cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neural Networks Technique for Maximum Power Point Tracking of Photovoltaic Array

In this paper, we present our work on maximum power point tracking (MPPT) using neural networks. The MATLAB Simulink simulation platform is used to establish a model of photovoltaic array. The Simulink model is tested with different temperature and irradiation parameters, and the resultant I-V and P-V characteristics proved the validation of the Simulink model of PV array. In this paper, the backpropagation training algorithm is used to train a multilayer neural network using on data points collected from Simulink model of PV array simulated under a range of irradiations and temperatures. The collected data from the system is then tested by the neural network. We show that the neural network can accurately predict the maximum power point of a photovoltaic array. Comparisons between MPPT using the perturb and observe (P & O) algorithm and without MPPT are also shown in this paper. It is demonstrated that the neural network-based MPPT require less time and provide more accurate results than the P&O algorithm-based MPPT.
#BLACKLIVESMATTER: Access and Equity in the Arts and Education

It might even be argued that the most crucial of all human rights includes the right to make your mark, model your most valued experiences, and map out your affinities, aspirations, beliefs, and co...
Electronic Health Records Technology: Policies and Realities

This chapter begins with a succinct review of the history of electronic health records (EHRs) in the U.S., including recent efforts by the federal government to encourage the use of them through their Meaningful Use program. It then discusses the low participation in this program by mental health providers and the reasons for the general lack of acceptance of EHRs by them. In fact, in 2012 only 7.1% of psychiatrists participated in the Meaningful Use program. The chapter next proceeds to discuss various efforts to increase the use of EHRs in the mental health field, including those by the American Psychiatric Association, the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the HL7 organization. The second part of the chapter provides in depth guidelines to selecting and implementing an EHR, beginning with making the decision whether to actually get one. Once the decision is made to do so, the chapter talks in great detail about the preparation process prior to the selection, followed by the steps involved in the actual selection and implementation processes. The chapter closes with a renewed emphasis on the need to do a thorough job prior to the implementation so as to avoid many problems after the EHR goes live, as well as the importance of including the ultimate users of the EHR in the entire selection and implementation processes.
An Examination of Abstraction in K-12 Computer Science Education

Computer scientists have been working towards a common definition of abstraction; however, the instruction and assessment of abstraction remain categorically under-researched. Abstraction is often cited as a component of computational thinking and can be likened to a higher order thinking skill. Most K-12 educators have studied critical thinking (e.g., Bloom's taxonomy, Marzano & Kendall's new taxonomy) more than computational thinking. Overlapping characteristics of abstraction and critical thinking can provide educators with instructional guidance. The qualitative examination of how teachers determine curriculum, deliver instruction, and design assessments in K-12 computer science education contributes insights into current instructional practices and variables for future quantitative study. The instructional strategies, objectives, and assessments of 12 K-12 computer science teachers from three states in the United States were examined in this descriptive qualitative examination of instruction using thematic coding analysis. The majority of teachers interviewed had little to no professional development regarding teaching abstraction. All teachers in the study were unsure what student abstraction abilities should be according to grade level. Teachers' understanding of abstraction ranged from very little knowledge to very knowledgeable. The majority of teachers interviewed did not assess abstraction intentionally. Teachers described successfully teaching abstraction through multiple instructional practices and spiraling curriculum. This examination of abstraction in K-12 computer science education offers practical descriptive insights and illuminates additional variables for researching the instruction of abstraction qualitatively and quantitatively. Anecdotal instructional successes are included in the results.
Apixaban for treatment of intracardiac thrombosis in children with congenital heart disease.

Apixaban is well studied in adults; paediatric data are extremely limited. We describe 3 children (age 2-6 years, weight 13-17 kg) with congenital heart disease who developed intracardiac thrombosis, and in whom typical treatments had failed (in 1) or were considered impractical (in 2). All were treated with apixaban 2.5 mg orally twice daily with complete (in 2) or partial (in 1) thrombus resolution and no clinical bleeding events.
Historical Perspectives: Shared Decision Making in the NICU

The ethical dilemmas and predominant frameworks surrounding decision making for critically ill newborns have evolved substantially over the last 40 years. A shared decision-making approach is now favored, involving an exchange of information between parents and clinicians that emphasizes parental values and preferences, resulting in a personalized approach to decision making. In this review, we summarize the history of clinical decision making with a focus on the NICU, highlight different models of decision making, describe the advantages and current limitations of shared decision making, and discuss the ongoing and future challenges of decision making in the NICU amidst medical innovations and emerging technologies.
Formal Analysis of Segregation of Duties (SoD) in Accounting: A Computational Approach.

