cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Oil pipeline crude oil temperature circuit monitor system

Aiming at the special environment and condition of the oil pipeline in crude oil storeroom, we manufacture the oil pipeline crude oil temperature circuit monitor system to monitor the temperature data in different covey oil states, and to achieve the display, the alarm and the storage for the data. The superordination PC and the inferior scm compose primarily the whole system. Using Delphi to establish host control interface achieves visible manipulation between the superordination and the inferior. The received data refreshes every half minute and is recorded every hour. This system has already run in succession for one year at the north oil depot of the storage and transportation marketing branch company, which is safe, credible and exact. So it can adequate completely to the temperature circuit monitor for the oil pipeline.
The Gastroenterologist ‘Gap’

Since digestive disorders produce more hospitalizations than any other disease category, a great deal of gastroenterology is being practiced—but not by gastroenterologists. The result is that patients do not benefit adequately from new knowledge gained in recent years. A plea is made for more physicians to take the opportunity today's gastroenterology provides for blending scientific research with scientific practice.
Epsilon-near-zero modes for tailored light-matter interaction

Engineering collective excitations such as plasmons and polaritons provides access to exotic optical properties. This study reports semiconductor nanostructures with coupled surface modes that interact with multiple resonant dipoles, yielding double and triple polariton branches in the system's response. This produces useful and tunable properties with the flexibility to enable low-voltage tunable filters, light-emitting diodes, and efficient nonlinear composite materials.
Should the Dose of Recombinant Activated Factor VII Be Adjusted for Morbidly Obese Patients? Balancing Risk of Bleeding With Thrombosis

This case report compared and contrasted calculations for dosing recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) in a morbidly obese patient using estimation of blood volume rather than actual weight or ideal body weight (IBW). A specific case report in a morbidly obese, critically ill patient with new diagnosis of acquired hemophilia A (AHA) was presented. A 64-year-old morbidly obese patient with AHA required emergent surgery for perforated diverticulitis and peritonitis. The patient required bypass treatment with rFVIIa and was initially dosed based on actual weight of 167 kg (body mass index 61). The patient had a history of deep vein thrombosis and new onset of atrial fibrillation. Based on numerous risk factors for both bleeding and the potential for thromboembolism, the rFVIIa dose was adjusted based on calculations using adjusted body weight and blood volume principles, which decreased dosage by 40%, from 15 to 9 mg. With no active bleeding, rFVIIa dosage was adjusted and rotating thromboelastography testing was added to coagulation parameter monitoring. With this change in dosage, hemostasis was maintained and 132 mg of rFVIIa was saved over an 8-day treatment period. There is very limited literature to direct clinicians on rFVIIa dosing in morbidly obese patients. Since obesity is prevalent in all patient populations, clinicians should consider an estimation of blood volume as a means to dose rFVIIa. Adjusting the dose of rFVIIa to account for changes in blood volume is a physiologic target that should help balance the risk of underdosing using IBW and the risk of overdosing using actual body weight. J Hematol. 2016;5(2):60-66 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jh256w
Dealing with Prosody in a Text-to-Speech System

The task of assigning appropriate intonation to syntheticspeech is one that requires knowledge of linguistic structure as well ascomputational possibilities. This paper surveys the basic challengesfacing the designer of a text-to-speech system, and reviews some of theperspectives on these problems that have been developed in thelinguistic literature.
16S rRNA amplicon sequencing dataset for conventionalized and conventionally raised zebrafish larvae

Data presented here contains metagenomic analysis regarding the sequential conventionalization of germ-free zebrafish embryos. Zebrafish embryos that underwent a germ-free sterilization process immediately after fertilization were promptly exposed to and raised to larval stage in conventional fish water. At 6 days postfertilization (dpf), these "conventionalized" larvae were compared to zebrafish larvae that were raised in conventional fish water never undergoing the initial sterilization process. Bacterial 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing was performed on DNA isolated from homogenates of the larvae revealing distinct microbiota variations between the two groups. The dataset described here is also related to the research article entitled "Microbial modulation of behavior and stress responses in zebrafish larvae" (Davis et al., 2016) [1].
Appropriateness of Surgical Approach in Black Patients with Lung Cancer—15 Years Later, Little Has Changed

Abstract Introduction Black patients with lung cancer receive an operation less often and have worse survival than white patients. Over the past several decades limited resection has become an acceptable alternative to lobectomy in selected cases, and mediastinal lymph node staging is recommended. The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database was explored to assess whether the type of surgical approach is similar in black and white patients with lung cancer. Methods All cases of pathologically proven lung cancers within the site code International Classification of Diseases for Oncology, Third Edition, C340 to C349 (67,191 whites and 13,387 blacks), age 64 years or younger, diagnosed between 2007 and 2012 were identified. The odds of treatment (operation or radiation) in blacks versus whites were calculated using multivariable logistic regression, with race as the dependent variable, overall and by disease stage. Results Surgical treatment was significantly less likely to be administered to black patients than to white patients overall (OR adjusted [OR adj ] = 0.69, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.65–0.74) and according to stage. Opposite results were observed when radiation was analyzed (OR adj = 1.1, 95% CI: 1.04–1.12). Stratification by age groups (≤50 years versus >50 years) or insurance status did not influence the results. Among those who underwent a surgical procedure, black patients were less likely to have their lymph nodes resected overall (OR adj = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.7–0.89) and according to stage. Conclusions Racial disparities in appropriate lung cancer treatment are still observed independently from insurance status.
Crystal structure of 1-phenyl-imido-1-{6-[1-(phenyl-imino)-eth-yl]pyridin-2-yl}ethan-1-yl-κ3N,N',N'')iron(II).

