cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
MAST augmentation of external cardiac compression: Role of changing intrapleural pressure

Ventricular fibrillation was induced in nine dogs weighing 18 to 22 kg. CPR was performed with a mechanical chest compressor. Mean carotid flow during CPR was 7.9 ± 1.5 ml/min. After MAST inflation to 100 mm Hg, the flow increased to 15.7 ± 3.7 ml/min. Intrathoracic aortic systolic pressure was also significantly increased from 65 ± 7 to 73 ± 8 mm Hg. When the thorax was vented with chest tubes bilaterally, no change in carotid flow or arterial pressure was noted on closing or opening the chest tubes. One liver laceration and two gallbladder contusions were noted at autopsy. MAST inflation apparently augments carotid flow and systolic pressure. Variations in intrapleural pressure do not seem to have a significant influence on CPR.
Expected Utility, Contributory Causation, and Vegetarianism

Several authors have argued that act–utilitarianism cannot provide an adequate critique of buying meat because a single meat purchase will not actually cause more farm animals to be raised or slaughtered. Thus, regardless of whether or not the production of meat is inhumane to animals, someone who buys meat is doing nothing wrong. This argument fails to show that meat purchases are morally permissible, however, because it assumes that act–utilitarians would use actual utility in their decision to buy or not to buy meat. I show that act–utilitarians cannot use actual utility as a decision procedure and must instead use expected utility to prescribe or proscribe actions. I then demonstrate how expected utility can be applied to cases of contributory causation, where many people seem morally responsible for causing something to happen. Buying meat is one case of contributory causation where the probability of any single individual's affecting meat production is slight, but the expected disutility of affecting that production is substantial. Thus, in its expected utility form, act–utilitarianism defeats the ‘causal inefficacy’ defence of buying meat [1].
Mapping Shallow Coastal Ecosystems: A Case Study of a Rhode Island Lagoon

STOLT, M.; BRADLEY, M.; TURENNE, J.; PAYNE, M.; SCHERER, E.; CICCHETTI, G.; SHUMCHENIA, E.; GUARINELLO, M.; KING, J.; BOOTHROYD, J.; OAKLEY, B.; THORNBER, C., and AUGUST, P., 2011. Mapping shallow coastal ecosystems: a case study of a Rhode Island lagoon. Journal of Coastal Research, 27(6A), 1-15. West Palm Beach (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. In order to effectively study, manage, conserve, and sustain shallow-subtidal ecosystems, a spatial inventory of the basic resources and habitats is essential. Because of the complexities of shallow-subtidal substrates, benthic communities, geology, geomorphology, and water column attributes, few standard protocols are fully articulated and tested that describe the mapping and inventory processes and accompanying interpretations. In this paper, we describe a systematic approach to map Rhode Island's shallow-subtidal coastal lagoon ecosystems, by using, integrating, and reconciling multiple data sets to identify the geology, soils, biological communities, and environments that, collectively, define each shallow-subtidal habitat. We constructed maps for these lagoons via a deliberate, step by step approach. Acoustics and geostatistical modeling were used to create a bathymetric map. These data were analyzed to identify submerged landforms and geologic boundaries. Geologic interpretations were verified with video and grab samples. Soils were sampled, characterized, and mapped within the context of the landscape and geologic boundaries. Biological components and distributions were investigated using acoustics, grab samples, video, and sediment profile images. Data sets were cross-referenced and ground-truthed to test for inconsistencies. Maps and geospatial data, with Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC)-compliant metadata, were finalized after reconciling data set inconsistencies and made available on the Internet. These data allow for classification in the revised Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS). With these maps, we explored potential relationships among and between physical and biological parameters. In some cases, we discovered a clear match between habitat measures; in others, however, relationships were more difficult to distinguish and require further investigation. www.JCRonline.org
Managing Macrophages in Rheumatoid Arthritis by Reform or Removal

Macrophages play a central role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). There is an imbalance of inflammatory and antiinflammatory macrophages in RA synovium. Although the polarization and heterogeneity of macrophages in RA have not been fully uncovered, the identity of macrophages in RA can potentially be defined by their products, including the co-stimulatory molecules, scavenger receptors, different cytokines/chemokines and receptors, and transcription factors. In the last decade, efforts to understand the polarization, apoptosis regulation, and novel signaling pathways in macrophages, as well as how distinct activated macrophages influence disease progression, have led to strategies that target macrophages with varied specificity and selectivity. Major targets that are related to macrophage development and apoptosis include TNF-α, IL-1, IL-6, GM-CSF, M-CSF, death receptor 5 (DR5), Fas, and others, as listed in Table 1. Combined data from clinical, preclinical, and animal studies of inhibitors of these targets have provided valuable insights into their roles in the disease progression and, subsequently, have led to the evolving therapeutic paradigms in RA. In this review, we propose that reestablishment of macrophage equilibrium by inhibiting the development of, and/or eliminating, the proinflammatory macrophages will be an effective therapeutic approach for RA and other autoimmune diseases.
Kinetic analysis of nitroxide radical formation under oxygenated photolysis: toward quantitative singlet oxygen topology

