cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Influence of Structured Debriefing on Clinical Judgment in Associate Degree Nursing Students

The objective of this quantitative, comparative research was to determine the influence of structured post-simulation debriefing on clinical judgment in Associate Degree Nursing students who participated in a high-fidelity simulation exercise in comparison with students who received traditional debriefing. The measurement tool was the Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric (LCJR). Thirty-two students were invited and only 27 responded. Students participated in a code sepsis simulation that lasted 30 minutes followed by structured debriefing. The LCJR score sheet captured the scores. A mixed between-within subjects analysis of variance was conducted to analyze the scores. There was a substantial main effect for debriefing type for noticing; Wilks’ Lambda = .22, F (1, 25) = 86.4, p = .00, ηp2 = .776, interpreting; Wilks’ Lambda = .46, F (1, 25) = 29.1, p = .00, ηp2 = .538, and responding; Wilks’ Lambda = .58, F (1, 25) = 18.2, p = .00, ηp2 =.422. Also, on reflecting; Wilks’ Lambda = .31, F (1, 25) = 29.1, p = .00, ηp2 = .695. The estimated mean between groups were different in those receiving traditional debriefing showing higher scores in those receiving structured debriefing. For noticing; M = 7.0 and M = 9.5, interpreting; M = 4.6 and M = 6.5, responding; M = 9.2 and M = 13.7 and for reflecting; M = 5.0 and M = 6.5 (Pallant, 2016). The research findings have supported and reinforced the importance of structured debriefing after simulation exercises.
Outcomes of Mitral Valve Repair Versus Replacement in the Elderly.

Background This study evaluated outcomes of mitral valve surgery (MVS) in the elderly. Methods Patients 75 years or older undergoing MVS at a single center between 2010 and 2018 were included. Patients were stratified into mitral valve repair (MVr) or replacement (MVR). The primary outcome was mortality. Secondary outcomes included postoperative complications, readmissions, and freedom from at least moderate mitral regurgitation. Multivariable Cox regression was used for risk adjustment. A subanalysis of isolated, non-reoperative MVS for degenerative disease was also performed. Results Elderly patients (n = 472) underwent MVS, 301 (64%) with MVr and 171 (36%) with MVR. The majority of cases (68%) were performed for degenerative etiologic process. Survival was similar between MVr and MVR at 1 year (84% versus 86%; P = .40) and 5 years (64% versus 64%; P = .59). Postoperative complications were also comparable. Freedom from readmission was lower in the MVR cohort at 1 year (57% versus 68%; P = .02) and 5 years (33% versus 43%; P = .02). In isolated MVS for degenerative etiologic process, there was no difference in early or late mortality between MVr and MVR, although readmissions were lower with MVr. Overall, freedom from mitral valve reoperation was comparable, and the freedom from at least moderate regurgitation was 86% at 5 years in the MVr group. Conclusions This study indicates that the outcomes of elderly patients undergoing MVS are acceptable with approximately 64% survival at 5 years. Our data suggest that MVr in the elderly may not confer a survival advantage but can be performed with durable results.
Association of Patterns of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury with Neurologic Deterioration: Experience at a Level I Trauma Center.

Introduction: There are about 2.5 million emergency room visits for traumatic brain injury (TBI) every year and 75%-95% of all TBI patients have mild TBI. Previous studies have suggested that a large proportion of mild TBI patients can be treated in a non-aggressive manner, but they have not differentiated mild TBI as per radiological patterns to help in the selection of these patients. Our study aimed to identify different patterns of mild TBI to determine if certain injuries make patients more prone to neurologic worsening than others, and thus require more intensive monitoring. We also studied the factors associated with neurologic deterioration. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study using an institutional trauma database to identify TBI patients between the years of 2015 and 2016 with admission Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) of 13 to 15, through chart review by the investigators. Radiological and neurological worsening was determined through computed tomography (CT) scan results, GCS scores, and the requirement for neurosurgical intervention. We identified the prevalence of demographic characteristics, radiological patterns, and risk factors. We studied neurologic deterioration (decline in GCS to less than 13 at 48 hours or earlier after admission) and surgical intervention among patients with different radiological patterns of TBI. We further studied the cohort of isolated subdural hematoma (SDH) patients requiring surgery to evaluate the associated risk factors. Results: Out of 374 patients with mild TBI (mean age was 63 years), 59% were male, 77% were Caucasian, the median GCS was 15, majority of patients had isolated SDH (45%), and mixed pattern of hemorrhage (39%); the use of antiplatelet (33%) was the most commonly identified risk factors. Overall 7% of patients were found to have neurologic deterioration (GCS to less than 13) and 9% required surgical intervention at 48 hours or earlier after admission. The most common pattern of TBI requiring surgical intervention was isolated SDH (85%). Among the cohort of patients with isolated SDH, 17% required surgical intervention and 69% of those isolated SDH patients requiring surgery had neurologic deterioration. The most common risk factor in isolated SDH patients requiring surgery was antiplatelet use (34%), anticoagulant use (20%), alcohol abuse (17%), severe renal failure (17%), and thrombocytopenia (7%). Mean size of SDH in patients requiring surgery was 1.6 cm with 0.8 cm of midline shift. Conclusion: This study identified the pattern of mild TBI associated with neurological worsening at our Level I Trauma Center. Among patients with mild TBI, SDH patients seem to be at highest risk for deterioration and requirement for surgery. If these results can be externally validated through a multi-center study, these patients could be selectively identified for aggressive monitoring in the intensive care unit (ICU) and repeat CT scans.
PTIS Potato Herbarium Transferred to WIS, the Wisconsin State Herbarium

