cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Language simulations: The blending space for writing and critical thinking

This article describes a language simulation involving six distinct phases: an in-class quick response, a card game, individual research, a classroom debate, a debriefing session, and an argumentative essay. An analysis of student artifacts-quick-response writings and final essays, respectively, both addressing the definition of liberty in a liberty-granting society-indicates a considerable betterment of the quality of the evidence supporting the writer's stance and/or the clarity of expression of that stance. Based on those findings, the article argues that language simulation is beneficial to students, in that it enhances their skills as critical thinkers and writers.
Role of Dissolved Oxygen during the Inhibition of the Corrosion of Iron by Sodium Phosphate Solutions

IT was recently suggested by Mayne, Menter and Pryor1 that dissolved oxygen is primarily responsible for the ability of 0.1 N sodium hydroxide solution to inhibit the corrosion of iron, by virtue of a heterogeneous reaction with surface iron atoms to form a thin film of γ-Fe2O3. The present investigation was undertaken to determine the effect of dissolved oxygen on the corrosion-rate of iron totally immersed in solutions of sodium phosphate at different pH values.
Pulmonary Artery Balloon Counterpulsation for Right Ventricular Failure: I. Experimental Results

Abstract The effects of pulmonary artery balloon counterpulsation (PABC) as a circulatory assist for the failing right ventricle were investigated. Sixteen anesthetized dogs underwent instrumentation to measure cardiac output and to record pressures in both ventricles, the pulmonary artery, and the aorta. Autonomic control of the heart was surgically and pharmacologically ablated. A specially designed counterpulsation balloon was inserted through the right ventricular (RV) outflow tract into the pulmonary artery. Pulmonary hypertension, induced acutely by the microembolization of the pulmonary circulation with glass beads combined with infusion of serotonin, served as a model for development of acute RV failure. Immediate effects of PABC were investigated in 10 dogs during normal function and failure of the right ventricle at different levels of preload. After further embolization which caused progressive cardiogenic shock, the effects of 10 minutes of PABC, and of its withdrawal, were examined. In all cases, PABC immediately decreased RV preload and afterload. In the failing right ventricle, counterpulsation also significantly increased cardiac output. Progressive cardiogenic shock was successfully reversed by PABC; after 10 minutes of counterpulsation, increases in cardiac output (+53%), arterial pressure (+55%), and RV minute work (+62%) were observed, paralleled by a fall in RV preload (−22%). After PABC was discontinued, the circulatory status again began to deteriorate. We conclude that PABC effectively improves function of the failing right ventricle caused by acute pulmonary hypertension.
Slow-light high contrast metastructure hollow-core waveguides

We present a new type of Si-based, metastructure, hollow-core waveguide that has highly desirable "slow-light" and low-loss properties for providing time-delays or high-Q cavities in chip-scale integrated OE circuits. This waveguide has high contrast grating (HCG) metastructures as the 4 claddings/walls of a squared hollow-core structure. We have successfully fabricated this 3-D metastructure waveguide using a new nano-fabrication techniques including one selfaligned, cycled, modified Bosch etch process. Our computational modeling indicates that there is a slow-light region with very little propagation loss. We will report our preliminary experimental waveguide test results for propagation loss and group velocity.
Violation of Personal Space as a Function of Sex

Summary Experimental conditions afforded 215 Ss the option of violation or nonviolation of personal space. Two elevator floor selection panels were available to the Ss, who were the regular occupants of a large downtown office building. In Experiment 1, either a male or a female confederate (C) positioned himself by one of the available panels. The results indicated an overall significant avoidance of personal space violation when possible. If the panel space was occupied by a male, both male and female Ss significantly avoided personal space violations. However, female Ss were less prone to avoid spatial violation of a female C. In Experiment 2, both panels were occupied at the same time. A male C occupied one panel and a female C occupied the other panel, thereby forcing the Ss to violate personal space. When violation of a C's space was unavoidable, male Ss chose to violate female space, while female Ss showed no significant preference.
Low-Power Architecture and Circuit Techniques for High-Boost Wide-Band $G_m$ – $C$ Filters

A 330-MHz fifth-order Gm-C continuous-time low-pass filter with 24-dB boost is presented. Existing solutions are found to be unsuitable for low-power, wide-band, and high-boost operation. The proposed solution realizes two symmetric real axis zeros by efficiently combining transfer functions associated with all nodes of cascaded biquad cells. Application of Gilbert cell as a variable transconductor, for achieving constant parasitic capacitance across wide programmability range, is illustrated. A new common-mode feedback error amplifier that improves common-mode accuracy without compromising on bandwidth or circuit complexity is introduced. A prototype is fabricated in a standard 0.35-mum CMOS process. Experimental results show -41 dB of IM3 for 250-mV peak-peak swing with 43 mW of power dissipation
Construct Validity of the Lethal Behaviors Scale

