cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ethical Issues in Military Psychology

The profession of psychology and the profession of arms have been integrally intertwined for more than a century. Both clinical and research psychologists share a long and distinguished history of service to the nation in support of military personnel and military leaders. Certain elements of the practice of psychology in military settings create unique and sometimes intense ethical tensions and conflicts for psychologists. These are often particularly acute for psychologists serving as active duty military officers. This chapter describes the aspects of military psychology practice that heighten ethical tensions and quandaries for psychologists. The authors summarize seven specific ethical quandaries that occur with the greatest frequency or create the most acute conflicts for military psychologists. Illustrative vignettes are employed to bring these issues to life. The authors conclude with a set of recommendations designed to help psychologists ameliorate and manage common ethical tensions.
Timing of Postdischarge Follow‐Up and Medication Adherence Among Patients With Heart Failure

Background Medication adherence improves outcomes for patients with heart failure, but adherence rates remain low. We examined the association between earlier postdischarge follow‐up and medication adherence. Methods and Results We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients ≥65 years who were hospitalized for heart failure, covered by Medicare Part D, and discharged alive from April 2006 to October 2012 using the Get With The Guidelines‐Heart Failure Registry linked to Medicare claims. Patients were categorized into 4 groups by timing of first postdischarge follow‐up visit: ≤1, 1 to 2, 2 to 6, and >6 weeks. Medication adherence was defined by proportion of days covered of >80% at 90 days and 1‐year posthospital discharge to 5 guideline‐directed medical therapies (angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker, evidence‐based β‐blocker, aldosterone antagonist, hydralazine/isosorbide dinitrate, and anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation). Among 9878 patients with heart failure, 73% had left ventricular ejection fraction ≤40%, median age was 78 years (25th–75th percentile, 71–84), and 48% were male. Overall, 30% had a follow‐up appointment within 1‐week postdischarge and 25% >6 weeks. At 1 year, medication adherence was 53% for evidence‐based β‐blockers, 48% for angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers, and 8% for hydralazine/isosorbide dinitrate. We found no significant association between timing of first follow‐up visit and medication adherence at 1 year (1.04, 0.92–1.17) when comparing follow‐up visits >6 weeks to the earliest ones. Conclusions Posthospital heart failure discharge, overall adherence to medical therapies in Medicare beneficiaries was low. Early follow‐up was not associated with increased medication adherence to guideline‐directed medical therapy in the short or long term.
Cis-Selective Metathesis to Enhance the Living Character of Ring-Opening Polymerization: An Approach to Sequenced Copolymers

The hydrolytic behavior and physical properties of a polymer are directly related to its constituent monomer sequence, yet the scalable and controllable synthesis of sequenced copolymers remains scarcely realized. To address this need, an enhanced version of entropy-driven ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ED-ROMP) has been developed. An unprecedented level of control is obtained by exploiting the kinetic and thermodynamic differences in the metathesis activity of cis- and trans-olefins embedded in large, unstrained macrocycles. First-order rate kinetics were observed, and polymer molecular weights were found to be proportional to catalyst loading. Computational analysis suggests that incorporation of a cis-olefin into the monomer backbone both introduces a thermodynamic driving force and increases the population of metathesis-active conformers. This approach offers a generally applicable method for enhancing living character in ED-ROMP.
Herpetofaunal Response to Gap and Skidder-Rut Wetland Creation in a Southern Bottomland Hardwood Forest.

Herpetofaunal Response to Gap and Skidder-Rut Wetland Creation in a Southern Bottomland Hardwood Forest. Cromer R.B., J.D.Lanham, and H.H. Hanlin.Forest Science, 1 May 2002, vol. 48, iss. 2, pp. 407-413(7) We compared herpetofaunal communities in recently harvested gaps, skidder trails, and unharvested depressional wetlands to assess the effects of group-selection harvesting and skidder traffic on reptiles and amphibians in a southern bottomland hardwood forest. From January 1, 1997 to December 31, 1998 we captured 24,292 individuals representing 55 species of reptiles and amphibians at the Savannah River Site in Barnwell County, South Carolina. Forty-two species (n = 6,702 individuals) were captured in gaps, 43 species (n = 8,863 individuals) were captured along skid trails between gaps and 43 species (n = 8,727 individuals) were captured in bottomland depressions over the 2 yr period. Three vegetation variables and six environmental variables were correlated with herpetofaunal abundance. Salamander abundance, especially for species in the genus Ambystoma, was negatively associated with areas with less canopy cover and pronounced rutting (i.e., gaps and skidder trails). Alternatively, treefrog (Hylidae) abundance was positively associated with gap creation. Results from this study suggest that group selection harvests and skidder rutting may alter the herpetofaunal species composition inmore » southern bottomland hardwoods by increasing habitat suitability for some species while diminishing it for others.« less
Conversations for reflection

