cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Microstrip Transmission Lines on High Dielectric Constant Substrates for Hybrid Microwave Integrated Circuits

Among the various approaches to the design of microwave integrated circuits, thick film hybrids combine a relative ease of manufacturing with excellent performance at the lower portion of the microwave frequency spectrum where high performance semiconductor devices are now available in a wide variety. When using conventional ceramic substrates for such circuitry, limitations exist in solving the problem of obtaining maximum degree of compactness at very low impedance levels required for optimum power handling capability of active semiconductor devices. One approach to this problem discussed here is the utilization of microstrip transmission line circuits on substrates with very high dielectric constants (/spl epsi//sub r/ = 33). A theoretical analysis of the microstrip transmission Iine structure, when based on conformal mapping techniques with the usual simplifying assumption of homogeneity throughout the entire field region, is entirely inaccurate when applied to high dielectric constants as considered here. A solution of this problem is presented which applied well known finite difference approximations of Laplace's equation in combination with a successive over-relaxatian program on a digital Computer.
Triangulating the Self: Identity Processes in a Connected Era

The increasing prevalence of digital social technologies in everyday life affects processes of self and identity in theoretically and empirically interesting ways. Based on face-to-face interviews (N = 17) and synchronous text-based exchanges (N = 32) from a Facebook-based population, I examine the conditions of identity negotiation in a networked era, and explore how social actors strike a presentational balance between ideal and authentic. I identify three key interaction conditions: fluidity between digital and physical, expectations of accuracy, and overlapping social networks. I argue that social actors accomplish the ideal-authentic balance through self-triangulation, presenting a coherent image in multiple arenas and through multiple media. I differentiate between two degrees of triangulation: networked logic and preemptive action.
Desert: A prototype expert system to advise on land degradation control

Land degradation is a collection of processes causing the removal of land from agricultural productivity. Four major processes can be identified: soil erosion by water and wind, soil salinization, and vegetation degradation. Much knowledge exists on how these processes may be combated and ameliorated; however, it is in the minds of a relatively few, widely dispersed experts. The authors have developed a prototype computer-based expert system (DESERT) which provides advice on strategies for control of land degradation. The knowledge was acquired from experts by interviews. The knowledge was then formulated into two components. The first component enables identification of possible technical solutions, while the other imposes socio-economic and physical constraints on these technical solutions. Thus, a set of acceptable solutions is formulated. The results are presented here as a proof of concept in an attempt to stimulate further development. Later versions of the program will include problem diagnosis components, as well as a mechanism for prioritizing recommendations.
Sulfide-rich metallic impact melts from chondritic parent bodies

Abstract– Sacramento Wash 005 (SaW) 005, Meteorite Hills 00428 (MET) 00428, and Mount Howe 88403 (HOW) 88403 are S-rich Fe,Ni-rich metal meteorites with fine metal structures and homogeneous troilite. We compare them with the H-metal meteorite, Lewis Cliff 88432. Phase diagram analyses suggest that SaW 005, MET 00428, and HOW 88403 were liquids at temperatures above 1350 °C. Tridymite in HOW 88403 constrains formation to a high-temperature and low-pressure environment. The morphology of their metal-troilite structures may suggest that MET 00428 cooled the slowest, SaW 005 cooled faster, and HOW 88403 cooled the quickest. SaW 005 and MET 00428 contain H-chondrite like silicates, and SaW 005 contains a chondrule-bearing inclusion that is texturally and compositionally similar to H4 chondrites. The compositional and morphological similarities of SaW 005 and MET 00428 suggest that they are likely the result of impact processing on the H-chondrite parent body. SaW 005 and MET 00428 are the first recognized iron- and sulfide-rich meteorites, which formed by impact on the H-chondrite parent body, which are distinct from the IIE-iron meteorite group. The morphological and chemical differences of HOW 88403 suggest that it is not from the H-chondrite body, although it likely formed during an impact on a chondritic parent body.
Using Grounded Action Methodology for Student Intervention—Driven Succeeding: A Grounded Action Study in Adult Education

Im Rahmen einer Untersuchung mit Erwachsenen, die sich um einen Oberschulabschluss bemuhten, kam eine grounded action-Methodologie (GA) zum Einsatz. Der GLASERschen Fassung der grounded theory (GT) folgend, wurden neben Beobachtungen in Klassenraumen uber 50 erwachsene Student(inn)en aus Erwachsenenforderprogrammen oder Abiturlehrgangen interviewt. Im Rahmen dieser Anwendung wurde eine erklarende Theorie um die Kernkategorie driven succeeding generiert, die funf Stadien umfasste: sich einlassen, Visionen entwickeln, investieren, verstehen und reifen. In dem Beitrag wird ein Uberblick uber die erklarende Theorie des driven succeeding gegeben, verbunden mit Beispielen, wie eine zusatzliche operationale GA-Theorie und wie entsprechende Interventionsstrategien (SIMMONS & GREGORY 2003) in der Lehrpraxis implementiert wurden. Die grounded action-Methodology erwies sich in diesem Zusammenhang als hilfreiches Instrument, um das Handeln der Student(inn)en vorherzusagen, sinnvolle und nachhaltige Interventionen zu konzipieren und so einen systematischen Einfluss auf die Gestaltung des Lehrplans und die Forderung der Studierenden zu ermoglichen. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs080193
Two sample inference in functional linear models

