cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Randomized Comparative Trial of Acupuncture and Exercise Versus Uterine Ecbolics in the Treatment of Persistent Postbreeding Endometritis in Mares.

Abstract Although exercise and acupuncture are frequently used therapies to treat persistent postbreeding endometritis, their efficacy to date is unproven. The objective of this study was to determine if exercise and acupuncture are effective methods to reduce intrauterine fluid and compare the effectiveness of these treatments to the use of uterine ecbolics. Twelve mares susceptible to postbreeding endometritis were enrolled in the study with a randomized cross-over design using both positive and negative controls. During each estrous cycle, mares were randomized into one of six treatment groups, including stall rest (SR), oxytocin, cloprostenol, exercise, electroacupuncture, and oxytocin and exercise. Each mare was challenged with an insemination dose of 500 × 106 dead sperm at time 0 hours. Intrauterine fluid measurements were taken at 0, 4, 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours postbreeding. Associations between treatment efficacy and fluid clearance were investigated using a random-effects logistic regression model that controlled for positive uterine culture. Compared with the SR negative control, exercise was the most effective treatment and had 29.7 times increased odds of fluid clearance. The second most effective treatment was oxytocin alone, with 16.9 times increased odds of fluid clearance. This was followed by cloprostenol that had 10.6 greater odds of fluid clearance, and finally, the treatment that combined exercise with oxytocin had 8.4 times greater odds of fluid clearance. Results from this study confirm that exercise and exercise combined with oxytocin are effective methods to clear intrauterine fluid.
Involvement of fine particulate matter exposure with gene expression pathways in breast tumor and adjacent-normal breast tissue

Abstract Background Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has been associated with breast cancer specific mortality, particularly for women with Stage I cancer. We examined the biological pathways that are perturbed by PM2.5 exposures by analyzing gene expression measurements from breast tissue specimens. Methods The Nurses' Health Studies (NHS and NHSII) are prospective cohorts with archival breast tissue specimens from breast cancer cases. Global gene expression data were ascertained with the Affymetrix Glue Human Transcriptome Array 3.0. PM2.5 was estimated using spatio-temporal models linked to participants’ home addresses. All analyses were performed separately in tumor (n = 591) and adjacent-normal (n = 497) samples, and stratified by estrogen receptor (ER) status and stage. We used multivariable linear regression, gene-set enrichment analyses (GSEA), and the least squares kernel machine (LSKM) to assess whether 3-year cumulative average pre-diagnosis PM2.5 exposure was associated with breast-tissue gene expression pathways among predominately Stage I and II women (90.7%) and postmenopausal (81.2%) women. Replication samples (tumor, n = 245; adjacent-normal, n = 165) were measured on Affymetrix Human Transcriptome Array (HTA 2.0). Results Overall, no pathways in the tumor area were significantly associated with PM2.5 exposure. Among 272 adjacent-normal samples from Stage I ER-positive women, PM2.5 was associated with perturbations in the oxidative phosphorylation, protein secretion, and mTORC1 signaling pathways (GSEA and LSKM p-values Conclusions PM2.5 was generally not associated with breast tissue gene expression though was suggested to perturb oxidative phosphorylation and regulation of proteins and cellular signaling in adjacent-normal breast tissue. More research is needed on the biological role of PM2.5 that influences breast tumor progression.
Evolutionary Processes and Biophysical Mechanisms: Revisiting Why Evolved Proteins Are Marginally Stable.

Evolved proteins observed in natural organisms are found to be only marginally stable. Several mechanistic hypotheses have been presented to date to explain this observation. One idea that has been put forward is that active selection prevents proteins from becoming too stable to enable proper function. A second idea is that marginal stability reflects the point of mutation–selection–drift balance, where it is mutational pressure that generates marginal stability. A third idea explored in this issue of Journal of Molecular Evolution is that a physical limit prevents the evolution of more stable proteins rather than an evolutionary process. While the first two notions are based upon specific evolutionary processes, discussion here is aimed at reconciling evolutionary processes with the physics of protein folding, drawing upon the ideas that have been presented.
Provide and Protect the Essential Components

This article takes a look at the current educational climate during the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, specifically the place that physical education has during this time. It explores the importance ...
Routine Healthcare Utilization Among Reproductive-Age Women Residing in a Rural Maternity Care Desert

It is important that women of reproductive age have access to and use routine health services to improve birth outcomes. While it is estimated that more than 5 million women in over 1000 counties across the United States live in maternity care deserts, to date there have been no published studies characterizing access and barriers to routine healthcare utilization in these areas. Therefore, a cross-sectional study was conducted in a rural county in northwest Ohio with 315 women ages 18–45 years. Health insurance coverage, usual source of care, length of time since routine check-up, and barriers to receipt of health services were assessed via a self-reported, anonymous survey. Over one-tenth (11.3%) of participants reported having no health insurance coverage. A total of 14.4% reported having no usual source of care and 22.8% reported not having a routine check-up in the past year. Just over one-half (53.0%) of participants reported having at least one barrier to accessing health care. In a logistic regression analysis, having a routine check-up in the past year was inversely associated with number of barriers (OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.56–0.95; p = 0.019); women who reported more barriers were less likely to report receipt of preventive care in the past year. The results of this study reveal that many reproductive-age women living in a maternity care desert face challenges in accessing health services. Policies and programs need to be developed and implemented to close these gaps and maximize opportunities for optimal health.
Challenges in Assessment Centres: Lessons from Experience:

