cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Toward Optimizing Cervical Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials (cVEMP): Combining Air-Bone Gap and cVEMP Thresholds to Improve Diagnosis of Superior Canal Dehiscence.

Objective To develop a novel approach combining low-frequency air-bone gap (ABG) and cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP) thresholds to improve screening for superior canal dehiscence (SCD) syndrome. Study design Retrospective study. Setting Tertiary care center. Patients One hundred forty patients with SCD and 21 healthy age-matched controls were included. Ears for each patient were divided into three groups based on computed tomography (CT) findings: 1) dehiscent, 2) thin, or 3) unaffected. Main outcome measures cVEMP and audiometric thresholds were analyzed and differences among groups were evaluated. Results We define the third window indicator (TWI) as the cVEMP thresholds at 500, 750, and 1000 Hz adjusted for the ABG at 250 Hz (i.e., subtracting ABG from cVEMP threshold). The TWI differentiates between dehiscent and nondehiscent control ears with a sensitivity of 82% and specificity of 100%, corresponding to a positive predictive value of 100%. ABGs and cVEMP thresholds were similar for healthy controls and patients with thin bone over the superior canal. Conclusion This is the largest study to date examining the usefulness of cVEMPs in the diagnosis of SCD. Our "third window indicator" (TWI) combines cVEMP thresholds with the ABG at 250 Hz to improve the ability to screen patients with SCD symptoms.
How to Perform a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Diagnostic Imaging Studies

A systematic review is a comprehensive search, critical evaluation, and synthesis of all the relevant studies on a specific (clinical) topic that can be applied to the evaluation of diagnostic and screening imaging studies. It can be a qualitative or a quantitative (meta-analysis) review of available literature. A meta-analysis uses statistical methods to combine and summarize the results of several studies. In this review, a 12-step approach to performing a systematic review (and meta-analysis) is outlined under the four domains: (1) Problem Formulation and Data Acquisition, (2) Quality Appraisal of Eligible Studies, (3) Statistical Analysis of Quantitative Data, and (4) Clinical Interpretation of the Evidence. This review is specifically geared toward the performance of a systematic review and meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy (imaging) studies.
From Diagnosing the Dilemma to Divining a Cure: Regulating Financial Markets

The recent financial crisis highlights gaps in the regulation of financial markets. This Essay introduces the contributions of some of the participants in the 2009 Seton Hall Law Review Symposium exploring the future of financial markets regulation. Their contributions examine causes of the recent crisis, mechanisms that may address these concerns, and unexplored concerns that impact effective regulation of financial markets.
General differential Hebbian learning: Capturing temporal relations between events in neural networks and the brain

Learning in biologically relevant neural-network models usually relies on Hebb learning rules. The typical implementations of these rules change the synaptic strength on the basis of the co-occurrence of the neural events taking place at a certain time in the pre- and post-synaptic neurons. Differential Hebbian learning (DHL) rules, instead, are able to update the synapse by taking into account the temporal relation, captured with derivatives, between the neural events happening in the recent past. The few DHL rules proposed so far can update the synaptic weights only in few ways: this is a limitation for the study of dynamical neurons and neural-network models. Moreover, empirical evidence on brain spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) shows that different neurons express a surprisingly rich repertoire of different learning processes going far beyond existing DHL rules. This opens up a second problem of how capturing such processes with DHL rules. Here we propose a general DHL (G-DHL) rule generating the existing rules and many others. The rule has a high expressiveness as it combines in different ways the pre- and post-synaptic neuron signals and derivatives. The rule flexibility is shown by applying it to various signals of artificial neurons and by fitting several different STDP experimental data sets. To these purposes, we propose techniques to pre-process the neural signals and capture the temporal relations between the neural events of interest. We also propose a procedure to automatically identify the rule components and parameters that best fit different STDP data sets, and show how the identified components might be used to heuristically guide the search of the biophysical mechanisms underlying STDP. Overall, the results show that the G-DHL rule represents a useful means to study time-sensitive learning processes in both artificial neural networks and brain.
Intramedullary and Extramedullary Thoracic Spinal Lipomas Without Spinal Dysraphism: Clinical Presentation and Surgical Management.

Background Intradural intramedullary lipomas without dysraphism are rare tumors. Although they appear extramedullary on imaging, they invade into the intramedullary substance of the spinal cord. We present 2 cases and discuss their clinical presentation, radiologic findings, and surgical management. Case Description Case 1 is a 21-year-old woman who presented with upper back pain from recurrent lipoma. She had undergone partial excision in 2008 at an outside hospital. Physical examination revealed full strength but hyperreflexia in the legs. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a recurrent thoracic spinal tumor with spinal cord compression. Surgery was performed, and it was found that the tumor was both extramedullary and intramedullary, with an obscure delineation between tumor and cord. Subtotal excision was performed, and the patient remained neurologically intact. Case 2 is a 47-year-old woman who presented with leg weakness, difficulty in walking, and foot drop. Physical examination revealed 4/5 in the lower extremities. MRI demonstrated a spinal lipoma with thoracic cord compression. Even though the tumor appeared to be an extramedullary lesion by MRI, intraoperatively, the tumor became intramedullary with loss of distinction between the spinal cord and tumor. Subtotal excision was performed, and the patient regained her strength to 5/5 postoperatively. Conclusions Intramedullary thoracic spinal lipomas without spinal dysraphism are rare. Although these tumors may appear completely extramedullary on imaging, extreme care should be taken during surgery because the lesions eventually become intramedullary, intercalating within the substance of the spinal cord, precluding gross total resection.
PubChem 2019 update: improved access to chemical data

