cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fifty-one mini case studies for engineering ethics and professionalism

Ethical dilemmas abound, ranging from classic lifeboat cannibalism through frigid O-rings. The author collected the following discussion items when, on short notice, he found himself teaching Ethics and Professionalism in Engineering. He uses them for class discussion and homework. Hopefully one will find some of the examples useful directly or they may trigger dilemmas from personal experience.
0.1 mu m CMOS and beyond

As CMOS scaling is approaching 0.1 mu m channel length, the authors examine a number of key device and technology issues which will ultimately determine the limit of room temperature scaling. High speed and high transconductance (750 mS/mm for n, 400 mS/mm for p) sub-0.1 mu m nMOSFET and pMOSFET devices have recently been demonstrated. P/sup +/ polysilicon gate was used on 35 AA gate oxide without boron penetration. Very low series resistances (R/sub sd/=250 Omega - mu m for nMOSFET and 500 Omega - mu m for pMOSFET) are achieved with 500-700 AA-deep n/sup +/ and p/sup +/ source-drain extensions. These results indicate that it is possible to scale CMOS devices to 0.1 mu m channel length. Beyond 0.1 mu m, however, conventional CMOS performance at room temperature levels off subject to off-current and threshold voltage requirements. A number of possibilities for further performance enhancement, such as SOI, SiGe channel, double-gate device, and low temperature CMOS are discussed. >
Lipoprotein Lipid Response to the National Cholesterol Education Program Step II Diet by Hypercholesterolemic and Combined Hyperlipidemic Women and Men

The beFIT study tested whether teaching the NCEP step II diet (< 30% of calories from total fat and < 7% from saturated fat) is an effective therapy in hypercholesterolemic women and men with or without elevated triglycerides after 6 months. Hypercholesterolemic subjects had two LDL cholesterol measurements above the age- and sex-specific 75th percentile, and combined hyperlipidemic subjects additionally had similarly elevated triglyceride. Subjects were randomized to receive dietary intervention (eight weekly classes) immediately or 6 months later. Follow-up visits were quarterly, with lipid measurements and 4-day food records. Subjects randomized to delayed intervention did not report diet changes or experience lipid changes; the immediate intervention group significantly reduced fat and cholesterol intake, resulting in significant LDL cholesterol lowering. Six months after diet instruction, 178 women and 231 men reported total and saturated fat intakes of approximately 25% and 7.5% kcal LDL cholesterol was significantly reduced in women (7.6% and 8.1%) and men (8.8% and 8.1%) with hypercholesterolemia and combined hyperlipidemia, respectively, but was not different by sex or lipid disorder. Candidates for drug therapy were reduced from between 27% and 37% to 20%. HDL cholesterol was significantly decreased in women (-6.4% and -4.7%) but not in men (-1.3% and -2.7%). The 6.4% reduction in hypercholesterolemic women was significantly different from that of men. The significance of the HDL cholesterol reduction in women is unknown. LDL cholesterol response was similar between women and men and between hypercholesterolemic and combined hyperlipidemic subjects. LDL cholesterol lowering by diet can significantly reduce the number of hyperlipidemic persons requiring drug therapy.
The effect of perches in cages during pullet rearing and egg laying on hen performance, foot health, and plumage

Enrichment of pullet cages with perches has not been studied. Our objective was to determine if access to metal perches during all or part of the life cycle of caged White Leghorns affected egg traits, foot health, and feather condition. Treatment 1 represented control chickens that never had access to perches during their life cycle. Treatment 2 hens had perches only during the egg laying phase of the life cycle (17 to 71 wk of age), whereas treatment 3 chickens had perches during the pullet phase (0 to 16.9 wk of age). Treatment 4 chickens always had access to perches (0 to 71 wk of age). Comparisons between chickens that always had perches with controls that never had perches showed similar performance relative to egg production, cracked eggs, egg weight, shell weight, % shell, and shell thickness. More dirty eggs occurred in laying cages with perches. Feed usage increased resulting in poorer feed efficiency in hens with perch exposure during the pullet phase with no effect during egg laying. Perches did not affect hyperkeratosis of toes and feet. The back claw at 71 wk of age broke less if hens had prior experience with perches during the pullet phase. In contrast, during egg laying, the back claw at 71 wk of age broke more due to the presence of perches in laying cages. Perches in laying cages resulted in shorter trimmed claws and improved back feather scores, but caused poorer breast and tail feather scores. In conclusion, enriching conventional cages with perches during the entire life cycle resulted in similar hen performance compared with controls. Fewer broken back claws but poorer feed efficiency occurred because of prior experience with perches as pullets. Perch presence during egg laying improved back feather scores with more trimmed nails but caused more dirty eggs, broken back claws, and poorer breast and tail feather scores. Although perches allow chickens to express their natural perching instinct, it was not without causing welfare problems.
Stability of Shell Egg and Liquid Yolk to Lipid Oxidation

