cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The imperative for social competency prediction

Some military personnel returning from deployment show social competency deficits: They act impulsively and make risky decisions, misinterpret interaction cues, experience difficulties with personal relationships, and adopt high-risk behaviors. These adverse social skills directly influence, among other important variables, psychological health and quality of life. Social skills deficits are not just a military concern; for instance, at-risk adolescents and reintegrating prisoners must also learn to demonstrate social competence. Meanwhile, today's screening is limited in its ability to assess current--and predict future--social competency; typical neurocognitive assessment is not designed to assess social competence in realistic situations. The author proposes a tool to improve screening by identifying social competency deficits through assessment of behavior in simulated social situations. This is important not only to more accurately assess adverse behaviors, but also to predict future behaviors and their causes, to focus intervention to address social competency deficits before adverse behaviors are ever exhibited.
The Spanish Philippines: Archaeological Perspectives on Colonial Economics and Society

When scholars consider Spanish colonialism in the Philippines their impressions are based largely on documentary evidence of their 377-year colonial presence and on romanticized impressions of the larger Spanish empire. In the New World, wherever Europeans settled, there is a clear break in the archaeological sequence of pre-Columbian cultural traditions. In the systemic context these changes continue to be evidenced in architectural style, city plan, and diet. Today, however, archaeologists working in Luzon, Cebu, and Mindanao are revealing vast differences between the nature of Spanish colonialism in the Philippines and that seen in the Americas. There, the remoteness of the colony from Europe, combined with its geographical position on the doorstep of China, created a unique Spanish colonial adaptation that reveals the significance of Asia in the world economic order.
Coming Straight from the Underground

Often claimed but seldom researched, Oware explores the extent to which socially conscious themes are present in independent rap songs. Supposedly, independent rap is free of the misogyny, violence, and materialism found in popular rap. However, Oware reveals that male and female underground artists mimic the lyrics of mainstream rappers. Related to the topic of race, underground white rappers as a group engage in racial evasion—an avoidance of race-related subjects in their music—more so than rappers of color. Iggy Azalea illustrates this point, but Macklemore contradicts it by addressing the topic of white privilege in his lyrics. Overall, the author argues that the distinction between underground and mainstream rap is manufactured and mutable for some, but distinct and separate for others.
An Analysis of the Research and Impact of ICT in Education in Developing Country Contexts

Despite evidence of increased usage of information and communication technology (ICT) in educational programming, extant evaluations on the impact of ICT on educational child outcomes are sparse and often lack the methodological rigor necessary to guide policymakers towards sound, evidence-based practices. The American Institutes for Research (AIR) has conducted a global analysis of research undertaken to date on the deployment of ICT solutions to support education goals in developing countries. The present study is comprised of two phases. First, a series of indepth, structured interviews were conducted with a range of stakeholders, including policymakers and academicians, researchers, users and developers of ICT solutions. These interviews touched upon the challenges associated with developing, implementing and evaluating ICT solutions within educational settings, perceptions on the utility and future of ICT solutions and extant gaps in the usage of ICT solutions within developing countries. Second, AIR conducted a detailed literature review of published and unpublished evaluations on the educational impacts of ICT solutions. This paper reports on the demonstrated and measurable impacts of ICT on students and generates an innovative and rigorous research agenda addressing salient issues such as impact and effectiveness, return on investment, and total cost of ownership.
Single-Shot Few-Cycle Pulse Laser-induced Damage and Ablation of HfO 2 /SiO 2 -based Optical Thin Films

Few-cycle pulse laser damage and ablation of HfO 2 /SiO 2 -based single-, double-, and quad-layer thin films are studied using time-resolved surface microscopy. Ablation of multilayer samples happens as fast as for the single-layer, indicating a “blow-out” mechanism. © 2019 The Author(s)
How many child deaths can be averted in Nigeria? Assessing state-level prospects of achieving 2030 sustainable development goals for neonatal and under-five mortality.

Background: Nigeria’s neonatal mortality rate (NMR) and under-five mortality rate (U5MR) are 39 per 1,000 and 120 per 1,000 live births, respectively. On average, 0.23 million neonates and 0.7 million under-five children die every year, but some states contribute more to this burden than others. If the country is to meet its sustainable development goal (SDG) targets for NMR and U5MR, it needs to make progress at both the national and subnational levels. Methods: Using the 2016-2017 Nigeria Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), we estimated state-level neonatal and under-five mortality rates. Next, we estimated how long it would take for each state to reach the SDG targets for NMR and U5MR. Finally, we estimated the average number of neonatal and under-five deaths that could be averted between 2018 and 2030 in each state under different scenarios. Results: At current average annual rates of decline, Nigeria is unlikely to meet both sustainable development goals targets for NMR and U5MR. At the subnational level, some states are close to or have met both NMR and U5MR targets, while others are projected to meet the targets as late as 2088 (58 years delayed). Between 850,000 and 1.89 million neonatal deaths could be averted between 2018 and 2030, while 3.1 million to 5.96 million under-five deaths could be averted over the same period. Conclusions: Nigeria has the potential to achieve its SDG targets for NMR and U5MR, and in the process avert millions of preventable child deaths. But this will not happen under a business-as-usual approach. The NMR and U5MR trajectories achieved by high-performing states is evidence that achieving these SDG targets is possible. For the country to achieve positive results nationally, systems that encourage peer learning and transfer of technical expertise between states are needed.
Stability, energy functionals, and K\"ahler-Einstein metrics

