cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bidirectional electromagnetic microactuator with microcoil fabricated on a single wafer : static characteristics of membrane displacements

This paper presents our work on the design, microfabrication and testing of a bidirectional microactuator. The microactuator is electromagnetically driven and it is fully fabricated by surface micromachining on a single silicon wafer with CMOS compatibility. The microactuator consists of three main parts: a Au microcoil, a NiFe membrane with supported legs and a Co?Pt permanent magnet integrated on the membrane. The microactuator has an overall diameter of 1600 ?m and an overall height of 600 ?m, including the wafer thickness. Two different membrane designs are presented: double-leg and single-leg designs. A laser Doppler vibrometer is used to test the bidirectional motion of the microactuator. The double-leg design operates at a current in the range of ?0.25 to 0.3 A for a displacement in the range of ?71 to 28.3 ?m. The single-leg design operates at a current in the range of ?0.1 to 0.3 A for a displacement in the range of ?108 to 150 ?m. The bidirectional microactuator has shown a large displacement/size ratio, up to 35 ?m mm?2.
Education related to the use of computers in organizations

The ACM Curriculum Committee on Computer Education for Management has been carrying out a study on “Curriculum Development in Management Information Systems Education in Colleges and Universities” under a grant from the National Science Foundation. This position paper provides a framework for the study.Preliminary conclusions are presented on the need for education in administrative information systems, and appropriate college curricula and courses are suggested. Also, the role of professional societies and organizations using computers is discussed, and the plans of the Committee are outlined.The initial approach of the Committee has been to describe the education necessary for the effective use of computers in organizations, to classify the positions for which education is required, and to survey educational programs now available.
Do insider trades reflect both contrarian beliefs and superior knowledge about future cash flow realizations

Abstract This paper documents that insiders are both contrarians and possessors of superior information. We find that insider trades are positively related to the firm's future earnings performance (proxy for superior cash flow information), positively related to the firm's book-to-market ratio and inversely related to recent returns (proxies for trading against misvaluation). Each relation has incremental explanatory power, yet information about future cash flow changes explains a smaller portion of insider purchases than do proxies for security misvaluation. The relation between insider trades and future earnings performance is amplified (attenuated) as the benefits (costs) to trading on financial performance information increase.
Overcoming weight bias: promoting physical activity and psychosocial health

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate Feel WonderFull Fitness (FWF), a program adhering to the Health At Every SizeTM (HAES) paradigm, on larger women's physical activity and psychosocial health. FWF was tailored to overcome barriers based on weight bias. Design/methodology/approach – The study compared “overweight” and “obese” women in FWF to those not currently enrolled in formal exercise programs. Controls were divided into low physical activity (LPA) and moderate physical activity (MPA) conditions based on pretest exercise level. Outcome measures were collected at pretest and three months later at posttest. Findings – FWF participants had the greatest gains in physical activity and demonstrated significantly greater improvements in depression than the LPA group. FWF and the MPA group showed more improved scores on perceived body attractiveness than the LPA group. Scores on an eating disorders measure improved for all groups, but somewhat more so for the FWF group. Improvements occurred in...
The Poultry-Associated Microbiome: Network Analysis and Farm-to-Fork Characterizations

Microbial communities associated with agricultural animals are important for animal health, food safety, and public health. Here we combine high-throughput sequencing (HTS), quantitative-PCR assays, and network analysis to profile the poultry-associated microbiome and important pathogens at various stages of commercial poultry production from the farm to the consumer. Analysis of longitudinal data following two flocks from the farm through processing showed a core microbiome containing multiple sequence types most closely related to genera known to be pathogenic for animals and/or humans, including Campylobacter, Clostridium, and Shigella. After the final stage of commercial poultry processing, taxonomic richness was ca. 2–4 times lower than the richness of fecal samples from the same flocks and Campylobacter abundance was significantly reduced. Interestingly, however, carcasses sampled at 48 hr after processing harboured the greatest proportion of unique taxa (those not encountered in other samples), significantly more than expected by chance. Among these were anaerobes such as Prevotella, Veillonella, Leptrotrichia, and multiple Campylobacter sequence types. Retail products were dominated by Pseudomonas, but also contained 27 other genera, most of which were potentially metabolically active and encountered in on-farm samples. Network analysis was focused on the foodborne pathogen Campylobacter and revealed a majority of sequence types with no significant interactions with other taxa, perhaps explaining the limited efficacy of previous attempts at competitive exclusion of Campylobacter. These data represent the first use of HTS to characterize the poultry microbiome across a series of farm-to-fork samples and demonstrate the utility of HTS in monitoring the food supply chain and identifying sources of potential zoonoses and interactions among taxa in complex communities.
Femtosecond pulse train shaping for accurate two-photon excited fluorescence measurements

We report a simple measurement method that exploits pulse train shaping to suppress linear contributions to the fluorescence, and allows for extraction of the two-photon absorption cross sections.
A hybrid alternative for high risk left main disease

