cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The role of the Internet in physician–patient relationships: The issue of trust

Abstract The Internet has proven to be a powerful and very popular vehicle for distributing health information to millions of individuals; it is interactive, user-controlled, and provides an effective means for communicating detailed information. While there has been increasing use of the Internet in healthcare, little research has been conducted to examine what, if any, impact the availability and integrity of healthcare information on the Internet has on the physician–patient relationship. Importantly, several studies show that Web-based health information frequently contains inaccurate or incomplete information. Patients who retain such information go so far as to suggest approaches to their physicians and express disappointment when the physicians refuse to prescribe as expected. For their part, doctors are concerned about the physician–patient relationship when they have to explain to patients that their Internet-based information is less than accurate; consequently, the physician–patient relationship is often affected. While many issues bear upon the physician–patient relationship, the central one is trust. This article examines consumer use of the Internet for healthcare information, considers the problems caused by inaccuracies or omissions from third party websites, and sets forth recommendations regarding how the Internet can be used to improve the physician–patient relationship. It is hoped that these suggestions provide a better understanding of the required components of upcoming healthcare strategies.
Aprotinin decreases ischemic damage during coronary revascularization.

BACKGROUND AND AIM This study sought to determine whether the favorable anti-inflammatory effects of aprotinin might limit ischemic damage during the revascularization of ischemic myocardium. METHODS Twenty pigs underwent 90 minutes of coronary occlusion followed by 45 minutes of blood cardioplegic arrest and 180 minutes of reperfusion. Ten animals received a loading dose of aprotinin (40,000 kallikrein inhibiting units/kg) during the start of coronary occlusion followed by an infusion of 20,000 kallikrein inhibiting units/kg/hour. Ten other animals received no aprotinin. Summary statistics are expressed as the mean +/- standard error. RESULTS The aprotinin-treated animals required less cardioversions for ventricular arrhythmias (1.0 +/- 0.7 vs. 3.6 +/- 0.6; p < 0.001), accumulated less lung water (1.0 +/- 0.2% change vs. 6.2 +/- 0.9% change; p = 0.038), had more complete coronary relaxation to bradykinin (34.1 +/- 5.9% change vs. 9.2 +/- 3.5% change; p = 0.01), and had reduced infarct size (area necrosis/area risk = 20 +/- 1.1% vs. 39 +/- 1.2%; p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS Aprotinin limits ischemic injury during acute coronary revascularization by decreasing ventricular arrhythmias and lung edema, preserving endothelial function, and minimizing myocardial necrosis.
Divorce, gender role, and higher education expansion

In Western societies the past two decades have witnessed a great increase of women's participation in higher education and a multiplication of responsibilities as a result of the expanded role of women. This article examines higher education enrollment between 1970 and 1987 in the United Kingdom and the United States. It is guided by a theoretical model contending that educational expansion occurs where people choose education as an adaptation to increased deprivation and uncertainty. By linking the expanded role of women to the expansion of women's participation in higher education, and by using the rising rate of divorce as an indicator of the increased disenfranchisement among women in patriarchal societies, this study attempts to uncover the hidden forces behind the recent expansion of women's participation in higher education. Multiple regression is used for the statistical analysis. The results show that the divorce rate is positively related to women's enrollment in higher education in the United States. The results also show divergent enrollment patterns between the two sexes regarding the effect of unemployment in both the United States and the United Kingdom. It is argued that gender role expectation is crucial to understanding the different effects of divorce and unemployment on the divergent enrollment patterns of men and women. The article also explores important differences in the areas of educational opportunities, the magnitude of the impact of divorce, government policies regarding women's welfare, and the differing role of credentials in social mobility in the two countries under study.
Drug Screens for Psychiatric Patients in the Emergency Department: Evaluation and Recommendations

Objective To better understand how toxicology screening for psychiatric patients in the emergency department (ED) setting affects diagnostic decisions. Methods Retrospective chart review of 439 ED visits of adult patients receiving psychiatry consultations at two hospitals, one an academic medical center (n =224) and the other a community hospital (n = 220), between July 2008 and February 2009. Clinical, demographic, and ED length of stay (LOS) information was abstracted from the psychiatry consultation notes and the medical records. Results Positive urine toxicology results, when combined with a basic substance abuse history, were not associated independently with a patient's receiving a substance-related diagnosis as part of the psychiatric assessment. By contrast, a positive blood alcohol level was associated independently with a patient's receiving one of these diagnoses while a positive alcohol use history was not. Conclusions Urine toxicology screens do not add significant diagnostic value to all ED psychiatric evaluations when combined with standard substance use histories.
Familial mongolism by a G/G mosaic carrier

