cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Performance Assessment of DP Control Systems for Different Sea States

Performances of a set of control schemes for dynamic positioning (DP) are studied in this work; DP performance is essential for future developments of autonomous shipping technology. The linear and non-linear model predictive control (MPC and NMPC), the non-linear proportional integral and derivative (NPID) control, the sliding mode control (SMC), as well as the multi-resolution PID (MRPID) control schemes, are evaluated under two different sea conditions, namely, moderate and extreme seas. Matlab/Simulink models of a full-scale ship and its corresponding scaled model are used to benchmark the efficacy of the controllers. An unscented Kalman filter (UKF) is used to estimate vessel motions and to control low frequency (LF) motions while filtering out wave frequency (WF) motions. The tuning of the controllers is also taken into consideration. Of the five controller schemes, the NMPC shows the best ability to deal with extreme disturbances efficiently. Although all of the controllers were able to maintain the ship position under moderate conditions, only the NMPC and the MRPID controllers were able to stabilize the ship under extreme sea states. Findings from this research are expected to help operators of DP systems in choosing the most effective control scheme for different sea conditions. In addition, the results are supportive of further control system development for dynamic positioning and autonomous operations of ships and offshore platforms.
Control strategies for switchable roof insulation systems applied to US residential homes

Abstract This paper summarizes the main findings for evaluating the effectiveness of simplified and advanced control strategies to operate switchable insulation systems applied to the attic of US residential buildings. Specifically, the evaluation analysis is performed for five US representative climates to determine the performance of several control options for dynamic insulation systems to minimize the heating and cooling energy end-uses for US homes. The control strategies considered include scheduled settings, temperature-based rule sets, and optimal control schemes. The comparative analysis results clearly indicate that the switchable insulation systems even when only applied to attics have significant potentials in reducing the cooling energy use of US residential homes especially those located in mild climates. Even when operated with simplified controls such as time-scheduled controls and temperature-based rule-sets, dynamic insulations are capable of providing substantial energy savings. In particular, controls using rules based on mean air and sol-air temperatures result in cooling energy savings ranging from 8% to 43% for all US climates. When optimal controls are used to operate attic dynamic insulation systems, up to 40% additional savings in cooling energy can be achieved compared to the best simplified controls at least when the building is located in Golden, CO.
Variability in hair gadolinium concentrations among decedents who received gadolinium-based contrast agents

This study utilized laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to quantify gadolinium in the hair of autopsy cases that had received gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) before death. Consecutive autopsy cases were reviewed for GBCA injections and subjects who received a single type of GBCA in the year before death were included. Hair samples were analyzed using LA-ICP-MS as a line scan technique and parameters were optimized to maximize instrument sensitivity, accuracy, and precision. Linear regression analyses between hair measures and gadolinium dose were executed. LA-ICP-MS analysis produced a time-resolved record of GCBA exposure, with the position of the gadolinium peak maxima along the hair shaft providing a good estimate for the day that GBCA injection occurred (R2 = 0.46; p = 0.0022); however, substantial within and between subject variation in the position of the GBCA peak was observed. Average area under the curve for gadolinium peaks in the hair samples was a better predictor of gadolinium dose (R2 = 0.41; p = 0.0046), compared to the average of peak maxima concentration. Correlation between area under the curve and dose suggests that LA-ICP-MS analysis of hair may be an effective method to evaluate gadolinium levels in subjects in vivo after exposure to GBCAs. This study demonstrates that analysis of human hair using techniques with high spatial resolution such as LA-ICP-MS has excellent potential to reveal time-dependent signatures of past exposures.
Supporting expansive learning in preservice bilingual teachers’ zone of proximal development of the activity system: an analysis of a four-field model trajectory

The Change Laboratory methodology offers the potential to support expansive learning in preservice bilingual teacher education. This qualitative case study examines how ten preservice Chinese and K...
Symbolic Relations in Collaborative Coding: How Children and Parents Map Across Symbol Systems While Coding Robots

This paper explores how parents and children collaborate during a playful computational activity with a codable robot. We conducted interaction analysis of moments from two cases in which a parent and their daughter worked together to choose and input numerical values in their codes that would send the robot in a desired direction. Our analyses reveal how parents and children decide on this value through a process of mapping across symbol systems. We suggest that a shared understanding of these symbols’ meaning is critical for the mapping process, and that the process is impacted by the affordances of the representational tools the pair employs. The paper concludes with a discussion of design implications for supporting parent-child collaboration during play with a codable robot.
Disability Cultural Competence for All as a Model.