Percutaneous revascularization strategies for bifurcation disease of the left main are complex and carry significant risk. These risks are magnified in the setting of a left main which trifurcates. In a patient with complex ostial disease of two of the three limbs of a left main trifurcation, turned down for conventional bypass surgery, we report on a hybrid approach for complete revascularization, consisting of minimally invasive bypass grafting of the LAD combined with simultaneous drug eluting stent placement. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Emotional Impact on Trail Making Test Performance

This study assessed the effect of emotional factors on Trail Making Test Part B performance for a sample of 105 neuropsychological referrals for whom there was no neurodiagnostic evidence of brain damage. Trails B scores declined in relation to elevated MMPI scores on Scales 6, 7, and 8, though only nine patients performed within the impaired range. The results suggest that (a) Trails B performance is resilient to a variety of emotional influences, (b) psychotic symptoms and severe anxiety impede Trails B performance, though rarely to the extent caused by brain damage, and (c) the MMPI provides objective criteria that help rule out emotional effects on Trails B performance.
Relations Among Manufacturing Procedures and Properties of Cottage Cheese

Abstract A survey of six large cottage cheese plants provided information regarding manufacturing procedures and composition and physical properties (density, firmness, and size distribution) of small curd cottage cheese. Manufacturing procedures differed greatly in amounts and activity of starter, use of coagulator and calcium chloride, and cooking, washing, and creaming procedures. Ranges of plant means for some manufacturing conditions were: total solids in skim milk as set, 8.8 to 9.3%; starter, 2.0 to 10.5%; setting temperature, 29.0 to 32.7 C (84 to 91 F); setting time, 260 to 390 min; cutting pH, 4.53 to 4.70; heal time, 2 to 25 min; mechanical agitation, 30 to 93 min; cooking time, 47 to 93 min; cooking temperature, 50.6 to 56.1 C (123 to 133 F); cooking rate, .20 to .58 C (.34 to 1.0 F)/min; water used for curd washing, 4.7 to 15.2 liters/kg curd; cream dressing, 12.4 to 15.2% fat and 22.2 to 23.2% total solids; creaming ratio, .37 to .51 kg dressing/kg curd. For some variables (e.g., setting temperature and cutting pH) with-in-plant and between-plant differences were similar. Ranges of analyses (plant means) of dry curd were 18.81 to 21.09% total solids, and 17.70 to 19.02% protein, and of creamed cheese, 19.85 to 22.48% total solids, 3.79 to 4.96% fat, 11.06 to 14.38% protein, and 53 to 67% protein in the solids. Density of dry curd varied from 1.03 to 1.05 g/ml and of creamed cheese, .83 to .98 g/ml. Although mean firmness of dry curd was relatively uniform among the plants, firmness of the creamed cheese differed almost three-fold. For five of the six plants, curd size was relatively consistent with 20 to 40% retained by a 4-mm screen. Results of the survey indicate some aspects of cottage cheese manufacture where research and development might be most productive. Suggestions include studies of optimizing cooking conditions, particularly with respect to rate of cooking, heal time, and agitation during cooking; influence of curd washing procedures on composition and properties of the curd; draining characteristics of curd and improving equipment for curd draining; blending curd and cream dressing mixtures to minimize curd breakage and air incorporation; increasing uniformity of cream-absorbing properties of curd; and consumer acceptance studies related to properties of cottage cheese preferred by consumers.
Virtual batching: Request batching for energ conservation in virtualized servers

Many power management strategies have been proposed for enterprise servers based on dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS), but those solutions cannot further reduce the energy consumption of a server when the server processor is already at the lowest DVFS level and the server utilization is still low (e.g., 5% or lower). To achieve improved energy efficiency, request batching can be conducted to group received requests into batches and put the processor into sleep between the batches. However, it is challenging to perform request batching on a virtualized server because different virtual machines on the same server may have different workload intensities. Hence, putting the shared processor into sleep may severely impact the performance of all the virtual machines. This paper proposes Virtual Batching, a novel request batching solution for virtualized servers with primarily light workloads. Our solution dynamically allocates CPU resources such that all the virtual machines can have approximately the same performance level relative to their allowed peak values. Based on this uniform level, our solution determines the time length for periodically batching incoming requests and putting the processor into sleep. When the workload intensity changes from light to moderate, request batching is automatically switched to DVFS to increase processor frequency for performance guarantees. Empirical results based on a hardware testbed and real trace files show that Virtual Batching can achieve the desired performance with more energy conservation than several well-designed baselines, e.g., 63% more, on average, than a solution based on DVFS only.
A (SELLARSIAN) KANTIAN CRITIQUE OF HUME'S THEORY OF CONCEPTS

: In A Treatise of Human Nature, Hume attempts to explain all human cognition in terms of impressions, ideas, and their qualities, behaviors, and relations. This explanation includes a complicated attempted reduction of beliefs, or judgments, to single ideas. This paper attempts to demonstrate one of the inadequacies of this approach, and any of its kind (any attempted reduction of judgments to their constituent parts, single or multiple) via an argument concerning the logical forms of judgment found implicitly in Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, and more explicitly in the works of Wilfrid Sellars.
Lactase activity in steers fed large amounts of dried whole whey.

