1882–1946), both a doctor of this university and a teacher here who did not win acceptance.
The Effect of Beta on the Downstream Development of Unstable, Chaotic Baroclinic Waves

AbstractThe weakly unstable, two-layer model of baroclinic instability is studied in a configuration in which the flow is perturbed at the inflow section of a channel by a slow and periodic perturb...
Intraoperative REBOA for a massive zone 1 retroperitoneal hematoma

A 14-year-old man presented to the emergency department with intractable lower back pain and associated radiculopathy. He had been unsuccessfully treated in the past non-operatively for known lumbar disk herniation. He was seen and examined by the neurosurgery team and ultimately taken to the operating room for emergent microdiskectomy of L5–S1. Postoperatively, the patient clinically deteriorated. He was lethargic, diaphoretic and was showing signs of shock. Initially, this was treated as a hypersensitivity reaction; however, a repeat labs noted a hemoglobin drop from 15.4 to >6.5. Massive transfusion protocol (MTP) was initiated, and the acute care surgery team was notified. On arrival of our service, the patient had a heart rate of 140, a blood pressure of 68/46 and was virtually unresponsive with a distended abdomen. He was reintubated and bedside ultrasound was performed which showed fluid in the pelvis. He was taken to the operating room for emergent laparotomy. In the abdomen, there was a massive zone 1 retroperitoneal hematoma causing the intestinal contents to be pushed out of the abdominal cavity. Given the location of the hematoma, the decision was made to obtain proximal aortic control. The lesser sac was entered and supraceliac digital pressure was applied. Multiple attempts were made to pass a Crawford Clamp across the aorta; however, this was unsuccessful due to the body habitus of the patient and the remarkable size of the hematoma. 1. Continue digital pressure for proximal aortic control and explore the hematoma. 2. Emergent thoracotomy to obtain proximal aortic control in the chest. 3. Attempt endovascular balloon …
Alcohol-induced lipid dysregulation impairs glycolytic responses to LPS in alveolar macrophages

Several conditions are marked by increased susceptibility to, and enhanced severity of, bacterial infections. Alcohol use disorder, one of these conditions, is known to predispose to bacterial pneumonia by suppressing the lung's innate immune system, and more specifically by disrupting critical alveolar macrophage (AM) functions. Recently, we established that chronic ethanol consumption also perturbs surfactant lipid homeostasis in the lung and that elevated concentrations of free fatty acids contribute to blocking essential AM functions, such as agonist-induced cytokine expression. In this study, we extend these observations by showing that elevated free fatty acid levels impair metabolic responses to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in AMs. In particular, we show that the glycolytic reprogramming characteristic of LPS-stimulated AMs is blunted by the saturated fatty acid palmitate, whereas oleate, an unsaturated fatty acid, or ethanol alone, had no effect on this adaptive metabolic response. Additionally, we found that elevated concentrations of palmitate induced mitochondrial oxidative stress and that glycolytic reprogramming and cytokine production to LPS could be partially restored in AMs by either pharmacologically blocking palmitate entry into mitochondria or administering a mitochondrial-specific antioxidant. Taken together, these findings suggest that alcohol and elevated levels of saturated fatty acids conspire to impair pulmonary innate immunity by altering metabolic responses in AMs. Additionally, our findings suggest that targeting the mechanisms involved in fatty acid metabolism can restore pulmonary immunity and possibly limit bacterial pneumonia in individuals with alcohol use disorder.
Post Autologous Transplantation Consolidation of Multiple Myeloma with Idiotype-Pulsed Antigen Presenting (Dendritic) Cells (APC8020) Is Associated with Prolonged Survival.