An explicit seminorm $||f||_{#}$ on the vector space of Chow vectors of projective varieties is introduced, and shown to be a generalized Mabuchi energy functional for Chow varieties. The singularities of the Chow varieties give rise to currents supported on their singular loci, while the regular parts are shown to reproduce the Mabuchi energy functional of the corresponding projective variety. Thus the boundedness from below of the Mabuchi functional, and hence the existence of K\"ahler-Einstein metrics, is related to the behavior of the current $[Y_s]$ and the seminorm $||f||_{#}$ along the orbits of $SL(N+1,{\bf C})$.
The L 1-norm of exponential sums in d

Let A be a finite set of integers and FA(x) = ∑a∈A exp(2πiax) be its exponential sum. McGehee, Pigno and Smith and Konyagin have independently proved that ∥FA∥1 ≥ c log|A| for some absolute constant c. The lower bound has the correct order of magnitude and was first conjectured by Littlewood. In this paper we present lower bounds on the L1-norm of exponential sums of sets in the d-dimensional grid d. We show that ∥FA∥1 is considerably larger than log|A| when A ⊂ d has multidimensional structure. We furthermore prove similar lower bounds for sets in , which in a technical sense are multidimensional and discuss their connection to an inverse result on the theorem of McGehee, Pigno and Smith and Konyagin.
Brief Amicus Curiae of Michael Risch in Support of Petitioner Google

This brief in the Google v. Oracle Supreme Court Case explains that the protection of software interfaces must be viewed through the lens of infringement rather than copyright registration. It describes the history of filtration at the Supreme Court and argues that when viewed in the proper context, API declarations must be removed from any copyright analysis following the merger, scenes a faire, or method of operation doctrines. Importantly, the Court need not reach the ultimate copyrightability question to determine that Google has not infringed.
Chapter 2 – Abiotic Factors

Publisher Summary Of all the abiotic factors, light is one of the most straightforward to describe. It is necessary for photosynthesis. Light may also be a habitat factor. Fishes or invertebrates may avoid sunny spots within the stream, perhaps because they are more visible to predators. Sometimes mayfly nymphs congregate in sunny spots, probably to graze on abundant algae. Current, which is another abiotic factor, is the defining physical variable of rivers and streams. The flow of water transports oxygen to organisms, which may aid their respiration. The same flow carries carbon dioxide and nutrients to plants, refreshing their requirements for photosynthesis. The geologic parent material that is transported, sorted, and deposited by the current, determines the inorganic substrate of a river. Wood, originating in the riparian and floodplain, transported, deposited, and perhaps partially buried, is the major organic substrate. All of these streambed components are potential obstructions that create heterogeneous currents and act as surfaces for algal and microbial growth. Finally, stream temperatures are important for many reasons. The metabolic rate of virtually all organisms and overall system productivity are strongly influenced by water temperature because few organisms of running waters are warm-blooded.
Fanoos: Multi-Resolution, Multi-Strength, Interactive Explanations for Learned Systems.

Machine learning becomes increasingly important to control the behavior of safety and financially critical components in sophisticated environments, where the inability to understand learned components in general, and neural nets in particular, poses serious obstacles to their adoption. Explainability and interpretability methods for learned systems have gained considerable academic attention, but the focus of current approaches on only one aspect of explanation, at a fixed level of abstraction, and limited if any formal guarantees, prevents those explanations from being digestible by the relevant stakeholders (e.g., end users, certification authorities, engineers) with their diverse backgrounds and situation-specific needs. We introduce Fanoos, a flexible framework for combining formal verification techniques, heuristic search, and user interaction to explore explanations at the desired level of granularity and fidelity. We demonstrate the ability of Fanoos to produce and adjust the abstractness of explanations in response to user requests on a learned controller for an inverted double pendulum and on a learned CPU usage model.
Does Restricting Managers’ Discretion through GAAP Impact the Usefulness of Accounting Information in Debt Contracting?