Large amounts of dried whey (86% of concentrate mix, 60% of total dry matter intake) were fed to four Holstein steers in place of corn and soybean meal in the control diet to evaluate the extent and site of lactose digestion in the ruminant's digestive tract. Diet dry matter was 70% as concentrate mix and 30% as corn silage fed for ad libitum consumption as a total mixed ration. Samples of rumen contents from steers fed dried whole whey contained more butyrate, less propionate, and less ammonia than from steers fed the control diet. Digestibilities of the whey diet were higher for ash and tended to be higher for energy and organic matter and digestibilities of acid detergent fiber and cellulose tended to be lower. Steers were sacrificed at the end of the feeding period, and intestinal tissue, and rumen, intestinal, and cecal contents were sampled for lactase analyses. No lactose was in rumen or small intestine, indicating virtually complete digestion. Lactase activity of intestinal tissue was greatest in the proximal third of the small intestine with little activity in the distal third of the small intestine regardless of diet. Lactase activity per gram tissue protein was similar for both treatment groups throughout the small intestine. Lactase activity of intestinal contents was similar for both treatments; it was greatest in the duodenum and lowest in the ileum and large intestine. Cattle have the capability to consume large amounts of dried whey without digestive disorders or reduced rates of gain.
Knowledge-Based Graphics Understanding And Description For Document Archival And Retrieval

Automating the input of mixed text/graphic documents require more than just a character recognition system. We require algorithms to separate text strings from graphic and also to recognize the graphic and generate a description file for it. In this paper recent results on the recognition and structural description of graphics are reported. During machine recognition on the graphics, some heuristics are introduced to equip the system with a certain amount of decision making functions so as to narrow and optimize the search. Algorithms are designed for automating the generation of loops with minimum redundancy from bit-map, identifying those loops thus generated if they are simple ones, decomposing the complex loops into simpler interpretable shapes, and finally establishing succinct description files for the graphics. Error corrections on misalignments introduced by the feeding mechanism have been given consideration. Extensive experiments have been done on various graphics, and satisfactory results have been obtained. This technique is also useful for the analysis of computer vision segmented images.
A survey of literature on quantal response curves with a view toward application to the problem of selecting the curve with the smallest q-quantile (ED100q)

A survey of the literature is presented on various statistical inference problems and procedures associated with the following experimental setting: Any level of dose of some treatmenc can be administered to each ekperimental unit, and the observed response on each unit is binary ("success" or "failure") with the unknown success probability being a nondecreasing function of the dose-level. This function is referred to as a quantal response curve. Both parametric and nonparametrie models for a quantal response curve are considered. In each case both single-stage and sequential estimation procedures are reviewed in detail. This survey was motivated by the following statistical selection problem: Suppose that there are available several treatments, and that each one has associated with it a completely unknown quantal response curve. For each curve define its qth quantile (EDlOOq) as the dose-level which corresponds to a "success" probability of q where qe (0,1) is specified. For any prespecified q we wish to...
Clinical islet transplantation.

Type 1 diabetes affects over 1 million persons in the United States, with over 30,000 new cases diagnosed annually. Transplantation of new insulin-producing β cells, in the form of the whole pancreas or isolated islets, has been shown to ameliorate the disease by eliminating the need for exogenous insulin and normalizing glycosylated hemoglobin levels. Islet transplants are a particularly attractive form of therapy because they are a minimally invasive procedure and are more likely to be scaled-up to treat the large numbers of people affected by diabetes. Currently, only a handful of programs have been successful in the endeavor. Nevertheless, the early clinical experience strongly demonstrates that islet transplantation is an effective treatment strategy in select patients with type 1 diabetes. To scale up this therapy and use it earlier in the disease and for more people, the shortage of suitable donor tissue must be solved and the requirement of lifelong immunosuppression must be minimized.
Dimensional Properties of Fractional Brownian Motion

Let Bα = {Bα(t), t ∈ ℝN} be an (N, d)-fractional Brownian motion with Hurst index α ∈ (0, 1). By applying the strong local nondeterminism of Bα, we prove certain forms of uniform Hausdorff dimension results for the images of Bα when N >αd. Our results extend those of Kaufman for one-dimensional Brownian motion.
A secure composition framework for trustworthy personal information assistants

In this paper, we provide a framework that supports composition of individual agents that enables users to accomplish complex tasks that would otherwise be laborious and difficult with mere use of traditional keyword based search engines. A key benefit of our approach is that in the framework the personal information handled by the agent system is guaranteed to be free from accidental leakage to Websites that are not trustworthy, thereby ensuring the privacy of end-user data. We describe our approach with a prototype example which suggests that such highly usable, trustworthy agent systems can be built and deployed quickly with modest implementation efforts.
On optimum recognition error and reject tradeoff

The performance of a pattern recognition system is characterized by its error and reject tradeoff. This paper describes an optimum rejection rule and presents a general relation between the error and reject probabilities and some simple properties of the tradeoff in the optimum recognition system. The error rate can be directly evaluated from the reject function. Some practical implications of the results are discussed. Examples in normal distributions and uniform distributions are given.
Osmotic pressure and electrical conductivity of urine under drug-induced diuresis.