Abstract Oxidative stability of the lipids, including cholesterol, of shell egg and broken-out liquid yolk was investigated. The oxidation of total yolk lipids was determined by peroxide value and measurement of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBRS), and the presence of oxidized cholesterol derivatives was monitored by gas chromotography. After 18 months of refrigerated storage (4 C), shell egg yolk lipids had undergone very little oxidative deterioration. No measurable peroxides were present in the yolk of fresh, 12-, or 18-month eggs. Measurements of TBRS gave relatively low values that did not increase during storage. Chromatograms of yolk sterols indicated very little difference between fresh and 18-month eggs. None of the typical cholesterol oxides were detected based on relative retention time. During 3 weeks of storage, liquid yolk held at 45 and 55 C underwent partial gelation prior to increases in TBRS while yolk stored at lower temperatures (23 and 35 C) did not show measurable oxidative deterioration. In view of its high content of susceptible lipid constituents, egg yolk manifests an unusual stability toward lipid oxidation.
Techniques for Measuring Adhesive Energies in Metal/Ceramic Systems

The adhesive energies of nickel on thorium dioxide (ThO 2 ), nickel/ chromium (80/20) on ThO 2 , and iron/nickel/chromium (304 stainless steel) on aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ) were determined at temperatures ranging from roughly 200°C (360°F) below the melting point of the metallic component to approximately 50°C (90°F) above. The technique involves the measurement of the average surface free energy for the solid metals and liquid metal drops utilizing the zero-creep and sessile-drop shape concepts, respectively. Measurements of equilibrium energetics and associated geometries as well as the contact angles at metallic particles in contact with the ceramic substrates are described using the techniques of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Measurements of surface free energy of nickel/chromium and stainless steel drops equilibrated at temperatures below the melting point and utilizing the sessile-drop method are compared with those determined by the zero-creep method. The results of this investigation represent the first systematic study of the variation of adhesive energy of a metal/ceramic system with temperature, and the comparison of surface free energies determined from equilibrium particle shapes with zero-creep measurements of wires of the same material in the solid state.
Red cell distribution width as a bleeding predictor after percutaneous coronary intervention.

Background Red cell distribution width (RDW), a measure of variability in the size of circulating erythrocytes, is an independent predictor of mortality in cardiovascular disease and in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We set out to determine if RDW is a prognostic marker of major bleeding post-PCI. Methods The study population included 6,689 patients who were subjected to PCI. The RDW was derived from a complete blood count drawn before PCI. Major inhospital bleeding was defined as a hematocrit decrease ≥12%, hemoglobin drop of ≥4, transfusion of ≥2 units of packed red blood cells, retroperitoneal, or gastrointestinal or intracranial bleeding. Multivariable logistic analysis of major inhospital bleeding was performed using a logistic regression model that comprised the National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR) risk score model as a single variable. Results Major bleeding ( P P = .005), and transfusions ( P P c statistic of the NCDR risk prediction model changed from 0.730 to 0.737 ( P = .032), the net reclassification improvement increased significantly after the addition of RDW as a continuous variable (17.3% CI 6.7%-28%, P = .002). Conclusions Red cell distribution width, an easily obtainable marker, has an independent, linear relationship with major bleeding post-PCI and incrementally improves the well-validated NCDR risk prediction model. These data suggest that further investigation is necessary to determine the relationship of RDW and post-PCI bleeding.
The worksite component of variance: design effects and the Healthy Worker Project

Variance estimates in worksite health promotion studies depend partly on the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). ICC quantifies homogeneity of a variable within worksites. ICC would be zero for randomly formed worksites, but is generally positive because employees tend to share personal characteristics. The ratio comparing the variance estimated from worksite means with that estimated from individuals under simple random sampling is the design effect (DEFF). A DEFF of 1.0 indicates no excess variance due to worksite. The Healthy Worker Project (HWP) was a 32 worksite cross-sectional and longitudinal study of a weight and smoking intervention program. ICCs in cross-sectional surveys for health-related outcome variables ranged from 0.006 to 0.009, DEFFs from 2.0 to 2.6 ICCs/DEFF's in longitudinal analysis were smaller; ICCs ranged from -0.002 to 0.003, DEFFs from 0.7 to 1.5. Positive ICCs substantially increased variance estimates at a single measurement, yet variance of longitudinal analysis was less subject to worksite dependence. It is concluded the worksite component of variance is real and should not be ignored, although the worksite component of variance is small in these longitudinal analyses. This observation should be replicated before it is used in other worksite health promotion research.
Civic engagement in the United States: Roots and branches

The adult education and civic education movements are not synonymous, but the two were intertwined during the early years of adult education's formation as a field in the United States.
Gracing the Land of Elvis and Beale Street: Historic Designation and Property Values in Memphis