PubChem (https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) is a key chemical information resource for the biomedical research community. Substantial improvements were made in the past few years. New data content was added, including spectral information, scientific articles mentioning chemicals, and information for food and agricultural chemicals. PubChem released new web interfaces, such as PubChem Target View page, Sources page, Bioactivity dyad pages and Patent View page. PubChem also released a major update to PubChem Widgets and introduced a new programmatic access interface, called PUG-View. This paper describes these new developments in PubChem.
Characteristics of Preschool Gender Enforcers and Peers Who Associate with Them

Children who try to exclude others due to their gender can be considered as “gender enforcers.” Using multiple methods (observations, interviews) and informants (children, teachers, teacher aides), we investigated the prevalence of gender enforcement, the characteristics of gender enforcers, and potential associations of exposure to gender enforcers. Participants were 98 (Mage = 49.47 months, SD = 11.40; 52% boys) preschoolers from a southwestern city in the United States. Results showed that both girls and boys engage in gender-enforcing behavior. Further, findings suggest that aggression and biased gender-related beliefs are associated with gender-enforcing behavior. Children who spent more time (over months) with enforcers were observed to play more with same-gender peers and to show more biased gender cognitions than were children who spent less time with enforcers. The study extends our understanding of how gender norms are enforced in early childhood, and it provides insights that may help to identify young gender enforcers. These findings have potential to inform future research and practice related to gender-based aggression in childhood.
Teaching Classical Chinese Poetry through Reception Studies

This paper discusses the contribution reception studies can make to the pedagogy of Chinese poetry. It introduces the major theoretical concepts of reception studies, and then demonstrates how those concepts can be applied in and incorporated into courses on Chinese poetry, using examples of “poetry of fields and garden” and “poems on history” drawn from the author’s own experience teaching courses in Chinese poetry in the U.S. and Canada. Finally, it provides a selected bibliography of works on reception studies, translations of Chinese poetry, and scholarship which uses reception studies to research Chinese poetry and culture. Teaching classical Chinese poetry through reception studies helps students better understand the way the significance of Chinese poetry changes over time. It also aids students to further develop their critical thinking and analytical writing skills as they work to compare the reception of certain poems or poets in different periods.
Progressive Supranuclear Palsy with Wall-Eyed Bilateral Internuclear Ophthalmoplegia Syndrome: Authors' Second Case

Wall-eyed bilateral internuclear ophthalmoplegia (WEBINO) syndrome has previously been reported in only 2 patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Herein, we report a third case of WEBINO syndrome with PSP. The patient was an 81-year-old man who had experienced gradually increasing gait disturbance and occasional falls since the age of 78 years. At 80 years of age, he presented with cognitive impairment, parkinsonism, and oculomotor abnormalities. The oculomotor abnormalities consisted of vertical gaze palsy and loss of eye convergence. Brain magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated marked atrophy of the midbrain. He was diagnosed with PSP. At the age of 81 years, he presented with alternating extropia in his forward gaze and adduction paresis and outward nystagmus of the abducted eye in his horizontal gaze, both of which were compatible with WEBINO syndrome. Previously, we reported the first case of PSP with WEBINO syndrome, and another group recently reported a second case. In light of the previous cases and the present case, WEBINO syndrome in PSP should not be considered extremely rare. Furthermore, WEBINO syndrome has not been reported in other neurodegenerative disorders, which suggests that it might be a useful and specific diagnostic finding in PSP.
User Characteristics of Vaguebookers versus General Social Media Users

Using the Unified Theory of User Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), we examined how user traits predict both general acceptance of social media as well as vaguebooking, an understudied subtype of problematic social media use. Past research has suggested that general acceptance of social media platforms and problematic social media use may be linked to different user traits. Based on a sample of young adults (N = 467), general acceptance and use of social media platforms were associated with a need to belong, while vaguebooking was associated with loneliness and histrionic symptoms. Histrionic users also had a higher acceptance of social media platforms.
Triple Oxygen Isotopes