The challenge of augmenting transitions and transformations through technological design is addressed here by putting forward a model of Conversations for Reflection. This model helps deal with the practical problem of helping people develop their professional expertise. The model specifies procedural conditions that support the complex communicative activity of publicly testing private assumptions, surfacing dilemmas, and publicly discussing sensitive issues. This is illustrated by showing how the model informs two interventions that augment the development of expertise. The model follows from the theory of reflective practice, current understanding of accounting behavior in interaction, and the insights and recent developments in theory and research on the Language Action Perspective. The model, its rationale, and use illustrate an approach to understanding knowledge as a process.
Metaphor and Theory for Scale-up Research: Eagles in the Anacostia and Activity Systems

This chapter proceeds from two very different views on scale-up theory. Cynthia Coburn (2003) provides a retrospective query into normative dimensions of scale-up (depth, spread, transfer of ownership and sustainability) and argues that scale-up is ‘not about numbers’. In contrast, McDonald and colleagues (2006) take a methodological approach to understanding scale-up research in two stages, intervention effectiveness and intervention scaling in multiple contexts, with the focus primarily about the numbers. This chapter builds scale-up theory further by offering four preconditions for scale-up based on a 6-year study of the scale-up of middle school science units. Preconditions include: a close partnership between the university and the school district; recognition that the success of any intervention is determined by the pervasive policy climate of the school system; scale-up decisions being driven by the quality of assessment feedback and other information; and an organised research agenda for systematically introducing the intervention. This leads to an ecological metaphor on scale-up, with the insight that it is ‘information’ that scales up. Further, scale-up is a socio-cultural phenomenon explained by activity theory because it allows overlapping levels of complexity for explanations.
Anion-Dependent Doping and Charge Transport in Organic Electrochemical Transistors

We study the effects of different electrolyte anions on the mixed ionic/electronic transport properties of organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) based on poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl). We show that the transport properties depend on the anion present in the electrolyte, with greater source-drain currents resulting from the use of molecular anions such as hexafluorophosphate and trifluoromethanesulfonylimide than from the use of smaller atomic anions such as fluoride or chloride. Using spectroelectrochemistry, we show the maximum doping level that can be achieved in an aqueous environment is also anion-dependent. Furthermore, we find that the average electronic carrier mobility at a given doping level depends on the chemistry of the compensating counterion. We further investigate this dependence by electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance measurements, showing the solvation of the dopant anions within the polymer is drastically different depending on the choice of the anion. Surprisingly, we fin...
Quality screening and information disclosure in two-sided markets

Abstract This paper studies how a platform can use quality screening to alleviate the asymmetric information problem between users on the two sides. We consider two screening mechanisms through which a platform communicates the quality information from one side to the other: minimum threshold and multiple thresholds. For each mechanism, we derive the equilibrium outcome and conduct welfare analysis. It shows that the optimal screening rule is determined by the magnitude (or the distribution) of the cross-group externalities and the operation cost of the platform.
Decline in physical functioning in first 2 years after breast cancer diagnosis to predict survival in older women.

e11003 Background: Breast cancer patients often experience a decline in physical functioning following cancer diagnosis. Although most patients recover after treatment, some patients do not. These changes may be magnified in older women with comorbid conditions and could impact survival outcomes. Methods: We used longitudinal data from a prospective cohort study of women 65+ years of age, recruited shortly after diagnosis of early stage breast cancer, to examine changes in self-reported physical functioning measured with the Physical Function Index (PF-10) of the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36). Outcomes were constructed for small (0.2 SD), medium (0.5 SD), and large (0.8 SD) decline in the PF-10 measurement over two intervals 1) 3 to 15 months following cancer diagnosis, encompassing treatment and early recovery, and 2) 3 to 27 months following cancer diagnosis, in order to detect sustained recovery versus persistent decline. Cox-proportional hazards regression was used to examine associatio...
Multifractal evidence of nonlinear interactions stabilizing posture for phasmids in windy conditions: A reanalysis of insect postural-sway data