This study examines a computational framework for segregation of duties (SoD) in the design as well as implementation of accounting systems. The framework consists of a model of workflows in accounting systems based on workflow graphs, a partial order model of roles performed by the actors in the accounting system, and a specification of SoD rules. We develop a set of algorithms for four SoD rules that can be used in the enforcement of SoD. For the SoD rule that precludes task type conflicts, our results show that while compliance verification can be carried out efficiently, finding an SoD compliant assignment of tasks is computationally intractable. For those situations, we present an integer linear programming (ILP) formulation for finding compliant assignments using public domain ILP solvers. For the remaining three SoD rules, we demonstrate efficient ways of testing compliance for a given assignment as well as finding compliant assignments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ECG Waves and Signs: Ionic and Cellular Basis

The first human electrocardiogram (ECG) ever recorded is accredited to the British physiologist Augustus D. Waller who, in 1887, published a paper depicting several beats of a one-lead ECG using a refined Lipmann capillary electrometer. The recordings were obtained with one electrode placed in the back and the other over the precordium. Subsequently, in 1895, Willem Einthoven, a Dutch physician and physiologist, further improved the capillary electrometer and mathematically corrected human ECG tracings to allow for inertia and friction in the capillary. For the corrected curves, and based on the mathematical tradition initiated by Descartes more than two centuries earlier, he labeled the successive deflections PQRST, labels that we still use today. Furthermore, Einthoven later improved the sensitivity of the capillary electrometer, developed the string galvanometer, and, in 1903, published recordings of human ECGs as we know them these days. For these extraordinary and related achievements, including the demonstration of its clinical application, he received the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1924.
Orally Inhaled Drug Particle Transport in Computerized Models of Laryngotracheal Stenosis

ObjectiveAdjuvant management for laryngotracheal stenosis (LTS) may involve inhaled corticosteroids, but metered dose inhalers are designed for pulmonary drug delivery. Comprehensive analyses of dr...
Cooperative Cobinding of Synthetic and Natural Ligands to the Nuclear Receptor PPARγ

Crystal structures of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) have revealed overlapping binding modes for synthetic and natural/endogenous ligands, indicating competition for the orthosteric pocket. Here we show that cobinding of a synthetic ligand to the orthosteric pocket can push natural and endogenous PPARγ ligands (fatty acids) out of the orthosteric pocket towards an alternate ligand-binding site near the functionally important omega (Ω) loop. X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, and mutagenesis coupled to quantitative functional assays reveal that synthetic ligand and fatty acid cobinding can form a "ligand link" to the Ω loop and synergistically affect the structure and function of PPARγ. These findings contribute to a growing body of evidence indicating ligand binding to nuclear receptors can be more complex than the classical one-for-one orthosteric exchange of a natural or endogenous ligand with a synthetic ligand.
Examining the Racial Dynamic of the Victim-offender Dyad in Homicide-suicide: Does Intraracial Homicide Encourage Perpetrator Suicide?:

Objectives:Compared to homicide-only, homicide-suicide is understudied in the criminological literature. This study investigates the victim-offender relationship—one of the most well-established co...
“It’s a Growing and Serious Problem:” Teaching 9/11 to Combat Misinformation and Conspiracy Theories

In the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, some who were unable to cope with the devastation and the failure to prevent them turned to alternative explanations as to how and why these attacks ...
Maize Tassel Detection From UAV Imagery Using Deep Learning

The timing of flowering plays a critical role in determining the productivity of agricultural crops. If the crops flower too early, the crop would mature before the end of the growing season, losing the opportunity to capture and use large amounts of light energy. If the crops flower too late, the crop may be killed by the change of seasons before it is ready to harvest. Maize flowering is one of the most important periods where even small amounts of stress can significantly alter yield. In this work, we developed and compared two methods for automatic tassel detection based on the imagery collected from an unmanned aerial vehicle, using deep learning models. The first approach was a customized framework for tassel detection based on convolutional neural network (TD-CNN). The other method was a state-of-the-art object detection technique of the faster region-based CNN (Faster R-CNN), serving as baseline detection accuracy. The evaluation criteria for tassel detection were customized to correctly reflect the needs of tassel detection in an agricultural setting. Although detecting thin tassels in the aerial imagery is challenging, our results showed promising accuracy: the TD-CNN had an F1 score of 95.9% and the Faster R-CNN had 97.9% F1 score. More CNN-based model structures can be investigated in the future for improved accuracy, speed, and generalizability on aerial-based tassel detection.
Morphology and Vascular Layers of the Choroid in Stargardt Disease Analyzed Using Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography.

