cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Simulation to Improve Pediatric Patient Outcomes: University and Hospital Collaborative

Abstract A collaborative venture between a local university in southwestern Pennsylvania and a rural community hospital enhanced learning and improved pediatric patient outcomes. The partnership led to the development and implementation of an evidence-based pediatric peripheral intravenous (PIV) insertion program. Through the use of simulation technology and debriefing techniques at the pediatric PIV insertion program, pediatric PIV insertion skills of the medical–surgical nursing staff improved, as evidenced by a decreased number of pediatric PIV insertion attempts.
On Environmental Federalism and Direct Emission Control

Abstract A theoretical exception to the race to the bottom contends that if decentralized environmental policy is comprised of direct controls on each firm, emissions standards are set too high when compared to a centralized optimum. Herein we examine potential distortions in decentralized decision-making by reconciling two recent views of direct environmental controls. We show that differences in direct control policy can arise from differences in the number of symmetric jurisdictions in an economy. Our results suggest the race is on once the number of jurisdictions competing for a fixed number of firms increase; we see the race is off when few jurisdictions can exploit their form of environmental market power.
Trifluoroacetate retention in a northern Hardwood forest soil

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) catalyze the breakdown of stratospheric ozone. As a result, international agreements now require the use of CFCs to be discontinued. Trifluoroacetate (TFA) is formed as a...
Evidence of QFD best practices for product development:a multiple case study

Purpose – To identify QFD best practices and understand factors that contribute to successful QFD application.Design/methodology/approach – A field research study is presented that summarises the use of QFD in a number of companies operating in Brazil. The paper reports multiple case studies conducted in organizations that have already achieved maturity in QFD implementation.Findings – The study identified areas of QFD best practice such as the development of matrices and voice of customers, interaction with other organizational practices (e.g. TQC system and other methods and techniques), and less traditional QFD applications (concept definition, strategic planning, and developing a global product). The study also identifies QFD implementation success factors related to organizational characteristics (e.g. management support for QFD and cross‐functional involvement in QFD project), data sources (e.g. existing data sources and QFD‐driven data sources), and QFD tools and techniques such as use of advanced ...
Height-controlled three-dimensional adjustment of horizontal networks

The principles of three-dimensional geodesy are used in the adjustment of horizontal networks with heights and astronomic coordinates held fixed. The proposed method is simpler and faster than any conventional method, as it uses measurements on the terrain without any reductions to a computational surface. There are no restrictions on the lengths of the lines.
Preparation and Properties of Novel Dentin Adhesives with Esterase Resistance.

A new methacrylate monomer, trimethylolpropane mono allyl ether dimethacrylate (TMPEDMA), was synthesized and evaluated. This branched methacrylate was designed to increase esterase-resistance when incorporated into conventional HEMA (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)/BisGMA (2,2-bis[4(2-hydroxy-3-methacryloyloxy-propyloxy)-phenyl] propane) dental adhesives. The new adhesives, HEMA/BisGMA/TMPEDMA in a 45/30/25 (w/w) ratio were formulated with H2O at 0 (A0T) and 8 wt % water (A8T) and compared with control adhesives (HEMA/BisGMA, 45/55 (w/w), at 0 (A0) and 8 wt % (A8) water). Camphoroquinone (CQ), 2-(dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate and diphenyliodonium hexafluorophosphate were used as photoinitiators. The new adhesives showed a degree of conversion comparablewith the control and improved modulus and glass transition temperature (Tg). Exposure of photopolymerized discs to porcine liver esterase for up to eight days showed that the net cumulative methacrylic acid (MAA) release in adhesives formulated with the new monomer and 8% water (A8T: 182 μg/mL) was dramatically (P < 0.05) decreased in comparison to the control (A8: 361.6 μg/mL). The results demonstrate that adhesives made with the new monomer and cured in water to simulate wet bonding are more resistant to esterase than conventional HEMA/BisGMA adhesive. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008
Therapeutic hypothermia in neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy: electrographic seizures and magnetic resonance imaging evidence of injury.

Objective To evaluate the electrographic seizure burden in neonates with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) treated with or without therapeutic hypothermia and stratified results by severity of HIE and severity of injury as assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Study design Between 2007 and 2011, video-electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring was initiated in neonates with moderate to severe HIE. Seizure burden (in seconds) was calculated, and brain MRI scans were quantitatively scored. Data were analyzed by ANOVA, the Student t test, and the χ 2 test. Results Sixty-nine neonates with moderate or severe HIE were prospectively enrolled, including 51 who received therapeutic hypothermia and 18 who did not. The mean duration of video-EEG monitoring was longer in the therapeutic hypothermia group (72 ± 34 hours vs 48 ± 34 hours; P = .01). The therapeutic hypothermia group had a lower electrographic seizure burden (log units) after controlling for injury, as assessed by MRI (2.9 ± 0.6 vs 6.2 ± 0.9; P = .003). A reduction in seizure burden was seen in neonates with moderate HIE ( P = .0001), but not in those with severe HIE ( P = .80). Among neonates with injury assessed by MRI, seizure burden was lower in those with mild ( P = .0004) and moderate ( P = .02) injury, but not in those with severe injury ( P = .90). Conclusion Therapeutic hypothermia was associated with reduced electrographic seizure burden in neonatal HIE. This effect was detected on video-EEG in infants with moderate HIE, but not in those with severe HIE. When stratified by injury as assessed by MRI, therapeutic hypothermia was associated with a reduced seizure burden in infants with mild and moderate injury, but not in those with severe injury.
A computerized test for conformance to the APL standard

