cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Robot assisted transaxillary surgery (RATS) for the removal of thyroid and parathyroid glands

Background Robotic assisted transaxillary surgery (RATS) is a minimally invasive approach for the removal of the thyroid and/or parathyroid glands through the axilla. This anatomically directed technique, popularized by Chung, eliminates a visible scar and affords excellent high definition optics of the cervical anatomy. We report an initial series of single access RATS in the U.S. Methods The prospective endocrine surgery database at a tertiary care center was used to capture all patients who underwent RATS between October 2009 and March 2010. All procedures were performed using a single transaxillary incision. Results Fourteen operations were performed on 13 patients. Indications for RATS were indeterminate thyroid nodules in 11 patients, the need for completion thyroidectomy in 1 patient, and primary hyperparathyroidism in 2 patients. For patients who underwent robotic assisted thyroid lobectomy, the median thyroid nodule size was 2.1 cm (range, 0.8–2.8 cm), and the median body mass index was 25.33 (range, 21.3–34.4). Mean and median total operative times for robotic assisted thyroid lobectomies were 142 minutes and 137 minutes respectively (range, 113–192 minutes). Operative time for the 2 patients who underwent robotic assisted parathyroidectomy was 115 and 102 minutes. Minor complications occurred in 4 patients (28.5%), with no significant perioperative morbidity or mortality. Conclusion RATS is feasible. We believe that further study of the RATS technique for removing thyroid lobes and parathyroid glands is warranted. This initial series suggests that careful, continued investigation is necessary prior to routine implementation into clinical practice across the U.S.
Design of fully compliant, in-plane rotary, bistable micromechanisms for MEMS applications

Abstract A fully compliant bistable micromechanism (hereafter identified as an in-plane rotary bistable micromechanism or IPRBM) is designed to perform in-plane rotary motion with two stable positions. The micromechanism consists of four identical bistable mechanisms arranged in a cyclic symmetry manner about a central proof mass. This new class of micromechanism can be used in several microelectromechanical system (MEMS) devices such as gate valve, optical shutter, and mechanical lock. Two types of IPRBMs have been developed in this paper, called as the outside IPRBM and the inside IPRBM. These two mechanisms differ by their relative orientation of bistable mechanisms with respect to the central proof mass. The micromechanisms are fabricated by electroplating a soft magnetic material—Permalloy (80% Ni, 20% Fe) into their photoresist mold. The minimum feature size is 4 μm, which corresponds to the width of compliant linkages used in the mechanism. The fabricated micromechanisms are tested for their torque-deflection response by using an image-based force sensing method. The test results are compared with simulation results. A pseudo-rigid-body model as well as a finite element model of IPRBM is developed to simulate the mechanical response of the mechanism. The micromechanisms are shown to reversibly undergo 10–20° of in-plane rotation and required a maximum torque of 1–2 μN m depending on the design. The experimental results showed good overall agreement with the design. The testing of each type of IPRBM is performed on three different design cases between which the tether width and aspect ratio was varied. The study showed a relative advantage of slender tethers with high aspect ratio in minimizing out-of-plane deflection. Also, the anchor distance between bistable mechanisms is significant.
Bias due to individual differences in yoked control designs

Church’s objections to the yoked control design are reviewed and criticized. To deal with them more effectively, a reciprocal yoked control design is presented, in which each S of a yoked pair receives training with two CSs, one of which involves an instrumental contingency while the other is in a yoked control arrangement with the other S’s instrumental CS. Thus, each S in the pair serves as a yoked control for the other, in reciprocal relation to the two CSs used. In addition to eliminating inadvertent confounding stemming from individual differences in sensitization and responsiveness, the reciprocal yoked control design also provides a single-session method for identifying Ss who are equally classically conditionable, so that instrumental-classical comparisons can be made free of bias from differences in classical conditionability. In addition, this design provides a means for testing the empirical soundness of Church’s arguments regarding differences in conditionability and biased outcomes Methods for statistical analysis of the reciprocal yoked control design are also considered.
An Evaluation of the Effect of Khellin on the Pulmonary Circulation in Man

1) The effect of khellin on the pulmonary circulation and on cardiac output has been evaluated in five patients with pulmonary hypertension by means of cardiac catheterization. Intracardiac and femoral arterial pressures were recorded and cardiac output and stroke volume were determined before and subsequent to the administration of khellin. 2) Five patients received 200 mg. of khellin intramuscularly, and one of these five was subsequently maintained on oral khellin for six days and recatheterized. 3) No significant alteration from base line studies was noted in pulmonary arterial pressure or in cardiac output. 4) The therapeutic usefulness of khellin in the treatment of chronic cor pulmonale and bronchial asthma is doubtful.
Measurement and compensation of digital-to-analog converter nonlinearity