Reaction kinetics for two sterically hindered secondary amines with singlet oxygen have been studied in detail. A water soluble porphyrin sensitizer, 5,10,15,20-tetrakis-(4-sulfunatophenyl)-21,23H-porphyrin (TPPS), was irradiated in oxygenated aqueous solutions containing either 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-4-one (TMPD) or 4-[N,N,N-trimethyl-ammonium]-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyl chloride (N-TMPCl). The resulting sensitization reaction produced singlet oxygen in high yield, ultimately leading to the formation of the corresponding nitroxide free radicals (R2NO) which were detected using steady-state electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Careful actinometry and EPR calibration curves, coupled with a detailed kinetic analysis, led to a simple and compact expression relating the nitroxide quantum yield ΦR2NO (from the doubly-integrated EPR signal intensity) to the initial amine concentration [R2NH]i. With all other parameters held constant, a plot of ΦR2NOvs. [R2NH]i gave a straight line with a slope proportional to the rate constant for nitroxide formation, kR2NO. This establishment of a rigorous quantitative relationship between the EPR signal and the rate constant provides a mechanism for quantifying singlet oxygen production as a function of its topology in heterogeneous media. Implications for in vivo assessment of singlet oxygen topology are briefly discussed.
Increased permeability of the capillary-alveolar barriers in neurogenic pulmonary edema (NPE).

Abstract Pulmonary edema of varying severity was induced in rats by injecting different doses of aconitine, an alkaloid, into the preoptic-anterior hypothalamic area of the brain. Lung weight-to-body weight ratios × 100 at 1 hr after injection increased from 0.45 ± 0.03 (mean ± SEM) in animals that received the lowest dose (84 pmole/kg) to 1.41 ± 0.13 in animals injected with the highest dose (3100 pmole/kg). Cadmium-free ferritin (500,000 MW) was used as a tracer to assess changes in permeability of the alveolar capillary endothelial and epithelial barriers. Ferritin was observed occasionally within capillary endothelial junctions and frequently in the interstitial and alveolar air spaces as early as 8 and 15 min after injection of 1500 pmole/kg of aconitine. Open endothelial junctions and structurally altered cells were observed. Although the tight junctions between alveolar epithelial cells appeared intact and were impermeable to ferritin, type I epithelial cells were starting to deteriorate at 8 min and were severely swollen, discontinuous (exposing the basal lamina), or absent by 15 min. Vesicular transport of ferritin across both barriers was negligible. These observations show that plasma proteins moved across the pulmonary capillary endothelial barrier at the onset of NPE through loosened junctions and injured areas in the endothelium. In contrast, we suggest that alveolar edema occurs after type I cells are grossly altered.
Alternative Reproductive Behaviors in Lampreys and Their Signifcance

ABSTRACT A typical lamprey mating involves a female attaching to a stone near the upstream end of the nest A male then attaches to the back of the female's head and wraps his body around hers. Both vibrate vigorously as gametes are released. In some cases, a second male, the satellite, circles about the urogenital area of a mating pair at the moment of gamete release in what has been interpreted as an attempt to gain fertilizations. Analysis of videotapes of spawning Lampetra appendix in the North Branch Whitewater River in Minnesota (Mississippi River drainage) and Jambo Creek in eastern Wisconsin (Great Lakes drainage) revealed that at both sites at least 50% of matings in nests with at least three lampreys included a satellite male. Nest associations involving more that one lamprey species in the same nest are known to involve many combinations of species, but especially relevant are cases involving closely related parasitic and nonparasitic species. For example, we have observed nonparasitic Ichthyomy...
Internationalism and the future of academic psychiatry.

Received February 15, 2004; revised July 12, 2004; accepted November 16, 2004. Dr. Belkin is with the Department of Psychiatry, Bellevue Hospital Center, NYUniversity Medical School ofMedicine, and the Massachusetts General Department of Psychiatry, HarvardMedical School, Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Fricchione is Associate Chairman and Acting Director, Division of International Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Boston, Massachusetts. Address correspondence to Dr. Fricchione, Division of International Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Psychiatry, Warren Bldg., 6th Floor, 275 Charles St., Boston, MA 02114; gfricchione@partners.org (E-mail). Copyright 2005 Academic Psychiatry. Toward a Global Psychiatry
Detection of Air Pollutants with Tunable Diode Lasers