Abstract Introduction: Immunotherapy is most likely to work in a setting of low tumor burden, making vaccine strategies attractive as maintenance therapy post autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) for multiple myeloma (MM). However, it is difficult to ascertain the effects of the vaccines from delayed responses to the transplant. A novel immunotherapeutic, APC8020 (Mylovenge), was studied as consolidation therapy after for MM post PBSCT (Mayo vaccine trial). Mylovenge is prepared from autologous antigen presenting cells, including dendritic cells, partially purified from an unmobilized leukapheresis product by gradient density isolation and then incubated for two days with autologous serum containing M protein obtained pretransplant. We report long term results of the Mayo vaccine trial compared retrospectively to a consecutive cohort of MM patients who underwent autologous stem cell transplant at Mayo Clinic during the same time period. Methods: The Mayo vaccine trial patients had transplants between July of 1998 and May of 2001. Using these cutoff dates we analyzed 151 total MM patients, 27 from the vaccine trial (9 newly diagnosed and 18 relapsed) and 124 from database (DB) (50 newly diagnosed patients and 74 relapsed). The median (range) of follow-up for alive patients in vaccine trial is 6.5 years (2.9 – 8), and in the DB is 7.1 years (6 – 8). Two-sided Fisher's exact tests and stratified log rank tests (with newly diagnosed or relapsed as the stratum) were used to compare baseline patient characteristics and time to event distributions (overall survival – OS, progression free survival – PFS, and time to progression – TTP) between the two groups. Results: The median (range) of age in vaccine trial and DB was 56 (30–69) and 57 (36–71) years respectively. There were no significant differences in the known prognostic factors including PCLI, B2M, and CRP. The median (95% confidence interval - CI) TTP for the vaccine trial and DB patients was 1.5 years (1.3 – 2.4) and 1.6 years (1.3 – 1.8); stratified log rank p value = 0.46. The median (95% CI) PFS for the vaccine trial and DB patients was 1.5 years (1.3 – 2.4) and 1.5 years (1.1 – 1.8), stratified logrank p value = 0.30. The median (95% CI) OS for the vaccine trial and DB patients was 5.3 years (4.0 -N/A), and 3.4 years (2.7 – 4.6); stratified logrank p value = 0.02. Conclusions: Despite the fact that no difference was seen in TTP or PFS, post-transplant vaccine therapy was associated with prolonged survival. This is similar to what has been reported in other tumor systems including prostate cancer and glioblastoma multiforme. This approach warrants further investigation, including preclinical studies aimed at optimizing the immune response and randomized trials to define the role of vaccine therapy in myeloma. Download : Download high-res image (48KB) Download : Download full-size image
Word-finding difficulty is a prevalent disease-related deficit in early multiple sclerosis:

Background:Persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) commonly report word-finding difficulty clinically, yet this language deficit remains underexplored.Objective:To investigate the prevalence and natur...
Introduction to Endocrinology Concepts

Understand the definition of endocrinology; be able to classify hormones; define free versus bound hormone.
Female Entrepreneurs and Equity Crowdfunding in the US: Receiving Less When Asking for More

In this paper, we explore the relationship between gender and funding raised through equity crowdfunding. Using data collected from the population of US equity crowdfunding campaigns, we find that campaigns receive significantly less funding when the primary signatory is female. Furthermore, we explore interactions between gender and a campaign’s funding target. The results suggest that campaigns raise significantly less funding, as the target amount increases, when the primary signatory is female. These results are the first to suggest a relationship between gender and funding among the population of US equity crowdfunding campaigns. Implications and future directions are discussed.
Neonatal acute kidney injury: a case-based approach

Neonatal acute kidney injury (AKI) is increasingly recognized as a common complication in critically ill neonates. Over the last 5-10 years, there have been significant advancements which have improved our understanding and ability to care for neonates with kidney disease. A variety of factors contribute to an increased risk of AKI in neonates, including decreased nephron mass and immature tubular function. Multiple factors complicate the diagnosis of AKI including low glomerular filtration rate at birth and challenges with serum creatinine as a marker of kidney function in newborns. AKI in neonates is often multifactorial, but the cause can be identified with careful diagnostic evaluation. The best approach to treatment in such patients may include diuretic therapies or kidney support therapy. Data for long-term outcomes are limited but suggest an increased risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and hypertension in these infants. We use a case-based approach throughout this review to illustrate these concepts and highlight important evidence gaps in the diagnosis and management of neonatal AKI.
A Patient With Locally Advanced Mismatch-Repair-Deficient Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Successfully Treated With Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive malignancy with a dismal prognosis. Approximately 30% of patients present with locally advanced disease, defined as pancreatic tumor with invasion to adjacent structures, including the vasculatures that preclude an upfront surgical resection. Emerging data suggest that neoadjuvant therapy, typically consisting of systemic chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiation, increases the likelihood of potentially curative R0 resection by downstaging the tumor and improves survival in patients with locally advanced PDAC. PDAC with deficient DNA mismatch repair (dMMR)/microsatellite instability-high molecular signature is exceedingly rare. The role of immunotherapy is emerging in various dMMR gastrointestinal tumors, both in the metastatic and neoadjuvant settings. However, the efficacy of immunotherapy in the neoadjuvant setting in patients with dMMR locally advanced PDAC remains unknown. Herein, we describe a patient who presented with unresectable dMMR locally advanced PDAC and underwent neoadjuvant immunotherapy with pembrolizumab that resulted in a remarkable reduction of the tumor size, rendering the tumor resectable. Furthermore, the presence of dMMR signature in the tumor was detected by circulating tumor DNA analysis. This is the first report, to our knowledge, of the successful use of neoadjuvant immunotherapy in a patient with locally advanced PDAC.
Urinary calculi

