cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
COMMENTS ON "DEFENSIVE REPRESSORS AND EMPATHIC IMPAIRMENT" BY NIELSEN AND FLECK

In this study, "defensive repressors" were those who scored toward the repression end of the Byrne Repression-Sensitization scale and high on the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability scale whereas the "nondefensive repressors" were chose who scored high on repression but low on social desirability. These operational definitions of the experimental groups give us no reason to consider one group as "defensive" and the other group as "healthy" or "nondefensive." One could argue, from the research literature on these scales, that both groups could have been characterized as defensive or unhealthy in the sense of relatively low access to emotional processes. The defensive repressors identified here, in addition, present themselves in an improbably socially desirable fashion perhaps as an interpersonal defense maneuver. I recognize that I do not share the Freudian notion of healthy repression. Rather I view optimal functioning as free access to emotional processes together with conscious choice and control over self-expression. By this definition, neither of the experimental groups here could be regarded as nondefensive. The results of this study appear to support the above argument. Rather than there being evidence for "empathic impairment" in one group as compared with the other, the data suggest to me that both groups were, if not empathically impaired, then less than optimal in their empachic behavior. Empathy ratings were significantly different for the two groups on one of two experimental tasks and responses to two of four subscales of the Personal Orientation Inventory were significantly different, yet mean score differences were actually very small and both groups scored toward the low end of the five-point empathy rating scale. Could this really be a study of the effects of two rypes of unhealthy functioning upon empathic behavior? The methodological weaknesses in this study were acknowledged by these investigators. In future work, better experimental control can be ob:ained by training raters on behavior similar to behavior in the acmal rating sirnation. Also, interviewees could be actors who present sexual and aggressive material to the subject counselors. Such would be closer to material actually elicited in intensive counseling and would be more likely to result in differential effects upon empathic behavior berween groups. An additional group of nonrepressors or healthy counselors might be included. If recorded materials are used, video as well as audio could be used to bring the experimental situation closer to an actual social interaction.
Accelerated coarsening of Si precipitates in cold-rolled aluminum 359/SiC/20p composites

The poor mechanical properties of cast A metal matrix composites (MMCs) have often been attributed to inadequate wetting of SiC particles by molten Al alloy and formation of detrimental reaction products (such as aluminum carbides) at the particle-matrix interface. Duralcan, Inc. recently made big progress in the casting area by preparing Al MMCs with high silicon (7--10 wt.%) containing matrix alloys. The high Si content slows down the reaction between the molten Al and SiC. Such composites still need thermomechanical treatments for improving the homogeneity of the reinforcement and the microstructure of the matrix. The authors have recently improved the ductility of a cast Al MMC from 0.4 to 11% elongation by cold-rolling to 90% reduction in thickness and subsequently heat-treating the composite. However, Al alloys with high Si contents have eutectic Si precipitates. The effects of the thermomechanical treatments on the coarsening characteristics of the Si precipitates need to be understood. Here the authors report that the heat treatment following a large cold rolling causes an accelerated growth of the Si precipitates in the composites.
The Retrovirology Open Access experience

The Retrovirology Open Access experience after publishing more than 500 articles is discussed.
Fine needle aspiration cytology of lung lesions: a clinicopathological and cytopathological review of 150 cases with emphasis on the relation between the number of passes and the incidence of pneumothorax

Objective: The aim of this study was to review the lung fine needle aspirations (FNA) that were done in our hospital between January 1998 and April 2004. Interobserver agreement, sample adequacy and the relation between the number of passes and the occurrence of pneumothorax are presented. Study design: One hundred fifty cases of lung FNA from the department of pathology files were identified and the available specimens and patient charts were reviewed. The interobserver agreement was calculated. The relation between the number of passes and the subsequent development of pneumothorax was tested using Mann–Whitney U-test. Results: The material of 132 patients (88%) out of 150 were retrieved and reviewed. There were 85 cases of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (64.4%), nine cases of small cell lung cancer (6.8%), five cases of metastatic cancer (3.8%) and 33 cases were reported negative for cancer (25%). The NSCLC included 36 cases of adenocarcinoma (27.3%), 32 cases of squamous cell carcinoma (24.2%), and 17 cases of large cell undifferentiated carcinoma (12.9%). The interobserver agreement k was 0.93, (95% CI 0.87–0.98). The majority of cases (95.5%) were considered adequate for interpretation. The charts of 138 patients (92%) were reviewed for postprocedure radiologically confirmed pneumothorax. Sixteen patients (11.6%) developed pneumothorax only three of whom (2%) required a chest tube for treatment. The number of passes was identified in 118 patients (85.5%). The number of passes did not have a statistically significant association with the development of a pneumothorax (P = 0.747). Conclusion: Fine needle aspirations to diagnose lung lesions is a safe procedure with a low incidence of pneumothorax. Its findings are reproducible with high interobserver agreement. Immediate adequacy evaluation and triage by a pathologist guarantees adequate sample in most instances. The number of passes was not associated with an increased incidence of pneumothorax.
Improvements in visual performance following a pulsed field of light: a test of the equivalent-background principle

