cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sol Gel Processing of Low Permittivity, Fiber-Reinforced SiO2-Polyimide Substrates

Low permittivity ceramic substrates with a sandwich structure consisting of a porous, fiber-reinforced SiO2 core and two thin polymer plates were fabricated by sol-gel processing, and polymer infiltration. The rheological behavior of an aqueous colloidal SiO2 sol, containing short SiO2 fibers was studied as a function of particle loading, fiber loading and gelation time. Short SiO2 fibers were introduced to limit drying shrinkage and thus minimize substrate cracking during drying. After the psuedoplastic sol was tape cast and sintered at 1150°C for 2 h, a polyimide solution was infiltrated into the porous SiO2 core. Permittivities ranging from 1.81 to 3.08 could be obtained by using 32–42% SiO2, 5–50% polyimide and 63 to 8% porosity. The substrate strength was increased from 1.93 MPa to 3.83 MPa after polyimide infiltration.
Thinking in Indian: A John Mohawk reader [Book Review]

Review(s) of: Thinking in Indian: A John Mohawk reader, by Barreiro, J. (Ed.) 2010. Golden, CO: Fulcrum. 289 pp. ISBN 139781555917388.
Genetics of Pheochromocytomas and Paragangliomas: An Overview on the Recently Implicated Genes MERTK, MET, Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 1, and H3F3A

Genomic studies conducted by different centers have uncovered various new genes mutated in pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGLs) at germline, mosaic, and/or somatic levels, greatly expanding our knowledge of the genetic events occurring in these tumors. The current review focuses on very new findings and discusses the previously not recognized role of MERTK, MET, fibroblast growth factor receptor 1, and H3F3A genes in syndromic and nonsyndromic PPGLs. These 4 new genes were selected because although their association with PPGLs is very recent, mounting evidence was generated that rapidly consolidated the prominence of these genes in the molecular pathogenesis of PPGLs.
Predictors of accrual success for cooperative group trials: The Cancer and Leukemia Group B (Alliance) experience.

TPS6645 Background: Clinical trials that fail to meet accrual waste patient, physician, and institution resources. We explored factors that predict for poor accrual to cooperative group trials in o...
Stress and Loss of Adult Neurogenesis Differentially Reduce Hippocampal Volume.

Background Hippocampal volume loss is a hallmark of clinical depression. Chronic stress produces volume loss in the hippocampus in humans and atrophy of CA3 pyramidal cells and suppression of adult neurogenesis in rodents.
“Elephants for Want of Towns”: Archaeological Perspectives on West African Cities and Their Hinterlands

Sub-Saharan Africa has long been seen as lacking the potential for autochthonous urban development, and Near Eastern and European contact provided ready explanations for the emergence of precolonial cities across the continent. In the past few decades, the pace of archaeological work on African cities has accelerated, and archaeologists have increasingly deployed a functional model of the city, in which cities are defined in relation to broader hinterlands rather than particular traits. As a result, deeply rooted urban traditions have been identified in all corners of the continent. Despite the antiquity of urban traditions across Africa, however, long-distance forces clearly had wide-reaching impacts on urban developmental trajectories, and proponents of the functional model have yet to explain the specific role of long-distance forces in the process of urbanization. This review examines how multiscalar forces shaped urban trajectories in West Africa, specifically. I examine how local political entrepreneurs took advantage of the opportunities provided by local, interregional, and global forces, resulting in a heterogeneous set of urban traditions across West Africa, ranging from trading entrepots to regional capitals. Throughout I emphasize how local agency articulated with multiscalar social and economic forces, transforming the nature of regional integration, economic specialization, and the materialization of social difference, defining qualities of urban life.
Safety and advantages of laparoscopic vs. open colectomy in the elderly: matched-control study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine rates of complications and extent of benefits for laparoscopic-assisted colectomy compared with open colectomy in patients older than age 75. METHODS: Forty-two patients undergoing laparoscopic-assisted colectomy (1992–1998) were matched to 42 open colectomy patients for gender, age, year of surgery, operating surgeon, and procedure. Health status (American Society of Anesthesiology score), previous abdominal surgery, conversion rate, surgical outcome, and need for assistance at admission and dismissal (independencevs. home with assistancevs. nursing facilities) were reviewed. RESULTS: Mean ages were 81.2 and 80.5 years for laparoscopic-assisted colectomy and open colectomy, respectively (P=not significant). Twenty-one laparoscopic-assisted colectomy and 23 open colectomy patients were females. American Society of Anesthesiology scores were comparable, as were rates of previous abdominal surgery (57 percent for laparoscopic-assisted colectomyvs. 62 percent for open colectomy;P=not significant). Mean operative times were longer for laparoscopic-assisted colectomy (190 minutes for laparoscopic-assisted colectomyvs. 142 minutes for open colectomy;P<0.001); operating room times progressively decreased from 221 minutes in 1992 to 1995 to 147 in 1998 for laparoscopic right hemicolectomy (P<0.001). The conversion rate for laparoscopic-assisted colectomy was 14.3 percent. There were no deaths in either group, and laparoscopic-assisted colectomy was associated with fewer morbidities (14.3 percent for laparoscopic-assisted colectomyvs. 33.3 percent for open colectomy;P=0.04), narcotic usage (2.7vs. 4.8 days;P<0.001), time to return to bowel movements (3.9vs. 5.9 days;P<0.001), and length of hospital stay (6.5vs. 10.2 days;P<0.001). Independent status at admission in 37 laparoscopic-assisted colectomy and 38 open colectomy patients was maintained at discharge by 35 laparoscopic-assisted colectomyvs. 29 open colectomy patients (P=0.025). CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic-assisted colectomy is safe and beneficial, including preservation of postoperative independence, to the elderly when compared with open colectomy.
Hurricane Katrina: pharmacists making a difference.

