cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clostridium septicum infection in childhood leukemia: report of a case and review of the literature.

Overwhelming Clostriaium septicum infection is a rare occurrence in children. It is seen almost exclusively as a complication of acute leukemia. A high index of suspicion in the leukemic child with an acute abdomen is the key to early diagnosis and improved survival. A case in a 13-year-old girl with acute myelo-genous leukemia is reported and six pediatric cases in the literature were reviewed. Cancer 40:950–953, 1977.
Electro-optical behavior of polymer dispersed blue phase liquid crystals

We have investigated a new form of polymer dispersed liquid crystals (PDLC) electro-optical films comprised of blue phase liquid crystal and polymer prepared by the solvent evaporation method. In this method, polymer dispersed blue phase (PDBP) films, which were laminated between two indium-tin-oxidecoated conductive substrates, demonstrated two switching modes between light scattering and transparent states in response to an applied electric field across the film. The electro-optical properties of PDBP liquid crystals can be altered by changing the concentrations of liquid crystal and polymer. The compositions, film preparations, physical and morphological behaviors, and electro-optical properties of PDBP films are described.
Comparison of pure and “Latinized” centroidal Voronoi tessellation against various other statistical sampling methods

Abstract A recently developed centroidal Voronoi tessellation (CVT) sampling method is investigated here to assess its suitability for use in statistical sampling applications. CVT efficiently generates a highly uniform distribution of sample points over arbitrarily shaped M -dimensional parameter spaces. On several 2-D test problems CVT has recently been found to provide exceedingly effective and efficient point distributions for response surface generation. Additionally, for statistical function integration and estimation of response statistics associated with uniformly distributed random-variable inputs (uncorrelated), CVT has been found in initial investigations to provide superior points sets when compared against latin-hypercube and simple-random Monte Carlo methods and Halton and Hammersley quasi-random sequence methods. In this paper, the performance of all these sampling methods and a new variant (“Latinized” CVT) are further compared for non -uniform input distributions. Specifically, given uncorrelated normal inputs in a 2-D test problem, statistical sampling efficiencies are compared for resolving various statistics of response: mean, variance, and exceedence probabilities.
The Sit and Reach—A Test of Back and Leg Flexibility

(1952). The Sit and Reach—A Test of Back and Leg Flexibility. Research Quarterly. American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation: Vol. 23, No. 1, pp. 115-118.
The Los Angeles Symptom Checklist: A self-report measure of posttraumatic stress disorder.

A series of inquiries was conducted on the psychometric properties of the Los Angeles Symptom Checklist (LASC), a self-report measure of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and associated features...
Immunodeficiency in canine demodectic mange. I. Experimental production of lesions using antilymphocyte serum

Abstract Two experiments were conducted to further clarify the importance of cell-mediated immunity in cases of canine demodectic mange. Pups obtained from pregnant pedigreed beagle bitches were exposed to mites (Demodex canis Leydig, 1859) and then injected with rabbit anticanine lymphocyte serum (ALS). Littermates received either mites alone, ALS alone, or were retained as negative controls. Squamous lesions of demodicosis developed in all pups receiving both ALS and mites as well as in two pups receiving only mites. No lesions were observed in any of the remaining pups. A marked decline in the number of peripheral lymphocytes developed in pups receiving ALS. These cells returned to normal numbers 3 weeks after treatment was discontinued. The squamous lesions on affected pups continued to coalesce until generalized demodicosis became established. Spontaneous resolution of mite-infested areas was never observed and pustular lesions did not develop. It was concluded that the cellular immune system of the dog, functioning as a defense mechanism against the establishment and proliferation of D. canis, is of paramount importance in preventing the development of demodectic mange.
O imaginário das águas e o aprendizado erótico do corpo

Throughout human history, imaginary waters have carried out an overflow of meanings and symbolisms in the cultural universe of human beings, springing as symbols of contradictions. Beyond all oppositions, investigating the erotic learning of the body brings forward questions about the Occident’s civilizing process, such as: in which ways has water pervaded the transformations concerning the individual’s relationships with his\her bodies? The relation between water and Eros is perceived as an important element for the erotic learning of the body, observed as a set of rules concerning the use of water in bath. Therefore, is contact with water one of the possibilities to enjoying intensity of the senses? Is proximity with water a possibility of transgression? The article navigates through discussions about the imaginary of the waters as well as through water as a support for the imagination and for bath’s (un)pleasures in history.
Correction of Transposition of the Great Arteries in Infants Under Surface-Induced Deep Hypothermia

Abstract Thirty-five infants with transposition of the great arteries underwent primary surgical repair. There were 2 deaths in the 20 infants with uncomplicated transposition of the great arteries and 5 deaths among the 15 infants with complex transposition. Patients with pulmonary vascular disease and an intact ventricular septum present a higher risk, but it is our policy to repair the defect in these patients since normal hemodynamics and full oxygen saturations following correction protect them against cerebrovascular accidents.
Intrinsic cardiac origin of human cardiosphere-derived cells.