Preliminary experiments indicate that tunable Pb(1-x)Sn(x)Te diode lasers will be useful in the identification and sensitive detection of most of the atmospheric pollutant gases. For point-sampling applications, concentrations in the parts-per-billion range should be measurable with very high specificity. For long-range atmospheric transmission techniques, the improved resolution capability and tunability of these diode lasers make them attractive replacements for spectrometers and fixed-frequency laser sources where operation at cryogenic temperatures is not a serious impediment. By using these lasers as tunable local oscillators in the infrared heterodyne configuration, remote passive detection of gases present in smokestack effluent appears possible. Finally, pulsed operation at temperatures available with simple cryogenic coolers permits immediate application to the fast detection of gases present in automobile exhaust and in chemical processing plants.
Monoclonal antibody assays for measuring ovarian tumor antigen in blood: detection of NB/70K in patients with ovarian cancer and nongynecologic diseases

Blood levels of human ovarian tumor antigen NB/70K were measured using four different monoclonal anti-NB/70K antibody radioimmunoassays (NB12123, NB12913, NB13834, and NB13831 assays). Four hundred thirty-two blood samples were obtained from apparently disease-free controls, from patients with benign and malignant ovarian tumors, and from patients with benign nontumorous and malignant diseases of the breast, lung, and gastrointestinal systems. The means, medians, and percent of samples that had elevated levels of NB/70K were calculated for each group of patients or controls for each assay. For all control versus malignant disease comparisons, there were statistically significant differences in all assays. For all benign versus malignant disease comparisons in the ovary, breast, lung, and gastrointestinal systems, there were statistically significant differences in all assays with the exception of the benign versus malignant gastrointestinal disease comparison in the NB12123 assay. Elevated NB/70K levels were detected in blood from ovarian cancer patients, almost all of whom had adenocarcinomas. Elevated NB/70K levels were also detected in blood samples from patients with adenocarcinoma, squamous, and clear cell carcinomas of the lung as well as in adenocarcinoma and ductal carcinoma of the breast. These results indicate that NB/70K is a marker for different pathologic types of malignancies.
Endogenous inhibition of somatic pain is impaired in girls with irritable bowel syndrome compared with healthy girls.

Abstract Endogenous pain inhibition is often deficient in adults with chronic pain conditions including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It is unclear whether deficiencies in pain inhibition are present in young children with IBS. The present study compared endogenous pain inhibition, somatic pain threshold, and psychosocial distress in young girls with IBS versus controls. Girls with IBS did not show significant endogenous pain inhibition of heat pain threshold during a cold-pressor task in contrast to controls, who had significant pain inhibition. Girls with IBS did not differ from peers on measures of somatic pain but had more symptoms of depression, somatization, and anxiety than controls. When psychological variables were included as covariates, the difference in pain inhibition was no longer significant, although poor achieved power limits interpretation of these results. Higher-order cognitive processes including psychological variables may be contributing to observed pain inhibition. In girls with IBS, pain inhibition was positively related to the number of days without a bowel movement. To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate deficiencies of endogenous pain inhibition in young children with IBS. Findings have implications for better understanding of onset and maintenance of IBS and other chronic pain conditions. Perspective This study found that young girls with IBS have deficient endogenous pain inhibition compared to healthy girls, which is consistent with the literature on adults. This information can facilitate clinicians in identification of risk factors for onset/maintenance of IBS and other chronic pain conditions.
57-year-old man with flushing and fainting.

Apreviously healthy 55-year-old man presented with a 2-month history of recurrent episodes of syncope and near syncope.Hehadrecentlylostconsciousnesswhile riding a bike, at which time hypotension was noted by emergency medical technicians. These episodes occurred on a weekly basis, lasted 15 to 20 minutes, and were primarily associated with exertion or stress. Additional symptoms includedprominentfacial flushingwiththesensationthathisearswere“on fire,”headache,nausea, abdominal discomfort, and palpitations. He reported no vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, wheezing,dyspnea,seizurelikesymptoms,confusion, extremity weakness, or incontinence of
INFLUENCE of OIL TEMPERATURE ON CONVECTIVE HEAT TRANSFER DURING IMMERSION FRYING

The relationship between oil temperature, convective heat transfer coefficient, and heat flux during immersion frying was investigated. Potato cylinders were fried in 120, 150, and 180C oil and convective heat transfer coefficients and heat flux measurements were made. These measurements followed the expected trends predicted by fundamental heat transfer calculations. The maximum convective heat transfer coefficient and heat flux reached during frying increases as oil temperature increases. The process time to reach these maxima decreases as oil temperature increases. This research provides fundamental knowledge relevant to the effects of oil temperature on the coupled heat and mass transfer problem present during immersion frying. This knowledge will provide a first step towards better understanding the frying process, and eventual process optimization through manipulation of the time-temperature regime of the frying processes.
The effects of the Palliative Medicine Consultation on the DNR status of African Americans in a safety-net hospital.