The present work is a reanalysis of prior work documenting postural sway in phasmids (i.e., "stick insects") [1]. The prior work pursued the possibility that postural sway was an evolutionary adaptation supporting motion camouflage to avoid the attention of predators. For instance, swaying along with leaves blown by the wind might reduce the likelihood of standing out to a predator. The present work addresses the alternative-but by no means conflicting and perhaps more explanatory-proposal that phasmid postural sway carries evidence of the tensegrity-like structures allowing postural stabilization under wind-like stimulation. Tensegrity structures are prestressed architectures embodying nonlinear interactions across scales of space and time that provide context-sensitive responses faster than neural tissue can support. Multifractal modeling of the postural-displacement series initially recorded in [1] offers a metric equally effective for quantifying complexity of phasmid postural sway under wind stimulation as for quantifying complexity of human postural sway [2-7]. Furthermore, multifractal modeling offers a means to demonstrate empirically the nonlinear interactions across space and time scales in body-wide coordination that tensegrity-based hypotheses predict. Specifically, multifractal modeling allows diagnosing the strength and direction of nonlinear interactions across time scale as the difference between multifractal estimates for the original postural-displacement series and for a sample of best-fitting linear models of the series. The reduction of postural sway directly following the application of wind stimulus appears as a significant decrease in the multifractal structure for original postural-displacement series as compared to best-fitting linear models of those series. This decrease indicates the capacity for nonlinear interactions across time scale to constrict variability, which is an aspect of nonlinear dynamics often overshadowed by the possibility that nonlinearity can produce more variability. This work offers the longer-range opportunity that multifractal modeling could provide a common language within which to coordinate behavioral sciences across a wide range of species.
Contrast-Enhanced Mammography: A Systematic Guide to Interpretation and Reporting.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this article is to discuss the essential steps involved in performing, interpreting, managing, and reporting findings on contrast-enhanced mammography for successful imple...
Pressure and particle property impacts on radiation in oxy-coal combustion

Abstract A numerical study evaluating the significance of scattering phase function, particle size, particle distribution and pressure in an oxy-coal combustor was conducted. Particle absorption and scattering coefficients were calculated from particle properties and Mie theory. Mie theory was also used to identify appropriate scattering phase functions as a function of particle size. A strongly forward scattering function represented by a Henyey-Greenstein function was found to match scattering behavior for particle diameters greater than approximately 10 μm. A comparison of highly forward scattering based on two mono-sized particle distributions (15 µm and 119 µm) and a polydisperse size distribution (27.9 µm SMD) showed small particles produced peak incident wall heat fluxes 30–40% greater than large particles due to the increased number density with the smaller particles. The polydisperse distribution produced flux profiles similar but slightly higher than the 15 µm mono-sized particles. Although strongly forward scattering was found to best represent particle scattering for this system, data did suggest that phase function/scattering coefficient influence becomes more important with increasingly small particle size. Two particle distribution profiles (narrow and wide) were used to represent different coal flame profiles. A wide particle distribution across the combustor diameter produced higher incident wall heat fluxes than a narrow distribution limited to the center region of the combustor. Increased particle size decreased the effect of distribution. Incident wall heat flux was found to increase with increasing combustor pressure up to approximately 5 atm and 10 atm, respectively, for wide and narrow particle distributions. This was primarily due to increased particle absorption and scattering coefficients. Additional pressure increases beyond this up to 20 atm had minimal impact on wall fluxes due to saturated values of the particle absorption coefficient.
Systematic review of three decades of clinical trials in metastatic colorectal cancer: Making lemonade out of lemons?

656Background: Despite multiple trials of new agents in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), long term outcomes remain poor. This study explores the changing trends in the design, interpretation an...
Clinical Impact of Routine Complete Blood Counts Following Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Abstract Background Routine laboratory studies are generally obtained following total knee arthroplasty (TKA), and often continued daily until discharge. This study aims to investigate the utility and cost-effectiveness of complete blood count (CBC) tests following TKA. Methods Retrospective review identified 484 patients who underwent primary TKA under a tourniquet at a single institution. Preoperative and postoperative CBC values were collected along with demographic data, use of tranexamic acid (TXA), and transfusion rates. Logistic regression models were calculated for all variables. Results Twenty-five patients required transfusion following TKA (5.2%). Patients requiring transfusion had significantly lower preoperative hemoglobin compared to patients who did not require transfusion (11.47 vs 13.58 g/dL, P = .005). Risk of transfusion was 5.2 times higher in patients with preoperative anemia (95% confidence interval 2.90-9.35, P Conclusion Ensuring quality, cost-effective patient care following total joint arthroplasty is essential in the era of bundled payments. Routine postoperative CBCs do not add value for patients with normal preoperative hemoglobin who receive TXA during TKA performed under tourniquet. Patients who are anemic preoperatively or do not receive TXA should obtain a postoperative CBC test. Daily CBCs are unnecessary if the first postoperative CBC does not prompt intervention.
The Relational Production of Workplace Equality: The Case of Worker-Recuperated Businesses in Argentina

Work organizations are commonly studied as sites that produce and reproduce inequality. But we know much less about how organizations promote equality. This article examines efforts to broaden access to power, opportunity, and resources in Hotel Bauen, a worker-recuperated business that was converted from a privately-owned company into a worker-run cooperative. Drawing on extensive ethnographic and archival research, I analyze efforts to redesign and redefine work through collective decision-making, job rotation, and pay equity. The article concludes by identifying three mechanisms of equality—inclusion, opportunity distribution, and symbolic leveling—to theorize the relational production of workplace equality and complement the near-exclusive focus on inequality and its effects.
PEDOT:PSS/n-Si Hybrid Solar Cells with Al 2 O 3 Interfiacial Passivation Layer