Berger and Miller (2021) assert that race and ethnicity based cultural competence is a failure because medicine grounds its conceptualization of cultural competence on a “flawed” understanding of r...
Reserving Processors by Precise Scheduling of Mixed-Criticality Tasks

Mixed-criticality (MC) scheduling has been proposed to mitigate the pessimism in real-time schedulability analysis that must provide guarantees for the worst case. In most existing work on MC scheduling, low-critical tasks are either dropped or degraded at the criticality mode switch in order to preserve the temporal guarantees for high-critical tasks. Recently, a different direction, called precise MC scheduling, has been investigated. In precise MC scheduling, no low-critical task should be dropped or degraded; instead, the platform processing capacity is augmented at mode switch to accommodate the additional workload by high-critical tasks. In contrast to prior work on this topic with respect to varying processor speed, this work investigates the precise scheduling problem of MC tasks when the number of available processors may vary at the mode switch. To address this new problem, we propose two alternative algorithms by adapting virtual-deadline-based EDF and by fluid scheduling, respectively, and provide a sufficient schedulability test for each. We also conduct schedulability experiments with randomly generated task sets to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms and the benefits of the new scheduling model.
Multicultural Education and the Emerging Paradigm: An Essay in Cultural Epistemology

This article discusses the origins of multicultural education from the perspective of cultural epistemology. It contends that at issue in the multicultural education debate is the challenge of paradigmatic shifts in understanding multicultural society and multiculturalism as sociopolitical constructs. A review of the value systems of the anthropomorphic, scientific, and emerging paradigms suggests that the debate is, in essence, a contest between prevailing and emerging cultural paradigms. The values which underlie multicultural education seem to converge with the ideals of participatory democracy. Consequently, multicultural education and multiculturalism may be analyzed as phases in the evolution of liberal democracies. The emerging paradigm serves as the catalyst in that process. The article concludes with proposals for integrating the values systems of the emerging paradigm with the theories and practices of multicultural education.
Coplanar Waveguide Applications

This chapter discusses several emerging applications of coplanar waveguides (CPWs), including microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) based switches and phase shifters, high- T c superconducting transmission lines, tunable devices using ferroelectric materials, photonic bandgap structures, and printed circuit antennas. These components and systems make possible several new applications involving the transmission, display, and processing of information at a very high data rate through satellites and wireless networks.
Link-layer vehicle control system for ITS

The modeling and control design for the link-layer intelligent transport system control is presented. Link-layer control systems address the traffic coordination problem on a stretch of highway, and serve as the intermediate link between traditional ATMS and AVCS systems. A receding horizon optimal control algorithm is presented in this paper. The control algorithm is verified on a microscopic model, which keeps track of the motions of each individual vehicles. Simulation results under three perturbed conditions are presented.
Semen Analysis in Young Men with Varicocele: Preliminary Study

AbstractPurpose: Our aim was to determine whether the deleterious effect of varicocele on spermatogenesis, as reflected by semen analysis, occurs in boys as young as 17 to 19 years. Data analysis was done of semen variables of select boys attending randomly chosen schools.Materials and Methods: A total of 36 healthy boys without a pathological condition detected by history, physical examination and scrotal ultrasound served as controls, and 38 with profound varicocele who were otherwise healthy served as an experimental group. All boys were followed as outpatients 2 times during the last year. We performed semen and clinical examinations, Doppler ultrasound assessment of venous reflux, and ultrasound measurement of testicular and pampiniform vein diameters.Results: No significant differences were found in sperm concentration, volume, presence of spontaneous agglutination and pH between the 2 groups. There were significant differences in total and progressive sperm motility and vitality, which were lower i...
Mammoth Ventricular Hypertrophy

A 23-year-old man was referred to the cardiology clinic because of an abnormal ECG and a murmur. He was asymptomatic from the cardiac perspective, and there was no significant family history of cardiac disease or sudden death. He was physically active but was not an athlete and did not exercise regularly. On physical examination, he had a blood pressure of 140/70 mm Hg in both arms with a normal jugular venous pressure of 8 cm water. Cardiac auscultation revealed a soft crescendo-decrescendo systolic murmur heard loudest over the lower left sternal edge. The rest of the physical examination was normal. His ECG showed sinus rhythm with markedly increased voltages suggestive of left ventricular hypertrophy (Figure 1). Figure 1. A 12-lead ECG showing sinus rhythm with markedly increased voltages suggestive of left ventricular hypertrophy. His echocardiogram was of very limited quality as a result of poor acoustic windows but was suggestive of left ventricular hypertrophy. Cardiac magnetic resonance cine imaging showed striking mammoth asymmetrical left …
Use of Ergonomics as a Quality Improvement Tool in a Manual Assembly Task

This study attempted to identify a direct relationship between the design characteristics of a manually-assembled product, exposure to work-related ergonomic risk factors, and improvement in product quality. The study considered (a) Accessibility (ease of approach) and Guidance (ease of alignment and positioning) as Design Variables, (b) Shoulder Abduction, Trunk Lateral Flexion, Rate-Normalized Percentage of Maximal Voluntary Contraction (%MVC) of the Wrist Flexors, Wrist Extensors, and Deltoids, and Frequency of Attachment as Ergonomics Variables, and (c) Percentage of Attachment Too Loose, Too Tight, and Misaligned as Quality Variables. Postural data, surface EMG data, and quality data were collected from 10 participants performing four 10-min repetitive manual assembly tasks with plastic threaded nuts, bolts, flat parts, and open-box parts. Unobstructed accessibility of manually-assembled parts was associated with decreased exposure to awkward trunk posture, decreased activity of the wrist flexors and...
CONTINUOUS STIFFNESS MEASUREMENT DURING INSTRUMENTED INDENTATION TESTING