A Lethal Behaviors (LB) scale and Zuckerman's Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS) Form V were completed by 535 university students. The Pearson correlation of the scores on Lethal Behaviors scale with sensation seeking was .60 and was .53 with the Thrill and Adventure Seeking subscale of Zuckerman's scale. Younger men were significantly higher in both lethal behaviors and sensation-seeking.
Hapten-Specific Tolerance Induced by Acute, Low-Dose Ultraviolet B Radiation of Skin Is Mediated via Interleukin-10

Because interleukin (IL)-10 is an immunoregulatory cytokine that is produced by keratinocytes exposed to UVB radiation (UVR), we determined whether IL-10 participates in either failed contact hypersensitivity (CH) induction or tolerance after acute, low-dose UVR. Murine recombinant IL-10 (200ng) was injected intradermally on shaved abdominal skin. To assess the effects of IL-10 on CH induction, dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB, 185 μ g) was painted on the skin within 30min after IL-10 was injected, and the mice were assayed 5 d later by ear challenge with dilute DNFB. To assess tolerance, DNFB (185 μ g) was painted a second time on normal body-wall skin 14 d after DNFB was first painted on IL-10-injected skin; CH was then assayed on day 19. We found that mice that received DNFB on IL-10-injected skin developed CH comparable in intensity to that observed in PBS-injected controls. Thus, this dose of IL-10 did not prove to be deleterious to CH induction if hapten was painted on the injected site within 30min. By contrast, mice that first experienced DNFB within 30min, 1 d, or 3 d after IL-10 had been injected intracutaneously displayed hapten-specific tolerance. Moreover, intraperitoneally injected anti-IL-10 antibody prevented UVR- and cis-urocanic acid-dependent tolerance; anti-IL-10 antibody had no effect on TNF- α -induced tolerance and failed to restore CH induction after UVR exposures. These data indicate that IL-10 is an important mediator of the tolerance induced when hapten is painted on the skin of animals exposed to acute, low-dose UVR.
Molecular diffusivities of Hg vapor in air, O2 and N2 near STP and the kinematic viscosity and thermal diffusivity of air near STP

Accurate knowledge of the coefficients of molecular diffusivity (D) of trace gases, the kinematic viscosity of air (ν) and the thermal diffusivity of air (k) has important application to modeling and observational studies of atmosphere–biosphere interactions. For example, leaf boundary-layer resistances are often parameterized in term of the Schmidt number for mass exchange and the Prandtl number for heat exchange. This study reviews and re-analyzes the historical data and some modeling results for D for Hg vapor in air, N2 and O2 and recasts results of an independent review of dynamic viscosity and thermal conductivity of air in a form that are consistent with one another and with this author’s previous study of D for simple gases and air, N2 and O2 near STP. Because D, ν and k are functions of temperature and pressure, all modeling results and data are corrected to 1 atmosphere pressure and then used with a one- and two-parameter regression model to determine optimal values for the temperature exponent and the value of D, ν and k at 0°C. Statistical/regression methods for treating data and modeling results follow this author’s previous study of D, except that data for D for Hg vapor is not restricted to values below 100°C.
Study on defensive medicine practices among obstetricians and gynecologists who provide breast care.

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to assess malpractice concerns, career satisfaction, defensive medicine, experience with liability lawsuits, and changes in breast care practices among obstetricians and gynecologists (ob-gyns) who provide breast care. Four hundred ACOG Fellows were randomly selected and invited to participate, 247 (62%) responded. A majority of responders had increased the number of referrals for the diagnosis of breast abnormalities (58.9%) and treatment of breast disease (53.6%) due to fears and concerns regarding malpractice. On average, there was a high level of career satisfaction (M=8.5 [SD=2.5] on a scale from 0 to 10); however, those who had been sued were significantly less satisfied than those who had not. Physicians who had decreased breast surgical procedures and increased referrals for diagnosis and treatment of breast disease reported practicing defensive medicine more frequently. In a regression analysis, having been sued was a significant predictor of practicing defensive medicine more often. Physicians from states with malpractice crisis reported practicing defensive medicine more frequently and more lawsuits than physicians from stable states. Malpractice fears and defensive medicine continue to affect the practices of ob-gyns, most specifically, as this study shows, ob-gyns who provide breast care.
Technique of total thyroidectomy for large substernal goiters

Large substernal goiters have presented a challenge to surgeons since the beginning of thyroid surgery. With the widespread use of cross-sectional imaging and high-resolution ultrasound, more thyroid pathology is identified every year. In the setting of compressive symptoms, refractory hyperthyroidism, cosmetic concerns, malignancy, or even prophylaxis, thyroidectomy is indicated for large substernal goiters. Our aims are to present (1) the rationale and an algorithm for a concise preoperative assessment for thyroidectomy and (2) a detailed stepwise description of the procedure—emphasizing safety—for a large substernal goiter. This description is complemented by a medical artist's illustrations to emphasize the salient points of dissection. With sound surgical technique, thyroidectomy, although still sometimes quite challenging, may be performed safely, with rare need for median sternotomy, providing great relief to the patient.
Structure–property quantification of corrosion pitting under immersion and salt-spray environments on an extruded AZ61 magnesium alloy