MSC 2000: Primary62J15; Secondary62G08 and 62F03. Abstract: We propose a method of comparing two functional linear models in which explanatoryvariables are functions (curves) and responses can be either scalars or functions. In such models, the role of parameter vectors (or matrices) is played by integral operators acting on a function space. We test the null hypothesis that these operators are the same in two independent samples. The complexityof the test statistics increases as we move from scalar to functional responses and relax assumptions on the covariance structure of the regressors. Theyall, however, have an asy mptotic chi-squared distribution with the number of degrees of freedom which depends on a specific setting. The test statistics are readilycomputable using the R package fda, and have good finite sample properties. The test is applied to egg-laying curves of Mediterranean flies and to data from terrestrial magnetic observatories. The Canadian Journal of Statistics 37: 571-591; 2009 © 2009 Statistical Societyof Canada R´ esumNous proposons une m´
A 1.4V, 2.4/5 GHz, 90nm CMOS system in a package transceiver for next generation WLAN

We present a 2.4/5GHz system in a package transceiver with integrated 5GHz PA and 10-100MHz signal bandwidth, suitable for next generation WLAN applications. The RXs achieve better than -71dBm sensitivity for 64 QAM while drawing 120mA from a 1.4 supply in a 90nm CMOS process. The integrated 3.3V, 5GHz PA delivers 9dBm average power with an EVM better than -25dB. The transceiver incorporates de-convolved calibration of quadrature mismatches in the transmitter and receiver for improved performance and yield. Micro strip passives are integrated into a flip chip package for both LNA and PA matching elements.
Career Assessment and the Values Scale

The Values Scale (VS; Super & Nevill, 1985b) was developed as part of the multinational Work Importance Study (WIS), a project supported by researchers in countries world-wide. The purpose of the WIS was to simultaneously develop career assessment instruments in several languages to facilitate the cross-cultural study of career development. The VS was one of two instruments developed by the WIS, and its purpose is to assess the general values a person seeks to satisfy through various life roles. The VS was designed to provide important information about a client's values for use in the Career Development Assessment and Counseling model (C-DAC; Super, 1983). A client's values are objectives sought in behavior. If these values cannot be satisfied through one particular career role, then the client must consider through what other life roles those values can be satisfied to ensure career satisfaction. The application of the VS to research is also discussed.
An Examination of the Latent Structure of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale

The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS; Gratz and Roemer, Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment 26:41–54, 2004) is a popular multidimensional self-report measure of emotion regulation. The present study sought to examine the latent factor structure of the DERS. An examination of latent factor intercorrelations and a higher-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) suggested that the DERS-AWARENESS dimension may not represent the same higher-order emotion regulation construct as the other five DERS dimensions. Furthermore, findings supported the adequacy of a revised five-factor model of the DERS in which the AWARENESS dimension was removed. This revised DERS total scale did not diminish concurrent relations between the DERS and outcomes relevant to the emotion regulation domain (i.e., depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress symptoms). Implications for the conceptualization and assessment of emotion regulation are discussed.
A New Class of Solar Cells: Isomeric Boron Carbide Semiconductors with Fourth Quadrant Conductivity

Previously, we have made diodes[1,2] and transistors [3] as well as very effective realtime solid state neutron detectors [4] out of semiconducting boron carbide deposited on silicon or silicon carbide.. In this work the recent fabrication of a new class of highly photosensitive boron carbide diodes is discussed. These diodes exploit the electronic behavior differences of the isomers of film precursors, the closo-dicarbododecaboranes. These differences were observed in photoemission and inverse photoemission studies where the HOMO-LUMO (highest occupied molecular orbital-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital) gap variations upon deposition varied strongly with the isomeric configuration. Based on these results, p-n junctions were formed by plasma enhanced chemical vapor of ortho and meta carborane, respectively, on both nickel and aluminum substrates. These diodes exhibit fourth-quadrant conductivity, making them exciting new photovoltaic conversion devices.
Sea-ice Analysis Software - Iceman

Remote sensing technology has contributed immensely towards understanding various phenoinena of the earth. One of the major scientific research arkas made feasible by remote sensing technology is large scale sea ice observations via passive microwave instruments such as radiometers, and active microwave instruments such as synthetic aperture radar (SAR). The dynamic process of sea ice responding to wind and ocean currents, and its thermodynamic process of melting and freezing have a great influence on weather, climate and ocean dynamics. Sea-ice analysis requires various digital image processing and analysis techniques to remove noise, enhance data, and analyze the characteristics of sea ice. ICEMAN is designed as an oceanographer's work bench which provides tools for ice data display, ice type classification, global and local ice motion analysis, and various data enhancing.
Poly(propylene fumarate) bone tissue engineering scaffold fabrication using stereolithography: effects of resin formulations and laser parameters.