Hybrid solar cells, consisting of both organic and inorganic layers have shown to be promising in developing solar cells with suitable photovoltaic properties, advantage of low temperature processing and much lower production cost than conventional p - n junction solar cells. For example, poly (3,4-ethylene-diozythiophene): polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) with work function of 5.1 eV and spin-coated on Si substrate leads to development of a rectifying Schottky junction and is used to design and fabricate hybrid solar cells, in which the organic PEDOT:PSS acts as a hole transporting layer [1] . It has been shown in [2] that the organic layer in a PEDOT:PSS/ n -Si hybrid solar cell, fabricated at temperatures below 100 C°, can also act as electron blocking layer, resulting in a low reverse saturation current density of 3.8 × 10 −9 mA/cm 2 and Schottky barrier height of 0.8 eV. Furthermore, Aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ) is shown to be effective as the passivation layer in improving the photovoltaic properties of solar cells by passivating the dangling bonds and reducing the density of surface states [3] .
The multi-domain operations effect loop: from future concepts to research challenges

In a defense landscape driven by increasing automation, larger operation scale, higher op-tempo, and tighter integrations across multiple domains, how do emerging advances in computing technology empower future defense concepts and operations? The paper overviews the notion of a multi-domain operations (MDO) effect loop as an organizing principle for military operations and information-driven decision processes. It then highlights recent advances in artificial intelligence, information theory, distributed sensing, and network optimization that significantly enhance the capabilities of different loop components, as illustrated by notional defense scenarios.
Cerebrospinal fluid lactate concentrations in dogs with seizure disorders.

BACKGROUND Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) lactate concentrations increase after seizure activity in many human patients independent of the underlying disease process. The effect of seizure activity on CSF lactate concentration in dogs is unknown. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES Cerebrospinal fluid lactate concentration is unaffected by seizure activity in dogs and is more dependent on the underlying disease process causing the seizures. ANIMALS One-hundred eighteen client-owned dogs with seizure disorders. METHODS Case series. Cerebrospinal fluid lactate concentration was determined using a commercially available lactate monitor. Seizure semiology, time from last seizure to CSF collection, number of seizures within the 72 hours preceding CSF collection, and clinical diagnosis were recorded. RESULTS Dogs with focal seizures had higher CSF lactate concentrations than did those with generalized seizures (P = .03). No differences in lactate concentrations were found among dogs with single seizures, cluster seizures or status epilepticus (P = .12), among dogs with CSF collection at different time points after the last seizure activity (P = .39) or among dogs having different numbers of seizures within the 72 hours preceding CSF collection (P = .42). A significant difference (P = .001) was found in CSF lactate concentrations among diagnostic groups, and dogs with inflammatory and neoplastic disease had higher concentrations than did dogs with idiopathic or unknown epilepsy. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE Cerebrospinal fluid lactate concentration is minimally affected by seizure activity in dogs and increased concentrations are more likely associated with the underlying disease process.
Caching IoT Resources in Green Brokers at the Application Layer

In this paper, we propose to cache popular Internet of Things (IoT) resources in the brokers (which can be considered as application layer middlewares) by applying the CoAP Publish/Subscribe protocol in order to reduce the energy consumption of the servers (e.g., IoT devices), which host these resources. If an IoT resource is cached in a broker, all the requests to retrieve the content of the IoT resource will be delivered to the broker, which responses to the requests by sending related contents, thus increasing the power consumption of the broker. In order to reduce the operational expenditure of the broker provider, each broker is powered by green energy and uses on-grid energy as a backup. On-gird energy consumption of the brokers may be different. That is, some brokers with low green energy generation and more cached IoT resources may consume more on-grid energy consumption than brokers with high green energy generation and less cached IoT resources. In order to minimize the total on-grid energy consumption of the brokers, the Green Energy Aware Resource caching (GEAR) algorithm is proposed to balance energy demands by re-allocating/re-caching the popular IoT resources among the brokers. The performance of GEAR is validated via simulations.
Extraction of Rare Earths from Red Mud Iron Nugget Slags with Oxalic Acid Precipitation

Red mud contains large amounts of rare and valuable minerals. Specifically, rare earth elements are present at a concentrated amount in many red mud samples around the world. There is currently onl...
Multi-objective evolutionary algorithms for distributed tactical control of heterogeneous agents

Controlling large numbers of heterogeneous agents in dynamic environments has a number of civilian and defense applications, but presents challenges in cooperation among agents and decision making in uncertain environments. This paper investigates a new problem representation using genetic algorithm tuned potential fields and a new multi-objective problem formulation that evolves distributed control for large numbers of cooperating and competing heterogeneous agents in dynamic environments. Using real-time strategy game-like simulation as a test-bed, results show that the proposed approach scales to controlling a number of and different types of agents. Our representation uses influence maps to choose a target and a set of potential fields to control the maneuverability of agents in real-time. We formulated this problem as a multi-objective optimization problem and used an evolutionary multi objective optimization technique to maximize two conflicting objectives in simulation skirmishes. Results indicate that our evolutionary algorithm based representation produces good cooperative behavior and generalized well across groups composed from several different types of agents.
Does lineage plasticity enable escape from CAR-T cell therapy? Lessons from MLL-r leukemia