Extruded AZ61 magnesium coupons were exposed to immersion and cyclical salt spray environments over 60 h in order to characterize their corrosion rates. The characteristics of general corrosion, pitting corrosion, and intergranular corrosion were quantified at various intervals. General corrosion was more prevalent on the immersion surface. In addition, more pits formed on the immersion surface due the continuous exposure to water and chloride ions. However, the pits on the salt spray surface showed larger surface areas, larger volumes, and covered more area on the micrographs as compared to the pits on the immersion surface, due to the dried pit debris that trapped chloride ions within the pits.
Zinc inhibition of chloride efflux from skeletal muscle of Rana pipiens and its modification by external pH and chloride activity.

Efflux of36Cl− from frog sartorius muscles equilibrated in depolarizing solutions was measured. Cl− efflux consists of a component present at low pH and a pH-dependent component which increases as external pH increases. In depolarized muscles fromRana pipiens, the pH-dependent Cl− efflux has an apparent pK a near 6.4. The reduction of Cl− efflux by external Zn2+ was determined at different external pHs and chloride activities. The effect of external chloride activity on the pH-dependent Cl− efflux was also examined. At pH 6.5 and a membrane potential of −22 mV, increasing external Cl− activity from 0.108 to 0.28m decreased inhibition of the pH-dependent Cl− efflux at all activities of Zn2+. The Zn2+ activity needed to reduce Cl− efflux by half increased from 0.39×10−3 to 2.09×10−3 m. By contrast, external Cl− activity had no measurable effect on the apparent pK a of the pH-dependent efflux. At constant Cl− activity less than 0.21m, increasing external pH from 6.5 to 7.5 decreased inhibition by low Zn2+ activities with either a slight increase or no change in the Zn2+ activity producing half-inhibition. In other words, for relatively low Cl− activities, protection against inhibition of Cl− efflux by low Zn2+ activities was obtained by raising, not lowering, external pH; this is not what is expected if H+ and Zn2+ ions compete at the same site to produce inhibition of Cl− efflux. We conclude that Zn2+ and low pH inhibit Cl− efflux by separate and distinct mechanisms. By contrast, the protection against Zn2+ inhibition produced by high external Cl− activity (0.28m) was partially reversed by raising external pH from 6.5 to 7.5 at all Zn2+ activities. The half-inhibition Zn2+ activity decreased from 2.09×10−3 to 0.68×10−3 m. The results can be simulated quantitatively by a model in which single Cl− channel elements are in equilibrium with sextets of associated single-channel elements, each sextet having a conductance six times that of a single-channel element. The association into sextets is promoted by OH− or Cl− binding to a control site on the single-channel elements. Both the single Cl− channel element and the sextet of Cl− channel elements are closed when this same control site instead binds ZnOH+. The sextet has a much higher affinity for ZnOH+ than does the single Cl− channel element.
Long-Term Neuropsychological Outcome of High Risk Infants with Intracranial Hemorrhage

Evaluated long-term neuropsychological outcome of 20 high risk infants with intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) during the neonatal period who appeared free of significant impairment through 30 months of age. This group was compared with a matched sample of 20 high risk infants without intracranial hemorrhage and a group of 70 children with no history of perinatal or chronic health problems. A comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation at age 5 revealed that the two high risk groups tended to perform at a lower level than the control group across most measures. However, the ICH group performed at a significantly lower level than the control group on measures of perceptual-motor skills and intermodal memory abilities while the high risk group without ICH did not. The implications of differences in level and pattern of performance are discussed along with the implications of the current findings for long-term functioning of high risk infants with ICH.
Diagnostic accuracy of FEV1/forced vital capacity ratio z scores in asthmatic patients

Background The FEV 1 /forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio is used as a criterion for airflow obstruction; however, the test characteristics of spirometry in the diagnosis of asthma are not well established. The accuracy of a test depends on the pretest probability of disease. Objective We wanted to estimate the FEV 1 /FVC ratio z score threshold with optimal accuracy for the diagnosis of asthma for different pretest probabilities. Methods Asthmatic patients enrolled in 4 trials from the Asthma Clinical Research Centers were included in this analysis. Measured and predicted FEV 1 /FVC ratios were obtained, with calculation of z scores for each participant. Across a range of asthma prevalences and z score thresholds, the overall diagnostic accuracy was calculated. Results One thousand six hundred eight participants were included (mean age, 39 years; 71% female; 61% white). The mean FEV 1 percent predicted value was 83% (SD, 15%). In a symptomatic population with 50% pretest probability of asthma, optimal accuracy (68%) is achieved with a z score threshold of −1.0 (16th percentile), corresponding to a 6 percentage point reduction from the predicted ratio. However, in a screening population with a 5% pretest probability of asthma, the optimum z score is −2.0 (second percentile), corresponding to a 12 percentage point reduction from the predicted ratio. These findings were not altered by markers of disease control. Conclusion Reduction of the FEV 1 /FVC ratio can support the diagnosis of asthma; however, the ratio is neither sensitive nor specific enough for diagnostic accuracy. When interpreting spirometric results, consideration of the pretest probability is an important consideration in the diagnosis of asthma based on airflow limitation.
Space-Variant Coherent Optical Processing