The Potato Introduction Station in Sturgeon Bay Wisconsin has maintained herbarium specimens as part of its operations. These specimens mostly were grown from seeds in the field plots or greenhouses, but also include original specimens made during germplasm collecting expeditions. The herbarium of the Station (herbarium acronym PTIS) has been transferred from the potato genebank in Sturgeon Bay Wisconsin to the Wisconsin State Herbarium (acronym WIS) in Birge Hall, University of Wisconsin-Madison where it is now fully integrated and curated and funded by WIS; PTIS is discontinued and is no longer maintained as a separate herbarium. Separately, maps and taxonomic literature that were used by the potato taxonomist in Madison were transferred to the Potato Station in Sturgeon Bay.
Choroid-resident macrophages maintain local vasculature and RPE integrity and spontaneously regenerate following depletion

The choroid of the eye provides necessary vascular supply to the outer retina across the retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) layer and is a locus of progressive degenerative change in aging and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Cellular mechanisms that maintain or compromise choroidal vasculature homeostasis are not well understood, complicating therapeutic efforts. We discover here that pharmacological ablation of macrophages normally resident in the adult mouse choroid via blockade of the CSF1 receptor resulted in progressive thinning of the choroid layer and atrophy of the choriocapillaris. Concurrently, choroidal macrophage ablation also induced structural disorganization of the RPE cell layer, downregulation of RPE visual cycle genes, and altered RPE angiogenic factor expression. Suspension of CSF1R blockade following ablation conversely enabled spontaneous regeneration of the choroidal macrophage population, restoring original macrophage distribution and morphological features. Macrophage repopulation significantly ameliorated the ablation-induced changes in RPE structure and angiogenic factor expression and arrested choroidal vascular atrophy. These findings reveal a previously unsuspected trophic function of resident choroidal macrophages in the maintenance of choroidal vasculature and the RPE layer, suggesting that insufficiency of macrophage function may contribute to age- and AMD-associated pathology. Modulating choroidal macrophage support function can constitute a strategy for therapeutic preservation of the choroid and RPE in AMD prevention and treatment.
Laser Crystallization and Dopant Activation for a-Si:H Film in Carrier-Selective Contacts for Silicon Solar cells

Herein we present a pulsed laser processing method for crystallization and dopant activation of a highly n-doped amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) carrier selective layer for high conductivity, high carrier lifetime, low emitter saturation current and limited surface layer heating as opposed to high temperature furnace annealing induced heating of the bulk Si wafer. We demonstrate increased crystallinity and reduced layer resistivity, without impacting surface passivation quality. Additionally, we examine the role of forming gas annealing (FGA) on further improving the passivation of laser-processed polysilicon layers to achieve a OC ), and 27 fA/cm2 recombination current density (J 0 ) with the potential for further passivation improvement via laser process optimization.
Decolonizing Development Education and the Pursuit of Social Justice

Decolonization has become a popular discourse in academia recently and there are many debates on what it could mean within various disciplines as well as more broadly across academia itself. The fi...
Release of Acetylcholine from a Vascular Perfused Hemidiaphragm – Phrenic Nerve Preparation

