cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Role of Gastroesophageal Reflux in Exercise-Triggered Asthma: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Exercise-triggered asthma (ETA) develops when physical activity triggers asthma symptoms during or directly after exercise. In patients prone to symptoms of supra-esophageal reflux, exercise may trigger gastroesophageal reflux (GER), resulting in such symptoms. Aims To determine the prevalence of abnormal pH in patients with ETA and to determine whether acid suppression improves symptoms in ETA patients. Methods We performed a randomized double-blind trial of rabeprazole versus placebo in the treatment of patients with ETA. Patients underwent treadmill protocol to determine their VO2max. Next, pH testing was initiated while undergoing a 30-min treadmill program exercising them at 65% of their VO2max. They were subsequently randomized to rabeprazole or placebo for 10 weeks. At the end of 10 weeks, exercise testing was repeated. Results A total of 31 patients completed the study (20 asthmatics, 11 non-asthmatics). Twenty-two out of 30 (73%) subjects had abnormal pH studies. For all subjects, rabeprazole improved symptoms more than placebo (P = 0.03). The association was stronger in the pH-positive group (P = 0.009). Conclusion Acid reflux is common in ETA patients. Many patients with exercise-related respiratory symptoms are misdiagnosed as chronic asthmatics. Exercise-related symptoms improve with the use of acid suppression. This study suggests that ETA patients may benefit from acid suppression.
Separation and quantitative determination of 2-acetyl-aminofluorene and its hydroxylated metabolites by high pressure liquid chromatography

A method utilizing high pressure liquid chromatography has been developed for the separation and quantitative estimation of all the major metabolites of the carcinogen 2-acetylaminofluorene in a single chromatographic determination. The method was used to separate 7-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene, 5-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene, 3-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene, 1-hydroxy-2-acetyl-aminofluorene, 2-aminofluorene, N-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene, and 2-acetylaminofluorene when 2-acetylaminofluorene was incubated with mouse liver microsomes and NADPH. This new high pressure liquid chromatography method for separating the metabolites arising from hydroxylations of 2-acetylaminofluorene should also prove useful in the isolation and quantitative analysis of metabolites from other N-acetylarylamines.
Imaging of abdomen and pelvis: uncommon acute pathologies.

Acuteabdomenisthemostcommoncauseofpresentation to the emergency room. Although conditions such as acute appendicitis, cholecystitis, pancreatitis, bowel obstruction, and acute gynecologic pathologies are more common causes of acute abdominal and pelvic pain, there are a number of uncommon acute pathologies that are important to diagnose because of either the high morbidity and mortality associated with them or their ability to mimic surgical abdomen. We discuss the clinical findings, common imaging methods performed for diagnosis, and radiologic imaging features of uncommon abdominal pathologies that can present with acute abdomen. The conditions include ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), acute mesenteric ischemia, perforated peptic ulcer, volvulus, intussusception, internal hernia, acute epiploic appendagitis, and spontaneous splenic hemorrhage.
Elements of success for user services

There are five main components to User Services. The four usually considered are documentation, consultation, a software library and teaching. This paper examines the key features of each of these four services that are necessary for success. The fifth, often overlooked component, upon which the other four depend for success, is discussed in some detail. This basic and most important ingredient of successful delivery of computing services is "knowing the users and their needs".
Treatment Targets in the Management of Dyslipidemias: Which Targets in Whom?

The public health approach to prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) continues to hold great potential for prevention. This approach includes diets low in saturated fats and cholesterol, maintaining desirable body weight, regular physical activity, and absence of cigarette smoking. But drug therapy is becoming more widely used. Statins have been available for treatment of elevated serum cholesterol for a quarter of a century. They have proven efficacious for reducing risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). They carry little toxicity, and now that some derivatives are generic, they are inexpensive. Statins have become standard of care for patients with established ASCVD. To achieve further reduction in ASCVD events through cholesterol lowering will require new combinations with older agents and development of new drugs. The future of secondary prevention lies in testing of old and new "add-on" agents. Indications for statin use in primary prevention is less clear-cut. But clinical-trial experience with statins point to enormous potential for reducing ASCVD in the population. At the same time, there are dangers of overuse and turning society into a "drug culture". To abandon the benefits of healthy lifestyles for excessive drug intervention would be unfortunate.
Building Listening Theory: The Validation of the Conversational Listening Span

Listening research has not gained legitimacy as a field of study in communication primarily due to the lack of testable theories. Listening research is a challenge, as listening is performed cognit...
Is sibling rivalry good or bad for high technology organizations