A study of mongolism in a family is presented. The mother was found to be a G/G mosaic carrier. The G/G chromosomal pattern was found in only 22 per cent of her dermal cells, but her leukocytes contained the 46 normal chromosomes. She has had 3 mongoloid children and one normal child. Two of the children with mongolism were found to have the G/G translocation chromosomal pattern, one having this pattern in both skin and leukocytes. Different fathers were involved. The mother had no traits of mongolism.
Biphotonic excitation of the fluorescence of benzophenone ketyl

Abstract Laser irradiation of benzophenone in isopropanol solution results in orange fluorescence, the yield of which depends on the laser pulse duration. This is shown to be due to benzophenone ketyl (hydroxydiphenyl methyl), formed as a photo-product. It is shown that simple time-resolved fluorescence measurements can yield basic information concerning the early photochemical history of such radical species.
A new proof and generalizations of Gearhart’s theorem

Let H be a Hilbert space, let AP(R, H) be the space of almost periodic functions from R to H, and let A be a closed densely defined linear operator on H. For a closed subset A C R, let M(A) be the subspace of AP(R, H) consisting of functions with spectrum contained in A. We prove that the following properties are equivalent: (i) for every function f ∈ M(A) there exists a unique mild solution u ∈ M(A) of equation u'(t) = Au(t) + f(t); (ii) iΛ C p(A) and sup λ∈Λ ∥(iλ-A) -1 ∥ < ∞. The case A = {2πk: k = 0, ±1, ±2,...} yields anew proof of the well-known Gearhart's spectral mapping theorem.
Obliterative suture technique for internal hemorrhoidectomy

Le principe de la suture est une strangulation; les tissus contenus a l'interieur de la suture etranglante se detruisent, tandis que les tissus muqueux et sous-muqueux exterieurs a la strangulation restent viables, bien rapproches, et la cicatrisation se fait en 10 a 14 j. Illustrations
Guest Editor's introduction: special section on visualization

N this issue, we present outstanding papers from the I IEEE Visualization '98 Conference held in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. The papers have been substantially extended from the form presented at the conference. The extended versions have undergone a thorough review process and have been revised according to thoughtful comments by expert referees. The papers included here are a sampling of the diverse topics represented at the conference. We only have room in this issue to highlight some of the major trends in current visualization research. Two of the papers selected deal with the management and display of fundamental graphics primitives used in visualization-polygonal meshes and voxels. The other two papers deal with constructing the appropriate primitives for a visualization-feature extraction and the mapping of visual attributes to data. Many visualization problems involve the display of large polygonal meshes. In the past few years, a number of geometric simplification algorithms have been developed to facilitate the interactive examination of large meshes. Lindstrom and Turk present a thorough examination of their memoryless simplification approach. An important aspect of their paper is a comparison of memoryless simplification to several other recently published simplification algorithms. Volume visualization remains the approach of choice for many problems. Mueller et al. consider the splatting algorithm for volume visualization. They introduce new variations of this approach that increase accuracy and efficiency. The new variations eliminate the "popping" artifact that has been a problem when splatting is used to generate animated sequences. In data visualization, it is not adequate to find just a way to map data to graphics primitives for display. Brute force visualizations of extensive simulations can leave the user with large quantities of imagery to search through looking for phenomena of interest. Feature extraction techniques have emerged to distill the quantity of data to be mapped to images. Kenwright et al. present a feature extraction algorithm for indentifying key characteristics of 3D vector fields. While their specific application is fluid flow over aircraft, the technique can generally be applied to gain insight into 3D vector fields that arise in various disciplines. Constructing a visualization requires mapping data attributes to visual attributes. Not all possible mappings are
Histoplasma Capsulatum Endocarditis: Report of a Case Following Heart Surgery

Clinical, laboratory, and pathologic features of a case of Histoplasma capsulatum endocarditis in a 57-year-old white male following an open mitral commissurotomy are presented. This is the second reported case of Histoplasma endocarditis following surgery. Treatment with amphotericin B failed in these two cases, though cases of Histoplasmosis endocarditis have been successfully treated. The importance of early diagnosis and treatment is emphasized.
Influence of Red Pepper Spice and Turmeric on Inflammation and Oxidative Stress Biomarkers in Overweight Females: A Metabolomics Approach

Red pepper spice (RP) and turmeric (TM) are used as flavorings in foods and for medicinal purposes. Utilizing a randomized, doubled-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover design (2-week washout), 4-week supplementation with RP (1 g/d) or TM (2.8 g/d) was tested for influences on inflammation and oxidative stress in 62 overweight/obese (body mass index ≥ 27 kg/m²) females (40-75 years) with systemic inflammation (C-reactive protein, CRP ≥ 2 mg/l). Overnight, fasted blood samples were collected pre- and post-supplementation, and analyzed for oxidative stress (F₂-isoprostanes, oxidized low density lipoprotein), inflammation (CRP and seven inflammatory cytokines), and metabolic profiles using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with multivariate partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). Pre- to post-supplementation measures of inflammation and oxidative stress for both RP and TM did not differ when compared to placebo (all interaction effects, P > 0.05), and global metabolic difference scores calculated through PLS-DA were non-significant (both spices, Q²Y < 0.40). These data indicate that 4-week supplementation with RP or TM at culinary levels does not alter oxidative stress or inflammation in overweight/obese females with systemic inflammation, or cause a significant shift in the global metabolic profile.
A nose only inhalation exposure system for generation treatment and characterization of formaldehyde vapor