Stereolithography using photo-cross-linkable polymeric biomaterials is an effective technique for fabricating highly complex three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds with controlled microstructures for tissue engineering applications. In this study, we have optimized the UV curable polymer solution composition and laser parameters for the stereolithography machine. Poly(propylene fumarate) (PPF) was used as the biomaterial, diethyl fumarate (DEF) was used as the solvent, and bisacrylphosphrine oxide (BAPO) was used as the photoinitiator. Three different weight ratios of PPF/DEF and BAPO contents were characterized by measuring the viscosities and thermal properties of the un-cross-linked solutions and the mechanical properties of the formed scaffolds. After optimizing the resin composition by satisfying both the viscosity limitation and the mechanical requirement, laser parameters such as critical exposure (Ec) and penetration depth (Dp) were determined from the working curve and the relationship between laser sp...
OUTCOME BASED COMPARISON OF SURGICAL APPROACHES FOR PEDIATRIC PYELOPLASTY: DORSAL LUMBAR VERSUS FLANK INCISION

AbstractPurpose: Dismembered pyeloplasty for the correction of ureteropelvic junction obstruction can be performed through a flank or dorsal lumbar incision. We compared the records of children who had undergone pyeloplasty by each approach to determine if 1 technique was more advantageous.Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 33 consecutive children undergoing simple dismembered pyeloplasty by a single pediatric urologist from 1992 to 1996. The flank approach was used exclusively in the first group of patients who underwent repair in 1992 to 1993 and the dorsal lumbar incision was used exclusively in the second group after 1993. Data were obtained from hospital and clinical records, and both groups were compared with the 2-tailed t test.Results: Pyeloplasty was done by dorsal lumbar incision in 16 cases and via the flank approach in 17. One patient in each group had undergone simultaneous bilateral pyeloplasties. Although overall comparison of both groups revealed no differenc...
Comparison of Methods for the Detection of Cocontinuity in Poly(ethylene oxide)/Polystyrene Blends

Four methods for detecting cocontinuity in a poly(ethylene oxide)/polystyrene (PEO/PS) system are compared: scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with image analysis, solvent extraction, electrical conductivity measurements, and rheological measurements. Measurements of the amounts of interfacial area using a novel image analysis method showed that the interfacial area reached local maxima at the boundaries of the region of cocontinuity. Solvent extraction experiments allowed the region of cocontinuity to be characterized based on the ability of the blends to maintain their shape during extraction and measurements of the degree of continuity of the PEO phase. Electrical conductivity measurements were modeled using percolation theory to estimate the minimum PEO concentration required to form a continuous phase. Rheological measurements showed that the elastic modulus measured at low frequencies reached local maxima at the boundaries of the region of cocontinuity. SEM with image analysis and solvent extraction provide the most quantitative information about the blend morphology and are the most powerful methods for characterizing the region of cocontinuity. Polym. Eng. Sci. 44:714‐727, 2004. © 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers.
Effects of Divalent Amino Acids on Iron Absorption

Solutions of each of 10 amino acids or ascorbic acid were mixed with iron and orally administered to rats. Iron was absorbed to a statistically significantly greater extent (p < 0.05) when mixed with asparagine, glycine, serine, or ascorbic acid as compared with a control solution of iron. The largest effects were for asparagine and glycine, which also increased iron absorption to a significantly greater extent (p < 0.001) than did serine or ascorbic acid. No statistically significant increase in iron absorption occurred when any of the other amino acids was mixed with iron. The extent of iron absorption from each test solution, as measured by area under the concentration of iron-59 in the blood-time curve (r2 = 0.0002), and the initial rate of iron absorption for each test solution (r2 = 0.01) showed no correlation with the stability constant of the amino acid-iron complex.
From CT Scan to Ceramic Bone Graft

An indirect fused deposition process was used to fabricate controlled-porosity alumina bone grafts using a computer-aided-design file created from computed tomography (CT) scans of a horse's short pastern bone. Structures with both uniform and gradient porosity were fabricated to show the effectiveness of this process for the fabrication of custom orthopedic implants. Cytotoxicity and cell proliferation studies were conducted with different cell lines to show that these bone grafts are biocompatible. Uniaxial compression tests were also conducted to understand the influence of porosity on the mechanical properties of these structures.
Effect of underfeeding on thyroxine secretion rate of female mice.

