cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A prospective observational pilot study of synchronized nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation (SNIPPV) as a primary mode of ventilation in infants > or = 28 weeks with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS).

OBJECTIVE: To compare the outcome of infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) who were extubated to synchronized nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation (SNIPPV) or continued on conventional ventilation (CV), immediately postsurfactant. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective observational study of postsurfactant ventilatory management of consecutive infants (born between 10/99 and 12/02) of 28 to 34 weeks gestation. Extubation to SNIPPV was at the attending neonatologists' discretion. Babies in the CV group remained intubated, postsurfactant. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the maternal demographics, antenatal steroid use, mode of delivery, birth weight (BW), gestational age (GA), gender, Apgar at 5 minutes, age at surfactant instillation, or oxygenation index (OI) prior to surfactant administration, between infants continued on CV (n=35) and those extubated to SNIPPV (n=24). The total duration of endotracheal intubation (mean±SEM; CV versus SNIPPV; 2.4±0.4 versus 0.3±0.0 days, p=0.001) and duration of supplemental oxygen exposure (15±3.2 versus 8.2±3.3 days, p=0.04) were significantly shorter in the SNIPPV group. Furthermore, the duration of parenteral nutrition (12.1±1.6 versus 8.4±0.8 days, p=0.02) and length of stay (37.5±3.0 versus 29.1±3.3 days, p=0.04) were also significantly shorter in the SNIPPV group. There were no differences between the two groups in blood gas or OI values postsurfactant (up to 48 hours). There was no statistical difference in the incidence of intraventricular hemorrhage grade I (three (9%) in the CV group and two infants (8%) in the SNIPPV group). No infant died in either group or had patent ductus arteriosus, air leaks, necrotizing enterocolitis, periventricular leukomalacia, retinopathy of prematurity or bronchopulmonary dysplasia. CONCLUSIONS: Infants of 28 to 34 weeks GA with RDS requiring surfactant with early extubation to SNIPPV had a shorter duration of intubation, and decreased need for oxygen as compared to CV. There was also a significant decrease in the duration of parenteral nutrition and hospitalization. SNIPPV is a safe and effective primary mode of ventilation in larger premature infants.
Satellite-Based Evidence of Wavelength-Dependent Aerosol Absorption in Biomass Burning Smoke Inferred from Ozone Monitoring Instrument

Abstract. We provide satellite-based evidence of the spectral dependence of absorption in biomass burning aerosols over South America using near-UV measurements made by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) during 2005–2007. In the current near-UV OMI aerosol algorithm (OMAERUV), it is implicitly assumed that the only absorbing component in carbonaceous aerosols is black carbon whose imaginary component of the refractive index is wavelength independent. With this assumption, OMI-derived aerosol optical depth (AOD) is found to be significantly over-estimated compared to that of AERONET at several sites during intense biomass burning events (August-September). Other well-known sources of error affecting the near-UV method of aerosol retrieval do not explain the large observed AOD discrepancies between the satellite and the ground-based observations. A number of studies have revealed strong spectral dependence in carbonaceous aerosol absorption in the near-UV region suggesting the presence of organic carbon in biomass burning generated aerosols. A sensitivity analysis examining the importance of accounting for the presence of wavelength-dependent aerosol absorption in carbonaceous particles in satellite-based remote sensing was carried out in this work. The results convincingly show that the inclusion of spectrally-dependent aerosol absorption in the radiative transfer calculations leads to a more accurate characterization of the atmospheric load of carbonaceous aerosols. The use of a new set of aerosol models assuming wavelength-dependent aerosol absorption in the near-UV region (Absorption Angstrom Exponent λ−2.5 to −3.0) improved the OMAERUV retrieval results by significantly reducing the AOD bias observed when gray aerosols were assumed. In addition, the new retrieval of single-scattering albedo is in better agreement with those of AERONET within the uncertainties (ΔSSA = ±0.03). The new colored carbonaceous aerosol model was also found to reproduce the ground-based AOD observations over the biomass burning region of central Africa and northern India. Together with demonstrating a significant improvement in the retrieval of aerosol properties from OMI, the present study highlights the greater sensitivity of the near-UV measurements to the varying spectral aerosol absorption. This capability can be explored further for the use in the identification of the black carbon and organics in the biomass burning aerosols.
Large-scale transport of a CO-enhanced air mass from Europe to the Middle East

On 14 November 1981, the shuttle-borne Measurement of Air Pollution from Satellites (MAPS) experiment observed a carbon monoxide (CO) enhanced air mass in the middle troposphere over the Middle East. The primary source of this polluted air was estimated by constructing adiabatic isentropic trajectories backwards from the MAPS measurement location over a 36 h period. The isentropic diagnostics indicate that CO-enhanced air was transported southeastward over the Mediterranean from an organized synoptic-scale weather regime, albeit of moderate intensity, influencing central Europe on 12 November. Examination of the evolving synoptic scale vertical velocity and precipitation patterns during this period, in conjunction with METEOSAT visible, infrared, and water vapor imagery, suggests that the presence of this disturbed weather system over Europe may have created upward transport of CO-enhanced air between the boundary-layer and midtropospheric levels, and subsequent entrainment in the large-scale northwesterly jet stream flow over Europe and the Mediterranean.
Presurgery Psychological Factors Predict Pain, Nausea, and Fatigue One Week After Breast Cancer Surgery