The clinical success of engineered, CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells in relapsed, refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) has generated great enthusiasm for the use of CAR T cells in patients with cytogenetics that portend a poor prognosis with conventional cytotoxic therapies. One such group includes infants and children with mixed lineage leukemia (MLL1, KMT2A) rearrangements (MLL-r), who fare much worse than patients with low- or standard-risk B-ALL. Although early clinical trials using CD19 CAR T cells for MLL-r B-ALL produced complete remission in most patients, relapse with CD19-negative disease was a common mechanism of treatment failure. Whereas CD19neg relapse has been observed across a broad spectrum of B-ALL patients treated with CD19-directed therapy, patients with MLL-r have manifested the emergence of AML, often clonally related to the B-ALL, suggesting that the inherent heterogeneity or lineage plasticity of MLL-r B-ALL may predispose patients to a myeloid relapse. Understanding the factors that enable and drive myeloid relapse may be important to devise strategies to improve durability of remissions. In this review, we summarize clinical observations to date with MLL-r B-ALL and generally discuss lineage plasticity as a mechanism of escape from immunotherapy.
Epsilon-near-zero materials in nonlinear optics: from theory to applications

Epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) materials have been key players in recent photonic applications due to their versatility in growth, excellent compatibility, and ability to be dynamically modulated. From a foundation in the recently developed carrier kinetic models of nonlinearities in ENZ materials, we discuss our efforts to realize scalable and high-quality Al:ZnO (AZO) films via a unique atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, and the use of AZO in both switching and frequency shifting applications. Throughout, we highlight the advantages and challenges that exist and conclude with an outlook for ENZ materials in the area of nonlinear optics.
The Student Engagement in Schools Questionnaire (SESQ) and the Teacher Engagement Report Form-New (TERF-N): Examining the Preliminary Evidence

Student engagement in school is an important construct that has been associated with student success. For the current study, researchers examined the psychometrics of the Student Engagement in Schools Questionnaire (SESQ) and the Teacher Engagement Report Form (TERF-N) of student engagement. The results revealed that both the SESQ and the TERF-N have good internal consistency. The exploratory factor analysis results for the SESQ demonstrated alignment with the theoretically driven development (five factors: Affective Engagement-Liking for Learning, Affective Engagement-Liking for School, Behavioral Engagement-Effort & Persistence, Behavioral Engagement-Extracurricular, and Cognitive Engagement) whereas the results for the TERF-N were more complicated. The items did not load as conceptualized in a 3-factor model, but instead loaded on one, General Engagement factor. Finally, while it may be that teachers viewed a student’s level of engagement as a global construct, the correlations between the measures indicated that they might be used to provide helpful, convergent information obtained from a variety of sources regarding a student’s levels of engagement. Future directions and implications for school psychologists are discussed.
A Method for Deriving the Mean Volume Scattering Phase Function for Zodiacal Dust

A linear combination of 3 Henyey-Greenstein phase functions is substituted for the mean volume scattering phase function in the zodiacal light brightness integral. Results of the integral are then compared with the observed brightness to form residuals. Minimization of the residuals provides us with the best combination of Henyey-Greenstein functions for the scattering phase function of zodiacal dust particles.
Distances, Accretion Rates, and Space Densities of Cataclysmic Variables: Piece O’ Cake, and Other Heresies

Over the last few years, it has become virtually compulsory for every review article, and generally stylish for research papers, to include at least a little hand-wringing about how poorly we know the fundamental parameters of cataclysmic variables (hereafter CVs). Probably all of us remember the time when we thought that CVs contained main sequence stars transferring matter to 1 M⊙ white dwarfs via α-model accretion disks. Such views are now considered naive, and cause dozens of eyes to roll heavenward in disgust. But, listening to the relentless criticism of yesterday’s wisdom at meetings such as this one, I get confused as to who or what is being criticized, since it seems to me that there are no defenders of the “standard models” left—that virtually all of us have embraced today’s conventional, pessimistic wisdom. Most of you know this litany of pessimism: standard disk models are too naive; the lobe-filling secondaries are frequently not on the main sequence; the distances are very poorly known; the accretion rates are uncertain by orders of magnitude; so are the space densities; etc., etc. The unanimity with which these discouraging views are professed strikes me as unhealthy. So I will step up in defense, mutatis mutandis, of yesterday’ optimistic views—partly because I do not share the current pessimism, and partly because we are in need of a whipping boy on which to focus our criticisms. Most of these arguments are spelled out in much greater detail in a bloated paper (Patterson 1983, hereafter P83) which I am not so sure anyone will actually read!
Optimal pitch bases expansions in speech signal processing