SummaryThe saluresis of mercaptomerin and ethacrynic acid in dogs was measured in terms equivalent to urinary osmotic pressure and electrical conductivity. When converted into identical units (millimols or milliequivalents of NaCl per liter), these concentrative properties are shown to provide unique pharmacologic parameters of renal function such as the relative salinity or ionic fraction of the total solute concentration. In conjunction with specific electrolyte analyses, e.g., Na, K, and Cl, expressed in similar equipollent units (mEq/l), other singular relationships in urinary function are demonstrable.
Pyrolysis of poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibers: Characterization of involatile residues†

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) fabric was degraded under rapid heating conditions and the solid residue characterized by diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy. Fabric samples with and without flame retardant were pyrolyzed in air or nitrogen and spectra-recorded after various percentage weight changes. Dominant species included carboxylic acid end groups and linear anhydrides, based on infrared absorbances before and after chemical treatments of the residues. Vinyl benzoate end groups were clearly precluded, as were cyclic anhydrides. Diffuse reflectance spectra were also compared with spectra obtained by transmission infrared on conventional KBr discs prepared from the same residue. The former technique was shown to be superior to the pressed disc method for the tough residues obtained by thermolysis.
Assessment of Cerebral Circulation (Cortical Blood Flow) with an Infrared Microscope

An infrared microscope was used for the remote detection of the surface temperature of the cerebral cortex of experimental cats. With this instrument a qualitative assessment of the circulation of the cerebral cortex can be made without interference with the integrity of the brain or vascular tissues or the reactivity of blood vessels. Although the instrument is sensitive enough to detect minor changes of cortical blood flow, its use appears limited to the detection of rapid or transient changes of cerebral circulation and is not suitable for long-term measurements of surface temperature of the brain.
THE GENESIS OF SIZE VARIABILITY IN PLANTS AND ANIMALS

The changes in the size structure of a cohort of individuals through time can have important population-level consequences, but the determinants of patterns of variation in individual size are not well understood. We use an individual-based simulation model to determine what factors can lead to changes in the variability in size among individuals through time, with attention paid to those factors that increase variability. A pattern of increasing size variability over time (i.e., growth depensation) has been documented in a variety of taxa. Size-dependent growth has generally been advanced as the explanation for its occurrence. We evaluated the independent and interactive effects of size-dependent growth factors, positive temporal correlates in growth (termed ''growth autocorrelation''), and environmental stochasticity in generating growth depensation. In contrast to expecta- tion, our results indicate that size-dependent growth is not the major contributor to changing variability patterns. Instead, our simulations indicate that growth autocorrelation is often the major determinant causing growth depensation. Data collected from the kelp Alaria nana and the whelk Nucella canaliculata showed evidence for positive correlations in growth (independent of size), while the tidepool sculpin Oligocottus maculosus does not. The changes in size variability in these three species (increasing size variability through time in A. nana only) were consistent with model predictions. Our results emphasize a need to disentangle size-related processes from other correlates of growth in field popu- lations and to document how these phenomena are affected by environmental stressors and intraspecific interactions.
Ultrasonographic evaluation of the cervix: transperineal versus endovaginal imaging.

Objective. This study compares transperineal and endovaginal ultrasonography of the gravid cervix to evaluate image quality and assess for a systematic difference in cervical lengths measured by the 2 techniques. Methods. Transperineal and endovaginal ultrasonography of the cervix was performed on 64 pregnant women. Two physicians reviewed the images and rated the relative diagnostic value of the techniques for assessing the cervix and for evaluating for placenta previa Cervical length was measured prospectively in both techniques. Data were analyzed to determine if there is a systematic difference in length using the 2 approaches and if length differences are dependent on gestational age. Results. There was a strong reviewer preference for endovaginal ultrasonographic images over transperineal images for both assessing the cervix (P <.001) and evaluating for placenta previa (P <.001). Despite this, transperineal and endovaginal ultrasonographic images were frequently rated as similar in diagnostic quality by both reviewers for depicting the cervix (35.9% of patients) and evaluating for placenta previa (57.8% of patients). The mean length of the cervix was slightly shorter at transperineal ultrasonography (28.4 mm) than at endovaginal ultrasonography (30.1 mm). When cervical lengths were subdivided by gestational age, however, a significant length discrepancy was found only in the 14- to 20-week gestational age range. In this age range, mean cervical length at transperineal ultrasonography (28.6 mm) averaged 5.5 mm less than at endovaginal ultrasonography (34.1 mm). Conclusions. Both transperineal and endovaginal ultrasonography can provide satisfactory images of the cervix, but endovaginal images are frequently superior to transperineal images. Endovaginal ultrasonography should be considered the optimal method for imaging the cervix in most situations. Transabdominal or transperineal ultrasonography can also be used, but if the cervix is not adequately depicted from these perspectives, endovaginal ultrasonography is indicated. Transperineal measurements of cervical length can be significantly shorter than endovaginal measurements, particularly before 20 weeks; therefore, short cervical lengths documented at transperineal ultrasonography before 20 weeks should be confirmed by endovaginal ultrasonography.
Regulation of cellular metabolism: programming and maintaining metabolic homeostasis

Mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation is programmed to set and maintain metabolic homeostasis. This is accomplished through an intrinsic program that determines the metabolic [ATP]/[ADP]/[Pi], where [Pi] is the concentration of inorganic phosphate (energy state) and maintains it through a bidirectional sensory/signaling control network that reaches every aspect of cellular metabolism. The program sets the energy state with high precision (to better than one part in 10(9)) and can respond to transient changes in energy demand (ATP use) to more than 100 times the resting rate. Epigenetic and environmental factors are able to "fine tune" the programmed set point over a narrow range to meet the special needs associated with cell differentiation and chronic changes in metabolic requirements. The result is robust, across platform control of metabolism, essential to cellular differentiation and the evolution of complex organisms.
Optimistic failure recovery for very large networks

Optimistic failure recovery mechanisms are proposed as a way to provide transparent fault tolerance to distributed applications and systems. The authors identify problems that may arise when these mechanisms are applied to vast networks including many processors and spanning large geographical areas and many administrative domains. They present a technique-recovery unit gateways-that can be used to address many of these issues with existing failure recovery algorithms. This method can be applied with minimal disruption to existing transparent recovery systems, as well as to build large optimistic recovery systems while minimizing the dependency tracking overhead. >
The optimal management of T1 high-grade bladder cancer

Stage T1Hg bladder cancer should be considered an aggressive and potentially lethal disease. The importance of initial re-resection to identify unrecognized muscle-invasive disease is significant. Most patients with high-risk disease are candidates for initial bladder salvage with intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine for immunotherapy, a procedure with a high survival rate; however, failure of the procedure may result in a guarded prognosis. Even after apparent success, patients should be informed of the risks of the disease progressing to muscle-invasive or metastatic disease and the need for vigilant monitoring. Despite optimal management, a significant number of patients relapse or progress to invasive disease requiring cystectomy. This review provides insight into the optimal management of T1 high-grade bladder cancer.
Self-Reported and Laboratory-Based Responses to Stress in Children with Recurrent Pain and Anxiety

Objective To examine heart rate (HR) responses to and coping with stress in children with recurrent abdominal pain (RAP), anxiety, and healthy controls. Methods A clinical sample (children with RAP and children with anxiety) was compared to control children on self-reported and HR responses to stress and a laboratory test of pain tolerance and intensity (cold pressor). Results Children in the clinical sample had elevated HRs compared to healthy controls before, during, and after laboratory tasks. Self-reported stress reactivity to social stress was positively correlated with HR at all study time intervals. Secondary control coping with social stress was negatively correlated with HR at most study time intervals. Internalizing symptoms were positively correlated with HR and self-reported stress reactivity. Conclusions Stress reactivity, as reflected in both self-reported and HR responses to laboratory stressors, is related to the presence of both RAP and anxiety in children.
Transesophageal Echocardiographic Diagnosis of a Ruptured Tricuspid Valve Chordae Tendinae as the Etiology for Cardiogenic Shock

Acute tricuspid insufficiency is an uncommon cause of cardiogenic shock. Previous reported cases have involved patients with right ventricular infarction. We report a case of acute tricuspid insufficiency causing cardiogenic shock in a patient without evidence of right ventricular infarction. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) was used to diagnose a ruptured chordae tendinae as the etiology of tricuspid insufficiency.
Stimulus fading in the treatment of adipsia

Stimulus fading procedures have repeatedly been demonstrated as effective in shaping a wide variety of new behaviors. Borrowing from this body of research, the behavioral treatment of feeding disorders presents a new area of application for stimulus fading. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the efficacy of stimulus fading in the treatment of adipsia. Two children who ate solids, but refused all liquids, were participants in the study. Results showed that a five step fading procedure starting with a spoon and thickened liquids, and ending with a cut-out-cup, was successful in establishing cup drinking skills for both children. Results of the study suggest that stimulus fading can facilitate feeding skill acquisition. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Elevated air temperature alters an old‐field insect community in a multifactor climate change experiment