A description of a novel symmetrical nose-only inhalation chamber for small animals is presented. The chamber utilizes a circular design and a round baffle plate around which the test atmosphere is evenly drawn in order to expose each symmetrically placed animal port to equivalent gas concentrations without exposing animals to each other's expired gases. The nose-only mode may be more suitable for inhalation exposures as compared to whole-body exposures which allow skin contamination and possible aerosol ingestion through preening habits. Evidence is presented that nose-only exposure which requires animal restraint is no more stressful than freely-caged exposure as measured by total peripheral white blood cell counts and the ease of animal entry into the restraining tubes. Applications of the exposure system are described for the case of pure formaldehyde vapor generation. The method of formaldehyde generation entails heating solid paraformaldehyde polymer in a mineral oil bath and diluting with filtered ...
On the Evaluation of Training Devices

The theme of the paper is ways of evaluating flight simulators for aircrew training. The transfer of training experiment and the rating method are the two present-day ways of evaluating the worth of a simulator. The transfer experiment requires the trainee to practice in the simulator and then be tested in the parent aircraft to demonstrate the training value of the simulator. The rating method requires the pilot to be experienced in the parent aircraft and to rate the simulator for similarity to the aircraft. If similarity is high, the training value is assumed to be high. Arguments are presented that both of these methods are flawed. It is contended that a simulator, or any other system, need not necessarily be tested if it is based on reliable scientific laws and the success of other systems, based on the same laws, has been high. Good laws produce accurate prediction, and when outcome can be predicted it is redundant to conduct a system evaluation. With uncertainty about laws, the requirement for syst...
Heterosexually active men's beliefs about methods for preventing sexually transmitted diseases.

CONTEXT: Most research on heterosexual transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) has focused on women. However, heterosexual transmission of STDs cannot be prevented without a better understanding of men’s, as well as women’s, sexual beliefs and behaviors. METHODS: Heterosexually active men’s beliefs about four methods of STD prevention—abstinence, mutual monogamy, use of male condoms and use of female condoms—were elicited through open-ended interviews. A survey based on these responses was administered to a random sample of 486 heterosexually active men, and scores were calculated to examine their beliefs about each behavior. Additional analyses explored how these beliefs were related to men’s characteristics and to their actual behavior. RESULTS: The men held both positive and negative beliefs about the outcomes of using each method and thought that their partners, close friends, health care providers, family members and, to some extent, friends at church had opinions about whether they should use each method. Multiple regression analyses showed that the men’s beliefs were related to their marital status and, to some extent, their race or ethnicity and education. Beliefs about the outcomes of practicing abstinence, practicing mutual monogamy and using male condoms with steady partners were significantly related to these behaviors; beliefs about whether they had support for practicing monogamy or using male condoms with steady partners were significant predictors of doing so.
Design program for short ring-reinforced oval cylinder

Abstract A computer program is presented which gives the displacements and the stress distribution in a hydrostatically loaded ring-reinforced noncircular cylinder. The solution on which the program is based is obtained by an asymptotic expansion procedure in which a typical bay of the stiffened cylinder is considered. The existence of two distinct characteristic lengths is used in the construction of two asymptotic series which, when combined, form the total solution. The solution to this problem was obtained by N.B. Nissel and W.P. Vatakos at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn (see [1]). The computer program is written for a General Electric 605 Time Sharing Computer. A complete listing of the program including full documentation is presented. In addition, a typical computer run is included.
Characterization of the novel focal adhesion kinase RAFTK in hematopoietic cells

Protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) mediate signals that respond to many pivotal cellular functions. Tyrosine phosphorylation, controlled by the coordinated actions of protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) and PTKs, is a critical control mechanism for various physiological processes, including cell growth, differentiation, metabolism, cell cycle regulation and cytoskeleton function. The focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a widely expressed non-receptor tyrosine kinase that is implicated in integrin-mediated signaling and plays a role in signal transduction pathways mediating cell adhesion, motility and anchorage-independent growth. Recently, we and others have identified a novel protein tyrosine kinase termed RAFTK, (also known as Pyk2 or Cak-β), which is related to FAK. This review describes the role of RAFTK in various signaling cascades mainly in reference to hematopoietic cell lineages.
Combined Endorectal and Phased-Array MRI in the Prediction of Pelvic Lymph Node Metastasis in Prostate Cancer