Abstract Inter-unit competition, 1 generally, evokes mixed feelings among both academicians and business executives. Executive policies promoting inter-unit competition create a double-edged sword of pressures for line managers for enhanced competitiveness. In this paper, I highlight the significance and importance of inter-unit competition in high technology organizations. I propose that the autonomy to choose market breadth facilitates and promotes inter-unit competition and that this relationship is further strengthened by evaluating units using objective criteria. In addition, I identify both internal and external conditions under which inter-unit competition may be beneficial or harmful (not beneficial) to the unit and hence, the organization. Several important theoretical and practical contributions are identified.
D-C Arc Interruption for Aircraft

THE present aircraft electric system uses 24 volts direct current; the future system will assuredly be of a higher voltage as aircraft and their generating systems increase in size. Whether it be direct current or alternating current depends on the relative merits of each.1 If the new system be alternating current the problem of arc interruption is not difficult. If the new system be direct current and above 24 volts, it has been assumed that the arc-interruption problem at altitude would be quite difficult. There is, however, little quantitative data available to bear this out. An investigation was therefore initiated to obtain preliminary data on arc-interruption problems introduced by the use of higher d-c voltages.
The effects of prophylactic protease supplementation on markers of muscle damage prior to and following intense eccentric exercise: preliminary findings.

Methods 20 aerobically-active (50.15 ± 6.16 ml/kg/min) male participants (22.05 ± 4.72 yr, 71.63 ± 2.51 in, 182.40 ± 26.89 lbs) consumed either a proteolytic enzyme combination (N = 10) or cellulose placebo (N = 10) for a total of 24 days. Supplement compliance was monitored via supplement logs indicating how many capsules were consumed each day during the period. During the supplement period, participants also agreed to limit consumption of antioxidant containing foods. Dietary compliance was monitored by the collection of food records for each day of the supplement period. After 21 days of supplementation, participants completed a 45-minute downhill run (60% VO2max, -17.5% grade). Participants donated blood prior to, and for 48 hours following the run (total of 6 samples). Inflammation and muscle damage were assessed by whole blood analysis, serum creatine kinase (CK), ratings of perceived muscle soreness, and via muscle strength testing of the quadriceps. Whole blood and muscle strength data were analyzed using multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) with repeated measures, while CK and muscle soreness were analyzed using separate one-way analyses of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures. An alpha level of ≤ 0.05 was adopted for significance throughout.
Risk and the efficacy of antiinflammatory agents : retrospective and confirmatory studies of sepsis

We investigated whether a relationship between risk of death and treatment effect could explain the disparate results between the preclinical and clinical sepsis trials of antiinflammatory agents over the last decade. A metaregression analysis of cited preclinical studies showed that the treatment effects of these agents were highly dependent on risk of death (p = 0.0001) and that animals were studied at significantly higher control mortality rates than humans (median [25th-75th quartile], 88% [79-96%] versus 39% [32-42%], p = 0.0001). An analysis of the clinical trials showed that antiinflammatory agents were also significantly more efficacious in septic patients with higher risk of death (p = 0.002) and were harmful in those with low risk. To test this relationship prospectively, we studied antiinflammatory agents in models employing differing doses of bacterial challenge to produce the full range of risk of death. We found that the efficacy of these agents, although very beneficial at high control mortality rates, was much reduced (p = 0.0001) and similar to those in human trials at moderate control mortality rates (i.e., 30 to 40%). The efficacy of antiinflammatory agents during sepsis is dependent on the risk of death, an observation that explains the apparent contradiction between preclinical and clinical trial results. Accounting for this relationship may be necessary for the safe and effective development of antiinflammatory therapies for sepsis.
Child survival during the 2002–2003 drought in Ethiopia

Droughts in Ethiopia have commonly been associated with increased child mortality. Early indications were that the 2002/03 drought, which affected 13.2 million people, was no exception, despite a large relief operation. Humanitarian agencies reported sharp increases in child deaths and pockets of acute distress in some hard-hit localities. In response, the 2004 Ethiopia Child Survival Survey (ECSS) was designed to investigate the impact of the drought on child survival in the general population. The survey covered 4816 households in both drought-affected and non-drought affected, as well as rural and urban localities. Data from the ECSS indicate that child mortality was indeed higher in drought-affected areas. However, a closer analysis reveals that this differential is attributable to chronic conditions in those localities, rather than the immediate impact of the 2002/03 drought. Multivariate analysis was used to construct a model for the determinants of child survival in the sample population. Household-level demographic factors, household-level food and livelihood security, community-level economic production, and access to potable water, were predictive of child survival. Additionally, household receipt of food aid had a small but significant positive association with child survival, even though the ECSS cannot determine either the underlying causal mechanisms of this association or the role of confounding factors. Nonetheless, it is remarkable that the most extensive drought in the country's modern history passed without a measurable increase in child mortality among the general population. Yet Ethiopian children still suffer unacceptably high rates of chronic malnutrition and poor life chances, and large populations continue to live at the brink of destitution and calamity.
Multimodal interactive spaces: MagicTV and magicMAP