This chapter is not intended to fully acquaint the reader with APL. For this purpose the reader is referred to Grey [5]. Here we give a brief history of the language and its uses. Some features which set APL apart from more traditional languages such as Pascal and Fortran are discussed. Also discussed are APL random files, which are essential to the work of subsequent chapters.
Identification and Implantation Stage-Specific Expression of an Interferon-α-Regulated Gene in Human and Rat Endometrium1

Implantation of the developing blastocyst is regulated by multiple effectors, such as steroid hormones, growth factors, and cytokines. To understand how these diverse signaling pathways interact to modulate uterine gene expression, we employed a gene expression screen technique to identify the molecules that are induced in the periimplantation rat uterus. Here we report the isolation of a complementary DNA representing a novel gene, interferon-regulated gene 1 (IRG1). This gene exhibits significant homology to interferon (IFN)-α/β−inducible human genes p27 and 6–16, indicating that these genes may belong to the same family. Consistent with this finding, expression of IRG1 messenger RNA (mRNA) in rat uterus increased about 20-fold in response to IFNα. Uterine expression of IRG1 was also stimulated by estrogen and was partially inhibited by an antiestrogen, ICI 182,780. In pregnant rats, IRG1 expression was high on day 1, but declined on days 2 and 3. The level of IRG1 mRNA again rose transiently on day 4 i...
Tandem transcription-termination sites in the late rightward operon of bacteriophage lambda.

A transcription termination site (designated as t′R2) is located between the rightward late t′R1 terminator and the S gene of phage λ. This t′R2 terminator is rightward and absolutely dependent on the rho factor, being about 45% effective in rho+E. coli and only 6% in rho- cells at 30°C. This 7.5-fold rho dependence of t′R2 is in contrast to that of tR1 (4.5 fold, from about 81% to 18%) and the partial rho dependence of t′R1 (1.4 fold, from 96% to 67%). At the elevated temperature of 42°C, t′R2 becomes 1.5 times more leaky (with about 2.5-fold reduction in termination efficiency) than tR1 or t′R1 (with only 1.1-fold reduction) in rho+ hosts. The calculated joint efficiencies of t′R1 and t′R2 are 98% in rho+ cells at 30°C. t′R2 is also active in vitro, but only in the presence of rho factor, whereas t′R1 is active both in the presence and absence of rho. However, the in vitro termination at t′R1 is enhanced about 1.7-fold by the rho factor. The properly oriented λ nutR site together with the N gene function bring about almost complete antitermination at t′R2 (96% effective), but incomplete at t′R1 (72%). The termination points at t′R2 are located around 532–534 bp to the right of the s′R startpoint of the p′R-initiated RNA on λ DNA (or 338–340 bp downstream of t′R1) and 66–68 bp to the left of the S gene, as determined by S1 mapping. The t′R2 termination points are located within a dyad symmetry region which, in the transcript, is able to form a hairpin structure consisting of 16 bp in the stem and 6 bases in the loop. It is proposed that t′R2 acts as a second terminator to block any readthrough transcription initiated at the late promoter p′R into the late genes of phage λ.
The relationship between fruit growth and apical senescence in the G2 line of peas