Objective: To examine the effectiveness of palliative medicine consultation on completion of advance directives/do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders by racial/ethnic minorities.Method: A sample of 1999 seriously ill African American and Hispanic inpatients was obtained from the Palliative Medicine Consultation database (n = 2972). Associations between race/ethnicity and diagnosis and documentation of DNR status on admission and discharge were examined.Results: Cancer was the primary diagnosis, 34.5%. Among patients with a consultation, 98% agreed to discuss advance directives; 65% of African Americans and 70% of Hispanics elected DNR status. Inpatient deaths were 46%; 74% of decedents agreed to DNR orders. Discharged patients referred to hospice were 29%.Conclusion: Palliative medicine consultations resulted in timely completion of DNR orders and were positively associated with DNR election and hospice enrollment.
Complications in Ophthalmic Anesthesiology

HE OPHTHALMIC patient is at a particular risk from anesthesia. Patients submitted for ophthalmic surgery represent the extremes of age: the very young and the very old. As such, the underlying medical condition of the patient may be compromised, as well as the patient's response to pharmacological agents may be exaggerated. Frequently, these patients are receiving medications for their ophthalmic needs that may have significant impact on anesthetic management and coexisting disease.
On the solubility of some natural minerals in atmospheric precipitation

Abstract Theoretical and experimental data on the aqueous solubility of a number of the so-called “poorly-soluble” natural minerals are presented. The minerals were so chosen as to represent 10 trace elements measured frequently in atmospheric precipitation. The experimental solubility obtained from standard literature is generally found to be several orders-of-magnitude larger than that based on thermodynamic data. The highly enhanced solubility in the laboratory experiments, in all probability, is due to hydrolysis. On the other hand, the concentrations of the trace elements in acid-treated bulk precipitation are, apparently, orders-of-magnitude smaller than the experimental values corresponding to their respective minerals considered. Therefore, such minerals in wet natural precipitation ought to be treated as soluble since their aqueous concentrations would only represent sub-saturated solutions.
Ionization Thresholds of Small Carbon Clusters: Tunable VUV Experiments and Theory

Small carbon clusters (Cn, n = 2−15) are produced in a molecular beam by pulsed laser vaporization and studied with vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photoionization mass spectrometry. The required VUV radiation in the 8−12 eV range is provided by the Advanced Light Source (ALS) at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Mass spectra at various ionization energies reveal the qualitative relative abundances of the neutral carbon clusters produced. By far the most abundant species is C3. Using the tunability of the ALS, ionization threshold spectra are recorded for the clusters up to 15 atoms in size. The ionization thresholds are compared to those measured previously with charge-transfer bracketing methods. To interpret the ionization thresholds for different cluster sizes, new ab initio calculations are carried out on the clusters for n = 4−10. Geometric structures are optimized at the CCSD(T) level with cc-pVTZ (or cc-pVDZ) basis sets, and focal point extrapolations are applied to both neutral and cation speci...
Derivatization of Xanthomegnin for Fluorometric Determination

Abstract A derivatization procedure was developed for the fluorometric determination of purified xanthomegnin. A highly fluorescent product is formed by reaction of xanthomegnin with ammonia and hydrogen peroxide under defined conditions. The derivative is a light brown compound that can easily be dissolved in water or polar organic solvents. Its excitation and emission wavelengths in methanol are 340 and 445 nm, respectively. As little as 0.1 ng of xanthomegnin can be detected using high pressure liquid chromatography in a reverse phase system with fluorescence detection.
Properties of the q -state clock model for q = 4 , 5 , and 6

The two-dimensional clock models for $q=4, 5, \mathrm{and} 6$ were simulated on lattices of size 256 and 1024. Various properties were computed including the specific heat, susceptibility, vorticity, and correlation times. However, only a Monte Carlo renormalization-group analysis was capable of locating quantitatively the phase transitions for $q=5 \mathrm{and} 6$. The results agree with the qualitative picture obtained for the Villain version of the clock model. The relevance of this work to the two-dimensional melting problem is discussed. MS code no. BT2080 1977
Ionic Liquids in Chromatography and Capillary Electrophoresis

Abstract One of the major challenges facing the chemical industry is the development of new, “green” technologies which reduce the environmental impact of manufacturing processes. Ionic liquids are emerging as a promising alternative to traditional organic solvents and are, thus, generating considerable interest in a variety of areas. This review examines some of the unique properties of ionic liquids and their applications in analytical separations.
GAMES identifies and annotates mutations in next-generation sequencing projects

Motivation: Next-generation sequencing (NGS) methods have the potential for changing the landscape of biomedical science, but at the same time pose several problems in analysis and interpretation. Currently, there are many commercial and public software packages that analyze NGS data. However, the limitations of these applications include output which is insufficiently annotated and of difficult functional comprehension to end users. Results: We developed GAMES (Genomic Analysis of Mutations Extracted by Sequencing), a pipeline aiming to serve as an efficient middleman between data deluge and investigators. GAMES attains multiple levels of filtering and annotation, such as aligning the reads to a reference genome, performing quality control and mutational analysis, integrating results with genome annotations and sorting each mismatch/deletion according to a range of parameters. Variations are matched to known polymorphisms. The prediction of functional mutations is achieved by using different approaches. Overall GAMES enables an effective complexity reduction in large-scale DNA-sequencing projects. Availability: GAMES is available free of charge to academic users and may be obtained from http://aqua.unife.it/GAMES. Contact: stefano.volinia@unife.it
Fully Organic Nanocomposites with High Thermoelectric Power Factors by using a Dual‐Stabilizer Preparation