We analyze appreciation rates across comparable designated and undesignated neighborhoods in Memphis, Tennessee. Using appreciation rates potentially nullifies the objection to using assessed values in such an analysis while also mitigating some of the bias inherent in the differences between otherwise similar designated and undesignated neighborhoods. Nonetheless, in accord with the previous studies, after controlling for numerous housing characteristics, we find that properties in neighborhoods designated historical by the Memphis Landmarks Commission had appreciation rates above those in other similar neighborhoods. We also find that new properties benefit as much, perhaps even more, than older properties from being in a historic district.
Cross-sectional imaging: a technology crisis upon us.

p t ver the past several years, a crisis as arisen in cross-sectional imagng: “too many bloody images” (N. arstaedt, personal communicaion, 2002). Our advanced techologies have allowed the acquisiion of increasingly large data sets, o large, in fact, that an examinaion folder sometimes cannot be pened at an interpretation worktation. For computed tomography nd magnetic resonance in particuar, we have made (or are making) a uccessful transition from “tileode” film image presentation to stack-mode” workstation presenation. Interestingly, this technolgy has enabled acquisition techologies to produce larger and arger data sets. Simply put, we ust change the way these image ata are used in the interpretation rocess. For example, consider a hest, abdomen, and pelvis comuted tomography workload of 25 atients per day per scanner. Asuming 1-mm cross-sectional imges were acquired, the total image olume for the day would be 7,500 images. If half of the paients had prior images for comparson, the volume would increase to bout 26,000 images. If a radioloist were to spend on average 1 s per mage, it would take about 7.3 ours to view these data. Given the ecessities of ordering, physician ommunication, breaks, meals, and o on, such daily workloads could ot be accommodated on a coninuing basis. Clearly, this interpreation methodology leads to dire nd unpleasant scenarios. It also aises serious concerns regarding T hysical and mental fatigue, focus f concentration, and so on. Could e be approaching a time when it is better” to be the first patient canned in the morning rather than he last patient scanned in the vening? We tend to think that such techological problems are unique to our ime and caused by the advances of ur time. However, history often reeals otherwise. There was also a crisis n the number of images at the time f the previous century, eventually olved by increasing the number of adiologists available to interpret hose examinations [1]. Although hat approach is certainly always a soution, a massive increase in the numer of radiologists to interpret, say, 10 omputed tomographic studies a day s hardly a professional, practical, or conomically viable solution today. A ew approach is needed! This topic has received great ttention from the Society for omputer Applications in Radilogy (SCAR) since 2002. In early 003, SCAR launched the Transorming the Radiological Interretation Process (TRIPTM) Iniiative. The aims of the SCAR RIPTM Initiative are to (1) imrove the efficiency of large data et interpretation, (2) improve asects of communication, and (3) ecrease medical errors. Details of he SCAR TRIPTM Initiative and he activities to date are available n SCAR’s Web site (http:// ww.scarnet.net/trip/). A summary f these activities is given below. After the formulation of the RIPTM Initiative, SCAR dedit
Methods of Feeding Turkeys

Abstract UNTIL quite recently the most popular method of feeding turkeys has been a free-choice system wherein the turkeys are allowed to balance their own diet with continuous access to a protein-vitamin-mineral concentrate and whole grains. Some modification of this method has been practiced by limiting one or the other component when over-consumption of either energy or protein occurs. The idea has been advanced recently that the turkey either cannot or will not balance its own diet properly when given such a choice. Proponents of all-mash feeding insist that when all of the components are mixed in a prescribed ratio, scaled to the changing requirement of the turkey throughout its growing period, growth rate and feed efficiency are improved and market age is decreased. Blaylock et al. (1954) studied the effect of feeding high and low energy pellets with corn and barley to turkeys from 8 to 23 weeks of age …
Immune evasion by rabies viruses through the maintenance of blood-brain barrier integrity

The attenuated rabies virus (RV) strain Challenge Virus Standard (CVS)-F3 and a highly pathogenic strain associated with the silver-haired bats (SHBRV) can both be cleared from the central nervous system (CNS) tissues by appropriate antiviral immune mechanisms if the effectors are provided access across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). In the case of SHBRV infection, antiviral immunity develops normally in the periphery but fails to open the BBB, generally resulting in a lethal outcome. To determine whether or not an absence in the CNS targeted immune response is associated with the infection with other pathogenic RV strains, we have assessed the development of immunity, BBB permeability, and immune cell infiltration into the CNS tissues of mice infected with a variety of RV strains, including the dog variants responsible for the majority of human rabies cases. We demonstrate that the lethal outcomes of infection with a variety of known pathogenic RV strains are indeed associated with the inability to deliver immune effectors across the BBB. Survival from infection with certain of these viruses is improved in mice prone to CNS inflammation. The results suggest that competition between the activity of the immune effectors reaching CNS tissues and the inherent pathological attributes of the virus dictates the outcome and that intervention to deliver RV-specific immune effectors into CNS tissues may have general therapeutic value in rabies.
Toward a Model of Transfer as Sense-Making