Purpose To analyze total thickness, morphology and individual vascular layers of the choroid in eyes with Stargardt disease using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD OCT). Design Cross-sectional retrospective review. Methods Twenty-eight patients with Stargardt disease (53 eyes) with a mean age of 46 (15–79) years and 30 healthy subjects (30 eyes) with a mean age of 49 (22–79) years who underwent 1-line raster scanning with SD OCT were identified. Diagnosis of Stargardt disease was based on ophthalmic history and complete ophthalmic evaluation. The healthy subjects had best-corrected visual acuity of 20/20 or better with no chorioretinal pathology. Two independent raters assessed the total thickness, morphology, and the individual vascular layers of the choroid. Results The choroid was irregularly shaped in 26 of 41 eyes (64%) with Stargardt disease when compared to 0 of 30 healthy eyes (0%). Mean subfoveal total choroidal thickness and mean subfoveal large choroidal vessel layer thickness were significantly reduced in eyes with Stargardt disease when compared to healthy eyes (272.8 ± 32.8 μm vs 225.4 ± 69.9 μm; P = .03 and 219.5 ± 30.6 vs169.2 ± 70.1; P = .04, respectively). The maximal choroidal thickness was subfoveal in 9 of 41 eyes (22%), focal choroidal thinning was observed in 21 of 41 eyes (51%), and attenuation of large choroidal vessel layer was observed in 8 of 41 eyes (20%) with Stargardt disease. There was no association of the best-corrected visual acuity with any choroidal morphologic feature, except that it was better by a mean of 0.61 ± 0.21 in eyes that had preservation of large choroidal vessel layer (33 of 41, 80%) when compared to those that had attenuation of large choroidal vessel layer ( P = .007). Conclusion This study shows alterations in the total thickness, morphology, and the individual vascular layers of the choroid in eyes with Stargardt disease on SD OCT. These findings may potentially contribute to the clinical staging and monitoring of Stargardt disease.
Zamolodchikov operator-valued relations for SL(2,R)k WZNW model

Abstract An infinite set of operator-valued relations that hold for reducible representations of the sl ( 2 ) ˆ k algebra is derived. These relations are analogous to those recently obtained by Zamolodchikov which involve logarithmic fields associated to the Virasoro degenerate representations in Liouville theory. The fusion rules of the sl ( 2 ) ˆ k algebra turn out to be a crucial step in the analysis. The possible relevance of these relations for the boundary theory in the AdS 3 / CFT 2 correspondence is suggested.
Repetition is the First Principle of All Learning

The deepest "aha's" spring from an encounter and then a return. Repeating the encounter fuses it into one's awareness. One of the biggest mistakes a teacher can make is to forego the return or repetition. The learning process is one of slow engagement with ideas; gradually the engagement builds to a critical mass when the student actually acquires the idea. Repetition matters because it can hasten and deepen the engagement process. If one cares about quality of learning, one should consciously design repetitive engagement into courses and daily teaching. To do this well is harder than it seems. This column summarizes some subtle issues around repetition, and offers suggestions for how to proceed.
The Critical Need for Robust Assays for Quantitation and Characterization of Aggregates of Therapeutic Proteins

Since the commercialization of monoclonal antibodies and recombinant therapeutic proteins in the 1980s, millions of lives have been saved or improved by these unique medicines. As with all therapeutics, assurance of product quality is key to providing a consistent clinical performance related to both safety and effectiveness. These assurances are more challenging with therapeutic proteins than with small molecular entities because of their heightened susceptibility to degradation via physical or chemical means, the dependency for their activity on often complex three-dimensional conformation, the complicated manufacturing processes needed for their production, and their propensity to induce immune responses, relative to small molecular entities. Indeed, extensive development and formulation studies to obtain a product that has appropriate stability during production, shipping, storage, and delivery to the patients are undertaken for each protein therapeutic. Robust, high resolution analytical methods are essential to meet the requirement to ensure product quality and for the development of the appropriate means to stabilize the protein.
The Question of “Solidarity” in Postcolonial Trauma Fiction: Beyond the Recognition Principle

Dominant theorizations of cultural trauma often appeal to the twinned notions of “recognition” and “solidarity”, suggesting that by inviting readers to recognize distant suffering, trauma narratives enable forms of cross-cultural solidarity to emerge. This paper explores and critiques that argument with reference to postcolonial literature. It surveys four areas of postcolonial trauma, examining works that narrate traumatic experiences of the colonized, colonizers, perpetrators and proletarians. It explores how novelists locate traumatic affects in the body, and suggests that Frantz Fanon’s model of racial trauma in Black Skin, White Masks and The Wretched of the Earth remains essential for the interpretation of postcolonial texts, including those to which it is not usually applied. The analysis further reveals tensions between different texts’ appeals for recognition, and suggests that these tensions problematize the claim that solidarity will emerge from sympathetic engagement with trauma victims. As such, the paper makes three key arguments: first, that trauma offers a productive ground for comparing postcolonial fiction; second, that comparison uncovers problems for theorists attempting to “decolonize” trauma studies; and third, that trauma theory needs to be supplemented with systemic material analyses of particular contexts if it is not to obfuscate what makes postcolonial traumas distinct.
BotGrep: finding P2P bots with structured graph analysis

