cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Wireless communication and computing at the construction jobsite

Abstract For many years, the walkie-talkie has been synonymous with the construction industry. During jobsite project execution, there are three variables which can either hinder or facilitate successful results, namely, quality, quantity, and timing of information. Wireless data communications technology is capable of delivering just-in-time information within the `last mile' between the trailer and a desired location on the jobsite. This paper reports on a study which surveyed information needs at the jobsite, emerging wireless data communications technology, and assessed the extent to which wireless data technology can fulfill the information needs of the jobsite [J.M. de la Garza, I. Howitt, Wireless communication and computing at the jobsite, Research Report 136-11, Construction Industry Institute, Austin, TX, 1997]. We have organized jobsite information needs into the following ten categories: (a) requests for information, (b) materials management, (c) equipment management, (d) cost management, (e) schedule and means and methods, (f) jobsite record keeping, (g) submittals, (h) safety, (i) QC/QA, and (k) future trends. Each category was analyzed in terms of its appropriateness to take advantage of wireless technology. The four formats considered to transmit information wirelessly were: (a) live voice, (b) live video, (c) batched data, and (d) live data. Current wireless communication technology has been classified into the following five classes: (a) circuit-switched wireless data systems, (b) packet-switched wireless data systems—this class was further subdivided into specialized mobile radio systems and cellular digital packet data systems, (c) wireless local area networks, (d) paging systems, and (e) satellite-based data communications. A primer for wireless communications covering both fundamental and advanced communications concepts has also been included to enable a better understanding of the issues involved in making trade-offs while configuring a wireless jobsite communication system. The example presented in this paper shows how a contractor can define a subset of information needs by choosing from those already articulated herein and determine if a given wireless technology should even be considered as a viable way of meeting the information needs that such company has.
Effects of child and adolescent health on educational progress.

Abstract Understanding how childhood and adolescent health may affect schooling is important for understanding the socioeconomic ramifications of poor early-life health as well as the relations between schooling and adult health. Using three waves of U.S. longitudinal data with extensive covariate information on a national sample of 2368 American children aged 5–14 at baseline, we used regression methods to investigate how patterns of general health status over a 10-year period relate to completed years of schooling at the end of follow-up. As a sensitivity analysis, we used sibling fixed effects models to help control for differences stemming from familial or community factors shared between siblings. The effect of health on years of completed schooling appeared to accumulate over time, and was more evident among children who were older at baseline. Among participants aged 5–7, 8–10, and 11–14 at baseline, average differences in years of completed schooling between participants with poor health in all 3 waves and those with good health in all 3 waves were 0.02 ([95% confidence interval] −0.31, 0.35), −0.50 (−0.88, −0.12), and −1.28 (−1.78, −0.78), respectively. Point estimates from fixed effects models were very similar. Our results document the emergence and compounding over time of health-related disparities in schooling at young ages, suggesting a vicious cycle between poor health and educational outcomes. Future research better characterizing how early-life health affects educational progress will ultimately be necessary for developing effective interventions to reduce educational and health disparities.
Resectable esophageal carcinoma: local control with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the usefulness of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy before esophagectomy for invasive cancer of the esophagus or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors conducted a retrospective analysis of 154 patients who underwent esophagectomy for invasive cancer between September 1, 1991, and December 31, 1995. The end points evaluated were overall, disease-free, local-regional relapse–free, and systemic relapse–free survival. RESULTS: Seventy of the 154 patients received neoadjuvant combined-modality therapy (CMT) consisting of concurrent cisplatin and fluorouracil administration and accelerated, hyperfractionated radiation therapy. The remaining 84 patients underwent immediate esophagectomy. With a median follow-up of 34.7 months, the 3-year overall, disease-free, and distant metastatic relapse–free survival rates were 38.0%, 41.9%, and 56.0%, respectively. Although neoadjuvant therapy did not appear to prevent distant metastases, there was a dramatic e...
Effects of Repeated Electroshocking on Instantaneous Growth of Trout

Abstract Instantaneous growth rates were calculated for age-1, -2, and -3 + wild rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) and brown trout (Salmo trutta) at each of eight stream sites on five streams in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. Growth rates of individual trout that had been electroshocked with pulsed DC two to seven times within a 12-month period were lower than the average growth rates for trout of the same age and species at their respective sites. This decrease in growth rate occurred significantly more often among age-1 and -2 trout than among those 3 years and older, and more often among trout that had been electroshocked within the last 2.5 months than among trout that had 3 or more months to recover from electroshocking. These results indicated that fisheries management studies should be designed to avoid repeated electroshocking, especially at intervals of less than 3 months. Growth studies in which more than a small fraction (e.g., >20%) of the total population is repeatedly electrosho...
Problem Order Implications for Learning