The title iron complex, [Fe(C21H19N3)2], consists of an FeII atom chelated by two tridentate bis­(imino)­pyridine radical anions in a slightly distorted octa­hedral coordination environment. In the solid state, there are two independent half-mol­ecules in the asymmetric unit, and the complete mol­ecular structure is formed by applying twofold rotation symmetry with the twofold rotation axis passing through an Fe atom. In the crystal, the Fe-containing complexes are not involved in any particular direct inter­molecular inter­actions, with the shortest C—HAr contacts between neighboring phenyl groups being ca 3.2 A.
A geometric atlas to predict lung tumor shrinkage for radiotherapy treatment planning

To develop a geometric atlas that can predict tumor shrinkage and guide treatment planning for non-small-cell lung cancer. To evaluate the impact of the shrinkage atlas on the ability of tumor dose escalation. The creation of a geometric atlas included twelve patients with lung cancer who underwent both planning CT and weekly CBCT for radiotherapy planning and delivery. The shrinkage pattern from the original pretreatment to the residual posttreatment tumor was modeled using a principal component analysis, and used for predicting the spatial distribution of the residual tumor. A predictive map was generated by unifying predictions from each individual patient in the atlas, followed by correction for the tumor's surrounding tissue distribution. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the predictive model for classifying voxels inside the original gross tumor volume were evaluated. In addition, a retrospective study of predictive treatment planning (PTP) escalated dose to the predicted residual tumor while maintaining the same level of predicted complication rates for a clinical plan delivering uniform dose to the entire tumor. The effect of uncertainty on the predictive model's ability to escalate dose was also evaluated. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the predictive model were 0.73, 0.76, and 0.74, respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for voxel classification was 0.87. The Dice coefficient and mean surface distance between the predicted and actual residual tumor averaged 0.75, and 1.6 mm, respectively. The PTP approach allowed elevation of PTV D95 and mean dose to the actual residual tumor by 6.5 Gy and 10.4 Gy, respectively, relative to the clinical uniform dose approach. A geometric atlas can provide useful information on the distribution of resistant tumors and effectively guide dose escalation to the tumor without compromising the organs at risk complications. The atlas can be further refined by using more patient data sets.
A leading power factor based DC-link voltage balancing algorithm for three-level neutral-point-clamped traction inverter drive

This paper presents three different virtual space vector based strategies to keep the neutral point potential fluctuation (NPPF) low in the field weakening region for an interior permanent magnet synchronous machine (IPMSM) drive. Out of three strategies, one even completely eliminates the NPPF. A detailed analytical study to demonstrate the root cause behind the high NPP fluctuation in the field weakening region for IPMSM inverter based traction drive is carried out. The duty ratios for all the vectors are separately derived based on the nearest three voltage vectors (NTV) for each strategy. Detailed simulation and experimental studies are then carried out to show the effectiveness of the proposed control strategies with a 6.0 kW IPMSM. Results show a considerable reduction in capacitor voltage deviation with the proposed strategies compared to the conventional one.
Targeting Neural Hyperactivity as a Treatment to Stem Progression of Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease

Sporadic late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD), the most common form of dementia in the elderly, causes progressive and severe loss of cognitive abilities. With greater numbers of people living to advanced ages, LOAD will increasingly burden both the healthcare system and society. There are currently no available disease-modifying therapies, and the failure of several recent pathology-based strategies has highlighted the urgent need for effective therapeutic targets. With aging as the greatest risk factor for LOAD, targeting mechanisms by which aging contributes to disease could prove an effective strategy to delay progression to clinical dementia by intervention in elderly individuals in an early prodromal stage of disease. Excess neural activity in the hippocampus, a recently described phenomenon associated with age-dependent memory loss, was first identified in animal models of aging and subsequently translated to clinical conditions of aging and early-stage LOAD. Critically, elevated activity was similarly localized to specific circuits within the hippocampal formation in aged animals and humans. Here we review evidence for hippocampal hyperactivity as a significant contributor to age-dependent cognitive decline and the progressive accumulation of pathology in LOAD. We also describe studies demonstrating the efficacy of reducing hyperactivity with an initial test therapy, levetiracetam (Keppra), an atypical antiepileptic. By targeting excess neural activity, levetiracetam may improve cognition and attenuate the accumulation of pathology contributing to progression to the dementia phase of LOAD.
Opioid-Involved Overdose Among Male Afghanistan/Iraq-Era U.S. Military Veterans: A Multidimensional Perspective.