The offset of a pulsed conditioning field of light has recently been shown to produce enhancements of temporal resolution and brightness discrimination. These enhancements are similar to those that are due to imposing a high level of light adaptation on the visual system. Here we analyze whether there is a true equivalence of adaptive state between some level of steady light adaptation and the offset of a conditioning field. The enhancements of visual function at field offset were replicated by using a suprathreshold two-pulse discrimination task and a task requiring detection of an incremental probe stimulus superimposed upon a suprathreshold pulse. These effects are shown to be qualitatively but not quantitatively similar to those produced by an equivalent background selected on the basis of its ability to raise threshold to the same degree as field offset. We conclude that the equivalent-background principle cannot be supported for our measures of foveal visual function.
Spring Larval Dispersal of the Western Spruce Budworm (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in North-Central Washington

Vertical distribution of spring dispersal activity within a stand canopy was determined by trap catch at 2-day intervals. The 10-m traps consistently caught more larvae than the 6-, 2-, and 0.5-m traps except during inclement weather. A partial explanation is the filtering effect of adjacent tree crowns on the dispersing larvae before they reach the lower traps. Most larvae caught by the 2- and O.5-m traps would be lost to the system. Dispersal of 3rd and 4th instars represented about 38% of the total trap catch, indicating greater off-tree dispersal than normally expected for these instars. An explanation based on asynchrony of host and budworm is suggested.
Influence of physician specialty on treatment recommendations in the multidisciplinary management of soft tissue sarcoma of the extremities.

Importance Although prospective randomized data are available to guide the multidisciplinary management of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) of the extremities, controversy exists regarding adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Objective To determine if clinical specialty introduces bias in recommendations for multimodality treatment of STS. Design Electronic survey. Setting Database of active members of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the Society of Surgical Oncology, and the Connective Tissue Oncology Society. Participants Members of specialty oncology societies with an active interest in STS. Exposure Physician specialty. Main Outcomes and Measures Survey responses regarding the multidisciplinary management of STS were scored on a 5-point Likert scale and analyzed using analysis of variance. Results The questionnaire was completed by 320 of 490 potential respondents (65%), including medical (18%), radiation (8%), orthopedic (22%), and surgical oncologists (45%). Respondents concurred on the use of radiation therapy for margins positive for tumor, for high-grade tumors, for improvement in local control, for tumors larger than 10 cm, and for tumors in close proximity to a neurovascular bundle. Respondents diverged on the use of radiation therapy for tumors 5 to 10 cm in size, for low-grade tumors, for radiation-associated STS, and for survival benefit. Only radiation oncologists felt that radiation therapy was underutilized as a treatment modality (mean [SEM] Likert scale score, 2.44 [0.12]; P P = .03) and for improvement in local control (mean [SEM] score, 2.91 [0.12] P = .08). Surgical oncologists placed the least emphasis on chemotherapy in the overall treatment plan (mean [SEM] score, 2.60 [0.07]; P = .001). Conclusions and Relevance Specialty bias exists in adjuvant treatment recommendations for STS. This highlights the importance of multidisciplinary STS tumor boards and interdisciplinary care to facilitate consensus decision making for individual patients.
Anhedonia Predicts Poorer Recovery among Youth with Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Treatment-Resistant Depression

Objective To identify symptom dimensions of depression that predict recovery among selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) treatment–resistant adolescents undergoing second-step treatment. Method The Treatment of Resistant Depression in Adolescents (TORDIA) trial included 334 SSRI treatment–resistant youth randomized to a medication switch, or a medication switch plus CBT. This study examined five established symptom dimensions (Child Depression Rating Scale—Revised) at baseline as they predicted recovery over 24 weeks of acute and continuation treatment. The two indices of recovery that were evaluated were time to remission and number of depression-free days. Results Multivariate analyses examining all five depression symptom dimensions simultaneously indicated that anhedonia was the only dimension to predict a longer time to remission, and also the only dimension to predict fewer depression-free days. In addition, when anhedonia and CDRS-total score were evaluated simultaneously, anhedonia continued to uniquely predict longer time to remission and fewer depression-free days. Conclusions Anhedonia may represent an important negative prognostic indicator among treatment-resistant depressed adolescents. Further research is needed to elucidate neurobehavioral underpinnings of anhedonia, and to test treatments that target anhedonia in the context of overall treatment of depression. Clinical trial registration information—Treatment of SSRI-Resistant Depression in Adolescents (TORDIA); http://www.clinicaltrials.gov; NCT00018902
‘Oh he was forgettable’: Construction of self identity through use of communicative coping behaviors in the discourse of persons with cognitive impairment

Communication involving persons with cognitive impairment (CI) associated memory issues requires particular attention in the clinical setting due to the sensitive and often difficult institutional work that must take place between the patient and his or her physician. An individual with CI is often tested for memory issues during the office visit, generating a potentially face-threatening situation. Said individual may attempt to preserve positive identity or ‘save face’ (Gumperz, 1982) by using communicative coping behaviors (CCBs). This study characterizes the use of CCBs (e.g., accounts and humor) by persons with CI in clinical interviews and provides important insight on how to improve doctor—patient communication involving people with CI. In order to describe and compare CCBs used by persons with cognitive impairment, and those used by cognitively normal individuals, verbatim, in-office transcripts from both groups were analyzed. Results showed that participants with CI used more memory accounts than...
Transmission of high-data-rate optical signals through a micrometer-scale silicon ring resonator.