A key feature that distinguishes modern botnets from earlier counterparts is their increasing use of structured overlay topologies. This lets them carry out sophisticated coordinated activities while being resilient to churn, but it can also be used as a point of detection. In this work, we devise techniques to localize botnet members based on the unique communication patterns arising from their overlay topologies used for command and control. Experimental results on synthetic topologies embedded within Internet traffic traces from an ISP's backbone network indicate that our techniques (i) can localize the majority of bots with low false positive rate, and (ii) are resilient to incomplete visibility arising from partial deployment of monitoring systems and measurement inaccuracies from dynamics of background traffic.
Multi-hundred kilowatt roll ring assembly evaluation results

NASA Lewis Research Center has been evaluating low loss multi-hundred-kilowatt Roll Ring assemblies (an 8 circuit and a 4 circuit) for use on Space Station as the rotating joint power transfer device. In this device ac or dc power is transferred across the rotating joint through compressed rotating flexures. Results and conclusions of the evaluation program are presented.
Hedera: dynamic flow scheduling for data center networks

Today's data centers offer tremendous aggregate bandwidth to clusters of tens of thousands of machines. However, because of limited port densities in even the highest-end switches, data center topologies typically consist of multi-rooted trees with many equal-cost paths between any given pair of hosts. Existing IP multipathing protocols usually rely on per-flow static hashing and can cause substantial bandwidth losses due to long-term collisions.In this paper, we present Hedera, a scalable, dynamic flow scheduling system that adaptively schedules a multi-stage switching fabric to efficiently utilize aggregate network resources. We describe our implementation using commodity switches and unmodified hosts, and show that for a simulated 8,192 host data center, Hedera delivers bisection bandwidth that is 96% of optimal and up to 113% better than static load-balancing methods.
Beyond Wealth: Stories of Art, War, and Greed

The article tells three stories of great art and priceless antiquities: one about early Christian mosaics from Cyprus, another about five paintings by the Viennese master, Gustav Klimt, and the third about an ancient statute of a Sumerian king from Iraq. All three stories discuss the international law protecting cultural heritage in time of war and occupation. They all tell of individuals pursuing extraordinary profits from the sale of the objects despite the international law that, properly applied, should have protected them from damage and kept them all in places of public display.The article also tells how in each case U.S. authorities were either unfamiliar with or resistant to applying the relevant international law. The article advocates greater knowledge of international law in the United States so that Americans and people everywhere can more fully realize the advantages of a strong rule of law in global affairs - not the least of which includes better protection of cultural treasures.
High-Resolution Chromatography of Complex Organic Mixtures

The high-resolution uv analyzer has been used to investigate the effect of diet on urine profile. In addition, new applications in the food and beverage industry appear promising. More than 100 compounds, acidic to basic, can be separated. The clinical analyst may be interested in scanning a wide variety of compounds or in rapid separation of only a few compounds. For the latter purpose, the effect of changing the gradient elution program has been investigated, and conditions have been defined for rapid analysis of specific regions of the chromatogram. Additionally, the chromatogram may be simplified by fractionation—for example, by solvent extraction—before high-resolution analysis. The sensitivity of the instrument is often limited by baseline drift caused by absorbance of the buffer. Various methods for compensating for this drift have been investigated. Reproducibility of retention time, response, and computerized data processing are discussed.
Cigarettes and alcohol as independent risk factors for colonic adenomas

Abstract Healthy adults completed smoking and alcohol consumption questionnaires before colonoscopies, which were performed because of occult blood in the stool or prior barium enema suggesting polyps. Subjects with adenomas at colonoscopy (n = 102) were compared with colonoscopy-negative controls (n = 89). In univariate analyses, age (p 40 pack-years = 3.31; confidence intervals 1.41, 7.81) and beer consumption (odds ratio for >40 beer-years = 2.64; confidence intervals 1.10, 6.32) with adenomas. These results suggest that smoking and beer consumption are independent risk factors for colonic adenomas.
Interoperation of STEP Application Protocols for Product Data Management

A crucial issue in concurrent engineering (CE) is the information communication between the heterogeneous computer based systems. STEP is an evolving international standard for the representation and exchange of product data in all phases of the product's life- cycle, that offers an efficient mechanism of information communication for CE. Application Protocols (APs) of STEP support the exchange of product data among different application domains such as CAD, CAE, CAPP, CAM. Therefore, in CE, there is a strong demand for in teroperability between different APs through standardized exchange and shanng of data. This article introduces a systematic approach to implementing the interoperation between APs, which addresses the issue at three levels: Application Interpreted Constructs (AICs), Unit of Functionality (UoFs) and Concept. This paper describes the methodology and illustrates an example of interoperation between AP 203 and AP209 of STEP to demonstrate how to implement the interoperation at the above thr...
Comparison of trait and ability measures of emotional intelligence in medical students