The order of problems presented to students is an important variable that affects learning effectiveness. Previous studies have shown that solving problems in a blocked order, in which all problems of one type are completed before the student is switched to the next problem type, results in less effective performance than does solving the problems in an interleaved order. However, we have no precise understanding of the reason for this effect. In addition to existing theoretical results, we use a machine-learning agent that learns cognitive skills from examples and problem solving experience, SimStudent, to provide a computational model of the problem order question. We conduct a controlled simulation study in three different math and science domains (i.e., fraction addition, equation solving and stoichiometry), where SimStudent is tutored by automatic tutors given problems that have been used to teach human students. We compare two problem orders: the blocked problem order, and the interleaved problem order. The results show that the interleaved problem order yields as effective or more effective learning in all three domains, because the interleaved problem order provides more or better opportunities for error detection and correction to the learning agent. Examination of the agent’s performance shows that learning when to apply a skill benefits more from interleaved problem orders, and suggests that learning how to apply a skill benefits more from blocked problem orders.
SLA AND LANGUAGE PEDAGOGY: An Educational Perspective

Many SLA researchers have demonstrated an interest in language pedagogy (LP), yet the relationship between SLA and LP is a problematic one, not so much because of the limitations of SLA itself but because the two disciplines involve different “Discourses” (Gee, 1990). In this paper it is argued that an educational perspective is needed in order to examine how SLA can contribute to LP. Such a perspective suggests ways in which SLA can be appraised in a pedagogically relevant manner and, more importantly, what kinds of applications may be fruitful. It is suggested that relevance is more likely to be achieved if SLA is used to address issues that practitioners nominate as important to them. Different models of application are considered, reflecting different ways of viewing teaching. A behavioral model, according to which teachers implement those behaviors that research has shown to be effective, is rejected. However, SLA can serve as an important source of information that can help to shape practitioners' theories of teaching (a cognitive model). Most importantly, it constitutes a source of “provisional specifications” that practitioners can evaluate in their own contexts of action (an interpretation model). SLA also affords practitioners the means for conducting their own investigations. In short, an educational perspective suggests that for SLA to influence LP, practitioners need assistance in transforming knowledge about L2 acquisition into practice.
The Effect of Accelerator Parameters on Mechanical Tuning of rf Cavities

The rf system of a proton synchrotron requires a frequency-modulated rf voltage to accelerate the particles. This paper discusses a unique method for frequency modulation of rf cavities by means of a "Loud Speaker" type of mechanical rf tuning system of the type originated by W. Schnell of CERN. A typical mechanically tuned rf system for a medium-energy high-repetition-rate particle accelerator is used to illustrate (a) the optimization of the moving portion of the tuner; (b) the control system and the response limits on the servo loop; (c) the mechanical response of the moving part and its effect on tuning accuracy.
Effect of lipopolysaccharide on intestinal intramucosal hydrogen ion concentration in pigs: evidence of gut ischemia in a normodynamic model of septic shock.

We tested the hypothesis that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) leads to an imbalance between mesenteric oxygen delivery (JOURNAL/ccme/04.02/00003246-198907000-00009/ENTITY_OV0312/v/2017-07-20T220708Z/r/image-pngo2) and gut metabolic demand for oxygen, even when cardiac index (CI) is within the normal range. Two groups of pentobarbital-anesthetized pigs (13 to 17 kg) were studied. The first group (LPS: n = 9) was infused over 20 min with Escherichia coli LPS (100 μg/kg) and resuscitated with normal saline (1.2 ml/kg·min). The second group (NS; n = 5) was not infused with LPS, but was resuscitated in the same way as the LPS group. Superior mesenteric arterial (SMA) blood flow and ileal intramucosal hydrogen ion concentration, [H+), were determined using a Doppler-shift probe and a tonometric catheter, respectively. Infusing LPS did not affect CI, although mean arterial pressure and systemic vascular resistance were significantly reduced. SMA flow and mesenteric JOURNAL/ccme/04.02/00003246-198907000-00009/ENTITY_OV0312/v/2017-07-20T220708Z/r/image-pngo2 decreased significantly in the LPS group. Although mesenteric oxygen utilization was well preserved in both groups, ileal intramucosal [H+] was significantly higher in endotoxic animals. These data support the idea that mesenteric oxygen consumption is flow-limited in this clinically relevant porcine model of septic shock.
Alcohol Expectancies and Alcohol Use Frequency: Does Drinking Context Matter?