OBJECTIVE. The objectives of our study were to evaluate the accuracy of combined endorectal and phased-array MRI in detecting pelvic lymph node metastasis (LNM) in patients with prostate cancer and to determine whether radiologists' predictions of LNM improve with the incorporation of Partin nomogram or MRI findings (or both) regarding extracapsular extension or seminal vesicle invasion.SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Between May 1999 and September 2003, 411 consecutive patients with clinically localized prostate cancer underwent MRI before surgery. Serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, Gleason grade, clinical stage, greatest percentage of cancer and percentage of positive cores in all biopsy cores, presence of perineural invasion on biopsy, and likelihood of LNM based on the Partin tables (2001 version) were recorded. MRI studies were interpreted prospectively, but the risks of LNM, extracapsular extension, and seminal vesicle invasion were scored retrospectively on the basis of the MRI reports. Surgical pa...
Outcomes of Direct Vision Internal Urethrotomy for Bulbar Urethral Strictures: Technique Modification with High Dose Triamcinolone Injection.

Objective. To evaluate the recurrence rate of bulbar urethral strictures managed with cold knife direct vision internal urethrotomy and high dose corticosteroid injection. Methods. 28 patients with bulbar urethral strictures underwent direct vision internal urethrotomy with high dose triamcinolone injection into the periurethral tissue and were followed up for recurrence. Results. Our cohort had a mean age of 60 years and average stricture length of 1.85 cm, and 71% underwent multiple previous urethral stricture procedures with an average of 5.7 procedures each. Our technique modification of high dose corticosteroid injection had a recurrence rate of 29% at a mean follow-up of 20 months with a low rate of urinary tract infections. In patients who failed treatment, mean time to stricture recurrence was 7 months. Patients who were successfully treated had significantly better International Prostate Symptom Scores at 6, 9, and 12 months. There was no significant difference in maximum flow velocity on Uroflowmetry at last follow-up but there was significant difference in length of follow-up (p = 0.02). Conclusions. High dose corticosteroid injection at the time of direct vision internal urethrotomy is a safe and effective procedure to delay anatomical and symptomatic recurrence of bulbar urethral strictures, particularly in those who are poor candidates for urethroplasty.
Authoring Knowledge-Based Tutors: Tools for Content, Instructional Strategy, Student Model, and Interface Design

Although Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITSs), also called knowledge-based tutors, are becoming more common and proving to be increasingly effective, each one must still be built from scratch at a significant cost. At the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, we have developed domain independent tools for authoring all aspects of a knowledge-based tutor: the domain model, the teaching strategies, the student model, and the learning environment. In this article, I describe these tools, discuss a number of design issues and design tradeoffs that are involved in building ITS authoring tools, and discuss knowledge acquisition and representation issues encountered in my work. I also describe how we plan to use these tools (collectively called Eon), including ontology objects, as a meta-authoring tool for designing special-purpose authoring tools tailored for specific domain types.
Autonomy in Action: Linking the Act of Looking to Memory Formation in Infancy via Dynamic Neural Fields.

Looking is a fundamental exploratory behavior by which infants acquire knowledge about the world. In theories of infant habituation, however, looking as an exploratory behavior has been deemphasized relative to the reliable nature with which looking indexes active cognitive processing. We present a new theory that connects looking to the dynamics of memory formation and formally implement this theory in a Dynamic Neural Field model that learns autonomously as it actively looks and looks away from a stimulus. We situate this model in a habituation task and illustrate the mechanisms by which looking, encoding, working memory formation, and long-term memory formation give rise to habituation across multiple stimulus and task contexts. We also illustrate how the act of looking and the temporal dynamics of learning affect each other. Finally, we test a new hypothesis about the sources of developmental differences in looking.
Idiotypes Expressed Early in Experimental Schistosoma mansoni Infections Predict Clinical Outcomes of Chronic Disease

In murine Schistosoma mansoni infections, schistosome-specific cross-reactive idiotypes (CRI) are present in the sera of mice with moderate splenomegaly syndrome (MSS) at 20 wk after infection. In contrast, sera from animals that have the more severe hypersplenomegaly syndrome (HSS) at 20 wk of infection do not express these CRI in their sera. To examine when these regulatory CRI first appear in mice that eventually develop MSS, sera from infected animals were monitored for CRI from 1.5 to 20 wk of infection. In mice that eventually developed MSS, CRI were detected by 5 to 6 wk after infection, plateaued by 8 to 10 wk, and persisted through 20 wk of infection. Animals that developed HSS pathology or that died before 20 wk of infection never expressed CRI. Moreover, CRI levels present in the sera of mice at 6 wk of infection were inversely correlated with splenomegaly and hepatic fibrosis, but not with parasitologic measures, at 20 wk after infection. These results suggest that critical events occur very early in some schistosome infections that induce the production of regulatory idiotypes and that the presence or absence of these idiotypes predicts, and possibly determines, subsequent morbidity.
Distributed computation of the knn graph for large high-dimensional point sets