We propose a novel theoretical framework for knowledge transfer that consists of constructing a representation of context, generating a solution, and evaluating whether the solution makes sense given that context. Sense-making and satisficing processes determine when the transfer cycle begins and ends, and the classical mechanisms of transfer (identical rules, analogy, knowledge compilation, and constraint violation) are triggered under different representations of context. We use this framework to interpret student transfer behaviors with examples from the literature in the domains of physics and mathematics. We view this framework as a research tool to explore the dynamic nature and complexity of transfer by highlighting critical features and issues that a complete model of transfer must address. We describe how the framework relates to the classical and recent alternative approaches to understanding transfer and discuss the implications for theory development and instruction.
Localization and dimensionality

Abstract Localization of eigenstates depends not only on dimensionality but also on the nature of the disorder. Thus the states in two dimensions may or may not be exponentially localized. Grain boundaries may localize all states in any dimensionality. It is shown that there exists an exact scaling of the transfer matrix, which is valid in any dimensionality.
Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Effects on Montana's Mixed-Grass Prairie

Abstract Forty paired sites were examined on the mixed-grass prairie of northeastern Montana to compare the effects of black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies on native range vegetation. Thirty 0.25-m2 quadrats were placed on colonized and uncolonized locations and matched by environmental conditions. Cover and standing crop biomass of each plant species was estimated using a double sampling procedure where every third plot was clipped and estimated. A total of 2 400 quadrats were estimated, whereas 720 quadrats were clipped during the months of May–August of 2000 and 2001. Crude protein, digestibility, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent fiber were determined on the basis of vegetative classes (cool-season grasses, warm-season grasses, standing dead grass, forbs, and dwarf shrubs). Pairwise comparisons were made using paired t tests and differences were declared significant at the 0.05 level. Plant biomass of colonized sites was dominated by fringed sagewort (Artemisia frigida Wi...
Universal discrete denoising: known channel

A discrete denoising algorithm estimates the input sequence to a discrete memoryless channel (DMC) based on the observation of the entire output sequence. For the case in which the DMC is known and the quality of the reconstruction is evaluated with a given single-letter fidelity criterion, we propose a discrete denoising algorithm that does not assume knowledge of statistical properties of the input sequence. Yet, the algorithm is universal in the sense of asymptotically performing as well as the optimum denoiser that knows the input sequence distribution, which is only assumed to be stationary. Moreover, the algorithm is universal also in a semi-stochastic setting, in which the input is an individual sequence, and the randomness is due solely to the channel noise. The proposed denoising algorithm is practical, requiring a linear number of register-level operations and sublinear working storage size relative to the input data length.
Bridging from e-Government practice to e-Government research: Past trends and future directions

This white paper examines the state of the field of e-government research to assess strategically how the Bedrosian Center may best target future research initiatives. E-government research is characterized by a great deal of interaction between practitioners and academic researchers, but most research continues to either lack sufficient rigor to produce generalizable results or in search of rigor becomes too abstract to be directly useful to guide practice. Thus, despite the explosive growth in the field there remain numerous opportunities to develop research projects that can both interest and aid practitioners and be publishable in top academic journals. Through two reviews - one of the specialized e-government literature and the other of general public administration and political science journals - this paper identifies a number of research areas in which the Bedrosian Center could target its efforts.
Routing metrics for multi-hop wireless mesh networks

Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) have gained considerable popularity recently. Most research on WMNs focuses on improving network capacity, because WMNs suffer from severe throughput degradation due to interferences. Among them, routing has been an active area of research for a long time, and it is also the focus of this dissertation. Routing metrics are critical for selection of a path with a maximum throughput in multi-hop wireless networks. Due to the nature of wireless losses and multi-rate support, wireless links in one single network may have a broad range of characteristics such as loss rates and data transmission rates. In addition, wireless nodes may be equipped with multiple radios tuned to non-overlapping channels in order to improve network performance. All these technologies bring new challenges to route selection in wireless multi-hop networks, and the traditional minimum hop count metric does not suffice in such a complicated environment, since it does not take any aforementioned characteristics into account. To design an effective routing metric, it is necessary to accurately acquire the link properties that might affect path performance, most importantly, the loss rate. To better assess individual link loss rate, this study proposes several modifications to existing broadcast based probe method that leads to a more accurate link loss rate measurement. In recent years, although many link quality-based routing metrics have been explored, none of the current routing metrics is capable of capturing the necessary link properties, which is critical for a comprehensive evaluation of routing path performances and the selection of the best route. In this study, we explore the drawbacks of current routing metrics and propose two improved strategies, improved Expected Time Transmission (iETT) and improved Bottleneck Aware Transmission Delay (iBATD), respectively, to address the challenges for single-radio and multi-radio wireless mesh networks. The proposed routing metrics will be explored in various wireless network scenarios through ns-2 simulations and their performances will be compared to current routing metrics, such as minimum hop count metric (HOP), Expected Transmission Count (ETX), Expected Transmission Time (ETT) and Weighted Cumulative ETT (WCETT) metrics. Additionally, an extended Dynamic Source Routing (DSR)-based routing protocol (eDSR), which works effectively in multi-radio scenarios and performs seamlessly with any quality aware routing metrics, has also been designed to aid the performance comparisons. Moreover, we develop iETT routing metric and three other selected representative routing metrics on a Linux based test bed and assess their performances with extensive experiments.
Optical Manipulation of Objects in Microfluidic Devices