Before scheduled surgery, breast cancer surgical patients frequently experience high levels of distress and expect a variety of postsurgery symptoms. Previous literature has supported the view that presurgery distress and response expectancies are predictive of postsurgery outcomes. However, the contributions of distress and response expectancies to postsurgical side effect outcomes have rarely been examined together within the same study. Furthermore, studies on the effects of response expectancies in the surgical setting have typically focused on the immediate postsurgical setting rather than the longer-term setting. The purpose of the present study was to test the contribution of presurgery distress and response expectancies to common postsurgery side effects (pain, nausea, and fatigue). Female patients (n=101) undergoing breast cancer surgery were recruited to a prospective study. Results indicated that presurgery distress uniquely contributed to patients' postsurgery pain severity (P<0.05) and fatigue (P<0.003) one week after surgery. Response expectancies uniquely contributed to pain severity (P<0.001), nausea (P<0.012), and fatigue (P<0.010) one week after surgery. Sobel tests indicated that response expectancies partially mediated the effects of distress on pain severity (P<0.03) and fatigue (P<0.03). Response expectancies also mediated the effects of age on pain severity, nausea, and fatigue. Results highlight the contribution of presurgery psychological factors to postsurgery side effects, the importance of including both emotional and cognitive factors within studies as predictors of postsurgery side effects, and suggest presurgical clinical targets for improving patients' postoperative experiences of side effects.
Using Integrated Mixed Methods to Develop Behavioral Measures of Factors Associated With Microbicide Acceptability

Our current understanding of factors associated with microbicide acceptability and consistent use typically has been derived from separate and distinct qualitative or quantitative studies. Specifically, rarely have investigators used mixed methods to both develop and validate behavioral measures. We utilized an integrated mixed methods design, including qualitative metasyntheses, cognitive interviews and expert reviews, psychometric evaluation, and confirmatory qualitative analyses of the correspondence between quantitative items and original qualitative data to develop and validate measures of factors associated with microbicide acceptability and use. We describe this methodology and use the development of the Relationship Context Scale to illustrate it. As a result of independent confirmatory analyses of qualitative passages corresponding to survey items, we demonstrated that items from the same subscales are frequently double coded within a particular textual passage, and thematically related, suggesti...
Work in progress - impact of graphical programming environments on learning and understanding programming concepts

There is widespread evidence to show that many first year engineering students have either a strong dislike for programming or an inability to write effective programs. This poses a problem, since many departments require their students to take some form of introductory programming as part of their first year in engineering. One possible reason why many engineering students have such difficulty with programming and the related concepts is that many engineers tend to fall heavily on the ldquovisual learnerrdquo side of the Felder-Silverman learning styles model. Since traditional, text-based programming languages, and the predominantly text-based way in which they are taught, do not align with the learning styles of these students, their ability to understand and implement the necessary concepts in an actual program may be drastically reduced. This paper discusses a work in progress investigating the use of graphical programming languages as a means for introducing programming concepts and catering to the visual learning style of most engineering students.
Correlation properties of Gaussian FSK/PSK radar signals

Hybrid radar signals which are simultaneously frequency-shift-keyed (FSK) and phase-shift-keyed (PSK) are investigated with regard to their range correlation properties. The firing order of the discrete frequencies within a single burst is selected at random from a pseudo-Gaussian distribution. The range correlation properties of FSK and FSK/PSK signals are illustrated using computer simulations of the autocorrelation functions of several representative signals. It is observed that the range sidelobes of the autocorrelation function associated with a Gaussian FSK signal can be improved through the application of a pseudo-noise bipolar PSK sequence. >
Role of hormones on the induction of retinoic acid binding protein in mouse mammary gland organ culture

Influence of various hormones on the induction of cellular retinoic acid binding protein (CRABP) was investigated in the mouse mammary gland organ cultures. Thoracic pairs of mammary glands from the BALB/c mice were cultured for seven days in the presence of various hormones in CMRL medium at 37 degrees C under 50% O2, 5% CO2 and 45% N2 atmosphere. There was a modest increase of mammary CRABP by insulin (I) + prolactin (P), however, addition of progesterone (Pg) or estrogen (E) + Pg to the medium resulted in a dramatic increase in the CRABP. Aldosterone (A) + hydrocortisone (F), in addition to I + P, which promotes differentiation to an extent similar to that of I + P + E + Pg did not have any influence on the induction of CRABP. These results indicate that prolactin and/or Pg in the medium can increase the concentration of CRABP in the mammary gland in vitro. From the results presented in this report, as well as previous work by other investigators, it is concluded that the biological response to retinoids in the mammary tissues cannot be correlated with the absolute concentration of CRABP in the cells. However, the biological response may be dependent upon both the ability of the target organ cells to metabolize the retinoid and to have minimal concentration of CRABP for binding to the active metabolite. The functional significance of hormone-induced CRABP is presently unknown.
Extending the Use of the 40-Item HIV-Stigma Scale to Older Adults: An Examination of Reliability and Validity