The success of the assessment centre (AC) approach has been widely acknowledged and its widespread practice testifies to this. In India, its adoption as a tool for HRD is increasing slowly and stea...
Comprehensive theoretical framework for the analysis of microgap thermionic energy conversion under constant heat inputs

Abstract We present a comprehensive model to fully characterize the behavior of thermionic energy conversion devices subject to constant heat flux inputs. Thermionic energy converters (TECs) have recently gained enormous attention mainly due to technological advances enabling the fabrication of converters with micro/nanometer interelectrode gaps. The reduced gap appeared to solve the long-lasting issue of negative space-charge build-up within TECs. However, the decrease in gap distance leads to the appearance of new physics in the energy interactions between the two electrodes, such as the image-charge effect and near-field thermal radiation. The intertwined energy exchange mechanisms require a deeper look and a systematic approach for accurately modeling the performance of TECs in the micro/nanoscales, especially in practical applications where the device is exposed to external energy sources such as concentrated solar power. We conducted a steady-state energy balance analysis to calculate the operating temperatures of the electrodes by considering constant heat flux inputs (such as concentrated solar energy) to the emitter and various cooling rates of the collector. The potential barrier profile within the interelectrode gap, the net current density, and the power output are subsequently calculated for a TEC with electrodes made of tungsten with and without electron reflection. The optimal values of the gap distance are also reported for various input scenarios revealing considerable deviation from the previously reported ones. An overall efficiency of 38.3 % with a power output of 19.2 kW/m2 can be reached for a TEC with perfectly absorbing electrodes at the gap distance of 6 μ m operating under a heat flux input of 50 kW/m2 and convective heat transfer coefficient of 500 W/m2K. We believe that the present work provides an unabridged framework for the rigorous analysis of thermionic power generation with (sub) micrometer interelectrode distances and offers substantial insight into the design and characterization of TECs.
Noncontrast MRI Protocol for Selected Pediatric Pituitary Endocrinopathies: A Procedure with High Diagnostic Yield and Potential to Reduce Anesthesia and Gadolinium-Based Contrast Exposure

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Although many pediatric neuroradiology practices empirically use noncontrast brain and pituitary MR imaging for evaluation of growth hormone deficiency, central precocious puberty, and short stature, there are currently insufficient published data to support this practice in an evidence-based fashion. Therefore, the use of contrast-enhanced MR imaging for all pediatric pituitary endocrinopathies remains widespread. We evaluated whether noncontrast MR imaging has adequate diagnostic yield for the evaluation of pediatric growth hormone deficiency, central precocious puberty, and short stature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pituitary MR imaging studies obtained for growth hormone deficiency, central precocious puberty, or short stature in patients 0–18 years of age from 2010 to 2019 were analyzed. Separate blinded review of noncontrast images in cases with abnormalities on the original radiology report was performed by 2 subspecialty-trained pediatric neuroradiologists, with discrepancies resolved by consensus. RESULTS: Of the 134/442 MR imaging studies obtained for growth hormone deficiency, central precocious puberty, or short stature with hypothalamic-pituitary region abnormalities, there was 70% concordance with the original reports on blinded review of noncontrast images. Twenty-two of 40 discrepancies were deemed unrelated to the indication, and 9 cases originally interpreted as possible microadenoma were read as having normal findings on blinded review. Only 9 of 40 discrepancies required contrast for further characterization. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, most relevant radiologic findings in patients with growth hormone deficiency, central precocious puberty, and short stature were detectable without contrast, providing evidence that contrast can be avoided in routine MR imaging evaluation of these indications. We propose a “rapid noncontrast pituitary” MR imaging protocol for pediatric patients presenting with growth hormone deficiency, central precocious puberty, or short stature, which may increase efficiency and decrease contrast and anesthesia exposure.
4D Reconstruction and Identification of Carotid Artery Stenosis Utilizing a Novel Pulsatile Ultrasound Phantom