The New Orleans Hornets basketball arena floor smelled of heat, sweat, and doom. Fire alarms were still screaming, albeit in an everdecreasing frequency and pitch, as their strobes called for attention that wasn’t going to arrive. The only constant source of light was red exit signs around the ring of the arena. Two Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) tents, surrounded by dozens of black Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) tote boxes, were barely visible at one end of the arena. Opposite the loading dock entrance sat abandoned DMAT sport utility vehicles (SUVs), 3 feet of dark brown floodwater lapping at the loading dock beyond. My DMAT team surrounded the commander and listened to his message: The patients we would see were suffering from disorders exacerbated from stress and lack of drugs for 5 days…. My first mission as a disaster pharmacist had begun.
Effect of Self-Monitoring on Personal Hygiene Among Individuals With Developmental Disabilities Attending Postsecondary Education:

Research indicates that employers rate personal hygiene as the number one barrier to employment among individuals with developmental disabilities. However, there is limited literature on improving ...
Understanding Privacy and Trust Issues in a Classroom Affective Computing System Deployment

Our research group is in the midst of working with teachers to co-design an affective computing system that uses physiological measures, gathered via wrist worn sensors, to understand how students are engaging with classroom instruction. Optimally, our goal is to find new ways of supporting empathetic practices in the classroom by providing teachers real-time or reflective feedback on student engagement. In parallel, with our work with teachers, we are working to pinpoint the privacy and trust issues that might be associated with this type of system. The objective of this paper is to present the results of a series of studies conducted to understand the challenges associated with introducing a pervasive affective computing system into classroom environments. While we focus on physiological sensors, the implications apply to other pervasive technologies as well.
FRF Measurements and Mode Shapes Determined Using Image-based 3D Point-tracking

Today, accelerometers and laser Doppler vibrometers are widely accepted as valid measurement tools for structural dynamic measurements. However, limitations of these transducers prevent the accurate measurement of some phenomena. For example, accelerometers typically measure motion at a limited number of discrete points and can mass load a structure. Scanning laser vibrometers have a very wide frequency range and can measure many points without mass-loading, but are sensitive to large displacements and can have lengthy acquisition times due to sequential measurements. Image-based stereophotogrammetry techniques provide additional measurement capabilities that compliment the current array of measurement systems by providing an alternative that favors high-displacement and low-frequency vibrations typically difficult to measure with accelerometers and laser vibrometers. Within this paper, displacements determined using 3D pointtracking are used to calculate frequency response functions, from which mode shapes are extracted. The image-based frequency response functions (FRFs) are compared to those obtained at collocated accelerometers. Mode shapes are then compared to a previously validated finite element model (FEM) and are shown to have excellent agreement between the FEM and the conventional measurement approaches when compared using the Modal Assurance Criterion (MAC) and Pseudo- Orthogonality Check (POC).
Provenance for Generalized Map and Reduce Workflows

We consider a class of workflows, which we call generalized map and reduce workflows (GMRWs), where input data sets are processed by an acyclic graph of map and reduce functions to produce output results. We show how data provenance (also sometimes called lineage) can be captured for map and reduce functions transparently. The captured provenance can then be used to support backward tracing (finding the input subsets that contributed to a given output element) and forward tracing (determining which output elements were derived from a particular input element). We provide formal underpinnings for provenance in GMRWs, and we identify properties that are guaranteed to hold when provenance is applied recursively. We have built a prototype system that supports provenance capture and tracing as an extension to Hadoop. Our system uses a wrapper-based approach, requiring little if any user intervention in most cases, and retaining Hadoop’s parallel execution and fault tolerance. Performance numbers from our system are reported.
Hamilton Paths in Cartesian Products of Directed Cycles

We obtain a characterization of the Hamilton paths in the cartesian product Za × Zb of two directed cycles. This provides a correspondence between the collection of Hamilton paths in Za × Zb, and the set of visible lattice points in the triangle with vertices (0,0), (0,a), and (b,0). We use this correspondence to show there is a Hamilton circuit in the cartesian product of any three or more nontrivial directed cycles. Our methods are a synthesis of the theory of torus knots and the study of Hamilton paths in Cayley digraphs of abelian groups.
Exploration of cultural paradigm: a web-based methodology