Through the growing popularity of voice-enabled search, multimodal applications are finally starting to get into the hands of consumers. However, these applications are principally for mobile platforms and generally involve highly-moded interaction where the user has to click or hold a button in order to speak. Significant technical challenges remain in bringing multimodal interaction to other environments such as smart living rooms and classrooms, where users speech and gesture is directed toward large displays or interactive kiosks and the microphone and other sensors are ‘always on’. In this demonstration, we present a framework combining low cost hardware and open source software that lowers the barrier of entry for exploration of multimodal interaction in smart environments. Specifically, we will demonstrate the combination of infrared tracking, face detection, and open microphone speech recognition for media search (magicTV) and map navigation (magicMap).
On the Continuity of Type-1 and Interval Type-2 Fuzzy Logic Systems

This paper studies the continuity of the input-output mappings of fuzzy logic systems (FLSs), including both type-1 (T1) and interval type-2 (IT2) FLSs. We show that a T1 FLS being an universal approximator is equivalent to saying that a T1 FLS has a continuous input-output mapping. We also derive the condition under which a T1 FLS is discontinuous. For IT2 FLSs, we consider six type-reduction and defuzzification methods (the Karnik-Mendel method, the uncertainty bound method, the Wu-Tan method, the Nie-Tan method, the Du-Ying method, and the Begian-Melek-Mendel method) and derive the conditions under which continuous and discontinuous input-output mappings can be obtained. Guidelines for designing continuous IT2 FLSs are also given. This paper is to date the most comprehensive study on the continuity of FLSs. Our results will be very useful in the selection of the parameters of the membership functions to achieve a desired continuity (e.g., for most traditional modeling and control applications) or discontinuity (e.g., for hybrid and switched systems modeling and control).
Laser therapy of squamous cell dysplasia and carcinoma of the penis

Abstract Objectives. To analyze the influence of etiologic factors and practical issues regarding the merits, limitations, and long-term results of aggressive laser treatment of premalignant and malignant squamous cell lesions of the penis. Methods. Preparation of genital skin with 5% acetic acid and mapping biopsies of lesions and the surrounding field-of-change were performed in 52 men evaluated and subsequently treated with laser during a 10-year period. Most men (81%) were or had been smokers, and many (46%) had female sexual partners infected with human papillomavirus. Carbon dioxide laser was used for low-stage lesions; potassium-titanyl-phosphate/532 or neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser was used for more histologically advanced lesions. Not only the lesions but also the entire human papillomavirus-induced field-of-change was treated. Circumcision was performed simultaneously in 28 previously uncircumcised patients. Results. All lesions demonstrated aceto-whitening and histologic changes of human papillomavirus infection. Human papillomavirus DNA was detected in 93.5% of the specimens from 31 patients studied. Of the 52 patients, 22 (42%) had dysplastic premalignant penile intraepithelial neoplasia, and the remaining 30 (58%) had squamous cell carcinoma. Forty-four patients were available for follow-up from 12 to 117 months (average 58). Overall, 5 patients (11.4%) experienced a recurrence: 3 were successfully re-treated with laser, and 2 patients underwent partial penectomy, 1 of whom with squamous cell carcinoma Stage T2 died of metastatic disease. Conclusions. Aggressive laser therapy of the visible lesions and of the entire dysplastic premalignant field-of-change produces excellent cosmetic results. The entire penis and, therefore, its full sexual functional potential are preserved. The low rate of local recurrence over the long term in all but deeply invasive (T2) lesions compares favorably with the outcome of other, more conventional therapies. Irrespective of therapeutic approach, close and long-term surveillance of all patients and counseling for their sexual partners are mandatory.
Analytical formulation for impairement-aware Optical Network Routing

An analytic model is developed which allows faster routing decision of optical networks. Effects of dispersion, nonlinearity and ASE noise are taken into account. A 16-node 10Gbits/s transparent optical network is used as an example.
An Economic Theory of Antisemitism? Exploring Attitudes in the New German State:

One of the most classical stereotypes of Jews is that they have a dispropor tionate influence in economic matters. As a consequence, they are often affixed with undeserved blame by those experienci...
Simulation of Improved Bandwidth Conformal Bow-Tie Antennas for Remote Sensing Printed on Multi-Scale Triangular-Patch High-Impedance Ground Planes

Two low-profile bow-tie antenna designs are presented, printed conformally on high-impedance ground planes (HIGPs). The HIGPs were constructed using two different scale triangular patch mushroom elements which allow for a suitable platform for the active bow-tie antenna. The multiscale nature of the HIGP was utilized to further increase the frequency band-gap of the surface waves, and to enhance the properties of the low-profile bow-tie. The bandwidth of the bow-tie on the HIGP is evaluated and compared with perfect-electric-conductor (PEC) and perfect-magnetic-conductor (PMC) ground planes.
Radiation oncology--linking technology and biology in the treatment of cancer.