To address how multiple, interacting climate drivers may affect plant–insect community associations, we sampled insects that naturally colonized a constructed old-field plant community grown for over 2 years under simultaneous CO2, temperature, and water manipulation. Insects were sampled using a combination of sticky traps and vacuum sampling, identified to morphospecies and the insect community with respect to abundance, richness, and evenness quantified. Individuals were assigned to four broad feeding guilds in order to examine potential trophic level effects. Although there were occasional effects of CO2 and water treatment, the effects of warming on the insect community were large and consistent. Warming significantly increased Order Thysanoptera abundance and reduced overall morphospecies richness and evenness. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling found that only temperature affected insect community composition, while a Sorensen similarity index showed less correspondence in the insect community between temperature treatments compared with CO2 or soil water treatments. Within the herbivore guild, elevated temperature significantly reduced richness and evenness. Corresponding reductions of diversity measures at higher trophic levels (i.e. parasitoids), along with the finding that herbivore richness was a significant predictor of parasitoid richness, suggest trophic-level effects within the insect community. When the most abundant species were considered in temperature treatments, a small number of species increased in abundance at elevated temperature, while others declined compared with ambient temperature. Effects of temperature in the dominant insects demonstrated that treatment effects were limited to a relatively small number of morphospecies. Observed effects of elevated CO2 concentration on whole-community foliar N concentration did not result in any effect on herbivores, which are probably the most susceptible guild to changes in plant nutritional quality. These results demonstrate that climatic warming may alter certain insect communities via effects on insect species most responsive to a higher temperature, contributing to a change in community structure.
Gamma Knife radiosurgery for brainstem metastases: the UCSF experience

Purpose: To assess clinical and imaging out- comes in patients treated with Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for brainstem metastases. Materials and methods: We reviewed all patients with brain metas- tases treated with SRS at the University of California, San Francisco from 1991-2005 to identify patients who had SRS to a brainstem metastasis. Survival time and freedom from progression (FFP) were calculated from date of SRS using the Kaplan-Meier method. Prognostic factors were evaluated using the log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards model. Results: From 1991 through 2005, 42 consecutive patients with brainstem metastases had SRS to 44 lesions (seven midbrain, 31 pontine, and six medullary) in 42 sessions. Primary diagnoses included 14 cases of lung cancer (one small-cell), 10 melanoma, 12 breast cancer, five renal cell, and one unknown. The median age was 55 years (range, 25-79). The median survival time was 9 months after SRS. Longer survival time was associated with single metastasis, non-melanoma histology, and extracranial disease control. The median target volume was 0.26 ml (0.015-2.8 ml) and the median prescribed dose was 16.0 Gy (10.0-19.8 Gy). Brainstem lesion FFP was 90% at 6 months and 77% at 1 year. Four patients had brainstem complications following treatment. Poor brain- stem outcome was associated with melanoma and renal cell histology as well as brainstem lesion volume ‡1 ml. Con- clusions: In this series, SRS using a median dose of 16 Gy provided excellent local control with relatively low mor- bidity in patients with brainstem metastases less than 1 ml or non-melanoma, non-renal cell histology.
Cultural Models and Shoreline Social Conflict

Along the coast we witness property conflicts that would seem strange at inland locations. To understand why property conflicts seem particularly common and intense along shorelines, one must appreciate that property is enacted by real people in specific places. The successful enactment of property requires sufficiently shared expectations for behavior. Expectations are formed by consulting cultural models, which are inter-subjectively shared cognitive tools. This article describes seven cultural models of property that can play a role in the enactment of property along the shoreline. These are the sovereignty, community, landscape, ecology, commodity, moral order, and productivity models. A focus on cultural models shows how property conflicts can occur when models are not adequately grounded in real world circumstances, when a cultural model is not shared, or when multiple cultural models conflict. This article argues that all three of these types of failures are more likely to occur along shorelines th...
Perspectives: The Looking Time Experimental Paradigm in Studies of Animal Visual Perception and Cognition

Experiments are the foundation of empirical science, and experimental paradigms that are broadly applicable across settings and species are particularly useful for comparative research. Originally developed to address questions related to perception and cognition of pre-verbal human infants, the looking time experimental paradigm has been increasingly used to study animal behavior and cognition, particularly in non-human primates. Looking time experiments are based on the assumption that animals direct eye gaze toward objects or scenes based on their degree of interest, and use looking behavior to infer perceptual or cognitive characteristics of subjects. This paradigm can be used in a variety of contexts and is not based on species-typical behaviors, allowing for intra- and interspecific comparisons. Here, we describe the history of use of looking time measures, provide an overview of the problems and controversies related to this method, and offer recommendations on how to implement looking time tasks, focusing on the preparation of stimuli, experimental procedures, and data analysis. Our overview focuses on non-human primates, where most work has been carried out, but the issues discussed should be applicable to a wide range of species. We conclude that despite pertinent criticism, looking time tasks are practical when executed and interpreted properly. The further implementation of these methods in studies of animal behavior and cognition is likely to be fruitful.
Comparison of native and recombinant non-phosphorylated human β-casein: further evidence for a unique β-casein folding pattern