Aims Cardiosphere-derived cells (CDCs) are in clinical development as a regenerative cell product which can be expanded ex vivo from patient cardiac biopsies. Cardiosphere-derived cells are clonogenic, exhibit multilineage differentiation, and exert functional benefits in preclinical models of heart failure. The origin of CDCs remains unclear: are these cells endogenous to the heart, or do they arise from cells that populate the heart via blood-borne seeding? Methods and results Right ventricular endomyocardial biopsies were obtained from cardiac transplant recipients ( n = 10, age 57 ± 15 years), and CDCs expanded from each biopsy. Donor-recipient mismatches were used to probe the origin of CDCs in three complementary ways. First, DNA analysis of short-tandem nucleotide repeats (STRs) was performed on genomic DNA from donor and recipient, then compared with the STR pattern of CDCs. Second, in two cases where the donor was male and the recipient female, CDCs were examined for the presence of X and Y chromosomes by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Finally, in two cases, quantitative PCR (qPCR) was performed for individual-specific polymorphisms of a major histocompatability locus to quantify the contribution of recipient cells to CDCs. In no case was recipient DNA detectable in the CDCs by STR analysis. In the two cases in which a female patient had received a male heart, all CDCs examined had an X and Y chromosome, similarly indicating exclusively donor origin. Likewise, qPCR on CDCs did not detect any recipient DNA. Conclusion Cardiosphere-derived cells are of endogenous cardiac origin, with no detectable contribution from extra-cardiac seeding.
Coordinated voltage control strategy of wind farms cluster considering wind power fluctuation

Random fluctuation of active power output and wide variety of reactive power equipment are some of the typical characteristics of large scale wind farms cluster (WFC). In view of these characteristics, this paper proposed a coordinated strategy for reactive power and voltage control of WFC considering the influence of the wind power fluctuation. The control model of this strategy was built according to the wind power prediction, the present operation information and the historical operation information. By utilizing the automatic voltage control capability of wind farms and central substations, this strategy could achieve differentiated management between the discrete devices and the dynamic devices of WFC. The simulation results of an actual WFC in North China showed that the proposed strategy could not only improve the voltage control performance of the pilot bus, but also coordinate the operation between discrete devices and the dynamic devices and maintain the static voltage stability as well.
Validation of Etest for seven antimicrobial agents using regulatory criteria for the assessment of antimicrobial susceptibility devices.

Abstract Etest, a stable-gradient antimicrobial susceptibility test method (AB Biodisk, Solna, Sweden), was compared to the agar dilution method for tests with amikacin, tobramycin, aztreonam, cefdinir, cefprozil, ceftazidime and sparfloxacin. The study design followed recommended guidelines for 510(k) application by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Results demonstrated Etest accuracy (MIC ± 1.0 log 2 dilutions compared to agar dilution MIC) to be 90.4% with only one of 1150 comparisons showing a reproducible variation of 2 log 2 dilutions. Categorical equivalency was ⩾92% for all drugs except ceftazidime (82 to 89%), but false-susceptible error was rare ( 2 dilution) and quality control results conformed to published MIC ranges. The Etest seems to render accurate results for these seven antimicrobial agents evaluated.
A Power-Balancing Scheme for Clustered Wireless Sensor Networks

This paper proposes COSMOS WSN model for the power-balancing strategy. It looks for feasible solutions for power stretch of clusterheads. The method proposed is to distribute the task of data collection to some non-CH nodes in the cluster. It introduces the notion of partaker nodes. The partakers' role in a cluster is to assist the CH in the routine job of data collection. The power consumption of CHs can be reduced to various extents depending on the number of partakers.
The effects of aging and dorsal hippocampal lesions: performance on spatial and nonspatial comparable versions of the water maze.

Aged intact and young hippocampal-lesioned rats show similar deficits on the spatial water maze. However, this does not necessitate that the source of these deficits in the aged animals is due to hippocampal damage. These water maze deficits may arise from other aging factors such as changes in thermoregulation, muscle fatigue, swim ability, and response to stress. Consequently, it is imperative to examine the performance of aged rats on a comparable nonhippocampal version of this task. Past attempts to develop a hippocampus-independent version of the water maze were confounded because these tasks were easier (i.e., the rats spent much less time swimming in the water) than the spatial versions of the task. The current study examined performance on a hippocampus-independent task comparable in difficulty to the spatial water one. Middle-aged (16-m) and old (25-m) male F344 rats were given sham or dorsal hippocampus lesions and tested on both a spatial and a nonspatial water maze. The middle-aged rats with hippocampal lesions were impaired on the spatial task but not on the nonspatial task. Conversely, aged animals showed a similar impairment on both types of water maze tasks. Additionally, hippocampal lesions exacerbated the age-related impairment on both tasks. These findings indicate that caution must be used when interpreting the results of water maze tasks for aged animals.
Nuclear magnetic resonance studies of molecular structure, reorientation and order matrix of some substituted benzaldehydes partially oriented in a nematic liquid crystal

Molecular structure and order parameters are obtained in this study from nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of p-fluoro, p-chloro, p-bromo and p-nitrobenzaldehyde partially oriented in EBBA. Reorientation is found to be correlated with rotation of the —CHO group. The angle between the principal order axis and the effective C 2 axis is linearly dependent on the molecular length, indicating that the shape of the molecule is the major factor determining the orientation of these molecules in the nematic phase.
Effect of gamma irradiation and radioprotectors on alkaline phosphatase and ATPase.