Abstract This paper explores the potential for extending the use of a 40-item stigma scale, developed by Berger and colleagues, to older adults with HIV/AIDS. The increase in the numbers of adults living into older age with HIV, along with new infections in those 50+, makes this issue relevant. A sample of 25 older adults completed the stigma scale, and all answered a semi-structured question about how they felt the scale captured their experiences of stigma. The sample ranged in age from 50 to 72 years (M = 56.1 ± 5.75); 38% were female, and 40% were people of color. The stigma scale and its 4 subscales showed excellent internal consistency ranging from a = .92 to .96. The scale was found to have good convergent validity with the CES-D depression scale. Sixty-four percent of the respondents felt the scale did a good job capturing their experiences of stigma as older persons living with HIV/AIDS or offered no suggestions for improvement. The scale was found to be reliable and valid for measuring HIV-stigm...
Cyclophosphamide/Fludarabine (CF) is Active in the Treatment of Mantle Cell Lymphoma

The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy and toxicity of the cyclophosphamide and fludarabine (CF) regimen in patients with newly diagnosed and relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Thirty patients with pathologically confirmed MCL were treated with the CF regimen. Ten (33%) had no prior therapy, six (20%) had one previous regimen, and 14 (47%) received two or more prior regimens. Ninety cycles of CF with a median of 3 cycles/patient (range, 1-5 cycles) were administered to patients with MCL. Nine patients (30%) had a complete response (CR) and 10 (33%) had a partial response (PR) for an overall response rate (RR) of 63%. The median failure-free survival (FFS) and overall survival (OS) was 4.8 months and 17.5 months, respectively. When patients were analyzed based upon the number of previous treatments (0, 1, or 2 or more), those with no previous treatment (n=10) had an overall response of 100%, with 70% CR. The median FFS was 28.1 months and the median OS for this group has not been reached at 42.3+ months. Hematologic and infectious toxicity were the major toxicities encountered with the CF regimen. Grade 3-4 neutropenia, thrombocytopenia and anemia were seen in 50%, 37%, and 36% of patients, respectively. There were 13 episodes of grade 3 infections. There was no treatment related mortality, In conclusion, the high response rate associated with the CF regimen merits further investigation in previously untreated patients with MCL, particularly in those who are not candidates for aggressive therapy.
Assessing nursery habitat quality for native smelts (Osmeridae) in the low-salinity zone of the San Francisco estuary

Habitat quality was assessed for two native osmerids, delta smelt Hypomesus transpacificus and longfin smelt Spirinchus thaleichthys, between two distinct nursery areas located in the lowsalinity zone of the San Francisco estuary. The relationship between several variables was investigated including fish density, fish size, feeding success and the general condition of larvae as well as juveniles for both species. The nursery habitats that were evaluated included the North and South Channels of Suisun Bay. The results showed higher densities of zooplankton and decreased water velocities for the North Channel when compared to the South Channel. The dominant prey item was calanoid copepod Pseudodiaptomus forbesi for both species although longfin smelt residing in the North Channel also included another copepod in their diets, Acanthocyclops spp. In both locations, delta smelt fed predominantly during daytime flood tides, while longfin smelt feeding appeared to continue into the night hours. When both locations were compared, delta smelt in the North Channel exhibited higher densities, larger sizes, increased somatic condition and larvae <15 mm standard length demonstrated greater feeding success. Longfin smelt, exhibited similar densities, feeding success and size distributions between both channels, but generally showed poorer somatic condition for the South Channel, potentially due to energetic costs associated with documented vertical migration behaviour. Overall, the physical conditions of the North Channel provided superior habitat for both species, while the South Channel afforded only marginal habitat for longfin smelt and very poor habitat for delta smelt. Therefore, the North Channel of Suisun Bay acts as critical nursery habitat by providing better feeding and growing conditions leading to increased health and survival for both species.
Overview of rational and individualized therapeutic strategies for non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.