Context Emotional intelligence (EI), the ability to perceive emotions in the self and others, and to understand, regulate and use such information in productive ways, is believed to be important in health care delivery for both recipients and providers of health care. There are two types of EI measure: ability and trait. Ability and trait measures differ in terms of both the definition of constructs and the methods of assessment. Ability measures conceive of EI as a capacity that spans the border between reason and feeling. Items on such a measure include showing a person a picture of a face and asking what emotion the pictured person is feeling; such items are scored by comparing the test-taker’s response to a keyed emotion. Trait measures include a very large array of non-cognitive abilities related to success, such as self-control. Items on such measures ask individuals to rate themselves on such statements as: ‘I generally know what other people are feeling.’ Items are scored by giving higher scores to greater self-assessments. We compared one of each type of test with the other for evidence of reliability, convergence and overlap with personality. Methods Year 1 and 2 medical students completed the Meyer–Salovey–Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT, an ability measure), the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS, a trait measure) and an industry standard personality test (the Neuroticism–Extroversion–Openness [NEO] test). Results The MSCEIT showed problems with reliability. The MSCEIT and the WLEIS did not correlate highly with one another (overall scores correlated at 0.18). The WLEIS was more highly correlated with personality scales than the MSCEIT. Conclusions Different tests that are supposed to measure EI do not measure the same thing. The ability measure was not correlated with personality, but the trait measure was correlated with personality.
Periconceptional Nutrient Restriction in the Ewe Alters MAPK/ERK1/2 and PI3K/Akt Growth Signaling Pathways and Vascularity in the Placentome

This study evaluated the role of MAPK/ERK1/2 and/or PI3K/Akt signaling pathways in modulating ovine placentomal vascularity in response to periconceptional maternal nutrient restriction. Ewes were randomly assigned to be nutrient restricted (NR, 50% NRC recommendation, N=7) or control fed (CF, 100% NRC recommendation, N=7) from 60 +/- 2 days before to 30 days after conception (day 0). From day 31 of gestation, all ewes (CF and NR) were fed the control diet until necropsy on day 78. On day 78 of gestation, NR ewes exhibited greater vascularity in both caruncular (CAR) and cotyledon (COT) tissues than CF ewes. Akt or ERK1/2 content in CAR and COT arterial tissue did not differ across dietary treatment. The activated forms, phosphorylated Akt and phosphorylated ERK1/2, were significantly increased in COT but not CAR arterial tissues of NR ewes compared to those of CF ewes (P<0.05). For both CF and NR ewes, phosphorylated Akt and phosphorylated ERK1/2 content in COT are higher (P<0.05) than those in CAR arterial tissues. Immunohistochemical staining revealed cytoplasmic and nuclear localization of Akt, phosphorylated Akt, ERK1/2 and phosphorylated ERK1/2, with phosphorylated Akt and phosphorylated-ERK1/2 specifically localized in trophoblast cells, while binucleate cells remained unstained. In placentomal blood vessels, Akt, phosphorylated Akt, ERK1/2 and phosphorylated ERK1/2 were localized to both endothelium and smooth muscle cells. These findings demonstrate for the first time that periconceptional NR increases vascular density in both COT than CAR tissues of the ovine placentome, and that the MAPK/ERK1/2 and/or PI3K/Akt signaling pathways are increased in NR COT but not NR CAR arterial tissues.
Reorientation measurements on tungsten isotopes

Abstract In a particle-γ coincidence experiment, a thick tungsten target, of natural isotopic abundance, was bombarded with a and 16 O beams. From analysis of the deexcitation γ-rays following Coulomb excitation, the spectroscopic quadrupole moment of the second 2 + state (the 2†' state) was determined for 186 W and 184 W. In a separate Coulomb excitation experiment a thin, isotopically enriched 186 W target was bombarded with 16 O ions. From analysis of projectiles scattered elastically and inelastically the quadrupole moment of the 2 +' state of 186 W was extracted. The results of the two experiments are in good agreement. The quadrupole moment of the 2 +' state is found to be opposite in sign to that of the first 2 + state for both isotopes studied. However, its magnitude decreases rapidly in going from 186 W to 186 W, in contrast to the predictions of the rotation-vibration or asymmetric rotor models. The microscopic theory of Kumar and Baranger does predict the experimental trend, qualitatively. Thus the present results are interpreted as being evidence of strong coupling between β and γ degrees of freedom in the tungsten isotopes, which, according to the theory of Kumar and Baranger, is the source of the reduced value of the quadrupole moment.
Differential Use of Elementary Science Kits.

The use of kits in elementary science classes is a growing trend in some countries. Kits provide materials and inquiry lessons in a ready-to-teach format for teachers to use in their science instruction. This study examined elementary teachers' instructional strategies, classroom practices, and assessment types in relation to the frequency of science kit use. A total of 503 elementary teachers from an urban school district received professional development, implemented kits in their classrooms for a year, and then completed a survey about science kit use and teaching practices. Despite similarities in demographic characteristics (gender, ethnicity, certification/educational level), there were significant differences in teachers' use of inquiry-based teaching and assessment practices by kit use. Teachers who reported using kits the most often were significantly more likely to report that their students designed and implemented laboratory investigations as well recorded, represented, and analyzed data. In a...
An investigation of the relationship between the dopaminergic and electroencephalographic effects of γ-butyrolactone