Although alcohol use varies across settings, current measures of alcohol outcome expectancies (i.e., perceived likelihood of experiencing a drinking outcome; AOE) and valuations (i.e., desirability of specific drinking outcomes) do not specify the drinking context explicitly. Therefore, the contextual factors (which may affect both AOE and valuations) respondents use when completing these measures are unknown and make interpretation of measures potentially challenging. As such, the present study examined AOE and valuations among 334 college student drinkers (71.0 % women; Mage = 21.05; 74 % Hispanic) as a function of three drinking contexts: convivial (e.g., at a party, a bar), negative coping (e.g., when experiencing negative affect), and personal-intimate (e.g., with a romantic partner, on a date). As expected, results indicated that endorsement of AOE and valuations differed by context. Participants generally perceived the effects of alcohol—both positive (e.g., I would be friendly) and negative (e.g., I would be clumsy)—as being less likely to occur and less desirable in the negative coping context than in convivial and personal-intimate contexts. Patterns of AOE and valuations for convivial and personal-intimate context varied by specific drinking outcomes; however, all valuations of negative effects were rated highest in the personal-intimate context. Further, certain context-specific beliefs about the effects of alcohol were differentially associated with reported frequency of alcohol use in each context. Findings suggest that context should be made explicit by researchers and clinicians in assessment and intervention of college student drinking.
Temperature, gas and pressure ECG sensor by using carbon nanotube

This paper introduces a method to combine temperature, gas and pressure sensor to a system on a chip. The sensing elements are single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT). CNT has excellent resistance changes when the condition changes. Thus, based the I-V curve, the resistance changes are measured. There is a typical issue using CNT to measure the temperature and the gas since both factors have effects to the resistance. This paper provides an interesting method to fix this problem.
State-dependent retention induced by postacquisition exposure to pentobarbital or shock stress in rats

Although state-dependent retention (SDR) has been the focus of considerable research in recent years, there has been little work demonstrating this phenomenon when the treatment is administeredafter learning. In the present study, the effectiveness of two different treatments, pentobarbital and shock-induced stress, in producing postacquisition SDR in rats was examined. In all experiments, water-deprived rats were exposed to a novel flavor, apple juice, on each of 2 days. Subjects that remember their initial exposure to this substance should show an increase in consumption on their second exposure (i.e., an attenuation of neophobia). It was found that subjects exposed to pentobarbital (Experiment 1) or shock-induced stress (Experiment 2) immediately after their initial exposure did not increase their intake on the subsequent exposure unless they were reexposed to pentobarbital (Experiment 1) or shock-induced stress (Experiment 2b) shortly prior to that exposure. These results clearly show that this “attenuation of neophobia” paradigm can be used to investigate postacquisition SDR.
Inflammatory models drastically alter tumor growth and the immune microenvironment in hepatocellular carcinoma

Initiation and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is intimately associated with a chronically diseased liver tissue. This diseased liver tissue background is a drastically different microenvironment from the healthy liver, especially with regard to immune cell prevalence and presence of mediators of immune function. To better understand the consequences of liver disease on tumor growth and the interplay with its microenvironment, we utilized two standard methods of fibrosis induction and orthotopic implantation of tumors into the inflamed and fibrotic liver to mimic the liver condition in human HCC patients. Compared to non-diseased controls, tumor growth was significantly enhanced under fibrotic conditions. The immune cells that infiltrated the tumors were also drastically different, with decreased numbers of natural killer cells but greatly increased numbers of immune-suppressive CD11b+ Gr1hi myeloid cells in both models of fibrosis. In addition, there were model-specific differences: Increased numbers of CD11b+ myeloid cells and CD4+ CD25+ T cells were found in tumors in the bile duct ligation model but not in the carbon tetrachloride model. Induction of fibrosis altered the cytokine production of implanted tumor cells, which could have far-reaching consequences on the immune infiltrate and its functionality. Taken together, this work demonstrates that the combination of fibrosis induction with orthotopic tumor implantation results in a markedly different tumor microenvironment and tumor growth kinetics, emphasizing the necessity for more accurate modeling of HCC progression in mice, which takes into account the drastic changes in the tissue caused by chronic liver disease.
Quantifying and delineating spatial variations of surface infiltration in a small watershed

Abstract The focus of this project is to determine which data collection techniques are best suited for quantifying and delineating spatial variations in surface infiltration and for estimating infiltration parameters used in computer models for simulation of runoff quantity following summer rainstorm events from a small watershed (Incline Creek watershed, Nevada) in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Field tests which give the infiltration parameters of sorptivity and hydraulic conductivity, two parameters found in the Philip infiltration model, were performed in the watershed using a disk permeameter. These field data were combined with coverages in an existing Geographical Information System (GIS) database and field observations of surface attributes (soil type and vegetation) which are known to contribute to variation in infiltration rates. Statistical tests performed on the field-test data indicate that the only surface attribute which influences variations in infiltration rates in this watershed (owing mainly to limited variations in soil type) is vegetation. Further, time-to-ponding calculations which indicate when and if runoff might occur following the start of a precipitation event indicate that for most precipitation events likely to occur in this area during the summer, infiltration in all but nonforested areas is unlikely. The coverages in the GIS database were used to develop a map of the watershed which delineates areas of low potential infiltration from areas of high potential infiltration which can be used in parameter estimation and watershed conceptualization in computer modeling of runoff.
Morbidity in long-term survivors of small cell carcinoma of the lung