The 'detective' power of stable isotopes for processes that occurred in the past, and for elucidating mechanisms at the molecular level, has impressed researchers over the past 100 years, since the time when isotopes of elements were first discovered. While most are interested in the normalized abundance ratios of two isotopes of an element, further power was unleashed when researchers investigated the relationship of three or more isotopes of the same element, e.g. 16O, 17O, and 18O for oxygen. This Element focuses on the history of discovery of triple isotope effects, the conceptual framework behind these effects, and major lines of development in the past few years of triple oxygen isotope research.
Abstract WP338: The Impact of Social Determinants of Health on 30-Day Readmission After Ischemic Stroke

Objective: Readmission after ischemic stroke presents immense social and financial burden on the patient, family and society. The impact of social determinants of health on post-stroke readmission ...
Fiber Lithography: A Facile Lithography Platform Based on Electromagnetic Phase Modulation Using a Highly Birefringent Electrospun Fiber

Lithography plays a key role in advancing manufacturing as well as the semiconductor industry. However, the currently available state-of-the-art lithography methods still require access to expensive tools and facilities. Herein, we suggest a novel lithography method based on electromagnetic phase modulation of ultraviolet using a highly birefringent electrospun fiber to overcome such limitations. The optical birefringent effect, by which the phase of incident ultraviolet electromagnetic fields is retarded when passing through optically anisotropic media, is combined with semicrystalline poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) polymeric microfibers patterned in a programmable form using near-field electrospinning. By positioning the mask between two linear polarizers that are perpendicular to each other, only the UV waves that are passing through the fibers can be selectively utilized to exhibit lithographic property. Therefore, the UV intensity on the photoresist (PR) surface follows the shape of the fiber pattern, enabling precisely controlled patterning of the photoresist. Zero- to two-dimensional key features of lithography are achieved, including straight, curved, array, and isolated patterns. Facile optical alignments without using dedicated alignment marks are successfully demonstrated, as well as various applications including micro- to macroscale serpentine, tree, and antenna circuit patterns on a flexible substrate. The presented approach, packed in a table-top scale, is expected to provide a practical and affordable lithography solution by leveraging the direct-writing capability and tunable optical functionality of polymers, scalability, and the simple optical alignment method.
Toward a Resolution of the Static Correlation Problem in Density Functional Theory from Semidefinite Programming

Kohn-Sham density functional theory (DFT) has long struggled with the accurate description of strongly correlated and open shell systems, and improvements have been minor even in the newest hybrid functionals. In this Letter we treat the static correlation in DFT when frontier orbitals are degenerate by the means of using a semidefinite programming (SDP) approach to minimize the system energy as a function of the N-representable, non-idempotent 1-electron reduced density matrix. While showing greatly improved singlet-triplet gaps for local density approximation and generalized gradient approximation (GGA) functionals, the SDP procedure reveals flaws in modern meta and hybrid GGA functionals, which show no major improvements when provided with an accurate electron density.
6.07 – Terahertz Detection Devices

Terahertz detection devices including free carrier based homo- and hetero-junction interfacial work function internal photoemission (HIWIP/HEIWIP) detectors, blocked impurity band (BIB) detectors, quantum-well (QWIPs), and quantum-dot infrared photodetectors (QDIPs) are discussed. Antenna-coupled detectors (or spectroscopic systems) are briefly mentioned. BIBs have reported the shortest peak frequency (∼3 THz), while HEIWIPs have shown a broad response with a threshold at 2.3 THz. While QWIPs, HEIWIPs, and BIB detectors operate at low temperatures (below 15 K), QDIPs have shown a higher operating temperature; however, peak and threshold frequencies (wavelengths) of QDIPs are longer (shorter) than that of QWIPs and HEIWIP detectors. Although photoconductive antenna detectors/emitters have shown room temperature operation in the terahertz region, they should be optically gated in order to obtain a high signal-to-noise ratio. The overall work reviewed indicates that most of the terahertz detectors have efficiencies of the order of 3–5% and operate at cryogenic temperatures, providing a vast potential for improvements in terahertz detector development.
Judicial Philosophy and Corporate Investment in the United States

As the final arbiter of disputes, courts have the potential to significantly impact the fortunes of firms. Using the relationship between corporate investment and federal court composition, I find that firms have strong preferences for the composition of the judiciary along two dimensions. First, firms invest more in jurisdictions with more Republican-appointed judges. Second, firm invest less as judicial uncertainty increases (i.e. the ratio between Republican-appointed and Democratic-appointed judges approaches an even split). To address potential endogenity, I look at changes in corporate investment following the death of sitting federal appellate court judges. I find that corporations significantly reduce their investment when a Republican-appointed judge dies and is replaced by a Democratic-appointed judge. The reverse, however, does not predict a change investment.
Democracy as fetish: by Ralph Cintron, State College, University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2020, 248 pp., US$34.95 (paperback).