A novel method of finding digital-to-analog converters (DACs) input sequences to produce high-fidelity output waveforms is presented. Error produced by a nonideal DAC is represented by its spectral components. Successive power spectrum measurements are used to solve for the unknown amplitude and phase of compensation signals applied to the DAC input. This iterative technique has produced waveforms that have a 35-dB reduction in harmonic distortion. This iterative method of finding error can also be used to develop dynamic models of the error introduced by the DAC based on current and previous DAC input codes. These models can predict and correct errors produced from an arbitrary input sequence. An evaluation of this technique is done using a commercially available 12-bit DAC.
Effects of Lysozyme, Clupeine, and Sucrose on the Foaming Properties of Whey Protein Isolate and β-Lactoglobulin

Lysozyme and clupeine interacted with β-lactoglobulin to form aggregates. Sucrose reduced the aggregation. The addition of lysozyme (0.5%) to β-lactoglobulin (2.5%) reduced the time required to reach an overrun maximum and increased foam stability and heat stability by 124% and 377%, respectively. Lysozyme (0.5%) also improved overrun (98%), foam stability (114%) and heat stability of the foams (12%) made with whey protein isolate (WPI, 5%). Lysozyme and sucrose further improved the foaming properties of β-lactoglobulin and WPI. The addition of clupeine and sucrose gave similar results. The foaming properties of β-lactoglobulin and WPI with the inclusion of sucrose and lysozyme were superior to those of egg white.
Meptazinol and Morphine in Postoperative Pain Assessed with a New Method for Onset and Duration

Meptazinol, m-(3-ethyl-1-methyl-hexahydro-1-H-azepin-3-yl) phenol hydrochloride is a centrally active opioid analgesic with a specificity for the mu-1 receptor. It has been reported to lack many of the side effects commonly observed with morphine and morphinelike drugs in man. The objective of this study was to assess the analgesic efficacy and safety of meptazinol (50 mg and 100 mg) relative to morphine (5 mg and 10 mg) when administered intramuscularly for the treatment of postoperative pain, in addition, a new clinical method for measuring onset and duration and a statistical technique for evaluating the study data are presented. One hundred and seventeen patients were evaluated for 6 hours in G randomized double blind, single dose, parallel-groups trial. Estimates of relative potency for hourly pain and relief parameters, and the summary variables sum of pain intensity differences (SPID) and total pain relief (TOTPAB) were performed. The estimate of relative potency of meptazinol to morphine for pain relief was 0.19 at ½ hour (i.e. 100 mg of meptazinol was approximately equivalent to 20 mg of morphine). Thereafter, there was a rapid decline of efficacy for meptazinol, with a relative potency estimate of 0.12 at 1 hour and 0.06 at 2 hours. The distribution functions for several time related events were estimated including time to onset, duration and time to remedication. The two drugs had approximately equal onset, but meptazinol had significantly shorter duration. More patients on meptazinol required remedication with a rescue analgesic and at an earlier time than patients on morphine. The incidence of adverse effects was highest for meptazinol 100 mg. In summary, the study showed that intramuscular meptazinol is an analgesic with onset of relief as rapid as that of morphine but with much shorter duration. Because of its short duration of effect, meptazinol at 50 mg may be considered a candidate for use in ambulatory surgical procedures if further studies show the drug is well tolerated at this dose.
Single versus composite score discriminative validity with the Halstead–Reitan Battery and the Stroop Test in mild brain injury

The predictive validity of single measures from the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery and Stroop Neuropsychological Screening Test were evaluated in a sample of 25 mild traumatic brain-injured and 25 neurologically normal subjects and compared to the accuracy of composite score measures, specifically the General Neuropsychological Deficit Scale and the Halstead Impairment Index. Whereas several measures from the Halstead Impairment Index achieved significantly better than chance prediction, the two summary measures from the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery predicted the neurological status of the subjects with the most accuracy. The Stroop Neuropsychological Screening Test did not perform well as a single predictor. Together, these results suggest that single-measure screening tests do not predict mild brain-injury as well as composite neuropsychological measures. The results also give credence to the argument of comprehensive testing for brain-injured patients whose injuries are deemed medically mild.
p53 is present in synapses where it mediates mitochondrial dysfunction and synaptic degeneration in response to DNA damage, and oxidative and excitotoxic insults

A form of programmed cell-death called apoptosis occurs in neurons during development of the nervous system, and may also occur in a variety of neuropathological conditions. Here we present evidence obtained in studies of adult mice and neuronal cell cultures showing that p53 protein is present in synapses where its level and amount of phosphorylation are increased following exposure of the cells to the DNA-damaging agent etoposide. We also show that levels of active p53 increase in isolated cortical synaptosomes exposed to oxidative and excitotoxic insults. Increased levels of p53 also precede loss of synapsin I immunoreactive terminals in cultured hippocampal neurons exposed to etoposide. Synaptosomes from p53-deficient mice exhibit increased resistance to oxidative and excitotoxic insults as indicated by stabilization of mitochondrial membrane potential and decreased production of reactive oxygen species. Finally, we show that a synthetic inhibitor of p53 (PFT-alpha) protects synaptosomes from wild-type mice against oxidative and excitotoxic injuries, and preserves presynaptic terminals in cultured hippocampal neurons exposed to etoposide. Collectively, these findings provide the first evidence for a local transcription-independent action of p53 in synapses, and suggest that such a local action of p53 may contribute to the dysfunction and degeneration of synapses that occurs in various neurodegenerative disorders.
The importance of school quality as a determinant of earnings in a developing country: evidence from Honduras