In this paper, we present object manipulation methodologies in microfluidic devices based on object-photon interactions. Devices were fabricated by polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer molding of channel structures over photolithographically defined patterns using a thick negative photoresist. Inorganic objects including polystyrene spheres and organic objects including live cells were transferred into fluidic channels using a syringe pump. The objects were trapped and manipulated within the fluidic channels using optical tweezers formed by VCSEL arrays, with only a few mW of optical power. We have also shown that it is possible to manipulate multiple objects as a whole assemble by using an optically-trapped particle as a handle, or an “optical handle”. Optical manipulation will have applications in biomedical devices for drug discovery, cytometry and cell biology research.
Nanotribological properties of few layer graphene surfaces, prepared by bottom-up and top-down methods, in ambient air and liquid environments

The role of bottom-up and top-down synthesis methods on the nanotribological response of few layer graphene (FLG) in air and various liquid environments is reported. Oxidized FLG adhesion against Si increases by a factor of 2 as compared to non-oxidized samples. Also, it is reported that the FLG center-to-edge adhesion typically exhibits a decreasing tendency. In air, a highly lubricious nanotribological response (0.03–0.04) of both bottom-up and top-down prepared samples is measured. The frictional behavior of bottom-up synthesized FLG in different liquid environments is found to depend on the absence or presence of viscous aggregates in the respective liquid. A Stribeck-like behavior is suggested for viscous synthetic lubricants, such as silicone, present as the third body in the FLG/Si tip system. Such nanoscale behavior, indicating transitions in different lubrication regimes, may be particularly important for the further understanding of liquid–graphene interfaces in novel tribological and device applications.
PROPERTIES OF ROUS SARCOMA HYALURONIC ACID.

SummaryHyaluronic acid isolated from Rous sarcoma was found to have an unusual effect on the precipitation reaction with cation detergent and ECTEOLA column chromatography, and to have an apparently smaller particle size than hyaluronic acid from normal tissues. This preparation exhibited promoting effects upon the spreading of a dye in tissue and upon capillary permeability. A possible role in the invasion properties of tumors is indicated.
Design of a Petroleum Preflash Column

Crude oil contains saturated hydrocarbon chemical components with boiling points that range from very low (methane) to very high. A small preflash column is frequently used upstream of the main pipestill to remove light ends and some of the naphtha to reduce the load on the pipestill furnace and column. The major design optimization variables in the preflash column include pressure, reflux-drum temperature, and furnace coil outlet temperature. This paper explores the design of a typical preflash column.
Use of Charge-Assisted Hydrogen Bonding in the Supramolecular Assembly of Hybrid Uranyl Materials

Supramolecular assembly of U(VI) materials can be limited by the passivation of the uranyl oxo group and the propensity of the metal center to hydrolyze, resulting in the formation of extended two-dimensional (2D) structures. To overcome these barriers, the use of charge-assisted H-bonding was explored using amino acids (glycine [Gly] and l-alanine [Ala]), resulting in the formation of three novel compounds {[(UO2)3(Gly)2(O)2(OH)2](H2O)6 (1), [(UO2)5(Gly)4(O)3(OH)3](NO3)(H2O)12 (2), and [(UO2)3(Ala)2O(OH)3](NO3)(H2O)3 (3)} that have been characterized by X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, TGA, and vibrational spectroscopy. Hydrolysis of the uranyl cation (UO22+) chelated by bridging zwitterionic amino acids results in the formation of infinite chains when synthesized from mildly acidic aqueous solutions. While positively charged chains form densely packed structures, the neutral UO2-glycine chains support a nanoporous (internal diameter ∼1.35 nm) supramolecular architecture through multifurcated charg...
Effects of Levamisole in Murine Brucellosis

Effet adjuvant, modere a la dose utilisee, sur la reaction anticorps contre Brucella abortus, avec augmentation des anticorps agglutinants totaux sans modification de la production d'IgM en faveur d'IgG. Absence d'effet sur la clairance des bacteries a partir des tissus des souris infectees avec B.a. ou B. melitensis
155 THE PATHOLOGY OF CONGENITAL MITRAL STENOSIS