High-dimensional problems arising from robot motion planning, biology, data mining, and geographic information systems often require the computation of k nearest neighbor (knn) graphs. The knn graph of a data set is obtained by connecting each point to its k closest points. As the research in the above-mentioned fields progressively addresses problems of unprecedented complexity, the demand for computing knn graphs based on arbitrary distance metrics and large high-dimensional data sets increases, exceeding resources available to a single machine. In this work we efficiently distribute the computation of knn graphs for clusters of processors with message passing. Extensions to our distributed framework include the computation of graphs based on other proximity queries, such as approximate knn or range queries. Our experiments show nearly linear speedup with over 100 processors and indicate that similar speedup can be obtained with several hundred processors.
Myc/max family of transcription factors and bcl-2 are involved in drug-induced apoptosis of myeloma cells.

Cell homeostasis is controlled by a balance between proliferation, growth arrest and apoptosis. It is becoming increasingly evident that dysregulation of genes that control apoptosis contributes to the pathogenesis of disease such as cancer and autoimmune disease (1). In multiple myeloma, myeloma cells are terminally differentiated and fail to apoptose. Glucocorticoids such as dexamethasone (Dex) are often used in the treatment of myeloma, either alone or in combination with cytotoxic agents (2, 3). Similarly, IL-6 in the bone marrow environment protects immature myeloma cells form Dex-induced apoptosis (4). However, with prolonged treatment, patients develop resistance to these agents. It is well established that both glucocorticoids and chemotherapeutic drugs are potent inducers of cell death, by apoptosis (1). In fact, recent studies have demonstrated that Dex-induced apoptosis in several human myeloma cell lines and that interleukin-6 (IL-6), a B cell differentiation/survival factor, protected them from Dex-induced apoptosis (5, 6, Epstein J personal communication). The molecular mechanisms that govern these processes are not fully understood. Restoration of the apoptopic response in myeloma cells could lead to the development of effective therapy for multiple myeloma.
Bridging Cultures to Form a Nation: The Humanities and Democratic Learning.

This chapter describes a diversity and democracy curriculum and faculty development collaboration among the Association of American Colleges and Universities, The Democracy Commitment, and 10 community colleges.
What Does Dance History Have to Do with Dancing?: Making College Dance History Usable for Dancers

ABSTRACTThis paper explores methods for bringing dance history directly into the studio. It shows how the movement components that have proven successful in introductory courses can be extended to in-depth studies of dance history with dancers who have formal training. Through the example of a research project on the early work of George Balanchine, it shows how kinesthetic learners can be introduced to the scholarly side of this art form in a way that shows them its relevance and gives them tools that they can use in their own careers as dancers and choreographers. Finally, it demonstrates how this method allows students the opportunity to explore history through movement in conjunction with archival material, photographs, books, papers and videos.
Uniqueness of Solutions of Ordinary Differential Equations

(1967). Uniqueness of Solutions of Ordinary Differential Equations. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 74, No. 8, pp. 948-950.
Analysis of Critical Parameters Affecting the Temperature Uniformity During Rapid Thermal Processing

In this work we examine the effect of various system and wafer parameters such as the flowing ambient, the spatial distribution of incident energy flux, the slip-free ring and doping density on temperature non-uniformity occurring during rapid thermal processing (RTP). The effect of using two inert ambients, i.e. argon and nitrogen, on temperature non-uniformity occurring during RTP cycle is studied in detail. The importance of dynamic lamp power control in providing time dependent spatial variation of incident energy flux as a measure to improve the temperature uniformity is also examined. Finally the simulation studies are also done in the presence of a slip-free ring. The nature of photon capture by the silicon wafer and the correlation between doping density and the steady state temperature for any given open loop condition is discussed in detail. This analysis has been done using an analytical tool developed by us based on simple 3-dimensional physical models depicting a typical rapid thermal cycle[1].
Dissociation of noncovalently held polymers of human and rabbit IgM.

SummaryIgM was prepared from normal rabbit serum and from the serum of a human patient (Aug.) suffering from Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia. In each of the preparations, there were one or more components which sedimented in the analytical ultracentrifuge much faster than IgM. Such large components found in preparations of human IgM have been attributed in the past to both covalently and noncovalently associated polymers of IgM. Studies with the rabbit system have not previously been done. It was found that most of the faster-sedimenting materials in the preparations of human IgM, and all of that in preparations of rabbit IgM, dissociated to IgM size in 4 M or 6.7 M guanidine-HCl solutions, pH 7. It was concluded that all of the faster-sedimenting material accompanying the rabbit IgM, and most of that attending the human IgM, was an aggregation of the respective IgM held by noncovalent bonds.
Finding the natural solution to $f(f(x)) = \exp(x)$