SummaryAdult female Swiss Webster mice kept at temperature of 78°F were observed to eat 1.3g/10 g body weight/day of Purina Lab. Chow. Their daily L-thyroxine secretion rate (TSR) was 1.38 ± .173μg/100 g body weight. Mice fed 3/4 ration for 16 days showed TSR of 0.93 μg/100 g/day, a significant reduction of 33%, yet no loss in body weight occured. On 1/2 ration the TSR was reduced to 0.80 μg/100 g/day or 41% associated with a 17.3% reduction in body weight. These data suggest that pituitary-thyroid axis is sensitive to slight reduced energy intake by reduction in TSR sufficient to maintain body weight.Figure
Survival outcome of early versus delayed bevacizumab treatment in patients with recurrent glioblastoma

Bevacizumab (BEV) is widely used for treatment of patients with recurrent glioblastoma. It is not known if there are differences in outcome between early versus delayed BEV treatment of recurrent glioblastoma. We examined the relationship between the time of starting BEV treatment and outcomes in patients with recurrent glioblastoma. In this retrospective chart review, we identified patients with recurrent glioblastoma diagnosed between 2005 and 2011 who were treated with BEV alone or BEV-containing regimens. Data was analyzed to determine overall survival (OS) from time of diagnosis and progression free survival (PFS) from time of starting BEV. A total of 298 patients were identified, 112 patients received early BEV, 133 patients received delayed BEV, and 53 patients were excluded because they either progressed within 3 months of radiation or received BEV at the time of diagnosis. There was no significant difference in PFS between patients that received early BEV and those that received delayed BEV (5.2 vs. 4.3 months, p = 0.2). Patients treated with delayed BEV had longer OS when compared to those treated with early BEV (25.9 vs. 20.8 months, p = 0.005). In patients with recurrent glioblastoma, there was no significant difference in PFS from the time of starting BEV between early and delayed BEV. Although patients treated with delayed BEV seemed to have longer OS, a conclusion regarding OS outcome requires further prospective trials. These results may indicate that delaying treatment with BEV is not detrimental for survival of patients with recurrent glioblastoma.
Methods to Investigate the Regulatory Role of Small RNAs and Ribosomal Occupancy of Plasmodium falciparum

The genetic variation responsible for the sickle cell allele (HbS) enables erythrocytes to resist infection by the malaria parasite, P. falciparum. The molecular basis of this resistance, which is known to be multifactorial, remains incompletely understood. Recent studies found that the differential expression of erythrocyte microRNAs, once translocated into malaria parasites, affect both gene regulation and parasite growth. These miRNAs were later shown to inhibit mRNA translation by forming a chimeric RNA transcript via 5' RNA fusion with discreet subsets of parasite mRNAs. Here, the techniques that were used to study the functional role and putative mechanism underlying erythrocyte microRNAs on the gene regulation and translational potential of P. falciparum, including the transfection of modified synthetic microRNAs into host erythrocytes, will be detailed. Finally, a polysome gradient method is used to determine the extent of translation of these transcripts. Together, these techniques allowed us to demonstrate that the dysregulated levels of erythrocyte microRNAs contribute to cell-intrinsic malaria resistance of sickle erythrocytes.
Surfaces and Manifolds in Digital Space

The digital surface is one of the main topics of this book. We know that digital curves are digital paths and discrete surfaces can be described as triangulations. Therefore, is a digital surface a simple digitization of a continuous surface? The answer is no. This is because the basic 2D cell of digital surface in direct adjacency is a unit square and is not flexible enough to stick perfectly onto a continuous surface in order to compare with triangles of different sizes. Their 2-cells are only perpendicular to coordinates. In indirect adjacency, there are may be multiple choices for choosing a triangle to fit the original surface. In addition to that, the digital point might not on the surface which is not the same as a traditional triangulation. Digital surfaces are much more difficult to deal with. In this chapter, we mainly focus on the Morgenthaler and Rosenfeld definition of digital surface and the Chen and Zhang definition for direct adjacency. The Chen–Zhang definition has led to the classification of simple surface points in 3D, which is regarded as a significant result in digital geometry.
Relationship of resting metabolic rate to body composition and protein turnover.

This study examined whether variability among healthy young adults in resting metabolic rate, normalized for the amount of metabolically active tissue (assessed by total body potassium), is related...
Monochromatic Sinks in k-Arc Colored Tournaments

Let T be a tournament on n vertices whose arcs are colored with k colors. A 3-cycle whose arcs are colored with three distinct colors is called a rainbow triangle. A rainbow triangle dominated by any nonempty set of vertices is called a dominated rainbow triangle. We prove that when $$n\ge 5$$n?5, if T does not contain a dominated rainbow triangle and all 4- and 5-cycles of T are near-monochromatic, then T has a monochromatic sink. We also prove that when $$n\ge 4$$n?4, if T does not contain a dominated rainbow triangle and all 4-cycles are monochromatic, then T has a monochromatic sink. A semi-cycle is a digraph C that either is a cycle or contains an arc xy such that $$C-xy+yx$$C-xy+yx is a cycle. We prove that if $$n\ge 4$$n?4 and all 4-semi-cycles of T are near-monochromatic, then T has a monochromatic sink. We also show if $$n\ge 5$$n?5 and all 5-semi-cycles of T are near-monochromatic, then T has a monochromatic sink.
Ethics, performativity and gender: porous and expansive concepts of selving in the performance work of Gretchen Jude and of Nicole Peisl