CSM is a valuable tool for instrumented indentation testing. CSM is often used to measure properties of thin films and surface layers as a continuous function of penetration depth. CSM should always be used when testing materials that exhibit significant viscoelasticity or viscoplasticity (creep), because for such materials, the semistatic force-removal curve cannot be used to determine stiffness. If it is important to measure properties according to a standard test method such as ISO 14577 or ASTM E2546, then CSM can be used for preliminary testing to determine the ideal peak force or depth that should be used for the standard measurements.
Verbs of judging: An exercise in semantic description

(1969). Verbs of judging: An exercise in semantic description. Paper in Linguistics: Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 91-117.
Deposition of wear-resistant A1N-diamond composite coatings

Abstract We have prepared composite coatings of aluminum nitride (A1N) and diamond on silicon, copper and steel substrates and investigated their tribological properties. To control interfacial stresses, the coatings are prepared with a novel microstructure in which diamond forms a cellular network in a background matrix of A1N. This type of microstructure also imparts enhanced toughness and adhesion properties. Owing to matching of temperature variation in thermal expansion coefficients of A1N and diamond, thermal stresses within the composite films are minimized while substrate-composite interfacial stresses are effectively accomodated in the background matrix of A1N, which is relatively softer than diamond. Selective abrasion and indentation measurements are carried out to investigate the utility of coatings for wear protection. The importance of A1N as a component material for forming high quality diamond composites is discussed.
Surgical treatment of congenital unilateral pulmonary arterial stenosis with contralateral pulmonary hypertension

Abstract This report describes the diagnosis and surgical treatment of a 48 year old patient with congenital right pulmonary arterial ostial stenosis, no intraor extracardiac shunts and systemic levels of pressure in the main and left pulmonary artery with pulmonary vascular obstruction in the left lung. Operation consisted of a bypass graft of 10 mm woven Dacron from the main pulmonary artery to the distal right pulmonary artery producing an immediate 50 percent reduction in mean left pulmonary arterial pressure. Late postoperative evaluation revealed equal perfusion of both lungs, maintenance of the reduced pulmonary arterial pressure and improvement from New York Heart Association functional class IV to class I.
Role of hydrogen in the formation of metastable defects in hydrogenated amorphous silicon

This paper presents results of studies on carrier-induced metastable defect creation in hydrogenated amorphous silicon. The metastable defects were studied by measuring the threshold voltage shifts on thin-film amorphous silicon transistors and capacitors as a function of time, temperature, and bias. The kinetics (time, temperature, bias, and doping dependence) of these defects as well as most other metastable-defect processes are quantitatively explained by hydrogen diffusion and the creation of defects due to the presence of excess band-tail carriers.
The parliamentary infrastructure and political reforms in Hungary

(1989). The parliamentary infrastructure and political reforms in Hungary. Soviet Studies: Vol. 41, No. 1, pp. 39-66.
Effects of prenatal ethanol exposure on hippocampal theta activity in the rat

This study examined the effects of prenatal ethanol exposure on hippocampal theta activity in adult rats. Subjects were randomly selected from four prenatal treatment conditions: untreated, 0, 3, or 5 g/kg/day ethanol. At approximately 90 days of age, all subjects were surgically implanted with a bipolar electrode in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. Four epochs of hippocampal theta rhythm activity were recorded while the subjects were moving and four more while still, and a normalized theta score was computed and compared among groups. The 5 g/kg male group demonstrated a significantly higher theta score than controls, indicating either an increase in type I (movement-associated) theta and/or a decrease in type II (information-processing) theta activity. These results are consistent with prior reports that prenatal ethanol exposure alters hippocampal function and support clinical indications that monitoring the EEG of children may prove to be useful in the diagnosis of fetal alcohol syndrome and/or the detection of alcohol-related birth defects.
Memory, opiate receptors, and aging☆

Abstract In a series of studies, we investigated differences in retention of avoidance responses in young and aged rats. The aged rats showed poorer retention performance of an inhibitory avoidance response, but better performance of an active avoidance response. In a swim escape task, when training trials were given close together in time, the aged rats showed impaired acquisition as compared to younger animals. We then investigated the effects of naloxone on learning and retention performance in young and old rats. Our findings indicated that in some cases, the direction of the opiate antagonist effect depends upon the age of the animal. With low footshock, naloxone either impairs or has no effect on the retention performance of old rats, but with high footshock, naloxone enhances their retention performance indicating that age-related changes in opioid systems may underly some behavioral differences between young and aged animals Therefore, we examined, in vitro , opiate receptor binding in various brain regions of young and old rats. Analysis of dihydromorphine binding indicated that opiate receptor concentrations in aged rats are reduced in some brain regions and that these changes are different in aged male and female rats. Studies of in vivo bindings of opiate receptors have yielded relationships between receptor changes and differences in response to footshock in the flinch-jump test. These findings suggest that age-related alterations in brain opioid systems may underlie some of the changes in learning and memory processes that occur with age.
Opening and closing a dispensary in Shan-yin county: some thoughts about charitable associations, organizations, and institutions in Late Ming China

