cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fabricating mechanically improved silk-based vascular grafts by solution control of the gel-spinning process.

There is a large unmet need for off-the-shelf biomaterial options to supplant venous autografts in bypass and reconstructive surgical procedures. Existing graft alternatives formed from non-degradable synthetic polymers are not capable of maintaining long-term patency and are thus not indicated for <6 mm inner diameter bypass procedures. To fill this void, degradable silk-based biomaterials have been proposed that can maintain their mechanical properties (i.e. compliance) while facilitating slow but progressive biomaterial remodeling and host integration mediated by cellular colonization. The goal of the present study was to enhance the porosity of gel-spun silk tubes, to facilitate faster degradation rates and improve cellularity, and thus improve host integration over time in vivo, while maintaining requisite mechanical functions. Silk solutions with a range of molecular weight distributions and, in turn, viscosities were used to generate tubes of varying porosities. A decrease in solution concentration correlated with an increase in mean pore size and overall porosity through a density-dependent mechanism. Tubes were mechanically analyzed, and these properties were the basis of an analytical model used to correlate tube formulations to structural compliance, which were shown to be similar to the saphenous vein. Tubes were also tested for suture retention to ensure surgical utility despite increased porosity. Tubes were implanted in the abdominal aorta of Sprague-Dawley rats via an end-to-end anastomosis model. Tubes with higher porosities showed early improvements in cell colonization that progressively increased over time; conversely, the dense architecture of less porous grafts (20MB) inhibited cell ingrowth and resulted in minimal biomaterial degradation at the 6-month time point. None of the highly porous tubes (5 MB and 10MB) remained patent at 6 months, likely due remodeling inducing bulk mechanical failure or a compromised blood-material interface.
Beliefs about causes of autism and vaccine hesitancy among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder.

Vaccine hesitancy may be more common among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We examined factors associated with ASD-specific vaccine hesitancy among caregivers of children with ASD who participated in the SPARK study (Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research for Knowledge). 225 participants completed an online survey containing the Parent Attitudes About Childhood Vaccines (PACV) questionnaire (measure of vaccine hesitancy) and the Illness Perception Questionnaire revised for parents of children with ASD (IPQ-R-ASD; measure of parents' views about ASD). 65 participants (28.8%) were vaccine hesitant (PACV score ≥ 50); children of vaccine-hesitant parents (VHPs) were less likely to be first born (n = 27, 41.5%), had greater ASD-symptom severity (mean Social Communication Questionnaire score = 23.9, SD = 6.9), and were more likely to have experienced developmental regression (n = 27, 50.9%) or plateau (n = 37, 69.8%). Compared to non-hesitant parents, VHPs significantly more often endorsed accident/injury, deterioration of the child's immune system, diet, environmental pollution, general stress, parents' negative views, parents' behaviors/decisions, parents' emotional state, and vaccines as causes for ASD. VHPs also had higher scores on the Personal Control, Treatment Control, Illness Coherence, and Emotional Representations subscales of the IPQ-R than did non-hesitant parents. In the final model, ASD-related vaccine hesitancy was significantly associated with higher scores on the Emotional Representations subscale (OR = 1.13, p = 0.10), agreement with deterioration of the child's immunity as a cause of ASD (OR = 12.47, p < 0.001), the child not having achieved fluent speech (OR = 2.67, p = 0.17), and the child experiencing a developmental plateau (OR = 3.89, p = 0.002). Findings suggest that a combination of child functioning and developmental history, as well as parents' negative views about and their sense of control over ASD, influence vaccine hesitancy among parents of children with ASD.
Concurrent large bowel obstruction secondary to idiopathic mesenteroaxial gastric volvulus

A patient in her 60s presented to the emergency room with sudden-onset severe epigastric pain associated with nausea and emesis. The patient’s medical history was unremarkable; surgical history was notable only for a diagnostic laparoscopy without any additional intervention. Vital signs were within normal limits and physical examination was notable for abdominal distension and generalized tenderness without peritoneal signs. Laboratory values were notable for an elevated lactate of 2.9 mmol/L. On CT of the abdomen and pelvis, the patient was found to have a mesenteroaxial gastric volvulus with the markedly distended stomach causing mass effect on a very redundant colon (figure 1). There was concern for large bowel obstruction with a transition point at the splenic flexure. There was evidence of mesenteric edema, but no evidence of ischemia, pneumatosis, or pneumoperitoneum. Figure 1 Mesenteroaxial gastric volvulus. 1. Nasogastric tube …
The Replication of Togaviridae and Flaviviridae at the Molecular Level