ABSTRACTBackground: Mirroring nationwide trends in a broad range of U.S. populations, an alarming number of Afghanistan/Iraq-era U.S. Military veterans have experienced opioid-related overdoses. A growing body of research has examined the proximal behaviors that can precipitate an overdose; considerably less is known about more distal physiological, psychosocial and structural influences on these risk behaviors. Objectives: This study adopts a multidimensional approach to better understand opioid-related overdose among U.S. Military veterans, and seeks to explore not only the proximal behavioral precipitants of overdose events, but also the complex nexus of physiological, psychological, and sociological influences that undergird overdose events. Methods: This qualitative examination is based on interview data from 36 male veterans who were discharged from the military after September 2001 and experienced at least one opioid-related overdose during or after military service. Participants were recruited in ...
Using Performance-Based Risk-Sharing Arrangements to Address Uncertainty in Indication-Based Pricing.

BACKGROUND: The rise in pharmaceutical expenditures in recent years has increased health care payer interest in ensuring good value for the money. Indication-based pricing (IBP) sets separate, indication-specific prices paid to the manufacturer according to the expected efficacy of a drug in each of its indications. IBP allows payers to consistently pay for value across indications. While promising, a limitation of IBP as originally conceived is that efficacy estimates are typically based on clinical trial data, which may differ from real-world effectiveness. An outcomes guarantee is a type of performance-based risk-sharing arrangement that adjusts payments according to prospectively tracked outcomes. We suggest that an outcomes guarantee contract, which has been used by some payers, may be adapted to achieve indication-based prices supported by real-world effectiveness. OBJECTIVE: To illustrate the potential of an outcomes guarantee to achieve indication-based prices aligned with real-world value, using ...
So many robots, so little time

Many educators have integrated Robots into the computer science and engineering curriculum. This hands-on tutorial will demonstrate several low cost robotic platforms. A survey of the programming languages used with each platform, and how they have been incorporated into the computer science curriculum will be reviewed. Participants will then be able to investigate two platforms through a directed laboratory exercise.
Queering Asian Canada: Troubling Family, Generation, and Community

This article argues that a queer perspective on Asian Canadian studies can open new inquiries and simultaneously trouble the centrality of family, generation, and community in documenting and examining racialized minority and diasporic groups. By rethinking these analytical concepts through queer possibilities and interventions, research into Asian Canada can become more inclusive and transgressive, and can foreground alternative queer kinships which exceed heteropatriarchal bloodlines, filial relations, and co-ethnic singularities. Putting forth counter-histories of racialized and diasporic sexualities, this article builds upon and complements archival research on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Asian Canadians, and turns to artists and cultural workers who offer rich historical and contemporary representations of queer Asian Canada. In particular, it examines the 2015 film It Runs in the Family by Joella Cabalu, the 2016 film Re:Orientations by Richard Fung, and the 2016 exhibition Not a Place on a Map: The Desh Pardesh Project curated by Anna Malla.
La esquizofrenia como condición neurológica debida a un fallo en la lateralización del cerebro: observaciones macro y microscópicas

Introduccion. La esquizofrenia es una condicion definida durante el desarrollo del cerebro. En esta enfermedad, parte de la sintomatologia se asemeja a un trastorno afasico. Estudios recientes sugieren que las estructuras del cerebro que definen las funciones del lenguaje estan lateralizadas de manera anormal en pacientes esquizofrenicos. Objetivos. Revisar la bibliografia medica buscando evidencia sobre posibles anormalidades en las asimetrias del cerebro en pacientes esquizofrenicos y discutir un nuevo concepto con respecto a la organizacion jerarquica de la corteza. Desarrollo. Al revisar la bibliografia hemos de tomar en consideracion la limitacion de cada tecnica. Hasta el presente, los estudios de neuroimagen proporcionan datos mas creibles que aquellos que se derivan de series de autopsia. Sin embargo, ambos metodos, neuroimagen y estudios post mortem, presentan datos consistentes con la presencia de una minicolumnopatia en la esquizofrenia. Las minicolumnas definen conexiones corticocorticales que, a traves del proceso evolutivo (encefalizacion), proporcionan la oportunidad de que areas corticales homologas adquieran su independencia. Esta nueva manera de pensar, derivada de conceptos sobre la modularidad cortical, ilumina posibles mecanismos que dan lugar a la dominancia cerebral y a como estos pueden estar alterados en la esquizofrenia. Conclusiones. Aunque no hay hallazgos patognomonicos en la esquizofrenia, la mayoria de estudios sugieren la presencia de un fallo en la lateralizacion del cerebro. Si se comprueba esta conclusion, convendria reevaluar nuestras opiniones y empezar a considerar la esquizofrenia como un trastorno neurologico.
Classical conditioning of blood pressure in Macaca mulatta with cardiac rate controlled.