During the seventeenth century Chinese local elites sponsored charitable activities more visibly and vocally than ever before. One small outcome of the heightened interest in doing good was a dispensary that wealthy residents of Shan-yin county operated for the poor. Using materials relating to the dispensary, this article explores differences between loose associations, formal organizations, and lasting institutions. To understand voluntary cooperation among the philanthropists it considers several ingredients other than the needs of the poor and the compassion of the rich; these include the type of leadership and a proclivity among local elites of this period to form diverse associations.
Core–Peripheral Structure and Regional Governance: Implications of Paul Krugman’s New Economic Geography for Public Administration

Paul Krugman’s work is much celebrated in the fields of international trade and economic geography, recognized with the 2008 Nobel Prize in Economics. Although his work is less prominent in public administration, it has important implications for the study of political fragmentation, collaboration, economic development, and service delivery in metropolitan areas. The authors discuss how Krugman’s core–periphery model adds a critical piece to the regional governance puzzle by explaining the concentration and dispersion of economic activity and the productive advantages of spatial closeness. They summarize the central propositions of Krugman’s work to identify its policy inferences for intergovernmental coordination and strategies for successful management of urban growth, as well as its implications for public administration theories of governance, collaboration, and institutional collective action.
Light absorption properties and radiative effects of primary organic aerosol emissions.

Organic aerosols (OAs) in the atmosphere affect Earth’s energy budget by not only scattering but also absorbing solar radiation due to the presence of the so-called “brown carbon” (BrC) component. However, the absorptivities of OAs are not represented or are poorly represented in current climate and chemical transport models. In this study, we provide a method to constrain the BrC absorptivity at the emission inventory level using recent laboratory and field observations. We review available measurements of the light-absorbing primary OA (POA), and quantify the wavelength-dependent imaginary refractive indices (kOA, the fundamental optical parameter determining the particle’s absorptivity) and their uncertainties for the bulk POA emitted from biomass/biofuel, lignite, propane, and oil combustion sources. In particular, we parametrize the kOA of biomass/biofuel combustion sources as a function of the black carbon (BC)-to-OA ratio, indicating that the absorptive properties of POA depend strongly on burning ...
Endoscopy in the Early Postoperative Setting after Primary Gastrointestinal Anastomosis

Introduction Gastrointestinal anastomoses may require early evaluation and treatment via flexible endoscopic techniques when complications arise. There is reticence, however, to perform endoscopy given the applied mechanical forces. We aimed to identify the incidence of gastrointestinal anastomotic perforation or disruption resulting from endoscopy performed ≤6 weeks of anastomoses.
Interaction of oxygen with Pd(111): High effective O2 pressure conditions by using nitrogen dioxide

Abstract High effective O 2 pressures can be simulated by using NO 2 as a source of atomic oxygen on Pd(111) at exposure temperatures at or above 530 K. Large oxygen concentrations ( θ O =0.0–3.1 ML) have been studied using TPD, AES, HREELS, and XPS. TPD results show four O 2 desorption peaks at 625, 715, 765, and 800 K. The low temperature desorption states have never been reported in previous work concerning oxygen adsorption on Pd(111). Upon heating an atomic oxygen adlayer, diffusion of oxygen into the near surface region is competitive with O 2 desorption for θ O =0.76–1.4 ML. For θ O > 1.4 ML, spectroscopic evidence shows the presence of an oxide on or near the surface. Our results for the interaction of atomic oxygen with Pd(111) are compared with the behavior of atomic hydrogen on Pd(111). Finally, a model for the chemical state and desorption behavior of oxygen for these coverages is proposed.
Objective structured assessment of technical skills for repair of fourth-degree perineal lacerations.

Objective The objective of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of an objective structured assessment of technical skills (OSATS) for repair of fourth-degree obstetric lacerations on a surgical model. Study Design Three blinded judges reviewed recordings of 20 junior and 20 senior obstetrics-gynecology residents performing simulated perineal repairs using a beef tongue model. Judges completed task-specific OSATS and global rating scales for each repair. Six recordings were rereviewed after 2 weeks. Inter- and intrarater reliability and construct validity were assessed. Results Interrater reliability was 0.80 for task-specific OSATS and 0.59 for the global rating scale. Intrarater reliability was poor. Construct validity was demonstrated, with senior residents scoring higher than junior residents on task-specific OSATS (13.0 vs 10.5; P = .007) and the global rating scale (24.0 vs 19.3; P = .001). Conclusion We found good interrater reliability and construct validity using a task-specific OSATS for fourth-degree perineal laceration repair. This instrument shows promise as a tool for competency-based evaluations.
Bidirectional modulation of stimulated cortical acetylcholine release by benzodiazepine receptor ligands.