Until quite recently, the small enveloped viruses that contain single stranded (+) RNA (their genome is infectious and serves as an mRNA) were grouped into the Togaviridae family, with two major subgroups noted as alphaviruses and flaviviruses. With the elucidation of the genomic sequence of the Yellow Fever virus and additional knowledge of the structure and replication of the flaviviruses, it became clear that these viruses should be placed into a family distinct from that of the Togaviridae. Even so, the viruses in these two families share a number of properties and many lead to similar pathologies upon infection of mammalian hosts. Most of the members of these families were previously noted as arboviruses (acronym from “arthropod borne”) since a portion of their natural life cycle involves growth in an arthropod vector. There are a very large number of species within these families with genotypically and serologically distinct isolates obtained throughout the world. A thorough description of the epidemiology of these viruses can be found in the Togaviruses: Biology, Structure, Replication (1).
Trailblazing the Artificial Intelligence for Cybersecurity Discipline: A Multi-Disciplinary Research Roadmap

Cybersecurity has rapidly emerged as a grand societal challenge of the 21st century. Innovative solutions to proactively tackle emerging cybersecurity challenges are essential to ensuring a safe and secure society. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has rapidly emerged as a viable approach for sifting through terabytes of heterogeneous cybersecurity data to execute fundamental cybersecurity tasks, such as asset prioritization, control allocation, vulnerability management, and threat detection, with unprecedented efficiency and effectiveness. Despite its initial promise, AI and cybersecurity have been traditionally siloed disciplines that relied on disparate knowledge and methodologies. Consequently, the AI for Cybersecurity discipline is in its nascency. In this article, we aim to provide an important step to progress the AI for Cybersecurity discipline. We first provide an overview of prevailing cybersecurity data, summarize extant AI for Cybersecurity application areas, and identify key limitations in the prevailing landscape. Based on these key issues, we offer a multi-disciplinary AI for Cybersecurity roadmap that centers on major themes such as cybersecurity applications and data, advanced AI methodologies for cybersecurity, and AI-enabled decision making. To help scholars and practitioners make significant headway in tackling these grand AI for Cybersecurity issues, we summarize promising funding mechanisms from the National Science Foundation (NSF) that can support long-term, systematic research programs. We conclude this article with an introduction of the articles included in this special issue.
„Odkrywamy powtórnie Bieszczady”. Idealizacja gór w PRL-u i jej oddźwięk

The change of Poland’s borders after the Second World War meant that the Eastern Carpathians, beloved by Polish tourists, became inaccessible for the citizens of the new Polish People’s Republic. The mountain range’s place in the imagination of Poles was soon taken by the western Bieszczady Mountains. Although already in the 1950s there was interest in these mountains, which had been left practically uninhabited after Operation Vistula and thus reverted to a state of wild nature, only as of the 1970s were concrete — and ambitious — plans formulated for the development of this beautiful mountainous terrain. The present article presents, among other things, that period’s “dispute over the Bieszczady”, with a proposal coming forth from university circles and a response to it by the socialist authorities. I intend to show that the true idealisation of the Bieszczady was closely connected to the “renewed discovery” of these mountains.
Examining for the Protective Effects of Therapeutic Engagement on Child Aggression

Therapeutic alliance is associated with treatment outcomes across a diverse range of intervention models and clinical populations. Likewise, the perceived quality of working alliance in adult psych...
HARP: Hierarchical Attention Oriented Region-Based Processing for High-Performance Computation in Vision Sensor.

Cameras are widely adopted for high image quality with the rapid advancement of complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors while offloading vision applications’ computation to the cloud. It raises concern for time-critical applications such as autonomous driving, surveillance, and defense systems since moving pixels from the sensor’s focal plane are expensive. This paper presents a hardware architecture for smart cameras that understands the salient regions from an image frame and then performs high-level inference computation for sensor-level information creation instead of transporting raw pixels. A visual attention-oriented computational strategy helps to filter a significant amount of redundant spatiotemporal data collected at the focal plane. A computationally expensive learning model is then applied to the interesting regions of the image. The hierarchical processing in the pixels’ data path demonstrates a bottom-up architecture with massive parallelism and gives high throughput by exploiting the large bandwidth available at the image source. We prototype the model in field-programmable gate array (FPGA) and application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for integrating with a pixel-parallel image sensor. The experiment results show that our approach achieves significant speedup while in certain conditions exhibits up to 45% more energy efficiency with the attention-oriented processing. Although there is an area overhead for inheriting attention-oriented processing, the achieved performance based on energy consumption, latency, and memory utilization overcomes that limitation.
Diagnosis and Management of Coronary Artery Disease in Athletes

Routine exercise confers a plethora of cardiovascular benefits and is inversely associated with the development of coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the cardiovascular stress induced during exercise transiently increases the risk of an adverse cardiac event, particularly in those with underlying CAD. Sports cardiologists commonly encounter older individuals with CAD who engage in high levels of exercise. This chapter will review the burden of CAD in athletes, discuss the initial clinical evaluations, and explore the management of athletes with established CAD. We will consider some unique considerations that pertain to competitive athletes, including eligibility as well as returning to athletic participation after an acute coronary event. Finally, we will deal with the putative mechanisms of cardiac events during exercise and the association between high levels of exercise and coronary artery calcification.
Poly(bromoundecyl acrylate) gels