The thermoelectric properties of fully organic nanocomposites were investigated, for which meso-tetra(4-carboxyphenyl) porphine (TCPP) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) were used as instrinically conductive and semiconducting stabilizers, respectively. The electrical conductivity (σ) of these dual-stabilizer organic composites increased to approximately 9500 S m−1 as the concentrations of both the multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) and PEDOT:PSS were increased. The thermopower (or Seebeck coefficient, S) and thermal conductivity, however, remained relatively unaffected by the increase in concentration (≈40 μV K−1 and ≈0.12 W m−1 K−1, respectively). Replacing MWNTs with double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWNTs) increased σ and S to approximately 96 000 S m−1 and 70 μV K−1, respectively, at 40 wt % DWNTs. This study suggests that σ and S can be simultaneously tailored by using multiple stabilizing agents to affect the transport properties of the junctions between nanotubes. Combining semiconducting and intrinsically conductive molecules as CNT-stabilizers has led to a power factor that is among the best for a completely organic, free-standing film (≈500 μW m−1 K−2). These flexible, segregated-network nanocomposites now exhibit properties that rival the more conventional inorganic semiconductors, particularly when normalized by the mass.
Instinctive Incest Avoidance: A Paradigm Case for Evolutionary Psychology Evaporates

Westermarck proposed that humans have an incest avoidance instinct, triggered by frequent intimate contact with family members during the first several years of life. Westermarck reasons that (1) familial incest will tend to produce less fit offspring, (2) those humans without instinctive incest avoidance would hence have tended to die off and those with the avoidance instinct would have produced more viable offspring, and hence (3) familial incest would be, as indeed it is, universally and instinctively avoided (the desire simply does arise given early continuous intimate contact; the "potty principle" as some psychologists have succinctly termed it). Victorian Westermarck claimed this as a human adaptation. Evolutionary psychologists have generalized these claims to Pleistocene humans and their ancestors, to primates, and indeed to animals generally. Yet there is surprisingly little evidence for these claims of universal instinctive avoidance. Considerable inbreeding, appears among large, territorial primates and may have been so with early humans and with their ancestors. While there is little reliable non-anecdotal evidence about incestuous behavior or the lack of it among humans, what little there is does not fit well with the Westermarck thesis.
Determination of lattice level energy efficiency for fatigue crack initiation

Fatigue crack initiation life prediction is a fundamentally challenging problem that is of prime importance as a significant portion of the fatigue life is spent in the initiation phase. In spite of the extensive efforts of research over the past two decades, the concept of crack initiation still remains as an enigma in science. The major challenges in predicting crack initiation life in industry are the evaluation of the crack initiation parameters such as the maximum resolved shear stress range, maximum slip band width and the energy efficiency coefficient. In this paper, we show that the energy efficiency can be successfully estimated with good accuracy by performing lattice level crystal plasticity-based computational simulations on representative models. The lattice level plasticity-based finite element computations are reported for the case of single crystal copper in this work, and the results show that this strategy leads to higher accuracy than the existing idea of approximating the efficiency factor. The results show that this strategy could be of great use in improving the reliability in prediction of crack initiation life. The effectiveness of this computational procedure would greatly reduce the financial investments necessary to perform experimental analysis of all structures to determine the crack initiation parameters, as it would require just a single measurement to quantify the measurement of efficiency.
Team Travel Effects and the College Football Betting Market

This research examines whether the college football betting line and over/under accurately assimilate travel effects on visiting teams, including time zones traversed; direction and distance traveled; and temperature, elevation, and aridity changes. We investigate the market’s accuracy at predicting winners, point differentials, and points scored and examine its market efficiency, that is, whether travel affects the chance the home team covers the spread or the chance that an “over” bet wins. The betting market is found to be an inaccurate and inefficient processor of travel effects, most consistently for late-season games involving an underdog with a 1-hr time deficit versus its opponent.
On test set generation for efficient path delay fault diagnosis

Path delay fault testing has been widely pursued in literature, primarily because of the need for determining the optimal speed of circuit operation. The existing techniques for path delay fault diagnosis are oriented towards determining the delay defects based on a given test set. In this paper, we propose a method for modifying a given test set such that the resultant test set is more effective in determining paths with excessive delays. The process of modifying the given test set is built upon an accurate algorithm for identifying all the single and multiple faults static sensitized by a given test set. The tests are then ordered such that it becomes faster and easier to identify paths responsible for timing failures. The modified test set results in an overall improvement in test quality and better diagnosis. The proposed approach can be used before test application for modifying the test set and improving diagnosis. Experiments are performed on the ISCAS' 89 and MCNC' 91 benchmark circuits to show the effectiveness of the proposed method for path delay fault diagnosis.
Mobile agent based network access for mobile electronic guidebooks