Abstract An investigation was made into the relationship between dopaminergic and EEG effects of γ-butyrolactone (GBL) by comparing time-course and dose-response studies of these two actions of γ-butyrolactone in rats implanted with permanent cortical electrodes. Dopaminergic effects were assessed by the changes induced by γ-butyrolactone in the concentration of dopamine and dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) in the striatum and cortex. In addition, the effects of anticonvulsant drugs, known to overcome the EEG effects of γ-butyrolactone, were assessed against the dopaminergic actions of this drug. The EEG changes induced by γ-butyrolactone occurred with smaller doses, had an earlier onset and lasted longer than the elevation in striatal dopamine and DOPAC concentration induced by γ-butyrolacetone. There were marked sequential changes in EEG and behavior in the face of normal dopamine and DOPAC concentrations in animals given 200 mg/kg of γ-butyrolactone. The anticonvulsants, ethosuximide and trimethadione, which abolish or attenuate seizure activity induced by γ-butyrolactone, were effective in aborting or decreasing the rise in striatal dopamine concentration produced by γ-butyrolacetone. However, sodium valproate, also known to abolish or attenuate the EEG effects of γ-butyrolactone exacerbated the dopamine effects of this compound. The elevation in dopamine produced by γ-butyrolactone does not seem to be responsible for the EEG or behavioral effects seen with this substance.
Characterization of plume fluence for laser ablation of yttria stabilized zirconia in mixed oxygen and argon environments

Abstract Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) is a versatile and efficient deposition technique that produces a highly energetic plume, from which films are grown. The plume characteristics are highly dependent on background environment conditions, with low pressure oxygen being the most common choice for the deposition of highly oriented yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) films. Emission intensity measurements of the plume excited and ionized species were made using four different narrow band filters in conjunction with a high-speed photomultiplier tube and digital oscilloscope. Experiments were performed with five background gas compositions containing oxygen and argon, at seven different pressures ranging from 0.3 Pa to 26.7 Pa. For Ar/O 2 gas mixtures, there was an optimum background pressure of 1–10 Pa, providing a highest level of plasma ionization and excitation. Plume species were also considerably decelerated through gas collisions at pressures above 1 Pa. For films grown at approximately 1 Pa pressure, the variation of Ar/O 2 background gas compositions had a minor effect on YSZ crystal size and lattice parameters. Film crystallinity was drastically improved, when negative bias was applied to the substrate. This was explained by the presence of Zr ions in the plume, which accelerate with negative bias to provide surface ion bombardment and structure reconstruction.
Do Stabilizing Forearm Braces Affect Elbow and Spine Posture during Wheelbarrow Pushing Tasks

The majority of the current research associated with pushing and pulling has involved evaluation of manual carts and multi-wheeled containers, but one manual material handling technique that has received limited attention is wheelbarrows. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of stabilizer braces on the quantifiable measures of postures of the spine and elbow during wheelbarrow pushing tasks, and to assess users' perceptions regarding the usefulness and effectiveness of the braces. Nine male subjects participated in the study. Subjects pushed the wheelbarrow on a concrete sidewalk of varying inclination (level, uphill, downhill). Trials were performed with and without the use of a customized set of stabilizing forearm braces. The use of stabilizing forearm braces had significant effects on average elbow flexion during uphill pushing trials and average sagittal trunk flexion during downhill pushing trials. The findings indicate that the braces improve the ergonomics of wheelbarrow pushing ...
ANDROGENIC REGULATION OF THE CENTRAL GLIA RESPONSE FOLLOWING NERVE DAMAGE

Current research on the effects of gonadal steroids on the brain and spinal cord indicates that these agents have profound trophic effects on many aspects of neuronal functioning, including cell survival, growth and metabolism, elaboration of processes, synaptogenesis, and neurotransmission (Jones et al., 1985; Luine, 1985; Nordeen et al., 1985; Matsumoto et al., 1988a,b; Gould et al., 1990). Since many of the aspects of normal neuronal functioning altered by gonadal steroids are affected by injury to the nervous system, we initiated a series of experiments designed to exploit the trophic capabilities of steroids as therapeutic agents in neuronal injury and repair (Kujawa et al., 1989, 1991; Kujawa and Jones, 1990). Three steroid-sensitive model systems were used for these studies: the hamster facial motoneuron, the rat sciatic motoneuron, and the hamster rubrospinal motoneuron. The results of our initial series of experiments suggest that androgens, and possibly estrogens, act either directly or indirectly on the injured motoneuron and enhance elements of the neuronal reparative response that are critical to successful recovery of function. Recently, we discovered that gonadal steroids may also modulate the central glia response to nerve damage. In this review, a summary of our data identifying a therapeutic role for androgens in enhancing the reparative response of motoneurons to injury is presented. This is followed by a discussion of the effects of androgens on the glial response to injury.
Ultrasensitive detection of photothermal signal of thin films by using an optical amplification system