The few contributions which discuss the colloidal properties of urinary calculi lack the most important information, namely, what actually causes their formation.
Propagation Analysis Using sBOOM for the Third AIAA Sonic Boom Prediction Workshop

The Third Sonic Boom Prediction Workshop was held on January 4–5, 2020, in conjunction with the AIAA SciTech conference. The workshop had 23 participants who represented 6 different countries and 1...
A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Domestic American and International Chinese Students’ Social Media Usage

This survey of American and Chinese students at a state university in the southern United States measures Social Media (SM) use and attitudes toward SM. The purpose of this study was to investigate student perception and motivation of social media communication and the relationship between student cultural values and their social media participation. The implications of students’ social media participation to an international community were also explored in this study. Foregrounded in the analysis is the role that academic services play in domestic and international students’ scholastic experience, and what SM functions students’ use to engage with these services. The contribution of this study, beyond being one of the first to look at the difference between international and domestic students’ SM patterns, includes a call for the further nuancing of the construct of culture, where culture is dynamic and temporal, instead of just country of origin.
Experimental disciform keratitis. I. Immune response of the cornea to herpes simplex virus.

Abstract Large inocula of washed viable herpes simplex virus injected into the corneal stroma caused an acute inflammatory response in the cornea, conjunctiva, iris, and ciliary body. This reaction is due to an infection that reaches its peak in 7 days and subsides in 8 to 13 days. When virus was reinjected a month or more later, the majority of corneas did not suffer recurrence of inflammatory reactions. There to four corneal injections of virus given 2 to 5 weeks apart led to brief periods of corneal clouding which could also be clicited by noninfected chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) proteins. Only one cornea in 28 had a brief clouding response which could not be related to CAM protein. None of the corneal clouding reactions was permanent but cleared after 7 days and, apart from minor, trauma-induced scars, all corneas returned to full clarity. Corneas sensitized with heat-inactivated virus developed negative or very low titers of neutralizing antibody, but intracorneal or intra-aqueous injections of viable virus led to high titers of such antibody in corneal extracts as well as serum. A conclusion is drawn that corneal hypersensitivity to herpes simplex virus, for at lcast two widely divergent strains, could not be related to the clinical problem of disciform keratitis on an experimental basis.
Mushrooms of Grand Teton National Park

Fungi are highly significant in the ecology of the Park biota not only as parasites and mycorrhizal symbionts but also for energy recycling as primary organisms of decay. Records of higher fungi occurring in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks appear constantly in taxonomic monographs (e.g. Hesler & Smith, 1979), special reports McKnight, 1975, 1979, and by implication, at least, in regional reports or check-lists including fungi of Wyoming which may or may not give specific localities (e.g. Larsen & Denisen, 1978, Lowe & Gilbertson, 1961). The 1700 collections of fungi from the central Rocky Mountains distributed by Solheim contain many from Wyoming (Gilbertson, Cummins, & Darnall, 1979), including a large number from the two National Parks. Although they represent a major contribution to our knowledge of the park fungi, most of Solheim's specimens are parasites or other small fungi not included in the groups covered in this study.
Spin correlations and magnetic order in nonsuperconducting Nd(2-x)Ce(x)CuO(4+/-delta).