Abstract Educational expansion is a prominent feature of the economic development strategies of many developing countries. While the potential benefits of greater schooling attainment for subsequent labor market earnings are acknowledged, the potential role played by school quality has largely been neglected for developing countries. This paper combines detailed household survey data with unique data on school quality for Honduras to investigate the importance of school quality for earnings. We employ a structural equations model that treats school quality as a latent variable. Our objective measures of school quality capture teacher training, school infrastructure, and two measures of school crowding. We find strong positive effects of school quality on earnings across a variety of model specifications. In addition, we find that teacher training and school infrastructure are the most important indicators of school quality.
Fire detection in hyperbaric chambers

Hyperbaric chamber environments introduce new problems in fire detection. While the ionized particle detector offers great potential, the current first choice should be suitably modified infrared detectors backed up by ionized particle detectors. The ideal detector for hyperbaric service is yet to be developed.
Health-related vocabulary knowledge among deaf adults.

Background: Many deaf individuals are at increased risk for fund-of-information deficits, including deficits in health-related information. Research on health information knowledge, an aspect of health literacy, demonstrates an association between low health literacy and health disparities in many populations. Deaf individuals are at particular risk for low health literacy, but no research has been conducted on this topic. Objective: To investigate health-related vocabulary knowledge in a sample of deaf adults. Measure: A task based on the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM). Participants: Fifty-seven deaf adults reported whether they did or did not comprehend 66 health-related terms from the REALM. Of the participants, 81% possessed a college degree. Results: Thirty-two percent of the deaf participants earned scores on the modified REALM task comparable to REALM scores considered indicative of low health literacy. The pattern of words that were least commonly and most commonly understood differed from normative expectations of hearing REALM respondents. Conclusions: This highly educated deaf participant sample demonstrated risk for low health literacy. The general deaf population is likely at even higher risk for health problems associated with low health literacy.
Concocting the Right Diet for Brain Health

The old adage, “Starve a fever, feed a cold,” infers that nutritional status modulates the immune system.
Two-photon autoionization of H2

Abstract We present a model calculation for two-photon autoionization to the X 1Σg state of H+2. We calculate the total autoionization cross section and the line shape including the effect of laser intensity.
Comparative performance analysis of versions of TCP in a local network with a lossy link

We use a stochastic model to study the throughput performance of various transport control protocol (TCP) versions (Tahoe (including its older version that we call OldTahoe), Reno, and NewReno) in the presence of random losses on a wireless link in a local network. We model the cyclic evolution of TCP, each cycle starting at the epoch at which recovery starts from the losses in the previous cycle. TCP throughput is computed as the reward rate in a certain Markov renewal-reward process. Our model allows us to study the performance implications of various protocol features, such as fast retransmit and fast recovery. We show the impact of coarse timeouts. In the local network environment the key issue is to avoid a coarse timeout after a loss occurs. We show the effect of reducing the number of duplicate acknowledgements (ACKs) for triggering a fast retransmit. A large coarse timeout granularity seriously affects the performance of TCP, and the various protocol versions differ in their ability to avoid a coarse timeout when random loss occurs; we quantify these differences. We show that, for large packet-loss probabilities, TCP-Reno performs no better, or worse, than TCP-Tahoe. TCP-NewReno is a considerable improvement over TCP-Tahoe, and reducing the fast-retransmit threshold from three to one yields a large gain in throughput; this is similar to one of the modifications in the TCP-Vegas proposal. We explain some of these observations in terms of the variation of fast-recovery probabilities with packet-loss probability. The results of our analysis compare well with a simulation that uses actual TCP code.
Accelerating volume animation by space-leaping

In this work we present a method for speeding the process of volume animation. It exploits coherency between consecutive images to shorten the path rays take through the volume. Rays are provided with the information needed to leap over the empty space and commence volume traversal at the vicinity of meaningful data. The algorithm starts by projecting the volume onto a C-buffer (coordinates-buffer) which stores the object-space coordinates of the first non-empty voxel visible from a pixel. Following a change in the viewing parameters, the C-buffer is transformed accordingly. Next, coordinates that possibly became hidden are discarded. The remaining values serve as an estimate of the point where the new rays should start their volume traversal. This method does not require 3-D preprocessing and does not suffer from any image degradation. It can be combined with existing acceleration techniques and can support any ray traversal algorithm and material modeling scheme. >
Nanostructures and Thermal Properties of the Binary Mixture of DNA and a Zwitterionic Phospholipid in the Bulk