We examine whether restricting managers’ discretion through GAAP impacts the usefulness of accounting information in debt contracting. We find that under more restrictive standards, lenders make more non-GAAP modifications to GAAP-based performance measures, suggesting that restrictions of manager’s discretion reduce the usefulness of accounting information. We perform two additional analyses to enhance identification. First, we examine the relation between the exclusion of specific non-recurring items from contractual definitions of earnings and the number of restrictions in the GAAP standards that apply to each specific item. Second, in difference-in-differences analyses around standard changes, we examine whether the propensity to exclude items varies with changes in restrictions of the related standards. We find consistent evidence in both of these analyses. Moreover, we find that restrictive standards are also positively associated with loan spreads but significantly less so when lenders adjust GAAP numbers in loan contracts. Overall, by focusing on lenders as important users of financial statements, this study improves our understanding of the impact of GAAP restrictions on the usefulness of accounting information.
Drosophila tachykininergic neurons modulate the activity of two groups of receptor-expressing neurons to regulate aggressive tone

Neuropeptides influence animal behaviors through complex molecular and cellular mechanisms, many of which are difficult to predict solely from synaptic connectivity. Here, we uncovered two separate downstream targets that are differentially modulated by the neuropeptide tachykinin, which promotes Drosophila aggression. Tachykinin from a single sexually dimorphic group of neurons recruits two separate downstream groups of neurons. One downstream group, synaptically connected to the tachykinergic neurons, expresses the receptor TkR86C and is necessary for aggression. Tachykinin supports the strength of cholinergic excitatory synaptic transmission between the tachykinergic and TkR86C downstream neurons. The other downstream group expresses the TkR99D receptor and is recruited primarily when tachykinin is over-expressed in the source neurons. This circuit reconfiguration correlates with the quantitative and qualitative enhancement of aggression observed when tachykinin is present in excess. Our data highlight how the amount of neuropeptide released from a small number of neurons can reshape the activity patterns of multiple downstream neural populations.
A Primer on Integral Equations of the First Kind: The Problem of Deconvolution and Unfolding

An introduction to the basic problem Some examples A bit of functional analysis Integral operators with separable kernels Integral operators with general kernels Some methods of resolving integral equations of the first kind Some important miscellany Epilogue.
Compiled furnace cyclic lives of EB-PVD thermal barrier coatings

Abstract Furnace cycling has been widely used to study the failure of EB-PVD thermal barrier coatings. This contribution compiles TBC furnace cyclic lives over a broad literature base to highlight optimum systems and generalized trends not always apparent in one study. Systems included typical bond coats (Pt-modified aluminides, diffused Pt-only γ/γ′, and NiCoCrAlY (± Pt, Hf) overlays) and superalloy substrates (1st, 2nd, 3rd generation single crystals, directionally solidified, or conventionally cast). Pretreatments included controlled low p(O 2 ) bond coat pre-oxidation and grit blasting (or none). The aggregate lives (~ 70) suggest a general trend with temperature, ~ 10-fold decrease for every 100 °C increase. Measured alumina scale thicknesses (~ 30) were, on average, ~ 6.1 ± 1.8 μm at failure and independent of temperature for conventional systems. Most failures thus occurred in less time than that predicted to grow 7 μm of alumina scale (as estimated from separate TGA studies of a Pt-modified aluminide coated 2nd generation single crystal superalloy). A tentative activation energy indicated from the broad distribution of failure times was ~ 280 kJ/mol, while that from homogeneous TGA testing was ~ 380 kJ/mol, with regression coefficients of r 2 = 0.57 and 0.98, respectively.
Some new obstructions to minimal and Lagrangian isometric immersions Dedicated to Professor Tadashi Nagano on the occasion of his seventieth birthday

1. IntroductionThe main purpose of this paper is to introduce a new type of Riemannian curvature invariants and to show that these new invariants have interesting applications to several areas of mathematics; in particular, they provide new obstructions to minimal and Lagrangian isometric immersions. Moreover, these new invariants enable us to introduce and to study the notion of ideal immersions.One of the most fundamental problems in the theory of submanifolds is the immersibility (or non-immersibility) of a Riemannian manifold in a Euclidean space (or more generally, in a space form). According to a well-known theorem of J. F. Nash, every Riemannian manifold can be isometrically immersed in some Euclidean spaces with sufficiently high codimension.In order to study this fundamental problem, in view of Nash's theorem, it is natural to impose a suitable condition on the immersions. For instance, if one imposes the minimality condition on the immersions, it leads toPROBLEM 1. Given a Riemannian manifold M, what are the necessary conditions for M to admit a minimal isometric immersion in a Euclidean m-space Em?It is well-known that for a minimal submanifold in Em, the Ricci tensor satisfies Ric_??_0. For many years this was the only known general necessary Riemannian condition for a Riemannian manifold to admit a minimal isometric immersion in a Euclidean space.The main results of this article were presented at the 3rd Pacific Rim Geometry Conference held at Seoul, Korea in December 1996; also presented at the 922nd AMS meeting held at Detroit, Michigan in May 1997.
Uneven-Aged Management After a Half-Century of Research on the Forest Service Fernow Experimental Forest in West Virginia