Mobile and portable computers such as PDAs have become a ubiquitous commodity, accompanying their users wherever they go, and for nearly every activity. On the other hand, there is an increasing need for informal learning that can take place for example in interactive learning spaces such as museums. One such example is the Exploratorium. We introduce the MANAS agent-based software based solution that enables users to use their own PDAs as mobile electronic guidebooks. Using MANAS, the users can explore and learn further details on topics being described in interactive learning spaces. MANAS framework adapts the retrieved content on the fly to suite the needs of the PDA. In contrast to our software based solution, current mobile electronic guidebooks solutions, e.g. the solution provided at the Exploratorium, provide users retrofitted hardware that enables museum visitors to learn more about the museum exhibits. In addition, such solutions need to include additional hardware at each exhibit. In our solution, since we use the visitors' own communication device there is no need for equipment purchase, upgrades or maintenance leading to significant cost savings.
Multisensory roughness perception of virtual surfaces: effects of correlated cues

Previous studies of multisensory texture perception have addressed the relative contributions of different modalities, examining visual/haptic and auditory/haptic interactions. In the present study, the ability of observers to use information from three sensory modalities (visual, auditory, and haptic) was examined in a virtual texture discrimination task. Results indicated better performance for two- and three-modality conditions for some stimuli but not for others, suggesting that the interactions of haptic, auditory, and visual inputs are complex and dependent on the specifics of the stimulus condition. Viewed in this manner, the results are consistent with the modality appropriateness hypothesis. These findings are discussed in view of current formulations of multisensory interaction.
A new temporal pattern identification method for characterization and prediction of complex time series events

A new method for analyzing time series data is introduced in this paper. Inspired by data mining, the new method employs time-delayed embedding and identifies temporal patterns in the resulting phase spaces. An optimization method is applied to search the phase spaces for optimal heterogeneous temporal pattern clusters that reveal hidden temporal patterns, which are characteristic and predictive of time series events. The fundamental concepts and framework of the method are explained in detail. The method is then applied to the characterization and prediction, with a high degree of accuracy, of the release of metal droplets from a welder. The results of the method are compared to those from a Time Delay Neural Network and the C4.5 decision tree algorithm.
Cardiogenic Shock Current Concepts and Improving Outcomes

Cardiogenic shock (CS) occurs in ≈5% to 8% of patients hospitalized with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Recent research has suggested that the peripheral vasculature and neurohormonal and cytokine systems play a role in the pathogenesis and persistence of CS. Early revascularization for CS improves survival substantially. New mechanical approaches to treatment are available, and clinical trials are feasible even in this high-risk population. Most importantly, hospital survivors have an excellent chance for long-term survival with good quality of life. This review will outline the causes, pathophysiology, and treatment of CS with a focus on CS complicating myocardial infarction (MI.) The case will be made for viewing CS as a serious disorder with a high early death rate, but one that is treatable and that, if approached aggressively, can result in full recovery. CS is a state of end-organ hypoperfusion due to cardiac failure. The definition of CS includes hemodynamic parameters: persistent hypotension (systolic blood pressure 18 mm Hg or right ventricular [RV] end-diastolic pressure >10 to 15 mm Hg). The diagnosis is usually made with the help of pulmonary artery (PA) catheterization; however, Doppler echocardiography may also be used to confirm elevation of LV filling pressures.1 Hypoperfusion may be manifest clinically by cool extremities, decreased urine output, and/or alteration in mental status. Hemodynamic abnormalities form a spectrum that ranges from mild hypoperfusion to profound shock, and the short-term outcome is directly related to the severity of hemodynamic derangement. MI with LV failure remains …
Adding Confidence to Knowledge.

This paper reviews knowledge surveys as a best practice in assessment and illustrates how this assessment tool was used to compare teaching methods and its value to students during a 5-year study. The goal was to improve assessment, active learning, and course design. On each survey, students rated a type of confidence known as self-efficacy before and after instruction, used the survey as a study guide during instruction, and rated its value at the end of the course. Results showed gains in self-efficacy (p<.001), high value for the survey experience, and differences in scores across teaching methods (p<.001).
Hierarchical edge-directed interpolation for de-interlacing

High quality motion-adaptive de-interlacing calls for high quality spatial interpolation that can generate smooth object edges without jaggy effects. In this paper, we present a hierarchical edge-directed interpolation, where the edge detection not only covers very wide range of angles but also provides high resolution edge vectors. In addition, the hierarchical architecture makes it highly efficient for hardware implementation.
Where am I? Scene Recognition for Mobile Robots using Audio Features