Situated knowledge theories that focused on processes and contexts for knowing were developed by women in response to finding that what they knew was unspoken or unspeakable not only in various disciplinary fields but also in their lived lives. And it is not surprising that the performativities that sustain knowing rather than knowledge are often the focus of women performers attempting to give form to those not-saids to make living worthwhile. This article discusses the gendered contexts of two women performers for making performative forms and for carrying those forms into performance. Yet the primary focus is on what their work does, and how it generates a felt sense of the somatic complexity of becoming through performative practices and rehearsals. The dancer/choreographer Nicole Peisl and musician/multimedia artist Gretchen Jude are from quite different parts of the Anglo European West yet in practising for non-individual porous and expansive selving, and for collaborative differences that generate emergent form, the work is remarkably similar. In their focus on ethico-poetic politics rather than the politics of social ethics, they offer ways to sustain an engaged situated ethics in the performativity of gender in lived lives as well as in the performance of gender as necessarily multiple. This paper is published as part of a thematic collection dedicated to gender studies.
Stress-Strain Response of Free-Standing Nano-Crystalline Gold Thin-Films

Free-standing gold thin-film tension specimens of thicknesses in the range 500-700 nm were fabricated by e-beam deposition methods. The films have grains which have thicknesses essentially equal to the film thickness, and an in-plane grain-size distribution which is bi-modal, with a collection of small grains with an average size of 130 nm, and another collection of larger grains with an average size of 380 nm. The films possess a strong texture with the {111} crystallographic planes aligned with the plane of the film. The thin-film specimens have been tested in simple tension using a novel testing machine which enables measurement of the elastic-plastic stress-strain response of the films with high resolution. The experiments show that the gold thin-films have an initial yield strength of around 100 MPa, which is followed by rapid strain hardening to a stress level of 360 MPa at a strain of only ~1.2%, at which point the specimens fail abruptly. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigations of the deformed films shows that the rapid strain hardening is attributable to extensive dislocation activity in the larger grains. The reason behind the low ductility in our gold specimens is still unclear, but it may be attributable to the observed lack of dislocation activity in the smaller grains, whose boundaries then serve as easier sites for alternative inelastic mechanisms such as grain boundary sliding and decohesion leading to low macroscopic strains to failure.
PTRAJ and CPPTRAJ: Software for Processing and Analysis of Molecular Dynamics Trajectory Data

We describe PTRAJ and its successor CPPTRAJ, two complementary, portable, and freely available computer programs for the analysis and processing of time series of three-dimensional atomic positions (i.e., coordinate trajectories) and the data therein derived. Common tools include the ability to manipulate the data to convert among trajectory formats, process groups of trajectories generated with ensemble methods (e.g., replica exchange molecular dynamics), image with periodic boundary conditions, create average structures, strip subsets of the system, and perform calculations such as RMS fitting, measuring distances, B-factors, radii of gyration, radial distribution functions, and time correlations, among other actions and analyses. Both the PTRAJ and CPPTRAJ programs and source code are freely available under the GNU General Public License version 3 and are currently distributed within the AmberTools 12 suite of support programs that make up part of the Amber package of computer programs (see http://ambe...
Compulsive Creativity: Virtual Worlds, Disability, and Digital Capital

In this article, we analyze the intersection of creativity and agency by examining what might appear to be a very different intersection: disability and the digital. We do this by exploring what we term “compulsive creativity” as experienced by persons living with Parkinson’s disease who are active in the virtual world Second Life. To address forms of social and cultural capital, we introduce the notions of “digital embodied states” and “digital objectified states.” In doing so, we suggest ways that compulsive creativity speaks to questions of cultural capital in the context of disability online and emerging creative economies.
Analysis of distribution and change trend of epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis bacteria in Fujian province from 2004 to 2012