SummaryWhole-body γ-irradiation (750 R) affected both AP and ATPase activities in 4 rat organs with similar changes in the period from 3 to 8 days postirradiation. However, the magnitude of these changes was different from one organ to another. Solutions of ATPase and AP (in vitro) were inactivated by irradiation. The former enzyme was radioresistant as evidenced by its D37 of 55 krads compared to D37 of 9 krads for AP. Cysteine (0.1 mM) altered the D37 of both AP and ATPase to 21 and 87 krads, respectively, whereas 4A1N (0.1 mM) changed the D37 of AP to 180 and ATPase to 148 krads. Maximum protection (20-fold) afforded by 4A1N was noted for AP.
Influence of fly ash characteristics on the strength of portland-fly ash mixtures

Abstract Modern thermal power plants are producing large amounts of fly ash that is generally quite suitable for use as a supplementary cementitious material in concrete. However, for this purpose the fly ash utilization in the United States continues to remain low, mainly on account of lack of quality control. This is because the current standards on fly ash do not contain specifications and test methods that are able to assess adequately the performance of a fly ash in concrete. Based on tests on 11 different fly ashes and direct determination of compressive strength of test mortars made with a fixed proportion of fly ash by weight of the cementitious materials, and a fixed ratio between water and the cementitious material, it seems that the calcium content and particle size distribution of the fly ash are the most important parameters governing the strength development rate in normally cured portland cement-fly ash mixtures.
Parallel nanoimaging using an array of 30 heated microcantilevers

A key limitation of atomic force microscopy (AFM) is the size of the measurement area and the speed with which this area can be measured. Cantilever arrays have the potential to increase the measurement area and speed compared to single cantilevers, although the integration and use of cantilever arrays is still not widespread. We report integration of an array of 30 individually addressable cantilevers into a commercial AFM. Each cantilever has an integrated resistive heater-thermometer that can measure nanometer-scale topography by tracking the cantilever heat flow. Parallel imaging with this AFM array can acquire an image of size 0.510 mm × 0.425 mm, much larger than typical AFM images. We acquired a 9.05 million-pixel image in 256 seconds at a cantilever scan speed of 226 μm s−1 with noise-limited vertical resolution of 1.21 nm and pixels of size 72.15 nm × 351.5 nm. This throughput is more than two orders of magnitude larger than conventional AFM measurements.
COEVOLUTION DRIVES TEMPORAL CHANGES IN FITNESS AND DIVERSITY ACROSS ENVIRONMENTS IN A BACTERIA–BACTERIOPHAGE INTERACTION

Coevolutionary interactions are thought to play a crucial role in diversification of hosts and parasitoids. Furthermore, resource availability has been shown to be a fundamental driver of species diversity. Yet, we still do not have a clear understanding of how resource availability mediates the diversity generated by coevolution between hosts and parasitoids over time. We used experiments with bacteria and bacteriophage to test how resources affect variation in the competitive ability of resistant hosts and temporal patterns of diversity in the host and parasitoid as a result of antagonistic coevolution. Bacteria and bacteriophage coevolved for over 150 bacterial generations under high and low-resource conditions. We measured relative competitive ability of the resistant hosts and phenotypic diversity of hosts and parasitoids after the initial invasion of resistant mutants and again at the end of the experiment. Variation in relative competitive ability of the hosts was both time- and environment-dependent. The diversity of resistant hosts, and the abundance of host-range mutants attacking these phenotypes, differed among environments and changed over time, but the direction of these changes differed between the host and parasitoid. Our results demonstrate that patterns of fitness and diversity resulting from coevolutionary interactions can be highly dynamic.
The Development of a Sexual Abuse Severity Score: Characteristics of Childhood Sexual Abuse Associated With Trauma Symptomatology, Somatization, and Alcohol Abuse

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is common and is associated with both mental and physical health problems in adulthood. Using data from an age- and sex-stratified population survey of 600 Olmsted County, Minnesota, residents, a Sexual Abuse Severity Score was developed. The abuse characteristics of 156 CSA respondents were associated with self-reported trauma, somatization, and alcohol use. Characteristics included age of first sexual abuse, more than one perpetrator, degree of coercion, severity of abuse (i.e., attempted intercourse is more severe than fondling), and the number of occurrences. This is one of the few reports to develop a risk summary that quantifies the severity of CSA.
Regulation of 35S-TBPS binding by bicuculline is region specific in rat brain.