Technical advances in radiation oncology including CT-simulation, 3D-conformal and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) delivery techniques, and brachytherapy have allowed greater treatment precision and dose escalation. The ability to intensify treatment requires the identification of the critical targets within the treatment field, recognizing the unique biology of tumor, stroma and normal tissue. Precision is technology based while accuracy is biologically based. Therefore, the intensity of IMRT will undoubtedly mean an increase in both irradiation dose and the use of biological agents, the latter considered in the broadest sense. Radiation oncology has the potential and the opportunity to provide major contributions to the linkage between molecular and functional imaging, molecular profiling and novel therapeutics for the emerging molecular targets for cancer treatment. This process of 'credentialing' of molecular targets will require multi disciplinary imaging teams, clinicians and basic scie...
A Comparison of Alternative Parse Tree Paths for Labeling Semantic Roles

The integration of sophisticated inference-based techniques into natural language processing applications first requires a reliable method of encoding the predicate-argument structure of the propositional content of text. Recent statistical approaches to automated predicate-argument annotation have utilized parse tree paths as predictive features, which encode the path between a verb predicate and a node in the parse tree that governs its argument. In this paper, we explore a number of alternatives for how these parse tree paths are encoded, focusing on the difference between automatically generated constituency parses and dependency parses. After describing five alternatives for encoding parse tree paths, we investigate how well each can be aligned with the argument substrings in annotated text corpora, their relative precision and recall performance, and their comparative learning curves. Results indicate that constituency parsers produce parse tree paths that can more easily be aligned to argument substrings, perform better in precision and recall, and have more favorable learning curves than those produced by a dependency parser.
Instruction-Level Impact Analysis of Low-Level Faults in a Modern Microprocessor Controller

We investigate the correlation between low-level faults in the control logic of a modern microprocessor and their instruction-level impact on the execution of typical workload. Such information can prove immensely useful in accurately assessing and prioritizing faults with regards to their criticality, as well as commensurately allocating resources to enhance online testability and error/fault resilience through concurrent error detection/correction methods. To this end, we developed an extensive fault simulation infrastructure which allows injection of stuck-at faults and transient errors of arbitrary starting time and duration, as well as cost-effective simulation and classification of their repercussions into various instruction-level error types. As a test vehicle for our study, we employ a superscalar, dynamically-scheduled, out-of-order, Alpha-like microprocessor, on which we execute SPEC2000 integer benchmarks. Extensive fault injection campaigns in control modules of this microprocessor facilitate valuable observations regarding the distribution of low-level faults into the instruction-level error types that they cause. Experimentation with both Register Transfer (RT-) and Gate-Level faults, as well as with both stuck-at faults and transient errors, confirms the validity and corroborates the utility of these observations.
Mix-RWG current basis function and its simple implementation in MoM

In this paper we extended the RWG basis function to triangular-quadrilateral (Mix-RWG) current basis function. Simple implementation of Mix-RWG based MoM code is done by using hybrid mesh linked list data structure. Compared to RWG basis function, Mix-RWG basis function has many advantages. Numerical experiments are given to demonstrate the new basis function's simplicity and its advantages.
Activism, Inc.: How the Outsourcing of Grassroots Campaigns Is Strangling Progressive Politics in America

CONTENTS @toc4:Acknowledgments vii Preface xxx @toc2:1 The Man, The Message, and The Members: The 3Ms of Politics in America Today 1 2 Institutionalizing Activism: The People's Project 000 3 Making a Difference as a Canvasser: Jobs with a Conscience 000 4 Outsourcing Activism: Politics and the Bottom Line 000 5 Laying Sod vs. Cultivating the Grass: A Post- Mortem on the 2004 Election 000 6 Where Do We Go from Here? The Future of Grassroots Politics in America? 000 @toc4:Appendix: Research Methods Used in Data Collection and Comparing Canvassers to a National Sample 000 Notes 000 References 000 Index 000
Functional Response of the Azalea Plant Bug (Heteroptera: Miridae) and a Green Lacewing Chrysoperla rufilabris (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), Two Predators of the Azalea Lace Bug (Heteroptera: Tingidae)

Azalea plant bug (Rhinocapsus vanduzeei Uhler) Þfth instars and a commercially obtained green lacewing (Chrysoperla rufilabris Burmeister) Þrst and second instars exhibited a type II functional response when caged with varying densities of fourth or Þfth instar azalea lace bug, Stephanitis pyrioides (Scott), prey. Attack coefÞcients for combined fourth and Þfth instar prey were statistically similar for R. vanduzeei and C. rufilabris (0.052 and 0.057, respectively). The handling time was signiÞcantly greater for R. vanduzeei (3.96 h) than C. rufilabris (2.41 h). Search efÞciency generally declined for both predators as initial azalea lace bug density increased. C. rufilabris killed signiÞcantly more fourth and Þfth instar prey than R. vanduzeei (8.0 and 6.0, respectively) in 24 h. Results indicate that C. rufilabris is a more suitable candidate for augmentative, not inoculative, release for azalea lace bug control than R. vanduzeei. However, R. vanduzeei can effect reductions in azalea lace bug populations in the landscape as a component of the guild of lace bugOs natural enemies and should be considered in conservation efforts.
The effect of cyclic AMP and cytochalasin B on tissue cultured melanophores of Xenopus laevis