Initial attempts to perform nearly bulk polymerization of bromoundecyl acrylate unexpectedly produced cross-linked gels, GelCH2Cl2 and GelDMF, exhibiting some interesting chemical features. Monomer concentrations were 50% by weight using methylene chloride (CH2Cl2) and dimethylformamide (DMF) as solvents. Thermal initiation was done with AIBN (azobis[isobutyronitrile]), and analysis of GelCH2Cl2 and GelDMF suggests the isobutyronitrile radical participates in both hydrogen and bromine atomic abstraction reactions. A higher cross-linking density was obtained in DMF, 2 mmol cm−3, than in CH2Cl2, 0.6 mmol cm−3, by measuring swelling in toluene and xylene. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis of these gels reveal melting and freezing transitions over − 30 to − 50 °C, similar to non-cross-linked poly(bromoundecyl acrylate), a room-temperature liquid. Thermally driven apparent evolution of bromine from GelDMF was quantified as corresponding to about 27% of the molar-available bromine by using Ag+ potentiometry. These gel materials represent a new class of telechelic gels that can easily be reacted with diverse reagents to make them interfacially compatible with other phases.
Economic Evaluation of Route Choice Characteristics for Owner–Operator Truck Drivers in Southern California Freeways

AbstractThis paper presents the results on the demand survey obtained from owner–operator truck drivers for their willingness to use truck-only toll lanes on Southern California freeways. The state...
Lateral Meniscal Tears in Young Patients: A Comparison of Meniscectomy and Surgical Repair

Background:Meniscal tears are common in active patients, but treatment trends and surgical outcomes in young patients with lateral meniscal tears are lacking.Purpose:To evaluate treatment trends, o...
What Ed Cooper Has Taught Me About the Realities and Complexities of Appellate Jurisdiction and Procedure

In this brief essay, I will describe some of what I have learned from Ed Cooper as a fellow participant in the rulemaking process and as a coauthor of two volumes of his Federal Practice and Procedure treatise. To describe everything that Ed has taught me would require much more than the length of this essay. So instead, I will try to offer some representative examples—or, as Ed might say, some “sketches.” Because others will discuss Ed’s expert guidance of the Rules Committees’ consideration of key issues concerning the Civil Rules, my discussion of Ed’s scholarship and reporting work will focus mostly on the large subset of his work that relates to appellate practice. I will touch upon his unique contributions to the law and scholarship of appellate jurisdiction and procedure, and also upon his generosity and wisdom as a mentor. In Ed’s articles from the 1970s and 1980s, one can already see clearly his sensitivity to the multiple ways in which institutional realities affect the nature, scope, and timing of appellate review.1 For instance, Ed’s 1984 article on the timing of civil appeals2 sets out a rich analysis of the factors that affect our view of the desirability of permitting appeals before final judgment—including the quality of district-court and appellate decision making, the standard of appellate review, the docket pressures in the courts of appeals, the capabilities of appellate lawyers, the particularities of a given area of substantive law, and the evolution of procedural devices.3 Ed’s 1988 article on appellate review of district court findings of fact praises the flexibility of Civil Rule 52(a)’s clear-error standard
Chapter 7 – Early Hominin Ecology

Patterns of human evolution can best be understood in their paleoecological context. Understanding the ecology of the earliest hominins requires analyzing evidence for the paleobiology and cultures of the extinct species in the context of reconstructions of the environments in which they lived, seeking evidence of interactions between the hominins and their habitats to infer ecological relationships. Since the fossil record is incomplete and preservation is biased, knowledge of the variation and overlap in populations of different hominin species and the animal and plant communities in which they lived is very limited. Nonetheless, the fossil and archaeological record allows us to discern ecological differences between sympatric species of early hominin, and potentially to explain longer-term, macroevolutionary-scale patterns of speciation, lineage diversification, and extinction in relation to broad climatic and paleoenvironmental trends. While any causal effects of paleoenvironmental conditions on the origins of our lineage and the emergence of bipedalism remain unresolved, it does seem clear that early hominins were ecologically fairly generalized and able to survive in a wide range of habitats. Through time, as climate change caused habitats to become patchier and less predictable, hominins diversified, either becoming adapted to more specialized diets or developing more versatile, omnivorous diets founded on tool use.
John Paul Stevens, Originalist

Commentators, including the author of a recent book on the Supreme Court, often attempt to give each Justice a methodological label, such as "practitioner of judicial restraint," "legal realist," "pragmatist," or "originalist." This Essay first demonstrates that none of the first three labels applies without fail to Justice John Paul Stevens; consequently, it explores the extent to which Justice Stevens's jurisprudence paid heed to the fourth method, "originalism." It looks in particular at Justice Stevens's opinions in recent cases involving firearms, national security, and capital punishment. Somewhat at odds with conventional wisdom, the Essay reveals Justice Stevens as a kind of originalist – as a Justice duty-bound to identify and enforce principles, such as liberty and fairness, that the Framers embedded in the Constitution. To do so, Justice Stevens has practiced a fifth methodology, one that synthesizes many sources and interpretive techniques in an effort to reach a decision that serves a contemporary understanding of justice.
Auditory Processing Abilities of Parkinson Disease Patients (P3.062)