This paper reviews the area of coherent optical techniques for performing either one-dimensional or two-dimensional linear, space-variant operations. These techniques are becoming increasingly important due to the variety of possible applications for space-variant optical processors. Examples are presented to illustrate the major categories of processors.
Assessment of a capability index sensitive to skewness

For many quality characteristics, such as circularity, cylindricity, straightness and flatness, positive skewness in the inspection data is the norm, and, in fact, is desirable. Summarizing the process performance using such data in conjunction with capability indices has recently received a considerable amount of attention, with new indices being proposed and compared for usefulness and accuracy. This paper is intended to contribute to this growing discussion, and to add a unique focus. In particular, this investigation concentrates on one form of a neoclassical index, the Cs index, originally proposed to be sensitive to skewness and to decrease in value as the skewness increased in the underlying distribution of the data. In other words, ‘skewness is badness’. Looking at this index from an altered perspective, the possibility that this index could serve a useful purpose in summarizing process performance for such non-normal processes by merely changing its interpretation or slightly changing its form is considered. Hence, actual data from circularity measurements are used to identify a relevant group of distributions, and then the accuracy of Cs is investigated along with its modified version for this group of distributions. In particular, this investigation includes several Rayleigh and gamma distributions for various sample sizes and reports on the bias of the proposed estimators. These findings indicate that such a modified index has some useful attributes in reflecting process performance, with respect to the percentage of non-conformance and the accuracy for relatively large samples. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
DNA-Cytophotometry of Lymph Node Touch Imprints in Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma

Scanning DNA-cytophotometry was performed on touch imprints of 26 lymph nodes (LN) obtained from 25 patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), stained by the Feulgen technique, and interpreted without knowledge of histopathologic diagnosis. Four patterns of DNA distribution were identified, but only histograms that demonstrated cells containing nuclei with more than 4C DNA content (hypertetraploidy) reliably distinguished LN involved with CTCL from LN with reactive changes; for example, dermatopathic lymphadenitis. An abnormal DNA histogram with evidence of hypertetraploidy was demonstrated in 9 of 12 LN showing histopathologic evidence of involvement compared with no abnormal histograms in 14 LN without histopathologic involvement. One LN that was diffusely involved with CTCL had a DNA distribution characteristic of a relatively high level of cell proliferation, but without definite hypertetraploidy. Cytogenetic studies on the blood of this patient, who had Sezary syndrome, demonstrated a clone of lymphocytes with a pseudodiploid karyotype without a related polyploid subline. The remaining two histopathologically involved LN had normal DNA histograms; these LN were only focally involved with CTCL. These observations indicate that DNA-cytophotometry correlates well with the histopathologic findings in LN diffusely involved with CTCL, but may be normal in LN with focal involvement or in those that contain cytogenetically abnormal cells with a near-dip- kid DNA content.
Mechanistic differences between nucleic acid chaperone activities of the gag proteins of rous sarcoma virus and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 are attributed to the MA domain

Host cell tRNAs are recruited for use as primers to initiate reverse transcription in retroviruses. Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) uses tRNALys3 as the replication primer, whereas Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) uses tRNATrp. The nucleic acid (NA) chaperone function of the nucleocapsid (NC) domain of HIV-1 Gag is responsible for annealing tRNALys3 to the genomic RNA (gRNA) primer binding site (PBS). Compared to HIV-1, little is known about the chaperone activity of RSV Gag. In this work, using purified RSV Gag containing an N-terminal His tag and a deletion of the majority of the protease domain (H6.Gag.3h), gel shift assays were used to monitor the annealing of tRNATrp to a PBS-containing RSV RNA. Here, we show that similar to HIV-1 Gag lacking the p6 domain (GagΔp6), RSV H6.Gag.3h is a more efficient chaperone on a molar basis than NC; however, in contrast to the HIV-1 system, both RSV H6.Gag.3h and NC have comparable annealing rates at protein saturation. The NC domain of RSV H6.Gag.3h is required for annealing, whereas deletion of the matrix (MA) domain, which stimulates the rate of HIV-1 GagΔp6 annealing, has little effect on RSV H6.Gag.3h chaperone function. Competition assays confirmed that RSV MA binds inositol phosphates (IPs), but in contrast to HIV-1 GagΔp6, IPs do not stimulate RSV H6.Gag.3h chaperone activity unless the MA domain is replaced with HIV-1 MA. We conclude that differences in the MA domains are primarily responsible for mechanistic differences in RSV and HIV-1 Gag NA chaperone function. IMPORTANCE Mounting evidence suggests that the Gag polyprotein is responsible for annealing primer tRNAs to the PBS to initiate reverse transcription in retroviruses, but only HIV-1 Gag chaperone activity has been demonstrated in vitro. Understanding RSV Gag's NA chaperone function will allow us to determine whether there is a common mechanism among retroviruses. This report shows for the first time that full-length RSV Gag lacking the protease domain is a highly efficient NA chaperone in vitro, and NC is required for this activity. In contrast to results obtained for HIV-1 Gag, due to the weak nucleic acid binding affinity of the RSV MA domain, inositol phosphates do not regulate RSV Gag-facilitated tRNA annealing despite the fact that they bind to MA. These studies provide insight into the viral regulation of tRNA primer annealing, which is a potential target for antiretroviral therapy.
Temporary gastric electrical stimulation with orally or PEG-placed electrodes in patients with drug refractory gastroparesis