In the looming shadow of the 2020 presidential election, and in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis and ongoing protests for racial justice, reading Ralph Cintron's Democracy as Fetish is bracing and n...
Rectal prolapse and abdominal compartment syndrome: Formerly unknown complications of hernia repair in a neonate

Abstract Rectal prolapse, a troublesome diagnosis in children, can be associated with anatomic anorectal abnormalities among other pathologies, including parasitic infestations, cystic fibrosis, and constipation, but the precise mechanism remains unknown [1]. Abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS), however, is a potentially lethal complication in the pediatric population, with estimated case fatality rate of approximately 50% [2]. While cases of both rectal prolapse and ACS have been described in the pediatric surgical literature, occurrences of such diagnoses following inguinal hernia repair in infants have not been documented previously. Here we describe the unique hospital course of an infant with trisomy 21 who underwent two sequential inguinal hernia repairs, the first complicated by rectal prolapse, the second by ACS.
Market Microstructure of Luxury Properties: A Data-Driven Approach

I undertake a data-driven approach to identify the sense of luxury vis-a-vis residential properties and also investigate the market microstructure from the dynamics of Bid-Ask spread and Years on Market for these properties. I identify Luxury properties using 1,174proprietary features of owners, demography, finances, property-level hedonic features, etc., for 35,000 properties (between 1 Mil and 50 Mil listing/sold price) from First American Public MLS database and find fascinating insights into what defines luxury across these geographies consistently. I am able to predict Bid-Ask Spread with high (84.01%)accuracy which is very valuable, given the tremendous opportunities and lack of comparabilities (i.e., Market Microstructure Invariance is invalid) in this niche market. I find evidence that the hedonic features of Luxury properties are the most significant in shaping the bid-ask spread and not the buyer-seller attributes. The Years on Market driven by seller attributes, is impossible to predict but I can provide upper bounds on the time from listing to closing.
Guided Probabilistic Simulation of Complex Systems Toward Rare and Extreme Events.

Simulation based or dynamic probabilistic risk assessment methodologies were primarily developed for proving a more realistic and complete representation of complex systems accident response. Such simulation based methodologies have proven to be particularly powerful for systems with control loops and complex interactions between its elements, be they hardware, software, or human, as they provide a natural probabilistic environment to include physical models of system behavior (e.g., coupled neutronics and thermal hydraulic codes for nuclear power plants), mechanistic models of materials or hardware systems to predict failure, and those of natural hazards. Despite the advancements in simulation based methodologies, the fundamental challenge still persists as the space of possible probabilistic system trajectories is nearly infinite in size in simulating even systems of relatively low complexity. In this paper, a framework is developed to identify rare and extreme events and enabling the use of reverse trajectories to trace failures (or other system states) to causes for potential mitigation actions. This framework consists of an Intelligent Guidance module, Trajectory Generation module and Physical Simulation module. The Intelligent Guidance module provides planning information to the Trajectory Generation module that creates scenarios by interacting with the Physical Simulation in its environment. In turn, system trajectories or scenarios are created and post processed to provide updating information to the Intelligent Guidance module or aggregate the results when stopping criteria are met. The objective of guided simulation is to control the growth of the scenario tree and to efficiently identify important scenarios that meet single or multiple criteria. We present several solution strategies, both qualitative and data driven for each module.
THE EFFECTS OF COMPUTER-ASSISTED INSTRUCTION ON THE MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT OF STUDENTS WITH EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL DISORDERS

THE EFFECTS OF COMPUTER-ASSISTED INSTRUCTION ON THE MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT OF STUDENTS WITH EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL DISORDERS By Kenya Collier Williams, Ph.D. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2015 Major Director: Kevin Sutherland, Ph.D. Professor, Special Education and Disability Policy School of Education Mathematics is essential in everyday life activities and most educational opportunities and careers require mathematical knowledge, thus it is vital that students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) receive sufficient instruction that leads to proficiency in the subject. Performing poorly in mathematics can result in dire future outcomes. This is particularly true for students with EBD, who already experience significant difficulties throughout and after their educational career. While studies have documented the academic and behavioral problems of students with EBD, not until recently have studies begun to concentrate on academic interventions that may aid in preventing some of the academic challenges these students face. It is of great importance that researchers continue to identify effective and efficient strategies of providing academic instruction, particularly in mathematics, to students with EBD. The current study examined the extent to which a technology-based intervention was effective in math
Self-Consistent Determination of Fe57 Source Mössbauer Fraction

A new technique for the determination of Fe57 source Mossbauer fraction is described. Based on analysis of the Mossbauer spectrum of chemically prepared Fe powder, the self-consistent technique offers two advantages over the commonly used “black-absorber” technique: increased precision and reduced cost. Details of the Fe absorber preparation are described and analytical techniques for the estimation of granularity correction in the absorber are presented. The technique is applied to the determination of the Mossbauer fraction of Fe57 in a 46mCi Co57 in Cr source yielding fs = 0.756 ± 0.010 where fs is the fraction of resonant 14.4 KeV γ-rays in the spectrum emitted from the source. This result is compared with that obtained using a black-absorber.
Online Games, Legal Issues in