The effects of cytochalasin B or low concentrations of adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) were tested on melanophores in hanging drop preparations of neural fold explants from Xenopus laevis embryos in Barths' solution. After one week in culture, the melanophores were punctate in this medium. Cyclic AMP at 5 mM consistently caused reversible morphological transformation of these cells to the stellate state, whether they were situated within an epithelial outgrowth or isolated on the surface of the coverglass. Only the isolated melanophores consistently responded to 1 mM cyclic AMP. Cytochalasin B at 1–10 μg/ml caused aggregation of melanin granules in stellate cells, but left long, narrow cell branches containing some melanosomes. Its effect was at least partially reversible and appeared to be dose dependent. At 1% concentration, dimethyl sulfoxide caused melanin dispersion.
Requirements for an Integrated Framework of Self-Managing HVAC Systems

Heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems account for about 16% of the total energy consumption in the United States. However, research shows that 25%-40% of the energy consumed by HVAC systems is wasted because of undetected faults. Actively detecting faults requires continuously monitoring and analyzing the status of hardware and software components that are part of HVAC systems. With the increasing complexity in HVAC systems, fault detection that relies on manual processes becomes even more challenging and impractical. Hence, a computerized approach is needed, which enables HVAC systems to continuously monitor, assess and configure themselves. This paper proposes an integrated framework for developing and implementing self-configuring approaches to operate and maintain HVAC systems. The discussions include the identification of functional requirements, a synthesis of existing self-configuring approaches, and an analysis of the requirements for developing an integrated framework using an implemented prototype system.
Postnatal development of the hamster cochlea. I. Growth of hair cells and the organ of Corti.

A morphometric analysis of the developing organ of Corti and its component hair cells was carried out in an age-graded series of Syrian golden hamsters with the aid of scanning electron microscopy. The purpose was to establish a quantitative framework that would provide insight into the rules and principles by which the mammalian cochlea attains its adult proportions. This study examined postnatal development at two day intervals from birth to 22 days after birth. Our analysis included measures of cochlear length and hair cell numbers as well as measures of hair cell sizes in each of five sectors along the cochlear spiral. Our results demonstrate several principles of cochlear development: (1) The full two and one-fourths turns seen in the adult cochlea are already present at birth, but the cochlea continues to elongate for the next 10–12 days. (2) Development of hair cells in the apex generally lags behind that in the base. Whereas the stereocilia and apical margins of hair cells are clearly defined in the basal turn, they become well defined in the apex only postnatally. (3) Growth in cochlear length occurs mainly by increases in cell size rather than in cell numbers; although hair cells do increase in numbers during the first 4 days of cochlear growth, this increase involves addition of hair cells only to preexisting regions of the cochlear apex. Moreover, the full complement of hair cells is established 6 days before the full size of the cochlea is attained; in contrast, hair cell growth occurs at all positions along the cochlear spiral and spans the entire period of cochlear elongation. (4) The period of hair cell growth exceeds the period of organ of Corti growth and appears to be possible by decreases in intercellular spacing, primarily in the apical region of the cochlea; inner and outer hair cell growth was complete between 16 and 18 days after birth. (5) Inner and outer hair cell neighbors remain virtually constant at different ages indicating that the spatial relationships between the two hair cell populations is preserved as the cochlea grows. (6) Comparison with previous developmental studies of auditory function in the hamster reveals that the age of 16 days after birth, when hair cells attain their mature sizes, coincides with the onset of brainstem auditory evoked responses. Growth of hair cell somas alone, however, cannot explain either the subsequent maturation of evoked potential thresholds or changes in frequency representation in the developing cochlea. © Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Live-Cell Characterization and Analysis of a Clinical Isolate of Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Using Molecular Beacons