When and why is our cultural cognition influenced by external stimuli? How do we recognize objects of our cultural or geographical surroundings? How much have we learned a specific visual language/style in a specific culture, or from a unique geographical region? How much have technology and traveling influenced our cognition? These are some of the questions, which forced me to propose a web-based design methodology to investigate and collect cognitive/perceptual data from all over the world. This design methodology should fulfill the following purposes: (a) Invite individuals to gather and test their cognitive shifts over a period of time; (b) Enable individuals from all over the world to investigate their links to different geographic regions based on their preferred choices; (c) Collect empirical data related to regional perceptual choices for the future research in design and consumer behaviors. The idea is to create a website; http://www.TraceMyCognition.com. We already know that current industrial trends and the porosity of technology, design and liberal arts in developed countries have fostered professional practices in design. This distinctive mergence of knowledge has also influenced design pedagogies, and as a result, educators are juggling to find robust methods for the transfer of information or experiences in classroom settings. In South Asian developing countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the countries in the Middle East, there have been noticeable adaptations of design as aesthetical graphical elements, or perceptual satisfaction, to associate oneself to a style or modernized culture. This trend of the perceptual adaptation of a "style" or imported visuals in countries predominantly in the Middle East and South Asian subcontinent has created disastrous mental equations in resolving cognitive and visual problems. The proposed web-based design methodology could at least help understanding these cognitive mutations.
Effectiveness of Helped Mathematical Learning Media of Lectora Inspire on The Number Sense Ability of Fifth Grade Students of Elementary School in Substrate Materials

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of Lectora Inspire assisted mathematics learning media on the number sense ability of elementary school fifth grade students. This research is a development research using 4-D design that is Define, Design, Develop and Disseminate or adapted to 4-D model that is defining, designing, developing and distributing. The test sample was the fifth grade students of Medan Kartika I-2 Private Elementary School. Products developed after being declared valid by experts / experts, then tested. Product validation results are stated to be very valid. Based on the results of the validation of learning materials by 93.82%, instructional design by 91.03%, media experts on Lectora Inspire by 87.5%, student responses to Lectora Inspire amounted to 95.57% and the teacher's response to the Lectora Inspire amounted to 89.56 % in very good category. Based on the average value of the data gain the ability of the student's number sense is 0.70 in the high category. Increased ability of student number sense is 0.27. From the results of the analysis, it can be stated that by using Lectora Inspire assisted mathematics learning media in learning related to fractional materials can increase the number sense ability of students.
Motion-robust high-resolution 3D diffusion-weighted vessel wall imaging at 3T

Background Atherosclerotic plaque evaluation has gone beyond simply determining stenosis percentage to characterizing specific plaque components, such as necrotic lipid core and intraplque hemorrhage, in order to detect high-risk subclinical lesions. Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) provides excellent contrast-to-noise for identifying plaque components ex vivo [1] and is shown feasible for in vivo imaging of carotid arterial wall with good correlation to histology [2]. However, current 2D methods based on echo-planar imaging (EPI) have limited resolution, especially in slicedirection, leading to partial volume effects and difficult diffusion quantification. Generally, the use of 3D acquisition improves SNR and resolution at the expense of higher motion sensitivity. The purpose of this work is to develop a high resolution 3D DWI for vessel wall robust to motion.
A 26-42 GHz Broadband, Back-off Efficient and Vswr Tolerant CMOS Power Amplifier Architecture for 5G Applications

Future mm-Wave transmitter front-ends will need to operate in an electromagnetically complex environment that are resistant to near-field antenna perturbations (VSWR events) while operating across multiple mmWave frequency bands (28/37/39/42 GHz) and with high efficiency and linearity with spectrally efficient modulation. This is particularly difficult since these parameters (bandwidth, linearity, efficiency, and VSWR tolerance) trade off strongly with each other in a power amplifier (PA). In this paper, we present a PA architecture that exploits mutual load pulling through a multi-port network in a nonlinear fashion to achieve VSWR tolerance while demonstrating Doherty-like operation across 26–42 GHz. The PA designed in 65-nm bulk CMOS generates $\mathrm {{P}_{sat}} \gt 19$ dBm with $\mathrm{PAE _{peak}} \gt 20$% across all bands and achieves up to 3.35x and 4.84x enhancement in PAE at back-off power levels of 6 and 9.6 dB over class-A operation. In addition, the PA demonstrates strong tolerance to VSWR events with only 2 dB degradation over a VSWR 4:1 load circle and supports 64QAM OFDM modulation with 8 Gbps across 28-40GHz.
Cluster-dependent modeling and confidence measure processing for In-Set/Out-of-Set speaker identification