Abstract For nearly 20 years CHOP (cyclophosphamide/doxorubicin/vincristine/prednisone) has been the gold standard of therapy for aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHLs), curing ≥ 30% of patients with diffuse large-cell NHL. A variety of strategies are being tested to identify regimens that might increase the disease-free survival rate for aggressive NHLs. One approach has been to intensify chemotherapy either by administering higher doses or by using shorter chemotherapy cycles. There are data suggesting that elderly patients benefit from CHOP given in 14-day cycles with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. Based on in vitro observations that continuous exposure to cytotoxic agents can override multidrug-resistance pumps, several groups have studied combination chemotherapy regimens that include continuous 2- or 3-day intravenous infusions of cytotoxic agents. These studies have had short follow-up but encouraging early diseasefree survival rates. There also has been interest in integrating monoclonal antibodies such as rituximab into therapies for aggressive NHLs. One randomized trial found CHOP/rituximab to be superior to CHOP alone in elderly patients with aggressive NHLs. With high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell support established as a salvage regimen for aggressive NHLs, many trials have evaluated the value of upfront high-dose therapy, especially in poor-prognosis patients. Other approaches to managing aggressive NHLs, which appear promising but are under investigation, are allogeneic transplants and lymphoma vaccines. An advance in the study of lymphoid malignancies is the development of a lymphoma classification system, the World Health Organization Classification of Lymphoid Malignancies, which recognizes the distinct molecular, morphologic, and genetic characteristics of differential lymphoma subtypes. It is anticipated that accurate and specific differential diagnosis, coupled with recognition of important clinical prognostic factors, will provide useful background for selecting and designing rational (and perhaps individualized) therapies for patients with aggressive NHLs.
Acoustic Transmission Loss of Perforated Plates

A study has been conducted on the acoustic response of perforated plates at normal incidence. The investigation includes a theoretical analysis of the problem, with validation through experimentation. The acoustic response was quantified through the transmission loss and absorption coefficient of the perforate. The theoretical analysis is based on planar wave propagation through a single contraction/expansion chamber, with modifications to account for hole interaction effects. The resulting formula for transmission loss yields superior predictions over past theories. The theoretical model is validated through rigorous parametric experimentation. Eleven perforated plates with different thickness, hole size, and porosity were tested. Deviations between experiment measurements and theoretical predictions of transmission loss are shown to be less than about one decibel for dimensionless hole diameter d/λ < 0.5. The accuracy of the model does not show a strong dependency on plate thickness or porosity.
Comparison of two post-calibration correction methods for complex permittivity measurement of biological tissues up to 50 GHz

Two correction methods are discussed in this paper to remove residual errors due to the lack of repeatability of coaxial-to-microstrip launchers as part of the TRL calibration procedure. These methods are applied for accurate insertion loss measurement of biological tissues embedded in a two-port microstrip test fixture, from which the tissues' complex permittivity values are extracted for frequencies between 15 and 50 GHz. In the first method, distilled water is used as a calibration standard as part of a two-port calibration procedure. The second method identifies an error transfer function using the difference between simulated and measured insertion loss for distilled water, and then applies it as a correction factor to the measurement results for biological tissues. Both methods are compared in terms of extracting the accurate complex permittivity of brain matter.
Half Full or Half Empty The Role of Optimism in Boundary-Spanning Positions

Previous research demonstrates the dysfunctional consequences of high levels of role stressors (role ambiguity and role conflict) in boundary-spanning positions. These consequences include higher levels of burnout and lower levels of satisfaction and performance. Although marketing researchers have investigated external mechanisms for coping with role stressors, research to date has not investigated the inherent capability of boundary spanners to cope with role stressors. This research examines optimism as an internal characteristic that facilitates coping with role stressors in boundary-spanning positions. The research findings reveal that optimists are able to anticipate and respond proactively to stressors, resulting in less burnout and higher levels of performance and satisfaction.
Computer supported cooperative work systems

The requirements which information systems must meet to be effective in the 1990s are determined, and the limitations of present day information systems are discussed. The advantages of object-oriented databases and artificial intelligence techniques are explored as viable methodologies for meeting these requirements.
Fusion based speech segmentation in DARPA SPINE2 task

We report a new fusion based segmentation approach using multiple filter bank coefficients. This approach takes advantage of current feature extraction procedure, with little additional computation cost. Another level of fusion was performed by combining several segmentation systems. Evaluation was conducted on the second Speech In Noisy Environments (SPINE2) task. Experiments show our fusion based approaches significantly reduced the WER compared to two classifier-based approaches. Compared to the manual segmentation, our approach only has 0.3% WER increase.
The Influence of Parental Support, Knowledge, and Authoritative Parenting on Hmong and European American Adolescent Development:

This study used a community-wide survey of adolescents to compare adolescent perceptions of parental support, knowledge, and authoritative decision making in samples of Hmong and European Americans. Additional analyses considered variation in parental influence on adolescent outcomes across these groups. The results suggested that Hmong American youth perceived less parental support and knowledge and were less likely to report authoritative decision making with parents. Parental support and knowledge were associated with higher self-esteem and grade point average (GPA) and lowered risky health behaviors in both samples. Results also suggested that authoritative decision making by mothers was a more important predictor of adolescent GPA and risky behaviors for the European American adolescents.
Self-assembling modular robotic structures