The interaction of heart rate and blood pressure responses was studied in four male rhesus monkeys (M. mulatta) during classical delay conditioning and extinction. During initial conditioning sessions, heart rate was held constant by means of an external cardiac pacemaker; in follow-up conditioning sessions, the heart was free of constraint. Observations were made after these conditioning sessions, (a) during several sessions given over to continued training while different pacing rates were in effect; (b) during a series of extinction sessions in which the heart was paced and unpaced; and, (c) when a heart rate CR was simulated by manipulation of the pacer with no conditioned or unconditioned stimuli present. Throughout all sessions, systolic and diastolic pressures were measured at each heart beat. It was found that blood pressure conditioning was largely unaffected when heart rate changes were prevented during acquisition. Extinction of blood pressure responses was also seen to proceed relatively unimpeded when the heart was paced at a fixed frequency. During the postacquisition conditioning sessions, the several different pacing rates that were tested did not produce any significant differential effects in the blood pressure CRs. Simulated heart rate CRs were accompanied by small changes in pressures, sometimes opposite in direction from the pressure CRs observed during unpaced conditioning trials.
Gastric Function After Fundoplication

Fundoplication is a common operation in children. Even though it is very successful to control gastroesophageal reflux it can be associated with significant postoperative symptoms that may limit its effectiveness. Fundoplication reduces the volume of the stomach and uses most of the proximal stomach to create a wrap around the lower part of the esophagus, and therefore may have an impact on gastric sensorimotor function. Studies consistently show it may increase the rate of gastric emptying, decrease gastric accommodation, lead to impaired distribution of intragastric food with the ingested material reaching and distending the distal stomach much earlier than physiologically expected, alter the belching mechanisms, and may also produce visceral hypersensitivity. Postoperative symptoms that may be attributed to gastric sensorimotor dysfunction after surgery include inability to belch, early satiety, bloating, dyspepsia, gas-bloat syndrome, retching, pain, feeding refusal, diarrhea, and dumping. Given that the symptoms can originate from a variety of underlying problems, it is important to understand the pathophysiology of the symptoms in each patient, to be able to tailor therapy accordingly.
Convolutional Neural Networks for Iris Presentation Attack Detection: Toward Cross-Dataset and Cross-Sensor Generalization

Iris recognition systems are vulnerable to presentation attacks where an adversary employs artifacts such as 2D prints of the eye, plastic eyes, and cosmetic contact lenses to obfuscate their own identity or to spoof the identity of another subject. In this work, we design a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) architecture for presentation attack detection, that is observed to have good cross-dataset generalization capability. The salient features of the proposed approach include: (a) the use of the pre-normalized iris rather than the normalized iris, thereby avoiding spatial information loss; (b) the tessellation of the iris region into overlapping patches to enable data augmentation as well as to learn features that are location agnostic; (c) fusion of information across patches to enhance detection accuracy; (d) incorporating a "segmentation mask" in order to automatically learn the relative importance of the pupil and iris regions; (e) generation of a "heat map" that displays patch-wise presentation attack information, thereby accounting for artifacts that may impact only a small portion of the iris region. Experiments confirm the efficacy of the proposed approach.
Does Too Much Arbitrage Destablize Stock Price? Evidence from Short Selling and Post Earnings Announcement Drift.

Stein (2009) suggests that too much arbitrage capital exploiting underreaction can lead to overreaction, pushing price further away from fundamental value. I test this hypothesis by investigating the relation between changes in short interest ratio around earning announcement and the subsequent drift return. There are two main findings in this paper. First, my results suggest that too much arbitrage capital does contribute to overreaction (with a t-statistics around 4 on average). These findings are robust to alternative sample periods or length of the window for drift calculation. Second, contrary to the findings in prior literature that show that short sellers mitigate the magnitude of drift, my results show that almost all of this effect are actually contributed by the observations that are more likely to represent overreaction.
Coating Breakdown and Galvanically Accelerated Crevice Corrosion of Aluminum Alloys 2024 and 7075 at Cadmium-Plated Steel Fasteners

The breakdown of a Mil-spec coating system at fasteners in aluminum alloys after fatigue and environmental exposure was studied using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. In addition, a statisti...
Transgenerational effects in an ecological context: Conditioning of adult sea urchins to upwelling conditions alters maternal provisioning and progeny phenotype