Uneven-age management in forestry refers to a system of management that periodically selects individual trees or small groups of trees for harvest. In general, the concept of uneven-age management entails the sustained yield of forest products while maintaining continuous forest cover. In North America, interest in uneven-age management grew in the second half of the twentieth century after most of the old-growth forests had been harvested. In West Virginia, uneven-age management and its surrogates have been studied intensively since 1948 at the Forest Service Fernow Experimental Forest. The Fernow Experimental Forest is located in the Allegheny Mountains of the Central Appalachian Broadleaf Forest and has characteristics of both mixed-oak and northern hardwood forests, depending on site characteristics. In stands managed with the type of uneven-age management known as “single-tree selection,” only those species capable of developing in reduced sunlight conditions have thrived. Concerns that the increased dominance of these so-called shade-tolerant species would lead to lower productivity have not been validated. It appears that managing the stocking level, or the size and number of trees after harvesting, has helped to sustain higher than expected levels of wood production and carbon storage. Economically, uneven-age-managed stands have produced periodic revenue that resulted in higher net present values than either clearcut or unharvested stands, and, unlike more exploitive procedures, did not deplete the residual stand value. Unexpected insights into forest ecology and management also were realized by carefully studying the response to treatments for more than a half century and the benefits of long-term forestry research are discussed.
The Electronic Journal as the Heart of an Online Scholarly Community

electronic academic journals within scholarly communities. Scholarly communities are best understood as discourse communities which share symbol systems as well as con- ventions for communication. We discuss the ways in which the net- work and the electronic journals it hosts can play an important role in facilitating the routine discourse processes of scholarly communi- ties. However, we also argue that the new medium will change the way that scholars read and write, the way they do research, and the form of research products. We consider in detail our experiences with the
Minimax Mutual Information Approach for ICA of Complex-Valued Linear Mixtures

Recently, the authors developed the Minimax Mutual Information algorithm for linear ICA of real-valued mixtures, which is based on a density estimate stemming from Jaynes’ maximum entropy principle. Since the entropy estimates result in an approximate upper bound for the actual mutual information of the separated outputs, minimizing this upper bound results in a robust performance and good generalization. In this paper, we extend the mentioned algorithm to complex-valued mixtures. Simulations with artificial data demonstrate that the proposed algorithm outperforms FastICA.
Information is not only for managers.

The product described by Shaw--a simplified health information system implemented on a national scale--is not new (1, 2). What is interesting is the bottom-up process, as it is quite unusual for systems originating in one district to take hold over a wide geographical area. This may be because some districts are reluctant to use a system designed by other districts or because they do not have the same resources for implementation. Whatever the circumstances, bottom-up processes can produce a variety of incompatible information systems, each competing to be adopted as a national standard. South Africa does not appear to have succumbed to this problem, but it is still not clear if its system really works. It would be instructive to learn more about its reporting rate from institutions. This is a good indicator of an information system's performance as it requires several basic processes to be fulfilled, such as a complete listing of reporting units, compliance with reporting requirements and processes for monitoring compliance. A good reporting rate is also critical to the eventual interpretation of indicators. Whether a top-down or bottom-up approach is preferred, the design of health information systems requires a clear understanding of why data are being collected; ultimately they should influence the behaviour of those in control of resources in ways that will enable the health sector to achieve its objectives. Data should certainly be used by health managers to plan and monitor programmes, enabling them to allocate resources to priority health problems or populations. The information required for this task, however, is wider than that provided by routine health information systems. Some relevant data systems--for population, finances, and staffing--are managed by other government departments, while some information is collected through censuses or surveys (particularly if many services are delivered through non-government providers). An optimal information strategy needs to consider how the different sources of information will work together. For example, it should be clear about the definitions of indicators and the coding systems used for geographical units. Some form of centrally coordinated approach seems inevitable. Such coordination should not be mistaken as being set up for the purpose of supplying central level managers with information: although they might benefit from information, they rarely have the capacity or authority to respond to large quantities of data. Rather, central coordination is primarily to bring together data from districts so that they can be summarized in such ways that districts can compare their performance with that of others. …
Research Spotlight: Why has oil from the Exxon Valdez persisted so long on beaches?

[1] The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill released more than 11 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound, Alaska, polluting 800 kilometers of beaches. In some areas the spilled oil has persisted on beaches more than 20 years later. To examine the factors affecting the persistence of oil from the spill, Xia et al conducted field studies and numerical modeling of the hydrogeological characteristics of a shallow bedrock beach on Knight Island in western Prince William Sound, the area most heavily polluted by the spill. (Water Resources Research, doi:10.1029/2010WR009179, 2010)
Using Ceramics to Answer Questions