In the G2 line of peas (Pisum sativum L.), senescence of the shoot apex (which precedes leaf senescence) only occurs in long days (LD) though flowering is independent of photoperiod. It has been suggested that the photoperiodic control of senescence in G2 is mediated through different rates of seed growth. In LD seed growth is more rapid than in short days (SD) and this places a greater nutrient drain on the plant. In addition, more flowers develop into fruits in LD than in SD: 32% of flower buds abort in SD while almost none abort in LD. Senescence is associated with early seed growth and does not occur in deflowered or deseeded plants. Seed development is completed in 30d in LD while it takes 40d in SD, though the seed weights are similar. The maximum rate of fresh-weight gain of all the growing seeds of eight fruits on a plant in SD (1,440 mg/d) does not reach the maximum rate of weight gain of a similar fruit complement in LD (1,720 mg/d). The appearance of senescence symptoms in the shoot apices of LD-grown G2 plants occurs, however, prior to the time of the greatest rate of seed-weight gain. In LD, four fruits with a combined maximum growth rate of 1,250 mg/d are sufficient to cause the appearance of senescence symptoms. This is a lower combined seed growth rate than in SD where senescence does not occur. The seeds in up to 12 fruits can be growing at any time in SD with a combined maximum seed-growth rate (1,660 mg/d), only slightly less than the maximum in LD, with no sign of senescence. It is concluded that the different rates of seed growth occasioned by different photoperiods bear no relation to senescence. However, photoperiod does alter the spatial relationship of the shoot apex and the filling fruits. In LD apical growth becomes slower as fruiting proceeds so that the distance between the filling fruits and the apex is decreased to only two nodes while in SD, because of the delayed fruit development compared to LD, the spatial separation between the fruits and the shoot apex is nine nodes. Even if the growth rate of the plant had remained constant in LD it is calculated that an equivalent fruit complement would still be located three nodes further from the apex in SD than in LD. This increased spatial separation of fruits and apex in SD compared to LD probably alters the source/sink distribution of photosynthate and leaf derived hormones so that larger amounts are available to the apex in SD than LD. Also any "senescence factor" exported from fruits is less likely to reach the apex in SD. In continuously deflorated plants of G2 the two uppermost expanded stipules enclose the apex in SD while in LD they open out. The effect is reversible. Thus photoperiod probably affects the apex and its growth, directly, i.e. independent of fruit development, and this is accentuated by the differing spatial relationships of the apex and fruits resulting from different fruit growth rates under the different photoperiodic conditions.
Multiresolution path-planning with traversal costs based on time-varying spatial fields

We address the problem of finding an optimal path for a vehicle in a planar environment where traversal costs are based on a time-varying spatial field defined over the environment. We assume that the accuracy with which the values of the spatial field are known gradually decreases with increasing distance from the vehicle's current location. To extend previous results in the literature, we present a wavelet transform-based multiresolution motion-planning approach that incorporates traversal costs based on a time-varying spatial field. To enable fast online computations, we use 2D wavelet transforms with time-varying coefficients, instead of computing wavelet transforms with three independent variables. We discuss methods to compute time-varying traversal costs and an optimal path with a multiresolution approximation of the spatial field, we illustrate the proposed approach with a simulation example.
Salt-Bath Process for the Chemical Finishing of Cotton

Wet fixation of durable-press resins in cotton fabrics has been accomplished by immersing the cloth, padded with re actants and catalyst, in a hot, concentrated solution of sodium sulfate or other ...
Reactor Physics Scoping and Characterization Study on Implementation of TRIGA Fuel in the Advanced Test Reactor

The Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) is conducting scoping studies for the conversion of its fuel from a highly enriched uranium (HEU) composition to a low-enriched uranium (LEU) composition, through th...
A two-step approach to the validation of software engineering methodologies

A two-step approach to the experimental validation of software development methodologies is proposed. The first stage consists of the evaluation of the programming effort required for the reconstruction of some existing medium-sized program which (1) has known development and maintenance costs and (2) is anticipated to undergo numerous developments in the immediate future. The second step is shown to involve a comparative study of (1) the programs' performance, (2) the degree of expertise required to maintain the two programs, (3) the maintenance costs, and (4) the average adaptation times necessary to integrate a new programmer into the maintenance team.The approach is demonstrated for a method called program control restructuring that was used in the reconstruction of a complex 10,000 line biochemical simulation system.
Modified Semilunar Coronally Advanced Flap

Background: Correction of mucogingival recession deformities with a variety of periodontal plastic surgery procedures has been described, each demonstrating a variable degree of success. A modified semilunar coronally advanced flap is described for the treatment of recession defects on multiple adjacent teeth.Methods: Semilunar incisions were made apical to the recession defects, starting within mucosa and extended mesio-distally, arching more coronally to terminate apical to the papillae mesial and distal to the teeth exhibiting the defects. The papilla between the teeth with recession was coronally advanced after a split-thickness dissection and sutured more coronally, over the deepithelialized portion of the original papilla. The flap design gave better mobility and stability to the repositioned pedicle than previously described semilunar coronally advanced flap procedures.Results: Seven cases treated with this approach healed without complication and remained stable throughout the 8 to 22 months of po...
Ethnic and Nationalist Violence

Work on ethnic and nationalist violence has emerged from two largely nonintersecting literatures: studies of ethnic conflict and studies of political violence. Only recently have the former begun to attend to the dynamics of violence and the latter to the dynamics of ethnicization. Since the emergent literature on ethnic violence is not structured by clearly defined theoretical oppositions, we organize our review by broad similarities of methodological approach: (a) Inductive work at various levels of aggregation seeks to identify the patterns, mechanisms, and recurrent processes implicated in ethnic violence. (b) Theory-driven work employs models of rational action drawn from international relations theory, game theory, and general rational action theory. (c) Culturalist work highlights the discursive, symbolic, and ritualistic aspects of ethnic violence. We conclude with a plea for the disaggregated analysis of the heterogeneous phenomena we too casually lump together as iethnic violence.i
Approximate Series Solution for Analysis of FRP Composite Highway Bridges