As a major application focus of vascular ultrasonography, the carotid artery has long been the subject of phantom design and procedure focus. It is therefore important to devise procedures that are minimally invasive and informative, initially using a physiologically accurate anthropomorphic phantom to validate the methodology. In this article, a novel phantom design protocol is presented that enables the efficient production of a pulsatile ultrasound phantom consisting of soft and vascular tissue mimics, as well as a blood surrogate fluid. These components when combined give the phantom high acoustic compatibility and lifelike mechanical properties. The phantom was developed using "at-home" purchasable components and 3D printing technology. The phantom was subsequently used to develop a 4D reconstruction algorithm of the pulsing vessel in MATLAB. In pattern with recent developments in medical imaging, the 4D reconstruction enables clinicians to view vessel wall motion in a 3D space without the need for manual intervention. The reconstruction algorithm also produces measured inner luminal areas and vessel wall thickness, providing further information relating to structural properties and stenosis, as well as elastic properties such as arterial stiffness, which could provide helpful markers for disease diagnosis. © 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Constructing a pulsatile ultrasound phantom model Support Protocol: Creating a vascular mimic mold Basic Protocol 2: Creating a 4D reconstruction from ultrasound frames.
Statistical approaches to neuroimaging analysis

Abstract The two most common image analysis goals are prediction and explanation. Both of these analyses build off or use the linear model, one of the most useful tools in statistics. Although the terms explanation and prediction are often used interchangeably, here prediction is used in the true sense of the word and explanation refers to studies of association. In the case of prediction, one may be interested in whether a set of variables can accurately predict a value, say future disease status. In the case of explanation, one may be interested in how variables explain a dependent variable of interest, such as an association between brain activity and age. This chapter introduces the linear model and differences between how it is used in prediction and association analyses. The goal is to support the understanding of methods in other chapters that rely on prediction or explanation.
A 3D IEM for Compressible Wing Flows With and Without Shocks

An integral equation (or called field-panel, field-boundary element) scheme for solving the full-potential equation for incompressible and compressible flows with and without shocks has been developed. The full-potential equation has been written in the form of the Poisson’s equation. Compressibility has been treated as non-homogeneity. The integral equation solution in terms of velocity field is obtained by the Green’s theorem. The solution consists of wing (or a general body) surface (boundary elements) integral term(s) of vorticity/source distribution(s), wake surface (boundary elements) integral term(s) of free-vortex sheet(s), a volume (field-elements) integral term of compressibility over a small limited domain around the source of disturbance, and a shock surface (boundary elements) integral term of source distributions. Solution is obtained through an iterative procedure for non-linear compressible flows. To be consistent with the mixed-nature of transonic flows, the Murman-Cole type-difference scheme is used to compute the derivatives of the density. The present scheme is applied to flows around a rectangular wing with circular-arc section at incompressible, high- subsonic and transonic flow conditions.
Identification of molecular-cloud material in interplanetary dust particles

Interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) collected in the Earth's stratosphere and meteorites are fragments of comets and asteroids. These are ‘primitive’ meteorites in part because they have preserved materials which predate the formation of the Solar System. The most primitive (least altered) meteorites contain a few parts per million of micrometre-sized dust which formed in the atmospheres of giant stars1. Some meteorites2 have elevated D/H and 15N/14N ratios that are attributed to surviving interstellar organic molecules which have probably been strongly diluted and altered by parent-body processes2. Most IDPs are chemically, mineralogically, and texturally primitive in comparison to meteorites3,4. Here I show that H and N isotopic anomalies among fragile ‘cluster’ IDPs are far larger, more common, and less equilibrated than those previously observed in other IDPs or meteorites. In some cases, the D/H ratios that we measure reach the values of interstellar molecules, suggesting that molecular-cloud material has survived intact. These observations indicate that cluster IDPs are the most primitive class of Solar System materials currently available for laboratory analysis.
A GENETIC APPROACH TO ECONOMETRIC MODELING

ABSTRACT An important problem in economics is finding the mathematical relationship between the empirically observed variables measuring a system. In many conventional modeling techniques, one necessarily begins by selecting the size and shape of the model. After making this choice, one usually then tries to find the values of certain coefficients required by the particular model so as to achieve the best fit between the observed data and the model. But, in many cases, the most important issue is the size and shape of the model itself. Finding the functional form of the model can be viewed as searching a space of possible computer programs for the particular computer program which produces the desired output for given inputs. This most fit computer program can be found via a recently developed genetic programming paradigm originally developed for solving artificial intelligence problems. This new genetic programming paradigm genetically breeds populations of computer programs in a Darwinian competition using genetic operations, such as crossover (sexual recombination). In this paper, we illustrate the process of discovering a model by rediscovering the well-known multiplicative (non-linear) “exchange equation” P=MV/Q relating the money supply, price level, gross national product, and velocity of money in an economy.
Meta-analysis for Discovering Rare-Variant Associations: Statistical Methods and Software Programs