In this paper, we study the fractional iterates of the exponential function. This is an unresolved problem, not due to a lack of a known solution, but because there are an infinite number of solutions, and there is no agreement as to which solution is "best.'' We will approach the problem by first solving Abel's functional equation $\alpha(e^x) = \alpha(x) + 1$ by perturbing the exponential function so as to produce a real fixed point, allowing a unique holomorphic solution. We then use this solution to find a solution to the unperturbed problem. However, this solution will depend on the way we first perturbed the exponential function. Thus, we then strive to remove the dependence of the perturbed function. Finally, we produce a solution that is in a sense more natural than other solutions.
Imaging Geological Materials with the Acoustic Microscope

Acoustic microscopy, a technique best known in materials science for nondestructive testing, presents exciting and intriguing opportunities for imaging geological materials and for micro-characterization of their elastic properties. In the last dozen years, acoustic microscopy has won broad acceptance in materials science and hightechnology manufacturing, particularly for non-destructive testing of electronic devices. Several vendors market commercial instruments designed and used chiefly to detect delaminations in layered electronic components. Due to the scarcity of commercial or purpose-built instruments in universities, very few studies of geological materials have been made by acoustic microscopy. Notable exceptions include examination of mineral specimens by Bonner (1978) and Morales et al. (1991), of rocks by Dansburg and Yuhas (1978) and Rodriguez-Rey (1990), of fossils by Kustov et al. (1987) and Scott and Hemsley (1991), and of a variety of geologic materials by Pingitore et al. (1993). The objective of our research program, then, is to explore the possible applications of acoustic microscopy in the geosciences, appraise their merit, and pursue the most promising lines of investigation.
Progress of quantitative study on gray-scale ultrasound

The quantitative technique of gray-scale ultrasound is one of the important directions of ultrasonic medicine development.It makes sonography became objective and precise.This article mainly reviews the basic principle,clinical application and limitation of gray-scale ultrasound,and the developmental prospect of this technique also been predicted.
Studies on Grain Quality and High Quality Rate of Japonica Hybrid Rice in China

A total of 267 japonica rice hybrids developed in 8 years from 1998 to 2005 in China were studied on their grain quality and high quality rate based on the standard NY/T 593-2002 for cooking rice variety quality.The results showed that the japonica hybrids had a rather good grain quality in whole.Among all of ten quality indexes,i.e.,brown rice rate(BRR),milled rice rate(MRR),head rice rate(HRR),chalky grain percentage(CGP),chalkiness degree(CD),translucency degree(TD),gelatinization temperature(GT),gel consistency(GC),amylose content(AC) and protein content(PC),in terms of the average value,except that CGP was close to the third class of high quality standard,the other nine quality indexes all reached or surpassed the third class of high quality standards.Concerning on the high quality rate,8 indexes including BRR,MRR,TD,GT,GC,PC,AC and HRR had a value of more than 75%,of which 6 indexes more than 90%.The number of hybrids with all ten indexes reaching high quality standard accounted for 45.4% of the total number of tested hybrids.Compared with the japonica hybrids from south China,those from north China showed a lower average value of CGP and CD.Compared with inbred japonica rice,japonica hybrid rice had almost the same average values in all ten indexes except for CGP,which was 7 percentage point higher in hybrid rice than in inbred rice.It was considered that one of the most important breeding objectives would still be the genetic improvement of chalky characters in quality japonica hybrid rice breeding.
Chapter 8 – Pesticide Use Practices in Integrated Pest Management

Publisher Summary Integrated pest management (IPM) represents the management of pests in a systems framework rather than being simply a tactic or group of tactics for a specific pest or pest group. Many IPM tactics, although they may reduce chemical use, are chemically intensive. The overall goal of IPM is to reduce the environmental and health risks of pesticides within social and economic constraints. There are many challenges to the development and implementation of IPM systems, but an excellent framework exists in the scientific literature and in experiences with successful field implementation. The concept of integration began with the realization that the use of synthetic pesticides, which helped to make pest control more predictable and less labor-intensive, brought about certain unintended consequences, such as pest resistance, secondary pest outbreaks, and the resurgence of pests that previously had been under good control. Integrated pest management incorporated the concept that pesticides should be used only when needed based on careful assessment of the risk posed by specific pest densities and the potential for control of those pests by naturally occurring beneficial organisms or other factors in the environment. It is clear that many or even a majority of growers practice a minimum level of IPM. However, funding for IPM research and extension activities, particularly those that emphasize integrative and ecological approaches, has not occurred, and relatively minimal incentives have become available for the adoption of IPM practices. An initiative that promotes development of novel new approaches for managing pests, integrates management approaches into higher-level IPM systems, and trains a new generation of IPM professionals should become a national priority.
psst: An open-source power system simulation toolbox in Python