This study was undertaken in an effort to clarify the principal pathologic findings of congenital mitral stenosis and to propose an anatomic classification. In a series of 64 autopsied cases, four anatomic types were found: (1) typical congenital mitral stenosis with short chordae tendineae, obliteration of interchordal spaces, and reduction of interpapillary distance (32 cases, 50 percent); (2) hypoplastic congenital mitral stenosis, associated almost always with a hypoplastic left heart syndrome (26 cases, 41 percent); (3) supramitral ring (5 cases, 8 percent); and (4) parachute mitral valve (4 cases, 6 percent). The median ages at death were: parachute mitral valve, 9 11/12 years: supramitral ring, 5 7/12 years; typical congenital mitral stenosis, 7 years; and hypoplastic congenital mitral stenosis, 7 days. Thus, parachute mitral valve had the best natural history and the hypoplastic type had the worst, while that of the other two types was intermediate. Associated malformations were present in 94 percent of cases, those with the greatest frequency being endocardial sclerosis or florid endocardial fibroelastosis in 41 percent, valvular aortic stenosis in 33 percent, hypoplasia of the aortic isthmus in 31 percent, aortic atresia in 23 percent, and coarctation of the aorta in 20 percent of the cases.
A Gynandromorph of the German Cockroach, Blattella germanica

Although gynandromorphs are well known in several diverse insect groups, none have heretofore been described from a cockroach. Recently we found a single adult gynander in a laboratory-bred, DDT-resistant strain of the German cockroach, Blatella germanica (L.). Since little can be deduced from a single specimen in regard to genetic mechanisms, this note is limited to a brief mention of the more prominent morphological features.
Rb Intrinsically Promotes Erythropoiesis by Coupling Cell Cycle Exit with Mitochondrial Biogenesis.

Regulation of the cell cycle is intimately linked to erythroid differentiation, yet how these processes are coupled at the molecular level is not well understood. In order to gain insight into this coordinate regulation, we examined the role that the retinoblastoma gene product (Rb), a central regulator of the cell cycle, plays in erythropoiesis. A conditional (floxed) Rb gene was specifically deleted in the erythroid compartment by means of EpoR-GFPcre, or in other hematopoietic compartments (with LysM-Cre and Mx1-Cre) in mice. We found that Rb serves a cell-type intrinsic and autonomous role in erythropoiesis. Deletion of Rb in the erythroid compartment results in an anemia due to ineffective erythropoiesis. A partial block in differentiation occurs at the transition from early to late erythroblasts. Unexpectedly, we found that in addition to a failure to properly exit the cell cycle, mitochondrial biogenesis fails to be upregulated at this transition point. The disturbance in mitochondrial activities was established through gene expression analysis, measures of respiratory function, as well as measurements of mtDNA content in sorted cell populations. The failure to upregulate mitochondrial biogenesis appears to contribute to the block in differentiation. The link between erythroid differentiation and mitochondrial function was validated by chemical inhibition of mitochondrial biogenesis and knockdown of the mitochondrial transcriptional coactivator PGC-1beta in cultured erythroid cells. The ineffective erythropoiesis seen in erythroid cells lacking Rb closely resembles the features of the refractory anemia seen in the context of the myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Prior work has demonstrated the presence of defects in cell cycle regulation as well as mitochondrial function in MDS. Our work demonstrates how these seemingly disparate pathways may play a role in coordinately regulating cellular differentiation.
Percutaneous Peripheral Nerve Stimulation in Acute Pain Medicine

The current opioid epidemic in North America has directed trends in acute pain management towards complementary therapies, including nonopioid analgesics and regional anesthesia techniques. More recently neurostimulation has reappeared as an alternative therapy. Neurostimulation has been used for many years as an analgesic modality in the treatment of a variety of acute and chronic pain conditions. However, available technologies previously limited its widespread use. More recently, percutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation (pPNS) has been suggested as a means to help manage acute postoperative pain following total knee arthroplasty. This review aims to evaluate the current literature regarding the use of pPNS and its role in management of acute pain. Recently, several studies have demonstrated the successful perineural placement of stimulating electrodes under ultrasound guidance. Along with technological advancements in lead and stimulator manufacture, this has made it easier to utilize neurostimulation for pain management. Several recent case reports have demonstrated use in management of acute postoperative pain following total knee arthroplasty, with patients showing an improvement in pain scores from baseline and faster achievement of postoperative milestones. Nerve stimulation has been utilized as an effective treatment for a variety of chronic pain states. Although its use for acute pain is much less documented, preliminary data from case reports suggest that the ultrasound-guided placement of electrodes and targeted electrical stimulation of specific peripheral nerves may have a role in the management of acute postoperative pain in total knee arthroplasty.
A further analysis of the effect of satiation on the sucking response in puppies