A method for studying the release of endogenous acetylcholine (ACh) has been developed using the isolated perfused rat hemidiaphragm-phrenic nerve (Bierkamper, G. and Goldberg, A., J. Electrophysiol. Tech., 1978, in press). Briefly, the left hemidiaphragm with 2 cm of intact phrenic nerve is dissected from 300–400 g rats and placed in 6 mM HEPES buffer (pH 7.4, 24 ± 2deg;c) containing (in mM): 114 NaCl, 3.5 KCl, 2.5 CaC1 2 , 1.0 MgCl 2 and 11 glucose. After cannulation of the diaphragmatic vein, the preparation is mounted in a closed oxygenated chamber. The nerve and muscle are then perfused vascularly using a syringe-type infusion pump (30–50 μ/min). Infusion of a permeating dye indicates that the entire nerve and muscle are perfused in about 2 min. Diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP 1.5 ± 10 −5 M) is added to the buffer to inhibit acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Greater than 98% inhibition has been verified by direct assay of AChE after homogenization of the muscle. Following either a period of rest (spontaneous release) or stimulation (7 Hz) of the nerve, the perfusate is collected and ACh is measured by a sensitive enzymatic radioassay. Spontaneous release was 0.84 ± 0.07, 0.95 ± 0.08 and 1.2 ± 0.07 pmol/min in the presence of 0, 30, and 60 μM choline, respectively. Mean release during 60–70 min of stimulation (total – spont = stim) was 5.13 ± 0.62, 6.75 ± 0.07, and 9.78 ± 1.67 pmole/min with 0, 30 and 60 pM choline, respectively. The results clearly indicate that exogenous choline levels can significantly influence the amount of ACh released from the neuromuscular junction, Efflux of endogenous choline has also been measured simultaneously in some preparations. After 1 h of equilibration, efflux was approximately 100 pmole/min. This amount decreased slowly over time (15%/h) at rest, but dropped quickly during the first 20 min of stimulation, indicating the utilization of choline for ACh synthesis. The ability to perfuse this preparation vascularly not only extends viability to beyond 6 h, but also allows optimum control for the application and study of pharmacological and toxicological agents.
Prevention of Binge Eating

Given the public health burden of binge eating, and eating disorders more generally, preventative interventions that target risk factors prior to binge eating onset have become increasingly popular in recent decades. Research to date has tested prevention programs delivered as early as elementary school and as late as mid-life, using in-person and internet-based delivery modalities. In this chapter, we provide an overview of risk factors for binge eating and then review the evidence supporting programs targeting these risk factors using: (1) in-person school-based programs, (2) in-person programs for young adults, and (3) internet-based prevention programs for adolescents and adults. While many programs have helped reduce risk factors for binge eating, only a few programs have demonstrated the ability to truly prevent binge eating. We also highlight new and developing research on preventative interventions and models to help disseminate effective programs to a larger and more diverse population of people at risk for binge eating and other eating disorders.
Ricoeur’s Rawls: Constitutive Antecedence and Reflective Equilibrium

This article aims to stimulate dispute about the justification of Paul Ricœur’s hermeneutic reading of John Rawls. Offering a close, methodically point-for-point textual engagement, I shall propose that Ricœur’s misreading of certain hermeneutic circularities in Rawls is owed to some confusion about the role of the procedural nature of Rawls’ theory. Generally speaking, the problems with Ricœur’s interpretations center on the question of whether there is something “pre-understood” within the formal theoretical understanding of the procedural theory of justice and the substantive convictions and judgments that figure within the reflective equilibrium of deliberations about the terms of justice. Arguably, Ricœur has not made a satisfactory case that the difference and liberty principles are considered convictions that anticipate their discovery and establishment. Ultimately, Ricœur has not demonstrated that there is a single presuppositional form that renders Rawls’ procedure self-defeating. Instead, he has proposed to us several potential forms of damaging presupposition, each of which is based on a questionable reading of Rawls’ text.
Mercury intrusion porosimetry parameters for use in concrete penetrability qualification using the Katz-Thompson relationship

Abstract This research studies relationships between pore parameters obtained from mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) and experimental results to determine the potential for those parameters to quantify concrete penetrability using the Katz-Thompson relationship. Water permeability, electrical resistivity, and chloride ion penetrability were analyzed as these test methods serve as a proxy for penetrability. Recent developments in mercury intrusion porosimetry accommodate testing larger concrete specimens instead of paste or mortar. Consequently, this work directly compares calculated and measured permeability of nineteen concrete mixtures. By oven-drying the MIP specimens, the calculated permeability was increased due to microcracking; however, when using the same specimen conditioning procedure for MIP and water permeability testing, the resulting calculated and measured water permeability values were comparable.
SceML: a graphical modeling framework for scenario-based testing of autonomous vehicles

Ensuring the functional correctness and safety of autonomous vehicles is a major challenge for the automotive industry. However, exhaustive physical test drives are not feasible, as billions of driven kilometers would be required to obtain reliable results. Scenario-based testing is an approach to tackle this problem and reduce necessary test drives by replacing driven kilometers with simulations of relevant or interesting scenarios. These scenarios can be generated or extracted from recorded data with machine learning algorithms or created by experts. In this paper, we propose a novel graphical scenario modeling language. The graphical framework allows experts to create new scenarios or review ones designed by other experts or generated by machine learning algorithms. The scenario description is modeled as a graph and based on behavior trees. It supports different abstraction levels of scenario description during software and test development. Additionally, the graph-based structure provides modularity and reusable sub-scenarios, an important use case in scenario modeling. A graphical visualization of the scenario enhances comprehensibility for different users. The presented approach eases the scenario creation process and increases the usage of scenarios within development and testing processes.
Invariant Object Representation Based on Principle of Maximum Dependence Capturing