A new method that improves the accuracy of text dependent speaker verification systems is presented in this paper. The new method exploits a set of novel speech features derived from a principal component analysis of pitch synchronous voiced speech segments. We use the term principal pitch components (PPCs) or optimal pitch bases (OPBs) to denote the new feature set. Utterance distances computed from these new PPC features are only weakly correlated with utterance distances computed from cepstral features. A distance measure that combines both, cepstral and PPC features provides a discriminative power that cannot be achieved with cepstral features alone. By augmenting the feature space of a cepstral baseline system with PPC features we are able to reduce the equal error probability of incorrect customer rejection versus incorrect impostor acceptance by over 10% beyond the discriminative limit of the cepstral analysis.
Interactions Between Calcium and cGMP in Dialyzed Detached Retinal Rod Outer Segments

Detached rod outer segments dialyzed with standard internal solution supplemented with 5 mM ATP and 0.86 mM GTP support normal phototransduction and generate light responses with the same sensitivity, kinetics and adaptational behavior as intact rods. The recovery of the light response involves the inactivation of the transduction cascade and activation of guanylate cyclase by the fall in intracellular calcium that accompanies the closure of light-sensitive channels. Experiments were done to test the influence of changes in the calcium and/or cGMP content of the ATP, GTP supplemented dialysis solution on the light response. Response recovery was accelerated in outer segments dialyzed with high calcium solution. The amplitude of the Na-Ca exchange current in these cells was consistent with at least a five-fold increase in intracellular calcium. The acceleration of response recovery under these conditions is surprising because high internal calcium would be expected to slow rather than speed the activation of cyclase by a light-evoked decrease in calcium. The implication of this and other paradoxical results pertaining to the interaction between intracellular calcium and cGMP levels are discussed.
Ankle strength and force sense after a progressive, 6-week strength-training program in people with functional ankle instability.

Context: Although strength training is commonly used to rehabilitate ankle injuries, studies investigating the effects of strength training on proprioception have shown conflicting results. Objective: To determine the effects of a 6-week strength-training protocol on force sense and strength development in participants with functional ankle instability. Design: Randomized controlled clinical trial. Setting: University athletic training research laboratory. Patients or Other Participants: A total of 40 participants with functional ankle instability were recruited. They were randomly placed into a training group (10 men, 10 women: age = 20.9 ± 2.2 years, height = 76.4 ± 16.1 cm, mass = 173.0 ± 7.9 kg) or control group (10 men, 10 women: age = 20.2 ± 2.1 years, height = 78.8 ± 24.5 cm, mass = 173.7 ± 8.2 kg). Intervention(s): Participants in the training group performed strength exercises with the injured ankle 3 times per week for 6 weeks. The protocol consisted of a combination of rubber exerci...
Amino acid digestibility in rice co-products fed to growing pigs

The global production of paddy rice exceeds 700 million tons per year. The primary objective of rice production is to produce polished white rice for human consumption, but in this process, several co-products that may be fed to livestock are also generated. The objective of this experiment was to determine the coefficient of ileal apparent digestibility (CIAD) and the coefficient of ileal standardized digestibility (CISD) of crude protein (CP) and amino acids (AA) in 2 sources of full fat rice bran (FFRB), 1 source of defatted rice bran (DFRB), and in broken rice when fed to growing pigs. Seven finishing pigs with an average initial body weight of 70.1 ± 6.3 kg were used. Pigs were surgically fitted with a T-cannula in the distal ileum. Animals were allotted to a 7 × 7 Latin square design with 7 diets and 7 periods. Seven diets were prepared, but 1 diet was unrelated to this experiment; therefore only 6 diets were used in this experiment. One diet was based on bakery meal, and 1 diet was based on broken rice. Three additional diets were formulated by mixing bakery meal and each of the 2 sources of FFRB (FFRB-1 and FFRB-2) or DFRB. The last diet was an N-free that was used to estimate the basal ileal endogenous losses of CP and AA. The CIAD of CP and AA in bakery meal and broken rice was calculated using the direct procedure, but the CIAD of CP and AA in both sources of FFRB and in DFRB was calculated using the difference procedure. The CIAD and CISD of CP and AA in broken rice were greater (P < 0.05) than the CIAD and CISD of CP and AA in all other ingredients. The CIAD of the average of indispensable AA was greater (P < 0.05) for broken rice and less (P < 0.05) for DFRB, than for the 2 sources of FFRB. The CISD for the average of indispensable AA in broken rice (0.949) was greater than in FFRB-1 (0.862), FFRB-2 (0.850), and DFRB (0.817), but there were no differences between the 2 sources of FFRB, and the average CISD of indispensable AA in DFRB was less (P < 0.05) than in the other ingredients. The concentrations of CISD CP and indispensable AA in DFRB were greater (P < 0.05) than in all other ingredients. In conclusion, the CIAD and CISD of CP and AA in broken rice was greater than in FFRB and DFRB, but the greater concentration of CP and AA in FFRB and DFRB result in greater concentrations of CISD CP and AA in FFRB and DFRB than in broken rice.
Sir Richard Francis Burton: Explorer, Anthropologist, Irregular Physician