The follow-up of eight patients who were alive and disease-free for at least 12 months following completion of therapy for small cell carcinoma of the lung (SCC) is presented. One patient is alive and well. Five patients (62%), including two with acute leukemia, died of second malignancies. One patient died with late recurrence of SCC, and one patient died of an unexplained neurologic degenerative disease with dementia. It is concluded that patients with apparent cure of SCC are at high risk for serious disorders including second malignancies.
High-power thulium fiber laser ablation of the canine prostate

The Thulium fiber laser may have several advantages over current urology lasers, including smaller size, more efficient operation, improved spatial beam quality, more precise tissue incision, and operation in pulsed or continuous-wave modes. However, previous laser-tissue interaction studies utilizing the Thulium fiber laser have been limited to laser powers of less than 5 W. This study describes high-power Thulium fiber laser vaporization of the canine prostate, ex vivo. A continuous-wave, 110-watt Thulium fiber laser operating at a wavelength of 1.91 mm, delivered 88.5 ± 2.3 W of power through a 600-mm-core silica fiber for non-contact vaporization of canine prostates (n=6). The Thulium fiber laser vaporized prostate tissue at a rate of 0.83 ± 0.11 g/min. The thermal coagulation zone measured 500-2000 mm. The high-power Thulium fiber laser is capable of rapid vaporization and coagulation of the prostate, ex vivo. In vivo animal studies are currently in development for evaluation of the Thulium fiber laser for prostate vaporization and potential treatment of benign prostate hyperplasia.
Equicorrelated substitutes and Nasse's extension of the linear expenditure system

Abstract Nasse's (1970) model can be used to provide an easily implementable approximation of the equicorrelated-substitutes model. The preference independence transformation based on this approximation is also considered.
Structural Analysis of Biodiversity

Large, recently-available genomic databases cover a wide range of life forms, suggesting opportunity for insights into genetic structure of biodiversity. In this study we refine our recently-described technique using indicator vectors to analyze and visualize nucleotide sequences. The indicator vector approach generates correlation matrices, dubbed Klee diagrams, which represent a novel way of assembling and viewing large genomic datasets. To explore its potential utility, here we apply the improved algorithm to a collection of almost 17000 DNA barcode sequences covering 12 widely-separated animal taxa, demonstrating that indicator vectors for classification gave correct assignment in all 11000 test cases. Indicator vector analysis revealed discontinuities corresponding to species- and higher-level taxonomic divisions, suggesting an efficient approach to classification of organisms from poorly-studied groups. As compared to standard distance metrics, indicator vectors preserve diagnostic character probabilities, enable automated classification of test sequences, and generate high-information density single-page displays. These results support application of indicator vectors for comparative analysis of large nucleotide data sets and raise prospect of gaining insight into broad-scale patterns in the genetic structure of biodiversity.
Bias in Content Validity on the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts for White and Mexican-American Children.

Abstract Item bias on Forms A and B of the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts was examined for a sample of White and Mexican-American kindergarten children. The method employed to detect biased items, as defined by an items-by-group interaction, was a two-way analysis of variance with followup being conducted with a Bonferroni-type procedure. Bias-in-item difficulty occurred for both groups, which does not conform to the current popular press view that bias is against ethnic minorities and not against the White majority. The finding that on some items the Mexican-American group out-performed the White group indicates the need to examine carefully the question of bias and to reconsider popular conceptualizations of the many issues of bias in educational and psychological testing.
Respiratory therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A primer

Respiratory complications are a common cause of morbidity and mortality in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Treatment of respiratory insufficiency with noninvasive ventilation (NIV) improves ALS patients' quality of life and survival. Evidence-based practice guidelines for the management of ALS patients recommend treatment of respiratory insufficiency with NIV as well as consideration of insufflation/exsufflation to improve clearance of airway secretions. Despite these recommendations respiratory therapies remain underused. In this review we provide a practical guide for the clinician to prescribe and manage respiratory therapies for the patient with ALS.
Robust tunable in vitro transcriptional oscillator networks