Ceramics, like all material products of human activity, are used and produced in a social context. Individuals learn techniques of ceramic production from parents or other relatives, or from employers, and tend to replicate, to a greater or lesser extent, the production techniques and products of their teachers. Potters produce for consumers and make vessels in accordance with the demands of their users: demands for functionally effective and formally appropriate vessels. Culturally conditioned opinions on the appropriate form of ceramics or other objects ultimately determine whether new forms will be accepted or rejected and contribute to the historic continuity of particular forms over multiple generations. Goods, then, are produced in a system of meaning that governs definitions of appropriate forms, techniques, and use, as well as the assignment of value. Over the past two decades, a number of cultural anthropologists and archaeologists have considered goods in their social context and have produced both general theoretical frameworks for viewing material culture and specific tests of these frameworks in archaeological or ethnographic contexts.
Surface Area and Exchange Capacity Relation in a Florida Kaolinite

In connection with the study of certain properties of clay-water systems, an investigation was made of the exchange behavior-surface area relations of a series of controlled particle-size (monodisperse) fractions of a domestic kaolin. Surface areas were estimated by application of the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller theory to low-temperature nitrogen adsorption isotherms. Similar estimates were made based on room-temperature water adsorption isotherms. Exchange behavior was studied using direct quantitative techniques involving the exchange of divalent manganese. Good correlation was found to exist between the computed Brunauer-Emmett-Teller areas and the exchange capacities over the particle-size range 10 to 0.05 μ, equivalent spherical diameter. These results suggest that the exchange behavior in kaolinites is primarily a surface phenomenon and does not depend on isomorphous substitutions.
The pathway from the medial geniculate body to the ectosylvian auditory cortex in the dog

Lesions of the medial geniculate body showed Marchi degeneration to the dorsal portion of the anterior ectosylvian gyrus and the entire middle ectosylvian gyrus in the dog. The fibers passed under the arcuate fibers terminating under the entire dorso-ventral width of the gyrus. Few fibers were found to enter the cortex itself. No degeneration was found in the third auditory cortex, in the lower portion of the anterior ectosylvian gyrus, or in the PES area located on the posterior ectosylvian gyrus. Degeneration was greatest at the anterior portion of the MES area and diminished toward the caudal end. No degeneration was found in the sylvian or the suprasylvian gyri (late association in the cat).
Interval shifts in basophil measures correlate with disease activity in chronic spontaneous urticaria.

Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) significantly impacts the quality of life of those affected through symptoms of pruritus and recurrent skin lesions. In active CSU disease, reduced IgE-mediated basophil histamine release (HR) and basopenia are observed. We sought to examine the relationship between interval changes in basophil measures and shifts in patient-reported disease impairment. Simultaneous symptom and basophil evaluations were completed at two sequential study visits, and interval changes in measures were compared between visits for each subject (n = 38). These measures included Skindex-29, current itch and hives scores, total leukocyte histamine content (an indirect measure of blood basophil presence), and basophil HR in response to anti-IgE and formyl-methionine-leucine-phenylalanine. Overall, interval improvements in disease measures in CSU subjects were associated with increased basophil numbers (total leukocyte histamine content) and IgE-mediated HR. This suggests these measures are potential biomarkers for CSU disease improvement and further implicates a role for basophils in CSU.
A class of distribution-free tests for testing homogeneity against ordered alternatives

Abstract A class of distribution-free tests for homogeneity of several populations against ordered alternatives is proposed. These are particularly useful when testing time is expensive so that an early termination of an experiment is desirable. The Pitman efficacy is derived and the optimal member of the class, the one with maximum efficacy, is identified. This optimal test is then compared with some other popular tests in terms of the asymptotic relative efficiency. A modification of the proposed test is considered when no additional information about the alternatives is available so that the optimal test can not be used. The modified test is compared to the optimal test through asymptotic relative efficiency.
Requirements for high affinity binding of glycine analogs to the glycine site of the NMDA receptor complex.

Abstract Correlation of the isopotential contours of the optimized conformations of a series of α-amino acids, in their neutral and zwitterionic forms, with their potencies to inhibit [3H]glycine binding and to enhance [3H]10,11-dihydro-5-methyl]-5-H-dibenzo[a,d]cyclohepten-5,10-imine ([3H]MK-801) binding, leads to the following conclusions: (a) steric congestion at the amino group is detrimental to binding potency; (b) a zwitterionic amino acid is required for high affinity to the receptor; (c) a conformation in which the carboxylate group is at a 90° dihedral angle to the ammonium nitrogen is preferred for high affinity; and (d) placing the carbon backbone of the zwitterionic α-amino acid, in its preferred conformation, above the plane defined by the ammonium nitrogen and the carboxylate oxygen atoms, and viewing the molecule along the nitrogen to carboxylate carbon axis, there is a space forbidden to the ligand (receptor-required-space) to the left.
Surgical Correction of Rheumatic Valvular Disease Late Survival Studies with the Kay-Suzuki Disc Valve