OBJECTIVE: To assess peripheral and central auditory functions in patients with Parkinson Disease (PD). BACKGROUND: Previous studies reported that PD patients have worse hearing than age-matched control subjects; they also exhibited abnormalities in auditory brainstem responses (ABRs), auditory spatial perception, and other measures of central auditory processing. Because auditory disorders can negatively impact the quality of life, communication and cognition for PD patients, it is important to identify and address these deficits. DESIGN/METHODS: The following procedures were conducted on a group of 30 Parkinson patients and a group of age- and gender-matched healthy control subjects: 1. Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adults, a questionnaire that assesses emotional and social consequences of auditory dysfunction; 2. Audiometric evaluation; 3. Behavioral tests of central auditory processing; 4. Electrophysiology: ABRs to click stimuli; Long-latency auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) in response to tonal and speech stimuli. RESULTS: Parkinson patients (mean age 66 years) and control subjects (mean age 66 years) exhibited similar results on tests of hearing sensitivity; behavioral assessments of central auditory processing; and ABR evaluations. Both groups exhibited significant hearing loss and central auditory processing deficits, which are typical for the subjects9 age. Long-latency AEPs (P300 and N200 response components) revealed significantly greater latencies for the PD group, which might be an indicator of neural processing deficits for these patients. Although a vast majority of PD patients reported that they have difficulty hearing and understanding verbal communication, only six of them used hearing aids. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians and researchers should be aware that many PD patients experience hearing loss and other deficits involving auditory processing. These deficits should be indentified and remediated as much as possible in order to improve communication and quality of life for patients. Future studies should include patients with more severe PD to determine if their auditory dysfunction worsens with disease progression. Study Supported by: Grant #C8016P from RR&D Service, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Disclosure: Dr. Folmer has nothing to disclose. Dr. Vachhani has nothing to disclose.
If you can teach it, you can measure it

This article describes how the author measured three different variables in her classes: 1) computer anxiety, 2) systems analysis and design skills, and 3) attitude toward ethical issues. In the first case she chose two validated tools from many choices on the topic; in the second case she developed her own tool from a template in an assessment book; in the third case she selected questions from a validated tool and also developed her own. In each case the results of the measuring tool were consistent with what she predicted.
The Calcium Economy

Calcium is the fifth most abundant element in the biosphere (after iron, aluminum, silicon, and oxygen). It is the stuff of limestone and marble, coral and pearls, seashells and eggshells, antlers and bones. Because calcium salts exhibit intermediate solubility, calcium is found both in solid form (rocks) and in solution. It was probably present in abundance in the watery environment in which life first appeared. Today, seawater contains approx10 mmol calcium per liter (approximately eight times higher than the calcium concentration in the extracellular water of higher vertebrates). Even fresh waters, if they support an abundant biota, typically contain calcium at concentrations of 1–2 mmol (in the range of vertebrate extracellular fluid [ECF] calcium levels). In most soils, calcium exists as an exchangeable cation in the soil colloids. It is taken up by plants, whose parts typically contain from 0.1 to as much as 8% calcium. Generally, calcium concentrations are highest in the leaves, lower in the stems and roots, and lowest in the seeds (a fact that has important consequences for the shift to seed-based foods at the time of the agricultural revolution).
Physiology of Fruit Set, Growth, Development, Ripening, Premature Drop, and Abscission

Regulation of fruit set, growth, development, ripening, premature fruit drop, and subsequent abscission is very important in agriculture. Prior to discussing the regulation of these processes background information starting with pollination, which is the transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigma, will be provided. Once pollination has occurred the pollen tube grows down the style into the ovary until it reaches the embryo sac within the ovule. Two male gametes from the pollen tube are inserted into the embryo sac, one of which unites with the female gamete, a process known as fertilization, to produce a zygote which divides to become the embryo. The other unites with two polar nuclei to produce the endosperm. The ovary gives rise to the fruit, which may be defined as the structure which results from the development of tissues which support the ovules of the plant (Nitsch 1965) and the ovule leads to the seed (Figure 10.1).
Modeling Abstractness and Metaphoricity

This paper presents and evaluates a model of how the abstractness of source and target concepts influences metaphoricity, the property of how metaphoric a linguistic metaphoric expression is. The purpose of this is to investigate the long-standing claim that metaphoric mappings are from less abstract concepts to more abstract concepts. First, abstractness is modeled using Searle’s social ontology and this model of abstractness evaluated using a participant-based measure of abstractness. Second, this model of abstractness is used to determine the direction and distance in abstractness of metaphoric mappings. Direction of abstractness in these mappings is whether the source or target concept is the more abstract. Distance is the difference in abstractness between source and target concepts. Both factors influence metaphoricity, as measured using introspection and a participant-based study of metaphoricity. The results give empirical support for a long-standing claim about abstractness in mappings, but also ...
Evidence-based chronic ulcer care and lower limb outcomes among Pacific Northwest veterans.