The design of a deck-and-stringer bridge system is usually reduced to the analysis of a T-beam section, loaded by concentrated loads corresponding to an equivalent fraction of the applied truck load. This equivalent load is defined by wheel load–distribution factors, which approximate the overall behavior of the bridge superstructure. In this paper, a one-term approximation of a macroflexibility series solution including deformations for fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) deck-and-stringer orthotropic bridge systems, is used to develop explicit expressions for symmetric and asymmetric load distribution factors. It is significant that the equations presented herein include important parameters that represent, as accurately as possible, the response characteristics of the super structure, such as the geometry and material properties of the FRP deck and stringers, bridge aspect ratio, and number and spacing of stringers. As an illustration in actual design applications, the formulation presented in this paper is...
New antivirals with activity against varicella‐zoster virus

Herpes zoster is a serious medical problem, not only because of the discomfort associated with the acute rash, but also because of the potential for post-herpetic neuralgia. Acyclovir is currently the antiviral drug of choice for the treatment of herpes zoster. Efforts are underway to develop new drugs that have improved activity against varicella-zoster virus as well as more favorable pharmacokinetic properties. The goal of these efforts is to develop an orally administered antiviral drug that will accelerate the events of cutaneous healing as well as reduce the frequency and severity of post-herpetic neuralgia. Investigational drugs currently under evaluation include valaciclovir and famciclovir, the prodrugs of acyclovir and penciclovir, respectively. Two new uracil derivatives, sorivudine and BW882C87, with increased anti-varicella-zoster virus activity in vitro are also being studied.
Treatment patterns and economic burden of metastatic and recurrent locally-advanced head and neck cancer patients

AbstractObjective:To characterize treatment patterns and measure the economic burden associated with metastatic (mHNC) and recurrent, locally-advanced head and neck cancer (rHNC).Methods:Administrative claims from Medicare- and privately-insured individuals during 2004–2008 were used in this retrospective database study of patients with advanced HNC. Patients diagnosed with HNC were matched 1:1 to cancer-free controls to measure the incremental economic burden of HNC. Outcomes of interest were measured during the 6 months following the date of a secondary tumor diagnosis for metastatic patients or the date of a diagnosis indicating rHNC. To assess treatment patterns, HNC patients were evaluated for the use frequency of treatments (radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery). Costs were reported in 2008 US$ from a third-party payer perspective and were analyzed using generalized linear models and two-part regression models adjusting for differences in age and baseline Charlson Comorbidity Index (excluding canc...
Loss of holocytochrome c-type synthetase causes the male lethality of X-linked dominant microphthalmia with linear skin defects (MLS) syndrome.

Abstract Girls with MLS syndrome have microphthalmia with linear skin defects of face and neck, sclerocornea, corpus callosum agenesis and other brain anomalies. This X-linked dominant, male-lethal condition is associated with heterozygous deletions of a critical region in Xp22.31, from the 5' untranslated region of MID1 at the telomeric boundary to the ARHGAP6 gene at the centromeric boundary. HCCS, encoding human holocytochrome c-type synthetase, is the only gene located entirely inside the critical region. Because single gene analysis is not feasible in MLS patients (all have deletions), we generated a deletion of the equivalent region in the mouse to study the molecular basis of this syndrome. This deletion inactivates mouse Hccs, whose homologs in lower organisms (cytochrome c or c1 heme lyases) are essential for function of cytochrome c or c1 in the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Ubiquitous deletions generated in vivo lead to lethality of hemizygous, homozygous and heterozygous embryos early in development. This lethality is rescued by expression of the human HCCS gene from a transgenic BAC, resulting in viable homozygous, heterozygous and hemizygous deleted mice with no apparent phenotype. In the presence of the HCCS transgene, the deletion is easily transmitted to subsequent generations. We did obtain a single heterozygous deleted female that does not express human HCCS, which is analogous to the low prevalence of the heterozygous MLS deletion in humans. Through the study of these genetically engineered mice we demonstrate that loss of HCCS causes the male lethality of MLS syndrome.
Relativistic approach to isoscalar giant resonances in 208 Pb

We calculate the longitudinal response of ${}^{208}\mathrm{Pb}$ using a relativistic random-phase approximation to three different parametrizations of the Walecka model with scalar self-interactions. From a nonspectral calculation of the response---which automatically includes the mixing between positive- and negative-energy states---we extract the distribution of strength for the isoscalar monopole, dipole, and high-energy octupole resonances. We employ a consistent formalism that uses the same interaction in the calculation of the ground state as in the calculation of the response. As a result, the conservation of the vector current is strictly maintained throughout the calculation. Further, the spurious dipole strength---associated with the uniform translation of the center of mass---gets shifted to zero excitation energy and is cleanly separated from the physical excitations. The best description of the collective modes is obtained using a ``soft'' parametrization having a compression modulus of $K=224 \mathrm{MeV}$.
NITROGEN METABOLISM IN HYPERTHYROIDISM1