A simple optical amplification system is introduced to improve the sensitivity of both the photothermal deflection detection scheme and the surface thermal lensing technique. Model calculations and experimental data show that the photothermal signals can be easily amplified by more than an order of magnitude and that the technique can be readily applied to weak absorption measurements for optical thin film coatings.
Safety risk perception in construction companies in the Pacific Northwest of the USA

Unsafe worker actions contribute greatly to the frequency and severity of construction injuries. Recently, contractors have expressed concern with the high rate of injuries that occur when workers violate company safety policies. To enhance knowledge associated with this topic the following four objectives were targeted: (1) quantifying the current level of safety risk as perceived by construction workers; (2) quantifying the risk tolerance of workers and managers; (3) comparing the risk perceptions and tolerance of workers with managers; and (4) identifying factors that may affect one’s risk tolerance. Fifty‐one risk perceptions were gathered through interviews with managers and workers of nine different construction firms in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The results indicate that the level of current perceived risk is approximately five times higher than the tolerable risk value, workers are most dissatisfied with the frequency of high severity injuries, and there is a statistically...
Some characteristics of the pyrimidine transport process of the small intestine

Uracil is actively transported across the wall of the rat, hamster, and frog small intestine in vitro. The transport process requires oxygen, is blocked by a number of substances which interfere with cell metabolism, and is inhibited by pyrimidines with chemical structures similar to that of uracil.
Induction of protein-like molecular architecture by monoalkyl hydrocarbon chains.

Numerous approaches have been described for creating relatively small folded biomo- lecular structures. "Peptide-amphiphiles," whereby monoalkyl or dialkyl hydrocarbon chains are covalently linked to peptide sequences, have been shown previously to form specific molecular architecture of enhanced stability. The present study has examined the use of monoalkyl hydrocar- bon chains as a more general method for inducing protein-like structures. Peptide and peptide- amphiphiles have been characterized by CD and one- and two-dimensional nmr spectroscopic techniques. We have examined two structural elements:a-helices and collagen-like triple helices. The a-helical propensity of a 16-residue peptide either unmodified or acylated with a C 6 or C16 monoalkyl hydrocarbon chain has been examined initially. The 16-residue peptide alone does not form a distinct structure in solution, whereas the 16-residue peptide adopts predominantly an a-helical structure in solution when a C 6 or C16 monoalkyl hydrocarbon chain isN-terminally acylated. The thermal stability of thea-helix is greater upon addition of the C 16 compared with the C 6 chain, which correlates to the extent of aggregation induced by the respective hydrocarbon chains. Very similar results are seen using a 39-residue triple-helical model peptide, in that structural thermal stability (a) is increasingly enhanced as alkyl chain length is increased and (b) correlates to the extent of peptide-amphiphile aggregation. Overall, structures as diverse as a-helices, triple helices, and turns/loops have been shown to be induced and/or stabilized by alkyl chains. Increasing alkyl chain length enhances stability of the structural element and induces aggregates of defined sizes. Hydrocarbon chains may be useful as general tools for protein-like structure initiation and stabilization as well as biomaterial modification. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biopoly 54: 531-546, 2000
MICROVASCULAR OBSTRUCTION AND INTRAMYOCARDIAL HEMORRHAGE DETECTED ON CMR AS PREDICTORS FOR MACE AND LEFT VENTRICLE ADVERSE REMODELLING. A META-ANALYSIS OF PROSPECTIVE STUDIES

Microvascular obstruction (MVO) is a complication of coronary reperfusion therapy in acute myocardial infarction detected on cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR). It has been suggested that MVO may be an independent predictor for major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) and LV reverse remodeling (
Command Generation Techniques for a Pin Array using the SVD and the SNMF

Abstract This paper presents two command generation techniques for improving the surface generation time of a pin array device, specifically a prototype called Digital Clay. The procedures use singular value decomposition (SVD) and semi-nonnegative matrix factorization (SNMF) to create intermediate surfaces that sum to a desired surface. Although the focus is on pin array control, the techniques can apply to any system with a set of subsystems coupled by the row-column input method. The row-column method allows multiple actuators to be controlled by a few inputs. Current procedures for systems using the row-column method are too slow for many applications. Recent work has improved the time response of these systems using simultaneous feedback control but can potentially create unwanted oscillatory behavior. This paper describes command generation techniques using the SVD and SNMF that maintain the improvement in time without the oscillations. Simulation results compare the two procedures to the line scanning technique used in previous work on pin arrays.
AN ADDITIONAL NOTE ON CO‐ORDINATION OF BANKING AND MONETARY AGENCIES*