Automatic recognition of unstructured environments is an important problem for mobile robots. We focus on using audio features to recognize different auditory environments, where they are characterized by different types of sounds. The use of audio information provides a complementary means of scene recognition that can effectively augment visual information. In particular, audio can be used toward both the analysis and characterization of the environment at a higher level of abstraction. We begin our investigation of recognizing different auditory environments with the audio information. In this paper, we utilize low-level audio features from a mobile robot and investigate using high-level features based on spectral analysis for scene characterization, and a recognition system was built to discriminate between different environments based on these audio features found.
RF MEMS phase shifters based on PCB MEMS technology

An X-band main-line type loaded line RF MEMS phase shifter fabricated using printed circuit based MEMS technology is reported. The phase shifter provides a phase shift of 31.6/spl deg/ with a minimum insertion loss of 0.56 dB at 9 GHz for an applied DC bias voltage of 40 V. These phase shifters are suitable for monolithic integration with low-cost phased arrays on Teflon or Polyimide such as low dielectric constant substrates.
A haptic wristwatch for eyes-free interactions

We present a haptic wristwatch prototype that makes it possible to acquire information from a companion mobile device through simple eyes-free gestures. The wristwatch we have built uses a custom-made piezoelectric actuator combined with sensors to create a natural, inconspicuous, gesture-based interface. Feedback is returned to the user in the form of haptic stimuli that are delivered to the wrist. We evaluated the capabilities and limitations of our prototype through two user experiments. One experiment verified that the apparatus could be used as a tactile notification mechanism. The other experiment assessed the feasibility of using a cover-and-hold gesture on the wristwatch to obtain numerical data tactually. Results from the numerosity experiment and feedback from participants prompted us to redesign the cover-and-hold gesture to provide users with additional control over the interaction. We qualitatively evaluated the redesigned interaction by handing the prototype to users so that they could use it in a realistic work environment. Taken together, results from the experiments and the validation process indicate that a wrist accessory can be effectively used to perform discreet, closed-loop, eyes-free interactions with a mobile device.
Identification of human faces through texture-based feature recognition and neural network technology

A method is presented to infer the presence of a human face in an image through the identification of face-like textures. The selected textures are those of human hair and skin. The second-order statistics method is used for texture representation. This method employs a set of co-occurrence matrices, from which features can be calculated that can characterize a texture. The cascade-correlation neural network architecture is used for supervised classification of textures. The Kohonen self-organizing feature map shows the clustering of the different texture types. Classification performance is generally above 80%, which is sufficient to clearly outline a face in an image. >
Prism adaptation in visually mature patients with esotropia of childhood onset.

Abstract Objective To investigate the role of prism adaptation in the visually mature population with esotropia onset before visual maturation. Design Retrospective, noncomparative case series. Participants Eighty-five patients, 26 prism adapted for near (PAN) and 59 prism adapted for distance (PAD), were included in the study. Methods Patients included in this study were older than 9 years and had esotropia with an onset before age 9. Mean follow-up was 30 months (range = 6 weeks–164 months). All patients had prism adaptation and subsequent surgical correction. Surgical success was defined as peripheral fusion on the Worth 4-dot test and ≤8 Δ deviation at near and distance on the simultaneous prism and cover test. Main outcome measures Response to preoperative prism adaptation and postoperative alignment and sensory results were examined. Results Twenty-six of the 85 patients had previous surgical esotropia correction. In the PAD group, 41 were responders. Seventeen of these had built their deviation ≥10 Δ with prism adaptation. All responders had surgery for their prism-adapted angle. Postoperatively, 34 of 41 (83%) responders and 6 of 18 (33%) nonresponders had fusion. In the PAN group, 17 were responders. Nine of these built their deviation with prisms. Postoperatively, 16 of 17 (94%) responders and builders and 1 of 9 (11%) nonresponders had successful surgery with sensory and motor fusion. Conclusions Adults with esotropia onset before visual maturation can be prism adapted and surgically treated with a predictable outcome of sensory and motor fusion. Those prism adapted for near with response can be successfully treated with surgery for the near deviation. Prism adaptation also aids in determining those who would benefit from larger amounts of surgery.
Latent Class Analysis of ADHD and Comorbid Symptoms in a Population Sample of Adolescent Female Twins