Abstract The operative risk involved in valve surgery and the results obtained are largely dependent upon the cardiopulmonary status of the patient at the time of operation. This paper attempts to demonstrate the relationship between the clinical course of the patient and the opportune time for operative intervention. Significant signs and symptoms frequently do not appear until a critical level of valve dysfunction is reached. Periodic examinations with electrocardiographic studies and roentgenograms usually indicate if there is progression of the disease. In our opinion, hemodynamic cardiac catheterization is indicated at this time, even though the patient is asymptomatic, in order to determine the exact cardiopulmonary status. This paper also demonstrates the excellent hemodynamic results obtained with the Kay-Suzuki disc valve in both the aortic and mitral positions.
A spiral learning approach to hardware description languages

Spiral approach to teaching is a technique where concepts of a topic are learned at different points of time with increasing amount of detail. Initially, basic concepts of a topic are introduced without providing too many details. Then as learning progresses, further details of the topic are introduced at a later point of time. This help in reinforcing the concepts learned earlier. Spiral learning of HDLs is very well integrated into the digital circuits and systems course sequence of the undergraduate electrical and computer engineering program at Ohio Northern University. The implementation details and initial assessment results are presented in this work.
Intraoperative, Two-Dimensional Echocardiography-Guided Removal of Retained Intracardiac Air

The removal of intracardiac air after cardiotomy may be simplified with the use of two-dimensional echocardiography. This technique can be used to readily identify retained pockets of air and can function as a guide to needle aspiration of the ventricular chambers. With a valve prosthesis in place, de-airing can be accomplished with minimal displacement of the heart. The technique is easy to use and the images are simple to interpret.
Segmented Selcuk Communication Networks and Response Routing

Previously described Selcuk networks achieve routings of responses to the source of a "to-whom-it-may-concern" message without the use of location-based addressing.
A general analytical framework of scheduling algorithms for network navigation

Location-awareness plays a key role in various applications in future wireless networks. In GPS-challenged environments, location-awareness can be achieved via wireless navigation networks, which call for an efficient scheduling algorithm to optimize the navigation performance under communication constraints. In this paper, we develop a general framework for the design and analysis of scheduling algorithms for navigation networks with multiple measurement pairs per time slot. In particular, we provide sufficient and necessary conditions for the stability of the error evolution, and derive bounds on the time-averaged network localization errors (NLEs) for opportunistic and random scheduling. Furthermore, we show that the two scheduling algorithms are optimal in terms of the error scaling with respect to the number of agents, and we quantify the performance gain from measurement pair selections exploiting the network states. These results provide guidelines for designing efficient scheduling algorithms for network navigation.
Research Commentary: Transformational Issues in Researching IS and Net-Enabled Organizations

The conduct of net-enabled business, known variously as electronic commerce (EC) or e-Business, has changed the landscape and opportunities for IS research by shifting the focus from internal to customer/partnering systems. The article examines the two primary dyadic net-enabled relationships in the marketplace: B2C and B2B. It also considers issues that extend beyond these two relationships. B2C practice and research are analyzed from: (1) consumer, (2) service, and (3) risk perspectives. Three central issues of B2B or supply chain practice and research are next considered: (1) beyond simple efficiencies, (2) innovations in B2B technology, and (3) information visibility. Finally, four overarching research issues are examined: (1) strategy, (2) organizational design, (3) metrics, and (4) managing IS.Not all research on the net-enabled organization (NEO) is IS research, and it is critical that IS journals maintain their distinctive focus. Within the bounds of the net-enabled revolution, though, the IS field has an opportunity to shape the phenomenon with timely, theory-based work that will disseminate beyond the IS academic and practitioner communities.
ADMISSIBLE STRINGS AND ITERATED FUNCTION SYSTEMS

A nonempty, compact set E ⊆ ℝn is sub-self-similar (s.s.s.) if $E\subseteq \bigcup_{i = 1}^m S_i (E)$ where the Si are contracting similarities. This definition is due to Falconer who gave as one example the boundary of any self-similar set. In this paper we look at a way to describe the s.s.s. sets which are boundaries and see when a given s.s.s. set is the boundary of a self-similar set. We then go on to investigate admissible strings, which we introduce in this paper.
Phase behavior of some polyamic acid plus ether systems

Polyamic acids, prepared by reacting 3,3′,4,4′-benzophenone tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride with 3,3′-diaminobenzophenone and with 4,4′-diaminobenzophenone, were dissolved in tetrahydrofuran and in bis(2-methoxyethyl) ether at concentrations up to 40 wt %. Reversible phase separation was observed when these systems were heated. Evidence cited indicates that all observed phases are isotropic, notwithstanding the fact that a number of aromatic polyamides are mesogenic.
Will CMOS amplifiers ever Kick-GaAs?