Abstract Transgenerational plasticity occurs when the conditions experienced by the parental generation influence the phenotype of their progeny . This may in turn affect progeny performance and physiological tolerance, providing a means by which organisms cope with rapid environmental change. We conditioned adult purple sea urchins , Strongylocentrotus purpuratus , to combined pCO2 and temperature conditions reflective of in situ conditions of their natural habitat, the benthos in kelp forests of nearshore California, and then assessed the performance of their progeny raised under different pCO2 levels. Adults were conditioned during gametogenesis to treatments that reflected static non-upwelling (~650 μatm pCO2, ~17 °C) and upwelling (~1300 μatm pCO2, ~13 °C) conditions. Following approximately 4 months of conditioning, the adults were spawned and embryos were raised under low pCO2 (~450 μatm pCO2) or high pCO2 (~1050 μatm pCO2) treatments to determine if differential maternal conditioning impacted the progeny response to a single abiotic stressor: pCO2. We examined the size, protein content, and lipid content of eggs from both sets of conditioned female urchins. Offspring were sampled at four stages of early development: hatched blastula, gastrula, prism, and echinopluteus. This resulted in four sets of offspring: (1) progeny from non-upwelling-conditioned mothers raised under low pCO2, (2) progeny from non-upwelling-conditioned mothers raised under high pCO2, (3) progeny from upwelling-conditioned mothers raised under low pCO2, and (4) progeny from upwelling-conditioned mothers raised under high pCO2. We then assessed the effects of maternal conditioning along with the effects of developmental pCO2 levels on body size of the progeny. Our results showed that differential maternal conditioning had no impact on average egg size, although non-upwelling females produced eggs that were more variable in size. Maternal conditioning did not affect protein content but did have a modest impact on egg lipid content. Developing embryos whose mothers were conditioned to simulated upwelling conditions (~1300 μatm pCO2, ~13 °C) were greater in body size, although this effect was no longer evident at the echinopluteus larval stage. Although maternal conditioning affected offspring body size, the pCO2 levels under which the embryos were raised did not. Overall, this laboratory study provides insight into how transgenerational effects may function in nature. The impacts of parental environmental history on progeny phenotype during early development have important implications regarding recruitment success and population-level effects.
2262 Hysteroscopic Loop Resection Training Utilizing a Virtual Reality and Low-Fidelity Model: a Pilot Study

Study Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of Virtual Reality (VR) and low-fidelity inanimate model for training and assessing OB/GYN residents in hysteroscopic loop resection. Design Prospective, cohort trial. Setting Single academic affiliated community hospital. Patients or Participants Twenty-four PGY-1 through PGY-4 OB/GYN residents were enrolled. Interventions All participants served as their own controls and underwent a pre-intervention objective structured assessment of technical skills (OSATS), during which the participant performed a baseline hysteroscopic loop resection using a low-fidelity model. Next, they completed a designated VR hysteroscopic loop resection simulator module to achieve a score >95%. Immediately after intervention, participants were then allowed to practice on the low-fidelity model prior to repeating a recorded hysteroscopic loop resection. Post-intervention performance was assessed using an OSATS. Participants also completed a subjective survey assessing comfort levels with the procedure pre- and post-intervention. All low-fidelity model hysteroscopic resections were recorded and scored by a single blinded evaluator. Measurements and Main Results Seven surgical skills were measured using OSATS and nine subjective measures were assessed, both using a Likert Scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high). All residents showed improvement in camera management, tissue handling, and instrument management (p= Conclusion Simulation improved baseline surgical skills and led to retention and improvement of same skills. In addition, resident comfort with the knowledge and procedural steps increased. As mechanical resection device use continues to increase, residents have fewer opportunities to train with hysteroscopic resectoscopes. Resident training should include simulation to increase both baseline development and retention of surgical skills.
Carrier of Wingless (Cow) Regulation of Drosophila Neuromuscular Junction Development.

Abstract The first Wnt signaling ligand discovered, Drosophila Wingless (Wg; Wnt1 in mammals), plays critical roles in neuromuscular junction (NMJ) development, regulating synaptic architecture and function. Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs), consisting of a core protein with heparan sulfate (HS) glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains, bind to Wg ligands to control both extracellular distribution and intercellular signaling function. Drosophila HSPGs previously shown to regulate Wg trans-synaptic signaling at the NMJ include the glypican Dally-like Protein (Dlp) and perlecan Terribly Reduced Optic Lobes (Trol). Here, we investigate synaptogenic functions of the most recently described Drosophila HSPG, secreted Carrier of Wingless (Cow), which directly binds Wg in the extracellular space. At the glutamatergic NMJ, we find that Cow secreted from the presynaptic motor neuron acts to limit synaptic architecture and neurotransmission strength. In cow null mutants, we find increased synaptic bouton number and elevated excitatory current amplitudes, phenocopying presynaptic Wg overexpression. We show cow null mutants exhibit an increased number of glutamatergic synapses and increased synaptic vesicle (SV) fusion frequency based both on GCaMP imaging and electrophysiology recording. We find that membrane-tethered Wg prevents cow null defects in NMJ development, indicating that Cow mediates secreted Wg signaling. It was shown previously that the secreted Wg deacylase Notum restricts Wg signaling at the NMJ, and we show here that Cow and Notum work through the same pathway to limit synaptic development. We conclude Cow acts cooperatively with Notum to coordinate neuromuscular synapse structural and functional differentiation via negative regulation of Wg trans-synaptic signaling within the extracellular synaptomatrix. Significance Statement Wnt intercellular signaling is disrupted in numerous devastating neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease. Therefore, an understanding of Wnt signaling regulation is important for the design and implementation of targeted treatments. As a disease model, the Drosophila glutamatergic NMJ system is large, accessible and genetically malleable, and thus well suited for discovering the molecular and cellular mechanisms of Wnt signaling regulation. Extracellular HSPGs are important players as regulators of Wnt intercellular signaling. Here, we show secreted HSPG Carrier of Wingless (Cow), which directly binds to the founding Wnt-1 ligand, regulates NMJ structure and function. The mammalian homolog of Cow, Testican-2, is highly expressed in the brain. Studying this HSPG in Drosophila should inform mechanisms of Wnt regulation in human brain.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Groin and Genital Pain