Online games pose new challenges to the law because of their nature as games. They are both intellectual properties and social platforms. Some of the primary legal issues raised by online games are: (1) the state's ability to limit the distribution of online games to minors, (2) the intersection of intellectual property law and online games, and (3) the laws that set the rules for public access to, and permissible actions within, online games. Keywords: computer mediated communication; copyright; hacking; intellectual property; media and society; new media; online games; patents; trademarks
Oligomerization of mononucleotides on montmorillonite: A potential approach to the prebiotic synthesis of RNA

The condensation of the 5'-phosphorimidazolide of adenosine (ImpA) on montmorillonite in a pH 8 aqueous solution yields oligomers containing up to 10 monomer units. The regiospecificity of 3',5'-phosphodiester bond formation is enhanced by addition of 10% diadenosine pyrophosphate (AppA) to the reaction mixture. A series of activated derivatives of 5'-AMP was prepared to investigate the effect of the leaving group on oligomer formation. The benzimidazole and p-dimethylamino-pyridine derivatives gave the best yields of oligomers. Factors important for oligomer formation is discussed.
Using ERP systems in education

Enterprise Resource Planning systems are the new solution to business systems. These systems provide comprehensive business functionality in an integrated fashion using a state-of-the-art IT architecture. This trend towards enterprise systems in large and mid-sized organizations has a significant impact on IS careers paths. Enterprise systems essentially change fundamental business work processes thus implying that the system that supports these processes, and the design and development of these systems, also changed. Yet, most IS curricula do not provide significant coverage of ERP concepts, nor do they graduate students who are knowledgeable about these systems and the impact that these systems have on industry. This paper identifies opportunities for incorporating the ERP body of knowledge into an IS program. The general spirit of the paper is that of experiential learning. That is, this paper focuses on curriculum that is enriched through the hands-on experience gained by students working on a real ERP system. The paper also discusses related topics such as costs and critical success factors.
Eye size and visual acuity influence vestibular anatomy in mammals.

The semicircular canals of the inner ear detect head rotations and trigger compensatory movements that stabilize gaze and help maintain visual fixation. Mammals with large eyes and high visual acuity require precise gaze stabilization mechanisms because they experience diminished visual functionality at low thresholds of uncompensated motion. Because semicircular canal radius of curvature is a primary determinant of canal sensitivity, species with large canal radii are expected to be capable of more precise gaze stabilization than species with small canal radii. Here, we examine the relationship between mean semicircular canal radius of curvature, eye size, and visual acuity in a large sample of mammals. Our results demonstrate that eye size and visual acuity both explain a significant proportion of the variance in mean canal radius of curvature after statistically controlling for the effects of body mass and phylogeny. These findings suggest that variation in mean semicircular canal radius of curvature among mammals is partly the result of selection for improved gaze stabilization in species with large eyes and acute vision. Our results also provide a possible functional explanation for the small semicircular canal radii of fossorial mammals and plesiadapiforms. Anat Rec, 297:781–790, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A Study of Auroral Displays Photographed from the DMSP-2 and ISIS-2 Satellites

Recent studies of auroral photographs taken from the DMSP and ISIS-2 satellites are briefly summarized. A particular emphasis is made in describing: (1) New large-scale morphological features, such as the distinction between discrete and diffuse auroras. (2) The roles of the north-south component of the interplanetary magnetic field on large-scale auroral dynamics, in particular the finding of an important quantity S which controls both the occurrence of magnetospheric substorms and their intensity. (3) The relationships between the auroral electrojet and large-scale auroral features.
Being of Two Minds: The Vertical Split in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy

Part I: The Split. Introductory Remarks.The Problem. The Failure of Synthesis: The Phenomenology of the Vertical Split. Collusion and Its Place in the Vertical Split. Psychoanalytic Developmental Considerations. Part II: Treatment and the Vertical Split. Introduction. Commitment and Boundaries. Infidelity: A Prototypical Vertical Split. Specific Treatment Issues and the Vertical Split.Varieties of the Split. Between Empathy and Judgment. Trying on Another Mind.
A coloring algorithm for finding connected guards in art galleries

In this paper we consider a variation of the Art Gallery Problem. A set of points G in a polygon Pn is a connected guard set for Pn provided that is a guard set and the visibility graph of the set of guards G in Pn is connected. We use a coloring argument to prove that the minimum number of connected guards which are necessary to watch any polygon with n sides is ⌊(n - 2)/2⌋. This result was originally established by induction by Hernandez-Penalver [3]. From this result it easily follows that if the art gallery is orthogonal (each interior angle is 90° or 270°), then the minimum number of connected guards is n/2 - 2.
Nuclear Aspects of Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) Diagnostics and Instrumentation