Evidence-based ulcer care guidelines detail optimal components of care for treatment of ulcers of different etiologies. We investigated the impact of providing specific evidence-based ulcer treatment components on healing outcomes for lower limb ulcers (LLU) among veterans in the Pacific Northwest. Components of evidence-based ulcer care for venous, arterial, diabetic foot ulcers/neuropathic ulcers were abstracted from medical records. The outcome was ulcer healing. Our analysis assessed the relationship between evidence-based ulcer care by etiology, components of care provided, and healing, while accounting for veteran characteristics. A minority of veterans in all three ulcer-etiology groups received the recommended components of evidence-based care in at least 80% of visits. The likelihood of healing improved when assessment for edema and infection were performed on at least 80% of visits (hazard ratio [HR] = 3.20, p = 0.009 and HR = 3.54, p = 0.006, respectively) in patients with venous ulcers. There was no significant association between frequency of care components provided and healing among patients with arterial ulcers. Among patients with diabetic/neuropathic ulcers, the chance of healing increased 2.5-fold when debridement was performed at 80% of visits (p = 0.03), and doubled when ischemia was assessed at the first visit (p = 0.045). Veterans in the Pacific Northwest did not uniformly receive evidence-based ulcer care. Not all evidence-based ulcer care components were significantly associated with healing. At a minimum, clinicians need to address components of ulcer care associated with improved ulcer healing.
Clinical subtypes of Crohn's disease according to surgical outcome.

Patients with Crohn’s disease are typically classified into perforator or nonperforator groups. The perforator group includes those who present with acute perforation, fistulas, or abscess formation. The non-perforator group presents with stricture, obstruction, or unresponsiveness to medical therapy. Our purpose was to investigate whether perianal disease constitutes a separate predictor of surgical outcome. The form of presentation was classified as perforator, nonperforator, or perianal disease in 91 patients undergoing 232 operations for Crohn’s disease. Those with perforating complications presented with the highest Crohn’s Disease Activity Index, followed by those with nonperforating complications, and then the perianal disease group. However, the perianal disease group appeared to have the most rapid rate of recurrence and subsequent surgery, followed next by the perforator, and then the nonperforator group. Recurrence rate and subsequent operation intervals for the perforator group appeared to lengthen when those patients were treated with steroids and/or immunosuppressants, as compared to nonsteroidal and/or antimicrobial agents. Recurrence rate and subsequent operation intervals appeared to lengthen for the nonperforator and perianal disease groups when they were treated with nonsteroidal and/or antimicro-bial therapy, as compared to steroids and/or immunosuppressants. Our data indicate that perianal disease, as a form of presentation of Crohn’s disease, has independent predictive value, although this is not accurately reflected by the Crohn’s Disease Activity Index.
Communal sensor network for adaptive noise reduction in aircraft engine nacelles

Emergent behavior, a subject of much research in biology, sociology, and economics, is a foundational element of Complex Systems Science and is apropos in the design of sensor network systems. To demonstrate engineering for emergent behavior, a novel approach in the design of a sensor/actuator network is presented maintaining optimal noise attenuation as an adaptation to changing acoustic conditions. Rather than use the conventional approach where sensors are managed by a central controller, this new paradigm uses a biomimetic model where sensor/actuators cooperate as a community of autonomous organisms, sharing with neighbors to control impedance based on local information. From the combination of all individual actions, an optimal attenuation emerges for the global system.
Benchscale Assessment of the Efficacy of a Reactive Core Mat to Isolate PAH-spiked Aquatic Sediments.

This paper describes the results of a benchscale testing program to assess the efficacy of a reactive core mat (RCM) for short-term isolation and partial remediation of contaminated, subaqueous sediments. The 1.25-cm-thick RCM (with a core reactive material such as organoclay with filtering layers on top and bottom) is placed on the sediment, and approximately 7.5–10 cm of overlying soil is placed on the RCM for stability and protection. A set of experiments were conducted to measure the sorption characteristics of the mat core (organoclay) and sediment used in the experiments, and to determine the fate of semi-volatile organic contaminants and non-reactive tracers through the sediment and reactive mat. The experimental study was conducted on naphthalene-spiked Neponset River (Milton, MA) sediment. The results show nonlinear sorption behavior for organoclay, with sorption capacity increasing with increasing naphthalene concentration. Neponset River sediment showed a notably high sorption capacity, likely ...
Verification of automated peptide identifications from proteomic tandem mass spectra