Synthetic biology is facilitating novel methods and components to build in vivo and in vitro circuits to better understand and re-engineer biological networks. Circadian oscillators serve as molecular clocks that govern several important cellular processes such as cell division and apoptosis. Hence, successful demonstration of synthetic oscillators have become a primary design target for many synthetic biology endeavors. Recently, three synthetic transcriptional oscillators were demonstrated by Kim and Winfree utilizing modular architecture of synthetic gene analogues and a few enzymes. However, the periods and amplitudes of synthetic oscillators were sensitive to initial conditions and allowed limited tunability. In addition, it being a closed system, the oscillations were observe to die out after a certain period of time. To increase tunability and robustness of synthetic biochemical oscillators in the face of disturbances and modeling uncertainties, a control theoretic approach for realtime adjustment of oscillator behaviors would be required. In this paper, assuming an open system implementation is feasible, we demonstrate how dynamic inversion techniques can be used to synthesize the required controllers.
Privacy and security of patient data in the pathology laboratory

Data protection and security are critical components of routine pathology practice because laboratories are legally required to securely store and transmit electronic patient data. With increasing connectivity of information systems, laboratory work-stations, and instruments themselves to the Internet, the demand to continuously protect and secure laboratory information can become a daunting task. This review addresses informatics security issues in the pathology laboratory related to passwords, biometric devices, data encryption, internet security, virtual private networks, firewalls, anti-viral software, and emergency security situations, as well as the potential impact that newer technologies such as mobile devices have on the privacy and security of electronic protected health information (ePHI). In the United States, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) govern the privacy and protection of medical information and health records. The HIPAA security standards final rule mandate administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and security of ePHI. Importantly, security failures often lead to privacy breaches, invoking the HIPAA privacy rule as well. Therefore, this review also highlights key aspects of HIPAA and its impact on the pathology laboratory in the United States.
Comprehensive evaluation of the Minnesota leisure time physical activity questionnaire

The accuracy of the Minnesota Leisure Time Physical Activity (LTPA) Questionnaire (a 1-year survey of non-occupational activity used in MRFIT) was studied in 78 men and women, age 20-59 years, by comparing survey results to the following measures obtained over a year's duration: six 48-hour physical activity records; fourteen 48-hour Caltrac accelerometer readings (Caltrac); 14 administrations of a 4-week version of the LTPA Questionnaire (FWH); 3 VO2peak determinations and percent body fat (% BF). The LTPA Questionnaire demonstrated: weak to moderate associations with % BF (r = -0.24) and with VO2peak (r = 0.47); a weak association with Caltrac readings expressed as MET.minutes.day-1 (r = 0.23); strong associations with corresponding activities reported on the FWH; and moderate associations with total and heavy activities reported in the physical activity record, but no associations with moderate and light activities. Furthermore, several types of LTPA were found to be either under-represented or not currently included in the Minnesota LTPA Questionnaire. It is concluded that although validation results were found to be quite good, several possible refinements were identified, which should improve the accuracy of the Minnesota LTPA Questionnaire in assessing habitual physical activity.
Why kids kill: inside the minds of school shooters

Langman, P. 2009. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9780230101487. pp. 256, pbk. In the days and weeks after rampage school shootings, pundits, psychologists, and other experts fill the airwaves w...
Improving the stability of direct-methane solid oxide fuel cells using anode barrier layers

Abstract Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) were characterized with methane as the fuel, both with and without an inert porous layer placed between the anode and the fuel stream. For a given set of operating conditions, SOFCs were stable without coking above a critical current density. The barrier layer decreased the critical current density, e.g. from 1.8 to −2 at 800 °C. This much-increased stable operating range is discussed in terms of mass transport through the barrier layer.
Interpreting ground-penetrating radar images using object-oriented, neural, fuzzy, and genetic processing

Exploration and exploitation of local planetary resources will require the acquisition of subsurface information. Continuous profiling subsurface imaging technology will permit the rapid acquisition and interpretation of information on board automated rover vehicles. The overall aim of this research is to provide base technology for an automated ground penetrating radar GPR vision system for interpretation of geophysical data. Image processing algorithms are generally classified as low-, intermediate-, or high-level to reflect both the nearness of the algorithm to the bit image, and the sequence of algorithms that are likely to be implemented on an image. This research primarily deals with the symbolic manipulation of GPR tokens at the highest-level of processing, with minor emphasis being directed to the lower-level task of determining target shape from input consisting of the slope, length, and shape of the GPR pattern signature arms. Major emphasis was directed towards determining the real world objects corresponding to these target shapes.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Characterization of nano-dimensional thin-film elastic moduli using magnetoelastic sensors