In this paper, we present a discussion and comparison of CMOS and GaAs HBT technologies for handset power amplifiers. Our perspective is unique to other comparisons in that we actually have products in both technologies. To understand the application space where each of these technologies makes sense, we discuss current and near-term PA requirements as well as technology and technology support issues. Finally, we aim to dispel some the common misperceptions surrounding these technologies.
Results with Furlow Palatoplasty in Management of Velopharyngeal Insufficiency

A retrospective study was undertaken to assess speech outcomes in patients undergoing Furlow palatoplasty. Since 1994, the authors have used the position of the levator veli palatini musculature to determine type of surgical intervention recommended for the management of velopharyngeal insufficiency. Furlow palatoplasty has been used in patients with clinical evidence of sagittally oriented levator veli palatini musculature. Forty-eight patients who underwent a Furlow palatoplasty between June of 1994 and August of 1998 were included. All patients underwent preoperative and postoperative perceptual speech analyses to describe velopharyngeal insufficiency severity, nasal air emissions, and resonance, and preoperative nasendoscopy to assess velopharyngeal gap size and palatal and lateral pharyngeal wall movement. Other patient characteristics considered included gender, age at time of surgery, previously repaired cleft palate, submucous cleft palate, and syndrome diagnosis. Speech outcomes were determined on the basis of postoperative perceptual speech analyses and were categorized in one of three ways: (1) complete resolution of velopharyngeal insufficiency, (2) substantial improvement of velopharyngeal insufficiency, and (3) audible residual velopharyngeal insufficiency. Complete resolution of velopharyngeal insufficiency was defined as normal resonance and an absence of nasal air emissions. Substantial improvement of velopharyngeal insufficiency was defined as an improvement of at least two categories in velopharyngeal insufficiency severity in those patients without complete resolution. Audible residual velopharyngeal insufficiency refers to patients with postoperative velopharyngeal insufficiency severity ratings of mild, moderate, or severe. The male:female ratio in the study was 27:21. Twelve patients were syndromic; three had velocardiofacial syndrome. The median age at surgery was 6.5 years (range, 2 to 22 years). The average duration of follow-up was 14.7 months (range, 1.3 to 58.6 months). Postoperatively, the severity of velopharyngeal insufficiency was rated as none in 19 of the 48 patients (39.6 percent), minimal in eight (16.7 percent), mild in six (12.5 percent), moderate in nine (18.75 percent), and severe in six (12.5 percent). Substantial improvement was seen in seven of the 29 patients without complete resolution. There was a significant association between male gender and complete resolution of velopharyngeal insufficiency (p < 0.05). Presence of syndrome and female gender was associated with audible residual velopharyngeal insufficiency (p < 0.05). The main complication was palatal fistula (two cases). In conclusion, most patients who underwent a Furlow palatoplasty had a complete resolution or substantial improvement of velopharyngeal insufficiency postoperatively, and there were few surgical complications.
Evolutionary history of larval skeletal morphology in sea urchin Echinometridae (Echinoidea: Echinodermata) as deduced from mitochondrial DNA molecular phylogeny

SUMMARY The larval skeletons of sea urchins show considerable morphological diversity, even between closely related species, although the evolutionary history and functional significance of this diversity are poorly understood. To infer the evolutionary history of the skeletal morphology, we focused on echinometrid species for which the morphological variation in larval skeletons had been investigated qualitatively and quantitatively. We reconstructed the phylogenetic relationships among 14 echinometrid species based on mitochondrial ND1 and ND2 genes and mapped the morphological characters onto the resultant trees. The monophyly of each genus in the Echinometridae was well supported by our results, as was the close affinity between Colobocentrotus, Heterocentrotus, and Echinometra. The mapping of the morphological characters of the larval skeletons indicated that the length, direction, and density of spines on the postoral rods was well conserved in each group of Echinometridae and that the abundance of spines and the size and shape of the body skeleton changed relatively frequently and hence were less conserved. In Echinometrid species, morphological variation in relatively unconserved features tends to be associated with latitudinal distributions, rather than phylogenetic relationships, indicating that the morphological diversity of larval skeletons could have been caused by adaptation to the habitat environment. Some morphological differences, however, seem to be nonfunctional and generated by the constraints on larval skeletogenesis. Thus, echinometrid species can be a good model with which to study the evolutionary history from both ecological and developmental standpoints.
Problems with single interest scales: Implications of the general factor

Abstract The presence of the general factor in interest and self-efficacy assessment and its meaning are reviewed. The general factor is found in all interest and self-efficacy assessment and has been viewed as (a) a nuisance factor with little effect on assessment, (b) a variable having substantive meaning and thus worthy of including in interpretation, and (c) as systematic bias that distorts the interpretation of the meaning of assessments. The premise of this article is that each interpretation is correct but only depending upon the context of the assessment. The main implication is that narrow single content interest scales are very subject to contaminating effects of the general factor making interpretation very difficult. Methods of correcting this contamination are presented.
Scaling limits in batch-fabricated silicon pressure sensors