Objective To understand the prevalence,distribution and drug resistance of the epidemic meningitis bacteria strains in Fujian province,in order to take preventive measures.Methods Based on the diagnostic criteria and principles of management of epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis,we conducted distribution monitoring of epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis bacteria.we collected throat swab and cerebrospinal fluid,from meningococcal meningitis cases and throat swab from close contacts,healthy population in our province from 2004 to 2012.Results A total of 70 Meningococcal strains were isolated,15 strains from epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis,14 strains from throat swabs of close contacts,41 strains from throat swabs in healthy population.The serum distribution of the isolated 70 strains of Neisseria meningitidis was 27 strains of serogroup A(38.57%),20 strains of serogroup B(28.57%),22 strains of serogroup C(31.43%),1 strain of W135(1.43%).The drug sensitivity test of 70 strains of Neisseria meningitidis were conducted.The sensitive rates to cefazolin,cefotaxime,chloramphenicol were all 100%;the drug resistance rate to SMZ-TMP,and amoxicillin were 78.57% and 80%,respectively.Conclusion The study of epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis shows pathogenic and serological characteristics of multiple bacteria coexisted in Fujian province,strains have developed resistance to some drugs,it is necessary to improve the management of vaccine immunization and strengthen pathogen.surveillance of epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis meningococcal.
Epidemiological Investigation of A Water-Borne Outbreak of Norovirus Diarrhea

Objective To analyze epidemiological characters of an outbreak of Norovirus diarrhea in a community of Dongguan city,and provide scientific basis for the prevention and control of Norovirus diarrhea.Method Field epidemiological study and RT-PCR were used.Result The epidemic lasted for 8 days.173 cases of infectious diarrhea were found in this community.The attack rate was 2.40%.All the patients were inhabitants or workers who were living in this community,from 1 to 89 years old.Most of the patients were from 40 to 49 years old.The distribution was clustering in family.The main clinical symptoms were fever,diarrhea,bellyache,and vomit.Norovirus antigen was detected from stool of patients.The epidemic was controlled through isolating patients during treatment,disinfection of drinking water,standardization of the purification in the tap water factories and health education.Conclusion This was an infectious diarrhea outbreak caused by Norovirus.Some efficient measures should be taken to strengthen the management of waterworks in this community.
Impedance analysis of surface modified Ga0.5In0.5P—aqueous electrolyte interface

Abstract In this work electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was carried out on pre- and post-etched Ga 0.5 In 0.5 P (1.8–1.9 eV) as well as quinolinol-modified surfaces, over seven decades of frequencies. The spectra were examined in the Bode as well as complex impedance planes and deconvoluted using nonlinear-least-squares fitting to obtain equivalent circuits that isolated the space charge from the surface states. Chemical wet-etching of Ga 0.5 In 0.5 P was found to remove surface states as evidenced in the removal of the low frequency time constant from the spectra. Treatment with 8-quinolinol was found to shift the flat-band potential in the positive direction vs. she by about 300mV in near neutral electrolytes.
Different Sample Media in the Influenza Virus Concentration Efficiency

Objective To establish stronger controllable basic conditions for virus enrichment methods,and scientifically evaluate the sampling efficiency of microbial air sampler,so as to provide evidence for sterilization surveillance and infectious disease monitoring.Method Through the aerosol generator,influenza virus was simulatied into the air.The concentrated virus was monitored by aperture approximately with 30μm superfine static electricity fiber membrane,aperture 0.2μm Teflon static electricity membrane and the AGI-30 atmosphere sampling instrument.Then fluorescence quota PCR was usd to analyze and discuss the efficiency.Result In different sampling conditions(membrane surface 450Pa),the influenza virus aerosol filtration and collection rate of ultra-fine fiber electrostatic membrane and Teflon membrane is over 98%,The range of collection rate is from 74.6% to 92.7%.When using AGI-30,the sampling flow rate must be under 20 Lpm,while the range of filtration and collection rate is from 76.6% to 88.9% and the collection rate 59.3%-75.3%.Conclusion For acquisition of influenza virus in the air,both the large aperture and small aperture electrostatic membrane have higher enrichment efficiency.On the other hand,the AGI-30 enrichment efficiency is low,and should not be used for a long time with a high flow rate sampling.
Triggering and detecting Attentional narrowing in controlled environments

Attentional narrowing refers to a state in which operators, involuntarily and unconsciously, fail to process a subset of potentially critical information. Little is known about factors that trigger...
Carbamazepine and Methylphenidate Levels in ADHD

A carbamazepine (CBZ)-induced lowering of methylphenidate (MPH) serum levels in a 13-year-old female treated for ADHD and aggressive behavior, is reported from the Eastern Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute, Philadelphia.
Thoracoscopic Treatment of Pediatric Chylothorax

Chylothorax is defined as an accumulation of chyle within the pleural space. Causes include congenital malformation, trauma, and neoplasm. If improperly managed, chylothorax can lead to significant morbidity and mortality with complications ranging from electrolyte imbalances to nutritional deficiencies and immunodeficiency. Management strategies for both adult and pediatric populations are similar, yet due to the rarity of chylothorax, treatment protocols are ill-defined. Treatment generally begins with a trial of medical management, which resolves 80 % of cases. However, if initial treatment strategies prove unsuccessful or if significant morbidity due to ongoing chyle loss is encountered, surgical intervention is critical. This chapter outlines the diagnosis and management of chylothorax.
Femorofemoral Shunt During Surgery for Acute DeBakey Type 1 Dissection to Treat Peripheral Extremity Malperfusion