The effects of a micrometer-scale silicon ring resonator with a FWHM of 0.078nm (9.6GHz) on a nonreturn to zero amplitude-modulated optical signal with a modulation rate of 10Gbps are experimentally investigated. By transmitting the optical signal through the device, significant spectral distortion and sideband attenuation is introduced, as characterized by amplitude Bode plots, and a power penalty of 0.8dB is observed. Carrier wavelengths within the transmission resonance, but detuned from the center wavelength, are investigated as well. Numerical simulations further support the experimental results.
The Use of Reinforcer Assessments in Evaluating Psychotropic Medication Effects

Psychotropic medications are increasingly being prescribed for the treatment of problem behavior, particularly in combination with behavioral interventions. Previous research has demonstrated the motivating operation (MO) effects of psychotropic medications, which may lead to changes in stimulus preference or changes in the magnitude of reinforcers maintaining the problem behavior under treatment. Although preference and reinforcer assessments have been conducted to examine changes in item preference and reinforcer effectiveness, there is limited research regarding how medications impact outcomes on these assessments. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the need for research on the effects psychotropic medications have on preference and reinforcer assessment outcomes. The implications of these findings are also discussed.
Structural, Spectral, and Electrochemical Properties of Nickel(II), Copper(II), and Zinc(II) Complexes Containing 12-Membered Pyridine- and Pyridol-Based Tetra-aza Macrocycles

The structural, electronic, and electrochemical properties of a series of novel 12-membered pyridine- and pyridol-based tetra-aza transition-metal (Ni, Cu, Zn) complexes {[MII(L1)Cl](ClO4), [MII(L2)Cl](ClO4), and [MII(L3)Cl](ClO4)} are described (L1 (Pyclen) = 1,4,7,10-tetra-aza-2,6-pyridinophane; L2 = 3,6,9,15-tetraazabicyclo[9.3.1]penta-deca-1(15),11,13-trien-13-ol; L3 = 3,6,9,15-tetra-azabicyclo[9.3.1]penta-deca- 1(15),11,13-trien-12-ol). The subtle variations in the chemical properties of these complexes were investigated using X-ray crystallography, UV–vis and NMR spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. In the solid-state, the Ni(II) complexes adopt a unique bimetallic and cis-octahedral (μ-Cl)2 coordination sphere, and the electronic studies provide further evidence for the existence of a six-coordinate Ni(II) species in solution. The pyridol-based Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes contain five-coordinate (N4Cl) geometries in the solid-state, in which the four N-donor atoms are not coplanar. Hydroxylation o...
Spatial variation of early season surface water chemistry in Kärkevagge, Swedish Lapland

This study examines the spatial variability of early season water chemistry in the arctic-alpine valley of Karkevagge, Sweden. The data demonstrate the spatially heterogeneous nature of water chemistry and the general patterns of chemical weathering in the valley. Water chemistry in this valley is dominated by two anions, bicarbonate and sulfate. Bicarbonate is derived from the dissolution of atmospheric CO 2 and the weathering of carbonate units in the local metamorphic rocks, while the sulfate is derived from the oxidation of pyrite in the Seve-Koli tectonic nappe. Spatial patterns of chemical constituents reflect the broad effects of local geology on surface water chemistry. In particular, they demonstrate the effects that mineral species present in minor amounts have on basin-wide water chemistry. However, solute flux rates derived from water chemistry and discharge demonstrate less variability.
Which depressions respond to placebo

This descriptive study of 55 outpatients with unipolar major depression compared placebo responders (n = 21) and placebo nonresponders (n = 34) with respect to demographic, diagnostic, history of illness and symptomatic features of the current episode of depression. Placebo responders were significantly more likely to be nonendogenous and were more likely to meet criteria for another Research Diagnostic Criteria diagnosis. Additionally, placebo responders were characterized by a shorter length of illness and reported a lower level of depressive symptomatology on the Beck Depression Inventory and the Carroll Rating Scale. Clinician-rated depressive symptom severity (e.g., Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Covi Global Anxiety Scale, and Raskin Depression Rating Scale) and demographic variables did not differentiate placebo responders from nonresponders. These data suggest candidates for antidepressant treatment and implications for antidepressant drug trials.
An integrated environment for development and execution of real-time programs