This paper is an overview of Power System Simulation Toolbox (psst). psst is an open-source Python application for the simulation and analysis of power system models. psst simulates the wholesale market operation by solving a DC Optimal Power Flow (DCOPF), Security Constrained Unit Commitment (SCUC) and a Security Constrained Economic Dispatch (SCED). psst also includes models for the various entities in a power system such as Generator Companies (GenCos), Load Serving Entities (LSEs) and an Independent System Operator (ISO). psst features an open modular object oriented architecture that will make it useful for researchers to customize, expand, experiment beyond solving traditional problems. psst also includes a web based Graphical User Interface (GUI) that allows for user friendly interaction and for implementation on remote High Performance Computing (HPCs) clusters for parallelized operations. This paper also provides an illustrative application of psst and benchmarks with standard IEEE test cases to show the advanced features and the performance of toolbox.
Commitment Strategies and the Innovation Capacity of the Firm

In recent years, the debate on managing social and ecological challenges has shifted focus to become more concerned with the innovation capacity of the business firm as the prime agent of the "free...
Leveraging Compiler Optimizations to Reduce Runtime Fault Recovery Overhead

Smaller feature size, lower supply voltage, and faster clock rates have made modern computer systems more susceptible to faults. Although previous fault tolerance techniques usually target a relatively low fault rate and consider error recovery less critical, with the advent of higher fault rates, recovery overhead is no longer negligible. In this paper, we propose a scheme that leverages and revises a set of compiler optimizations to design, for each application hotspot, a smart recovery plan that identifies the minimal set of instructions to be re-executed in different fault scenarios. Such fault scenario and recovery plan information is efficiently delivered to the processor for runtime fault recovery. The proposed optimizations are implemented in LLVM and GEM5. The results show that the proposed scheme can significantly reduce runtime recovery overhead by 72%.
Cropland Management Contributions to Greenhouse Gas Flux: Central and Eastern U.S.

Agricultural soils are the primary source of nitrous oxide (N 2 O) and a minor source of methane (CH 4 ), two important biogenic greenhouse gases (GHG) contributing to global climate change. Nitrous oxide emissions are expected to increase by 35 to 60% worldwide as pressure to increase agricultural production continues. Accordingly, it is imperative to identify management strategies that can reduce N 2 O emissions while maintaining productivity. We summarize impacts of management on GHG emissions reported since 2004 from cropland soils from eastern and central U.S. According to recent studies, reducing nitrogen (N) fertilizer rates to economically optimum levels could decrease soil N 2 O emissions up to 50%. Reducing acres in high N-demanding crops could provide even more N 2 O mitigation as N 2 O emissions from corn ( Zea mays L.) are—on average—2.7 times greater than from soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.]. Long-term (>20 years) no-till (NT) may also reduce soil N 2 O emissions by about 50% compared to conventional tillage (CT), but there are few studies conducted for extended periods of time. There is insufficient and/or inconsistent evidence indicating whether other proposed N 2 O mitigation strategies—N fertilizer and manure timing, placement or source selection, nitrification inhibitors, delayed release fertilizers, or cover crops—provide any mitigation, or what management practices might reduce CH 4 emissions or increase CH 4 uptake. A limited number of net ecosystem exchange (NEE) studies in the region suggest cropping systems are CO 2 neutral or small CO 2 sources, with crop selection being an important variable affecting NEE. Additional studies, including long-term studies incorporating sampling strategies that better capture temporal and spatial variability of GHG fluxes and factors controlling this variability, are needed to better quantify the impact of cropland management on GHG emissions.
Excited-State Decay Pathways of Tris(bidentate) Cyclometalated Ruthenium(II) Compounds.

The synthesis, electrochemistry, and photophysical characterization are reported for 11 tris(bidentate) cyclometalated ruthenium(II) compounds, [Ru(N^N)2(C^N)]+. The electrochemical and photophysical properties were varied by the addition of substituents on the 2,2′-bipyridine, N^N, and 2-phenylpyridine, C^N, ligands with different electron-donating and -withdrawing groups. The systematic tuning of these properties offered a tremendous opportunity to investigate the origin of the rapid excited-state decay for these cyclometalated compounds and to probe the accessibility of the dissociative, ligand-field (LF) states from the metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) excited state. The photoluminescence quantum yield for [Ru(N^N)2(C^N)]+ increased from 0.0001 to 0.002 as more electron-withdrawing substituents were added to C^N. An analogous substituent dependence was observed for the excited-state lifetimes, τobs, which ranged from 3 to 40 ns in neat acetonitrile, significantly shorter than those for their [Ru...
Effect of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration on the cultivation of bovine Mycoplasma species.