Abstract In vivo microdialysis was used to determine the ability of benzodiazepine receptor (BZR) ligands to modulate stimulated cortical acetylcholine (ACh) efflux in awake, freely-moving Fischer-344/BNNia rats. Cortical ACh efflux was reliably enhanced during presentation of a complex stimulus (exposure to darkness coupled with presentation of a small amount of palatable food) in animals entrained with that stimulus. Administration of the BZR selective inverse agonist ZK 93 426 (5.0 mg/kg, i.p.) potentiated the ability of the darkness/food stimulus to enhance efflux, whereas administration of the BZR full agonist, chlordiazepoxide (5.0 mg/kg, i.p.) blocked the enhancement. The interaction of the BZR ligands with the entrained stimulus in affecting cortical ACh efflux was not secondary to effects on motor activity. These results, combined with results from a previous study, suggest that modulation of cortical ACh efflux by BZR ligands is bidirectional and dependent on the level of activity within cortical cholinergic neurons. This relationship enables the trans-synaptic stimulation of cortical ACh transmission by BZR inverse agonists to be most effective during behavioral activities which recruit the basal forebrain cholinergic system.
HLA-DQw Alloantigens and Pulmonary Dysfunction in Rheumatoid Arthritis

HLA-DR4 and keratoconjunctivitis sicca (secondary Sjogren's syndrome) are associated with abnormal pulmonary function in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Since recent investigations have found that much of the genomic polymorphism of the HLA-DR4 haplotype comes from the closely linked DQw allele, we reanalyzed this set of data to evaluate the relationship between the DQw allotypes and pulmonary function in rheumatoid arthritis. Using a stepwise regression analysis, we found that the presence of DQwl was a stronger predictor of an abnormal forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV 1 ), and carbon monoxide diffusing capacity (D) than the presence of DR4, keratoconjunctivitis sicca, smoking status, or any other clinical parameter. DQwl-positive patients had a mean (± SD) percent of predicted FEV 1 , FVC, and D of 84.2 (± 19.8), 88.0 (± 17.9) and 85.6 (± 20.9) percent, respectively, all significantly lower than DQw-1 negative patients (p = 0.02, 0.02, and 0.03). Smokers with the heterozygous phenotype, DQwl/DQw3, tended to have obstructive disease of the airways, with a mean (± SD) FEV 1 of 80.1 ± 24.4 percent of predicted, compared to 95.7 ± 12.1 percent of predicted in DQwl/DQw3-negative individuals (p = 0.03). Patients who had a DQw2 allele were more likely to have normal pulmonary function. We conclude that the HLA-DQwl allotype is a strong predictor of abnormal pulmonary function and that it may identify smoking subjects with rheumatoid arthritis subjects who are prone to develop obstruction of airflow. (Chest 1988; 94:609-14)
Crystal structure of the two RNA binding domains of human hnRNP A1 at 1.75 A resolution.

Heterogeneous ribonucleoprotein A1 (hnRNP A1) is an abundant eukaryotic nuclear RNA binding protein. A1 is involved in the packaging of pre-mRNA into hnRNP particles, transport of poly A+ mRNA from the nucleus to the cytoplasm and may modulate splice site selection. The crystal structure of A1(RBD1,2) reveals two independently-folded RNA binding domains (RBDs) connected by a flexible linker. Both RBDs are structurally homologous to the U1A(RBD1) and have their RNA binding platforms oriented in an anti-parallel fashion. The anti-parallel arrangement of the A1 RNA binding platforms suggests mechanisms for RNA condensation and ways of bringing together distant RNA sequences for RNA metabolism such as splicing or transport.
Ideas of Liberty in German Humanism

In today's world the most powerful appeal of any spokesman for the West is to champion liberty against the oppressiveness of a monolithic society and the tyranny of the totalitarian state. The call for freedom appeals to the deepest aspirations of peoples and touches upon the longing of masses of individual human beings. No rellying cry is so effective in creating a durable ethos among the democratic nations and in bringing to their consciousness a sense of those values by which they live or ought to live. No idea is more useful in destroying the image of the West as the self-satisfied defender of the status quo and in dramatizing the authentic revolutionary tradition, for men live by their dreams and visions.
A method for fast electromagnetic shower simulation in the Geant Monte Carlo program

Abstract An algorithm and its implementation in the Geant Monte Carlo program is described for speeding the simulation of electromagnetic showers. The technique is compared to test data.
Cancer-related fatigue, quality of life, pharmacological treatment