Abstract The allosteric regulation of specific 35S-TBPS binding to the convulsant site on the GABAA receptor/chloride (Cl−) ionophore complex was studied in various brain regions in an attempt to characterize regional heterogeneity of the protein subunits forming the complex. Bicuculline methiodide (BIC), a GABAA antagonist, enhanced binding in cortex (CTX), substantia nigra (SN) and cerebellum (CBL), inhibited binding in inferior colliculus (IC) and did not affect binding in superior colliculus (SC). Similar results were found in CBL and IC using SR-95531, another GABAA antagonist. The levels of endogenous GABA in the different tissue samples could not account for the regional differences in binding. When the functional regulation of these receptors was measured using 36Cl− uptake in microsomes, muscimol-stimulated uptake was completely blocked by BIC in CBL and IC but was not affected by BIC in SC. Additionally, picrotoxin completely blocked muscimol-stimulated uptake in CBL but had no effect in IC or SC. These findings provide a functional basis for regional heterogeneity of GABAA receptor.
Anesthetic Gases and Water Structure : The effect of xenon on tritiated water flux across the gut

Pauling and Miller have independently proposed that the presence of an anesthetic gas in tissue induces a cage-like arrangement of hydrogen-bonded water molecules. The theories recognize that most gas-hydrate crystals would not form at the temperature and pressure that exist during anesthesia and propose that other components of tissue such as protein should have a stabilizing effect. Measurements of the behavior of water, rather than the anesthetic agent, would provide alternative information about the likelihood of hydrate crystal formation and this information could be such as to be applicable to body temperature and to pressures used for anesthesia. If the number of hydrogen-bonded water molecules in tissue is increased, then the movement of an average water molecule should be hindered. Movement of water through the tissue may be measured by tagging it with tritium and the anesthetic gas should then slow the movement of tritiated water through the tissue. The flux of tritiated water through rat cecum is indeed slowed when the cecum is exposed to the anesthetic gas, xenon, which can participate biochemically only by virtue of its van der Waals interaction. The decrement in water flux is in reasonable agreement with what could be expected theoretically from calculations based on the activation energy for the self-diffusion of water and the degree of hypothermia necessary to produce narcosis.
Fatigue in Anesthesia—the Impact on Patient and Provider Safety: Update on Work-Hour Limitations

The invention of the light bulb by Thomas Edison in 1879 heralded a new era of productivity for society, providing the means for continuous operation. Today, approximately 15% of America’s full-time workforce has a rotating work-shift schedule, with close to 8% engaged in evening and night-shift work [1]. Maintaining the health, safety, and economy of modern society requires 24/7 availability of services, such as health care, law enforcement, and transportation. This situation is analogous to the one that anesthesia providers face when delivering quality care to patients at all hours. The uninterrupted nature of that work presents unusual physiologic demands to individuals called on to provide such services in a safe manner. Humans have a genetically determined need for sleep and programmed circadian patterns that dictate levels of alertness and performance. This delicate system of sleep-wake physiology evolved over millions of years; thus, it is no wonder that since Edison’s time, modern society faces challenges when attempting to oppose it. The issue of fatigue in health care has gained attention on a national level. It was first highlighted 20 years ago in New York State after a high-profile investigation regarding the death of Libby Zion, to which long hours without sleep was identified as a contributing factor [2]. Most recently, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) implemented mandatory work-hour restrictions in 2003 for all resident physicians to address concerns regarding patient and health care provider safety. Many factors contributed to the changes mandated by the ACGME, including (1) a well-established body of research on the deleterious effects of fatigue on performance [3–7], (2) concern for the safety of patients [8], (3) the consequences of long hours on residents’ lives, and (4) pending congressional legislation. The repercussions of these hours of service changes still are being evaluated and the results thus far are variable and controversial [9,10].
Augmenting parallel reasoning mechanisms with learning networks in expert systems

Abstract Efficient reasoning mechanisms and a facility to learn the reasoning process can significantly enhance the performance of expert systems. This paper proposes parallel algorithms that implement the reasoning mechanisms, and a Learning Network that can learn the patterns of the reasoning process in an Expert System Model (ESM). As a result, either backward or forward reasoning can be accomplished with a high degree of parallelism, and the recall of a learned conclusion can be accomplished in constant time. The parallel algorithms are implemented using artificial neural networks. The parallel implementation of the algorithm makes use of several orders of simple neural networks, each realizing a simple task. These simple neural networks are organized vertically, thereby achieving a second level of parallelism. The paper presents a novel way to handle both forward and backward chaining reasoning mechanisms in parallel. The secondary neural network model (the learning network) monitors and learns the reasoning patterns carried out by the reasoning networks. Once adequately learned, this learning network can generate reasoning based on “experience”. Generating reasons based on experience eliminates the need for unnecessary search and significantly enhances the response time. Several simulation results show that both parallel realization and learning of the reasoning process can significantly improve the performance of expert systems.
A Fast Heuristic Algorithm for Multidomain Clock Skew Scheduling