Sensory inputs conveying information about the environment are often noisy and incomplete, yet the brain can achieve remarkable consistency in object recognition. This cognitive robustness is thought to be enabled by transforming the varying input patterns into invariant representations of objects, but how this transformation occurs computationally remains unclear. Here we propose that sensory coding should follow a principle of maximal dependence capturing to encode associations among structural components that can uniquely identify objects. We show that a computational framework incorporating dimension expansion and a specific form of sparse coding can capture structures that contain maximum information about specific objects, allow redundancy coding, and enable consistent representation of object identities. Using symbol and face recognition, we demonstrate that a two-layer system can generate representations that remain invariant under conditions of occlusion, corruption, or high noise.
Characterization of flame synthesized Pd–TiO2 nanocomposite catalysts for oxygen removal from CO2-rich streams in oxy combustion exhausts

Pd–TiO2 catalysts with five Pd loadings were synthesized using a flame aerosol reactor. Studies of the initial and spent catalysts demonstrate that Pd loading impacted the size of Pd sub-nano clusters/nanoparticles and the fraction of Pd (metallic Pd, PdO, PdOx). Increased size of Pd on catalysts' surface due to sintering, and the reduction of PdO to metallic Pd and/or PdOx were observed during the reaction. Fractions of the total surface area of different Pd species and correlations to the apparent reaction rate constants were evaluated. Apparent kinetic constants are linearly proportional to fractions of total surface areas of metallic Pd and/or reduced Pd oxide, representing the intrinsic active site. The linear correlation between the O2 reaction rate and the CO2 concentration in the initial gas stream was also observed exhibiting the possible autocatalytic effect or a surface coverage effect.
Cancer Care in the Incarcerated Population: Barriers to Quality Care and Opportunities for Improvement.

Importance Cancer is the leading cause of mortality in incarcerated individuals older than 45 years and the fourth leading cause of mortality overall. Health care professionals face increasing challenges to provide high-quality care under the confines of prison regulations and procedures. Observations Adjusted for age, race, sex, and year of diagnosis, the standardized incidence ratio for all cancers is more than 2-fold higher in incarcerated vs general populations. Among deaths occurring in state and federal prison systems, cancer is the overall leading cause of mortality with lung cancer being the leading cause of cancer-related mortality followed by liver, colon, and pancreatic cancers, respectively. Access to high-quality oncological services remains variable; however, cost of care represents about a fifth of overall annual prison expenditures. Given the enormous patient burden, coupled with the rushed discretionary screenings performed by jail and prison nursing staff, early cancer symptoms are often missed altogether or misdiagnosed as a chronic illness or as acute infections. As such, many incarcerated individuals present with more advanced cancer stage. Incarcerated individuals have limited, if any, access to the internet, social media, and other sources of information, which severely limits their ability to research treatment options. Within the prison setting, access to professionals with special skills in assisting with social and spiritual concerns is also generally limited, and less than 4% of prisons have hospice programs. There are no uniform quality-of-care monitoring standards for correctional systems and facilities, nor are there mechanisms for reporting comparable performance data to enforce quality control within correctional health care systems. Conclusions and relevance There is a growing trend in cancer incidence among incarcerated patients, which is multifactorial including barriers in access to care, increased burden of chronic medical conditions, and decreased screening tests. Efforts are needed to ensure quality health care outcomes for incarcerated patients with cancer.
Effects of cardiopulmonary resuscitation on direct versus video laryngoscopy using a mannequin model.

Abstract Introduction During the last decade, guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation has shifted, placing chest compressions and defibrillation first and airway management second. Physicians are being forced to intubate simultaneously with uninterrupted, high quality chest compressions. Using a mannequin model, this study examines the differences between direct and video laryngoscopy, comparing their performance with and without simultaneous chest compressions. Methods Fifty emergency medicine physicians were randomly assigned to intubate a mannequin six times, using direct laryngoscopy (DL) and with two video laryngoscopy (VL) systems, a C-MAC traditional Macintosh blade and a GlideScope hyperangulated blade, with and without simultaneous chest compressions. A total of 300 intubations were completed and variables including intubation times, accuracy, difficulty, success rates and glottic views were recorded. Results The C-MAC VL system resulted in quicker intubations compared to DL (p = 0.007) and the GlideScope VL system (p = 0.039) during active chest compressions. Compared to DL, intubations were rated easier for both the C-MAC (p Conclusion Using a mannequin model, the C-MAC conventional VL blade resulted in decrease intubation times compared with DL or the GlideScope hyperangulated VL blade system. Overall, VL out performed DL in terms of providing a superior glottic view, minimizing failed attempts, and improving physician's overall perception of intubation difficulty. Chest compressions resulted in worse Cormack-Lehane views and higher rates of inaccurate endotracheal tube placement with DL, compared to VL.
Deep learning based speaker separation and dereverberation can generalize across different languages to improve intelligibility.