We agree with the concerns raised regarding the safety of amphetamines such as methylphenidate/dexmethylphenidate1. In fact, we generally support the use of non-pharmacological interventions, such as cognitive behavioral therapy or energy conservation and activity management, in all patients after the diagnosis of fatigue is made by one of the multiple tools available such as FACIT-F, Visual Analogue Scale, Chalder scale, Brief Fatigue Inventory2, and others. If fatigue does not improve or if it is severe, pharmacological therapy should then be judiciously considered. While the abuse potential of methylphenidate is an understandable concern, orally administered methylphenidate at doses prescribed for a therapeutic effect has few reinforcing properties3. In fact, psychostimulant abuse among patients with cancer-related fatigue has not been reported. Finally, a recent systematic review and metanalysis evaluating psychostimulants for the management of cancer-related fatigue included 426 patients and found that there was no difference in the frequency of adverse events of methylphenidates. Placebo with a combined odds ratio of 1.24 (95% CI 0.42, 3.62)4. We agree that modafinil certainly may be considered an option for treatment-associated cancer-related fatigue (chemotherapy or radiotherapy), and recent evidence recommends its use in cases of severe fatigue and in patients with advanced disease5-7. However, evidence supporting the use of modafinil in mild or moderate fatigue does not exist. Although the authors state otherwise, they refer to a review article that makes no specific assertion regarding the use of modafinil according to fatigue severity, and primarily references the study by Jean-Pierre et al. that found modafinil to be effective only in severe fatigue8. Regarding the use of erythropoietin stimulating agents (ESA), our review described the recent evidence and recommendations on this topic thoroughly, including the concerns related to prothrombotic states and the recently raised possibility of ESAs stimulating tumor growth9-12. Guarana (Paullinia cupana) is a plant native to the central Amazon, known for its stimulant and aphrodisiac properties, and popular for its use in energy drinks13,14. In a randomized, double-blinded, crossover clinical trial published by our group, guarana demonstrated favorable effects on fatigue during chemotherapy15. The stimulant properties of guarana are generally taken to reflect the presence of caffeine, which comprises only 2.5%–5% of the extract’s dry weight, although other purine alkaloids (theophylline and theobromine) are present in smaller quantities. The doses we used in this study (50 mg PO BID) would have negligible amounts of caffeine. Furthermore, no significant increase in cardiovascular events has been demonstrated in any study to date, but larger trials are needed to evaluate this promising therapeutic option for cancer-related fatigue.
US oil companies' earnings management in response to hurricanes Katrina and Rita

Abstract This study examines earnings management by US-based oil companies in the period immediately after the impact of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. We show that large petroleum refining firms – but not the smaller crude oil and natural gas production companies – recorded significant abnormal income-decreasing accruals in the fiscal quarter immediately after the impact of hurricanes Katrina and Rita (Q4 of 2005). In addition, we show that these results are driven by abnormal current accruals. Prior studies show that some firms respond to periods of heightened political scrutiny by recording abnormal income-decreasing accruals (e.g. [Cahan, S., 1992. The effect of antitrust investigation on discretionary accruals: a refined test of the political cost hypothesis. The Accounting Review 67 (1), 77–96; Han, J., Wang, S., 1998. Political costs and earnings management of oil companies during the 1990 Persian Gulf Crisis. The Accounting Review 73 (1), 103–118]). Our results add to this stream of research by examining a political cost-increasing event that occurred after the passage of the Sarbanes–Oxley Act (SOX) of 2002. The results suggest that in the post-SOX period managers continue to engage in income-decreasing earnings management during periods of heightened political cost sensitivity, at least in the case of large petroleum refining firms.
A Palliative Care Specific Spiritual Assessment: How This Story Evolved

This article reflects a project to create, refine, and use a palliative care specific spiritual assessment, with the intent to implement its use for both an inpatient Palliative Consult Service (PCS) and a Spiritual Health Service (SHS) team. Extensive meetings with these services to confirm a shared understanding of the use of this spiritual assessment to facilitate communication with PCS through consistent language about the patient's story, suffering, spirit, and sense-making. Following a pilot phase of using this palliative care spiritual assessment, five presentations were shared with the SHS team to explore using this assessment. Although the SHS team decided not to use its content, these presentations spurred dialogue toward what was to become a SHS standardized documentation process, eventually called data, intervention, outcome, plan (DIOP).
The Wooster Group: A Dictionary of Ideas

This is the legacy of John Cage’s “library of sounds” and of Rauschenberg’s mixedmedia works. As an aesthetic strategy it takes for granted that in using the archives of art and culture as a database the issue is not one of ownership, but of distribution. Viewed in another light, the deterritorialization process of this kind of theatre, if extended into the world of cyberspace, changes the very nature of the way we think of art and authorship, composition and interpretation, and the notion of boundaries between art forms, art and everyday life, one culture and another, the created and the ready-made. This approach highlights process—the artwork and the work of art.
Adiabatic loading of bosons into optical lattices

The entropy-temperature curves are calculated for noninteracting bosons in a three-dimensional (3D) optical lattice and a 2D lattice with transverse harmonic confinement for ranges of depths and filling factors relevant to current experiments. We demonstrate regimes where the atomic sample can be significantly heated or cooled by adiabatically changing the lattice depth. We indicate the critical points for condensation in the presence of a lattice and show that the system can be reversibly condensed by changing the lattice depth. We discuss the effects of interactions on our results and consider nonadiabatic processes.
Univariate cubic L1 interpolating splines based on the first derivative and on 5-point windows: analysis, algorithm and shape-preserving properties