We report quantitative neutron scattering measurements of the evolution with doping of the Neel temperature, the antiferromagnetic correlations, and the ordered moment of as-grown, nonsuperconducting Nd(2-x)Ce(x)CuO(4+/-delta) (0</=x</=0.18). The instantaneous correlation length can be effectively described by our quantum Monte Carlo calculations for the randomly site-diluted nearest-neighbor spin-1/2 square-lattice Heisenberg antiferromagnet. However, quantum fluctuations have a stronger effect on the ordered moment, which decreases more rapidly than for the quenched-disorder model.
Optimal dropout compensation in networked control systems

This paper examines optimal compensation for dropped feedback measurements in a networked control system. A common policy for handling such lost data is to simply use the past data. This case was treated in. This paper extends that prior work to cover a more general class of dropout compensation. The paper's principal result shows that determining the optimal dropout compensator can be posed as a constrained generalized regulator problem. An example compares the performance of a networked control system using the optimal dropout compensator against more commonly used heuristic dropout policies. The comparison shows that the optimal compensator works better than these heuristic policies.
Biophysics of Ultrafiltration and Hemofiltration

Removal of excess body water is an important function of both the artificial kidney and peritoneal dialysis. More recently, solute removal in conjunction with ultrafiltration has been exploited as an alternative to diffusion as a means for cleaning uremic blood. This chapter deals with the practical and theoretical aspects of ultrafiltration and convective mass transfer across the artificial kidney and peritoneal mass transfer barriers
An Enumeration of Flags in Finite Vector Spaces

By counting flags in finite vector spaces, we obtain a $q$-multinomial analog of a recursion for $q$-binomial coefficients proved by Nijenhuis, Solow, and Wilf. We use the identity to give a combinatorial proof of a known recurrence for the generalized Galois numbers.
Toxicity and Pharmacokinetic Studies of Aerosolized Clinical Grade Azacitidine.

Abstract Background Azacitidine as an effective epigenetic therapeutic agent has not been used as an aerosol form to treat lung cancer patients. We aerosolized clinical grade azacitidine (Aza), optimized the formulation, and studied its pharmacokinetics and toxicity in mice. Methods Extrusion-precipitation method and DNA methyltransferase inhibition rate were used to measure the aerodynamic size and aerosolized Aza activity. In the single dose pharmacokinetic study, Aza concentrations in peripheral blood and lungs were measured by LC-MS method. In the multiple-dose toxicity studies, histo-pathological evaluation was used to determine the organ and bone marrow toxicities. Results In pharmacokinetic study, aerosolized Aza was found to deposit mainly into the lung with very little drug detected in the circulation. In contrast, intravenously injected (IV) Aza resulted in a high Aza concentration in the peripheral blood, with trace amounts of drug in the lung, and it was associated with significant myelosuppression. No significant myelosuppression, pulmonary toxicity, hepatotoxicity, or nephrotoxicity were observed at a daily dose of 2.5 mg/m 2 for 7 days. Reversible lung inflammation was found in mice treated with 7.5 mg/m 2 aerosolized Aza at 3 but not 6 weeks after treatment. Conclusions Aerosol Aza aerodynamic size favors deposition of the drug to the human lower airways. The aerosol process do not compromise the drug activity. Aerosolized Aza has higher lung deposition and much less systemic toxicity than IV drug. The safe starting dose for clinical phase I trials should be 2.5 mg/m 2 for 5 to 7 days.
Asynchronous rate divider and multiplier designs for LEDR logic

Designs for asynchronous circuit modules that allow communication using level encoded dual-rail (LEDR) signalling between two circuits that operate at different computation rates are presented. Signal transition graphs and asynchronous flow tables are used to design these circuits to the gate and transistor level and they are simulated to validate functionality.
Adrenal production of sex steroids in the mare

Abstract Ovariectomized mares (n = 6) were treated with intravenous saline or 67 or 667 μg of a synthetic ACTH fragment, (1–24)-OH, in a 2 × 3 crossover study. In mares receiving (1–24)-OH, plasma concentrations of cortisol were significantly (P
Computational finance models