The practical efficacy of deep learning based speaker separation and/or dereverberation hinges on its ability to generalize to conditions not employed during neural network training. The current study was designed to assess the ability to generalize across extremely different training versus test environments. Training and testing were performed using different languages having no known common ancestry and correspondingly large linguistic differences—English for training and Mandarin for testing. Additional generalizations included untrained speech corpus/recording channel, target-to-interferer energy ratios, reverberation room impulse responses, and test talkers. A deep computational auditory scene analysis algorithm, employing complex time-frequency masking to estimate both magnitude and phase, was used to segregate two concurrent talkers and simultaneously remove large amounts of room reverberation to increase the intelligibility of a target talker. Significant intelligibility improvements were observed for the normal-hearing listeners in every condition. Benefit averaged 43.5% points across conditions and was comparable to that obtained when training and testing were performed both in English. Benefit is projected to be considerably larger for individuals with hearing impairment. It is concluded that a properly designed and trained deep speaker separation/dereverberation network can be capable of generalization across vastly different acoustic environments that include different languages.
VLSI Systems For Design Rule Checks

We develop VLSI designs for the solution of several problems that arise in the design rule check phase of design automation.
Systems Engineering Trends

The sections in this article are 1 What Is a System? 2 Systems Engineering 3 Systems Development 4 Configuration Management, Metrics, and Quality Assurance 5 Systems Management 6 Object-Oriented Paradigm 7 Systems Engineering and The Intranet
Persistent topology of decision boundaries

Topological signal processing, especially persistent homology, is a growing field of study for analyzing sets of data points that has been heretofore applied to unlabeled data. In this work, we consider the case of labeled data and examine the topology of the decision boundary separating different labeled classes. Specifically, we propose a novel approach to construct simplicial complexes of decision boundaries, which can be used to understand their topology. Furthermore, we illustrate one use case for this line of theoretical work in kernel selection for supervised classification problems.
Fish mortality and physicochemistry in a managed floodplain wetland

Patterns of fish mortality and associated physicochemical factors werestudied during late spring in a managed wetland canal along the lowerMissouri River, Missouri. Mean dawn dissolved oxygen was lower and meanun-ionized ammonia and turbidity were higher during the fish kill thanbefore or after the kill, or than was observed in a nearby wetland canalwhere no fish kill occurred. Dissolved oxygen at dawn and un-ionizedammonia concentrations were at critically low and high levels respectively,so that both likely contributed to the fish mortality. Timing and magnitudeof observed carcasses suggested that Ameiurus melas Rafinesques wasthe most tolerant species for the sizes observed compared to Ictiobuscyprinellus Valenciennes, Lepomis macrochirus Rafinesque, Cyprinus carpio Linneaus, and Lepomis cyanellus Rafinesque.Decreasing mean lengths of fish carcasses during the fish kill for C.carpio, L. cyanellus, and A. melas, indicate that smaller fishes mayhave been more tolerant of harsh environmental conditions than largerindividuals of the same species. Differential mortalities among species andsizes during drawdowns in actively managed wetland pools may haveintentional and unintentional ramifications on wetland and riverine fishcommunity structure, fish-avian interactions, and implementing anecosystem management perspective to restoring more naturalized riverfloodplain wetland functions. Late summer and early autumn draining ofmanaged wetlands might be used to benefit a wider diversity of wildlife andfishes.
Presynaptic influence on the time course of fast excitatory synaptic currents in cultured hippocampal cells

Since the lifetime of synaptically released glutamate is thought to be very brief, reflecting diffusion and glutamate uptake, the decay of synaptic currents is thought to represent the average elementary lifetime of a receptor channel bound only once by transmitter molecules. We show here that the decay of evoked non-NMDA synaptic currents can reflect presynaptic factors, in particular, the prolonged action of transmitter at postsynaptic receptors under conditions of enhanced transmitter release. We show that diffusion, high-affinity glutamate uptake, and non-NMDA receptor desensitization are insufficiently rapid to limit the decays of evoked synaptic currents to those of miniature synaptic currents in microcultures of rat hippocampal cells. Our results are consistent with recent studies suggesting that during evoked release, multiple glutamate quanta can interact with overlapping postsynaptic receptor domains.
Theoretical Approaches to the Description of Magnetic Merging: the Need for Finite βe, Anisotropic, Ambipolar Hall MHD