There is heightened interest in using next-generation sequencing technologies to identify rare variants that influence complex human diseases and traits. Meta-analysis is essential to this endeavor because large sample sizes are required for detecting associations with rare variants. In this article, we provide a comprehensive overview of statistical methods for meta-analysis of sequencing studies for discovering rare-variant associations. Specifically, we discuss the calculation of relevant summary statistics from participating studies, the construction of gene-level association tests, the choice of transformation for quantitative traits, the use of fixed-effects versus random-effects models, and the removal of shadow association signals through conditional analysis. We also show that meta-analysis based on properly calculated summary statistics is as powerful as joint analysis of individual-participant data. In addition, we demonstrate the performance of different meta-analysis methods by using both simulated and empirical data. We then compare four major software packages for meta-analysis of rare-variant associations—MASS, RAREMETAL, MetaSKAT, and seqMeta—in terms of the underlying statistical methodology, analysis pipeline, and software interface. Finally, we present PreMeta, a software interface that integrates the four meta-analysis packages and allows a consortium to combine otherwise incompatible summary statistics.
Is Intelligent Online Tutoring Software Useful in Refreshing Financial Accounting Knowledge

Originality/value Although vendors of intelligent online tutoring software market their product as a useful review tool for intermediate accounting, academic research has not examined the effectiveness of these products.
Analytical and numerical studies in deterministic modeling of the states of ions and atoms

Abstract A new, semiclassical model of atoms and ions is applied to systems with two, three, four, and six electrons. The related computer methodology is simple and economical, with no computation requiring more than one second on a DEC-20 mainframe. Results of unexpectedly high accuracy are obtained for both ground and excited states. General algebraic formulas also result for various excited states.
P.2.19 Long term growth hormone therapy in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD): A case report

Long term glucocorticoid (GC) treatment compromises linear growth in DMD. Growth hormone (GH) therapy improves height, yet the impact on motor and cardiopulmonary function has not been studied in current DMD research. To report clinical outcomes in a DMD patient on long term GH for GC-induced linear growth failure. Retrospective review of motor, cardiac, and pulmonary outcomes pre- and post-GH therapy. Subject was a 19.6-year-old male with DMD, GC-induced linear growth failure, and GH deficiency (peak stimulated GH of 3.3 ng/mL, normal >10), treated with daily GC for 9.9 y and GH for 6.3 y. GH treatment was associated with improved height growth (pre-GH height growth 1.25 cm per year compared to 4.3 cm per year on GH, reaching 151 cm at age 18.8 y). Motor function improved initially and stabilized until age 14.7 y, followed by a gradual decline; subject lost the ability to rise from the floor independently at age 16.2 y, to climb stairs unsupported at age 17.5 y, and to ambulate independently at age 18.8 y. Cardiac function remained stable after GC initiation (pre-GH, LVEF = 54.0%; post-GH, LVEF = 64.8%). Pulmonary function was also relatively unaffected by GH therapy (pre-GH, FVC = 1.42 L (72% of predicted), MIP = 64 cm H20, MEP = 64 cm H20, PCF = 200 L/min; post-GH, FVC = 2.3 L (82% of predicted), MIP = 76 cm H20, MEP = 76 cm H20, PCF = 300 L/min). Subject had no significant side effects of long term GH treatment. This single case report of a DMD patient with GC-induced growth failure improved with long term GH treatment suggests that GH did not adversely affect motor and cardiopulmonary function. Additional research on functional outcomes in GH-treated DMD patients is indicated.
A frequency-agile interferometer for solar microwave spectroscopy

A high-resolution microwave spectrometer has been developed by converting the Owens Valley solar interferometer to frequency-agile operation. The system uses 27 m antennas equipped with phase-locked receivers which can change their observing frequency in 25 or 50 ms. Microwave spectra between 1 and 18 GHz are obtained in a few seconds by successive observations at up to 86 discrete frequencies. At each frequency the data are equivalent to the total power from each antenna and the interferometric amplitude and phase. All data are fully calibrated with respect to cosmic sources.
Transient wave propagation in a semi-infinite, transversely isotropic rod

Abstract In this study the response in a transversely isotropic, semi-infinite elastic rod is found to an input on its end that is time dependent. The solution follows closely the method developed by Skalak for isotropic rods which uses integral transforms to solve the governing equations. The solution differs from that of Skalak, apart from material properties, in that in this study mixed-mixed conditions are assumed for the end of the rod. The responses are found at a “distant” station and are expressed in terms of the axial and tangential strains.
Altered behavioral development in Nrf2 knockout mice following early postnatal exposure to valproic acid

Early exposure to valproic acid results in autism-like neural and behavioral deficits in humans and other animals through oxidative stress-induced neural damage. In the present study, valproic acid was administered to genetically altered mice lacking the Nrf2 (nuclear factor-erythroid 2 related factor 2) gene on postnatal day 14 (P14). Nrf2 is a transcription factor that induces genes that protect against oxidative stress. It was found that valproic acid-treated Nrf2 knockout mice were less active in open field activity chambers, less successful on the rotorod, and had deficits in learning and memory in the Morris water maze compared to the valproic acid-treated wild type mice. Given these results, it appears that Nrf2 knockout mice were more sensitive to the neural damage caused by valproic acid administered during early development.
Steady-state flow distributions in the disturbed zone of layered aquifers