The goal of the Warp Programming Environment (WPE) is to provide easy access to the Warp machine, a parallel supercomputer with a peak performance of 100 MFLOPS that is based on the systolic array architecture. The Warp Programming Environment offers a uniform environment for editing, compiling, debugging and executing Warp programs. It is based on an extensible shell written in Common Lisp and a runtime system written in C. It runs on a network of SUN-3 workstations under UNIX 4.2. This paper describes how the program development environment interacts with the Warp machine to support the development and execution of real-time programs on Warp.
Futures market equilibrium under Knightian uncertainty

This paper examines the effects of Knightian uncertainty on a commodity futures market within the Newbery-Stiglitz framework. It is shown that Knightian traders act more conservatively. In a partial trade equilibrium, risk aversion and Knightian uncertainty have qualitatively similar effects on the equilibrium price and the equilibrium trading volume. Full-trade and no-trade equilibria are likely to prevail when the producer and the speculator incur different Knightian uncertainty. Herein different impacts of risk aversion and Knightian uncertainty are observed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 23:701–718, 2003
Electron-like Fermi surface and in-plane anisotropy due to chain states in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 − δ superconductors

We present magnetotransport calculations for YBa${}_{2}$Cu${}_{3}$O${}_{7\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\delta}}$ (YBCO) materials to show that the electron-like metallic chain state gives both the negative Hall effect and in-plane anisotropic large Nernst signal. We show that the inevitable presence of the metallic 1D CuO chain layer lying between the CuO${}_{2}$ bilayers in YBCO renders an electron-like Fermi surface in the doping range as wide as $p=0.05$ to overdoping. With underdoping, a pseudogap opening in the CuO${}_{2}$ state reduces its hole-carrier contribution, and, therefore, the net electron-like quasiparticles dominate the transport properties, and a negative Hall resistance commences. We also show that the observation of in-plane anisotropy in the Nernst signal---which was taken as a definite evidence of the electronic ``nematic'' pseudogap phase---is naturally explained by including the ``quasiuniaxial'' metallic chain state. Finally, we comment on how the chain state can also lead to electron-like quantum oscillations.
Exposure to Secondhand Smoke and Attitudes Toward Smoke-Free Workplaces Among Employed U.S. Adults: Findings From the National Adult Tobacco Survey

Introduction This study assessed the prevalence and correlates of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure and attitudes toward smoke-free workplaces among employed U.S. adults. Methods Data came from the 2009-2010 National Adult Tobacco Survey, a landline and cellular telephone survey of adults aged ≥18 years in the United States and the District of Columbia. National and state estimates of past 7-day workplace SHS exposure and attitudes toward indoor and outdoor smoke-free workplaces were assessed among employed adults. National estimates were calculated by sex, age, race/ethnicity, education, annual household income, sexual orientation, U.S. region, and smoking status. Results Among employed adults who did not smoke cigarettes, 20.4% reported past 7-day SHS exposure at their workplace (state range: 12.4% [Maine] to 30.8% [Nevada]). Nationally, prevalence of exposure was higher among males, those aged 18-44 years, non-Hispanic Blacks, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic American Indians/Alaska natives compared to non-Hispanic Whites, those with less education and income, those in the western United States, and those with no smoke-free workplace policy. Among all employed adults, 83.8% and 23.2% believed smoking should never be allowed in indoor and outdoor areas of workplaces, respectively. Conclusions One-fifth of employed U.S. adult nonsmokers are exposed to SHS in the workplace, and disparities in exposure exist across states and subpopulations. Most employed adults believe indoor areas of workplaces should be smoke free, and nearly one-quarter believe outdoor areas should be smoke free. Efforts to protect employees from SHS exposure and to educate the public about the dangers of SHS and benefits of smoke-free workplaces could be beneficial.
Who Slapped That Child

In a child abuse case, it is important to determine who abused the child to assure the child's safety. When a child has had more than one caretaker before bruises or injuries are noted, it can be difficult to determine who was responsible. This case report illustrates the successful use of digital photography to help identify the perpetrator of an inflicted slap mark.
Characterization of fully functional spray-on antibody thin films

Abstract The authors recently demonstrated that fully functional Escherichia coli O157:H7 antibody thin films can be prepared using a simple pneumatic nebulizer on glass surface [1] . This paper focuses on the investigation of the morphology and physical properties of these films with the aim to better understand their performance. A series of E. coli O157:H7 antibody spray-on thin films were investigated by ellipsometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), immunoassays, attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), fluorescence microscopy, atomic force microscope (AFM) and contact angle analysis. These data were compared to measurements on films prepared with the biotin–avidin covalent bonding scheme. The investigation showed that films created by a 2 min pneumatic spray deposition time can capture antigens similar as the avidin–biotin wet-chemical method. The results also suggests that an influential factor for the comparable capture cell ability between sprayed and covalent films is an increased antibody surface coverage for the sprayed films (non-equilibrium technique), which compensates for the lack of its antibody orientation. There was no significant antibody denaturation detected on any of the sprayed films. Both techniques led to the formation of cluster-aggregates, a factor that seems unavoidable due to the natural tendency of protein to cluster. The avidin–biotin bridge films generally had a higher roughness, which manifested itself in a higher wettability compared to the sprayed films.
Concentration of Vitamin B6 and Activities of Enzymes of B6 Metabolism in the Blood of Alcoholic and Nonalcoholic Men