Cellular automata in the two-dimensional (2-D) world have been used to simulate self-replicating structures based on natural biological systems, evolution, and emergence. In self-replication, large structures consisting of multiple cells are programmed to make copies of themselves using the rule-based systems upon which the cellular automata are governed. Although cellular automata environments are computer-based tools for representing complex systems within a virtual world, the field of modular robotics partly came about as an attempt to create self-relocatable cuboids that could function as cellular automata in the three-dimensional (3-D) real world to create physical self-replicating systems. The application of cellular automata to 3-D real-world applications has resulted in lattice-type modular robotic systems. Lattice systems are cubical in nature, where each cube is a self-mobile unit that can move orthogonally to a vacant position by sliding along existing portions of structure. These lattice-type modular robotics systems have been used to study self-reconfigurability in the real world with autonomous elements.
Consideration for Spinal Cord Monitoring of Patients with Cervical Injuries

Intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring has evolved from the Stagnara wakeup test to real-time feedback continuous recordings. Somatosensory-evoked potential monitoring has been used in scoliosis surgery for decades with documented effectiveness in limiting potential iatrogenic neurological injury. The usefulness of intraoperative monitoring in other fields of spinal surgery, including cervical spine trauma, is still debated. Multimodality techniques that include motor-evoked potentials and spontaneous electromyography are highly sensitive, but their role in cervical spine surgery is ill defined. This report reviews current concepts, literature, and recommendations on the use of intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring in cervical spine trauma patients.
Architectures and Issues for Gigasample/second ADCs

Architectures for ADCs at 1 Gigasample/second (1 GSa/s) and beyond now include flash, folding and interpolating as well as the time interleaving of slower unit converters such as pipeline and even successive approximation ADCs. In addition, CMOS is taking over in this former bastion of bipolar technology. We describe the issues common to all architectures: bandwidth, power, I/O, data storage, and cost. We examine these issues in detail for the time-interleaved approach as exemplified by two 8bit ADCs operating at 4 GSa/s and 20 GSa/s, implemented in CMOS.
Post-Earthquake Housing Recovery in Bachhau, India: The Homeowner, the Renter, and the Squatter

This paper looks at post-earthquake housing recovery in Bachhau, a town close to the epicenter of the 2001 Gujarat earthquake in western India. This research examines the difference in housing recovery outcomes among homeowners, squatters, and renters in Bachhau, in order to understand why single-family homeowners and squatters were able to rebuild and improve their housing conditions whereas low-income renters continued to struggle toward housing recovery.This paper shows that communities in Bachhau did not have the resources or capacities to rebuild themselves and that appropriate public assistance was critical for housing recovery. While public assistance was mainly targeted to meet the needs of homeowners, local government officials in Bachhau pursued a squatter housing recovery program crafted to meet the needs of low-income squatters. In contrast, public policy failed to understand the needs of renter households, resulting in their marginalization from the housing recovery process in Bachhau. DOI: 10.1193/1.3474646
Parallel PSO using MapReduce

In optimization problems involving large amounts of data, such as web content, commercial transaction information, or bioinformatics data, individual function evaluations may take minutes or even hours. particle swarm optimization (PSO) must be parallelized for such functions. However, large-scale parallel programs must communicate efficiently, balance work across all processors, and address problems such as failed nodes. We present mapreduce particle swarm optimization (MRPSO), a PSO implementation based on the mapreduce parallel programming model. We describe MapReduce and show how PSO can be naturally expressed in this model, without explicitly addressing any of the details of parallelization. We present a benchmark function for evaluating MRPSO and note that MRPSO is not appropriate for optimizing easily evaluated functions. We demonstrate that MRPSO scales to 256 processors on moderately difficult problems and tolerates node failures.
Semi-automatic generation of transfer functions for direct volume rendering

Although direct volume rendering is a powerful tool for visualizing complex structures within volume data, the size and complexity of the parameter space controlling the rendering process makes generating an informative rendering challenging. In particular, the specification of the transfer function-the mapping from data values to renderable optical properties-is frequently a time consuming and unintuitive task. Ideally, the data being visualized should itself suggest an appropriate transfer function that brings out the features of interest without obscuring them with elements of little importance. We demonstrate that this is possible for a large class of scalar volume data, namely that where the regions of interest are the boundaries between different materials. A transfer function which makes boundaries readily visible can be generated from the relationship between three quantities: the data value and its first and second directional derivatives along the gradient direction. A data structure we term the histogram volume captures the relationship between these quantities throughout the volume in a position independent, computationally efficient fashion. We describe the theoretical importance of the quantities measured by the histogram volume, the implementation issues in its calculation, and a method for semiautomatic transfer function generation through its analysis. We conclude with results of the method on both idealized synthetic data as well as real world datasets.
Mechanical properties and microstructures of glass-ionomer cements.