The mixtures of polyanionic DNA and zwitterionic phospholipids (ZL) have recently received much attention because of their potential for use as vectors in gene therapy or as a template for nanostructure construction. The past few studies on DNA-ZL system were carried out in their aqueous solutions and it was reported that a small fraction of DNA was capable of binding to zwitterionic lipids. However, it is still not known whether, as in the aqueous state, the DNA will be still intercalated between lipid bilayers in the bulk state. In the present study, we examined the DNA-ZL interactions in the bulk state by investigating a binary system composing of DNA and a zwitterionic lipid, 1,2-di(cis-9-octadecenoyl)-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC). The nanostructures and thermotropic phase behavior of this system were investigated using small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), respectively. Our SAXS with one-dimensional correlation function results revealed that, as in the aqueous state, the DNA/DOPC bulk mixture forms a multilamellar phase, where the DNA was confined between the DOPC lipid bilayers. The thickness of the hydrophobic layers composed of lipids tails was greater in the DNA-DOPC mixture than in the pure DOPC. However, interestingly, the thickness of the hydrophilic layer composed of lipid headgroups in the DNA-DOPC mixture was same as in the pure DOPC even though in the former DNA was intercalated in this layer. Furthermore, according to the DSC endotherms we also observe that DNA induced a significant depression of gel-to-liquid crystalline phase transition temperature of DOPC bilayer. A thermodynamic model was presented that described the experimentally observed morphological and thermotropic phase behavior.
Comparative replication of Lymantria dispar nuclear polyhedrosis virus strains in three continuous-culture cell lines

We compared the replication of the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) nuclear polyhedrosis virus in two new cell lines, from embryos and fat body of L. dispar, and in a previously available ovarian cell line. Three virus isolates (the Hamden strain [LDP-67] used commercially as GYPCHEK, a plaque-purified clone of Hamden [5-7d], and an isolate from Abington, Mass. [Ab]) were each tested on the three cell lines. The fat-body-derived cell line proved best in terms of occlusion body production for all three virus strains, with the highest yield produced by the Abington strain. On the basis of these results, we conclude that a more efficient in vitro production of gypsy moth virus can be obtained by using the fat body cell line in conjunction with the Abington strain of the virus.
Myocardial KATP Channels in Preconditioning

Abstract—We are on the brink of harnessing the cell’s natural defenses against ischemia and reperfusion injury after years of research into the destructive and protective mechanisms involved. Since...
Evaluating the performance of connected-word speech recognition systems

Outputs of connected-word recognizers may contain substitution, deletion and insertion errors, and their interpretation is not trivial. Simulations show that the commonly used dynamic programming word-sequence matching algorithm has serious shortcomings as an evaluation method at low performance levels, though it is generally reliable at high performance levels. The strategy of comparing input and output words in strict sequence is found to have little to recommend it. A method using word end-point information, which provides precise, detailed performance analyses, is described. Tests with real data confirm the reliability of the end-point method and the presence of positive bias in performance estimates form the word-sequence matching method. >
Research on household labor : Modeling and measuring the social embeddedness of routine family work

This article reviews more than 200 scholarly articles and books on household labor published between 1989 and 1999. As a maturing area of study, this body of research has been concerned with understanding and documenting how housework is embedded in complex and shifting social processes relating to the well-being of families, the construction of gender, and the reproduction of society. Major theoretical, methodological, and empirical contributions to the study of household labor are summarized, and suggestions for further research are offered. In summary, women have reduced and men have increased slightly their hourly contributions to housework. Although men's relative contributions have increased, women still do at least twice as much routine housework as men. Consistent predictors of sharing include both women's and men's employment, earnings, gender ideology, and life-course issues. More balanced divisions of housework are associated with women perceiving fairness, experiencing less depression, and enjoying higher marital satisfaction.
Lachesis: robust database storage management based on device-specific performance characteristics

Database systems work hard to tune I/O performance, but do not always achieve the full performance potential of modern disk systems. Their abstracted view of storage components hides useful device-specific characteristics, such as disk track boundaries and advanced built-in firmware algorithms. This paper presents a new storage manager architecture, called Lachesis, that exploits and adapts to observable device-specific characteristics in order to achieve and sustain high performance. For DSS queries, Lachesis achieves I/O efficiency nearly equivalent to sequential streaming even in the presence of competing random I/O traffic. In addition, Lachesis simplifies manual configuration and restores the optimizer's assumptions about the relative costs of different access patterns expressed in query plans. Experiments using IBM DB2 I/O traces as well as a prototype implementation show that Lachesis improves standalone DSS performance by 10% on average. More importantly, when running concurrently with an on-line transaction processing (OLTP) workload, Lachesis improves DSS performance by up to 3×, while OLTP also exhibits a 7% speedup.
Trends in occupational mobility in Hungary under socialism