Peripheral extremity ischemia in patients presenting with a DeBakey type 1 aortic dissection is an independent predictor for mortality. We present a patient with a DeBakey type 1 aortic dissection and peripheral extremity malperfusion that underwent simultaneous aortic repair and percutaneous femorofemoral shunt with arterial sidearm. Our approach allows for immediate peripheral extremity reperfusion and subsequent objective determination of the necessity of femorofemoral bypass via perfusion pressures.
Accounting for the Process of Disablement and Longitudinal Outcomes Among the Near Elderly and Elderly

Using a new disability measure applicable to both the near elderly and elderly population, we track respondents aged 51-61 in 1992 from the Health and Retirement Study and account for their status over 20 years. We demonstrate that to screen in as disabled and to screen out as nondisabled require different analytic strategies and use multiple indicators to establish three groups: disabled, nondisabled, and a residual category with ambiguous status. We use work-disability and Supplemental Security Income/Disability Insurance (SSI/DI) receipt for testing distributional outcomes and assessing face validity of our disability measure. Selective attrition due to death and institutionalization is substantial over 20 years. Persistent disability is the dominant adverse outcome of initial disability shock. Overtime exits due to death become progressively more important; 44% disabled at baseline are dead by Wave 11 compared to 21% for nondisabled. Disability status at baseline is associated with financial insecurity persisting to Wave 11 among survivors.
A model of the saturation of coupled electron and ion scale gyrokinetic turbulence

A new paradigm of zonal flow mixing as the mechanism by which zonal E B fluctuations impact the saturation of gyrokinetic turbulence has recently been deduced from the nonlinear 2D spectrum of electric potential fluctuations in gyrokinetic simulations. These state of the art simulations span the physical scales of both ion and electron turbulence. It was found that the zonal flow mixing rate, rather than zonal flow shearing rate, competes with linear growth at both electron and ion scales. A model for saturation of the turbulence by the zonal flow mixing was developed and applied to the quasilinear trapped gyro-Landau fluid transport model (TGLF). The first validation tests of the new saturation model are reported in this paper with data from L-mode and high-β p regime discharges from the DIII-D tokamak. The shortfall in the predicted L-mode edge electron energy transport is improved with the new saturation model for these discharges but additional multiscale simulations are required in order to verify the safety factor and collisionality dependencies found in the modeling.
Preoperative Cardiac Considerations in General Surgical Patients

The elderly (age over 65) are the largest growing population in the United States and the patients in whom the majority of surgical procedures are performed. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common cause of mortality in the elderly and can alter surgical outcomes. Assessing preoperative cardiac risk is essential to ensure optimal outcomes in patients undergoing noncardiac surgical procedures.
Software development for medical devices: State of practice

Software in medical devices can be used in many ways to improve patient outcomes. Little contemporary data exists to document the actual practices used by software professionals for software engineering activities while building Software intensive medical devices. A carefully constructed survey has the potential to: 1) remedy the deficiency of lack of data and 2) to identify the software engineering best practices, which can then be disseminated. Two recent survey studies were conducted to explore the state of practice in Requirements Engineering and Software Architecture. Each survey attracted projects across a broad range of application domains. In this paper, we filter the reported projects from the two surveys with a focused scope on the software for medical devices projects. The results from our analysis of the filtered data are presented herein.
Pain and Hardship Among Older Men: Examining the Buffering Effect of Medicare Insurance Coverage

To better understand the health status of men in the United States, this study aimed to assess the association of hardship on the presence of and pain severity among men 50 years of age and older. Cross-sectional multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted using the 2010 wave of the Health and Retirement Study ( N = 3,174) to assess the association between four hardship indicators and the presence of pain and pain severity among this sample of older men. Results suggest that the association between the presence of pain and hardship was statistically significant across all four indicators: ongoing financial hardship (CI [1.05, 1.63], p .001) and difficulty paying bills (CI [1.26, 7.05], p < .05). The evidence is clear that each hardship indicators is associated with the presence of pain and across some of the indicators in pain severity among men aged 50 and older. In addition, these findings stress the importance that Medicare insurance plays in acting as a buffer to alleviate some of the hardships experienced by older men. These findings also highlight the association between the presence of pain and pain severity for the overall quality of life, health outcomes, and financial position of men in later life.
Additive Manufacturing: Instrumental Systems Used in Research, Education, and Service

In this chapter, key elements, current technologies, and research on AM for the two aspects of developing an AM system and applying AM in a collaborative research are presented. The chapter also discusses AM as a stand-alone course and as a process explained in an engineering course. Additionally, it discusses a variety of examples wherein AM has been utilized as service and outreach tool to recruit K-16 students into Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs.
Toward learning neural network encodings for continuous optimization problems