Abstract Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the flexural strength (FS), compressive strength (CS), diametral tensile strength (DTS), Knoop hardness (KHN) and wear resistance of ten commercial glass-ionomer cements (GICs). The fracture surfaces of these cements were examined using scanning electron microscopic (SEM) techniques to ascertain relationships between the mechanical properties and microstructures of these cements. Methods: Specimens were fabricated according to the instructions from each manufacturer. The FS, CS, DTS, KHN and wear rate were measured after conditioning the specimens for 7 d in distilled water at 37°C. One-way analysis of variance with the post hoc Tukey–Kramer multiple range test was used to determine which specimen groups were significantly different for each test. The fracture surface of one representative specimen of each GIC from the FS tests was examined using a scanning electron microscope. Results: The resin-modified GICs (RM GICs) exhibited much higher FS and DTS, not generally higher CS, often lower Knoop hardness and generally lower wear resistance, compared to the conventional GICs (C GICs). Vitremer (3M) had the highest values of FS and DTS; Fuji II LC (GC International) and Ketac-Molar (ESPE) had the highest CS; Ketac-Fil (ESPE) had the highest KHN. Ketac-Bond (ESPE) had the lowest FS; α-Silver (DMG-Hamburg) had the lowest CS. Four GICs (α-Fil (DMG-Hamburg), α-Silver, Ketac-Bond and Fuji II) had the lowest values of DTS, which were not significantly different from each other; α-Silver and Ketac-Silver had the lowest values of KHN. The highest wear resistance was exhibited by α-Silver and Ketac-Fil; F2LC had the lowest wear resistance. The C GICs exhibited brittle behavior, whereas the RM GICs underwent substantial plastic deformation in compression. The more integrated the microstructure, the higher were the FS and DTS. Higher CS was correlated with smaller glass particles, and higher KHN was found where there was a combination of smaller glass particles and lower porosity. Larger glass particle sizes and a more integrated microstructure contributed to a higher wear resistance. Significance: The mechanical properties of GICs were closely related to their microstructures. Factors such as the integrity of the interface between the glass particles and the polymer matrix, the particle size, and the number and size of voids have important roles in determining the mechanical properties.
Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Population Dynamics at Scotts Bluff National Monument, Nebraska: A 28-Year Record

ABSTRACT. Black-tailed prairie dogs, Cynomys ludovicianus, now inhabit a small fraction of their original range in the Great Plains. We monitored a population of black-tailed prairie dogs at Scotts Bluff National Monument, Nebraska, from colonization in 1981 until 2009 (28 years). Colony boundaries were mapped by delineating clip lines and active burrows; population densities were estimated via visual counts. Estimates of total population size revealed 4 distinct periods of changing dynamics: (1) a linear increase, (2) a decline and prolonged depression, (3) an exponential increase, and (4) a period of high variability. Area occupied revealed similar, although less-defined trends, whereas densities fluctuated greatly (8–80 individuals • ha-1). Even after almost 30 years, this population remains relatively small. Decreases in the population may have been due, in part, to predation by badgers, although sylvatic plague cannot be ruled out. Black-tailed prairie dogs are recognized as keystone grassland specie...
Review: Limit-Feeding with Altered Forage-to-Concentrate Levels in Dairy Heifer Diets1

ABSTRACT Limit-feeding high-concentrate or high-digestibility diets for growing dairy heifers may offer an economical alternative to ad libitum consumption of the high-forage, low-digestibility diets that are traditionally fed to dairy heifers. Literature pertaining to economic, physiological, and nutritional responses to alterations in feeding level and dietary concentrate level are reviewed. From the available research, it was found that limit-feeding higher-concentrate diets did not affect growth or first-lactation milk production compared with feeding high-forage diets when equivalent levels of gain are obtained. Dairy heifers that are limit-fed often have greater diet digestibility, lower levels of environmental excretion and methane production, and greater feed efficiency. Although the digestibility was increased for heifers limit-fed high-concentrate diets, retention and excretion of N was not consistently affected. It was concluded that limit-feeding high-concentrate diets does not need to be excluded as a management option and may offer an opportunity for heifer growers to reduce feed costs and environmental output under the circumstances thus far investigated.
Procalcitonin for detecting medullary thyroid carcinoma: a systematic review

The aim of the present study was to perform a systematic review of published studies to provide a robust estimation of the use of procalcitonin (ProCT) as a diagnostic marker of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), with particular focus on its specificity and negative predictive value in excluding MTC. A comprehensive computer literature search was conducted to find relevant published articles on the topic. We used a search algorithm based on a combination of the terms 'medullary,' 'thyroid,' and 'ProCT.' The search was updated until February 2015. To expand our search, references of the retrieved articles were also screened. A total of 39 articles were retrieved, of which nine original papers published from 2003 to 2014 were selected for the review. Some of these studies used ProCT in the preoperative diagnosis of MTC, whereas others measured ProCT during the follow-up of patients who had been previously treated for MTC. Other laboratory measurements were performed in some of the included studies. The results of the majority of the studies indicate that ProCT measurement appears to be a very promising and reliable serum marker for the diagnosis of MTC, and it is not inferior to calcitonin (CT). The sample handling is less laborious, and in the few CT-negative cases reviewed, the assay had even greater sensitivity. It would be worthwhile to establish cutoff levels using larger patient series, because we speculate that this assay could potentially replace CT measurement in the future.
The evolution and clinical relevance of prognostic classification systems in myelofibrosis