The purpose of this study was to compare concentrations of vitamin B6 compounds and the activities of enzymes that synthesize or catabolize pyridoxal 5'-phosphate in the plasma and erythrocytes of nonalcoholic and alcoholic subjects. Blood was obtained from male nonalcoholics and chronic alcoholics with minimal liver damage and normal hematology. Plasma, erythrocyte, and urinary B6 compounds were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography, and pyridoxal phosphate was also measured enzymatically. Erythrocyte pyridoxine kinase and pyridoxine phosphate oxidase and erythrocyte and plasma pyridoxine phosphate phosphatases were assayed. Plasma pyridoxal phosphate concentration was significantly lower in the alcoholics (31.3 +/- 3.6 nmol/liter) than in the nonalcoholics (58.7 +/- 7.5 nmol/liter). The concentrations of the other B6 compounds in plasma, erythrocytes, and urine were not different in the two groups. Plasma alkaline pyridoxine phosphate phosphatase activity was significantly higher in the alcoholics (4.05 +/- 0.36 nmol/(h.mg] than in the nonalcoholics (3.01 +/- 0.18 nmol/(h.mg]. The activities of erythrocyte kinase, oxidase, and phosphatases were not significantly different in the two groups. The relationship of plasma pyridoxal phosphate concentration to its metabolites and the activities of the enzymes involved in its metabolism was determined. Plasma pyridoxine phosphate phosphatase activity assayed at pH 9.0 or 7.4 correlated negatively with plasma pyridoxal phosphate concentration. The low pyridoxal phosphate concentration observed in the plasma of the alcoholic subjects may in part be related to increased plasma phosphatase activity.
Substrate Effects on Two-Dimensional Laser Beam Backscattering

Experimental measurements of backscatterin g from media with optical depths ranging from thin to thick and composed of anisotropic scattering particles exposed to a laser beam are presented. The laser beam is incident normal to the first surface of a scattering medium whose substrate is a diffuse reflector. Measurements are made for two substrates (white - nearly 100% reflecting, and black - nearly 100% absorbing) to study the effect of substrate reflection on backscatter. Latex particles of uniform size (diameter = 0.18 /on) are used as scattering centers in a water solution to create the scattering medium. Results are presented for backscattered radiation in the normal direction as a function of optical radius from the laser beam, optical thickness of the scattering medium, and the character of the substrate for albedos near one. It is shown that the character of the substrate can be important for optical depths up to 20. The white reflecting substrate always produces greater backscattered radiation than the black absorbing substrate when effects of the substrate are detectable. A correlation is developed that predicts the onset of substrate effects on the backscattered radiation as a function of optical radius and optical depth.
Low Temperature Fuel Batteries on the Moon

Fuel battery systems have been evaluated as to their ability to reject heat while operating in earth orbit and at the 240°F temperature expected on the lunar equatorial surface at noon. Analysis of the earth orbiting condition has led to the conclusion that, if an adequate vehicle surface area is available, the temperature at which fuel battery is rejected is not a significant factor. Solutions to the lunar application have included high temperature components or heat rejection systems using the specific heat and latent heat of vaporization of gases and liquids. The use of geometrically designed radiators to provide for low temperature heat rejection under these hostile conditions represents an area where further study and evaluation can provide significant weight and simplicity advantages. Proper radiator design will allow a fuel battery system to operate at 140°F with a radiator whose total surface area is approximately 60 ft2/kw even when the most severe lunar thermal conditions are considered.
Impulse Backscattering based Detection and Imaging of Shallow Buried Objects

We discuss our recent work on simulational studies of impulse propagation and backscattering for the detection and imaging of shallow buried objects in close packed granular beds.
QoS constrained secondary spectrum sharing

Spectrum is one of the most precious radio resource. With the increasing demand for wireless communication, efficiently using the spectrum resource has become an essential issue. With the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) spectrum policy reform, secondary spectrum sharing has become a viable option. One of the policy reforms introduces the concept of an interference temperature-the total allowable interference in a spectral band. This means that secondary users can use different transmit powers as long as the sum of these power is less than the interference threshold. In this paper, we study the quality of service (QoS) issue in secondary spectrum sharing subject to an interference temperature constraint. A non-linear optimization problem with the objective to maximize the total transmitting rate of the secondary users is formulated. The non-linear optimization is solved efficiently using geometric programming techniques. We also propose a joint coordination and power control (JCPC) algorithm with the objective to maximize the secondary system capacity. JCPC is a distributed algorithm and requires only local feedback information. This algorithm is proved to converge to the Nash equilibrium solution
A1 or A3 Adenosine Receptors Induce Late Preconditioning Against Infarction in Conscious Rabbits by Different Mechanisms