In this paper, we propose an approach to address the problem of text-independent open-set speaker identification. The in-set speakers are clustered into smaller subsets without merging speaker models. The Anti-Speaker or Background Model is then adapted for each subset which minimizes the identification errors of the pseudo impostors during the training stage. Score normalization is applied to align all the in-set speaker score distributions to share a single scale. Finally, confidence measure processing is used to identify in-set versus out-of-set speakers. Experiments with TIMIT and the CU-Accent corpora show an improvement in Equal Error Rate on the average of 20.28 and 8.35 over the baseline performance respectively. Finally, a probe experiment is also included that considers prosody for in-set speaker detection.
Oral semaglutide in type 2 diabetes

Abstract Background Previously, the only available glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) were injectable. Approval of oral semaglutide (Rybelsus®) represents the first orally available GLP-1 RA. Objective To review the literature and describe pharmacologic, pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamics properties; clinical safety; and efficacy of oral semaglutide, a newly approved oral GLP-1 RA. Methods A MEDLINE (1995-October 2019) and ClinicalTrials.gov search was conducted using the terms oral semaglutide, semaglutide, PIONEER, and a combination of those terms. Reference citations from publications identified were also reviewed. All English-language studies, including abstracts, evaluating oral semaglutide use in humans were included in this review. Conclusions The approval of oral semaglutide (Rybelsus®) represents a paradigm shift in the management of T2D as this is the first FDA-approved oral GLP-1 RA. Oral semaglutide may be an attractive option for patients with T2D who require improved glycemic control, would like to lose weight, and who are not interested in injectable therapy. However, the lack of positive cardiovascular (CV) and renal data are significant limitations to its use.
Adolescent treatment admissions for marijuana following recreational legalization in Colorado and Washington

Abstract Introduction There is concern that recreational marijuana legalization (RML) may lead to increased cannabis use disorder (CUD) among youth due to increased marijuana use. This study investigates whether adolescent substance use disorder treatment admissions for marijuana use increased in Colorado and Washington following RML. Methods Annual data on 2008–2017 treatment admissions for marijuana use from the SAMHSA TEDS-A dataset for adolescents age 12–17 were used to model state treatment admissions trends. Difference-in-differences models were used to investigate whether treatment admissions increased following RML in Colorado/Washington compared to non-RML states, after adjusting for socioeconomic characteristics and treatment availability. Results Over all states in the analysis, the rate of adolescent treatment admissions for marijuana use declined significantly over the study period (β=−3.375, 95 % CI=−4.842, −1.907), with the mean rate falling nearly in half. The decline in admissions rate was greater in Colorado and Washington compared to non-RML states following RML, though this difference was not significant (β=-7.671, 95 % CI=-38.798, 23.456). Conclusion Adolescent treatment admissions for marijuana use did not increase in Colorado and Washington following RML. This may be because youth marijuana use did not increase, CUD did not increase (even if use did increase), or treatment seeking behaviors changed due to shifts in attitudes and perceptions of risk towards marijuana use.
Madagascar: Emergence and Persistence on the Hundred-Year Frontier

Gold extraction has a centuries-long history in Madagascar, and today between 750,000 and two million Malagasy earn their livelihoods through ASGM. This chapter considers the sector’s past and present to elaborate the particular ways in which the global gold production system has crystallized in the country’s diggings. I begin by providing a broad accounting of developments in gold mining from the 1800s to the present day. Next, I trace the sector’s trajectory in Betsiaka, one of the island’s best-known mining regions. Throughout the chapter, I work to illustrate how particular frontier dynamics—the preponderance of informal production processes; the fragmented and contested nature of authority; and a resistance to technological complexification and labor rigidification—have emerged and persisted. Moreover, despite repeated attempts by state and corporate actors to exert greater control over the sector and realize industrial-scale exploitation, I show how ASGM operators and the commercial networks with which they engage have continued to dominate the island’s gold economy. These phenomena are the product of particular socio-natural, political-economic conditions including the geological character of deposits and the crystallization of ASGM as a strongly-embedded site of flexible livelihood production.
Overview of Pathologic Findings of Vaping in the Context of an Autopsy Patient With Chronic Injury.

Context.— Electronic cigarettes are handheld devices that heat an inner liquid containing chemicals to be aerosolized and inhaled, and have become a popular alternative to conventional cigarettes. ...
Chapter 5 – Skeletal Imaging

One fundamental way to assess skeletal health is through imaging. In the clinic, skeletal imaging is used to confirm and classify fractures, diagnose osteoporosis, assess intervention efficacy, and identify regions of high metabolic activity. In the laboratory, imaging is commonly used as a first approach to determine skeletal phenotypes associated with genetic modifications of animals and also to assess experimental manipulations. Several options exist for skeletal imaging, including conventional radiography (plain X-ray), dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and radionuclide imaging. Ultrasound also can be used noninvasively to assess bone density and elastic modulus. Each of these imaging tools has both strengths and weaknesses. The choice of method ultimately depends on which provides the necessary information with the least consequences (most often radiation exposure) to the subject.
A cross-sectional study of Kaschin-Beck disease areas and epidemic situation in Harbin