Application of magnetoelastic thick-film sensors to the measurement of thin-film elastic moduli is described in this study. An analytical model is derived, that relates the resonant frequency of a magnetoelastic sensor to the elasticity and density of an applied thin-film. Limits of the model are analyzed, and related to experimental measurements using thin-films of silver and aluminum. For 500 nm thick-films, the measured Young's modulus of elasticity for Al and Ag is found to be within 1.6% of standard data. Using commercially available magnetoelastic sensors, the elasticity of coatings, approximately 30 nm thick, can readily be measured.
A Design of Entrapment Strategies for the Distributed Pursuit-Evasion Game

Abstract In this paper, the entrapment strategies are proposed for a multiple-pursuer single-evader game. The aimed game is nonzero-sum and under distributed information, where the global information is not available for all the players. Since the information is distributive, cooperative control is integrated with the the differential game theory to deal with the difficulty of lack of information. The issue of entrapment strategies is taken into account for the pursuers to chase the evader in a more intelligent manner. Simulation results are presented.
Parkinson's Disease and Deep Brain Stimulator Placement

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has added to the comfort and quality of life for an increasing number of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. The anesthesiologist needs to understand the pathophysiology of the disease, the surgical procedure, and its postoperative implications to most effectively manage these patients. This article examines the role of the anesthesiologist in the pre- and perioperative management of patients undergoing DBS procedures. In terms of the general anesthetic management of PD patients, it is clear that no simple anesthetic regimen exists. Anesthesiologists can provide the best care through preoperative assessment, maintenance of PD drug therapy, and avoidance of known precipitating agents.
Palmitic acid induces IP-10 expression in human macrophages via NF-κB activation

It is now recognized that cross-talk between adipocytes and adipose tissue stromal cells such as macrophages contributes to local and systemic inflammation. One factor from adipocytes that may participate in this interaction and that is frequently elevated in inflammatory conditions such as obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes is free fatty acids (FFA). To investigate the potential for FFA to enhance macrophage inflammation, we exposed U937 macrophages to physiological levels (150 microM) of FFA. Palmitic acid (PA), the predominant saturated FFA released from adipose tissue, but not unsaturated FFA, induced an approximately 6-fold (p<0.05) increase in IP-10 gene expression (and 2- to 4-fold increases in IL-8, MCP-1, COX-2, and MIG). PA also induced an approximately 2-fold increase (p<0.05) in active NF-kappaB, and two structurally distinct NF-kappaB inhibitors effectively blocked PA-induced IP-10 gene expression. Conditioned medium from PA-treated cells increased lymphocyte migration 41% (p<0.05) which was significantly reduced by IP-10-neutralizing antibody. These results suggest that elevated concentrations of PA commonly present in obese and insulin resistant individuals can increase NF-kappaB-mediated expression of IP-10 in macrophages. These events in turn may lead to an increasing feed-forward loop of chronic inflammation.
Profile-based mobile MPLS protocol

Mobile MPLS is a new scheme that integrates mobile IP and MPLS protocols, in order to enable the MPLS protocol to support mobility. In mobile MPLS, when a correspondent node (CN) wants to communicate with a mobile user, the CN will first send its packets to the mobile user's home domain. Then, the home agent (HA) of the mobile user will forward the packets to the mobile user through the label switched path (LSP) from the HA to the current location of the mobile user. This forwarding process leads to a "triangle routing" problem. Even if route optimization is applied, several of the packets transmitted at the beginning of the connection will still be forwarded through the remote HA of the mobile user, since there is no address binding for the mobile user in the cache of the CN at the very beginning of the transmission. However, if the mobile user's behavior, e.g. the user's mobility pattern, travel schedule, are predictable or well-known before the transmission of the packets, this kind of "triangle routing" problem can be avoided. We propose a profile-based mobile MPLS protocol. The profiles maintain the regular behaviors of the mobile users. If the CN is able to obtain the profile of the mobile user, it will know (to some extend of accuracy) the current location of the mobile user and forward its traffic to the area the user is expected to be, thus eliminating the "triangle routing". Two schemes are proposed to maintain the profiles of the mobile users. One is based on a distributed, the second on a centralized approach. In the distributed scheme, the profiles are obtained directly from the mobile users, while in the centralized scheme a profile server is applied to maintain the profiles of all the mobile users in a domain. With the profile-based mobile MPLS approach, the delay for the traffic to the mobile user is reduced and the network performance is enhanced.
Opposition party policy shifts in response to no-confidence motions

No-confidence motions (NCMs) are attempts by opposition parties to publicise the government's failings in a salient policy arena, and previous research has shown that they often negatively affect citizens' evaluations of governing parties' competence and damage their electoral prospects. Yet currently there is a lack of understanding of how opposition parties respond ideologically to these NCMs. It is argued in this article that opposition parties should distance themselves from the government challenged by NCMs to show that they are different from the incompetent government and to compete for the votes that the government is likely to lose. Using a sample of 19 advanced democracies from 1970�2007, empirical evidence is presented that NCMs encourage political parties to move their positions away from the government's position, especially in the presence of reinforcing negative signals about government performance. These results have important implications for our understanding of opposition party policy change, for the economic voting literature, and for the spatial and valence models of party competition.
Muc4 Expression During Blood Vessel Formation in Damaged Rat Cornea