Abstract Recombinant wild-type non-phosphorylated human β-casein was obtained from Escherichia coli . Turbidity vs. temperature (T) without Ca 2+ showed wild-type self-association like native except for irreversibility upon T-cycling with the original pattern re-established after concentrated urea/dialysis. With Ca 2+ , wild-type was more native-like. Intrinsic Trp fluorescence spectra were similar but with lowered intensity for the wild-type protein. Changes in extrinsic ANS fluorescence from 4 to 37 °C showed less exposure of hydrophobic surface for wild-type than native. Trp to ANS fluorescence resonance energy transfer was higher for wild-type than native at 4 °C but 2- to 3-fold lower at 37 °C. The native protein must be directed by the environment and/or a chaperone to fold into a unique, somewhat flexible, conformation, unaltered by urea during purification. Wild-type protein, with many native properties, does not spontaneously fold to the native conformation, even after solubilization with urea. T-cycling gives a stable conformation that is different from the native.
Waste minimization and re-use of paper sludges in landfill covers : A case study

This investigation attempted to find a beneficial use for waste water paper mill sludges by using paper mill sludges as the impermeable barrier in landfill covers. This study investigated the geotechnical properties of seven paper mill sludges for use as the impermeable barrier in landfill covers. Paper mill sludges have a high water content and a high degree of compressibility and behave like a highly organic soil. Consolidation tests reveal a large reduction in void ratio and high strain values that result from the high compressibility. Laboratory permeability tests were conducted onin situsamples, and these samples met the regulatory requirement for the permeability of a landfill cover. To determine the effectiveness of paper sludge as an impermeable barrier layer, test pads were constructed to simulate a typical landfill cover with paper sludge and clay as the impermeable barrier and were monitored for infiltration rates for 5 years. Long-term permeability values estimated from the leachate generation rates of the test indicate that paper sludge provides an acceptable hydraulic barrier.
Design and analysis of a magnetic actuated capsule camera robot for single incision laparoscopic surgery

This paper presents the design of a novel insertable robotic capsule camera system for single incision laparoscopic surgery. This design features a unified mechanism for anchoring, navigating, and rotating an insertable camera by externally generated rotational magnetic field. The design is inspired by the spherical motor concept where the external stator generates anchoring and rotational magnetic field to control the motion of the insertable robotic capsule camera. The insertable camera body, which has no active locomotion mechanism onboard, is capsulated in a one-piece housing with two ringshaped tail-end magnets and one cylindrical central magnet embedded on-board as a rotor. The stator positioned outside an abdominal cavity consists of both permanent magnets and electromagnetic coils for generating reliable rotational magnetic field. The initial prototype results in a compact insertable camera robot with a 12.7mm diameter and a 68mm length. The design concepts are analyzed theoretically and verified experimentally. The experiments validate that the proposed capsule robot design provides reliable camera fixation and locomotion capabilities under various testing conditions.
General Image Characteristics

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Spatial Resolution Signal-to-Noise Ratio Contrast-to-Noise Ratio Image Filtering The Receiver Operating Curve ]]>
Progestin-based contraceptive on the same day as medical abortion.

Objective To determine the success rate of medical abortion when a progestin-based contraceptive—either an etonogestrel implant or depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) injection—is given on the same day as mifepristone for medical abortion.
Precision Oncology: The UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center PREDICT Experience

By profiling their patients' tumors, oncologists now have the option to use molecular results to match patients with drug(s) based on specific biomarkers. In this observational study, 347 patients with solid advanced cancers and next-generation sequencing (NGS) results were evaluated. Outcomes for patients who received a "matched" versus "unmatched" therapy following their NGS results were compared. Eighty-seven patients (25%) were treated with a "matched" therapy, 93 (26.8%) with an "unmatched" therapy. More patients in the matched group achieved stable disease (SD) ≥ 6 months/partial response (PR)/complete response (CR), 34.5% vs. 16.1%, (P ≤ 0.020 multivariable or propensity score methods). Matched patients had a longer median progression-free survival (PFS; 4.0 vs. 3.0 months, P = 0.039 in the Cox regression model). In analysis using PFS1 (PFS on the prior line of therapy) as a comparator to PFS after NGS, as expected, the unmatched group demonstrated a PFS2 significantly shorter than PFS1 (P = 0.009); however, this shortening was not observed in the matched patients (P = 0.595). Furthermore, 45.3% of the matched patients (24/53) had a PFS2/PFS1 ratio ≥1.3 compared with 19.3% of patients (11/57) in the unmatched group (P = 0.004 univariable and P ≥ 0.057 in multivariable/propensity score analysis). Patients with a "matching-score" (the number of matched drugs divided by the number of aberrations; unmatched patients had a score of zero) > 0.2 had a median overall survival (OS) of 15.7 months compared with 10.6 months when their matching-score was ≤ 0.2, (P = 0.040 in the Cox regression model). Matched versus unmatched patients had higher rates of SD ≥ 6 months/PR/CR and longer PFS, and improvement in OS correlated with a higher matching score in multivariable analysis. Mol Cancer Ther; 15(4); 743-52. ©2016 AACR.
Efficient retroviral infection of human cells utilising an adenoviral vector expressing the ecotropic receptor.