Abstract Sociologists have long been interested in the impact of social, economic, and political changes on societal openness. Among other questions, they have asked whether the transition from a preindustrial agrarian society to an industrial socialist state creates more opportunity and equality. Using recent developments in loglinear modeling, this paper tests competing theories about temporal change in social mobility in Hungary in the past half-century. While occupational persistence declined significantly between older cohorts of men and women, the decline slowed or halted in recent cohorts. This suggests that a process of restratification occurred after the socialist revolution. Gender differences in mobility are also prominent. On the one hand, women are less likely than men to enter their fathers' occupational class. On the other hand, women's occupational destinations are more strongly determined by occupational origins. Furthermore, there are significant gender differences in occupational opportunities.
Wireless brainstorming: overcoming status effects in small group decisions

Social factors, such as status differences, may prevent some members from participating in group decisions. Computerized group decision support systems (GDSSs) can reduce social influences by allowing group members to contribute anonymously and in parallel. This study explores how a simple GDSS on a wireless handheld-device can augment face-to-face group decisions. Small groups of men and women brainstormed potential names for a computer game and voted for the best name using the wireless devices. The names generated were either associated with the person who produced them or not, and group member status was manipulated through the nature of the task and the proportions of men and women in the groups; men were more knowledgeable computer gamers and were always the numeric majority. We found-that men and women generated more ideas when they were anonymous, and- voting patterns were biased in favor of the ideas generated by men when members knew the idea's source, but not when the source was anonymous. These results suggest that a wireless GDSS can be used to reduce social bias that influences face-to-face decision making tasks.
Multigenic Natural Variation Underlies Caenorhabditis elegans Olfactory Preference for the Bacterial Pathogen Serratia marcescens

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans can use olfaction to discriminate among different kinds of bacteria, its major food source. We asked how natural genetic variation contributes to choice behavior, focusing on differences in olfactory preference behavior between two wild-type C. elegans strains. The laboratory strain N2 strongly prefers the odor of Serratia marcescens, a soil bacterium that is pathogenic to C. elegans, to the odor of Escherichia coli, a commonly used laboratory food source. The divergent Hawaiian strain CB4856 has a weaker attraction to Serratia than the N2 strain, and this behavioral difference has a complex genetic basis. At least three quantitative trait loci (QTLs) from the CB4856 Hawaii strain (HW) with large effect sizes lead to reduced Serratia preference when introgressed into an N2 genetic background. These loci interact and have epistatic interactions with at least two antagonistic QTLs from HW that increase Serratia preference. The complex genetic architecture of this C. elegans trait is reminiscent of the architecture of mammalian metabolic and behavioral traits.
Success in Preschool Learning Related to Formal and Open-Framework Programs: A Preliminary Report

The study examined the effect of a formal versus an open-framework preschool program on young children's learning. The formal program is based on a version of Ausubel's learning theory and uses an expository teaching, meaningful reception training approach. The open-framework program mainly emphasizes spontaneous child-directed learning experiences and is based on Pi aget's theory of intellectual development. The Ausubelian program resulted in improved children's performance on both classification and conservation tasks compared to children in the Piagetian program. Data indicated a nonsynchronous development of classification and conservation opera tions. Both groups of children found classification tasks easier to deal with than tasks on conser vation.
Imaging biomarker analysis of rat mammary fat pads and glandular tissues in MRI images

In studying the relationship between risk factors and breast cancer, the growth patterns of fat pads and glandular tissues are considered as important biomarkers. The aim of this study is to measure the growth pattern statistics of rat mammary pads and glandular tissues with magnetic resonance (MR) time sequence images. In this paper, we proposed methods containing sequential steps to extract and analyze imaging biomarkers of rat mammary pad and glandular tissues. Firstly, to accurately segment out pads in MR images with noisy bias filed, we proposed a level set method combining local binary fitting (LBF) and geodesic active contour (GAC). The salient glandular tissue regions within the fat pads are further extracted by a scale-space analysis procedure. Then, the volume data of a single rat at different time points are aligned through profile correlation analysis. Finally, the growth rates are calculated and compared to show the changing patterns of fat pads and glandular tissues within separate groups. The experimental results showed the great utility of this approach in providing accurate measurements for novel risk factors of breast cancer.
Simulation Based Feasibility Study of Wireless RF Interconnects for 3D ICs

A feasibility study of inter-tier wireless interconnects to be used in conjunction with through silicon vias (TSVs) for global communication in 3D ICs is presented. The feasibility is shown by performing a full wave electromagnetic analysis of on-chip communicating antennas in a 3D IC, modeled according to a fully-depleted silicon on insulator (FDSOI) 3D circuit integration technology. It is shown that the selected transmitting and receiving antennas provide a strong signal coupling at the adjacent (-6.67 dB) and the non-adjacent (-6.93 dB) tiers of the 3D IC at a radiation frequency of 10GHz. In addition to permitting non-adjacent tier communication, wireless interconnects are superior to TSVs in permitting non-vertically aligned connections between IC tiers.
Case study: B2B e-commerce system specification and implementation employing use-case diagrams, digital signatures and XML