Abstract Distributions of flow on the face of a well surrounded by a disturbed zone located in layered aquifers are investigated analytically for a flowmeter test. Hydraulic drawdown and flow distribution solutions are derived for the disturbed zone in two- and n-layered aquifers. The example for a disturbed zone in the two-layered aquifer shows that when the disturbed zone is large and when pumping rate is a constant, the flow distribution tends to be uniform. Using the derived equations for the flow distribution, we also give the relative error expression of the measured flow rate as the function of the disturbed zone radius. The example shows that for a thick disturbed zone, the measured flow may contain a large error because of the crossflow between layers. For a low-permeability layer, the disturbed zone results in an overestimation of hydraulic conductivity, and for a high-permeability layer, the disturbed zone results in an underestimation of conductivity because the measured flow from each layer receives a part of the flow from the adjacent high-permeability layers or loses a part of flow to the adjacent low-permeability layers, respectively.
Membrane-Bound Myo1c Powers Asymmetric Motility of Actin Filaments

Class I myosins are molecular motors that link cellular membranes to the actin cytoskeleton and play roles in membrane tension generation, membrane dynamics, and mechanosignal transduction. The widely expressed myosin-Ic (myo1c) isoform binds tightly to phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PtdIns(4,5)P(2)] via a pleckstrin homology domain located in the myo1c tail, which is important for its proper cellular localization. In this study, we found that myo1c can power actin motility on fluid membranes composed of physiological concentrations of PtdIns(4,5)P(2) and that this motility is inhibited by high concentrations of anionic phospholipids. Strikingly, this motility occurs along curved paths in a counterclockwise direction (i.e., the actin filaments turn in leftward circles). A biotinylated myo1c construct containing only the motor domain and the lever arm anchored via streptavidin on a membrane containing biotinylated lipid can also generate asymmetric motility, suggesting that the tail domain is not required for the counterclockwise turning. We found that the ability to produce counterclockwise motility is not a universal characteristic of myosin-I motors, as membrane-bound myosin-Ia (myo1a) and myosin-Ib (myo1b) are able to power actin gliding, but the actin gliding has no substantial turning bias. This work reveals a possible mechanism for establishing asymmetry in relationship to the plasma membrane.
Identification of seizure onset zone and preictal state based on characteristics of high frequency oscillations

Abstract Objective We investigate the relevance of high frequency oscillations (HFO) for biomarkers of epileptogenic tissue and indicators of preictal state before complex partial seizures in humans. Methods We introduce a novel automated HFO detection method based on the amplitude and features of the HFO events. We examined intracranial recordings from 33 patients and compared HFO rates and characteristics between channels within and outside the seizure onset zone (SOZ). We analyzed changes of HFO activity from interictal to preictal and to ictal periods. Results The average HFO rate is higher for SOZ channels compared to non-SOZ channels during all periods. Amplitudes and durations of HFO are higher for events within the SOZ in all periods compared to non-SOZ events, while their frequency is lower. All analyzed HFO features increase for the ictal period. Conclusions HFO may occur in all channels but their rate is significantly higher within SOZ and HFO characteristics differ from HFO outside the SOZ, but the effect size of difference is small. Significance The present results show that based on accumulated dataset it is possible to distinguish HFO features different for SOZ and non-SOZ channels, and to show changes in HFO characteristics during the transition from interictal to preictal and to ictal periods.
Intraseptal administration of (1S,3R)-1-aminocyclopentane-1,3-dicarboxylic acid induces immediate early gene expression in lateral septal neurons

Abstract Prior work has shown that activation of metabotropic glutamate receptors can induce burst firing and a form of NMDA receptor independent long term potentiation in lateral septal slice preparations. To study this phenomenon in vivo we used the expression of immediate early gene products as markers for increased neuronal activity following intraseptal injection of the metabotropic agonist 1 S ,3 R -ACPD. Intraseptal injection of 1 S , 3 R ACPD induced the expression of Fos-like, Jun 13-like and Krox24-like immunoreactivity in lateral septal neurons in a dose-dependent fashion. Immediate early gene product expression peaked at 4 to 6 h post-injection and then declined to baseline. Immediate early gene expression was diminished by co-injection of l -AP3 and was not elicited by intraseptal injection of l -AP4, cysteine sulfinic acid or DHPG. Immediate early gene expression was not diminished by chronic lithium treatment but was diminished by chronic treatment with the phospholipase A 2 inhibitor quinacrine. Co-injection of the phospholipase AZ inhibitor NDGA partially suppressed the induction of immediate early gene expression. Metabotropic glutamate receptors regulate lateral septal neuron excitability in vivo and some of their effects may be mediated by activation of phospholipase A 2 . Alternatively, arachidonic acid may play a permissive role it the effects of metabotropic glutamate receptors on lateral septal neurons.
Fundamentalisms as Global Social Movements