Theoretical models of magnetic reconnection are reviewed with a critical view of their suitability for astrophysical plasmas, with a focus on those sampled plasmas near the magnetopause. Frequently the approximations are more those of convenience than physically justified. It is concluded that magnetic reconnection cannot be qualitatively or quantitatively addressed with any one fluid MHD picture unless the Hall, ambipolar and inertial emfs are included in the Generalized Ohm‘s Law. The observed size of electron pressure anisotropics ensures that the thawing of magnetic flux is almost always determined by the often neglected ambipolar term of the Generalized Ohm’s Law. Thus resistive MHD or even resistive Hall MHD cannot possibly give a correct structural picture of the reconnection current carrying layer at the magnetopause. In the magnetotail the ion inertial “resistivity” is much larger than coulomb resistivity with a similar structural form as the coulomb emf. However, until recently the ambipolar contributions there have not been considered. This change in viewpoint of the controlling factors for thawing of magnetic flux parallels the recent evolution of understanding of collisionless shocks, where initially stochastic wave-resistivities were thought to substitute for the coulomb dissipation of high density shock waves. Now these shocks are known to be controlled by coherent agents that can modify emf’s such as the ambipolar electric field, the Hall contributions of the gyrating ions, and the electric electron drift in the shock layer to support the current without thawing flux and without any requirement of ohmic dissipation per se. The observational tests that reconnection is a viable process for plasma entry in the magnetosphere are briefly reviewed. Sites where these conservation laws are said to be approximately fulfilled are discussed with an eye toward systematic experimental issues of these tests. That magnetic shear poorly indexes “good” Walen testing layers may be an indication that the resistive dissipation is either not uniformly important across the data set or resistive emf’s are not the appropriate agent for the thawing of flux. The ambipolar scale length clearly exceeds the resistive or electron skin depth regime with layers that pass the “good” Walen test layers which have β < 5; this may indicate the importance of the ambipolar violations to the frozen field description.
Student Perceptions of Web-based Course Quality and Benefit

Web-based courses have been used to appeal to many segments of potential students. While there has been a rush to develop Web-based courses in universities, there has not been a corresponding publication of research linking Web-based course development to the characteristics of students being taught. Today's universities have a student population that is demographically diverse. This research explores students' reasons for choosing a Web-based course and their perceptions of course quality and benefit.
Refinement of late-Early and Middle Miocene diatom biostratigraphy for the east coast of the United States

Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 313 continuously cored Lower to Middle Miocene sequences at three continental shelf sites off New Jersey, USA. The most seaward of these, Site M29, contains a well-preserved Early and Middle Miocene succession of planktonic diatoms that have been independently correlated with the geomagnetic polarity time scale derived in studies from the equatorial and North Pacific. Shallow water diatoms (species of Delphineis , Rhaphoneis , and Sceptroneis ) dominate in onshore sequences in Maryland and Virginia, forming the basis for the East Coast Diatom Zones (ECDZ). Integrated study of both planktonic and shallow water diatoms in Hole M29A as well as in onshore sequences in Maryland (the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company well) and Delaware (the Ocean Drilling Program Bethany Beach corehole) allows the refinement of ECDZ zones into a high-resolution biochronology that can be successfully applied in both onshore and offshore regions of the East Coast of the United States. Strontium isotope stratigraphy supports the diatom biochronology, although for much of the Middle Miocene it suggests ages that are on average 0.4 m.y. older. The ECDZ zonal definitions are updated to include evolutionary events of Delphineis species, and regional occurrences of important planktonic diatom marker taxa are included. Updated taxonomy, reference to published figures, and photographic images are provided that will aid in the application of this diatom biostratigraphy.
Back to the beginning: The Rise of Experimental Biology: An Illustrated History

By Peter L. Lutz The Humana Press (2002) pp. 216. ISBN 0-89603-835-1 $59.50 ![Figure][1] A stated aim of this book is to provide students of biology with an historical context for their science, to make them aware, in the author's words, “ of the background of trials and
Hospitalizations of Children With Pulmonary Hypertension: Implications for Improving Care

* Abbreviation: PH — : pulmonary hypertension Pulmonary hypertension (PH) complicates the clinical course of children with diverse cardiac, pulmonary, hematologic, and systemic diseases and remains a challenging problem. Despite the growing availability of PH-specific drug therapies, the outcomes for children with severe PH generally remain poor, and the lack of effective treatments further contributes to significant morbidities and diminishes the quality of life.1,2 Overall, pediatric PH has been understudied, and little is known about its natural history, longitudinal course, optimal diagnostic approaches, or treatment. In addition, we currently have limited understanding of disease-specific mechanisms in pediatric PH; there is a lack of organized, multidisciplinary care programs; and few markers or end points are available for assessing clinical course and response to interventions in children.3 Importantly, few data address the overall impact of pediatric PH on the health care system, including rates of hospitalization and health care resource utilization. In this issue of Pediatrics , Maxwell et al4 provide important new information that examines national trends in hospitalizations and resource utilization as obtained from a national database. The authors report significant rates of hospitalization that have been increasing … Address correspondence to Steven H. Abman, MD, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Mail Stop B395, 13123 East 16th Ave, Aurora CO 80045. E-mail: steven.abman{at}ucdenver.edu
Theoretical Study of Oxygen Adsorption on Graphite and the (8,0) Single-walled Carbon Nanotube

Spin-polarized density functional calculations are used to study the adsorption of O atoms and O2 molecules on graphite and on a (8,0) single-walled carbon nanotube. An O atom is found to bind to g...
TOLL-LIKE RECEPTORS REGULATION OF VIRAL INFECTION AND DISEASE

In recent years, it has become increasingly evident that mammalian Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play a critical role in determining the outcome of virus infection. TLRs have evolved to recognize viral nucleic acids, and promote the stimulation of innate and adaptive immune responses. Interestingly, the study of mice harboring deficiencies in various TLR proteins and their adaptors suggests that TLR activation promotes protective anti-viral immunity in some cases, while exacerbating virus-induced disease in others. In this report we describe the interactions of viruses with both the TLR system and the intracellular recognition system and highlight the role of TLRs in shaping the outcome of virus infection in both a positive and negative manner.
Nitric oxide induces cell death by regulating anti-apoptotic BCL-2 family members.