Groin and testicular/labial neurogenic pain (termed as groin neurogenic pain in this chapter), also termed ilioinguinal and testicular/labial neuralgia, is a life-debilitating condition for many patients. Usually arising after surgical interventions in the inguinal and testicular/labial region, this neurogenic pain is caused by a combination of lesions in the ilioinguinal and/or genitofemoral nerves and occasionally the iliohypogastric nerve. Patients typically complain of burning, stabbing pain that may be accompanied by sensory deficits in the inguinal, groin, and medial thigh regions. A systematic detailed history of the pain and a thorough physical exam are vital in diagnosing groin neurogenic pain. Nerve blocks can help precisely delineate the affected nerves and confirm diagnosis. Treatment usually involves surgical neurectomy and implantation of the injured nerves either within the abdominal musculature or pre-peritoneum. It is advisable to work in a multidisciplinary team while treating this patient population. Postoperatively, a majority of patients are discharged and prescribed pain medication, NSAIDs, and perioperative antibiotics with instructions to avoid strenuous activities for the first 3 months.
Two Trophic Upsurges With Differing Responses During the Filling of a Mid-Continental Reservoir (Mozingo Studies III)

Mozingo Lake was sampled monthly for 4 y following its impoundment in order to further understand trophic upsurges and to refine the classic model of upsurges. Upsurge 1 occurred in Month 8, when lake area increased by 184% and inundated only floodplain with comparable coverages of forest, cropland, and grassland (30%–33% each). At this time nitrate increased dramatically and was related to both precipitation and lake area increase, likely due to ammonia-based fertilizers from the flooded cropland. Phytoplankton biovolume remained low, however, likely due to the abundance of Daphnia and other zooplankton grazers. After recovery, the lake expanded dramatically again in Month 21 (Upsurge 2); lake area increased by 36%, but this expansion flooded land with less floodplain (23%) and with different proportions of land use (45% grassland, 31% forest, 14% cropland). Upsurge 2 experienced initial increases in nitrate and zooplankton, but these were minor compared to Upsurge 1, and phytoplankton remained low. These initial responses were followed by substantial increases in phosphate, which related to lake area increase; cyanobacteria biovolume expanded, but zooplankton abundance declined. Therefore the two upsurges were driven by different factors: nitrate in Upsurge 1, but phosphate in Upsurge 2. These drivers, in turn, may reflect differences in the newly-flooded land, including differences in land use and in landscape position (i.e., slope). In addition to seasonal succession, the phytoplankton of Mozingo Lake exhibited longer-term primary succession that related first to nitrate, then to grazing, then to multiple factors, suggesting increases in food web complexity. In contrast to the classic model of upsurges, the biotic responses in Mozingo Lake were quite transitory, and the nature of the upsurges varied with the characteristics of the newly-inundated land. Therefore, it appears that trophic upsurge is more variable than the classic model suggests.
Highly ductile glassy epoxy systems obtained by network topology modification using partially reacted substructures

Abstract A strategy for toughening epoxy thermosets via topological rearrangement of cross-linked networks is presented. Amine-cured epoxy systems were modified by mixing partially reacted substructures (mPRS), which were synthesized by partially curing tetraglycidyl ether of diaminodiphenylmethane (TGDDM) and polyether monoamine (Jeffamine M1000) to provide free unbound surfaces that enhance protovoid formation during deformation. The influence of mPRS conversion and weight ratio on the properties of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) and TGDDM systems cured with Jeffamine D230 was investigated. Adding mPRS resulted in high Tg systems capable of exceptional strain at failure in tension: 43% for the DGEBA (Tg = 75 °C) and 20% for the TGDDM (Tg = 135 °C). The addition of mPRS, however, decreases Tg relative to unmodified systems. SEM and SAXS characterization provide evidence of protovoid (18–34 nm) formation. Quasi-static compressive tests conducted at testing temperatures selected to maintain a constant (Tg - Ttest) reveal the protovoid opening mechanism plays a dominant role in enhanced ductility.
How do novel seat positions impact usability of child restraints