This paper presents a case study highlighting the best practices for designing and developing a B2B e-commerce system. We developed a remote order-and-delivery Web-based system for an auto-parts manufacturing company. The system requirements were determined by interviewing employee stakeholders. An initial scenario of the system was prototyped and refined until the users and developers were satisfied. A formalized specification of the requirements employing use-case diagrams and based on event flow was developed and coded using XML. This helped keep the documentation simple and clear. Testing was performed at the component level allowing for feedback to previous steps when errors appeared. Digital signatures were employed for implementing security. The end product enabled a reduction in the processing time of transactions, reduced processing cost, improved accuracy, efficiency, reliability, and security of transmitted data; and our strategy shortened the system development life cycle.
Vegetative propagation of kura clover: A field-scale test

Baker, J. M. 2012. Vegetative propagation of kura clover: a field-scale test. Can. J. Plant Sci. 92: 1245–1251. Kura clover (Trifolium ambiguum M. Bieb.) is a potentially valuable forage legume, but it has been underutilized. A major reason is the difficulty of establishing it from seed. Since kura is rhizomatous, there have been attempts to propagate it vegetatively, but no reports of success at the field scale. Two harvesting methods were tested to transplant material from a mature 17-ha field to a newly tilled 17-ha field: a bermudagrass sprigger that harvests bare rhizome sprigs, and a potato digger that harvests crowns and rhizomes, along with soil. The harvested propagules were distributed over the new field in July 2010 with a manure spreader, then disked and packed. Survival and growth were observed for the remainder of 2010 and through 2011, and recovery of the source field was also monitored. The material harvested with the sprigger did not compete well with weeds and had virtually disappeared b...
Cu K-edge XAFS in CdTe before and after treatment with CdCl2

We have used the fine structure in the Cu K-edge x-ray absorption spectrum to help elucidate the lattice location of Cu in polycrystalline, thin-film CdTe solar cells. In particular, we have studied how the typical CdCl2 vapor treatment in dry air changes the local environment of the Cu in CdTe. We find the Cu absorption spectrum to be similar to that of Cu2Te in the as-deposited CdTe film but to convert to a spectrum similar to Cu2O environment after the vapor CdCl2 treatment.
A New Species of Achlya

Mycelium in semine Cannabis sativae densum; cultura usque ad 1.5 cm. diam., hyphis primariis basi 60-80 t diam. Sporangia rara, proliferantia ut in Achlya soleat. Exitus zoosporarum typicus generis; sporae hibernantes ca. 11 A diam. Gemmae non formatae. Oogonia globosa, numerosa, plerumque 57 ad 77 / diam., in ramulis lateralibus lata, cum tunica crassa, omnino levia et non punctulata. Ova 1-11, fere 3 vel 4 in oogonio quoque, plufimum 28.6-33 ' diam., maturitate subcentrica. Antheridia 1-4 in omni oogonio, origine androgyna, numquam ramosa, ad oogonium acumine applicata.
Vibration Characteristics of Magnetic Nano Fluids-Filled Flexible Cantilevers Under Varied Magnetic Fields

In this paper, the influence of an external magnetic field on the vibration responses and damping ratios of a vascular beam filled with three different magnetic nanofluids are investigated. First, the equation of motion of a fluid-filled beam is derived based on the published works and some amendments are made to simultaneously include the damping ensuing from the surrounding air and also the effects of viscosity of the fluid inside the vascular channel. Then, the effects of an external magnetic field on the viscosity of the fluid is studied and incorporated into the equation of motion of the beam. Finally, based on three magnetic nanofluid samples, simulations are conducted to represent the changes in frequency response functions and damping ratios of the vascular channel beam. The maximum increase observed in the viscosity of the magnetic nanofluid samples under the influence of magnetic field with the intensity of 1 Tesla was 16%, while the reduction in the vibration amplitude found 12.7% and 33.8% for the first and second vibration mode under the influence of the maximum magnetic field intensity of 0.3 Tesla. Moreover, the maximum decrement of the damping ratio was 1.1% under the same magnetic field. However, it seems that the higher values for vibration reduction can be achieved by using the magnetic nanofluid with higher magnetic particle concentrations and viscosities.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Coaching employees with chronic illness: Supporting professional identities through biographical work