THAT creatinuria accompanies hyperthyroidism in mammals has been known for years (1). In 1936 Bodansky and Duff (2) demonstrated that the administration of thyroxin or desiccated thyroid to rats is followed by increased nitrogen and creatine excretion, the effect being relatively very small at very high temperatures (33–34_C) and becoming more marked at ordinary room temperatures. That the augmented creatine metabolism depended on the presence of thyroid seemed probable from the fact that it did not occur in thyroparathyroidectomised rats. Recently, Allison, Glaser, and Leonard (3) reported that thyroidectomy decreases creatine excretion and stated that this decrease always may be accompanied or followed by an increase in creatinine. Glycogen depletion in hyperthyroidism (4) may be a factor in creatinuria just as it is in starvation. That the changes in the muscle, both anatomical and metabolic, occurring in hyperthyroidism resemble those in progressive muscular dystrophy has been pointed out by Shorr and...
5,10-Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase codon 677 and 1298 polymorphisms and colon cancer in African Americans and whites.

We evaluated polymorphisms in methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase ( MTHFR ), folate intake and alcohol consumption in relation to risk of colon cancer in a population-based case-control study in North Carolina. The study included 555 cases (244 African Americans and 311 whites) and 875 controls (331 African Americans and 544 whites). Total folate intake of <400 versus ≥400 μg/ day showed a weak positive association with colon cancer among both African Americans [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.0–2.0] and whites (OR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.2–2.2). No association was observed with use of alcohol. Compared with wild-type genotypes, there was no association between the low activity MTHFR codon 677 TT genotype and colon cancer, but the low activity codon 1298 CC genotype was inversely associated with colon cancer in whites (OR = 0.5, 95% CI = 0.3–0.9). Unlike previous studies, we did not observe a strong protective effect of the codon 677 TT low-activity genotype when folate intake was high. Instead, we observed an increased risk of colon cancer when folate intake was low for participants with wild- type genotypes. Adjusted ORs for the combined effects of codon 677 CC and codon 1298 AA genotypes and folate intake <400 μg/day were 1.9 (95% CI = 1.1–3.4) in African Americans and 2.5 (95% CI = 1.2–5.2) in whites. Our results suggest that variation at MTHFR codon 1298 (within the COOH-terminal region) may be more important for colon cancer than variation at codon 677 (NH2-terminal region), and in populations where folate intake is low, wild-type MTHFR activity may increase risk for colon cancer.
Determination of the inelastic mean-free-path and mean inner potential for AlAs and GaAs using off-axis electron holography and convergent beam electron diffraction.

The mean-free-paths for inelastic scattering of high-energy electrons (200 keV) for AlAs and GaAs have been determined based on a comparison of thicknesses as measured by electron holography and convergent-beam electron diffraction. The measured values are 77 ± 4 nm and 67 ± 4 nm for AlAs and GaAs, respectively. Using these values, the mean inner potentials of AlAs and GaAs were then determined, from a total of 15 separate experimental measurements, to be 12.1 ± 0.7 V and 14.0 ± 0.6 V, respectively. These latter measurements show good agreement with recent theoretical calculations within experimental error.
An expert system operational aid for restoration and loss reduction of distribution systems

An application of expert system techniques to the restoration of distribution systems is reported. Primary feeders are typically radial in structure. To increase system reliability, neighboring feeders are connected through a normally open tie switch. When load zones on a feeder interrupted due to a fault, system operators need to identify neighboring feeders and try to restore customers through the tie switches. To restore the maximum number of zones, several steps are followed: group restoration, zone restoration and, if necessary, load transfer. Based on the methodology, an expert system is developed which can be utilized as an online aid to system operators in a distribution SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) environmental. The proposed expert system is implemented in Prolog. Knowledge representation, portability of the system, and computational efficiency are discussed. Several examples illustrate the capabilities of the system. >
Persistent Problems With the Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy Label

After nearly 30 years of clinical and legal experience, the definition of Munchausen syndrome by proxy remains controversial. As a result, mothers who present the problems of their children in ways perceived as unusual or problematic have become entangled in legal battles that should have been resolved clinically. Re-labeling the disorder as Pediatric Condition Falsification misdirects the focus onto mistakes and misunderstandings while avoiding the more crucial issue of intentions. Experts have enflamed the fears of harm by confusing warning signs with diagnostic signs and by citing retrospective studies instead of the more optimistic outcome studies. Accused mothers need the support of multidisciplinary teams but are often forced into contentious struggles with legal professionals and child protection services.
A model-based predictive supervisory controller for multi-evaporator HVAC systems