Abstract Autonomous driving technology and changes in regulations may create an environment that allows novel vehicle interiors. It is important to consider impact on all types of passengers when contemplating interior design, particularly for vehicles that may be used by families with children. We developed a fixture that enables us to change the orientation of each of 4 car seats and used it to simulate three different vehicle interiors. Ten families with children aged 3 months to 7 years interacted with each of the simulated interiors as part of a usability study. Times to install and remove child restraint systems were not significantly different across the three simulated vehicle interiors, but parents were able to release children fastest when using the “X” configuration, which had all seats on a diagonal facing the middle of the vehicle. While overall experience ratings didn’t differ significantly, seven out of ten parents indicated that they liked the “X” configuration better than the other two configurations tested. Reasons included: ability to interact with other passengers, ability to see the road, and legroom/comfort. However, many participants disliked having some passengers not facing forward. Overall, parents liked facing their children, but several said that they would only be comfortable if they could see out of the front windshield; meanwhile, children liked seeing their parents’ faces but also preferred to face forward. Child restraint system and vehicle manufacturers could benefit from considering this study when designing new products.
Polyurethane Foam and Selected Sorbents as Collection Media for Airborne Pesticides and Polychlorinated Biphenyls

Accurate information on low levels of pesticides in ambient air would aid the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in making decisions on allowable pesticide usage. In order to accomplish routine air monitoring of pesticides sampling media capable of collecting and retaining pesticides in the range of picograms to low nanograms per cubic metre, while maintaining an air flow rate of 200 to 250 litres/min, are needed. Polyurethane foam (PUF) has been used for trapping some pesticides and industrial chemicals in the past. Also some of the solid sorbents such as Porapak R and Tenax-GC have been evaluated. Several solid sorbents in combination with PUF were evaluated, using mixtures of either organochlorine or organophosphorus pesticides. Recoveries of these pesticides are discussed. An evaluation of the system during a cleanup of a polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) spill in North Carolina is discussed.
Energy resource development in the five year plans

Energy resource development is not considered as a unified topic in any of the five year plans. In addition, the grouping of energy investments changed from plan to plan reflecting changes in administrative organization. The earlier plans contain a section on irrigation and power which covers investments in hydropower and thermal power plants. The Fourth and Fifth Plans separate irrigation and flood control from power investments. Coal resource development is discussed under the heading of mineral resource development. Oil and natural gas resource investments are covered under industrial development, or a similar classification, and investments in nuclear energy are included in scientific, technical, and industrial research or the power category. Throughout the planning period, each energy resource was considered together with the use for that energy or as a part of the industrial or development sector to which it was attached. In the material that follows, an effort will be made to separate energy resource investments from the development sector to which they are attached for planning purposes and to recombine them in such a way as to obtain an overall picture of energy resource development strategies over the five year plans.
Growth and Maintenance of Baby Hamster Kidney (BHK) Cells

The BHK21 cell line was established in 1961 from the kidneys of 5 Syrian hamsters from litter number 21. Since this time, this cell line has been a laboratory standard for the growth of countless viruses and the study of many biological processes. The specific use for the growth of Sindbis virus is described, although it may apply to many types of viruses.
The Bay Area Research Wireless Access Network (BARWAN)

Wireless data services have thus far been more promising than successful. We believe that future mobile information systems must be built upon heterogeneous wireless overlay networks, extending traditional wired and internetworked processing "islands" to mobile hosts over coverage areas ranging from in-room, in-building, campus, metropolitan, and wide-areas. In this paper, we describe a new wireless data networking architecture that integrates diverse wireless technologies into a seamless internetwork. It is being implemented in the BARWAN testbed in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Fatal pulmonary sporotrichosis caused by Sporothrix schenckii var. luriei in India.

The first case of fatal pulmonary sporotrichosis caused by Sporothrix schenckii var. luriei in a patient from the northwestern region of India is described. In the absence of cultures, the diagnosis was suspected by notation, in lung tissue, of large, thick-walled, hyaline fungal cells that divided internally by septation or a budding process. The thick-walled, internally septated cells often became muriform. The presence of an "eyeglass" configuration of incompletely separated cells characteristic of S. schenckii var. luriei in large numbers aided the diagnosis. The identity of the etiologic agent was confirmed by application of a fluorescent-antibody reagent specific for S. schenckii. Images
Substance Use Disorders and Neuro-AIDS in the HAART Era

This chapter reviews the studies which provide evidence for a synergistic effect of drugs of abuse and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection on brain function. Understanding the interactive mechanisms of this neurodegeneration is critical to our ability to optimize therapy for drug-abusing HIV-infected populations. The chapter discusses the proposed underlying mechanisms of this combined neurotoxicity, the current state of knowledge about the role of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in this interaction, and implications for future research and therapeutic development. It discusses the evidence that each of the drugs of abuse interacts with HIV infection through influences on the dopaminergic system and by other mechanisms as well. A recent study showed that morphine inhibits CD8-positive T-cell-mediated noncytotoxic anti-HIV activity in latently infected human immune cells, largely by interfering with a gamma interferon signaling pathway. Naltrexone blocked this morphine-induced inhibition. This study suggests that morphine impairs the anti-HIV function of the immune system. In injection drug users, HAART utilization decreases mortality compared to nonutilization, though all injection drug users, with or without HAART utilization, have better survival in the HAART era than in the pre-HAART era. By stopping the interactive mechanisms discussed in this chapter, it would seem reasonable that drug abstinence would halt or potentially reverse the synergistic progression of HIV-associated dementia in drug-abusing individuals. Further work is needed to optimize and develop new strategies for the benefit of the drug-abusing population.
Texts On-Line.