In the most general form, clock skew scheduling (CSS) generates a dedicated clock delay for each individual sequential component in the clock distribution network in order to minimize the clock period. Multidomain CSS (MDCSS) relieves this requirement. Instead, sequential components are grouped into several clusters (called clock domains), each of which has a uniform clock delay for all registers within that domain. The skew values of clock domains are provided by a set of deskew buffers with electrically programmable phase shifts and injected after the chip is manufactured. This technique is attractive since, due to process variations, it is becoming overwhelmingly difficult to create precise clock network delays for all sequential elements in a design globally. In this paper, we present a fast algorithm for determining the minimum number of clock domains to be used by MDCSS. The exact solution to this problem cannot be found within a reasonable time if the number of clock domains increases beyond three domains. We show that, even with a small-size circuit, in order to obtain the minimum clock period, more than three clock domains may be required. Therefore, a fast heuristic algorithm is needed to identify these domains. To the best of our knowledge, we present the first efficient heuristic algorithm for this problem. For large benchmark circuits, we solve the problem within 14.7 min on average (as high as 31.7 min for the worst case), while a commercial mixed-integer linear program solver cannot finish in over 5 h. Furthermore, our results show that, for 19 out of 21 small- and medium-size benchmarks, our algorithm yields the optimal solution.
Selecting significant factors by the noise addition method in principal component analysis

The noise addition method (NAM) is presented as a tool for determining the number of significant factors in a data set. The NAM is compared to residual standard deviation (RSD), the factor indicator function (IND), chi-squared (χ2) and cross-validation (CV) for establishing the number of significant factors in three data sets. The comparison and validation of the NAM are performed through Monte Carlo simulations with noise distributions of varying standard deviation, HPLC/UV-vis chromatographs of a mixture of aromatic hydrocarbons, and FIA of methyl orange. The NAM succeeds in correctly identifying the proper number of significant factors 98% of the time with the simulated data, 99% in the HPLC data sets and 98% with the FIA data. RSD and χ2 fail to choose the proper number of factors in all three data sets. IND identifies the correct number of factors in the simulated data sets but fails with the HPLC and FIA data sets. Both CV methods fail in the HPLC and FIA data sets. CV also fails for the simulated data sets, while the modified CV correctly chooses the proper number of factors an average of 80% of the time. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Soil hydric characteristics and environmental ice nuclei influence supercooling capacity of hatchling painted turtles Chrysemys picta.

Hatchling painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) hibernate in their shallow natal nests where temperatures occasionally fall below -10 C during cold winters. Because the thermal limit of freeze tolerance in this species is approximately -4 C, hatchlings rely on supercooling to survive exposure to extreme cold. We investigated the influence of environmental ice nuclei on susceptibility to inoculative freezing in hatchling C. picta indigenous to the Sandhills of west-central Nebraska. In the absence of external ice nuclei, hatchlings cooled to -14.6 1.9 C (mean s.e.m.; N=5) before spontaneously freezing. Supercooling capacity varied markedly among turtles cooled in physical contact with sandy soil collected from nesting locales or samples of the native soil to which water-binding agents (clay or peat) had been added, despite the fact that all substrata contained the same amount of moisture (7.5 % moisture, w/w). The temperature of crystallization (Tc) of turtles exposed to frozen native soil was -1.6 0.4 C (N=5), whereas turtles exposed to frozen soil/clay and soil/peat mixtures supercooled extensively (mean Tc values approximately -13 C). Hatchlings cooled in contact with drier (less than or equal to 4 % moisture) native soil also supercooled extensively. Thus, inoculative freezing is promoted by exposure to sandy soils containing abundant moisture and little clay or organic matter. Soil collected at turtle nesting locales in mid and late winter contained variable amounts of moisture (4-15 % w/w) and organic matter (1-3 % w/w). In addition to ice, the soil at turtle nesting locales may harbor inorganic and organic ice nuclei that may also seed the freezing of hatchlings. Bulk samples of native soil, which were autoclaved to destroy any organic nuclei, nucleated aqueous solutions at approximately -7 C (Tc range -6.1 to -8.2 C). Non-autoclaved samples contained water-extractable, presumably organic, ice nuclei (Tc range -4.4 to -5.3 C). Ice nuclei of both classes varied in potency among turtle nesting locales. Interaction with ice nuclei in the winter microenvironment determines whether hatchling C. picta remain supercooled or freeze and may ultimately account for differential mortality in nests at a given locale and for variation in winter survival rates among populations.
Cost Avoidance, Acceptance, and Outcomes Associated with a Pharmacotherapy Consult Clinic in a Veterans Affairs Medical Center