In this paper, univariate cubic L 1 interpolating splines based on the first derivative and on 5-point windows are introduced. Analytical results for minimizing the local spline functional on 5-point windows are presented and, based on these results, an efficient algorithm for calculating the spline coefficients is set up. It is shown that cubic L 1 splines based on the first derivative and on 5-point windows preserve linearity of the original data and avoid extraneous oscillation. Computational examples, including comparison with first-derivative-based cubic L 1 splines calculated by a primal affine algorithm and with second-derivative-based cubic L 1 splines, show the advantages of the first-derivative-based cubic L 1 splines calculated by the new algorithm.
Characterization of apocytochrome C binding to human erythrocytes

The binding of 125I-labeled apocytochrome c to human erythrocytes was determined for free apocytochrome c concentrations at 10(-10)-10(-6) M. At about 2 x 10(-9) M, maximum cell association of apocytochrome c occurs at 50 mM NaCl and at 22 degrees C. Intact erythrocytes at 22 degrees C have three classes of apocytochrome c binding sites: one high-affinity noncooperative site (n1 = 728 per cell, Kd1 = 1.5 x 10(-9) M) and two positively cooperative sites (n2 = 3.7 x 10(4) per cell, Kd2 = 1.2 x 10(-7) M, alpha 2 = 2.0, and n3 = 2.5 x 10(5) per cell, Kd3 = 7.1 x 10(-7) M, alpha 3 = 12). Erythrocytes at 37 degrees C, and erythrocyte ghosts at 22 degrees C, also have three classes of apocytochrome c binding sites, and most sites are positively cooperative.
Dynamics of hot zones on top of packed-bed reactors

Abstract The evolution and dynamics of hot zones on the top of a shallow packed-bed reactor (10 cm diameter), packed with spherical catalyst pellets ( Pd / Al 2 O 3 ) were studied using infrared thermography. The test reaction, the atmospheric oxidation of carbon monoxide, was run under conditions for which steady-state multiplicity existed. Slow cooling of the reactor close to its extinction temperature shifted the fully ignited state to one with a hot region, separated by a sharp temperature front from the adjacent colder region ( Δ T = 75 ∘ C ) . The size of the hot zone was much larger than that of individual particles and it usually exhibited some rather intricate motion. Three qualitatively different types of motions sequentially evolved on cooling: breathing (contraction and expansion of hot zone), antiphase (standing wave) and rotation motion. The angular velocity of the rotating hot zone and its size changed with angular position. In some experiments the rotation occurred in several steps, i.e., the hot zone halted at one or more locations before completing one cycle of rotation. Several types of this hopping motion were observed. Global coupling between the non-converted reactant and the catalyst on the top of the bed had a strong impact on the dynamic motion of the hot zone.
Methyl Groups as Probes for Proteins and Complexes in In-Cell NMR Experiments

Studying protein components of large intracellular complexes by in-cell NMR has so far been impossible because the backbone resonances are unobservable due to their slow tumbling rates. We describe a methodology that overcomes this difficulty through selective labeling of methyl groups, which possess more favorable relaxation behavior. Comparison of different in-cell labeling schemes with three different proteins, calmodulin, NmerA, and FKBP, shows that selective labeling with [(13)C]methyl groups on methionine and alanine provides excellent sensitivity with low background levels at very low costs.
Palynological observations on the Nubian Sandstone' southwestern Libya

Abstract Core samples from the basal Jarmah Member of the Mesak Formation (Nubian Sandstone) in the Sabha area, southwestern Libya yielded a rich Early Cretaceous (late Berriasian) spore assemblage including Cicatricosisporties spp., Pilosisporites trichopapillosus, Aequitriradites spinulosus, Concavissimisporites punctatus and Trilobosporites apiverrucatus, comparable to those reported from Europe (upper Suite C of Norris, 1969). This assemblage contains a relatively high proportion of spores and few Classopollis, in contrast to other Northern Gondwana microflora. The late Berriasian age assignment of the microflora in the Mesak Formation predates that of all other palynomorphs reported from the “Nubian Sandstone” of Egypt.
Salt dependence of the elasticity and overstretching transition of single DNA molecules

As double-stranded DNA is stretched to its B-form contour length, models of polymer elasticity can describe the dramatic increase in measured force. When the molecule is stretched beyond this contour length, it shows a highly cooperative overstretching transition. We have measured the elasticity and overstretching transition as a function of monovalent salt concentration by stretching single DNA molecules in an optical tweezers apparatus. As the sodium ion concentration was decreased from 1000 to 2.57 mM, the persistence length of DNA increased from 46 to 59 nm, while the elastic stretch modulus remained approximately constant. These results are consistent with the model of Podgornik, et al. (2000, J. Chem. Phys. 113:9343-9350) using an effective DNA length per charge of 0.67 nm. As the monovalent salt concentration was decreased over the same range, the overstretching transition force decreased from 68 to 52 pN. This reduction in force is attributed to a decrease in the stability of the DNA double helix with decreasing salt concentration. Although, as was shown previously, the hydrogen bonds holding DNA strands in a helical conformation break as DNA is overstretched, these data indicate that both DNA strands remain close together during the transition.
SANS measurements of deuterium-dislocation trapping in deformed single crystal Pd