Multi-evaporator vapor compression cooling systems are representative of the complex, distributed nature of modern HVAC systems. Earlier research efforts focused on the development of a decentralized control architecture for individual evaporators that exploits the constraint-handling capabilities of model predictive control while regulating the pressure and cooling setpoints. This paper presents a global controller that generates the setpoints for the local controllers; this controller balances the goals of cooling zone temperature tracking with optimal energy consumption. To accommodate the inherent limitations of the system, a Model Predictive Control (MPC) based approach is used. The improved efficiency and the effects of the tuning parameters are demonstrated upon an experimental system.
High fidelity multi finger haptic display

The fingertip haptic display (FHD) is a five bar mechanism developed at the University of Washington for haptic interaction with the fingertip of the operator. The two-degree-of-freedom mechanism was computer optimized to accommodate the workspace of the human finger inflexion/extension with a high degree of kinematic isotropy. Direct drive with frictionless flat-coil actuators ensures low torque ripple, inertia, and static friction in the actuation system for high fidelity haptic rendering. This paper describes a redesign of the position sensing arrangement, I/O hardware and software as well as thermal modelling to improve performance and stack four devices for use with index, middle, ring and little finger in a multifinger haptic display. Some results of the initial performance evaluation are given. Promising applications are expected to include palpation training for medical personnel, museum displays enabling the visitor to "touch" art, as well as psychophysics research: exploring the limits of human touch perception.
Isolation of diverse amoebal grazers of freshwater cyanobacteria for the development of model systems to study predator–prey interactions

Abstract A common method for large-scale production of algal crops is growth in outdoor open-air ponds. While this approach is more cost-effective, outdoor open-air ponds are prone to contamination by competing algae, pathogens, and eukaryotic grazers, including ciliates, flagellates, and amoebae. To characterize grazers of cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, we have performed enrichments and isolations from water samples obtained from environmental sites and from an experimental production pond. We obtained a set of amoebal isolates that show diversity in phylogeny, morphology, and locomotion. After examination of grazing on solid medium and in liquid medium, we found that some amoebal isolates can graze on a range of cyanobacterial species, while other amoebal isolates appear to have a more limited prey range. These prey ranges correlate with observed growth rates and cyst formation, suggesting differing growth and survival strategies for amoebae in the environment. Taken together, this work provides a glimpse into the range of natural amoebal predators of cyanobacteria and establishes model systems of predator–prey interactions. Further characterization of these systems will facilitate development of strategies for crop protection of open-air algal production ponds.
The function of semilunar cartilages

In four joints the capsule was opened without disturbing the semilunar cartilages. No degeneration of the articular cartilages occurred (ninety days). In four joints the anterior thirds of the internal semilunar cartilages were excised. The excised portions were replaced by an ingrowth of firm connective tissue from the synovial membrane, grossly not unlike fibrocartilage. The articular cartilages of the tibial and femoral condyles were slightly degenerated (125 days). Similar changes were observed following removal of the middle (four joints) and the posterior thirds (four joints). [SEE THE FIGURE 6-A, 6-B, 6-C, 7-A and 7-B IN SOURCE PDF] When the internal semilunar cartilages were completely extirpated or subtotally excised (three joints) an excellent false cartilage was formed, but a severe degeneration of the articular cartilages took place (especially in the older dogs). Partial excision of the external semilunar cartilages (four joints) was followed by articular cartilage degeneration, but practically no false-cartilage formation. There was no false-cartilage formation and very little articular degeneration following removal of the internal half of the medial semilunar cartilages (four joints). [SEE THE FIGURE 8 AND 9 IN SOURCE PDF]
Financial Contracting, Reorganization and Mixed Finance: A Theory of Universal Banking

Focusing on the combination of commercial and investment banking inherent in universal financial intermediation, optimal transfer of control, modes of corporate governance and the structure of particular banking systems are developed in a two-stage game about investment in managerial resources by banks, financial contracting and optimal restructuring of companies. Particular banking systems are interpreted as subgame-perfect equilibria of the overall game. It is shown that universal banking results in renegotiation-proof optimal mixed finance (combined debt-equity) contracts with reorganization and investment in organizational capital which leads to German style financial intermediation. Specialized banking admits optimal contracts only in the case of separate but simultaneous debt and equity finance (joint contracts) and with non-duplication of investment in restructuring capabilities. Finally, universal financial intermediation is related to main-banking and some principles for reforming banking systems of economies in transition are presented.
Socially Distant Reference Groups and Consumer Aspirations

Several specific effects of various social groups on consumer behavior have been studied. Venkatesan demonstrated experimentally that individuals' product choices may be affected by conformity and reactance in small face-to-face groups [10]. Stafford [9] and Witt [11] found that small primary groups influence certain brand choice decisions, and Bourne suggested that the purchase of certain types and brands of products may be influenced by a person's reference group [1]. However, there is a significant gap in knowledge about the effects on consumer behavior of the socially distant reference group.'
Raman spectrum in α − Sn

Based on the magnetic subband structure of $\ensuremath{\alpha}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{Sn}$ determined by us in a previous work, the spectrum of interband electronic Raman scattering in the presence of a magnetic field is calculated.
Immunization of rabbits against human anti-hemophilic factor (AHF).