Primary myelofibrosis, the most aggressive of the classic Philadelphia chromosome-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), is a clonal disorder characterized by often debilitating constitutional symptoms and splenomegaly, bone marrow fibrosis and resultant cytopenias, extramedullary hematopoiesis, risk of leukemic transformation, and shortened survival. Post-polycythemia vera and post-essential thrombocythemia myelofibrosis represent similar entities, although some differences are being recognized. Attempts to classify patients with myelofibrosis into prognostic categories have been made since the late 1980s, and these scoring systems continue to evolve as new information becomes available. Over the last decade, the molecular pathogenesis of MPNs has been elucidated considerably, and the Janus kinase (JAK) 1/2 inhibitor ruxolitinib is the first drug specifically approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat patients with intermediate-risk and high-risk myelofibrosis. This article reviews the evolution of prognostic criteria in myelofibrosis, emphasizing the major systems widely in use today, as well as recently described, novel systems that incorporate emerging data regarding somatic mutations. Risk factors for thrombosis and conversion to MPN blast phase also are discussed. Finally, the practical usefulness of the current prognostic classification systems in terms of clinical decision making is discussed, particularly within the context of some of their inherent weaknesses. Cancer 2016;122:681-692. © 2015 American Cancer Society.
Detecting heterogeneity in single-cell RNA-Seq data by non-negative matrix factorization

Single-cell RNA-Sequencing (scRNA-Seq) is a fast-evolving technology that enables the understanding of biological processes at an unprecedentedly high resolution. However, well-suited bioinformatics tools to analyze the data generated from this new technology are still lacking. Here we investigate the performance of non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) method to analyze a wide variety of scRNA-Seq datasets, ranging from mouse hematopoietic stem cells to human glioblastoma data. In comparison to other unsupervised clustering methods including K-means and hierarchical clustering, NMF has higher accuracy in separating similar groups in various datasets. We ranked genes by their importance scores (D-scores) in separating these groups, and discovered that NMF uniquely identifies genes expressed at intermediate levels as top-ranked genes. Finally, we show that in conjugation with the modularity detection method FEM, NMF reveals meaningful protein-protein interaction modules. In summary, we propose that NMF is a desirable method to analyze heterogeneous single-cell RNA-Seq data. The NMF based subpopulation detection package is available at: https://github.com/lanagarmire/NMFEM.
Chromium(III) Oxidation by Three Poorly Crystalline Manganese(IV) Oxides. 2. Solid Phase Analyses

Layered, poorly crystalline Mn(IV)O2 phases are abundant in the environment. These mineral phases may rapidly oxidize Cr(III) to more mobile and toxic Cr(VI) in soils. There is still, however, litt...
Glycosaminoglycan synthesis in explants derived from bleomycin-treated fibrotic hamster lungs.

AbstractGlycosaminoglycan synthesis was studied in explant cultures of hamster lungs 15 and 45 days following intratracheal administration of Bleomycin. At both time points, a statistically significant increase in 35S-sulfate incorporation into glycosaminoglycans was seen in the Bleomycin-treated explants compared with that of the controls. Furthermore, the percentage of label associated with dermatan sulfate was significantly higher in the treated explants than in controls at both 15 and 45 days. Conversely, the percentage of labeled heparin and/or heparan sulfate was significantly lower for the treated explants compared to controls at these times. These results indicate that glycosaminoglycan synthesis is altered from normal in this model of interstitial lung disease. Comparison of these data with previous measurements of glycosaminoglycan synthesis in another model of interstitial lung disease, induced by N-nitroso-N-methylurethane, reveals marked similarity in the changes from normal in 35S-labeling.
Approaches to the Formula for the nth Fibonacci Number

(1994). Approaches to the Formula for the nth Fibonacci Number. The College Mathematics Journal: Vol. 25, No. 2, pp. 139-142.
What Globalization Means for the Education Sector: How Do We Cater to Emerging Needs?