Understanding viral pathogenesis is critical for prevention of outbreaks, development of antiviral drugs, and biodefense. Here, we utilize molecular beacons to directly detect the viral genome and characterize a clinical isolate of bovine respiratory syncytial virus (bRSV) in living cells. Molecular beacons are dual-labeled, hairpin oligonucleotide probes with a reporter fluorophore at one end and a quencher at the other; they are designed to fluoresce only when hybridizing to a complementary target. By imaging the fluorescence signal of molecular beacons, the spread of bRSV was monitored for 7 days with a signal-to-noise ratio of 50 to 200, and the measured time course of infection was quantified with a mathematical model for viral growth. We found that molecular beacon signal could be detected in single living cells infected with a viral titer of 2 × 10 3.6 50% tissue culture infective doses/ml diluted 1,000 fold, demonstrating high detection sensitivity. Low background in uninfected cells and simultaneous staining of fixed cells with molecular beacons and antibodies showed high detection specificity. Furthermore, using confocal microscopy to image the viral genome in live, infected cells, we observed a connected, highly three-dimensional, amorphous inclusion body structure not seen in fixed cells. Taken together, the use of molecular beacons for active virus imaging provides a powerful tool for rapid viral infection detection, the characterization of RNA viruses, and the design of new antiviral drugs.
Experimental validation of cooperative environmental boundary tracking with on-board sensors

This paper describes a cooperative testbed implementation of a new algorithm (Jin and Bertozzi, CDC 2007) for environmental boundary tracking and estimation using only localized noisy sensors. The tracking algorithm is based on Page's cumulative sum algorithm (CUSUM) a method for change-point detection. A geometric, biologically inspired, motion control algorithm allows individual vehicles to track and follow the environmental boundary without external positioning information. Relative positioning between vehicles allows several to maintain a convoy while tracking the boundary. The algorithm performs well in the presence of moderate sensor noise.
Applying the Domain Management Model in Treating Patients with Chronic Diseases

Article-at-a-Glance Background In the health care system in the United States, the management of chronic health conditions and their functional consequences challenge and frustrate patients, caregivers/families, health care providers, and physicians. Contributing factors include a lack of physician and health care provider training and a health system that emphasizes diagnosis and management of acute illnesses. A broader patient care model is required for patients with chronic disease(s). Using the Domain Management Model (DMM) to classify patients’ clinical problems The DMM is a synthesis of approaches used in internal medicine, geriatric medicine, and physical medicine and rehabilitation. All clinical problems, their treatments, and their outcomes can be classified and followed over time in a multiaxial model with four domains—medical/surgical issues, mental status/emotions/coping, physical function, and living environment. Applications of the DMM in medical record templates Use of the four domain headings in standard templates can lead to an improved awareness of all the relevant issues in the management of chronic illnesses. This awareness precedes a physician's implementation of better care processes. Also, good patient care decisions require good information. Management of functional problems The DMM can be used to educate care providers and organize care in terms of important and common functional problem (for example, trouble walking, which lacks a standard approach in health care). Conclusion This common framework for the organization, documentation, and communication of patients' care over time will help teach systematic management of chronic health conditions and help with future research on complex patient management.
Indigenous Peoples, Solar Radiation Management, and Consent

Funding research on solar radiation management (SRM) is now a policy option for responding to climate change due to the perception that international abatement efforts are creeping along too slowly. SRM research presents a range of problems concerning consent for Indigenous peoples. Indigenous peoples’ landscapes may risk rapid, unforeseen changes that will force communities either to respond under great hardship or migrate elsewhere. Since the science and engineering behind SRM are esoteric to non-experts, legitimate concerns arise about transparency and procedural justice. Indigenous peoples may also contest the very idea of human “control” of global temperatures. In this paper, I will examine what it would take for parties interested in funding, designing, and carrying out early SRM research to fairly respect members and leaders of Indigenous peoples in their current discourses. Ethical concern is warranted. Indigenous peoples have yet to be addressed responsibly about their possible consenting and dissenting views on early SRM research. There is little to no identifiable commitment to establish substantive fora or events for Indigenous peoples to engage with others about whether such research should be conducted in the first place and, if so, what to research and how to conduct empirical inquiries. Policy makers, experts, and private citizens of the developed world have a heavy moral burden to bear if they progress toward early SRM research without engaging in consent processes with Indigenous peoples. I begin in section 2 by claiming that the (arguably dominant) lesser of two evils argument for early SRM research can be construed as invaliding any potential dissenting views of Indigenous peoples. I deepen this claim in section 3 by showing how this argument resembles an argument that has been used throughout history to silence Indigenous peoples from meaningful consent or dissent. I then move on in section 4 to cover the scant literature that suggests possible consent processes for early SRM research. The common theme in this literature is that any fora or events for convening Indigenous peoples regarding SRM research should occur after research has been planned and even begun — thereby defeating the purpose of consent processes altogether. Consent or dissent after the fact is meaningless. In section 5, I argue that consent processes acceptable to Indigenous peoples must be based on partnership and include the following two requirements. First, Indigenous peoples should contribute actively to conversations about how to structure the consent processes in which they would participate. Second, in their interactions with Indigenous peoples, proponents of early SRM research are responsible for addressing them as sovereigns of their territories — despite the colonial conditions in many nations that frustrate Indigenous peoples’ political independence.
The Role of a Domain-specific Language Mechanism in Learning Natural and Unnatural Stress