Chronic illness is a growing issue in the workplace, and can prompt employees to reconsider their professional and personal goals due to potential future physical limitations. Coaching can provide support to keep employees in the workforce. In this study, 34 employed people with chronic illnesses participated in a chronic illness career coaching intervention to help develop personal resources to stay in the workforce. An analysis of data from exit interviews suggests that coaching supports coachees' identity work and behavioral strategies for integrating illness and work, increasing their confidence and improving their expectations for continuing to work.
Dynamic Analysis on Body Shape State of Minority Students in Western Part of Hunan Province and Qing-Tibet Plateau Area from 1985 to 2000

Using the data obtained from investigation of constitution and health state of minority students from 1985-2000,and the differences of constitution of minorities after 15 years observation are analyzed,in order to provide scientific foundation for the improvement of the constitution and health level of minority students.The results show that the growth and development level of minority students have improved to a certain extent.The growth and development level of Tu jia and Miao students are faster than those of Zhuang and Dai students obviously.At the same time,their growth process have tended to be ahead of schedule,and the figures of the minority students do not tend to be improved except Tu jia and Miao female students.
Connexin43 Gap Junctions Influences Osteoblast Signalling and Enhances Osteoarthritis Gene Expression

In multicellular organism, cells communicate with each other by gap junctions. The subunits of gap junction channels are proteins called connexins. Six-connexin proteins interact to form a ring-like pore structure called a hemichannel or connexon; these hemichannels dock to hemichannels on neighbouring cells, forming a gap junction’s pore, which provides a direct intercellular passage for small molecules or ion to move between cells [1,2].
THE NINETEENTH CENTURY INCOME TAX IN THE SOUTH

In this paper, an author discovers his heritage: the income taxes which evolved in the South of the United States during the nineteenth century. These taxes are of interest because many tax concepts which are now taken for granted were developed during this time. Of particular interest are the common factors and events which led most southern states and the Confederacy to experiment with an income tax. These experiments influenced the structure of the United States federal and state income taxes in the next century.
The Story of the “Cardiac Chair” and the Resistance to Its Use in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction, 1950 to 1961

Cardiologist Bernard Lown asserts that “the chair” did more than any other intervention in the 1950s to help reduce mortality from acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Historically, the cardiac chair has been underrecognized in terms of its impact and contribution to the care of patients with an AMI. In 1912, James Herrick recommended that patients who survived an AMI be placed at strict bed rest. Samuel Levine, in 1944, first questioned the wisdom of this recommendation and William Dock, in the same year, published an article on the evils of bed rest to the human body. In 1951, Levine published his first of several studies on the “cardiac chair,” advocating that it would be better for patients post-AMI to be seated rather than recumbent. He believed the chair reduced complications. He enlisted Lown to join him in his effort to advocate for the chair. Lown believed the chair led to an improved sense of well-being that resulted in earlier recovery and reduced mortality. Although not well controlled, their study showed an improvement of 5% in mortality of patients in the chair over those at bed rest. Despite the evidence, physicians were often slow to accept the recommendation of placing patients with AMI into a chair rather than keeping them at prolonged bed rest. This paper draws on archival research and oral histories to discuss the chair, its importance in the history of coronary heart disease care, and how it influenced future directions in treatment. It also addresses reasons for its lack of greater acceptance and the continued insistence of many on prolonged bed rest.
Revitalizing Indigenous languages, cultures, and histories in Montana, across the United States and around the globe

AbstractMany educators have sung the praises of Indian Education for All, Montana’s constitutional mandate, and heard the successes of Montana’s Indigenous language revitalization efforts which reverberate around the globe. Teaching Indigenous languages is especially, challenging since there are limited numbers of fluent speakers and scarce resources resulting from harsh education and language policies imposed by the US federal government throughout the nineteenth- and twentieth centuries. Tribal members in Montana spearheaded a unique licensure process for Indigenous language instructors to revitalize and maintain their languages. Language revitalization as a culturally responsive pedagogy strategy is enacted through Class 7 certification, as it is known. It took years of work to assure that the authority rests with the tribal nations, where it should be, to decide who should be a language/culture teacher. By embracing culturally responsive pedagogy, a dramatic change to education in Montana to truly pro...
Effects of residual levels of tetracycline on the barrier functions of human intestinal epithelial cells.

Tetracyclines are frequently used in food-producing animals to treat, control, and prevent microbial diseases. Concerns are raised regarding the effects of residual levels of tetracycline, which may be present in the food supply, for emergence of drug-resistance and transfer of antibiotic-resistance gene in intestinal microbiota. In contrast, no information is available regarding the possible effects of residual tetracycline on the gastrointestinal epithelial layer barrier-disruption. This study investigates the outcome of tetracycline treatment on intestinal epithelial cells integrity. Intestinal epithelial cells (T84) were treated at concentrations of 0.015, 0.15, 1.5, 15 and 150 μg/ml for 48 h in an in vitro cell culture model. The permeability study revealed that 15 and 150 μg/ml of tetracycline causes barrier disruption. Whereas the altered mRNA expression of notch-3, notch-4, claudin-2, claudin-8, claudin-10, claudin-15, gap junction alpha 8 and delta 2 and integrin, alpha 3 and alpha L, which are cell-integrity-related genes starts at 1.5 μg/ml tetracycline after 48 h treatment. Translocation of GFP-labeled bacteria from apical to basal comportment provides proof of concept to intestinal barrier disruption. This study is the first to evaluate whether residual concentrations of tetracycline impact epithelial cell integrity.
High Soil Temperature and Water Relations of Endomycorrhizal Nursery Crops2