The global economy has been transformed dramatically in the period following the demise of the Soviet Union. What we now see is a shift from the North to the South, the emergence of Asia, a pace of liberalization that is unprecedented and a recalibration of trade flows that had not been seen earlier. Investments move seamlessly across continents as sentiment shifts happen almost overnight and trace emerging patterns of growth and development. What this has resulted in is a pressure on the services sector, more importantly on the knowledge economy to provide the human resource required in this changed world. With the manufacturing sector changed beyond recognition, with transportation and communication getting revolutionized and a services sector that does not respect legacy and tradition, the world demands a rethinking in skilling and training. How has the academic community responded to these challenges? What is it about globalization that needs to be examined and taught? What do global managers need to ...
Multiple sensor detection of process phenomena in laser powder bed fusion

Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is an additive manufacturing (AM) process in which a high power laser melts metal powder layers into complex, three-dimensional shapes. LPBF parts are known to exhibit relatively high residual stresses, anisotropic microstructure, and a variety of defects. To mitigate these issues, in-situ measurements of the melt-pool phenomena may illustrate relationships between part quality and process signatures. However, phenomena such as spatter, plume formation, laser modulation, and melt-pool oscillations may require data acquisition rates exceeding 10 kHz. This hinders use of relatively data-intensive, streaming imaging sensors in a real-time monitoring and feedback control system. Single-point sensors such as photodiodes provide the temporal bandwidth to capture process signatures, while providing little spatial information. This paper presents results from experiments conducted on a commercial LPBF machine which incorporated synchronized, in-situ acquisition of a thermal camera, high-speed visible camera, photodiode, and laser modulation signal during fabrication of a nickel alloy 625 AM part with an overhang geometry. Data from the thermal camera provides temperature information, the visible camera provides observation of spatter, and the photodiode signal provides high temporal bandwidth relative brightness stemming from the melt pool region. In addition, joint-time frequency analysis (JTFA) was performed on the photodiode signal. JTFA results indicate what digital filtering and signal processing are required to highlight particular signatures. Image fusion of the synchronized data obtained over multiple build layers allows visual comparison between the photodiode signal and relating phenomena observed in the imaging detectors.
Hemodynamics of Cardiac Massage

The introduction of closed chest massage in 1960 initiated a widespread interest in cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Until that time, open chest cardiac massage was the standard for CPR. Initial explanations for blood flow during closed chest CPR were based upon direct compression of the heart. This explanation has given way to demonstrations that blood flows during CPR because of changes in intrathoracic pressure. Changes in intrathoracic pressure that create blood flow have been created by simple maneuvers such as coughing. More involved methods of affecting intrathoracic pressure, in an attempt to improve upon standard closed chest massage, have included applying positive pressure to the airway, binding of the abdomen, and the use of MAST. Cardiac output with closed chest massage is approximately one fourth of normal, and cerebral perfusion is approximately one tenth of normal. Cardiac output with open chest massage is approximately double that obtained by closed chest massage. Cerebral blood flow during open chest massage approaches physiologic values. The use of drugs possessing alpha adrenergic activity and maneuvers that augment intrathoracic pressure improve vital organ perfusion.
The stability of the uterine estrogen receptor when complexed with estrogens or antiestrogens.

As probes for possible conformational differences in estrogen receptor complexes when liganded with estrogen agonists or estrogen antagonists (antiestrogens), we have examined ligand-mediated thermal stability and resistance to trypsin-mediated proteolysis of uterine receptors occupied by a variety of steroidal and nonsteroidal estrogens and antiestrogens displaying a wide range of binding affinities for receptor. The estrogens examined (with chemical names and relative binding affinities in parentheses) were diethylstilbestrol (α,α9-diethyl-4,49-stilbenediol (126%)), estradiol-17β (estra-1,3,5(10)-triene-3,17β-diol (100%)), 11β-methoxy-17-β-ethynylestradiol, R2858 (11β-methoxy-17α-ethynyl-estra-1,3,5(10)triene-3,17β-diol (65%)), zearalanol, P-1496 (6-(6,10-dihydroxyundecyl)-β-resorcylic acid µ-lactone (14%)), estriol (estra-1,3,5(10)-triene-3,16α,17β-triol (19%)), estrone (3-hydroxy-estra-1,3,5(10)-triene-17-one (15%)), and estradiol-17α (estra-1,3,5(10)-triene-3,17α-diol (5%)); the antiestrogens examined were CI-628 demethylated (α-[4-pyrrolidinoethoxy]phenyl4-hydroxy-α9-nitrostilbene (70%)), CI-628 (α-[4-pyrrolidinoethoxy]-phenyl-4-methoxy-α9-nitrostilbene (5%)), 11α-methoxyethynylestradiol, RU16117 (11α-methoxy-17α-ethynylestra-1,3,5(10)-triene-3,17β-diol (4%)), tamoxifen (trans-1 (p-dimethylaminoethoxyphenyl)-1,2-diphenyl-1-butene (5%)), and U23,469 ((±)-cis-3-[p-(1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-6-methoxy-2-phenyl-1-naphthyl)phenoxy]-1,2-propanediol (0.3%)). Ligand-mediated thermal stability and resistance to tryptic proteolysis were observed to be closely related to binding affinity for receptor and not to whether the ligand was an agonist or antagonist. Consequently, while the receptor may distinguish an agonist from an antagonist by some resulting conformational perturbation that is ultimately translated into different biological responses, this change is not manifested in any characteristic fashion by ligand-mediated thermal stability or protection against tryptic proteolysis.