In an artificial language-learning task, two groups of English and French participants learned one of two language rules: 1) stress the first heavy (CVC) syllable, else the first syllable, or, 2) stress the first light (CV) syllable, else the first syllable. French and English participants were chosen to compare learning outcomes by speakers of different native stress systems, fixed and variable. Participants were trained on the target language by listening to a set of nonsense familiarization words exemplifying the stress rule. This was followed by a forced-choice task to choose the correct version of the words they had just learned. Following the training procedure, participants were tested on novel words with the same stress pattern to which they were familiarized. The result of the novel word testing was that the natural rule with stress on heavy syllables was learned significantly better than the unnatural, stress light syllables, rule. To account for the learnability of both the natural and the unnatural rules, I argue for the interaction of a general cognitive mechanism that facilitates learning in general and a domain-specific language mechanism that can access universal phonological principles to aid in learning a natural language rule.
Hydrogen-Bonded Networks in Surface-Bound Methanol

Fundamentally, methanol represents one of the simplest molecules for understanding extended hydrogen-bonded networks, and from a practical perspective it constitutes a very important chemical feedstock. The interaction of methanol with transition metal surfaces is of relevance to many catalytic processes. Gold-based catalysts show high selectivity for the partial oxidation of several species including, most recently, methanol. However, due to its weak interaction, it has not yet been possible to study intact methanol adsorption and ordering on any metal surface with molecular resolution. Using careful annealing treatments and low tunneling current, variable-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy, we show the basic bonding geometries of a range of hydrogen-bonded methanol structures as a function of surface coverage and temperature on Au(111). Like ice, methanol forms hexamer units; however, at all but very low coverages, chain structures dominate. Unlike the 2D honeycomb structure of ice, which is inte...
Products of Commutators are not always Commutators: An Example

(1979). Products of Commutators are not always Commutators: An Example. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 86, No. 9, pp. 772-772.
Acoustic neuromodulation from a basic science prospective

We present here biophysical models to gain deeper insights into how an acoustic stimulus might influence or modulate neuronal activity. There is clear evidence that neural activity is not only associated with electrical and chemical changes but that an electro-mechanical coupling is also involved. Currently, there is no theory that unifies the electrical, chemical, and mechanical aspects of neuronal activity. Here, we discuss biophysical models and hypotheses that can explain some of the mechanical aspects associated with neuronal activity: the soliton model, the neuronal intramembrane cavitation excitation model, and the flexoelectricity hypothesis. We analyze these models and discuss their implications on stimulation and modulation of neuronal activity by ultrasound.
Friendship across the Life Span: Reciprocity in Individual and Relationship Development

The chapter addresses the intersection of individual development and relationship development within the context of friendship. Friendship structures, functions, interactional processes, and outcomes change from infancy to old age according to developmental progression in physical, social, and psychological aspects of being and in conjunction with situational contexts of life. Friend relationships proceed along a continuum of intimacy from acquaintanceship or friendly relations, to casual friendship, to close friendship and reflect phases of existence from initiation to maintenance to dissolution. Based on a developmental theory, we compare friendship processes and outcomes at multiple stages of the life span. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future research on friendship from a life-span perspective. In Western cultures, friendship is usually defined as a voluntary relationship that encompasses intimacy, equality, shared interests, and pleasurable or need-satisfying interactions. In contrast to family or even neighbor relationships, scholars view friendship as a noninstitutionalized relationship for which the norms are self-defined and fairly loose. Ordinarily, friendship is neither ritualized nor celebrated in the ways that kin ties are formalized. Although it is important to note that in other cultures friendship is more formally defined and institutionalized than in the West, and that friendships in the West actually are constrained by social structure and norms, we will not discuss friendship from that perspective here (see Blieszner & Adams, 1992, for that analysis).
Build or Buy: A Case Study for ERP System Selection in SMEs

The purpose of this paper is to provide enterprises with valuable input when selecting ERP. This study resulted from a case study on an Air Conditioning Company in Florida, USA. Case study research technique evaluated the data collected from interviews, documents, and observations. The results show the importance of embedding every single factor in order to make a decision. The data analysis confirmed the ultimate decision that was reached by the company.
Teaching Clinical Reasoning to Medical Students: A Case-Based Illness Script Worksheet Approach.