Abstract Travellers to remote areas seem to have a magical aura. Indigenous folk often seek them out asking for medical treatment. It does not matter whether or not the traveller is in fact a doctor. Non-medical travellers have rendered good care, and by so doing ensured the success of their expedition. Nevertheless, there are reservations about 'playing doctor' and many travellers shun the role. Others, however, have purposefully impersonated doctors and capitalized on their medical fraud.
Hospital patient-care and outside-the-hospital energy profiles for hemodialysis services: report of two cases

Studies investigated the patient-care (in-hospital) and outside-the-hospital energy consumptions for delivering the hemodialysis (HD) service. A life cycle inventory methodology was used for this patient-based analysis for two hospitals located in Wichita, Kansas. It was found that, for both hospitals, the actual HD machines consumed approximately 3.5 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electrical energy per HD, only 8% to 16% of the total energy used for delivering the HD service (in hospital). This increases to 9.6 to 28.9 kWh of hospital billable energy for the whole system of HD machine, auxiliaries, and dialysis water treatment. Converting these hospital direct electrical energy values to natural resource energy (nre) then adding the cradle-to-gate natural resource energy for the manufacturing and supply chain of all the HD consumables, the total is 78 to 149 kWh nre/HD. The nre measures all the direct fuel burned to generate energy and is thus directly related to emissions to the air, water, and land and is a direct secondary impact on public health from HD. The ratio of outside-the-hospital energy to direct hospital HD electrical energy consumption is 4:1 to 7:1, so a broader base exists for improvement than just the hospital.
The fine structure of Gromphadorhina portentosa salivary glands:duct transport system.

The gross external morphology of the salivary glands of Gromphadorhina portentosa is described from light, scanning, and transmission electron microscopic observations. Various techniques, such as cryofracturing and epoxy-fracturing followed by plastic removal, were employed. Internally, the transportation system is characterized by a cuticle-lined lumen bordered by duct cells. The duct collects secretory products, some of which are reabsorbed by duct cells. Products are transported to intercalary ducts and eventually to the hypopharynx and/or salivary reservoirs. Transmission electron micrographs demonstrate distinctive morphological differences between duct cells bordering ductules and those which line expanded regions of the duct. Duct cells which surround ductules have a microvillous-lined apical border in which the cuticular coat of the lumen may be only partially developed. Duct cells in other regions may retain microvilli, or the apical plasma membrane may invaginate and vesiculate. In some cells the apical region has neither microvilli nor invaginations, but possesses two morphologically different forms of microtubules. Some duct cells are characterized by the presence of lamellar bodies in the nuclear region and/or collagenous material above the basal lamina in the area where the acinar duct becomes confluent with the intercalary duct. The plasma membranes between adjacent duct cells within acini become convoluted, forming loops filled with cytoplasm. These loops, along with contact and septate desmosomes formed between membranes, may serve dual functions: adherent mechanisms between cells and/or transportation of materials between cells.
Fast functional MRI

What happens in a persons brain when they see a picture of somebody they recognize? Recognition takes place almost immediately. But where in the brain does it take place? Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) is a technique which can be used to study mental activity in the brain. However as currently used, the temporal resolution of fMRI studies are too slow to answer such questions. To increase its usefulness, new methods of speeding up fMRI studies must be introduced. In this paper we discuss a method which improves the time resolution in fMRI. Using prior knowledge of the region of interest (ROI) and the time constraints we wish to obtain, the method tailors the k-space (Fourier space) sampling region and creates a matching prolate spheroidal wave function filter in order to maximize the energy concentration in the ROI. The method enables one, at high time resolution, to study the total activity over a pre-defined region of the brain. Thereby giving the opportunity to study the change in mental activity that occurs in that region, when a specific task is performed. This is a problem that, besides having a clear medical interest, also involves interesting mathematical and statistical aspects, especially in Fourier and time series analysis.
System Modeling of Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters

For piezoelectric-based, vibration energy harvesting systems, a simplified resonant model is typically used to represent the piezoelectric transducer. Furthermore, the total amount of harvested power is calculated assuming an ideal and lossless power converter. A coupled, system-level model is developed that includes parasitic losses in the power converter for a system comprised of a cantilevered transducer beam and pulsed resonant converter. The accuracy of the system-level model is validated with experimental data, and it is shown that the simplified resonant model underpredicts the total harvested power by approximately 30% for the implemented system. In addition to capturing the electrical domain behavior of the system, the system-level model is also shown to accurately predict the effect of energy harvesting on the beam mechanics.
Reversal of β-Amyloid-Induced Retention Deficit after Exposure to Training and State Cues