There are five principal aspects of the nuclear radiation from the high temperature plasmas of TFTR on its plasma diagnostic equipment. i) Important information about the plasma properties to be obtained from measurement of the neutrons, or other fusion reaction products; ii) Experimental studies to give design data for future tokamak devices and their instrumentation; iii) Transient noise or damage effects on the array of detectors for the collection of physics data about the plasma; iv) The effect of tritium on detectors that necessarily are in vacuum, directly connected to the tokamak vacuum vessel; and v) Damage of diagnostic components mounted close to the vacuum vessel. Each of these topics will be addressed after a brief description of the TFTR tokamak and its radiation environment.
3-Phosphono-1-carba-1-dethiacephalosporins as antibacterial agents

Abstract The synthesis and antibacterial activity of a series of 3-phosphono-1-carba-1-dethiacephalosporins are described. The introduction of phosphorus to the C-3 position of the bicyclic nucleus was accomplished via an Arbuzov-type substitution reaction.
Polymorphism of the 5-HT1B receptor gene (HTR1B): strong within-locus linkage disequilibrium without association to antisocial substance dependence

Serotonergic abnormalities may be present in individuals with either substance dependence (SD) or antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), disorders that occur together commonly. Consequently, genes encoding serotonin (5-HT) receptors are candidates for genetic studies of both disorders. Lappalainen et al. (1998) found evidence for linkage of antisocial alcoholism to HTR1B (the locus encoding the 5-HT1B receptor) in both Finns and Southwestern American Indians, and of allelic association of a G861C polymorphism at that locus with antisocial alcoholism in Finns. Unless the G861C polymorphism is found to be functional, it must be in linkage disequilibrium (LD) with a functional variant for it to be of physiological significance. Methods: The present study evaluated LD across three polymorphic systems at HTR1B and haplotype frequencies and allelic association of these systems with both SD generally and alcohol dependence (AD) specifically, with or without a comorbid antisocial diagnosis. Subjects were 370 European Americans (EAs) and 123 African Americans (AAs). Results: Although there was strong evidence for LD across polymorphic systems in both populations, there was no evidence for association to SD or AD, either alone or with a comorbid antisocial diagnosis. Conclusion: Despite no evidence in this study for allelic association of HTR1B to antisocial substance dependence, further evaluation of the hypothesized association is warranted in other population groups.
Mass dependence of scattering lengths for hydrogen atoms

We demonstrate that changing the reduced mass in scattering calculations is equivalent to changing the potential. We explore how small changes in the mass alter the scattering length of hydrogen atoms when they interact via the $X{}^{1}{\ensuremath{\Sigma}}_{g}^{+}$ and $b{}^{3}{\ensuremath{\Sigma}}_{u}^{+}$ molecular states. We show how the variation of scattering length with mass depends on the asymptotic potential.
Thermal Conductivity Enhancement of Epoxy Composites by Interfacial Covalent Bonding for Underfill and Thermal Interfacial Materials in Cu/Low-K Application

Nowadays with enhanced performance and reduced profile, electronics and photonics devices demand efficient heat dissipation and low operation temperature. Thereby, instead of traditional fillers (e.g., fused silica), thermally conductive silicon carbide (SiC) particles and multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) are applied here as fillers in composites for underfill and thermal interfacial materials (TIMs), respectively. SiC particles are coated with an ultrathin layer of silicon oxide by thermal oxidation at 800°C in air and consequently functionalized by γ-glycidoxypropyl-trimethoxysilane in order to graft epoxides on their surface. Moreover, MWNTs were chemically functionalized with carboxyls and hydroxyls in a concentrated acid mixture. Transmission electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectrascopy, and thermogravimetric analysis characterization indicates that both of the fillers are successfully functionalized, which makes their surface reactive with epoxy resin, resulting in interfacial covalent chemical bonding between the thermally conductive fillers and epoxy resin. It is found that interfacial chemical bonding across the interface between these functionalized fillers and polymer matrix can promote significant thermal conductivity enhancement of epoxy composites, which is promising for underfill and TIMs in Cu/low-K application.
Poster: Portals 4 Network Programming Interface

Portals 4 is an advanced network programming interface which allows for the development of a rich set of upper layer protocols. By careful selection of interfaces and strong progress guarantees, Portals 4 is able to support multiple protocols without significant overhead. Recent developments with Portals 4, including development of MPI, SHMEM, and GASNet protocols are discussed.
The impact of video recording colonoscopy on adenoma detection rates