Shotgun proteomics yields tandem mass spectra of peptides that can be identified by database search algorithms. When only a few observed peptides suggest the presence of a protein, establishing the accuracy of the peptide identifications is necessary for accepting or rejecting the protein identification. In this protocol, we describe the properties of peptide identifications that can differentiate legitimately identified peptides from spurious ones. The chemistry of fragmentation, as embodied in the 'mobile proton' and 'pathways in competition' models, informs the process of confirming or rejecting each spectral match. Examples of ion-trap and tandem time-of-flight (TOF/TOF) mass spectra illustrate these principles of fragmentation.
Evaluation of the diagnostic validity of the luria-Nebraska neuropsychological battery form II

The present study evaluated the ability of Form II of the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery (LNNB) to discriminate brain-impaired from neurologically normal subjects. Using discriminant analysis the battery was able to separate 55 impaired from 55 nonimpaired subjects matched for age and education at significant levels. The present data also confirm previous findings that age and education significantly affect performance of nonimpaired subjects. Sex was not found to be a factor influencing performance level on the LNNB, Form 11. Directions for further research are suggested.
Computational Electromagnetics for Broadband Antenna Arrays: A Domain Decomposition Approach

This paper presents a methodology for simulating broadband antenna arrays using a combined domain decomposition (DD) and model order reduction (MORE) approach, in the context of the finite element method. The large computational resources required for array modeling are minimized since DD methods efficiently reuse information associated to geometrical repetitions in the array. The complexity of the geometries are handled by h-adaptive mesh refinement in conjunction with higher-order tangential vector finite elements. Their broad frequency response is accounted through an singular value decomposition (SVD) based MORE technique. (6 pages)
Long-Term Outcome of Epididymectomy for the Management of Chronic Epididymal Pain

Purpose: We evaluated the long-term outcomes of patients who underwent epididymectomy for the treatment of chronic epididymal pain.Materials and Methods: All 72 patients who underwent epididymectomy at our institution between 1994 and 2007 were invited to participate in the study. Patients were mailed questionnaires covering various aspects of the treatment. Questions regarding pain were rated on a scale between 0 and 10 (0—no pain, 10—severe pain). Patients who did not return the questionnaires were followed up by telephone and the medical case notes of all respondents were reviewed. Statistical analysis was performed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank and Fisher's exact tests with p <0.05 considered statistically significant.Results: A total of 53 patients participated (74% response rate) and mean followup was 7.4 years. Of these patients 45 (84.9%) underwent epididymectomy for post-vasectomy pain and the remainder (8 of 53, 15.1%) had the procedure for various nonvasectomy reasons. There were significant i...
Application of Adcon-P or Seprafilm in consecutive laparotomies using a murine model

Abstract Background Intraabdominal administration of antiadhesive products may reduce postoperative adhesions. We compared two barriers, Adcon-P (Gliatech, Cleveland, Ohio) and Seprafilm (Genzyme, Cambridge, Massachusetts), in a relaparotomy murine model to evaluate whether using them during the first and second laparotomy reduces adhesion formation better than using them only during the relaparotomy. Methods One-hundred and fifty mice underwent cecal abrasion, followed by complete adhesiolysis and cecal abrasion 21 days later. All were sacrified 21 days after the second operation. The mice (30 to a group) received Adcon-P in both surgeries (AA), Seprafilm in both surgeries (SS), Adcon-P in the second surgery (CA), Seprafilm in the second surgery (CS), or neither barrier (CC). Difficulty of adhesiolysis was blindly assessed with a 6-point scoring system and sites of adhesions were determined with a yes/no questionnaire. Results The AA group had lower adhesiolysis score than SS, CS, and CC groups, and had fewer adhesions over cecum and between cecum and intra-peritoneal fat than all other groups. The numbers of the animals had adhesions between the cecum and abdominal wall were similar between the treatment groups. No difference was observed between SS and CS groups in any analysis. Conclusions Using Adcon-P starting with the first laparotomy more effectively reduce adhesion formation and difficulty of adhesiolysis. Using Seprafilm only in the relaparotomy is as effective as using it in both laparotomies. Adcon-P is more effective in preventing adhesions to different sites than Seprafilm except to the abdominal wall under the midline incision.
HPC/PDC immunization in the introductory computer science sequence

Immunization is the process in which we fortify our immune systems by injecting just enough of an active agent so as to cause the immune system to gear up with the appropriate antibodies. This paper discusses a successful practice of "HPC/PDC Immunization" at the CS1/CS2 level. We have found that simply exposing students to threaded versions of solutions they have already solved "fortifies" their technical expectations so they assume parallel programming will be a normal part of their educational experience. In particular we look for interesting Monte Carlo Simulation problems for students to solve conventionally. These problems already exist in the current introductory textbooks. They are CPU-bound and embarrassingly parallel. At the end of the semester, an "immunization lecture" is given, showing students that some simple-looking OpenMP pragma's can release their already working solution to run across all the available cores on their machines. Upon seeing a System Monitor report 100% of the available CPU cycles running their code, the students' "technical antibodies" are launched, and they will demand to be shown parallel programming in the later courses. This project is part of the CSinParallel.org corpus of parallel teaching materials.
Kelvin probe measurements: investigations of the patch effect with applications to ST-7 and LISA