The author discusses his involvement in developing computational finance software. These computational finance models attempt to model the randomness of a stock's price. At a fixed future time, a stock's price is modeled as a random variable with a normal distribution centered about the current price adjusted with a simple growth multiplier. The standard deviation of this normal distribution depends on the length of time into the future one peers and the volatility of the market. As the market becomes more volatile and we look further ahead, the less likely the stock will have a price near the adjusted current price. Implementing these ideas requires a tool borrowed from physics called the Brownian motion. In a sense, a stock's price is modeled as a point fluctuating about in "dollar space". Hence a financial modeler can no more predict what price a stock will have at a given instance in time than a physicist can predict where a particular air molecule might be.
The Turbulent Boundary Layer With Mass Transfer and Pressure Gradient

Abstract : An analysis of the incompressible, turbulent boundary layer, including the combined effects of mass transfer and pressure gradient is presented. An integral method employing the integral mechanical energy equation forms the basis of the analysis. Stevenson's velocity profiles are used to obtain the functional dependence of the integral properties and also obtain a skin friction law. Comparisons of the numerical results with a wide variety of experimental data, including cases where the blowing rate and pressure are varying simultaneously, show good agreement. In addition, several problems with discontinuities in blowing or suction are solved and also seen to be in good agreement with the data. (Author)
Structure of the xyloglucan produced by suspension-cultured tomato cells.

Abstract The xyloglucan secreted by suspension-cultured tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum ) cells was structurally characterized by analysis of the oligosaccharides generated by treating the polysaccharide with a xyloglucan-specific endoglucanase (XEG). These oligosaccharide subunits were chemically reduced to form the corresponding oligoglycosyl alditols, which were isolated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Thirteen of the oligoglycosyl alditols were structurally characterized by a combination of matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization mass spectrometry and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Nine of the oligoglycosyl alditols (GXGGol, XXGGol, GSGGol, XSGGol, LXGGol, XTGGol, LSGGol, LLGGol, and LTGGol, [see, Fry, S.C.; York, W.S., et al., Physiologia Plantarum 1993 , 89 , 1–3, for this nomenclature]) are derived from oligosaccharide subunits that have a cellotetraose backbone. Very small amounts of oligoglycosyl alditols (XGGol, XGGXXGGol, XXGGXGGol, and XGGXSGGol) derived from oligosaccharide subunits that have a cellotriose or celloheptaose backbone were also purified and characterized. The results demonstrate that the xyloglucan secreted by suspension-cultured tomato cells is very complex and is composed predominantly of ‘XXGG-type’ subunits with a cellotetraose backbone. The rigorous characterization of the oligoglycosyl alditols and assignment of their 1 H and 13 C NMR spectra constitute a robust data set that can be used as the basis for rapid and accurate structural profiling of xyloglucans produced by Solanaceous plant species and the characterization of enzymes involved in the synthesis, modification, and breakdown of these polysaccharides.
Ewe Ceramics as the Visualization of Vodun

| african arts SPRING 2007 O n February 12, 2005, members of a Yeve 1 Vodun shrine in the Ewe village of Anlo-Afi adenyigba in southeastern Ghana paid their due respect to Mami Wata as part of their month-long ceremony in honor of Heviesso, the powerful and omnipresent thunder god. On the fi nal day of the event, the Mami spirit entered a woman’s body in the form of a snake. Lured by the spraying of toilet water and white powder and the rhythms of the drums, the snake slithered ever so slowly to her shrine, where she encountered desirable items, including food sacrifi ced in her honor, richly patterned cloth, and—the focus of this essay—a range of ceramic vessels featuring creatures familiar to her world (fig. 1). Ewe Ceramics as the Visualization of Vodun
Helping the Family Select a Compatible Pediatrician

The maternity nurse practicing in any number of settings can help the expectant family select a compatible pediatrician. She can point out to them the practical criteria, such as the size of the physician's practice, that they should consider and suggest that they interview several pediatricians to find one who shares their philosophies of childrearing and with whom they can commnicate well. Families who have used the interview method have found it to be an efficient method of finding the pediatrician who is right for them.
Financial contracts when costs and returns are private