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a phenotypically heterogeneous and highly heritable syndrome, which commonly co-occurs with other psychiatry disorders. To assess the role of genetic influences in ADHD, we used latent class analysis (LCA) to identify subtypes of ADHD taking into account its comorbidity with separation anxiety, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and three major depression symptoms. A structured interview was used to collect diagnostic data from a population sample of 2904 adolescent female twins and their parents. LCA was applied to ADHD, separation anxiety, ODD symptom profiles obtained from the twins' parents, and major depression symptom profiles obtained from the twins' self-report. Odds ratios were used to test for familiality of class membership by examining the effect of zygosity on twin concordance within and between latent classes. Structural equation modeling was used to compute heritabilities for latent class membership. LCA revealed three ADHD categories of clinical interest: an inattentive subtype without comorbidity, a second inattentive subtype with increased number of ODD symptoms, and a combined inattentive/hyperactive-impulsive type with elevated levels of ODD, separation anxiety, and depressive symptoms. LCA also distinguished an ODD class and a separation anxiety class, each without increased levels of other comorbid symptoms; a second ODD class co-occurring with increased separation anxiety and depression symptoms; and a pure depression class. Odds ratios for MZ contrasted with DZ twin concordance for individual latent class membership ranged from 2.5 to 19.4. Overall, 66 % of MZ pairs, but only 36 % % of DZ pairs, were assigned to the same latent class, consistent with a genetic hypothesis for latent class membership. Individual class membership was shown to have high heritability ranging from .34-.85. The pattern of latent classes suggested that in the general female adolescent population, there are three highly heritable ADHD subtypes, two of which are comorbid with other disorders. These classes were consistent with a genetic hypothesis for ADHD, with each class potentially reflecting a unique genetic subtype.
Character Variation Among Populations and the Analysis of Biogeography

SYNOPSIS. Recent contributions to the theory of biogeography suggest that biogeographical hypotheses can potentially be derived from intraspecific patterns of morphological variation among populations. Morphological differentiation is demonstrated for meristic (serially repeated) and morphometric characters among populations of the euryhaline fish, Menidia beryllina , from the Mississippi Valley, an area for which the geological history is well known. Meristic and morphometric variation are associated with environmental variation, and meristic differences are noted between size classes within an isolated population. The results suggest that attempts to reconstruct historical area relationships will fail to the extent that geographical patterns of morphology are influenced by an exogenous component, when the direction of influence is unrelated to the true pattern of vicariance. Furthermore, temporal instability of characters will confound biogeographical hypotheses.
Principles of superconductor imaging surface gradiometry

Abstract Magnetic sources in the vicinity of superconducting surfaces produce images in such a way that a single pick-up coil parallel to the surface acts as a first order gradiometer. The principles will be described, together with specific discussions of the imaging by planar and spherical surfaces. The fact that these surfaces also deflect noise due to remote sources make this concept particularly appealing as a method for detecting extremely weak sources in a hostile environment. Possible applications to neuromagnetometry, corrosion detection and non-destructive evaluation will be discussed.
Multidimensionafity of Leader-Member Exchange: An Empirical Assessment through Scale Development

Whether Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) is a unidimensional or a multidimensional construct was assessed through the development and validation of a multidimensional measure. Item analysis involving 302 working students, followed by construct and criterion-related validation using 249 employees representing two organizations resulted in a multidimensional LMX scale. The results provided support for the affect, loyalty, and contribution dimensions identified by Dienesch and Liden (1986), as well as a fourth dimension, professional respect.
Active Sodium and Chloride Transport Across The Rabbit Blastocoele Wall

Ion transport processes of the 6-day rabbit blastocyst were examined in vitro by measuring unidirectional fluxes of “Na and “Cl across the short-circuited preparation. When Eagle’s medium (20% calf serum) containing 25 mM HCO, bathed both sides of the blastocoele and the transmural potential difference was reduced to zero, there was a net Na flux (0.58 ± 0.15 �M/cm’/h) and a net Cl flux (0.59 ± 0.14 �M/cm’/h) from the outside bathing solution to the blastocoele. Net Na and CI fluxes were both three times larger than the short-circuit current and accounted for only 5% of the short-circuit current. Changing the outside bathing medium to a HCO,-free solution greatly reduced the potential difference and short-circuit current, whereas removal of Na and Cl ions from the outside solution had no effect. It is concluded that Na and Cl are actively transported into the rabbit blastocoele, and the presence of an appropriately directed unidentified component of short-circuit current, which is greatly reduced in HCO,-free solutions, suggests that the rabbit blastocyst also actively transports HCO,.
Requirement of New Media Features for Enhancing Online Shopping Experience of Smartphone Users

Now-a-days consumers are using different social media (e.g. Facebook, WhatsApp etc.) to share the product quality information to take feedback about the product from their friends, family members, colleagues etc. The aim of this study was to found out the feasibility of implementation of different media features in e-retailing platform for taking feedback about the product to enhance the consumers’ experience of online purchase. With this intention, user survey was conducted using a standardized questionnaire which includes items about the users’ demographic information, likeliness to share product information for getting online feedback, probable acceptance of future online purchase system having new media features, willingness to use proposed online purchase system with new media features, priority to use specific media features for sharing product choice information through online. Results of the present study suggest that users would like to share product quality information with others through the proposed system which has product comparison screen share, personalized reviews and share and voice chat options in e-commerce app/ website. Therefore, these preferred media features may be integrated to create a better user experience in online purchase platform which in turn helps in quick product decisions during online purchase.