Objective To master the area scope and epidemic situation of Kaschin-Beck disease (KBD) in Harbin, and to accumulate data and information for the midterm examination and evaluation of "the 12th Five-Year Plan of the National Endemic Disease Prevention and Control". Methods In the original 10 counties (districts, cities) of Harbin with KBD, 2 surveys were carried out from 2011 to 2015, 5 townships were extracted in each county (district, city), 3 villages were extracted in each township, clinical investigation and X-ray examination of 7 - 12 years old children were carried out; according to the criteria for "Diagnosis of Kaschin-Beck Disease", a clinical survey was conducted in 2013 in the 10 counties (districts, cities) with KBD. According to the KBD prevalence and X-ray examination results in each county (district, city), reference to "Criteria for Control of Kaschin-Beck Disease Areas", "Criteria for Delimitation and Classification of Kaschin-Beck Disease Area", "Evaluation Methods for Endemic Diseases Control and Elimination", the types of the disease areas, control and eliminating situation were determined; organization and management of the control and prevention measures were evaluated. Results Currently, there were 10 counties (districts, cities), 373 villages, 6 969 patients with KBD in Harbin. According to the KBD area division and control standard, 369 villages were light KBD areas (prevalence of clinical degrees Ⅰ and above patients or detection rate of 7 - 12 children by X-ray for local residents ≤10%) and 4 villages were medium KBD areas (prevalence of clinical degrees Ⅰ and above patients or detection rate of 7 - 12 children by X-ray for local residents > 10% - ≤20%). Clinical census showed that the people under 20 years had no cases with degree Ⅰ and above in each village, X-ray detection rate was 0 in 7 - 12 years old children, in line with the standards of history KBD areas. There were no clinical KBD cases in 7 - 12 years old children in all villages of KBD areas, positive detection rate of children by X-ray was 0 in the sampling KBD area villages, in line with the standards of eliminate technical standards of KBD area village. The management index scores of KBD were from 85 to 95 points in every area county (district, city), getting to the eliminating requirement which was more than 85 points. Conclusion The KBD areas have narrowed down and prevalence has declined significantly in Harbin, which has reached the area eliminating standards and the index of basically eliminating KBD proposed by "the 12th Five-Year Plan". Key words: Kaschin-Beck disease; Disease areas; Epidemic situation; Cross-sectional study
Confederate Monuments and Punitive Preemption: The Latest Assault on Local Democracy

This white paper, commissioned by the Local Solutions Support Center, considers the use of state “statue statutes” to prevent local governments from removing Confederate statues and other Confederate symbols. The debate over Confederate iconography has been hugely divisive and in some cases has led to violence, as in Charlottesville in August 2017. These controversies have also generated litigation over the ability for local governments to remove Confederate statues in the face of restrictive state laws. This white paper discusses the history of Confederate monument building, the nature of the laws that restrict their removal, and the types of legal challenges that have been brought both by parties seeking the removal of statues and those contesting those removals. Statue statutes are a particularly high profile example of the “new” state law preemption. States are increasingly overriding local decision-making across a whole range of policy areas. These preemptive laws undermine local democratic processes and stifle local political and policy innovation. In the case of Confederate monuments, these laws force local governments to engage in expressive conduct that is anathema to local majorities.
(50) Assessing nursing and healthcare provider comfort and knowledge of caring for the pediatric patient with delirium in the critical care setting: Where can we improve?

Purpose: Delirium is a serious, yet reversible disease process that affects many critically ill patients. The presence of delirium is independently associated with worse hospital outcomes and although protocols for screening and treatment are becoming standard of care in the adult intensive care setting, practices still vary drastically among pediatric units. In order to improve care, gaps in provider knowledge must be identified and …
Decreased Intestinal Microbiome Diversity in Pediatric Sepsis: A Conceptual Framework for Intestinal Dysbiosis to Influence Immunometabolic Function.

Objectives The intestinal microbiome can modulate immune function through production of microbial-derived short-chain fatty acids. We explored whether intestinal dysbiosis in children with sepsis leads to changes in microbial-derived short-chain fatty acids in plasma and stool that are associated with immunometabolic dysfunction in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Design Prospective observational pilot study. Setting Single academic PICU. Patients Forty-three children with sepsis/septic shock and 44 healthy controls. Measurements and main results Stool and plasma samples were serially collected for sepsis patients; stool was collected once for controls. The intestinal microbiome was assessed using 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing and alpha- and beta-diversity were determined. We measured short-chain fatty acids using liquid chromatography, peripheral blood mononuclear cell mitochondrial respiration using high-resolution respirometry, and immune function using ex vivo lipopolysaccharide-stimulated whole blood tumor necrosis factor-α. Sepsis patients exhibited reduced microbial diversity compared with healthy controls, with lower alpha- and beta-diversity. Reduced microbial diversity among sepsis patients (mainly from lower abundance of commensal obligate anaerobes) was associated with increased acetic and propionic acid and decreased butyric, isobutyric, and caproic acid. Decreased levels of plasma butyric acid were further associated with lower peripheral blood mononuclear cell mitochondrial respiration, which in turn, was associated with lower lipopolysaccharide-stimulated tumor necrosis factor-α. However, neither intestinal dysbiosis nor specific patterns of short-chain fatty acids were associated with lipopolysaccharide-stimulated tumor necrosis factor-α. Conclusions Intestinal dysbiosis was associated with altered short-chain fatty acid metabolites in children with sepsis, but these findings were not linked directly to mitochondrial or immunologic changes. More detailed mechanistic studies are needed to test the role of microbial-derived short-chain fatty acids in the progression of sepsis.
Mobility Boost in Transparent Oxide Semiconductors with High-κ Gated TFTs