Purpose: To determine the timing of Muc4 expression during the association of endothelial cells to form blood vessels in the rat corneal stroma after corneal wounding. Methods: Corneal damage was inflicted using brief cauterization with silver nitrite. Contralateral and wounded corneas were examined at time periods after wounding by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence for Muc4 and for the blood vessel endothelial cell marker von Willebrand Factor. Results: Blood vessels and von Willebrand Factor-stained cells were very sparse in corneal stroma from unwounded corneas. In contrast, aggregates of von Willebrand Factor-stained cells were prevalent in wounded corneas at days 4–5 and 7–10. Muc4 expression was limited at days 4–5, but extensive at days 7–10. Conclusion: Muc4 expression develops in endothelial cells during the mid-stages of cell aggregation and blood vessel formation.
Frequency domain modeling of nanophotonic devices

Several problems in nanophotonics are uniquely suitable for frequency domain modeling methods. We first present a new method for sensitivity analysis of nanophotonic devices. The algorithm is based on the finite-difference frequency-domain method and uses the adjoint variable method and perturbation theory techniques. We show that our method is highly efficient and accurate and can be applied to the calculation of the sensitivity of transmission parameters of resonant nanophotonic devices. Frequency-domain methods are also essential in modeling of plasmonic devices due to the complicated dispersion properties of metals at optical frequencies. Here we demonstrate the existence of a bound optical mode supported by a slot in a thin metallic film deposited on a substrate, with slot dimensions much smaller than the wavelength. The modal size is almost completely dominated by the near field of the slot. Consequently, the size is very small compared with the wavelength, even when the dispersion relation of the mode approaches the light line of the surrounding media. In addition, the group velocity of this mode is close to the speed of light in the substrate, and its propagation length is tens of microns at the optical communication wavelength.
The Effects of the Conversion of a Primary to a Secondary Tropical Lowland Forest on Bullet ant (Paraponera clavata) Foraging Behavior in Costa Rica: A Possible Indicator of Ecosystem Condition

The use of bioindicators of habitat condition can help to better understand the effects of tropical forest degradation and the efficacy of strategies used in the restoration of these lands. The differences in feeding behavior of the ponerine ant Paraponera clavata may serve as such an indicator. The findings from the current study showed that P. clavata in an undisturbed primary forest returned to the nest with prey, nectar, and plant materials, while none of the ants within a 14 year old regenerating secondary forest returned with prey or nectar, few with plant materials, and most of the returns were unsuccessful in their foraging. This suggests a difference in P. clavata feeding behavior and/or food selection is occurring in the disturbed habitat; that P. clavata from the primary forest nest examined in the current study are feeding at a higher trophic level; and that the ants in the primary forest appeared to be more successful and efficient foragers than those in the secondary forest. Future studies should involve more comparisons of P. clavata foraging behavior in second- ary to primary forests to determine if the patterns described in this current study are consistent with disturbance in these tropical forests in order to evaluate the possibility of this use of P. clavata as a valuable tool for bioindicators of habitat damage.
Parent and Teacher Ratings of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Preschool: The ADHD Rating Scale-IV Preschool Version

Efforts for early identification and intervention for children with AD/HD have necessitated the development of rating scales of behavior for the preschool population. The standardization, reliability, and validity data were presented for the ADHD Rating Scale-IV Preschool Version. Parent and teacher ratings were collected on 902 and 977 children 3 to 5 years of age, respectively. Raw scores for the Inattention, Hyperactivity/Impulsivity and Total scores were converted to T-Scores and percentile ranks. Reliability coefficients ranged from 0.80 to 0.95 indicating good test–retest reliability. Concurrent validity with the Conners Teacher Rating Scales: Revised-Short and Conners Parent Rating Scale: Revised-Short ranged from 0.54 to 0.96. The ADHD-Rating Scale-IV appears to be a reliable, valid and user friendly measure for screening preschoolers with behavior problems. Future research is needed to validate its widespread use as a screening and diagnostic tool.
Modifying landscapes and mass kills: Human niche construction and communal ungulate harvests