High root-zone temperatures can stress plants and reduce nursery productivity of container-grown crops. Predawn shoot water potential was initially increased (less water strain) by root-zone temperatures from 40° to 45°C (104° to 113 °F) and then subsequently declined after 3 days. Stomatal conductance (SC) was reduced at similar root-zone temperatures. Hydraulic root conductance (Lp) increased linearly in response to increasing root-zone temperatures for high temperature tolerant species, and quadratically for susceptible species. Endomycorrhizal fungi colonization enhanced high root-zone temperature stress tolerance at moderate temperatures from 35 ° to 40°C (95 ° to 104°F).
R. B. Woodward's Letters: Revealing, Elegant and Commanding

A collection of excerpts from letters written by R. B. Woodward to his friends, colleagues, young students and others is presented. These excerpts are representative of Woodward's lengthy correspondence and illustrate many aspects of his personality and philosophies of life. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Analysis of the knowledge creation process: an organizational change perspective

Knowledge creation (KC) is an important issue in a knowledge society. Organizational change is required to facilitate KC which embraces knowledge access and selection, knowledge diffusion, knowledge application, and knowledge storage. In this paper, three momenta of organizational change are reviewed and integrated. Knowledge access and selection driven by institutional regulation takes place in the beginning phase, knowledge diffusion and knowledge application driven by rationality in the subsequent phase, and knowledge storage driven by structural inertia in the last phase. Once the right momentum influences organizational change in the wrong phase, KC can rarely be accomplished.
Social determinants of lifestyle and cardiovascular health in a minority community study for promotion of health

American College of Cardiology 67th Annual Scientific Session 2018. Orlando, USA. March 10-12, 2018.
Prostaglandin Inhibition of Immediate and Delayed Hypersensitivity in Vitro

Prostaglandins have a significant and important inhibitory effect on two pertinent in vitro models, one of immediate and the other of delayed hypersensitivity. These inhibiting effects are best viewed in the context of the adenylate cyclase — cyclic AMP system and can be compared to the inhibition demonstrated by other agents which, like certain of the prostaglandins, stimulate adenylate cyclase. The similarities between the effects noted on two quite different immunologic responses are striking and suggest a general inhibitory role for the prostaglandins and other adenylate cyclase stimulators on leukocyte-lymphocyte responsiveness in general; this possibility will be dealt with by Dr. Henry Bourne. In this presentation we shall describe the activities of these inhibitors first on the immediate and then on the delayed system of hypersensitivity and conclude with some comments on the possible therapeutic implications of the effects noted.
Patient portal adoption and use by hospitalized cancer patients: a retrospective study of its impact on adverse events, utilization, and patient satisfaction

Portal use has been studied among outpatients, but its utility and impact on inpatients is unclear. This study describes portal adoption and use among hospitalized cancer patients and investigates associations with selected safety, utilization, and satisfaction measures. A retrospective review of 4594 adult hospitalized cancer patients was conducted between 2012 and 2014 at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, comparing portal adopters, who registered for a portal account prior to hospitalization, with nonadopters. Adopters were classified by their portal activity during hospitalization as active or inactive inpatient users. Univariate and several logistic and linear regression models were used for analysis. Of total patients, 2352 (51.2%) were portal adopters, and of them, 632 (26.8%) were active inpatient users. Portal adoption was associated with patients who were young, female, married, with higher income, and had more frequent hospitalizations (P .05). Over half of our cancer inpatients adopted a portal prior to hospitalization, with increased adoption associated with predisposing and enabling determinants (eg: age, sex, marital status, income), and increased inpatient use associated with need (eg: nonlocal residence and disease severity). Additional research and greater effort to expand the portal functionality is needed to impact inpatient outcomes.
Defying transparency: Ghostwriting from the Jazz Age to social media:

Ghostwriting became a popular practice in sports journalism during the 1920s, as championed by sports press agent Christy Walsh. The practice has re-emerged in the 21st century, in social media and...
Career mobility of PhD holders in social sciences and humanities: evidences from the POCARIM project

The paper aims at investigating factors that could affect the likelihood of changing job of PhD holders in the fields of social sciences and humanities (SSH). We use data collected through a survey developed within the POCARIM project (funded by the EC under the EUFP7) in order to analyse variations in PhDs' career paths in a longitudinal dimension: we consider the career of each agent as a whole and investigate what elements related to individual features can influence career's entropy in terms of changes of sector and/or country.