One of the possible noise sources for the space-based gravitational wave detector LISA (the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna), associated with its test masses, is that due to spatial variations in surface potential (or patch effect) across the surfaces of the test mass and its housing. Such variations will lead to force gradients which may result in a significant acceleration noise term. Another noise source is that due to temporal variations in the surface potential, which in conjunction with any ambient dc voltage or net free charge on the test mass may also produce a significant acceleration noise term. The ST-7 demonstrator mission is designed to test technologies for LISA, including the gravitational reference sensor, which contains a gold-coated gold/platinum (Au/Pt) alloy test mass, surrounded by a housing that carries the electrodes for sensing and control. We have used a Kelvin probe at the Goddard Space Flight Center to make spatial and temporal measurements of contact potential differences for a selection of materials (Au/Pt, beryllia, alumina, titanium) and coatings (gold, diamond-like carbon, indium tin oxide, titanium carbide). Our investigations indicate that subject to certain assumptions all of these coatings appear to satisfy the ST-7 requirement that patch effect spatial variations should be less than 100 mV. The data also revealed evidence of behavioural trends with pressure and possible contamination effects. Regarding temporal variations, the current accuracy of the instrument is limiting the measurements at a level above the likely LISA requirements. We discuss our results and draw some conclusions of relevance to LISA.
An appraisal of radioisotope fueled pacemakers after 5 years.

Summary and Conclusions Personal observation of 131 radioisotope-powered pulse generators in 120 patients over a period of 5 years has confirmed the expectations of the developers. Actuarial survival of the pulse generator at 5 years was 96 percent. There were only two cases of component failure (1.5 percent) and no battery failures.13 To date there has been no evident toxicity from radiation effects. The total cost of pacing is less with nuclear units than with lithium or with mercury-zinc powered models. Factors, limiting the use of the pacer are the persistence of nonbattery problems that require premature reoperation, and the unavailability of a truly “modern” pulse generator. Because the nuclear pacers have proved to be effective, relatively inexpensive, and apparently safe, we believe that continued clinical use is justified; the manufacturers, however, should modify the present units by incorporating fully programmable circuits in a pulse generator package much reduced in size.
Quantum Mechanical Model for Conformons.

Abstract The purpose of this paper is the investigation of the role of entropy in the conformon, based on a model Hamiltonian approach. There are three stages of our considerations. (1) Quadratic terms are introduced into the potential energy terms of harmonic oscillators in the presence of an electron, leading to an increase in entropy and thus to an increased number of thermally activated electrons. (2) The number of activated electrons is not just increased, but they are also mobile if electronphonon bound states are formed. (3) A compensation rule cannot be obtained in this harmonic approximation, and therefore anharmonic coupling is introduced. This leads to a mobility edge and the analogy to amorphous semiconductors is pointed out.
Leveraging online social media for capturing observations of daily living and ecological momentary assessment

Observations of daily living (ODLs) are important information for empowering users to understand their health and well-being, and while shared with clinicians, ODLs can be used to improve diagnosis and treatment. On the other hand, clinicians and researchers are interested in performing ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to better understand health-related behavior patters in order to diagnose and treat health conditions. We envision the use of user-generated content and user activity logs in Online Social Networks (OSNs) to glean ODLs and perform EMA. Open platforms of major OSNs would allow the development of third-party applications ("apps ") to capture health related data. The data gathered by an "app " can be sent to a Cloud-based server that can process the data to glean ODLs and then add them into personal health records (PHRs) or to perform EMA.
The Use of Special Exchange Rates for Transactions with Foreign Companies

A VARIETY OF ELEMENTS is likely to be taken into account in establishing a set of multiple exchange rates for export proceeds. Some multiple rates appear to have as one of their objectives the avoidance of the inflationary pressures which would be generated if all exporters were given the advantage of a generally depreciated rate. Some emerge from the desire to subsidize particular exports, or from the attempt to gain government revenue by widening the margin between the buying and selling rates. Others may be traced to balance of payments pressure and indicate a conscious attempt to adjust export rates to the supply possibilities for various types of product. Still others may be regarded as devices for taxing particular companies or groups of companies in lieu of other forms of taxation. In any single country, more than one of these purposes may be involved, especially where there are several buying rates. It is, however, convenient to make a general analysis separately of each of the elements that may help to explain a given system of multiple rates. In a number of countries which have multiple currency practices, certain foreign companies are exempted from the obligation to surrender to the local authorities their exchange proceeds from exports. The companies, however, need a certain amount of local currency to cover their local operating expenses. Where there is no unitary exchange rate, a decision has to be made about the rate at which this local currency will be provided in exchange for part of the companies' exchange proceeds. In a few such countries, e.g., Ecuador, the buying rate fixed for this purpose is the same as is applied to proceeds from the majority of exports. In others, however, the foreign companies are required to convert, at a special appreciated1 rate, such part of their exchange pro-
The multiwell experiment core program, II