The study of signs is divided between those scholars who use the Saussurian binary sign (semiology) and those who prefer Charles Peirce's tripartite sign (semiotics). The common view of the opposition between the two types of signs does not take into consideration the methodological conditions of applicability of these two types of signs. This is particularly important in the field of literary studies and hence for the preparation of electronic programs for text analysis. The Peircian sign explicitly entails the discovery of a truth of meaning that claims to be universal and not reducible to a collection of opinions based on fragmented information; it also imposes the task of elucidating a transhistorical and universal significantion encoded in a text. Contrary to Peirce's view of the sign, our use of computer programs for text analysis, however, demonstrates that we implicitly treat every literary text as a set of linguistic data (letters, phonemes, syntagmatic segments, etc.) which are reducible to units that can be treated separately. A brief comparison of the results obtained from computer analyses of the French poet Stephane Mallarme's text, “Le Cygne,” with those obtained from two Peircian analyses (by Riffaterre and Champigny) of the same text demonstrates that our current methods of computer textual analysis are based on a Saussurian semiology, which is unidimensional and limited, and that these methods are still quite unable to produce a semiotic interpretation based on a totalizing hierarchy of the text's various discursive components.
The Role of the Student Dietetic Association on Campus and in the Community

Abstract LEARNING OUTCOME : To increase leadership and community organization skills, and practical application of didactic knowledge for dietetic students. Additionally, to expand campus and community awareness of the role of the dietitian. Since the inception of the Southeast Missouri State University Student Dietetic Association (SDA), the emphasis of this organization's role has been on community and campus service. All dietetic majors have the opportunity to develop leadership, management and organizational skill through SDA. These skills and competencies have been enhanced through the successful completion of numerous and diverse activities. Activities within the community have included: 1) Children's nutrition fair at a McDonald's playland; 2) Health fair at a local elementary school (K-6); 3) The National Dairy Council's "Body Walk" for a rural elementary school; 4) Inservice training for local elementary teachers on such topics as The Food Pyramid and US Dietary Guidelines; 5) Volunteer grocery store tours for The American Heart Association; 6) Nutrition presentations for local girl and boy scout troops and a state residential treatment facility; 7) Assisting with education programs offered through the local hospitals, and 8) Providing education on basic cooking skills and normal nutrition to indigent clients of a mental health agency. Campus-wide involvement has centered around providing nutrition education and assessment in the Student Recreation Center and the Employee Wellness Program. Additionally, the SDA has sponsored "Nutrition Peer Educators" which provides individual nutrition education and group presentations upon request on campus. National Nutrition Month (NNM) is a focus of several activities. "Nutrition Olympics" places student teams in competition using nutrition education and physical activity as its basis. Displays in the library, student center, and various academic buildings promote nutrition awareness and education during NNM. Also, in collaboration with Student Health Programs, the SDA has presented nutrition education through hands-on activities and displays. The SDA has been a successful route for students to gain practical application of their classroom knowledge while providing much needed community service.
Tetrad formulation of gravity with a torsion potential

A tetrad formulation of gravity with a torsion potential is presented. The torsion is derived from the exterior derivative of a second rank tensor potential. The geometrical Lagrangian is the curvature scalar and variations are taken with respect to the tetrad components. It is shown that the resulting field equations, and conservation laws, are identical to those obtained in a purely holonomic frame.
The infrared spectrum of asteroid 433 Eros

The mineralogical composition of asteroid Eros has been determined from its infrared spectrum (0.9-2.7 micrometers; 28/cm resolution). Major minerals include metallic Ni-Fe and pyroxene; no spectroscopic evidence for olivine or plagioclase feldspar was found. The IR spectrum of Eros is most consistent with a stony-iron composition.
Assessment and Continuous Planning: The Key to Transformation at the University of Texas Libraries

ABSTRACT Academic libraries are under continued pressure to provide quality services and resources in support of the educational needs of their institutions while experiencing shrinking budgets and calls for greater accountability. Since 2010, the University of Texas at Austin Libraries (“UT Libraries”) has been embedding in its organization a data-driven and data-supported continuous planning process that utilizes the Balanced Scorecard. The collection and analysis of assessment and performance data have been integrated into both the planning and evaluation phases of its strategy development. This article will provide a case study of how UT Libraries is employing assessment activities and continuous planning to transform itself through increased accountability and transparency, while empowering all staff to participate in charting the future of the organization.