Abstract Most bank loans are made under some form of commitment contract, like a line of credit, We show that a commitment dominates an ordinary debt contract when investment projects have random returns that are costly to observe and random costs that are completely unobservable. The fees charged on commitments reduce default risk, which in turn permits larger loans than under ordinary debt contracts. Our results contribute to the theoretical literature on financial intermediation and square with several stylized facts about commitment contracts.
Influence of surface topography on viscoplastic asperity lubrication

Abstract The load support generated by sliding asperities, with a lubricant which is newtonian up to some critical shear stress and thereafter behaves plastically, is calculated. Wedge-shaped and cylindrical asperities with their crests normal to the sliding direction are considered. It is found that low load support and potential failure occur with the combination of high roughness and small asperity spacing or with low roughness. This is in agreement with the experimental results of Hirst and Hollander.
Organization of antenna and photo-reaction centre chlorophylls on the molecular level

Recent investigation, mainly by nuclear magnetic (n.m.r.) and electron spin (e.s.r.) resonance spectroscopy, provide experimental support for the view that both antenna or light-harvesting chlorophyll and photo-reaction centre chlorophyll are aggregated species, but are aggregated in quite different ways. The spectral properties of antenna chlorophyll appear to be best explained in terms of chlorophyll oligomers, (Chl 2 ) n , in which the chlorophyll molecules are bound to each other via keto C = 0 • • • Mg coordination interactions, whereas light conversion occurs in special pairs of chlorophyll molecules probably held in the necessary configuration by a water molecule between them: [Chl H 2 O Chl]. Photo-reactive bacteriochlorophyll a appears to have a very similar special pair structure, but antenna bacteriochlorophyll a appears to be a much more complex entity than is the antenna in green plants, and it is possible that a variety of bacteriochlorophyll a -water adducts are involved in antenna behaviour. Considerations of photosynthetic membrane structure suggest that antenna chlorophyll and the special pair photo-active chlorophyll may occupy the annular region of the thylakoid lipid bilayer.
An Institutionalist Reinterpretation of Cold War Alliance Systems: Insights for Alliance Theory

This article formulates a model of alliance persistence and evolution to account for two aspects of behaviour that are largely neglected by traditional alliance theory. It argues that states that encounter common threats to military and nonmilitary interests (like political and economic stability) are likely to institutionalize their military pacts. This process raises material and normative obstacles to exiting the alliance, even as the performance of the alliance falters or the strategic context undergoes fundamental changes. The article tests several of the model's hypotheses by engaging in a comparative analysis of two Cold War alliance systems: the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization.
Prenatal nicotine exposure alters medullary nicotinic and AMPA-mediated control of respiratory frequency in vitro.

Prenatal nicotine exposure (PNE) is correlated with breathing abnormalities in humans and other animals. Despite evidence that this relationship results from alterations in nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), the mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we hypothesize that PNE blunts nAChR-mediated respiratory-related motor output. We also hypothesize that the PNE-induced changes in nAChRs leads to secondary alterations in glutamatergic neurotransmission. To test these hypotheses, we used an in vitro brainstem-spinal cord preparation and recorded C4 ventral root (C4 VR) nerve bursts from 0 to 4-day-old rats that were exposed to either nicotine (6 mg kg−1 day−1) or saline (control) in utero. Nicotine bitartrate, nAChR antagonists, NMDA and AMPA were applied to the brainstem compartment of a “split-bath” configuration, which physically separated the medulla from the spinal cord. Nicotine (0.2 or 0.5 μM) increased peak C4 VR burst frequency by over 230% in control pups, but only 140% in PNE animals. The application of nAChR antagonists showed that these effects were mediated by the α4β2 nAChR subtype with no effect on α7 nAChRs in either group. We also show that AMPA-mediated excitatory neurotransmission is enhanced by PNE, but NMDA-mediated neurotransmission is unaltered. These data and the work of others suggest that the PNE may functionally desensitize α4β2 nAChRs located on the presynaptic terminals of glutamatergic neurons leading to less neurotransmitter release, which in turn up-regulates AMPA receptors on rhythm generating neurons.
Policies for data archival in hierarchical storage management