ABSTRACT Recommendations for bovine mycoplasma culture CO 2 concentrations are varied and were not empirically derived. The objective of this study was to determine whether the growth measures of bovine mycoplasma isolates differed when incubated in CO 2 concentrations of 10 or 5% or in candle jars (2.7 ± 0.2% CO 2 ). Growth of Mycoplasma bovis (n = 22), Mycoplasma californicum (n = 18), and other Mycoplasma spp. (n = 10) laboratory isolates was evaluated. Isolate suspensions were standardized to approximately 10 8 cfu/mL and serially diluted in pasteurized whole milk to achieve test suspensions of 10 2 and 10 6 cfu/mL. One hundred microliters of each test dilution was spread in duplicate onto the surface of a modified Hayflick's agar plate. Colony growth was enumerated on d 3, 5, and 7 of incubation. A mixed linear model included the fixed effects of CO 2 treatment (2.7, 5, or 10%), species, day (3, 5, or 7), and their interactions, with total colony counts as the dependent variable. Carbon dioxide concentration did not significantly affect overall mycoplasma growth differences, but differences between species and day were present. Colony counts (log 10 cfu/mL) of M. bovis were 2.6- and 1.6-fold greater than M. californicum and other Mycoplasma spp., respectively. Growth at 7 d of incubation was greater than d 3 and 5 for all species. These findings were confirmed using field isolates (n = 98) from a commercial veterinary diagnostic laboratory. Binary growth responses (yes/no) of the field isolates were not different between CO 2 treatments but did differ between species and day of incubation. On average, 57% of all field isolates were detected by 3 d of incubation compared with 93% on d 7. These results suggest that the range of suitable CO 2 culture conditions and incubation times for the common mastitis-causing Mycoplasma spp. may be broader than currently recommended.
Cardiovascular health and cognitive function among Mexican older adults: cross-sectional results from the WHO Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health

ABSTRACTObjectives:To assess the association between cardiovascular health and cognitive function among Mexican older adults. Design Nationally representative cross-sectional survey. Setting Households in Mexico. Participants Individuals aged 50 years and older (n = 1,492) from the Mexico-SAGE project Wave 1. Measurements A continuous and a categorical index of cardiovascular health was calculated based on exercise, smoking, body mass index, and blood pressure ranging from 0 to 4. Cognitive function was obtained by averaging the standardized scores (z scores) of five psychometric tests. Associations were conducted using linear regression. Results The continuous index of cardiovascular health was not associated with cognitive function. Using the categorical index, participants with the best levels of cardiovascular (score of 4) health performed better on global cognitive function than groups with lower cardiovascular health (scores of 0, 0.41 SD; 1, 0.39 SD; and 2, 0.56 SD). The association was moderated by age, reaching significance only among those 50-64 years old. Conclusions If longitudinal research confirms these findings, results would suggest that dementia-related policies in Mexico need to focus on achieving optimal levels of cardiovascular health, especially in midlife.
Partially Water-Soluble Binder Formulation for Injection Molding Submicrometer Zirconia

A binder system containing 60% by volume of a water-soluble major constituent was formulated and tested for powder injection molding ceramic materials. The main components of the binder phase were a low molecular weight polyethylene glycol, an oxidized high density polyethylene, polyvinyl butyral and stearic acid. Ceramic powder-binder mixes containing these binder components and up to 45% by volume of a submicrometer stabilized zirconia powder were prepared and characterized. The apparent viscosity of these mixes at a temperature of 190°C and a shear rate of 100 s-1 was determined to be 700–800 Pa·s. Binder removal from parts produced by injection molding these feedstocks was accomplished using a two-stage process. The water-soluble constituent, polyethylene glycol, was removed by dissolution in water at 50°C. Tests showed that approximately 90% of the polyethylene glycol could be removed from a 2-mm thick part during a 2 h immersion in water. The remaining binder constituents were removed using a thermal treatment to 500°C at a heating rate of 100°C/h. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed a good separation of the decomposition regions for the various components when heated in an argon atmosphere. A final sintering step in air at 1500°C produced parts having a density above 99%.
Molecular Mechanisms of Vascular Development

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the molecules involved in regulation of embryonic vascular development. Molecule involved in early mesodermal differentiation of endothelial cells include fibroblast growth factor (FGF), which plays a critical role in the induction of the mesodermal germ layer during the earliest stages of embryogenesis. FGFs are also required for the development of certain dorsal types of mesoderm, suggesting a synergism between FGF and the transforming growth factor-β family of growth factors, which are required for dorsal mesoderm formation. Angioblast differentiation in the mesoderm requires the activity of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor, Flk-1. It seems possible that the directed migration of flk-1 expressing endothelial cells from the lateral plate mesoderm toward the midline of the frog embryo occurs in response to a VEGF signal gradient. In vitro experiments have demonstrated that fibronectin can stimulate the migration of vascular endothelial cells. Second, when the distribution of fibronectin is analyzed in the chick embryo or the chick chorioallantoic membrane, it is associated with both migrating endothelial cells, prior to their coalescence into vessels, and with the early steps of angiogenesis, when capillaries are extending and invading avascular tissue. Further, platelet-derived growth factor is important for the recruitment of vascular wall components. It is found that Tie-2 is required for vascular remodeling. In addition to a role in vasculogenesis, angiogenesis, and endothelial cell migration, in vitro studies suggest that the extracellular matrix also influences the differentiation of endothelial cells.