Background Gastric electrical stimulation (GES) has been shown to be efficacious for drug refractory gastroparesis, but GES requires surgery. Placement of temporary GES electrodes endoscopically (ENDOstim) or via a PEG (PEGstim) is feasible, thereby allowing rapid assessment and comparison of temporary use (TEMP) with permanent (PERM) implantation. Methods Twenty consecutive patients with gastroparesis had TEMP electrodes placed (6 ENDOstim, 14 PEGstim). TEMP alone and TEMP vs. PERM placement of GES devices in 13 of 20 patients were compared via the following: average vomiting frequency score (VFS), total symptom score, days to symptom improvement, electrode impedance, and gastric emptying test. Results For patients receiving TEMP, GES demonstrated a rapid, significant, and sustained improvement in VFS, results similar to those for PERM. Conclusions Both ENDO and PEG placement of GES electrodes are safe and effective in patients with gastroparesis, with outcomes that correspond to those achieved with permanent GES implantation.
Dual-comb intracavity HHG

A high power fiber-based dual-comb system generates a train of coherent pulse pairs in the VUV with continuously tunable delay based on HHG in a single femtosecond enhancement cavity. An intracavity cross-correlation diagnostic is demonstrated.
Patterns of species diversity in the deep sea as a function of sediment particle size diversity

UNDERSTANDING the processes that generate and maintain patterns of species diversity is a major focus of contemporary ecological and evolutionary research. In the deep sea, species diversity varies geographically and bathymetrically1–3, and may attain levels that rival tropical communities4. Many hypotheses have been proposed concerning the forces that shape patterns of species diversity in the deep sea5, but so far it has not been possible to relate these patterns to potential causes in a direct quantitative way. The nature of sediments should be important in structuring deep-sea communities because deposit feeders rely on the sediments for nutrition and comprise most of the organisms in the deep sea6. The composition of soft sediment communities is influenced by sediment particle size7,8. Shallow-water deposit feeders selectively ingest particular size fractions of the sediments9,10 and there are interspecific differences in particle size preference11–13. Partitioning of sediments with respect to size may be more likely in the deep sea if there is strong selection for macrophagy as a result of reduced food supply and digestive constraints imposed by feeding on deposits14; macrophagy would permit species to ingest selectively the more labile components of the sediments. If deposit feeders in the deep sea partition the sediments with respect to size, species diversity may in part be a function of sediment particle size diversity. Also, sediment particle size diversity may reflect habitat complexity because the organisms live on or within the sediments15–21. Here we show that species diversity is a significant positive function of sediment particle size diversity. The relationship seems to be scale-invariant, accounting for a similar proportion of the variance at inter-regional, regional and local scales. Bathymetric patterns of species diversity also appear to be largely attributable to changes in sediment characteristics with depth. These results suggest that sediment diversity has an important role in determining the number of species within a community and identify a direct environmental factor that potentially influences species diversity in the deep sea.
Possible number systems

Number systems—such as the natural numbers, integers, rationals, reals, or complex numbers—play a foundational role in mathematics, but these systems can present difficulties for students. In the studies reported here, we probed the boundaries of people’s concept of a number system by asking them whether “number lines” of varying shapes qualify as possible number systems. In Experiment 1, participants rated each of a set of number lines as a possible number system, where the number lines differed in their structures (a single straight line, a step-shaped line, a double line, or two branching structures) and in their boundedness (unbounded, bounded below, bounded above, bounded above and below, or circular). Participants also rated each of a group of mathematical properties (e.g., associativity) for its importance to number systems. Relational properties, such as associativity, predicted whether participants believed that particular forms were number systems, as did the forms’ ability to support arithmetic operations, such as addition. In Experiment 2, we asked participants to produce properties that were important for number systems. Relational, operation, and use-based properties from this set again predicted ratings of whether the number lines were possible number systems. In Experiment 3, we found similar results when the number lines indicated the positions of the individual numbers. The results suggest that people believe that number systems should be well-behaved with respect to basic arithmetic operations, and that they reject systems for which these operations produce ambiguous answers. People care much less about whether the systems have particular numbers (e.g., 0) or sets of numbers (e.g., the positives).
Energy efficient implementation of parallel CMOS multipliers with improved compressors