Abstract Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements have been made on deformed, single crystal Pd at room temperature. Low concentrations of deuterium were introduced to observe dislocation-deuteron interactions. Two different deformation procedures (cold working by rolling and hydride cycling) were used in an attempt to compare dislocations with different substructures. The data appear to fall naturally into an intermediate Q and a Q region. The intermediate Q region is well described by a 1 Q model, which yields effective trapping radius, Ro, and trapping efficiency, ρD/ρd (the number of deuterons per A of dislocation line). The trapping radii for both sample types are approximately 11 A but the efficiencies differ by a factor of 2 or more. The conclusion is that in both cases the majority of trapped deuterons lie within a few Burgers vectors of the dislocation cores, but the trapping efficiency is significantly larger for the relatively uniform hydride cycled substructure than for the cold worked substructure. This we attribute to stress compensation from neighbouring dislocations in a cell-wall environment characteristic of the cold worked substructure. In the lowest Q region, the cross section for the cycled samples diverges from that of the cold worked sample, indicating a long rang trapping in the stress field of the former which is absent in the latter. In both Q regions, therefore, trapping is enhanced for the cycled dislocation substructure.
Basal lead studies in epileptic automatisms

Abstract In a study of a selected group of 24 patients with epilepsy the basal electroencephalogram was of particular interest in those cases with a history of automatisms. This report is concerned with the clinical and electroencephalographic findings in the 12 patients who were subject to this type of seizure. Among this group spike activity was present in 10 instances and could be localized to the temporal or basal regions. In 7 instances the origin of the spike activity appeared to be nearer the electrodes at the base than at the scalp. The tendency for this activity to occur bilaterally has been emphasized. Of all the electrodes now applied to the outer cranium the nasopharyngeal and tympanic lie nearest the basilar parts of the rhinencephalon. Such anatomical considerations must be taken into account in inferring the origin of the spike activity in the majority of the cases reported here. Some of the therapeutic and neurophysiological problems pertaining to the findings in these studies have been discussed.
The association between emergency department crowding and adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with chest pain.

Abstract Objectives: While emergency department (ED) crowding is a worldwide problem, few studies havedemonstrated associations between crowding and outcomes. The authors examined whether ED crowd-ing was associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with chest pain syndromes (chestpain or related complaints of possible cardiac origin).Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed for patients ‡30 years of age with chest pain syn-drome admitted to a tertiary care academic hospital from 1999 through 2006. The authors comparedrates of inpatient adverse outcomes from ED triage to hospital discharge, deﬁned as delayed acute myo-cardial infarction (AMI), heart failure, hypotension, dysrhythmias, and cardiac arrest, which occurredafter ED arrival using ﬁve separate crowding measures.Results: Among 4,574 patients, 251 (4%) patients developed adverse outcomes after ED arrival; 803(18%) had documented acute coronary syndrome (ACS), and of those, 273 (34%) had AMI. Compared toless crowded times, ACS patients experienced more adverse outcomes at the highest waiting room cen-sus (odds ratio [OR] = 3.7, 95% conﬁdence interval [CI] = 1.3 to 11.0) and patient-hours (OR = 5.2, 95%CI = 2.0 to 13.6) and trended toward more adverse outcomes during time of high ED occupancy(OR = 3.1, 95% CI = 1.0 to 9.3). Adverse outcomes were not signiﬁcantly more frequent during timeswith the highest number of admitted patients (OR = 1.6, 95% CI = 0.6 to 4.1) or the highest trailing meanlength of stay (LOS) for admitted patients transferred to inpatient beds within 6 hours (OR = 1.5, 95%CI = 0.5 to 4.0). Patients with non-ACS chest pain experienced more adverse outcomes during the high-est waiting room census (OR = 3.5, 95% CI = 1.4 to 8.4) and patient-hours (OR = 4.3, 95% CI = 2.6 to7.3), but not occupancy (OR = 1.8, 95% CI = 0.9 to 3.3), number of admitted patients (OR = 0.6, 95% CI0.4 to 1.1), or trailing LOS for admitted patients (OR = 1.2, 95% CI = 0.6 to 2.0).Conclusions: Therewasanassociationbetween some measures ofEDcrowdinganda higher risk of adversecardiovascular outcomes in patients withbothACS-related and non–ACS-related chest pain syndrome.ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2009; 16:617–625 a 2009 by the Society for Academic EmergencyMedicineKeywords: crowding, overcrowding, adverse outcomes, cardiovascular, emergency department,health care