Abstract Introduction Clinical reasoning is a fundamental part of a physician's daily workflow. Yet it remains a challenging skill to develop formally, especially in preclerkship-level early learne...
Measuring Segregation of the Poor: Evidence from India

Summary Compared to the extensive literature on measurement of poverty, the question of how the poor are distributed regionally has received less attention. This paper fills the gap in the literature by providing a conceptual framework to measure inequality in the distribution of the poor. A poverty segregation curve is used to compare a region’s share of the poor population with its share in the overall population. A unique contribution of the paper is formulating a generalized version of the poverty segregation curve. Unlike the segregation curve, the generalized segregation curve also takes average poverty rates into account while ranking distributions. Thus the generalized segregation curve may rank a distribution with substantially lower poverty rates above a distribution with higher poverty rates, when differences between their segregation curves are relatively small. The segregation curves are used to analyze changes in the distribution of the poor in India since the economic reforms in the early 1990s. Poverty rates and shares among all states, territories, and districts in India are estimated using data from the National Sample Survey Organization in 1994, 2004, and 2010. In the decades following the reforms India witnessed high growth rates and declining poverty rates. Despite the reduction in poverty, our analysis is the first to reveal that there was a significant rise in segregation of the poor over time. Some states had disproportionately high share of the poor compared to their share in the total population. Within states, the extent of segregation was lower among some of the poorest states and higher in less poor states. The generalized segregation curves show that the substantial decline in poverty rates since the reforms was not adequate to compensate the rise in segregation of the poor. Increase in segregation was also evident when the poor are identified as those who lacked education, health, and access to basic services. Reducing the segregation of the poor is important if India is to attain regionally balanced economic growth.
Microbial Inhibition in Knee Simulator Wear Testing: Is It Time to Replace Sodium Azide?

Polyethylene (PE) wear testing with calf serum as the lubricant is known to be associated with bacterial growth despite the presence of sodium azide (SA); a pure culture of E. cloacae JK was observed after plating serum samples from a knee simulator wear test [1]. Measuring the amount of low-molecular weight (LMW) polypeptide concentration has shown to be a suitable parameter to monitor E. cloacae JK growth in the calf serum based lubricants [2]. The spread of antibiotic resistance bacterium found in laboratory settings such as hospitals has become a major problem and is threatening to create species resistant to multiple antibiotics [3] and this could present a threat to the operating personnel. This may make the development of alternative biocontrol methods (other than SA and antibiotics) necessary. In particular, predatory bacteria, such as Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus, which are harmless to humans, have shown to prey on E. cloacae organisms, including pathogenic and antibiotic resistant ones [4]. We investigated the effect of antimicrobial agent (SA and antibiotic-antimycotic mixture (AA) and the LMW polypeptide concentration on PE wear in knee simulator wear tests. This was complemented by a pilot study to further investigated the ability of Bdellovibrio , as pre-grown prey cells, to lyse on E. cloacae JK in buffered solution to illustrate alternative ways to create a semi-sterile environment for implant wear testing. Wear tests with six different lubricants were performed in a six-station AMTI (Waltham, MA) knee simulator according to ISO 142430-3 (Fig. 1). LMW polypeptide concentration was measured in all test lubricants before and after the wear tests and the relative change was calculated (ΔLMW). Bdellovibrio was cultured on E. cloacae JK as the prey organism and its predation was monitored. The PE wear rates were significantly different between the calf serum based lubricants used (p E. cloacae JK resurfaced again after test 6, despite the AA. Bdellovibrio was able to prey on E. cloacae JK in the pilot study, indicating its potential use in knee simulator wear tests.
Uso del método Taguchi para incrementar la resistencia del pegamento RTV en operaciones de adherencia de partes y componentes

El metodo Taguchi es una variacion de los metodos tradicionales de diseno de experimentos, utilizado para optimizar procesos en relacion con sus especificaciones.En este caso, el metodo Taguchi es usado para incrementar resistencia a la union en operaciones de adherencia con pegamento RTV. Es importante afirmar que esta tecnica no requiere para su aplicacion de gran conocimiento del proceso por optimizar. El metodo ha sido aplicado exitosamente en muchas plantas de Estados Unidos como herramienta de mejoramiento de la productividad, sobre todo en industrias automovilisticas y electronicas. Este metodo fue desarrollado en Japon por el Dr. Genichi Taguchi, alrrededor de 1950, con el objetivo de mejorar el diseno de producto como medio de lograr una mejor calidad.
Decolonizing Aesthetic Representation: The Presence of the European Savage in Bolivian Modernity

A medal, commemorating the opening of the Instituto Normal Superior of La Paz in 1917, allows Sanjines to question how the domineering gaze of liberal elites visualized the education of the Bolivian indigenous masses at the beginning of the twentieth century. Focusing on the social dynamics created by this medal, Sanjines hypothesizes that the local elites forged the imaginary presence of the European savage within Bolivia, while hiding behind a colonizing mask the real presence of the oppressed indigenous masses. Consequently, decolonizing aesthetic representation means exploring the dynamics between the mythical subject created by Western imagination and the real object of domination: the mestizo-Indians pejoratively labeled as “cholos.” Discussing how these cholos became socially mobile, the chapter concludes with a quick look at the homegrown cholo anarchy.