Abstract We present a model to manage data across a memory hierarchy consisting of two levels (primary and secondary). The primary system (for example, a magnetic disk) is faster, but costs more per byte of storage. The secondary system (for example, an optical disk) is slower and cheaper. The data managed is assumed to exhibit time-dependent demand. A dynamic policy for transferring data from the primary system to the secondary system is derived. This policy uses information about the number of records in the primary system and transfers the least recently used (LRU) record to the secondary system, if the time elapsed since it was last used has exceeded a certain threshold. The operating characteristics of the dynamic policy are studied both analytically and numerically. The dynamic policy is compared to two static policies in a numerical experiment. A static policy is one that does not utilize information about the number of records in the primary system. Our results show that the dynamic policy outperforms the two static policies in a variety of situations. We also study several policies that lie in between dynamic and static policies.
SU-E-T-638: Evaluation and Comparison of Landauer Microstar (OSLD) Readers

Purpose: To evaluate and compare characteristic performance of a new Landauer nanodot Reader with the previous model. Methods: In order to calibrate and test the reader, a set of nanodots were irradiated using a Varian Truebeam Linac. Solid water slabs and bolus were used in the process of irradiation. Calibration sets of nanodots were irradiated for radiation dose ranges: 0 to 10 and 20 to 1000 cGy, using 6MV photons. Additionally, three sets of nanodots were each irradiated using 6MV, 10MV and 15MV beams. For each beam energy, and selected dose in the range of 3 to 1000 cGy, a pair of nanodots was irradiated and three readings were obtained with both readers. Results: The analysis shows that for 3 photon beam energies and selected ranges of dose, the calculated absorbed dose agrees well with the expected value. The results illustrate that the new Microstar II reader is a highly consistent system and that the repeated readings provide results with a reasonably small standard deviation. For all practical purposes, the response of system is linear for all radiation beam energies. Conclusion: The Microstar II nanodot reader is consistent, accurate, and reliable. The new hardware design and corresponding software contain severalmore » advantages over the previous model. The automatic repeat reading mechanism, that helps improve reproducibility and reduce processing time, and the smaller unit size that renders ease of transport, are two of such features. Present study shows that for high dose ranges a polynomial calibration equation provides more consistent results. A 3rd order polynomial calibration curve was used to analyze the readings of dosimeters exposed to high dose range radiation. It was observed that the results show less error compared to those calculated by using linear calibration curves, as provided by Landauer system software for all dose ranges.« less
Extracellular acetylcholine is increased in the nucleus accumbens following the presentation of an aversively conditioned taste stimulus

To determine if acetylcholine (ACh) is released in the nucleus accumbens in response to a conditioned stimulus (CS) that reminds the animal of an aversive event, in vivo microdialysis was used to monitor extracellular ACh during conditioned taste aversion. Saccharin flavored water (2.5 mM saccharin) was paired twice with nausea induced by i.p. lithium chloride (100 mg/kg). This is normally sufficient to create an aversion to the taste of saccharin, but instead of a preference test, the saccharin solution was squirted directly into the rat's mouth via a cheek catheter during nucleus accumbens microdialysis. The result was a 40% increase in extracellular ACh. We reported earlier that dopamine changes in the opposite direction; it decreases. This suggests that high synaptic ACh and low DA are correlated with an aversive state and cessation of behavior.
Asymptotic spectral efficiency of multicell MIMO systems with frequency-flat fading

The spectral efficiency of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems operating in multicell frequency-flat fading environments is studied for situations in which co-channel interference is the dominant channel impairment instead of ambient noise. The following detectors are analyzed: the joint optimum detector, a group linear minimum-mean-square-error (MMSE) detector and its generalized version, a group MMSE successive interference cancellation detector, and an adaptive multiuser detector, with the focus on their large-system asymptotic (nonrandom) expressions. Analytical and numerical results based on these asymptotic multicell MIMO spectral efficiencies are explored to gain insights into the behavior of interference-limited multicell MIMO systems.
Streaming video delivery over internet with adaptive end-to-end QoS