Nitric oxide (NO) activates the intrinsic apoptotic pathway to induce cell death. However, the mechanism by which this pathway is activated in cells exposed to NO is not known. Here we report that BAX and BAK are activated by NO and that cytochrome c is released from the mitochondria. Cells deficient in Bax and Bak or Caspase-9 are completely protected from NO-induced cell death. The individual loss of the BH3-only proteins, Bim, Bid, Puma, Bad or Noxa, or Bid knockdown in Bim−/−/Puma−/− MEFs, does not prevent NO-induced cell death. Our data show that the anti-apoptotic protein MCL-1 undergoes ASK1-JNK1 mediated degradation upon exposure to NO, and that cells deficient in either Ask1 or Jnk1 are protected against NO-induced cell death. NO can inhibit the mitochondrial electron transport chain resulting in an increase in superoxide generation and peroxynitrite formation. However, scavengers of ROS or peroxynitrite do not prevent NO-induced cell death. Collectively, these data indicate that NO degrades MCL-1 through the ASK1-JNK1 axis to induce BAX/BAK-dependent cell death.
Long time solutions to the Seto-Frank equations

Abstract A previously published solution to the Seto-Frank equations (Mansfield, M. L. Polymer 1988, 29, 1755) that predicts an elliptical profile for the growing crystal can be derived using straightforward geometrical arguments and the known properties of trivial solutions. This simplified derivation clarifies several misconceptions generated by the original derivation.
Painting with permission: Legal graffiti in New York City

Drawing extensively from interviews conducted with 20 New York City graffiti writers and from unobtrusive observations, this article seeks to further our understanding of graffiti writing culture in two important respects. On the one hand, previous scholars have tended to explore graffiti writing as an illegal and/or criminalized (sub)culture. On the other, they have found it to be a practice that embodies a ‘critical’ stance towards society. My findings indicate that since 1990 a subset of graffiti writers who paint with permission has emerged. Furthermore, I find that those who produce legal graffiti tend to lead lives and espouse values that most would not hesitate to recognize as ‘conventional’. I conclude by suggesting that graffiti writing needs to be acknowledged as a multifaceted and historically fluid culture, and by intimating some possible directions for further research.
Material Parameters in a Thick Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon Detector and their Effect on Signal Collection

Transient photoconductivity and ESR measurements were done to relate the ionized dangling bond density and the spin density of thick hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) detectors. We found that only a fraction (∼30–35%) of the total defect density as measured by ESR is ionized when the detector is biased into deep depletion. The measurements on annealed samples also show that this fraction is about 0.3. An explanation based on the shift of the Fermi energy is given. The measurements show that the time dependence of relaxation is a stretched exponential.
Enhanced Detection Through Obscurations using Optimized Temporal Polarization Imaging

Temporal fluctuations in polarization signature are maximized by forming linear combinations of polarization-sensitive intensity channels. These combination channels are also reduced in rank and therefore optimized for further processing. Temporal fluctuations are emphasized as a means to detect polarizing objects under heavy but weakly polarizing obscurations that would otherwise preclude detection in a traditional intensity image. The theoretical work, which is an expansion of previously published research, is demonstrated for three and four channel polarization imaging systems. Finally, the theory is tested through simulated examples using an empirical target obscuration model.
PathCase-SB: integrating data sources and providing tools for systems biology research.

Integration of metabolic pathways resources and metabolic network models, and deploying new tools on the integrated platform can help perform more effective and more efficient systems biology research on understanding the regulation of metabolic networks. Therefore, the tasks of (a) integrating under a single database environment regulatory metabolic networks and existing models, and (b) building tools to help with modeling and analysis are desirable and intellectually challenging computational tasks. PathCase Systems Biology (PathCase-SB) is built and released. This paper describes PathCase-SB user interfaces developed to date. The current PathCase-SB system provides a database-enabled framework and web-based computational tools towards facilitating the development of kinetic models for biological systems. PathCase-SB aims to integrate systems biology models data and metabolic network data of selected biological data sources on the web (currently, BioModels Database and KEGG, respectively), and to provide more powerful and/or new capabilities via the new web-based integrative framework. Each of the c urrent four PathCase-SB interfaces, namely, Browser, Visualization, Querying, and Simulation interfaces, have expanded and new capabilities as compared with the original data sources. PathCase-SB is already available on the web and being used by researchers across the globe.
Alteration of postural responses to visual field motion in mild traumatic brain injury.