In a recent comment in Globalizations, Grahame Thompson (2006) poses a definition of fundamentalism and its attendant processes, including the suggestion that fundamentalisms are individual level phenomena, not social movements. This turn leads to the suggestion that maintenance of liberal domestic and global orders might call for a strategy of re-territorialization. In this essay I suggest a more social definition of fundamentalisms to serve as the foundation for analysis, and the strategy of re-territorialization is not well supported from this perspective.
An excel macro for transformed and weighted averaging

An Excel macro is presented for averaging spreadsheet data. The macro has several special features: (1) The data are weighted by the inverse variance of each datum to decrease the contribution-of noisy outliers. (2) There is a provision for a power or a log transform of the data before averaging. The rationale for transforming the data before averaging is discussed (3) The output includes the average value, its standard error, and the reduced chi-square that measures the goodness of fit (4) The standard error is corrected by a heterogeneity factor based on the reduced chi-square The averaging of data is rarely done properly, and the intent of this article is to clarify the issues and provide a tool that allows researchers to improve their averaging techniques.
A method for quantifying foot shock received by unrestrained rats

Abstract Instrumentation is described which measures and records the amount of time freely moving rats receive foot shock. Since the shock is provided by a constant current source, this apparatus completely quantifies the received stimulus.
Incorporating Students’ Self-Designed, Research-Based Analytical Chemistry Projects into the Instrumentation Curriculum

In a typical chemistry instrumentation laboratory, students learn analytical techniques through a well-developed procedure. Such an approach, however, does not engage students in a creative endeavor. To foster the intrinsic motivation of students’ desire to learn, improve their confidence in self-directed learning activities and enhance their problem-solving skills, students’ self-designed, research-based analytical chemistry projects have been developed within the course of Advanced Chemical Methods for junior and senior undergraduates at SUNY College at Old Westbury. In addition to a series of manual-based laboratories held on a regular basis, students also do a literature search to formulate their own ideas that are tested using appropriate analytical instruments. By participating in self-designed projects, students independently go through the key components of analytical chemistry with greater engagement: from literature survey, problem identification, experimental design, sample preparation, measure...
A comparison of unconditional and conditional solutions to the maximum likelihood estimation of a change-point

In this paper, we compare the performance of unconditional and conditional solutions to the problem of estimating an unknown change-point by the method of maximum likelihood estimation. We begin by presenting some asymptotic results for the first two moments of the unconditional solution. Then, considering the cases of normal and exponential distributions, we evaluate through simulations the accuracy of large sample distribution theory results for the above two solutions through bias, mean square error, and graphical displays. In both normal and exponential cases, the unconditional solution shows better performance whenever the amount of change is small and when the true parameters are unknown. The differences are particular sharp when the true change-point is towards the tail of the data. When the amount of change is large, both methods perform at similar levels of accuracy. Finally, we illustrate the two solutions through the data on British coal mine explosions.
Pain in ischaemic ocular motor cranial nerve palsies

Aim: Pain is a common feature of microvascular ischaemic ocular motor cranial nerve palsies (MP). The natural history of pain in this condition has not been studied. The purpose of this report is to define the spectrum of pain in isolated MP, with special reference to diabetic versus non-diabetic patients. Design and methods: Retrospective and prospective chart review was performed on 87 patients with acute-onset MP of a single cranial nerve (CN III, oculomotor; CN IV, trochlear; CN VI, abducens) that progressively improved or resolved over 6 months. Results: Five of the 87 patients had two events, making the total number events 92. There were 39 (42.4%) CN III palsies, five (5.4%) CN IV palsies and 48 (52.2%) CN VI palsies. Thirty-six (41%) patients had diabetes. Pain was present in 57 (62%) events. The majority of diabetic and non-diabetic patients had pain. Pain preceded diplopia by 5.8 (SD 5.5) days in one-third of events. There was a trend towards greater pain with CN III palsies, but this was not statistically significant. Patients who experienced severe pain tended to have pain for a longer duration (26.4 (SD 21.7) days compared with 10.8 (SD 8.3) and 9.5 (SD 9) days for mild and moderate pain, respectively). There was no correlation between having diabetes and experiencing pain. Conclusions: The majority of MP are painful, regardless of the presence or absence of diabetes. Pain may occur prior to or concurrent with the onset of diplopia. Non-diabetic and diabetic patients presented with similar pain characteristics, contrary to the belief that diabetic patients have more pain associated with MP.
A reexamination of the familiarization hypothesis in group risk taking

Abstract A total of 226 subjects at three universities participated in five separate studies which measured the effect on individual risk taking of increased familiarity with the problem situation. The results of all five studies failed to replicate the finding that individuals will take increased risk after they are given an opportunity to become familiar with the problem. These failures to replicate cast doubt on the hypothesis that the increase in risk after a group discussion is due to increased familiarity with the problems rather than to the effect of group interaction.
Probing the photochemistry of chemisorbed oxygen on TiO2(110) with Kr and other co-adsorbates