Many multimedia applications rely on video streaming techniques. However, video delivery over a Best Effort network such as today's Internet is a challenge. Traffic load in the network changes dynamically and in an unpredictable way causing the resource availability to vary. Providing an application level end-to-end quality of service in such an environment requires network-awareness and ability to adapt. We address the issue of mapping between application-level quality of service for streaming video and network-level quality of service. We show that continuous playback requires a limit on the delay jitter. We tackle the problem of providing end-to-end video quality given that the network does not guarantee limited delay variability. Our approach is unique in a way we do not model network as a black box but investigate what information about the network status is necessary for an application to make adaptation decisions. We rely on simple multi-level ECN-based mechanism to obtain a feedback from the network as well as on end-point observations to determine available bandwidth. Such an approach allows to obtain better user-perceived video quality by providing additional information to properly interpret the arrival rate observed at the end-point. We propose a 3-rate adaptation mechanism for video streaming to illustrate the philosophy of adaptivity based on network awareness, where the network awareness is not limited to observing network reaction to a set of stimuli.
Mammography display station and its application in a digital teaching file

We implemented a high resolution display system for viewing digitized mammograms at real-time speeds. This display system has been utilized at the UCSF to develop a digital breast imaging teaching file. The mammography display station is built on a Sun workstation and Pixar processing hardware. It is capable of real-time 2K image display and manipulation, and serves as a basic platform for our digital mammographic teaching file. The teaching file is designed on a sophisticated computer-aided instruction (CAI) model, which simulates the work-up sequences used in imaging interpretation. Our CAI model not only provides answers to questions, but also allows user's detection of imaging abnormalities by pointing at the image. We also developed a software tool with an easy-to-use interface to manage patient images and related information, and manipulate the large quantity of digital mammograms. The display station is found to be adequate for fast display of high resolution digital mammograms. Our sophisticated CAI model integrates the vast image and textual data with visualization software into an interactive mammographic teaching file. This teaching file can be used as a real teaching tool for training radiology residents in mammography.
Metaphor, Transfer, and Translation in Plato’s Ion: The Postmodern Platonism of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s A Defence Poetry

Recognizing Plato’s role as dramatist rather than as stenographer for Socrates reveals that the Ion presents a model for the creation and transfer of meaning that is remarkably similar to that described by Shelley’s A Defence of Poetry. Even though Socrates criticizes the poet for diluting the truth, Plato’s text, through its metaphor of the iron rings and through its own structure as a dramatic dialogue, presents and itself serves as a model of how meaning is created, a model which serves as a basis for Shelley’s text. The Ion’s iron rings suggest the interminable progression of metaphor by which meaning is constructed and kept current, and this view of language, in which meaning is constructed by the poet rather than reflected or distorted, points to a reprieve for poetry from Socrates’s banishment of it in Republic X.
Barth on Feuerbach

In view of the fatefulness of Ludwig Feuerbach for religion in the modern world, it is curious that recent theologians have written so little about him. For the most widely effective critiques of religion in our time, those by Marx and Freud, are both variations on a theme that received its classic expression not from them but from him. Yet Karl Barth is the one major theological figure of today who has explicitly concerned himself with Feuerbach over the years. Even if Barth had no other bearing on our situation than this, his reflections on Feuerbach would merit the attention I propose to give them by considering three questions: (1) Who is the Feuerbach with whom Barth has been concerned? (2) How has Barth responded to him? (3) Has he answered him?
Modeling complex networks for electronic commerce

Complex networks connect businesses, consumers, and the artifacts they create, such as pages, products, and accounts. Modeling these networks can help focus on the characteristics that will be useful for understanding or predicting important ecommerce phenomena, such as product demand or illicit behavior. Our tutorial will cover various generic models of (i) the structure of complex networks, and (ii) the probabilistic dependencies among networked entities. We will then discuss practical examples where the different types of models have been or could be used in order to improve understanding or to improve performance. For example, models of the structure of social networks can improve the theoretical understanding of network effects (Sundararajan, 2007). Modeling the structure of co-purchase networks can help explain demand patterns in electronic commerce. Models of networked probabilistic dependencies can improve prediction tasks including the targeting of advertisements/offers (Hill, Provost and Volinsky, 2006), the detection of illicit behavior (such as fraud), and the identification of interesting Web pages. The tutorial will be largely self-contained. Attendees will be assumed to know basic economics, probability and statistics.