An unprecedented core analysis program is under way as part of DOE's Multi-Well Experiment (MWX). MWX is a research-oriented field laboratory whose objectives are to thoroughly characterize lenticular tight gas sands and to develop technology for their production. Over 4100 ft (1250 m) of core were taken from three wells separated by only about 115-215 ft (35-66 m) at depth. All major categories of core analysis are reviewed and results through December 1983 are included. Those include routine core analysis, restored state reservoir parameter measurements, electrical measurements, mechanical rock property data, mineralogy, organic maturation, natural fractures, and geochemistry. This paper also describes the laboratory work on core and formation invasion and the development of instruments that were used in the field processing of the core.
POWER-AWARE BUS ENCODING TECHNIQUES FOR I/O AND DATA BUSES IN AN EMBEDDED SYSTEM

Microprocessors with built-in Liquid Crystal Device (LCD) controllers and equipped with Flash ROM are common in mobile computing applications. In the first part of the paper, a software-only encoding technique is proposed to reduce the power consumption of the processor-memory bus when displaying an image on the LCD. Based on the translation mechanism of the LCD controller, the approach of this paper is to start with the palette as a coding table for the pixel buffer and then reassign the codes according to the image characteristics. Experimental results prove the efficacy of this approach; power reduction reaches 29% for text-based and 17% for graphics-based images. In the second part of the paper, another software-only encoding technique is presented to reduce the transitions on the processor-Compact Flash bus. The device driver in a Linux operating system is modified to perform Bus-Invert encoding when the data is read from or written to a Compact Flash file system. With minimal software overhead, the transitions on the bus are reduced by up to 25%.
Inexact subgradient methods with applications in stochastic programming

In many instances, the exact evaluation of an objective function and its subgradients can be computationally demanding. By way of example, we cite problems that arise within the context of stochastic optimization, where the objective function is typically defined via multi-dimensional integration. In this paper, we address the solution of such optimization problems by exploring the use of successive approximation schemes within subgradient optimization methods. We refer to this new class of methods as inexact subgradient algorithms. With relatively mild conditions imposed on the approximations, we show that the inexact subgradient algorithms inherit properties associated with their traditional (i.e., exact) counterparts. Within the context of stochastic optimization, the conditions that we impose allow a relaxation of requirements traditionally imposed on steplengths in stochastic quasi-gradient methods. Additionally, we study methods in which steplengths may be defined adaptively, in a manner that reflects the improvement in the objective function approximations as the iterations proceed. We illustrate the applicability of our approach by proposing an inexact subgradient optimization method for the solution of stochastic linear programs.
Arachidonic acid-induced Ca2+ release from isolated sarcoplasmic reticulum.

Abstract Arachidonic acid has been shown to release Ca2+ from isolated skeletal and cardiac sarco-plasmic reticulum (SR) vesicles. The release took place nearly equally well from all fractions of the SR and was only partially inhibited by ruthenium red, suggesting that some other pathway is involved in addition to the SR Ca2+ release channel. Arachidonic acid increased SR Ca2+ efflux even in the presence of several different SR Ca2+ pump inhibitors. It also had considerably less effect on uptake measured in the presence of oxalate and did not appear to inhibit Ca2+-dependent ATPase activity. Thus, the SR Ca2+ pump also appears to be minimally perturbed by arachidonic acid. Arachidonyl CoA was more effective at releasing Ca2+ than the parent compound. Arachidonic acid effects were not inhibited by lipoxygenase or cyclooxygenase inhibitors, suggesting that no eicosanoids are involved in the effects under study here. Flunarizine, cinnarizine and propyl-methylenedioxyindene inhibited the Ca2+ release induced by arachidonic acid. The effects of arachidonic acid appear to depend on the ratio of arachidonic acid to membrane vesicles.
Effect of Triton X-100 on the double layer capacitance and conductivity of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) films

Abstract Among conducting polymers, PEDOT:PSS is a promising electrode material for supercapacitors, due to stability and simple processability of the polymer. However, a thin film of spin coated PEDOT:PSS shows a compact structure with relatively low double layer capacitance. In order to enhance the film porosity, a surfactant (Triton X-100) has been added to the polymer solution before spin coating. In this work, the effect of concentration of Triton X-100 on the double layer capacitance and conductivity of the PEDOT:PSS film has been studied. Different electrodes were fabricated with PEDOT:PSS samples that were prepared with different levels of Triton X-100. A peak specific double layer capacitance of 20 F/g was achieved in the electrode with 3.0 wt% of Triton X-100 which was ∼10 times larger than the capacitance in the electrodes with 0.0 and 5.0 wt% surfactant. Additionally, the conductivity of the PEDOT:PSS films were enhanced with application of Triton X-100 by at least 20 times. The SEM (scanning electron microscopy) images of the electrodes show correlation that the increase in capacitance with 3.0 wt% surfactant was due to the augmentation of porosity of the films structure.