This special issue of Quaternary International includes case study consideration of communal ungulate hunting structures situated in open alpine, tundra, grassland, and desert settings in North America and the Near East. Along with being constructed in a variety of different environments, the mass kill structures described in this issue of QI also exhibit variation in design, as each was specifically tailored to capture a particular prey species, with target species including bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), bison (Bison bison), caribou (Rangifer tarandus), pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) gazelle (Gazella spp.), and onager (Equus hemionus). In this introductory article I employ the interrelated concepts of niche construction and traditional ecological knowledge to provide a broader frame of reference for consideration of the underlying similarities and sophistication of these diverse ungulate drive structures, and bring them into clearer focus as comprising important and integral components in the overall socioeconomic systems of the small-scale human societies that constructed them. Requiring detailed understanding of local landscapes and patterns of seasonal movement and flight behavior of prey species, such structures were constructed to reduce acquisition effort and increase the predictability of prey species by channeling and constraining their movement for easier harvesting. This was accomplished by creating structural modifications to the landscape designed to direct the prey into killing zones or enclosures.
The Effects of Temperature on the Threshold of Identified Neurons in the Locust

1. At the preferred body temperature of the locust (30 °C and above), the metathoracic fast extensor of the tibia (FETi) motorneuron will sometimes spike in response to synaptic input from the descending movement detector (DMD) visual interneurons. This does not occur at lower temperatures (Fig. 1). The mechanism of the change in excitability is investigated in FETi and other identified motorneurons over the range 18–35 °C. 2. Action potentials show a reversible decrease in amplitude and duration on heating (Fig. 2). 3. EPSP amplitudes are relatively unchanged by temperature, but their duration decreases slightly on heating (Fig. 3). 4. Membrane potential hyperpolarises on heating and depolarises on cooling (Fig. 4). 5. Membrane resistance shows a transient increase on cooling, and a transient decrease on heating (Fig. 10), but there is usually little steady-state change in resistance with temperature (Fig. 5). 6. Spike threshold shows a transient increase followed by a steady-state decrease on heating, and the opposite on cooling (Fig. 10). This can be demonstrated with injected current (Fig. 6), membrane depolarisation (Fig. 7), spontaneous spike frequency (Fig. 9), and naturally occurring EPSPs (Fig. 8). This change in spike threshold is regarded as the major neural correlate of the change in excitability with temperature.
T-box Genes in Early Embryogenesis

The T-box gene family, encoding related DNA-binding transcriptional regulators, plays an essential role in controlling many aspects of embryogenesis in a wide variety of organisms. The T-box genes exhibit diverse patterns of spatial and temporal expression in the developing embryo, and both genetic and molecular embryological studies have demonstrated their importance in regulating cell fate decisions that establish the early body plan, and in later processes underlying organogenesis. Despite these studies, little is known of either the regulation of the T-box genes or the identities of their transcriptional targets. The aim of this review is to examine the diverse yet conserved roles of several T-box genes in regulating early patterning in chordates and to discuss possible mechanisms through which this functional diversity might arise. Developmental Dynamics 229:201–218, 2004. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Failure-robust distributed controller architectures

In this paper we consider the problem of designing a controller that is distributed to n processing nodes associated with n collocated control input-measurement output pairs of a given plant. We seek necessary and sufficient conditions so that a controller, distributed in this form, can provide pre-specified performance levels when certain nodes fail. Based on the Youla-Kucera parameterization, the problem can be converted to a convex, structured in Q problem, the solution of which provides a construction for the distributed controller. In addition to nodal failures, we consider the effect of communication noise existing in the transmission of information among nodes, to the regulated variable, and show that this can be precisely captured also in a convex in Q problem.
John Bunyan and Covenant Thought in the Seventeenth Century

For a man who had achieved deserved fame as a master of English allegory and had thereby become the subject of a host of biographies, Bunyan would be dismayed if he knew that, three hundred years after his initial if temporary release from the Bedford prison, the thing he had strived for most in his writings had been ignored—his attempt to clarify for his readers what he believed to be the central truths of the Christian faith. Historians have diligently sought for every piece of evidence available to fill in the unknown facts of Bunyan's life, while scholars of English literature continue to examine the style of writing of the unlettered Tinker. Yet no one has ever dealt satisfactorily with the thought of this man.
Trafficking of Proteins through Plastid Stromules

Stromules are thin projections from plastids that are generally longer and more abundant on non-green plastids than on chloroplasts. Occasionally stromules can be observed to connect two plastid bodies with one another. However, photobleaching of GFP-labeled plastids and stromules in 2000 demonstrated that plastids do not form a network like the endoplasmic reticulum, resulting in the proposal that stromules have major functions other than transfer of material from one plastid to another. The absence of a network was confirmed in 2012 with the use of a photoconvertible fluorescent protein, but the prior observations of movement of proteins between plastids were challenged. We review published evidence and provide new experiments that demonstrate trafficking of fluorescent protein between plastids as well as movement of proteins within stromules that emanate from a single plastid and discuss the possible function of stromules.