We investigated whether activation of A(1) or A(3) adenosine receptors (ARs) induces late preconditioning (PC) against infarction in conscious rabbits using the selective AR agonists 2-chloro-N(6)-cyclopentyladenosine (CCPA) and N(6)-3-iodobenzyladenosine-5'-N-methylcarboxamide (IB-MECA). In vitro radioligand binding and cAMP assays demonstrated CCPA to be approximately 200- to 400-fold selective for the rabbit A(1)AR and IB-MECA to be approximately 20-fold selective for the rabbit A(3)AR. We observed that (1) pretreatment of rabbits 24 hours earlier with CCPA (100 microgram/kg IV bolus) or IB-MECA (100 or 300 microgram/kg) resulted in an approximately 35% to 40% reduction in the size of the infarct induced by 30 minutes of coronary artery occlusion and 72 hours of reperfusion compared with vehicle-treated rabbits, whereas pretreatment with the selective A(2A)AR agonist CGS 21680 (100 microgram/kg) had no effect; (2) the delayed cardioprotective effect of CCPA, but not that of IB-MECA, was completely blocked by coadministration of the highly selective A(1)AR antagonist N-0861; (3) inhibition of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) with N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine during the 30-minute occlusion abrogated the infarct-sparing action of CCPA but not that of IB-MECA; and (4) inhibition of ATP-sensitive potassium (K(ATP)) channels with sodium 5-hydroxydecanoate during the 30-minute occlusion blocked the cardioprotective effects of both CCPA and IB-MECA. Taken together, these results indicate that activation of either A(1)ARs or A(3)ARs (but not A(2A)ARs) elicits delayed protection against infarction in conscious rabbits and that both A(1)AR- and A(3)AR-induced cardioprotection involves opening of K(ATP) channels. However, A(1)AR-induced late PC uses an NOS-dependent pathway whereas A(3)AR-induced late PC is mediated by an NOS-independent pathway.
Discrete-Time Queuing Theory

This paper contains an analysis of a single-server queuing system for which time is treated as a discrete variable. The number of customers arriving within a fixed time interval is assumed to obey a binomial probability distribution. The service times are assumed to be identically distributed and statistically independent but are not otherwise restricted. It is furthermore assumed that customers are served in their order of arrival. Formulas for the mean queue length and the mean waiting time are derived for the general case and it is shown how the previously obtained results for the corresponding continuous-time system may be derived from the results given here by a limiting process. The results are applied to two special cases, 1 a service-time distribution, which has the form of a geometrical progression, and 2 a fixed service-time distribution.
Advanced source/drain engineering for box-shaped ultrashallow junction formation using laser annealing and pre-amorphization implantation in sub-100-nm SOI CMOS

Source/drain (S/D) engineering for ideal box-shaped junction formation using laser annealing (LA) combined with pre-amorphization implantation (PAI) is proposed and implemented in device integration for sub-100-nm CMOS on an SOI substrate. Modeling analysis for the resistance component associated with junction profile abruptness demonstrates that a noticeable reduction in parasitic series resistance with technology generation can be achieved through junction profile slope engineering. From the experimental results of LA, it is found that PAI not only controls the ultrashallow junction depth precisely, but also reduces the laser energy fluence required for impurity activation. In addition, laser annealing energy can be further reduced by use of SOI substrates in the device integration, indicating the implementation feasibility of LA to CMOS integration with an enlarged process window margin. The proposed S/D engineering is verified by the sheet resistance of junctions and the fabricated device current characteristics exhibiting substantially improved short-channel performance with higher current capability due to the box-shaped junction profile as compared with conventional rapid thermally-annealed (RTA) devices.
Detection of Huanglongbing-infected citrus leaves using statistical models with a fluorescence sensor.

A handheld fluorescence sensor was tested as a sensing tool to identify Huanglongbing (HLB), a citrus disease, in both symptomatic and asymptomatic stages. Features such as yellow, red, and far-red fluorescence at UV, blue, green, and red excitations, and other fluorescence ratios were acquired from the healthy and HLB-infected leaves of different cultivars. The classification studies were performed with these features as well as selective fluorescence features. Results indicated that the bagged decision tree classifier yielded 97% classification accuracy in case of the healthy and symptomatic samples. Although the asymptomatic samples from the HLB-infected trees could not be classified based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis results, the Naive-Bayes classifier grouped most of the asymptomatic samples as HLB. We found that a few fluorescence features such as yellow fluorescence (UV), far-red fluorescence (UV), yellow to far red fluorescence (UV), simple fluorescence ratio (green), and yellow fluorescence (green) could result in classification accuracies similar to those of the entire dataset.
Youth as Engaged Citizens and Community Change Advocates Through the Lexington Youth Leadership Academy