Background The adenoma detection rate (ADR) is a quality benchmark for colonoscopy, influenced by several factors including bowel preparation, withdrawal time, and withdrawal technique. Objective To assess the impact of video recording of all colonoscopies on the ADR. Design Comparison of two cohorts of patients undergoing colonoscopy before and after implementation of video recording. Setting Academic outpatient endoscopy facility. Patients This study involved asymptomatic, average-risk adults undergoing screening colonoscopy. Intervention Video recording of all colonoscopy procedures. Polyp findings and withdrawal times were recorded for 208 consecutive screening colonoscopies. A policy of video recording all colonoscopies was implemented and announced to the staff. Data on another 213 screening colonoscopies were subsequently collected. Main Outcome Measurements Adenoma detection rate, withdrawal time, advanced polyp detection rate, hyperplastic polyp detection rate. Results At least one adenoma was found in 38.5% of patients after video recording versus 33.7% before video recording ( P = .31). There was a significant increase in the hyperplastic polyp detection rate (44.1% vs 34.6%; P = .046). Most endoscopists had a numerical increase in their ADRs, but only one was significant (57.7% vs 22.6%; P P = .23) and right-sided adenomas (40.2% vs 30.4%; P = .11) in the video recorded group. Limitations No randomization, confounding of intervention effects, and sample size limitations. Conclusion Video recording of colonoscopies is associated with a nonsignificant increase in the ADR and a significant increase in the hyperplastic polyp detection rate. There may be a benefit of video recording for endoscopists with low ADRs.
The morphology of high-rate physical-vapor-deposited Ti and Co

Abstract Electron-beam high-rate evaporation of hexagonal close packed metals yields highly-orientated vapor-deposited foils. The morphology of both titanium and cobalt are shown to be dependent on the deposition parameters. A change in deposition rate was found significantly to affect the structure of titanium foils. All temperatures and rates gave basal planes parallel to the substrate for the titanium foils. A change in substrate temperatures from 500 °C to 8oo °C for the cobalt affected both structure and texturing. At 5oo °C, the cobalt was oriented so that the basal plane of the foil was predominantly parallel to the substrate but was changed to about 40 degrees from the substrate at 8oo °C.
A comparison of thermal requirements of buildings

Abstract In the U.S.A., thermal requirements for buildings have the form of resistance, R for U values; in European countries, the weight or mass of the building shell is included as part of the thermal requirement for a building. In this study, these European thermal requirements, which vary substantially, are numerically tested and compared. The comparison is the ratio of heat transmitted during a day by a wall which incorporates the thermal requirements to a wall which has no mass and only thermal resistance. The comparison shows a wide discrepancy in the thermal response of the requirements for different countries. For the purpose of comparison, the pysical properties of the thermal requirements are normalized to groups which are part of the solution to the differential equation of heat transfer. Also compared are Givoni's recommended requirements which, in relation to other requirements, show good consistency.
Solvent dependent morphologies in thiol-ene photopolymerization: A facile route to the synthesis of resorcinarene nanocapsules

This article describes a direct method for the fabrication of resorcinarene nanocapsules by photopolymerization of resorcinarene tetraalkene tetrathiol, in the absence of any template or preorganization. Further, by varying the polymerization media, a variety of other polymeric architectures like lattices, fibrous networks, and nanoparticles were obtained. The morphology and structure were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. These morphologically distinct resorcinarene polymeric architectures contain residual thiol and ene functional groups offering potential functionalization opportunities.
Solid-phase Gene Assembly

New technologies for multiple chemical synthesis of oligonucleotides and stepwise hybridization on a solid-phase support enable the rapid and cost-effective preparation of long duplex DNA regions. Will these new technologies usher in a new era in protein engineering?
Sharing time: engaging students as co-designers in the creation of an online knowledge sharing application

This paper introduces the peer-supported design process undertaken in the creation of a novel online knowledge sharing application called the Haystack Exchange. Along with seven undergrad and graduate students involved in a course research group, the authors of this paper presented a fully functional online prototype of an application designed to connect those seeking knowledge work with those willing to do that work, creating an outlet for knowledge workers to share and contribute effort. Students were engaged as active co-designers in the system, examining existing applications online offering similar services, discussing relevant research in building online communities, and ultimately re-designing the system to make it context-appropriate for different deployment scenarios. This paper reports on the details of this unique design process, discussing its merits, implications, and the prototypes that resulted. The paper concludes with a discussion of the peer design process as an instructional approach that promotes student engagement.
Radical cystectomy in octogenarians--does morbidity outweigh the potential survival benefits?

Purpose: Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results data indicate only 19.7% of patients 80 years old or older with muscle invasive bladder cancer undergo radical cystectomy vs 49.4% of those with similar stage disease age 65 to 79 years, reflecting concern for perioperative morbidity. We evaluated the morbidity and survival outcomes of octogenarians treated with radical cystectomy at a tertiary cancer center.Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of 1,142 patients entered prospectively into a hospital based complication database between 1995 and 2005 using a modified Clavien system. Complications were classified as minor or major based on the complexity of intervention required. Disease specific and competing risk survival curves for patients younger than 80 years vs 80 years old or older were created.Results: Octogenarians had a nonsignificantly higher rate of minor (55% vs 50%) and major complications (17% vs 13%) than younger patients, respectively (global p = 0.15). After adjusti...
Effect of Equivalence Ratio and Burner Geometry on the Characteristics of Laminar Premixed Flames at Moderate Coflow