Metal oxides (e.g. In 2 O 3 , InZnO) have demonstrated mobility an order of magnitude higher than a-Si, which makes them excellent candidates for display applications [1] . One common practice to achieve higher mobility in metal oxide thin-film transistors (TFTs) is to use high-κ gate dielectrics [2] . We have recently explored this phenomenon with a systematic study which found that the observed ‘mobility enhancement' in metal oxides on high-κ dielectrics is due in large part to the increased gate capacitance, which increases carrier concentration in the channel [4] . However, the interfaces also play a significant role, and in some cases a poor-quality interface offsets the benefits of the higher gate capacitance. In this work, we compare two different metal oxide semiconductors – nanocrystalline In 2 O 3 and sol-gel indium zinc oxide (IZO) – to show that these conclusions are consistent across different semiconductor materials. We continue to investigate the charge transport with high-κ dielectrics by introducing an interfacial SiO x layer between the high-κ dielectric and the IZO channel.
CNS Genes Implicated in Relapse

Drug abuse is a condition that impacts not only the individual drug user, but society as a whole. Although prevention of initial drug use is the most effective way to prevent addiction, avoiding relapse is a crucial component of drug addiction recovery. Recent studies suggest that there is a set of genes whose expression is robustly and stably altered following drug use and ensuing abstinence. Such stable changes in gene expression correlate with ultrastructural changes in brain as well as alterations in behavior. As persistent molecular changes, these genes may provide targets for the development of therapeutics. Developing a list of well-characterized candidate genes and examining the effect of manipulating these genes will contribute to the ultimate goal of developing effective treatments to prevent relapse to drug use.
The politics of commemorating the Indian cinema centenary

By discussing the politics of commemorating cinema in India, this essay reflects upon the value invested in the institution of cinema itself on the part of the state. The material, symbolic, and discursive investment in cinematic anniversaries indicates how the significance of cinema transcends questions of form, content, and viewing experience and reveals cinema's capacity to be metonymic of national or cultural identity.
Introducing the University of Applied Science in the Technology Transfer Process

After WWII, the German economy rapidly increased, and is often described as the “Deutsche Wirtschaftswunder”. Within a short period, Germany reached zero unemployment, and human capital became the critical factor and resource in shaping the economic growth. While the bottle neck full of blue collar workers was solved by an active immigration policy that attracted people from Italy, Turkey or Greece, the lack of white collar workers and engineers still remained. At this time, public universities were unable to provide the quantity of well-educated people particularly in engineering sciences. In particular, the high opportunity costs of time made public universities less attractive compared to starting a career in the industry right after dropping out of school. In the mid-1960s, the German government decided to adapt a well-known concept from the theory of the firm – division of labor - to provide high skilled employees. A new type of university was created, the so called Universities of Applied Sciences. Public Universities are focused on basic research, while Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) provide the economy with applied research and education. While studies at public universities can exceed four to five years, the length of study at a UAS is mainly limited to 3 years (6 semesters). After the Bologna Reform, Bachelor and Master Programs of UAS and public universities are treated equally. In the last decade, this division of labor between UAS and public universities has reached an additional objective the technology transfer process. While the role of public universities and their role within the technology transfer processes is intensively studied (Hulsbeck, Lehmann, & Starnecker, forthcoming), the impact of UAS remains rather under researched. Although they are quite successful in their cooperation with the industry and are nevertheless another backbone in the university-industry relationships, only anecdotal evidence on this type of university exists. This paper tries to shed some light on this type of university which could be a role model in particular for countries and regions where small and medium sized firms dominate the industrial landscape as they do in Germany.
ADVANCED TURBOPROP AIRCRAFT FLYOVER NOISE ANNOYANCE