Abstract We explored amnesia induced by posttraining injection of β-amyloid protein (βA4) in four experiments. Previous reports showed that βA4 impaired retention of learning maintained either by food reward or by shock relief. The experiments in this paper attempted to determine (1) if the amnesia is specific to the 1–40 βA4 amino-acid sequence; and (2) if the amnesia can be attributed to a consolidation process. Subjects were 190 male Sprague–Dawley rats, 3 to 6 months old. Subjects were given five training trials on a left–right discrimination in a Y-maze with a food reward and injected immediately afterward with βA4(1–40) or vehicle. One week later they were trained to criterion. Experiment 1 used a control group that was injected with the reverse-sequence peptide (40–1). The performance of the βA4(40–1) group was unimpaired. Experiments 2 and 3 attempted to reverse the amnestic effects of βA4 using noncontingent presentation of aspects of the training context during the retention interval. Experimental subjects in Experiment 2 were exposed to the Y-maze in the absence of reinforcers, 24, 22, and 2 h before retention testing. In Experiment 3, subjects were given a 1-min exposure to the reinforcers, outside the Y-maze, 24 h before retention testing. Both manipulations reversed βA4-induced amnesia. In Experiment 4, βA4-induced impairments were reversed by reinjecting βA4 immediately before retention testing. Results indicate that βA4 injected after partial training does not interfere with a consolidation process.
Polygonal optical cavities.

A general class of multifacet optical resonators that have uniform polygonal geometries is described. Expressions for the transmission of light through classical refractive escape from the cavities are presented. The conventional Fabry–Perot resonator is shown to be a special case of this general class of cavities. The effects of absorption and scattering of optical radiation on the transmission properties and cavity-quality factors are analyzed. These resonator structures have significant applications in a wide variety of optical devices.
Materials for Teachers of Religious Education

ODA Y'S Children and Yesterday's Heritage will rank as a classic in liberal religious education. The author has given the peak of her wide experience to a clear discussion of the process of religious education suited to the modern world. Forcefully and courageously Mrs. Fahs faces the task of developing a deeply spiritual kind of religious teaching. Instead of platitudes, miscellaneous stories, ritual and authoritarian approaches she faces the nature of children and the kinds of experiences that are meaningful to them as they develop. Vast new realms of knowledge are affecting the religion of modern persons, especially in the way it is to be taught. Here is where the conflicts will reside for a long time to come. In place of mechanical verbalization the author has fostered vital, meaningful thinking and searching for the truth about religion, the Bible, worship, and God. An important study Understanding Children's Play describes the way the language of play reveals the minds and hearts of children. Case records and the conclusions drawn
The Siljan Deep Well: Helium isotope results

The Siljan Ring impact structure in Sweden is the scene of current deep-drilling exploration for methane trapped in a crustal reservoir. The initial hole, drilled to a depth of 6100 m through Precambrian granite, has been augmented by three branching “side-track” holes beginning at −4700 m that have extended the drilled depth to 6957 m. Forty-four gas samples extracted from the circulating drilling fluid have been analyzed for He, Ne, and 3He4He ratios. Granite chips recovered from the well and eight natural gas seeps from the Siljan Ring and other localities in Sweden have also been analyzed to provide ambient helium comparisons. The 3He4He ratios in the well gases are mixtures of three components: (1) atmospheric helium dissolved in recirculated drilling fluid, (2) “carrier” He used for well-site gas chromatography that contaminated some of the samples taken for He isotope analysis, and (3) a “crustal” radiogenic component from the granite with a 3He4He ratio of 0.015 times the atmospheric ratio (1.40 × 10−6). Although helium concentrations are generally low throughout the hole (up to 4800 ppm), hydrofracturing at the termination of drilling in Side-track Hole 3 yielded gas with 23,100 ppm of helium and the “crustal” isotope ratio for Siljan granite fluids. Isotope ratios in the gas seeps are in agreement with the deep “crustal” value, but the granite itself has lower 3He4He ratios due to preferential extraction of 3He from Li-bearing micas. No evidence of a mantle helium component is observed in the isotopic data: an upper-limit calculation based on the difference between He isotope ratios in the granite and in the formation waters gives a maximum of 0.15% of MORE helium in the well gas helium.
Acute leukemia as a complication of cytotoxic chemotherapy.

Abstract Acute leukemia occurring after intensive cytotoxic chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy has been reported in 122 patients with multiple myeloma, in 93 patients with Hodgkin's disease, in 78 patients with breast cancer, in 45 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, in 41 patients with chronic lymphotic leukemia and in 61 patients receiving immunosuppressive chemotherapy for a variety of non-neoplastic diseases. Although risk estimates have been calculated for several large series of patients (approximately 1% to 3% in several series), the precise carcinogenic or leukemogenic potential of cancer chemotherapeutic agents singly and in combinations is not known.