Murine leukemia viruses (MLV) are a vector of choice for gene delivery in current human clinical trials. The first step in retroviral infection is the binding of the viral particle to a receptor on the target cell1. Thus, the presence of the appropriate viral receptors on the surface of target cells is the major determinant of the susceptibility of mammalian cells to MLV. The phosphate transporter shared by primates, mice, and rats that acts as the viral receptor for amphotropic MLV2,3 is present on many different human cell types but is not ubiquitous or plentiful, placing a grave restriction on the infection efficiency of this retrovirus. In this study, we utilized an adenoviral vector to express transiently the receptor for the ecotropic murine leukemia virus in a panel of human cell lines. Ecotropic strains of MLV, such as Moloney, Rauscher, and Friend, attach to cells utilizing a common cationic amino acid transporter that is confined to mice and rats4. The cationic amino acid transporter was expressed in human cells by means of a recombinant adenovirus constructed with murine cDNA. Expression of the receptor made cells from human mesothelium, kidney, lung, and cervical epithelium highly permissive to infection with recombinant ecotropic retrovirus. This strategy offers a means of obtaining high levels of stable gene transfer in a wide range of human cells. The use of a dual vector system may overcome some of the present limitations to gene transfer.
Succession and Significance of Several Hemipterans Attacking a Pistachio Orchard

Two insecticides (carbaryl and permethrin) failed to control epicarp lesion (EL) in a pistachio orchard at Winters, Calif., because several hemipterous insect species continually invaded the orchard. Beating-tray and sweep-net samples revealed high adult populations of Psallus vaccinicola (Knight), Psallus ancorifer (Feiber), and Liorhyssus hyalinus (F.). Nymphs and adults of a Neurocolpus sp., Calocoris norvegicus (Gmelin), Thyanta pallidovirens (Stal), Lygus hesperus (Knight), and Leptoglossus clypealis (Heidemann) also were collected. A Phytocoris sp. (Miridae) was captured in a sticky trap placed in the orchard. Psallus vaccinicola, Neurocolpus sp., C. norvegicus, Phytocoris sp., and the rhopalid L. hyalinus induced EL on young pistachio fruits from early April to late May, while the pericarp firmness was ≤1.8 kg force. In contrast, nymphs and adults of T. pallidovirens and L. clypealis were able to cause EL until late June (pericarp firmness, 4.0 kg force), and kernel necrosis (KN) thereafter (pericarp firmness, 5.5–6.0 kg force). All insect species appeared to prefer feeding in or near the base of the fruit, which lignified later than the fruit apex. Also, significantly less KN (19–34%) developed in clusters protected with net bags compared with uncaged controls (48–65% KN).
ADC and Diffusion Anisotropy Indices in Wallerian Degeneration

We compared the sensitivity of diffusion MRI to T2SI for early detection of Wallerian degeneration secondary to cerebral infarction. Serial full tensor DWI of 15 acute stroke patients with B=1221. ROI analysis of ADC, T2, DWI, eigenvalues, and anisotropy indices in bilateral intracerebral corticospinal tracts. 5/16 patients developed DWI hyperintensity and/or ADC/FA reduction, prior to T2 prolongation, during initial two weeks in ipsilateral corticospinal tracts. Mean FA and ADC reductions were 12% and 24% respectively. All were subsequently confirmed to be Wallerian degeneration on follow up MRI.Another 6/15 patients without observable DWI signal changes demonstrated ipsilateral ADC and FA reductions at one or more levels in CS tracts without subsequent demonstration of Wallerian. Antegrade thalamic transneuronal degeneration was noted in 2/15. Changes in diffusion parameters precede T2 signal abnormalities in the evolution of Wallerian degeneration.
“I Look Across From Me and I See Me” Survivors as Advocates in Intimate Partner Violence Agencies

Direct services, or advocacy, for intimate partner violence (IPV) have historically been offered by survivors, for survivors. Surprisingly little is known about the experience of advocates working in IPV-focused agencies who are survivors themselves. This qualitative study uses the grounded theory method to analyze interviews with 22 women working in IPV-focused agencies. The sample, more than 80% survivors, discussed how their work affected their experience through calling them to organizations, helping them to name the experience of violence, offering points of connection, and leading to an integration of professional and private experience. Implications for agencies and further research are discussed.