Antibodies against human AHF were produced in the rabbit. These antibodies acted as anticoagulants in vitro by inactivating AHF and preventing normal thromboplastin formation. Species specificity and physical properties of the anticoagulant are described. It is postulated that similar anticoagulants occurring in humans are also antibodies produced by AHF immunization.
HIV Infection Status of Clients to VCT Outpatients in Nanshan,Shenzhen City

Objective To investigate the infection status of clients to HIV voluntary counseling testing( VCT)outpatients in Nanshan CDC,Shenzhen,and thus to provide reference for HIV prevention. Methods The HIV antibody test results of the clients to VCT outpatients in 2010 – 2012 in Nanshan CDC were statistically analyzed. Results Totally 2043 clients participated the VCT counseling and serum test,of which,317 were confirmed to be HIV positive,accounting for 15. 52% of the total. There were 302 males and 15 females,with a sex ratio of 20. 13: 1. The age distribution was 18 – 81 years old and concentrated in 20 – 39 years old( 252),accounting for 79. 50%. In those HIV positive clients,285 were infected by male homosexual contacts,accounting for 89. 91% of the total; 18 were infected as spouse / life partners,accounting 5. 68%;the number of those with infection of non-marriage sexual contact was 9( 2. 84%); four had a history of donating plasma,accounting for 1. 26% and one had surgery history,accounting for 0. 32%. Conclusion The main transmission route of the HIV infectors to VCT outpatients in Nanshan is sexual contact,and dominated by infection of male homosexual contact.
Urodynamic Evaluation of Stroke in Patients with Voiding Dysfunction in Older Men

Objective: Older men with obstructive urinary tract disorders in the event of a cerebral vascular accident,whether through the early symptoms or type of urinary symptoms(obstructive or irritating) to predict the cause of voiding dysfunction.Methods: 57 cases of stroke emperor complained of voiding dysfunction in elderly male patients,all patients were bladder outlet obstruction(BOO) symptoms secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH).After a comprehensive history and physical examination,all patients underwent urodynamic studies.Findings were classified by the Abrams-Griffiths nomogram as obstruction,no obstruction or equivocal.Results: The average age of the patients was 70 years old(54-87).Patients were grouped according to the presenting voiding complaints(purely irrita-tive in 42 percent,purely obstructive in 34 percent or mixed in 24 percent).In 51 patients(89 percent) the onset of symptoms paralleled the occurrence of the cerebrovascular accident.Detrusor hyperreflexia was noted in 82 percent of the patients.There was no statistically significant difference in the occurrence of detrusor hyperreflexia among the 3 symptom groups.Pressure-flow analysis clearly showed ob-struction in 24 patients(63 percent),no obstruction in 9(24 percent) and equivocal results in 5(13 percent) according to the A-G nomo-gram.There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of obstruction among the 3 symptom groups.Conclusions: Elderly male patients presented symptoms can not predict bladder outlet obstruction or detrusor hyperreflexia,After stroke,the incidence of void-ing dysfunction symptoms significantly increase,which suggests that the cerebrovascular accident induced voiding dysfunction in the face of preexisting bladder outlet obstruction may exacerbate the symptoms of the latter condition or vice versa.
Design of the wireless communication system for multi-robots based on C8051F330 and PTR8000

A design scheme based on C8051F330 and PTR8000 is put forward for the wireless communication system for multi-robots.According to this scheme,full duplex wireless communication is established directly between one robot and another without the control by a computer.In an environment with obstacles or without,communication experiments are made on condition that there is a handshake protocol or not.Experiments indicate that,within the valid scope,this scheme can guarantee the reliable and real time wireless communication among robots.
High-dose influenza vaccine favors acute plasmablast responses rather than long-term cellular responses.