The importance of studying laminar premixed flames lies in applications such as gas ranges and ovens, heating appliances and Bunsen burners. With the current demand for large amounts of economical, clean power, there is a need for research in increasing the combustion efficiency. Laminar premixed Propane/Hydrogen/Air flames with 3 m/s coflow and without coflow, with a variation of jet equivalence ratio (JEQ) from 0.5 to 4 for 20 m/s jet velocity, have been studied experimentally to determine the interactions of burner geometry of premixed flames and coflow. Two different burner geometries (circular burner, and 3:1 aspect ratio (AR) burners) were used in the experiments. The stability tests indicated that for 20 m/s jet velocity both at quiescent and coflow conditions the circular burner was more stable than the 3:1AR elliptical burner. Flame height studies indicated that circular burner flames were taller than the 3:1AR elliptical burner flames. However, there was a reduction in flame height when coflow air velocity of 3 m/s was introduced. Temperature profile indicated a higher peak temperature for circular burners followed by elliptical burner, both at quiescent and coflow conditions. The introduction of moderate coflow showed a decrease in NO production rate. In order to explain the structure of the flame in detail and various mechanisms that lead to the explanation of global flame characteristics, inflame concentration measurements were taken in near burner (25% of flame height), mid burner (50% of flame height) and far burner (75% of flame height) regions of the flame.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Diagnosis of diabetes mellitus as a cardiovascular risk equivalent or risk factor and implications in drug therapy management

SUMMARY Current diabetes guidelines list the disorder as a cardiovascular risk equivalent or risk factor. Goals of therapy for hypertension or lipids or suggested use of aspirin are common though vary and there are insufficient clinical data to support some recommendations. Using specific goals of therapy for most patients with the diagnosis of diabetes, a population-based approach may benefit some but not all patients. Recommended targets of therapy or suggested medication use are not without risk to patients as they can potentially increase the risk for adverse drug reactions and drug–drug interactions. They may also increase drug costs to patients and lower medication adherence. The goals also carry implications to providers and healthcare systems. While population-based guidelines make some clinical decisions more practical, they do not take into consideration an individual’s overall cardiovascular risk. Individualized risk assessment to guide therapy decisions may optimize benefit while minimizing risk.
Isokinetic trunk extension discriminates uninjured subjects from subjects with previous low back pain.

Abstract This investigation compared the ability of a previously defined, non-standard isokinetic variable set to that of standard isokinetic variables to discriminate trunk extension performance of control subjects from subjects with a history of low back pain. Ten male subjects with history of low back pain, asymptomatic at the time of the test, and nine subjects without history of low back pain participated in a single session, test-retest protocol. The test and retest each consisted of five maximum effort isokinetic trunk extension-flexion repetitions at 60, 120, and 180 deg s−1. At each isokinetic speed, eight isokinetic trunk extension performance variables were extracted and the mean value for each calculated from Trials 2, 3, and 4. The set of 48 variables was reduced to seven, demonstrating intergroup differences at the selected criterion probability level (P
Role of pH in the observed effect of plant growth regulators on DNA

Abstract Indole-3-acetic acid, gibberellic acid, kinetin, 6-benzylaminopurine, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid, 3,6-dichloro-o-anisic acid, 2-chloro-4-(ethylamino)-6-(isopropyl-amino)-s-triazine and α,α,α-trifluoro-2,6-dinitro-N,N-dipropyl-p-toluidine do not affect the thermal denaturation or Tm of DNA by hyperchromicity measurements except as they alter the pH of the test solution due to their acidic or basic nature. Similar changes in Tm were observed by changing the pH of the test solutions to a comparable degree with acetic acid or HCl. These plant growth regulators and herbicides apparently do not influence chromatin-directed RNA synthesis by directly altering DNA to DNA bonding.
The experimental measurement of effective compressive modulus of carbon nanotube forests and the nature of deformation

Abstract Measurement of the effective compressive modulus of vertically aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) forests/turfs is evaluated with two different experimental methods. The first experimental method uses a high force nanoindentation system to uniformly compress CNT forests grown on rigid silicon substrates with a second silicon substrate on the top surface of the CNTs. This is performed for CNTs with heights of 61, 315, and 683 μm. Using this nanoindentation-based method, the measured effective compressive modulus values ranged from 0.12 to 1.2 MPa. Additionally, the effect of end constraints is investigated by testing the CNT forests with and without attaching the second rigid substrate to the CNT forest tips with an adhesive. It was found that attaching the second substrate to the CNT tips with an adhesive increases the measured effective compressive modulus by 10–30%. The second experimental method in this study is semi in situ and uses a scanning electron microscope and a compressive fixture with load cell. This method shows that under uniform compressive loading, the CNT forests demonstrate a local folding form of deformation with initial folding occurring near the growth substrate. The effective compressive modulus measured using this method was 0.11 MPa for 133 μm tall CNT forests.