Booth encoding is believed to yield faster multiplier designs with higher energy consumption. 16×16-bit Booth and Non-Booth multipliers are analyzed in energy and delay space under varying constraints. It is shown that Non-Booth multipliers start to become more energy efficient for strict delay targets. In addition, novel 3:2 and 4:2 compressors are presented to save energy at the same target delay. The proposed compressors provide up to 20% energy reduction depending on the target delay at 65nm CMOS technology. Non-Booth multiplier implemented with the proposed compressors provides performance advantage as the voltage is scaled from its nominal value. Further, we examined all designs in 45nm, 32nm and 22nm CMOS technology nodes.
WE‐D‐ValA‐05: 3D Surface Imaging for PBI Patient Setup

Image guided radiotherapy has primarily been implemented with technologies that utilize subsurface imaging.Radiography and ultrasonograpy are established methods to localize the target or critical organs on a daily basis. Imaging the patient surface can also have an important role in IGRT. Video‐based surfaceimaging can be an alternative to radiography in patient setup of selected targets, such as partial breast irradiation (PBI). Video also has a role in continuous monitoring of patient position during treatment. There are various approaches to surfaceimaging; some measure the Cartesian coordinates of multiple discrete optical markers. We have utilized a stereo photogrammetric approach, where a speckle pattern is projected onto the patient surface, and surfacetopology is measured by cameras mounted from the ceiling. A user defined surface ROI from the treatment du jour is matched with the reference surfacetopology, and the rigid body translations and rotations required to bring the two surfaces into optimal congruence are determined. The intrinsic performance of a surfaceimaging system can be <1mm and <1°, which is more than adequate for most clinical situations. Patient studies have been conducted to quantify the setup accuracy of laser, chestwall, and surfaceimaging, in comparison to ground truth (defined by radiographic clips). In these studies, effects of respiration, breast deformation, and posture variations are analyzed to determine their contribution to the uncertainties in targetry. The target registration error for surfaceimaging is ∼ 1mm relative to clips, and is more accurate than laser or chest wall setup, based on a statistically rigorous analysis. This lecture will provide an overview of video based surfaceimaging as a tool for patient alignment in image guided therapy. While the focus is on PBI setup, the evaluation and analysis of how to compare IGRT approaches has general validity. Educational Objective: 1. Understand basic principles of stereo photogrammetric surface mapping. 2. Understand approaches to characterize and validate system performance. 3. Understand clinical factors that affect the Target Registration Error in IGRT.
Direct Visualization of Asymmetric Behavior in Supported Lipid Bilayers at the Gel-Fluid Phase Transition

We utilize in situ, temperature-dependent atomic force microscopy to examine the gel-fluid phase transition behavior in supported phospholipid bilayers constructed from 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, 1,2-dipentadecanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, and 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine. The primary gel-fluid phase transition at Tm occurs through development of anisotropic cracks in the gel phase, which develop into the fluid phase. At ∼5°C above Tm, atomic force microscopy studies reveal the presence of a secondary phase transition in all three bilayers studied. The secondary phase transition occurs as a consequence of decoupling between the two leaflets of the bilayer due to enhanced stabilization of the lower leaflet with either the support or the water entrained between the support and the bilayer. Addition of the transmembrane protein gramicidin A or construction of a highly defected gel phase results in elimination of this decoupling and removal of the secondary phase transition.
Efficient data structures for range-aggregate queries on trees

Graph-theoretic aggregation problems have been considered both in OLAP (grid graph) and XML (tree). This paper gives new results for MIN aggregation in a tree, where we want the MIN in a query subtree consisting of the nodes reachable from a node u along paths of length ≤ k (u and k are query parameters). The same problem is well solved when the aggregation is SUM rather than MIN, but the solutions rely on additive inverses for the "+" operator, and they fail for the MIN aggregation which is the topic of this paper. For the directed (rooted tree) case, we give an O(n) space, constant query time solution. For the undirected case, the space complexity is O(n log n) and the query time is O(log n).
The misuse and abuse of statistics in biomedical research

Statistics are the primary tools for assessing relationships and evaluating study questions. Unfortunately, these tools are often misused, either inadvertently because of ignorance or lack of planning, or conspicuously to achieve a specified result. Data abuses include the incorrect application of statistical tests, lack of transparency and disclosure about decisions that are made, incomplete or incorrect multivariate model building, or exclusion of outliers. Individually, each of these actions may completely invalidate a study, and often studies are victim to more than one offense. Increasingly there are tools and guidance for researchers to look to, including the development of an analysis plan and a series of study specific checklists, in order to prevent or mitigate these offenses.
Computational methods for antenna pattern synthesis

Some general numerical methods for antenna pattern synthesis, with and without constraints, are developed. Particular cases considered are 1) field pattern specified in amplitude and phase, 2) field pattern specified in amplitude only, and 3) these two cases with a constraint on the source norm. Both the source and the field are discretized at the beginning, and the methods of finite dimensional vector spaces are used for the computations. The theory is general, but is applied only to point sources arbitrarily distributed in a plane, and to pattern synthesis in this plane. Some numerical examples are given for ten sources approximately equispaced on one-half of an ellipse, with the desired field pattern chosen to be the csc \phi pattern in the first quadrant.
Fiber-optic-based networks for computer-integrated manufacturing