Results from recent laboratory experiments in which human subjects were exposed to synthetic sounds simulating the flyover noise emitted by advanced turbofan aircraft engines are briefly summarized. The Aircraft Noise Synthesis System described by McCurdy et al. (1987) is used to simulate the noise from (1) a conventional turboprop engine, (2) a jet engine, (3) a single-rotating turbofan engine, and counterrotating turbofans with (4) equal or (5) unequal numbers of blades on the two rotors. The measured annoyance levels are compared with effective perceived noise levels in a graph. For a given noise level, the annoyance levels for (3) are shown to be slightly lower than those for all the other engine types, especially if the tone/broadband noise ratio is relatively high.
Nodular Sclerosis Hodgkin Lymphoma

In contrast to other types of Hodgkin lymphoma, nodular sclerosis is more common among young adults, occurs with equal frequency among males and females, and has historically occurred more commonly among persons of a higher social class. Being linked to a higher social class in childhood, this form of Hodgkin lymphoma has repeatedly been observed to occur more commonly among those with fewer siblings. In contrast to mixed cell Hodgkin lymphoma, the Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is not seen within the malignant cells of the nodular sclerosis tumor. However, nodular sclerosis Hodgkin lymphoma has been observed more often following infectious mononucleosis, which is caused when EBV first infects in adolescence or young adulthood. Heritable factors also play a role in etiology, although probably by means of increasing susceptibility to infection. It occurs with equal frequency in men and women and is much more common in young adulthood. Incidence is especially high among whites, and is higher among African-Americans than among Latinos. The disease is especially common among those of high social class.
Infrastructure of the ATLAS Event Filter

The ATLAS detector [1] is a high energy physics experiment designed to exploit the full physics potential provided by the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which will provide pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 14TeV and a luminosity of 1034 cm−2 s−1. The corresponding 40 MHz bunch crossing rate, the huge amount of detector channels (∼ 108) and a storage data flux of about 300MB/s outline the challenge of the Trigger and Data Acquisition (TDAQ) system: select every second the most interesting hundred events out of millions. The TDAQ system is organized in three different trigger levels (Fig. 1). The first one (LVL1), realized in hardware by custom electronics, reduces the data rate from the 40 MHz collision rate to about 75 kHz. The High Level Triggers (LVL2 and Event Filter) [2], implemented on two different commodity component farms, provide a further reduction factor of ∼ 103. The LVL2 operates on the full granularity data inside Regions of Interest Open image in new window Fig. 1. Block diagram of the Atlas trigger and data acquisition system (RoIs) identified by LVL1 and it reduces the event rate down to ∼ 2 kHz. For events accepted by LVL2, the full event data is assembled by the Event Builder system (EB) and shipped to the EF which performs the last selection (a rejection of a factor ∼ 10) with a latency of the order of a second.
An empirical investigation of the achievable performance of sampled-data controllers with exponentially-weighted sampling and reconstruction

We investigate the effect of an exponential hold paired with an exponentially-weighted sampler on the achievable H/sub 2/ performance of a sampled-data system. In doing so, this paper represents, to our knowledge, the first use of a generalised sampled-data sampling function (GSDSF) which is the dual to the generalized sampled-data hold function. By using a GSDSF, we can provide an exact treatment of the white measurement noise required by LQG theory without introducing artificial discrete time measurement noise.
Fabrication and electrical characteristics of polymer-based Schottky diode

Abstract Metal/polymer Schottky diodes have been fabricated using spin-coated poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDT) doped with poly(styrenesulfonate) (PSS) as the p-type semiconductor and aluminum as the metal. The current–voltage and capacitance–voltage characteristics have been studied at room temperature. The breakdown voltage and rectification ratio of the Al/PEDT Schottky diode are about 5.5 V and 1.3×10 4 , respectively. A modified Norde function combined with conventional forward I – V method was used to extract the parameters including barrier height, rectification ratio, ideality factor, as well as the series resistance. This new method allows extraction of device characteristics from measured I – V curve that deviates from ideal I – V curve caused by series resistance.
Stability of Elastomeric and Lead-Rubber Seismic Isolation Bearings

Elastomeric and lead-rubber bearings are two commonly used types of seismic isolation devices. During seismic events, some of the bearings in an isolation system will be subjected to large axial compressive loads, caused by gravity plus overturning forces, accompanied by simultaneous large lateral displacements. However, the critical load capacity of elastomeric bearings has been shown to reduce with increasing lateral displacement. The design of isolation systems composed of these types of bearings therefore requires that stability at the maximum displacement be demonstrated. The current procedure to assess the stability uses a ratio of areas, referred to as the overlapping area method, to determine the critical load capacity at a given lateral displacement that must be greater than a combination of axial forces imposed on the bearing. Although the overlapping area method provides a simple means of calculating the critical load at a given lateral displacement, it lacks a rigorous theoretical basis and ha...
Constructing, persuading and silencing: the rhetoric of accounting standards