A total of 84 tests were made on puppies to further examine the influence of stomach injected food on the sucking reflex. Sucking followed injection of milk in every case, even when the stomach was filled to capacity. In the great majority of tests the puppies gained weight after sucking, but in 14 per cent of the tests they sucked for rather long periods without gaining weight. In 42 additional tests injection was followed by opportunity for licking milk from a pan and then by sucking. In these tests also, the puppies sucked in every case. The puppies did not lick milk from a pan in every test, however, since it has been shown that if the stomach is filled to capacity, the licking and eating response is eliminated. Sucking seems to be a reflex occurrence which is independent of the amount of food in the stomach.
Applications of iQID cameras

iQID is an intensified quantum imaging detector developed in the Center for Gamma-Ray Imaging (CGRI). Originally called BazookaSPECT, iQID was designed for high-resolution gamma-ray imaging and preclinical gamma-ray single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). With the use of a columnar scintillator, an image intensifier and modern CCD/CMOS sensors, iQID cameras features outstanding intrinsic spatial resolution. In recent years, many advances have been achieved that greatly boost the performance of iQID, broadening its applications to cover nuclear and particle imaging for preclinical, clinical and homeland security settings. This paper presents an overview of the recent advances of iQID technology and its applications in preclinical and clinical scintigraphy, preclinical SPECT, particle imaging (alpha, neutron, beta, and fission fragment), and digital autoradiography.
Adaptive mobile behavior change intervention using reinforcement learning

As smartphones become increasingly intimate and continuous companions, many opportunities are arising in human behavior sensing, modeling, and coaching. This position paper explores opportunities and challenges for mobile-based deployment of behavior change interventions. We suggest the adoption and extension of reinforcement learning for addressing these challenges, and we identify several key areas of future research that, on the basis of prior results, appear ripe for extending the benefits of reinforcement learning to human behavior change. These areas include stronger grounding of states in theories of human behavior, RL agent adaptation and decomposition, cooperative reinforcement learning, and in situ evaluation.
Adjuvant Therapy Is Associated With Improved Survival in Resected Perihilar Cholangiocarcinoma: A Propensity Matched Study

There are limited well-controlled studies that conclusively demonstrate a benefit of adjuvant therapy in resected perihilar cholangiocarcinoma. Most studies include all biliary tract tumors as one entity despite the heterogeneity of these diseases. We identified patients with resected perihilar cholangiocarcinoma from the National Cancer Database between 2006 and 2013. Patients who received adjuvant therapy (AT) were compared to an observation (OB) cohort by propensity score matching. We identified 1846 patients: 1053 patients (57%) in the OB group, and 793 (43%) in the AT group. Patients who received adjuvant therapy were more likely to be younger, have a higher rate of private insurance, have higher T and N stage tumors, and were more likely to have positive resection margins. After 1:1 propensity score matching, 577 OB group patients were compared with 577 AT group patients. The AT cohort was associated with better overall survival compared with the OB cohort (hazard ratio [HR] 0.73; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.64–0.83). The median survival was 29.5 and 23.3 months for the AT and OB groups, respectively (P < 0.01). Subgroup analysis demonstrated a survival advantage for adjuvant therapy in disease with positive resection margins (HR 0.53; 95% CI 0.42–0.67). Adjuvant therapy is associated with improved survival in resected perihilar cholangiocarcinoma, especially in disease with positive resection margins. This study supports the use of adjuvant therapy in high-risk patients.
Analysis of buried, jointed pipelines

ABSTRACT An exact, closed-form solution for a uniformly-loaded, straight, buried, Jointed Bernoulli-Euler beam with an arbitrarily-located piece-wise linear joint has been developed in the usefull form of a space-beam, finite-element suitable for inclusion in a space-frame, stiffness computer program. Just eight functions, presented in closed-form, are needed to calculate the elemental stiffness matrix and just six functions, presented in closed form, are needed to calculate the elemental fixed-end-force vector. These functions have been tabulated and plotted for a wide range of arguments.
Fibromyalgia syndrome and myofascial pain syndrome. Do they exist

This article discusses the validity of two popular pain syndromes, fibromyalgia syndrome and myofascial pain syndrome. The history, scientific evidence, and legal aspects of these controversial entitities are reviewed. Fibromyalgia syndrome is a diagnosis currently in wide use, and especially popular among rheumatologists and family physicians, as well as neurologists.
Development of grating acuity in infants with regressed stage 3 retinopathy of prematurity.

The acuity card procedure was used to measure grating acuity in 17 infants with regressed Stage 3 retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) who had no lasting anatomic changes in the retina or optic nerve. Results were compared with those of 28 healthy preterm infants and 28 infants matched by birth weight and gestational age who did not have Stage 3 ROP. Infants in the ROP group showed delayed grating acuity development until 2 years of age. This difference among groups was significant at the 3-5- and 10-12-month test ages but not at the 0-1-, 8-9-, and 16-18-month test ages. Post hoc analyses indicated that the delay in acuity development shown by the ROP group was due to the poor acuity scores of the infants in that group who had central nervous system abnormalities of periventricular leukomalacia or severe (Grade III or IV) intraventricular hemorrhage. When the data of these infants were removed from the analysis, the ROP group showed acuity development similar to that of both the healthy preterm group and the group of infants with matched birth weights and gestational ages who did not have Stage 3 ROP. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 31:2082-2087,1990
A survey of neurologists on bothersome patient behaviors.