Weakly-bound atoms and molecules (Ar, Kr, Xe, CO, CH4, CO2, CH3OH, N2O, and N2) are used to probe the photochemical interactions of chemisorbed oxygen on rutile TiO2(110). Ultraviolet irradiation of chemisorbed oxygen co-adsorbed with the probe species leads to photon-stimulated desorption (PSD) of some of the probe species (e.g. Kr and CH4), but not others (e.g. CO2 and N2O). Without chemisorbed oxygen, the PSD yields of all the probe species are very low or not observed. Surprisingly, both chemisorbed O2 and oxygen adatoms, Oa, are photo-active for desorption of Kr and other weakly-bound species. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence for photo-activity of Oa on TiO2(110). The Kr PSD yield increases with increasing coverage of Kr and of chemisorbed oxygen. For Kr, the angular distribution of the photodesorbed atoms is approximately cosine. The Kr distribution is quite different from the angular distribution for the O2 PSD, which is sharply peaked along the surface normal. We propose that various forms of chemisorbed oxygen are excited by reactions with electrons and/or holes created in the TiO2 substrate by UV photon irradiation. The photo-excited oxygen collides with, and transfers energy to, neighboring co-adsorbed atoms or molecules. For co-adsorbates with a small enough binding energy to the substrate, desorption may result. The observed phenomenon provides a new tool for studying photochemical processes.
Teaching Software Design Using Both Functional and Object‐Oriented Decomposition

For the past decade, functional decomposition, together with the conventional modularization criterion, has dominated the way that software design has been taught in academia. With the introduction of the Ada and Modula‐2 programming languages, there has been much interest in object‐oriented design, which centers around the use of the data abstraction modularization criterion to perform object‐oriented decomposition. Object‐oriented decomposition results in a product that is more reusable, understandable, and modifiable than that produced using only functional decomposition. In this article it is proposed that object‐oriented decomposition is not only useful in developing a higher quality product, but it is also useful in teaching software design. Teaching design using both functional and object‐oriented decomposition is not difficult to implement and would ameliorate common problems students have in learning software design: confusing design and coding and the related difficulty in making the transition ...
Designing a Modular Rapid Manufacturing Process

Freeform Fabrication and additive fabrication technologies have been combined with subtractive processes to achieve a variety of fully integrated rapid manufacturing systems. The combination of separate fabrication techniques into one rapid manufacturing system results in unit manufacturing process integration, sometimes known as a hybrid system. However, the design methods or approaches required to construct these integrated systems are vaguely described or not mentioned at all. The final product from any integrated system is affected not only by the unit manufacturing processes themselves, but also by the extent the individual units are assimilated into an integrated process. A wide variety of integrated and hybrid manufacturing systems and current manufacturing design methodologies are described in this paper, along with their similarities and differences. Through our extensive review it was discovered that there are five key elements to a reliable integrated manufacturing system: process planning software, motion system, control system, unit manufacturing process, and finishing process. By studying the manner in which all other systems have been integrated, a table of successful integrated manufacturing system elements combinations has been created, documenting each of the key element choices, resulting in a variety of modular designs. A table of common obstacles encountered during manufacturing system integration has been compiled and presented in Section 4. This paper further discusses the importance of the five elements in manufacturing system integration, and how integrated systems is the way to move forward in the manufacturing domain. In the final Section, we describe our modular design experience to demonstrate how unit manufacturing process integration has increased productivity and the capabilities of a laser aided manufacturing process.© 2009 ASME
Analysis of edge effects on rail-wheel contact

Abstract This study considers the contact occurring in rail-wheel systems. Here the edge effect of the gauge face of the rail on the contact stress and contact geometry is investigated. The rail head is modeled as a three-dimensional elastic wedge which may have an arbitrary wedge angle. The solution procedure consists of deriving a Green's function for the normal displacement on the surface of an incompressible wedge loaded by a point normal force. The point force is then distributed to obtain an integral equation for frictionless contact. Numerical results are given for the rigid spherical indentation of an incompressible quarter-space.
Robotic application of a dynamic resultant force vector using real-time load-control: simulation of an ideal follower load on Cadaveric L4-L5 segments.