PROFESSOR BACH'S COMMENTS1 on my recent article2 indicate that we are in general agreement on the basic issues which are involved in proposals for reorganization of the federal banking and monetary agencies. Unfortunately the character of his comments is such as to add confusion rather than clarification both to the issues involved and to the differences of detail which exist between his views and mine. I would like therefore to reply briefly to his comments on what he terms "three fundamental questions in monetary-fiscal-bank supervisory area." i. Professor Bach's remarks on " 'independence' for the Federal Reserve" have virtually no relevance to anything in my article. My reference to the need for independence of monetary policy related to avoidance of its subservience to such considerations as the rate of interest on Treasury borrowings, and not to independence of the monetary policy makers from the executive branch of the government. In that article and also in articles published eleswhere, I have upheld as vigorously as Professor Bach the position that monetary policy is a matter of basic governmental policy and is a specific function of the federal government under the constitution of the United States. I have stated more explicitly than he has the view that guidance of central bank operations, since they are the primary instrument of monetary policy, should be the duty of a government officer of cabinet rank. My suggestions for reorganization of the federal banking and monetary agencies and for a revision of the statutory instructions to the Federal Reserve System are based more directly than are his own proposals on the principle he enunciates: "The Federal Reserve cannot be really independent of the President, the Treasury, and the Congress." The differences between Professor Bach's viewpoint and mine
The Zek, the Vozhd, and the Tailor's Son: Jewish issues in Deti Arbata

Anatoly Rybakov, Deti Arbata in Druzhba narodov (Moscow), nos. 4, 5, 6, 1987; Children of the Arbat. (Tr. from the Russian by Harold Shukman). Boston, MA: Little, Brown & Co, 1988.
Play Ball - Equally: Math Programming Lends a Hand to Little League Baseball

be used to solve a problem that happens all too often with Little League baseball teams. With the current Little League season ending, he was frustrated with the problem of trying to get each team member to play about the same amount of time. He felt strongly that Little League baseball should be about developing the skills of all the team members, and that not just the best players should be on the field most of the time with the players who really need the practice and experience sitting on the bench. He explained to me that each of twelve members on the team had several positions he or she wanted to or could play. The specific positions for each player are given in Table 1. The number after each position is a measure of how desirable it is to have that team member play that particular position. The higher the number the more desirable it is to have that team member play that particular position.
Age-related changes in rodent cortical acetylcholine and cognition : main effects of age versus age as an intervening variable

Evidence from aged and demented humans has stimulated research on the effects of age on the integrity of cortical cholinergic afferents in rodents. However, a comprehensive review of the available data does not consistently support the hypothesis that normal aging in rodents robustly affects the function of basal forebrain cholinergic projections to the cortex. These data indicate the limited significance of age as an independent experimental variable in research on age-related changes in cortical acetylcholine and associated behavioral or cognitive functions. Alternatively, recent studies demonstrated that normal aging in rodents potently interacts with the consequences of experimental manipulations of this system. Thus, aging acts as an intervening variable in experiments designed to elucidate age-related changes in the vulnerability and restorative capacity of this neuronal system after injury and degenerative processes. Investigations of the interactions between the effects of age and the capacity of the cholinergic systems to respond to detrimental processes reveal robust consequences of aging on cortical acetylcholine and the cognitive functions mediated by this neuronal system.
Perspectives on early adolescence

Processes of separation-individuation and mourning are examined in detail for their applicability to the early adolescent phase of development. Similarities and differences are noted, with emphasis placed on the differences in an attempt to achieve greater theoretical precision. Through a series of songs written by a relatively well functioning adolescent girl between the ages of eleven and fifteen, a view of early adolescent development related to affect states is offered for consideration.
Lessons from History: Teacher and Student Conceptions of the Meaning of History

The central purpose of this investigation is to describe and analyze teacher and student conceptions of the meaning of history. The study explores factors which shape conceptions of the meaning of ...
Class of optimum spatial filters

A new class of optimum spatial filters is developed. This class is optimum for filters with a magnitude constraint on the filter transfer function. Some special cases of this class are found to be similar to the Wiener filter, matched filter, and probability-weighted spatial filter. The derivation of the probability-weighted spatial filter is extended to include complex-valued signals.
Pattern formation in fixed-bed catalytic reactors—II

Abstract The possibility of spatial patterns in packed-bed catalytic reactors to improve reactor operation is addressed in this paper with respect to several fundamental issues. The analysis is accomplished with an early model of Liu and Amundson (1962, Ind. Engng Chem. Fundam. 1 , 200) which assumes plug flow of the fluid phase and lumped transport resistance in the catalyst particles. Such patterns involve discontinuous concentration profiles in the catalyst phase. It is shown that patterns, which arise due to multiplicity behavior of individual catalyst particles, can be created by providing for an initial pattern in the reactor. Start-up strategies for such initial patterns are established using multiple feeds. Asymptotic stability of patterns in which neighboring particles lie in distinct stable branches is established. Computations demonstrating the achievement of spatial patterns from suitable initial conditions are made. It is shown that reactor operation is concerned with a class of patterns which can provide for an acceptable range of product quality. The significance of patterns lies in improving selective productivities of desired products in multi-reaction systems.