A brief overview is given of the special problems to be solved by the integrated communication network for computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) and of fiber-optics-based networks. Network topologies considered include star, ring, unidirectional bus, and their combinations. >
The study of protein mechanics with the atomic force microscope

The unfolding and folding of single protein molecules can be studied with an atomic force microscope (AFM). Many proteins with mechanical functions contain multiple, individually folded domains with similar structures. Protein engineering techniques have enabled the construction and expression of recombinant proteins that contain multiple copies of identical domains. Thus, the AFM in combination with protein engineering has enabled the kinetic analysis of the force-induced unfolding and refolding of individual domains as well as the study of the determinants of mechanical stability.
Follow-Up with Students After 6 Years of Participation in Project EXCITE:

Project EXCITE is a program for minority students that supplements the regular school offerings with an emphasis on enhancing students' interest and performance in math and science. This study examines the experience and perceptions of 14 student participants in the program and their parents. In student and parent interviews, Project EXCITE was deemed fun and challenging and as enabling the students to enrich and improve academic performance. A desire for placement in advanced academic settings and better preparation for schoolwork in high school motivated the students to persist in the program for 6 years. The perceptions of expanded social networks with high ability minority peers, enhanced social support for high achievement, and confidence to successfully compete academically with peers were other positive outcomes. Negative peer pressure was not identified as a concern, but balancing academic work and social interaction with peers outside the program was a major concern for students.Putting the Resea...
Continuous-flow fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry

Fast atom bombardment (FAB) mass spectrometry has made an enormous impact on analytical biochemistry, opening up new approaches to the biochemist and molecular biologist for the solution of structural problems. Although FAB has become widely used and has many advantages over other mass spectrometric ionization techniques, it is clear that several disadvantages of the technique severely limit its utility. Generally, these difficulties are a consequence of the high concentration of glycerol or other organic liquid support matrix used in the technique.
Formal specification and verification of a dataflow processor array

We describe the formal specification and verification of the VGI parallel DSP chip (V. Srini et al., 1998), which contains 64 compute processors with /spl sim/30 K gates in each processor. Our effort coincided with the "informal" verification stage of the chip. By interacting with the designers, we produced an abstract but executable specification of the design which embodies the programmer's view of the system. Given the size of the design, an automatic check that even one of the 64 processors satisfies its specification is well beyond the scope of current verification tools. However, the check can be decomposed using assume-guarantee reasoning. For VGI, the implementation and specification operate at different time scales: several steps of the implementation correspond to a single step in the specification. We generalized both the assume-guarantee method and our model checker MOCHA to allow compositional verification for such applications. We used our proof rule to decompose the verification problem of the VGI chip into smaller proof obligations that were discharged automatically by MOCHA. Using our formal approach, we uncovered and fixed subtle bugs that were unknown to the designers.
‘Above all, do no harm’: safeguarding pluripotent stem cell therapy against iatrogenic tumorigenesis

Human pluripotent stem cells are the foundations of regenerative medicine. However, the worst possible complication of using pluripotent stem cells in therapy could be iatrogenic cancerogenesis. Nevertheless, despite the rapid progress in the development of new techniques for induction of pluripotency and for directed differentiation, risks of cancerogenic transformation of therapeutically implanted pluripotent stem cells still persist. 'Above all, do no harm', as quoted from the Hippocratic Oath, is our ultimate creed. Therefore, the primary goal in designing any therapeutic regimes involving stem cells should be the elimination of any possibilities of their neoplasmic transformation. I review here the basic strategies that have been designed to attain this goal: sorting out undifferentiated, pluripotent stem cells with antibodies targeting surface-displayed biomarkers; sorting in differentiating cells, which express recombinant proteins as reporters; killing undifferentiated stem cells with toxic antibodies or antibody-guided toxins; eliminating undifferentiated stem cells with cytotoxic drugs; making potentially tumorigenic stem cells sensitive to pro-drugs by transformation with suicide-inducing genes; eradication of differentiation-refractive stem cells by self-triggered transgenic expression of human recombinant DNases. Every pluripotent undifferentiated stem cell poses a risk of neoplasmic transformation. Therefore, the aforementioned or other novel strategies that would safeguard against iatrogenic transformation of these stem cells should be considered for incorporation into every stem cell therapy trial.
THE SOCIAL PRODUCTION OF IDENTITY: METATHEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS*

Identity has emerged as a powerful contemporary concept for social and psychological approaches to the perennial question of defining the human individual. This article attempts to ground the under...
Reciprocal Obligations in the Social Capital Resource Exchanges of Diverse Groups