SUMMARY The Lexington Youth Leadership Academy is a leadership development and community change program which has helped high school-aged youth develop into effective leaders in a diverse society. The author describes a multifaceted approach emphasizing education and dialogue about diversity, training in problem solving and leadership skills, adult and peer mentoring, and community collaborations. The program employs an empowerment approach that begins with youth leadership development skills training, and culminates in youth-driven community change projects that focus on social injustice and educational reform.
Magnetic field calculation in permanent magnet motors with rotor eccentricity: with slotting effect considered

An analytical technique has been developed to predict the instantaneous magnetic field distribution in the air gap of a permanent magnet motor. The effect of the stator slotting and rotor eccentricity on the magnetic field has been considered. The slotting effect is explained by a newly redefined boundary value problem in polar coordinates in the annular air gap/magnet region of a multipole permanent magnet motor. A perturbation technique is introduced to describe the effect of rotor eccentricity. The analytical method has been validated by a corresponding finite element model. Two prototype motors are used as examples to show the effectiveness of the analytical technique proposed in the paper. The analytical solutions are in good agreement with those obtained by the finite element method, both in amplitude and wave form.
Gamma-ray decay of levels in 63Cu and 65Cu☆

Abstract Gamma-ray decay of levels in the stable copper isotopes 63 Cu and 65 Cu has been studied using 63, 65 Cu(n, n'γ) reactions for incident neutron energies between threshold and 6 MeV. Of the 257 γ-rays or γ-ray groups observed for neutron interactions with 63 Cu, 137 have been placed or tentatively placed among 88 levels in 63 Cu up to an excitation energy of 5.9 MeV. Similarly, of 335 γ-rays or γ-ray groups observed for neutron interactions with 65 Cu, 127 have been placed among 100 levels in 65 Cu up to an excitation energy of 5.8 MeV, including new decay data for > 70 excited states of 65 Cu.
Cognitive and Behavioral Model Ensembles for Autonomous Virtual Characters

Cognitive and behavioral models have become popular methods for creating autonomous self-animating characters. Creating these models presents the following challenges: (1) Creating a cognitive or behavioral model is a time intensive and complex process that must be done by an expert programmer, (2) The models are created to solve a specic problem in a given environment and because of their specic nature cannot be easily reused. Combining existing models together would allow an animator, without the need for a programmer, to create new characters in less time and to leverage each model’s strengths, resulting in an increase in the character’s performance and in the creation of new behaviors and animations. This paper provides a framework that can aggregate existing behavioral and cognitive models into an ensemble. An animator has only to rate how appropriately a character performs in a set of scenarios and the system then uses machine learning to determine how the character should act given the current situation. Empirical results from multiple case studies validate the approach.
A Software Engineering Course with an Emphasis on Software Processes and Security

This paper describes an undergraduate course in software engineering which introduces students to a range of approaches to developing software. This course is a required course in the Computer Science major. Special emphasis is given to PSP, CMMI, agile processes, and Open Source software development. Students work on a team project which involves developing a software process for a pretend company. The course also devotes attention to the strengths and weaknesses of various processes in terms of developing secure software. Students are asked to address security concerns in the second of their two team projects. Serving as a basic introduction to software engineering, this course also covers important issues relating to professional responsibilities, ethics and work culture. In many ways, the course introduces students to the human dimensions of engineering software.
Critical race theory and research on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in higher education

Critical race theory can be a useful alternative framework for understanding Asian American and Pacific Islander populations in higher education.
Leaky wave radiation from left-handed transmission lines composed of a cut-off parallel-plate waveguide loaded with dielectric resonators

Leaky wave radiation from a one- dimensional left-handed transmission line is investigated that is composed of a cut-off parallel plate waveguide loaded with dielectric resonators (DR). The left-handedness is established by the combination of negative effective permittivity due to the cut-off TE parallel plate waveguide mode and negative effective permeability originating from the macroscopic behavior of DRs under the fundamental TE resonance. The DRs are placed near an aperture on the side wall of the parallel plates. The numerical simulation and the measurement of the radiation patterns verify the backward wave propagation along the proposed waveguide, and the promising characteristics for applications to leaky wave antennas.
Prey Switching of Sympatric Canids in Response to Variable Prey Abundance

We investigated the effects of fluctuating prey numbers on the foraging strategies and potential mechanisms for coexistence of 2 sympatric predators, coyotes (Canis latrans) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), in a heterogeneous environment in northeastern Illinois. We quantified the availability of mammalian and avian prey across different habitats, analyzed scats collected along standardized routes for occurrence of prey items, and estimated the number and biomass of vertebrate prey consumed. Abundances of the most frequently consumed prey (voles, rabbits, and mice) differed significantly over time, especially in relation to an ice storm that occurred during the study. Coyotes and red foxes tended to select voles and rabbits in number, rabbits in biomass, and incorporated greater numbers and biomass of other prey such as deer, pheasants, and sciurids after the ice storm. Log-linear analyses indicated that both coyotes and red foxes exhibited switching behavior, with differential shifts among the number and biomass of alternative prey they consumed. Hence, foraging strategies of coyotes and red foxes appeared to be a combination of prey selectivity and switching behavior. Our study suggests that competition between coyotes and red foxes for similar primary prey species and limited environments to exploit at the urban–rural interface may contribute to displacement of red foxes by coyotes.
Sphingoid Base Metabolism in Yeast: Mapping Gene Expression Patterns Into Qualitative Metabolite Time Course Predictions