A pharmacist-directed pharmacotherapy consult clinic (PCC) was established in an interdisciplinary primary care medicine continuity clinic. The pharmacist initiated or modified patient care plans in collaboration with primary care physicians and maintained care plans for 336 (32.8%) of 1023 patients enrolled in the continuity clinic. Clinical outcomes were positive in 88.3% of patient visits, with 95.7% attendance at the PCC clinic and 95% physician acceptance of pharmacist recommendations. Average reductions of 2.4 prescriptions/patient and 6.9 doses/day were achieved. Actual and potential cost avoidance totaled $54,730.56, with actual and potential savings realized compared with dollars spent at a ratio of 5.8:1. The pharmacist provided value-added services and contributed to decreased costs associated with care.
Contractarian ethics and Harsanyi’s two justifications of utilitarianism:

Harsanyi defends utilitarianism by means of an axiomatic proof and by what he calls the ‘equiprobability model’. Both justifications of utilitarianism aim to show that utilitarian ethics can be derived from Bayesian rationality and some weak moral constraints on the reasoning of rational agents. I argue that, from the perspective of Bayesian agents, one of these constraints, the impersonality constraint, is not weak at all if its meaning is made precise and that generally it even contradicts individual rational agency. Without the impersonality constraint, Harsanyi’s two justifications of utilitarianism on the grounds of Bayesian rationality fail. As an alternative, I develop a contractarian framework that is compatible with individual rational agency and Harsanyi’s central assumptions, and that allows the derivation of moral conclusions on the grounds of Bayesian rationality. The developed framework offers a novel justification of contractarian ethics and may best be described as a combined version of Ha...
"I'm clear, you're clear, everybody's clear": a tradition no longer necessary for defibrillation?

In emergency defibrillation of ventricular arrhythmias or elective cardioversion of atrial arrhythmias, a potent electric shock is passed through the torso of the patient to briefly terminate all electrical activity and allow an organized, perfusing rhythm to emerge. The electric shock is administered via electrodes placed on the patient’s chest, usually in anterior-apical or anterior-posterior positions. For many years, hand-held paddle electrodes were pressed by a rescuer against the patient’s chest; more recently, pregelled self-adhesive electrode pads with nonconductive backing have achieved widespread use. Article p 2510 Possible danger to a rescuer compressing the chest or simply touching a patient who is receiving a defibrillating shock has long been recognized; stray electric current passing through a rescuer could possibly induce a lethal arrhythmia. Such danger would be heightened if the rescuer were simultaneously in contact with highly conductive material (ie, body fluids or leaking or disrupted intravenous fluid cannulas). To avoid this hazard, generations of rescuers, from lay persons to cardiologists, have been instructed to “clear” the patient before shock delivery.1,2 Physical separation of the rescuer from the patient ensures that no electric current will inadvertently enter the rescuer’s body and thereby ensures safety. But in clearing the patient, chest compressions are necessarily …
HFE Gene Variants Affect Iron in the Brain

Iron accumulation in the brain and increased oxidative stress are consistent observations in many neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, we have begun examination into gene mutations or allelic variants that could be associated with loss of iron homeostasis. One of the mechanisms leading to iron overload is a mutation in the HFE gene, which is involved in iron metabolism. The 2 most common HFE gene variants are C282Y (1.9%) and H63D (8.9%). The C282Y HFE variant is more commonly associated with hereditary hemochromatosis, which is an autosomal recessive disorder, characterized by iron overload in a number of systemic organs. The H63D HFE variant appears less frequently associated with hemochromatosis, but its role in the neurodegenerative diseases has received more attention. At the cellular level, the HFE mutant protein resulting from the H63D HFE gene variant is associated with iron dyshomeostasis, increased oxidative stress, glutamate release, tau phosphorylation, and alteration in inflammatory response, each of which is under investigation as a contributing factor to neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, the HFE gene variants are proposed to be genetic modifiers or a risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases by establishing an enabling milieu for pathogenic agents. This review will discuss the current knowledge of the association of the HFE gene variants with neurodegenerative diseases: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and ischemic stroke. Importantly, the data herein also begin to dispel the long-held view that the brain is protected from iron accumulation associated with the HFE mutations.
Determining Molecular Structures and Conformations Directly from Electron Diffraction using a Genetic Algorithm