The scaling properties of silicon capacitive and piezoresistive pressure sensors are described. An evaluation of the various noise mechanisms and pressure offsets in the scaled devices is presented, including Brownian noise, electrical noise, electrostatic pressure variations and pressure offset due to resistor mismatch. The analysis of diaphragm deflection includes the effects of intrinsic stress and the transition from plate theory to membrane theory. Both ultraminiature and ultrasensitive sensors are considered. Ultraminiature piezoresistive sensors with diaphragms measuring 100 µm in length and resolving 1 mmHg should be possible using present technology as well as ultrasensitive capacitive sensors that resolve 1 µmHg.
The effects of cathodically charged hydrogen on the flow stress of nickel and nickel-carbon alloys

Abstract Effects caused by the introduction of hydrogen by electrochemical cathodic charging have been studied in nickel and nickel-carbon alloys. Cathodic charging can cause both softening and hardening of nickel depending on the charging current density, temperature and strain rate. The degree to which the flow stress is altered depends on the purity of the nickel. The mechanisms of the softening and hardening caused by the cathodic charging of nickel with hydrogen are discussed on the basis of these studies.
Parallel computation of the solutions of coupled algebraic Lyapunov equations

A parallel algorithm for solving systems of coupled Lyapunov equations associated with linear jump parameter systems is introduced. The recursive scheme is based on solving independent reduced-order Lyapunov equations. Monotonicity of convergence is established.
Experiencing the Needs and Challenges of ELLs: Improving Knowledge and Efficacy of Pre-Service Teachers through the Use of a Language Immersion Simulation.

AbstractPre-service teachers need to understand how to support ELLs in their future classrooms, yet evidence suggests that pre-service ELL training may not be as effective as we need it to be. One promising strategy for increasing pre-service teachers’ efficacy and knowledge around teaching ELLs is through a shock-and-show simulation. This strategy incorporates a Swedish-language immersion experience that simulates what it may like to be an ELL and the strategies that can help support these students. There were two phases: a lesson with limited scaffolding (shock) and an extensively scaffolded lesson (show). Our participants included 87 pre-service teachers who filled out pre- and post-surveys, including closed- and open-ended questions. t-Tests were used to determine whether differences in the scores from the two surveys were significant. We analyzed qualitative data using an interpretive approach to the development of codes, categories, and themes, which we triangulated with descriptive statistics to de...
Angiocidin inhibits breast cancer proliferation through activation of epidermal growth factor receptor and nuclear factor kappa (NF-ĸB)

Abstract Angiocidin, a tumor-associated peptide, has been previously shown to inhibit tumor progression by blocking angiogenesis. We now show that angiocidin has a direct inhibitory effect on tumor cell proliferation. MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells were inhibited from proliferating in the presence of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and angiocidin. Angiocidin transfected breast cancer cells also displayed growth inhibition in vitro and failed to develop significant tumors in mice as compared to vector controls. The anti-proliferative effect of angiocidin was reversed by treating the cells with the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor 4557W, a potent tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Consistent with these results, we found that treatment of breast cancer cells with angiocidin induced a 2.3 fold increase in EGFR tyrosine 845 phosphorylation while no change in phosphorylation was observed in the remaining 16 phosphorylation sites of EGFR and those of its family members as measured by a human EGFR phosphorylation array. Treatment of breast cancer cells with angiocidin also resulted in the activation of nuclear factor ĸB (Nf-ĸB) and the de novo up-regulation of many down-stream genes transcribed by Nf-ĸB, including cytokines, inflammatory mediators and the cell cycle inhibitor p21 waf1 . Therefore, angiocidin is a peptide that not only inhibits tumor angiogenesis but also directly induces inhibition of tumor growth progression through the activation of EGFR and down-stream genes transcribed by Nf-ĸB.
Note: Thermal properties of magnesium in the 60–150 mK range

Refrigerators for space and other applications working around 100 mK require lightweight components with good thermal properties. We have measured the thermal properties of high-purity (99.95%) magnesium, which is five times lighter than copper, over the 60–150 mK range and found that it is well-behaved down to these temperatures. Both conductivity and heat capacity are in good agreement with extrapolations from measurements at higher temperatures. The heat capacity per unit volume is about the same as copper and the thermal conductivity about 2.7 times lower than copper of similar residual resistivity ratio, as expected from magnesium’s higher room-temperature resistivity.
Optical studies of the internal electric field distributions, crystal defects, and detector performance of CdZnTe radiation detectors

Polarized transmission optical profiles were employed to characterize the CdZnTe (CZT) room-temperature radiation detectors. 2D images reflecting the internal electric field intensity changes were obtained utilizing the Pockels electro-optic effect. Varieties of different types of CZT detectors, i.e., planar and P-I-N detectors, were investigated under different operating bias voltages, respectively. Single crystal and polycrystalline CZT detectors were also studied and compared. Nonuniform internal electric field distributions throughout the detector volumes were observed and analyzed. The grain- boundary effects to the internal electric fields will be presented and discussed, along with a theoretical simulation. A semiconductor energy band model associated with depletion layer width will be emphasized and discussed.