Can qualitative metabolite time course predictions be inferred from measured mRNA expression patterns? Speaking against this possibility is the large number of ‘decoupling’ control points that lie between these variables, i.e. translation, protein degradation, enzyme inhibition and enzyme activation. Speaking for it is the notion that these control points might be coordinately regulated such that action exerted on the mRNA level is informative of action exerted on the protein and metabolite levels. A simple kinetic model of sphingoid base metabolism in yeast is postulated. When the enzyme activities in this model are modulated proportional to mRNA expression levels measured in heat shocked yeast, the model yields a transient rise and fall in sphingoid bases followed by a permanent rise in ceramide. This finding is in qualitative agreement with experiments and is thus consistent with the aforementioned coordinated control system hypothesis.
Late-onset cytomegalovirus infection complicated by Guillain-Barre syndrome in a kidney transplant recipient: case report and review of the literature.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection remains a common infection after solid-organ transplantation. In the general population CMV disease is associated with Guillain–Barre syndrome (GBS), an autoimmune disease leading to an acute peripheral neuropathy, in 1 of 1000 cases. Interestingly, GBS is a rarely observed complication in solid-organ transplant recipients, possibly related to maintenance immunosuppression. We describe a case of CMV infection complicated by GBS in a kidney transplant recipient and review the literature.
Three-dimensional mapping of dark matter

We study the prospects for three-dimensional mapping of dark matter to high redshift through the shearing of faint galaxies images at multiple distances by gravitational lensing. Such maps could provide invaluable information on the nature of the dark energy and dark matter. While in principle well posed, mapping by direct inversion introduces exceedingly large, but usefully correlated noise into the reconstruction. By carefully propagating the noise covariance, we show that lensing contains substantial information, both direct and statistical, on the large-scale radial evolution of the density field. This information can be efficiently distilled into low-order signal-to-noise eigenmodes which may be used to compress the data by over an order of magnitude. Such compression will be useful for the statistical analysis of future large data sets. The reconstructed map also contains useful information on the localization of individual massive dark matter halos, and hence the dark energy from halo number counts, but its extraction depends strongly on prior assumptions. We outline a procedure for maximum entropy and point-source regularization of the maps that can identify alternate reconstructions.
Does Seeing Faces of Young Black Boys Facilitate the Identification of Threatening Stimuli

Pervasive stereotypes linking Black men with violence and criminality can lead to implicit cognitive biases, including the misidentification of harmless objects as weapons. In four experiments, we investigated whether these biases extend even to young Black boys (5-year-olds). White participants completed sequential priming tasks in which they categorized threatening and nonthreatening objects and words after brief presentations of faces of various races (Black and White) and ages (children and adults). Results consistently revealed that participants had less difficulty (i.e., faster response times, fewer errors) identifying threatening stimuli and more difficulty identifying nonthreatening stimuli after seeing Black faces than after seeing White faces, and this racial bias was equally strong following adult and child faces. Process-dissociation-procedure analyses further revealed that these effects were driven entirely by automatic (i.e., unintentional) racial biases. The collective findings suggest that the perceived threat commonly associated with Black men may generalize even to young Black boys.
A National Profile of Family and Unpaid Caregivers Who Assist Older Adults With Health Care Activities

Importance Family and unpaid caregivers commonly help older adults who are at high risk for poorly coordinated care. Objective To examine how caregivers’ involvement in older adults’ health care activities relates to caregiving responsibilities, supportive services use, and caregiving-related effects. Design, Setting, and Participants A total of 1739 family and unpaid caregivers of 1171 community-dwelling older adults with disabilities who participated in the 2011 National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) and National Study of Caregiving (NSOC). Main Outcomes and Measures Caregiving-related effects, including emotional, physical, and financial difficulty; participation restrictions in valued activities; and work productivity loss. Exposures Caregivers assisting older adults who provide substantial, some, or no help with health care, defined by coordinating care and managing medications (help with both, either, or neither activity, respectively). Results Based on NHATS and NSOC responses from 1739 family and unpaid caregivers of 1171 older adults with disabilities, weighted estimates were produced that accounted for the sampling designs of each survey. From these weighted estimates, 14.7 million caregivers assisting 7.7 million older adults, 6.5 million (44.1%) provided substantial help, 4.4 million (29.8%) provided some help, and 3.8 million (26.1%) provided no help with health care. Almost half (45.5%) of the caregivers providing substantial help with health care assisted an older adult with dementia. Caregivers providing substantial help with health care provided more hours of assistance per week than caregivers providing some or no help (28.1 vs 15.1 and 8.3 hours, P P Conclusions and Relevance Family caregivers providing substantial assistance with health care experience significant emotional difficulty and role-related effects, yet only one-quarter use supportive services.