Abstract Standard in-vitro spine testing methods have focused on application of isolated and/or constant load components while the in-vivo spine is subject to multiple components that can be resolved into resultant dynamic load vectors. To advance towards more in-vivo like simulations the objective of the current study was to develop a methodology to apply robotically-controlled, non-zero, real-time dynamic resultant forces during flexion–extension on human lumbar motion segment units (MSU) with initial application towards simulation of an ideal follower load (FL) force vector. A proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller with custom algorithms coordinated the motion of a Cartesian serial manipulator comprised of six axes each capable of position- or load-control. Six lumbar MSUs (L4–L5) were tested with continuously increasing sagittal plane bending to 8 Nm while force components were dynamically programmed to deliver a resultant 400 N FL that remained normal to the moving midline of the intervertebral disc. Mean absolute load-control tracking errors between commanded and experimental loads were computed. Global spinal ranges of motion and sagittal plane inter-body translations were compared to previously published values for non-robotic applications. Mean TEs for zero-commanded force and moment axes were 0.7±0.4 N and 0.03±0.02 Nm, respectively. For non-zero force axes mean TEs were 0.8±0.8 N, 1.3±1.6 Nm, and 1.3±1.6 N for Fx, Fz, and the resolved ideal follower load vector FLR, respectively. Mean extension and flexion ranges of motion were 2.6°±1.2° and 5.0°±1.7°, respectively. Relative vertebral body translations and rotations were very comparable to data collected with non-robotic systems in the literature. The robotically coordinated Cartesian load controlled testing system demonstrated robust real-time load-control that permitted application of a real-time dynamic non-zero load vector during flexion–extension. For single MSU investigations the methodology has potential to overcome conventional follower load limitations, most notably via application outside the sagittal plane. This methodology holds promise for future work aimed at reducing the gap between current in-vitro testing and in-vivo circumstances.
A typology of child protective service cases: design and implementation issues for social work administrators

Case typologies can help to delineate client problems and needs, inform the design of service delivery, and measure service outputs and outcomes. The author describes the development of a typology of the child protective services cases of one large public department of social services. To assist social work administrators develop and apply case classification schemes within their agencies, this typology is used to illustrate the following key conceptual and methodological issues: (1) reasons for case typologies: (2) identifying and selecting case attributes: (3) re-organizing and reducing the number of attributes: and (4) forming groups. Language: en
Glycoantigen expression is regulated both temporally and spatially during development in the cellular slime molds Dictyostelium discoideum and D. mucoroides

Six monoclonal antibodies were isolated which react with common antigens shared by multiple glycoconjugate species in the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum. Based on competition of antibody binding by glycopeptides and simple sugars, and inhibition of antibody binding by antigen pretreatment with Na periodate, it is argued that at least five of the six antibodies recognize epitopes which contain carbohydrate. These epitopes are consequently referred to as glycoantigens (GAs). Three of the GAs are expressed during growth and throughout the developmental cycle, but are eventually enriched in prestalk and stalk cells. The remaining three are expressed only during and/or after aggregation and are exclusively expressed or highly enriched in prespore cells and spores. These conclusions are derived from Western blot immunoanalysis of purified cell types, immunofluorescence, and EM immunocytochemistry. The two GAs found only in prespore cells appear to be exclusively enclosed within prespore vesicles. The third GA of this type, which is only enriched in prespore cells compared to prestalk cells, is also found in other vesicle types as well as on the cell surface. Two of the GAs enriched in prestalk cells are initially found in all cells of the slug. They are undetectable in spores and prominent in stalk cells. The third GA, though found in the interiors of both prestalk and prespore cells, is enriched on the cell surface of prestalk cells. The chief characteristics of expression of four of these GAs are conserved in the related species D. mucoroides. This species is characterized by continuous transdifferentiation of prespore cells into prestalk cells. This shows that the prespore cells maintain specific mechanisms for turning over their cell type specific GAs and that prestalk cells express a specific mechanism for inducing at least one of their cell-type specific GAs. These observations identify specific carbohydrate structures (as GAs) whose synthesis, subsequent localization and turnover are developmentally regulated. The exclusive association of two GAs with prespore vesicles identifies these GAs as markers for this organelle and raises questions regarding the functional significance of this association. The restricted cell surface localization of the other four GAs, together with data from cell adhesion studies, suggest the possibility of a potential role for these GAs in intercellular recognition leading to cell sorting.
Hydrogen/Deuterium Exchange Reactions and Transfer Hydrogenations Catalyzed by [C5Me5Rh(olefin)2] Complexes: Conversion of Alkoxysilanes to Silyl Enolates†

A series of [C5Me5Rh(CH2CHR)2] complexes (1a−e) have been prepared in which the olefin bears a bulky silyl substituent, R = (a) SiMe3, (b) SiMe2OEt, (c) Si(OiPr)3, (d) SiMe(OSiMe3)2, (e) SiPh2OiPr. The solid-state structure of 1c has been determined by X-ray crystallography. When complex 1a is heated (50 °C) in deuterated solvents (C6D6, C6D5CD3, C6D5Cl, or (CD3)2CO), deuterium is incorporated into the olefinic sites. Thermolysis at higher temperatures results in further H/D exchange and deuteration of both the SiMe3 and C5Me5 groups. Heating 1a in C6D6 with added substrates (aniline, MeOtBu, MeOSiMe3, Cp2Fe, cyclopentene, or EtOAc) results in deuteration of these substrates via shuttling of deuterium from C6D6 to the olefinic sites and then into certain sites of the substrates. Thermolysis of 1a in the presence of vinyltrimethylsilane at higher temperatures results in C−Si bond cleavage and generation of a silacyclopentadiene complex (6) whose structure was determined by X-ray analysis. Thermolysis of 1c...