A global optimization strategy, based upon application of a genetic algorithm (GA), is demonstrated as an approach for determining the structures of molecules possessing significant conformational flexibility directly from gas-phase electron diffraction data. In contrast to the common approach to molecular structure determination, based on trial-and-error assessment of structures available from quantum chemical calculations, the GA approach described here does not require expensive quantum mechanical calculations or manual searching of the potential energy surface of the sample molecule, relying instead upon simple comparison between the experimental and calculated diffraction pattern derived from a proposed trial molecular structure. Structures as complex as all-trans retinal and p-coumaric acid, both important chromophores in photosensing processes, may be determined by this approach. In the examples presented here, we find that the GA approach can determine the correct conformation of a flexible molecule described by 11 independent torsion angles. We also demonstrate applications to samples comprising a mixture of two distinct molecular conformations. With these results we conclude that applications of this approach are very promising in elucidating the structures of large molecules directly from electron diffraction data.
Increasing Register File Immunity to Transient Errors

Transient errors are one of the major reasons for system downtime in many systems. While prior research has mainly focused on the impact of transient errors on datapath, caches and main memories, the register file has largely been neglected. Since the register file is accessed very frequently, the probability of transient errors is high. In addition, errors in it can quickly spread to different parts of the system, and cause application crash or silent data corruption. This paper addresses the reliability of register files in superscalar processors. Particularly, we propose to duplicate actively used physical registers in unused physical registers. The rationale behind this idea is that if the protection mechanism (parity or ECC) used for the primary copy indicates an error, the duplicate can provide the data as long as it is not corrupted. We implement two types of strategies based on this register duplication idea. In the "conservative strategy," we limit ourselves with the given register usage behavior, and duplicate register contents only on otherwise unused registers. Consequently, there is no impact on the original performance when there is no error, except for the protection mechanism used for the primary copy. Our experiments with two different versions of this strategy show that, with the more powerful conservative scheme, 78% of the accesses are to the physical registers with duplicates .The "aggressive strategy" sacrifices some performance to increase the number of register accesses with duplicates. It does so by marking the registers not used for a long time as "dead" and using them for duplicating actively used registers. The experiments with this strategy indicate that it takes the fraction of the reliable register accesses to 84%, and degrades the overall performance by only 0.21% on the average.
An integrated network management system with online traffic engineering for optical label switching networks

This paper presents an integrated network management system (INMS) for optical-label switching networks. The INMS addresses the issues of managing multi-layer heterogeneous networks in an integrated way; and it provides a platform for integrated multi-layer (IP/WDM) traffic engineering, fault management, and restoration. We demonstrate a prototype implementation of the INMS, which performs on-line traffic engineering over label switching and optical circuit switching layers with integrated intelligence.
The COP9 signalosome: its regulation of cullin-based E3 ubiquitin ligases and role in photomorphogenesis.

Plants are sessile organisms that have evolved an extraordinary phenotypic and developmental plasticity to optimally adapt to the ambient environment. Light is one of the most critical environmental factors, since it is a key signal for regulating a wide range of developmental and physiological
An experimental and numerical investigation of n-heptane/air counterflow partially premixed flames and emission of NOx and PAH species

An experimental and numerical investigation of counterflow prevaporized partially premixed n-heptane flames is reported. The major objective is to provide well-resolved experimental data regarding the detailed structure and emission characteristics of these flames, including profiles of C1-C6, and aromatic species (benzene and toluene) that play an important role in soot formation. n-Heptane is considered a surrogate for liquid hydrocarbon fuels used in many propulsion and power generation systems. A counterflow geometry is employed, since it provides a nearly one-dimensional flat flame that facilitates both detailed measurements and simulations using comprehen- sive chemistry and transport models. The measurements are compared with predictions using a detailed n-heptane oxidation mechanism that includes the chemistry of NOx and PAH formation. The reaction mechanism was syn- ergistically improved using pathway analysis and measured benzene profiles and then used to characterize the effects of partial premixing and strain rate on the flame structure and the production of NOx and soot precursors. Measurements and predictions exhibit excellent agreement for temperature and major species profiles (N2 ,O 2, n-C7H16 ,C O2 ,C O, H2), and reasonably good agreement for intermediate (CH4 ,C 2H4 ,C 2H2 ,C 3Hx ) and higher hydrocarbon species (C4H8 ,C 4H6 ,C 4H4 ,C 4H2 ,C 5H10 ,C 6H12) and aromatic species (toluene and benzene). Both the measurements and predictions also indicate the existence of two partially premixed regimes; a double flame regime for φ 5.0. The NOx and soot precursor emissions exhibit strong dependence on partial premixing and strain rate in the first regime and relatively weak dependence in the second regime. At higher levels of partial premixing, NOx emission is increased due to increased residence time and higher peak temperature. In contrast, the emissions of acetylene and PAH species are reduced by partial premixing because their peak locations move away from the stagnation plane, resulting in lower residence time, and the increased amount of oxygen in the system drives the reactions to the oxidation pathways. The effects of partial premixing and strain rate on the production of PAH species become progressively stronger as the number of aromatic rings increases.
Spatial interpolation of precipitation in a dense gauge network for monsoon storm events in the southwestern United States