To date, efforts to automatically configure problem representations for classes of optimization problems have yielded few practical results. We show that a recently proposed approach for training neural G-P maps for optimization problems yields maps that generalize poorly to translated problem instances. We propose that alternative neural architectures---especially ones that allow the number of control genes to be greater than the number of phenotypic traits---may provide a means of learning maps that are better able to generalize to new problem instances.
EEG Database-Guided Neurotherapy

Publisher Summary The chapter presents a brief integration of biofeedback of the electroencephalogram (EEG) with the field of neuroimaging as well as introduction of non-Gaussian distributed statistics in the form of modern nonparametric statistics. There has been a veritable explosion in new discoveries in the field of neuroscience during the last 10 years. It has resulted in the rapid growth of a new discipline called functional neuroimaging , which embodies the ability to measure four dimensional biophysical brain processes related to many aspects of normal and pathological brain function, including perception and cognition. The evidence of the growth is the commonly reported high spatial and temporal resolution of EEG that yields 3-D current sources capable of being coregistered with PET using spherical and/or realistic head models as determined by conventional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The MRI-based spectroscopic methods measure biophysical processes related to the concentrations of organic and nonorganic compounds found in the bioenergetics of cells and the membrane contents of cells. A biophysically based MRI integration to EEG is a welcome arrival because it harkens a measurable linkage between membrane and molecular biology and the electrogenesis of the EEG.
Role of tears in keratocyte loss after epithelial removal in mouse cornea.

Purpose To study the role of tears in the death of keratocytes after epithelium removal in the mouse cornea. Methods In anesthetized mice, an approximately 1-mm circle of epithelium was removed from the center of the cornea, exposing the underlying stroma. In one group of animals, access of tears to the bare stroma was allowed-in vivo, by closing the eyelids, or ex vivo, by dropping tears from another animal onto the denuded stroma of an enucleated eyeball. In another group, tear access was denied-in vivo, by bathing the cornea continuously in saline or by keeping the lids open, or ex vivo, by rinsing the denuded cornea before incubating the enucleated eyeball. In a separate group, corneal epithelial debris from another mouse was placed on the bare stroma of an enucleated eyeball. The corneas were isolated, stained with a fluorescent nuclear dye, and observed en face in a wholemount preparation under a fluorescence microscope, to evaluate the distribution of intact nuclei across the entire depth of the stroma. Results Between 1.5 and 2 hours after exposure to tears, the nuclei of the anterior keratocytes under the area of epithelial debridement invariably degenerated. When they had been protected from the tears, however, no degeneration was observed. Epithelial debris applied on the bare stroma had no effect on the underlying keratocytes. Conclusions Factors in tear fluid trigger keratocyte loss after removal of the epithelium in the mouse cornea.
CERTIFICATION OF KEVLAR ON PRIMARY STRUCTURE SAAB/FAIRCHILD SF-340 AIRCRAFT

Kevlar composite material has been selected for use on the SAAB/Fairchild SF-340 aircraft because of its attractive strength and light weight characteristics. In addition to its application on secondary structure, extensive use has been made of this material in the construction of the primary flight control surfaces. Because of this latter application, an extensive test and evaluation program was developed in order to meet Certification requirements. These Certification requirements together with the use of Kevlar on primary flight control surfaces are unique because the SF-340 aircraft will be jointly certified by both the FAA (United States) and the JAR (Europe) and must meet the requirements of both. This paper presents an overview of the test program developed to meet the joint Certification requirements for Kevlar usage on control surfaces of the SAAB/Fairchild SF-340 aircraft. Available test data results from this program which are generically applicable are presented. Testing aspects relative to the coupon, subcomponent, component and full scale levels are discussed. These aspects include static, fatigue (constant amplitude and spectrum) and damage tolerance considerations.
Jobless and Wageless Growth: The Composition Effects of Credit Easing

The period of jobless and wageless growth that followed the great recession in the United States raises the question why expansionary credit policies were less effective for the recovery in employment and real wages in comparison to output. Using a structural time series analysis of the US credit and labor markets since 1965, I find that, indeed, credit supply expansions have been associated with a negative impact on the aggregate labor share. This paper offers one explanation that relies on the composition effects of credit expansion. I provide evidence that the pass-through of aggregate credit supply fluctuations to employment growth is stronger for industries that face higher borrowing costs. Firms in these industries prefer collateralizable capital to labor, and pay lower wages. Consequently, by increasing their share in total output and employment, the change in composition following an expansion in credit supply exerts negative pressure on the aggregate labor share. I build a dynamic model of heterogeneous firms and an aggregate financial sector, which accounts for the interaction between financial and labor market frictions. The model reproduces the negative composition effects of an aggregate credit supply expansion, and reconciles them with the positive within-firm effects predicted by models that abstract from the role of financial heterogeneity across firms. The paper, therefore, raises the concern that credit easing may not target firms that have strong potential to hire or pay high wages.