Abstract Members of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and its staff are continuously engaged in a variety of efforts to persuade individuals that the work of this entity is valuable, appropriate, useful and correct. In this paper, I focus upon the persuasive efforts that are employed in “official” accounting standards. These documents do more than simply detail new technical accounting requirements. The texts have been shaped to express a particular point of view about the significance of events and activities that occurred during the standard-setting process and contain numerous efforts to persuade readers to accept this perspective. In particular, I argue that the FASB employs rhetorical strategies in its accounting standards that construct (and attempt to persuade us) that a specific standard is “good”, that silence alternatives and possible criticisms of the standard and that construct the FASB as a “good” standard-setter. These strategies help to construct standards as technical products and thereby also work to maintain the myth of accounting objectivity.
Visual pathways and the central neural control of a circadian rhythm in pineal serotonin N-acetyltransferase activity

Abstract The pineal enzyme, serotonin N-acetyltransferase, exhibits a circadian rhythm of activity with nocturnal levels 15–30 times greater than those observed during a light period in the rat. This rhythm has been shown to be under visual control mediated by the sympathetic innervation to the pineal. The present study examined the participation of visual pathways and other central mechanisms in the regulation of pineal serotonin N-acetyltransferase activity. Following destruction of all visual pathways by blinding, the rhythm in enzyme activity is no longer controlled by the pattern of diurnal lighting and becomes free-running. Destruction of the primary optic tracts, the accessory optic tracts, or both of these components of the central retinal projection together, does not alter visual entrainment of the enzyme rhythm. In the absence of these pathways the only central retinal projection known to exist is a retinohypothalamic pathway branching directly off the optic chiasm to terminate bilaterally in the suprachiasmatic hypothalamic nuclei. Selective ablation of these nuclei, sparing the optic chiasm, abolishes the circadian rhythm in pineal serotonin N-acetyltransferase. This effect is mimicked by a knife cut across the medial hypothalamus caudal to the suprachiasmatic nuclei and by bilateral lesions transecting the medial forebrain bundle within the lateral hypothalamus, but a hypothalamic knife cut just rostral to the nuclei has no effect upon the rhythm. It is concluded that the retinohypothalamic projection to the suprachiasmatic nuclei is essential for maintaining the entrainment to light of the circadian rhythm in pineal serotonin N-acetyltransferase activity in the rat. In addition, the observations presented here suggest that the suprachiasmatic nuclei represent a central rhythm generator having projections directed caudally into the medial hypothalamus and into the medial forebrain bundle in the lateral hypothalamus.
Attempting to predict hospital admission in acute asthma.

• If accurate predictions of outcome could be made, the emergency care of patients with asthma would be expedited. To evaluate how well initial peak flow determinations predicted hospitalization when used alone and when combined with other clinical variables, we prospectively studied 200 visits for the care of acute asthma. Using discriminant analysis, we selected the variables that best predicted discharge or admission for the first 100 cases. The best predictive variables were initial peak flow, history of treatment in preceding 24 hours, age at onset of asthma, and number of previous hospitalizations for asthma. This combination correctly predicted admission or discharge for 82% of the 200 cases. Despite this overall accuracy, admission was not well predicted. In the first 100 cases, only six of the 18 admissions were correctly predicted, and in the second 100 cases, none of the 15 admissions was correctly predicted. Initial peak flow measurements, even when combined with other variables, cannot predict hospitalization well enough to be substituted for a therapeutic trial. (AJDC1984;138:1062-1066)
X-ray analysis of crystals of rat phosphatidylinositol- transfer protein with bound phosphatidylcholine

Phosphatidylinositol-transfer protein (PITP) is a soluble, ubiquitously expressed, highly conserved protein encoded by two genes in humans, rodents and other mammals. A cDNA encoding the alpha isoform of the rat gene was expressed to high levels in Escherichia coli, the protein purified and the homogeneous protein used for crystallization studies. Crystals of rat PITP-α were obtained by vapor-diffusion techniques using the sitting-drop method. Crystals grow within two weeks by vapor-diffusion techniques in the presence of polyethylene glycol 4000. Both crystal forms pack in the monoclinic space group P21. Crystal form I has unit-cell parameters a = 44.75, b = 74.25, c = 48.32 A and β = 114.14°. Unit-cell parameters for crystal form II are a = 47.86, b = 73.59, c = 80.49 A and β = 98.54°. Crystal form I has a Vm of 2.295 A3 Da−1 and an estimated solvent content of 46.4% with one molecule per asymmetric unit, while crystal form II has a Vm of 2.196 A3 Da−1 and an estimated solvent content of 44.0%, assuming two molecules per asymmetric unit.
Hazard mitigation and sustainable community development

Emergency management has come to be regarded by many analysts as a critical part of the development of sustainable communities. The emergency management function has been linked to issues such as environmental stewardship and community planning. Especially important is the linkage between hazard mitigation efforts and community planning in the context of building sustainable communities. But this conceptual linkage has been difficult to implement in practice. The resolution of this difficulty and a clarification of the essential linkage of hazard mitigation to community planning will require a broader definition and a reformulation of the emergency management function. It will also require an assessment and the removal of impediments that currently stand in the way of the implementation of this linkage. Practical steps can be taken to begin this important chore.