[1] Inaccuracy in spatially distributed precipitation fields can contribute significantly to the uncertainty of hydrological states and fluxes estimated from land surface models. This paper examines the results of selected interpolation methods for both convective and mixed/stratiform events that occurred during the North American monsoon season over a dense gauge network at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed in the southwestern United States. The spatial coefficient of variation for the precipitation field is employed as an indicator of event morphology, and a gauge clustering factor CF is formulated as a new, scale-independent measure of network organization. We consider that CF 0 (clustering in the gauge network) will produce errors because of reduced areal representation of the precipitation field. Spatial interpolation is performed using both inverse-distance-weighted (IDW) and multiquadric-biharmonic (MQB) methods. We employ ensembles of randomly selected network subsets for the statistical evaluation of interpolation errors in comparison with the observed precipitation. The magnitude of interpolation errors and differences in accuracy between interpolation methods depend on both the density and the geometrical organization of the gauge network. Generally, MQB methods outperform IDW methods in terms of interpolation accuracy under all conditions, but it is found that the order of the IDW method is important to the results and may, under some conditions, be just as accurate as the MQB method. In almost all results it is demonstrated that the inverse-distance-squared method for spatial interpolation, commonly employed in operational analyses and for engineering assessments, is inferior to the ID-cubed method, which is also more computationally efficient than the MQB method in studies of large networks.
Naming Evil, Judging Evil

Naming Evil, Judging Evil. Edited by Ruth W. Grant. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2006. 232p. $35.00.Interdisciplinarity is much praised and rarely practiced. Too often, it boils down to a sociologist adding a few anthropological works to a bibliography, or a geographer applying for a political science grant. The ideal of learning from and engaging with other intellectual traditions and conceptualizations is easily lost.
THE DYNAMIC LOAD FACTOR OF PRESSURE VESSELS IN DEFLAGRATION EVENTS

There are vessels that could be subjected to rapidly rising pressure load during deflagration events. The dynamic load factor (DLF) which accounts for dynamic load effects in such events can be used to bridge the gap between transient and static pressure loads. This paper addresses the issues in estimating the DLF for a deflagration event. A unified methodology for estimating the DLF is first presented. The methodology is then validated with existing references. Key parameters determining DLFs are identified during the validation. Case studies are used to illustrate how to use the methodology. Finally, this paper is concluded with the findings and a suggested procedure for estimating DLFs in deflagration events.
A tapping micropositioning cell

Describes the use of tapping actuators in a "micropositioning cell." Tapping actuators are fixed (both in position and orientation) about the perimeter of the cell. A part in the cell can be precisely positioned by firing a sequence of tapping actuators (sensing the position of the object after each tap for feedback control). Such a system could be used for micropositioning tasks or in parts feeding applications. We show the controllability of this system for circular parts, describe an algorithm to position these objects, and present the results of simulated experiments. We conclude with some future directions and address the issues in extending this work to more efficient algorithms that work on a broader class of parts.
Multiplex Real-Time PCR Assay for Simultaneous Detection of Acanthamoeba spp., Balamuthia mandrillaris, and Naegleria fowleri

Infections caused by Naegleria fowleri, Acanthamoeba spp., and Balamuthia mandrillaris occur throughout the world and pose many diagnostic challenges. To date, at least 440 cases of severe central nervous system infections caused by these amebas have been documented worldwide. Rapid and specific identification of these free-living amebas in clinical samples is of crucial importance for efficient case management. We have developed a triplex real-time TaqMan PCR assay that can simultaneously identify Acanthamoeba spp., B. mandrillaris, and N. fowleri in the same PCR vessel. The assay was validated with 22 well-characterized amebic strains harvested from cultures and nine clinical specimens that were previously characterized by in vitro culture and/or immunofluorescence assay. The triplex assay demonstrated high specificity and a rapid test completion time of less than 5 h from the reception of the specimen in the laboratory. This assay was able to detect one single ameba per sample analyzed, as determined with cerebrospinal fluid spiked with diluted cultured amebas. This assay could become useful for fast laboratory diagnostic assessment of amebic infections (caused by free-living amebas) in laboratories with adequate infrastructure to perform real-time PCR testing.
Measurement of Rubidium Number Density Under Optically Thick Conditions

A measurement of rubidium number density under optically thick conditions has been demonstrated by measuring the wings of the D1 absorption spectra using a laser with a 0.16 nm (75 GHz) fine tuning range. This technique can measure the absolute concentration in rubidium under conditions where the absorption coefficient and path length product yield conditions where the central region of the line is opaque. The laser was tuned to a region sufficiently far into the short wavelength wing of the absorption where transmission through the cell was possible. The laser was then scanned through the central opaque region of the line to the adjacent long wavelength wing. The wavelength of the scan was calibrated by using a 1.5 GHz etalon and a cell containing only naturally occurring rubidium as a frequency reference. The measured absorption spectra for various cell conditions of temperature and pressure were then fit to a pressure broadened Voigt profile thereby allowing the determination of the rubidium number density.