Context Although much has been published on patient complaints about physicians, little is known about patient behaviors that physicians find bothersome.
Cephalosporin and carbacephem nephrotoxicity: Roles of tubular cell uptake and acylating potential

Three beta-lactams, desacetylcephaloglycin, ampicillin, and loracarbef, were studied to test a hypothesis derived from retrospective analysis of previously studied cephalosporins: that beta-lactam nephrotoxicity develops in approximate proportion to tubular cell antibiotic concentrations and lactam ring reactivities. Concentrations of each beta-lactam (and insulin) in rabbit renal cortex and serum were measured at the end of 0.5-hr infusions of 100 mg antibiotic/kg body weight and 0.5 to 0.67 hr later. Total cortical AUCs (total areas under the curve of concentration and time in renal cortex) and transported cortical AUCs (total minus insulin-space beta lactam) were calculated from these measurements. Reactivities, determined by the rate constants of lactam-ring opening at pH 10, were taken from the literature. Nephrotoxicity was quantified by grades of proximal tubular cell necrosis and by serum creatinine concentrations 2 days after infusion of 100-1500 mg/kg of the antibiotics. Desacetylcephaloglycin was slightly less nephrotoxic than cephaloglycin; the AUCs reactivities, and toxicities of these two cephalosporins fit the proposed model, particularly when allowance is made for hepatic and renal deacetylation of cephaloglycin. The very low AUCs, limited reactivity, and absence of nephrotoxicity of ampicillin also fit the model. Loracarbef had a transported AUC less than three times, and reactivity one-thirtieth, those of cefaclor, respectively. Although only at 1500 mg/kg, loracarbef was significantly more nephrotic than cefaclor. If the relativity of loracarbef with its targeted bacterial proteins, which is essentially the same as that of cefaclor, is considered instead of the base hydrolysis rate constant, than loracarbef also fits the model. By the same analysis, the comparatively high in vitro stability of other carbacephems, although pharmaceutically convenient, may not limit their nephrotoxicity.
A Gradient Descent Bias Optimizer for Oscillator Phase Noise Reduction Demonstrated in 45nm and 32nm SOI CMOS

This paper presents a technique for minimizing the phase noise of a CMOS PLL's oscillator. An integrated state-machine implements a gradient descent optimization algorithm to find the VCO bias voltage with the minimum frequency sensitivity to the bias voltage. This suppresses noise up-conversion within the oscillator for a key class of noise sources. The scheme is demonstrated in two separate PLLs. In a 45nm SOI CMOS 13.5-to-16.5 GHz PLL the phase noise is reduced from −90 to −103 dBc/Hz at 1MHz offset measured from a 15.5GHz carrier. In a 32nm SOI CMOS 17.5GHz-to-21 GHz, the phase noise is reduced from −78.8 to −84.2 at 100kHz offset from an 18.1GHz carrier.
The effect of particle wettability on the of rheology particulate suspensions with capillary force

Abstract We examined the dependence of the rheology of capillary suspensions on particle wettability using model ternary liquid/liquid/particle mixtures. Experiments were conducted using silica particles suspended in a majority liquid phase, to which a small minority of a second liquid was added. Silane modification was used to realize three different particle wettabilities ranging from particles being fully-wettable by the minority fluid, to being almost completely non-wettable by the minority liquid. In all three cases, the ternary suspensions showed solid-like behavior, with the yield stress and modulus decreasing as particles became less wettable towards the minority fluid. In all three cases, the minority liquid was found to induce particle aggregation into percolating networks which are responsible for the solid-like rheology. Our results suggest two reasons why the solid-like properties of such suspensions diminish as the particles become less wetting by the minority fluid: because particle network relies on multi-particle capillary clusters (rather than pair-wise meniscus binding), and because a certain fraction of particles become too non-wettable to participate in the network.
Permanent Record: The Use of Dental and Bone Microstructure to Assess Life History Evolution and Ecology

In order to study the impact of ecology on life history evolution, paleobiologists have begun to take a cue from dendrochronology, and have increasingly been making use of microstructural growth records available within mineralized tissues: dental enamel, dentin, and bone. These tissues contain regular growth increments whose periodicities range from 24-hour (circadian), to 2-week, to seasonal and annual cycles, and which have allowed us to generate absolute chronologies of growth in teeth and bone. The study of these increments is known as odontochronology with respect to teeth, and skeletochronology with respect to bone. These two related fields allow us to directly quantify how species’ growth patterns are correlated with a number of ecological factors over geological time. Moreover, because growth increments record individual stress events that occurred within individual animals’ lifetimes, they allow us to observe important ecological pressures that occurred on shorter timescales as well.
Abstract 008: Chronic Central Melanocortin 4 Receptor Activation Attenuates Cardiac Dysfunction After Myocardial Infarction In Rats

The melanocortin pathway plays an important role in multiple physiological functions besides its effect on energy homeostasis. In the present study we tested whether activation of the brain melanoc...