This paper theorizes how reciprocal obligations that are inherent in social capital resource exchanges work for groups defined by gender, class and race. When one receives favors, there is generally an expectation that the favor will be returned either to the group as a whole or to the individual who extended the favor. While these ideas are discussed in the social capital literature, insufficient attention has been given to how these processes may differ for groups defined by gender, class and race and how these differences affect the groups' socioeconomic circumstances. This paper provides theoretical clarity to these issues.
Applications of neural networks for trajectory control of robots

The use of artificial neural networks is investigated for application to trajectory control problems in robotics. In particular, non-adapting networks which have been trained off-line are investigated to reduce the computational requirements of local control of robot position and trajectory. A representative two-link robot is investigated using an artificial neural network which has been trained to compute the components of the inverse of the Jacobian matrix. An illustrative trajectory following task, moving the end effector in a circular path, is implemented and the performance of traditional RMRC and neural-based control is compared. >
Nurse practitioner knowledge of chronic venous disease: a randomized survey of nurse practitioners in Missouri.

Adult nurse practitioners (NPs) and family practice NPs were randomly sampled (N = 411) from the Missouri 2002 list of certified advanced practice nurses. These practitioners were sent a cover letter and the Diseases of Veins Explanation Survey, which was originally developed for assessing patients' explanatory model of the disease. The Diseases of Veins Explanation Survey was tested and revised with professionals (experts) to determine adequate knowledge of the disease. The survey has 5 sections focusing on chronic venous disease: causes, signs, results, treatments, and efficacy of treatments. Section scores and a total score for the participants were calculated by using the expert panel answer model. A total of 138 practitioners responded, with an additional 37 letters returned with an incorrect address, for a total usable response rate of 34%. Demographics of the participants are presented, as well as comparisons between the expert mean section scores and the mean section scores of the NPs. The section scores of the NPs were not significantly different than the section scores of the expert panel; however, the total score of the NPs was significantly different from that of the expert panel ( P = .05). This, plus individual item differences, has implications for NP education and practice.
Free metal ion depletion by Good's buffers. IV, Bicine 1:1 and 2:1 complexes with Mg(II), Ca(II), Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II)

Abstract The interaction of “Good's” buffers with a variety of metal ions has been assessed.
Engaging patients in medication reconciliation via a patient portal following hospital discharge.

Few ambulatory medication reconciliation tools exist. Transitions between inpatient and outpatient care can result in medication discrepancies. An interdisciplinary team designed a new ‘Secure Messaging for Medication Reconciliation Tool’ (SMMRT) within a patient web portal and piloted it among 60 patients at a Veterans Affairs hospital, an integrated system with a shared electronic health record. Recently discharged patients used SMMRT to view their medications in a secure email message and replied using SMMRT's interactive form, verifying their medication regimens and clarifying any inaccuracies. In total, 108 medication discrepancies and 23 potential adverse drug events (ADEs) were seen. Nearly 50% of the potential ADEs were classified as serious. Overall, participants were enthusiastic about SMMRT; 90% said they would use SMMRT again. Enabling patients to conduct medication reconciliation through a web portal is feasible in the transition from inpatient to outpatient care and may improve medication safety.
Weight-related correlates of psychological dysregulation in adolescent and young adult (AYA) females with severe obesity.

Abstract Objective Severe obesity is the fastest growing pediatric subgroup of excess weight levels. Psychological dysregulation (i.e., impairments in regulating cognitive, emotional, and/or behavioral processes) has been associated with obesity and poorer weight loss outcomes. The present study explored associations of dysregulation with weight-related variables among adolescent and young adult (AYA) females with severe obesity. Methods Fifty-four AYA females with severe obesity (M BMI = 48.71 kg/m 2 ; M age = 18.29, R = 15–21 years; 59.3% White) completed self-report measures of psychological dysregulation and weight-related constructs including meal patterns, problematic eating behaviors, and body and weight dissatisfaction, as non-surgical comparison participants in a multi-site study of adolescent bariatric surgery outcomes. Pearson and bivariate correlations were conducted and stratified by age group to analyze associations between dysregulation subscales (affective, behavioral, cognitive) and weight-related variables. Results Breakfast was the most frequently skipped meal (consumed 3–4 times/week). Eating out was common (4–5 times/week) and mostly occurred at fast-food restaurants. Evening hyperphagia (61.11%) and eating in the absence of hunger (37.04%) were commonly endorsed, while unplanned eating (29.63%), a sense of loss of control over eating (22.22%), eating beyond satiety (22.22%), night eating (12.96%), and binge eating (11.11%) were less common. Almost half of the sample endorsed extreme weight dissatisfaction. Dysregulation was associated with most weight-related attitudes and behaviors of interest in young adults but select patterns emerged for adolescents. Conclusions Higher levels of psychological dysregulation are associated with greater BMI, problematic eating patterns and behaviors, and body dissatisfaction in AYA females with severe obesity. These findings have implications for developing novel intervention strategies for severe obesity in AYAs that may have a multidimensional impact on functioning (e.g., psychosocial health, weight loss behaviors).