OBJECTIVE: Balance deficits in individuals experiencing mild traumatic brain injury have been documented in numerous recent studies. However, long-lasting balance deficits and specific mechanisms causing these deficits have not been systematically examined. This article aimed to present empirical evidence showing destabilizing effects of visual field motion in concussed individuals up to 30 days postinjury. METHODS: Sixty student athletes participated in the pilot (n = 12) and major experiments (n = 48) before injury. Eight of these 48 subjects who experienced mild traumatic brain injury in athletic events were tested again on Days 3, 10, and 30 after the incident. Postural responses to visual field motion were recorded using a virtual reality environment in conjunction with balance (AMTI force plate) and motion tracking (Flock of Birds) technologies. RESULTS: The area of the center of pressure during upright stance did not change from Day 3 to 30 postinjury with respect to pre-injury status (P >.05). However, balance deficits induced by visual field motion were present up to 30 days postinjury. Destabilizing effect of visual field motion was observed via significant increase of the center of pressure data (P <.05) and reduced coherence value. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest the presence of residual sensory integration dysfunction in concussed individuals at least 30 days postinjury and may indicate a lower threshold for brain reinjury.
NEGATIVE SELECTION EFFECTS SUPPRESS RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN BACTERIAL DIVERSITY AND ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONING

I assembled bacterial communities to explore the effects of bacterial diversity on multiple ecosystem functions, including bacterial community biovolume, decomposition of particulate organic matter, and biomass transfer to the next trophic level. The experiment used a two-way factorial design with four levels of bacterial diversity (one to four species) and the absence/presence of a bacterivorous ciliated protist Tetrahymena pyriformis as two main factors, and all possible combinations of the four bacterial taxa nested within each diversity level. Bacterial community biovolume increased as bacterial diversity increased, a result due largely to positive selection effects. Decomposition and consumer abundance, however, were unaffected by bacterial diversity, though both varied among bacterial composition treatments. Negative selection effects, the dominance of species that do not contribute significantly to ecosystem functioning, accounted for the lack of diversity effects on decomposition and consumer abundance. The presence of Tetrahymena reduced bacterial community biovolume but increased decomposition, without altering the diversity-functioning relationships. Decomposition was strongly linked with consumer abundance such that communities supporting larger consumer biomass exhibited higher decomposition rates. This study suggests that if the negative selection effect is common, as it might be when examining ecosystem variables other than biomass (due to the presence of keystone species that can contribute disproportionably to ecosystem functioning relative to their abundances), basic bacteria-mediated ecosystem processes, such as decomposition and energy transfer to the next trophic level, may not increase with bacterial diversity.
Assessing the Effects of Antitrust Enforcement in the United States

This article reviews empirical evidence informing an assessment of cartel and merger antitrust enforcement in the United States and makes some reasonable inferences from it. It also explains why an objective assessment based on hard evidence is not possible for the critical deterrence effects of enforcement, or for any of the effects of enforcement against single-competitor exclusionary conduct. Finally, this article describes the reporting by the U.S. Department of Justice of consumer savings from its antitrust enforcement actions, and details the construction of the savings estimates from cartel and horizontal merger enforcement.
Monitoring of oligonucleotide hybridization using light-addressable potentiometric and evanescent wave fluorescence sensing

Abstract Hybridized pairs of oligonucleotides, one biotinylated and the other FITC-labeled, were captured on streptavidincoated surfaces via biotin-streptavidin binding. Detection of the fluoresceinated probe was achieved (1) potentiometrically by light-addressable potentiometric sensing (LAPS) using urease-conjugated anti-fluorescein antibodies and (2) by evanescent wave spectroscopy (EWS) using light internally reflected along a quartz fiber on which the hybrid duplexes were captured facilitating excitation of the FITC-labeled probe in the evanescent wave zone. As little as 20 pg fluoresceinated oligonucleotide could be detected using the LAPS, whereas, the limit of detection using EWS was 50 ng. A dose-dependent reduction of signal was observed in the presence of a nonfluoresceinated oligonucleotide of identical sequence as that of the fluoresceinated target using both methods. Specificity of hybridization was confirmed by the ineffectiveness of added genomic DNA from several species in suppressing the signal. These data indicate that the LAPS and EWS methodologies may be useful for rapid and sensitive detection of oligonucleotides of defined sequence.
Measurements of the triple-differential cross section for low-energy electron-impact ionization of helium

The triple-differential cross section for ionization of helium by low-energy electron impact is investigated over the energy and angular variables. Measurements have been made for primary electron energies near 100 eV, ejected electron energies of 5, 10, and 20 eV, and scattering angles 15/sup 0/, 20/sup 0/, and 30/sup 0/. The forward lobe of the triple-differential cross section is found to be approximately cylindrically symmetric.