Abstract High-dose (HD) influenza vaccine shows improved relative efficacy against influenza disease compared to standard-dose (SD) vaccine in individuals ⩾65 years. This has been partially credited to superior serological responses, but a comprehensive understanding of cell-mediated immunity (CMI) of HD vaccine remains lacking. In the current study, a total of 105 participants were randomly administered HD or SD vaccine and were evaluated for serological responses. Subsets of the group ( n = 12–26 per group) were evaluated for B and T cell responses at days 0, 7, 14 and 28 post-vaccination by flow cytometry or ELISPOT assay. HD vaccine elicited significantly higher hemagglutination inhibition (HI) titers than SD vaccine at d28, but comparable titers at d365 post-vaccination. HD vaccine also elicited higher vaccine-specific plasmablast responses at d7 post-vaccination than SD vaccine. However, long-lived memory B cell induction, cytokine-secreting T cell responses and persistence of serological memory were comparable regardless of vaccine dose. More strategies other than increased Ag amount may be needed to improve CMI in older adults. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT 01189123
A Framework for Requirements Knowledge Acquisition Using UML and Conceptual Graphs

UML provides different models for understanding and describing the requirements of a system. The completeness of each model with respect to other models is critical to further analysis of the requirements and design. One problem that always plagues modelers is the acquisition of requirements knowledge for building models. In this paper, we present a knowledge-based framework to drive the process of acquiring requirements for each UML model. This framework is based on a central knowledge representation, the conceptual graphs. A set of partially complete UML models is first converted to conceptual graphs to form a requirements knowledge reservoir; then this knowledge reservoir is used to generate each UML model by transforming conceptual graphs back to UML notations. This bidirectional transforming process enables the discovery of additional requirements and possible missing requirements so that eliciting more requirements knowledge from modelers is made possible.
Concussion-Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Recoverable Injury with Potential for Serious Sequelae.

Concussion is increasingly recognized as a major public health issue. Most patients will return to baseline and experience full recovery, although a subset experiences persistent symptoms. Newer animal models and imaging studies are beginning to demonstrate that metabolic and neurovascular resolution may actually take longer than symptomatic recovery. Repeat traumatic brain injury within the metabolic window of dysfunction may result in worsened symptoms and prolonged recovery. The true risk for second impact syndrome appears to be small, and development of cerebral edema after a mild impact may be related to genetic risks rather than serial impacts.
Child and Parenting Outcomes After 1 Year of Educare

Educare is a birth to age 5 early education program designed to reduce the achievement gap between children from low-income families and their more economically advantaged peers through high-quality center-based programming and strong school–family partnerships. This study randomly assigned 239 children (< 19 months) from low-income families to Educare or a business-as-usual control group. Assessments tracked children 1 year after randomization. Results revealed significant differences favoring treatment group children on auditory and expressive language skills, parent-reported problem behaviors, and positive parent–child interactions. Effect sizes were in the modest to medium range. No effects were evident for observer-rated child behaviors or parent-rated social competence. The overall results add to the evidence that intervening early can set low-income children on more positive developmental courses.
Point-of-Care vs Central Lab “Discrepancies”: Getting the Message Across

Apparent differences in patient values between properly vetted (1–4) and functioning laboratory systems should be no surprise to any clinical laboratorian. The objective of this reflection is to share thoughts about communication and collaboration with the healthcare team outside the laboratory to deal with such issues. A useful example is the comparison of point-of-care (POC)2 systems such as the enhanced blood gas analyzers (eBGAs), which have a significant use history in the central laboratory and report blood gas–related quantities such as total hemoglobin, CO-oximetry, and other measurements. Increasing purchase and use of eBGAs by care units outside …
Molecular staging of gastric cancer with a novel panel of prognostic microRNAs.

52Background: Molecular heterogeneity of gastric cancer discerns patient survival in ways that clinically-based prediction models cannot. To date, individual microRNAs(miRs) expressed by gastric tumors have been associated with survival. We offer a unique molecular-based method of prognosticating the survival of gastric cancer patients with an efficient panel of miRs. Methods: From The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA), we studied subjects with gastric adenocarcinoma, who had undergone R0-R1 resection and had data on clinical characteristics, overall survival (OS), and miR expression. Of miRs quantified by TCGA, miRs expressed by at least 15% of subjects’ tumors were evaluated as continuous variables. From 10 replicate samples, each containing 80% of current subjects, miRs were selected using proportional hazards regression adjusted for age with stepwise selection. Cross-validated miRs were retained for the panel if they optimized an accelerated failure-time model of OS using the full cohort. Results: Among subje...
The differential rates in cost-related non-adherence to medical care by gender in the US adult population.

AbstractBackground: Cost-related non-adherence (CRN) to medical care is a persistent challenge in healthcare in the US. Gender is a key determinant of many healthcare behaviors and outcomes. Understanding variation in CRN by gender may provide opportunities to reduce disparities and improve outcomes.Aims: This study aims to examine the differential rates in CRN by gender across a spectrum of socio-economic factors among the adult population in the US.Method: Data from the 2015 National Financial Capability Study (NFCS) were used for this study. CRN is identified if a respondent indicated not filling a prescription for medicine because of the cost and/or skipping a medical test, treatment, or follow-up recommended by a doctor because of the cost in the past 12 months. The differential rates in CRN by gender were assessed across socio-economic strata. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the difference in CRN rates by gender, controlling for potential confounders.Results: A...