cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The postneoliberal fabulation of power: On statecraft, precarious infrastructures, and public mobilization in Brazil

In Brazil's hybrid government of social protection and market expansion, there is under way a fabulation of power, which ultimately serves to “de-poor” people seeking care, working infrastructures, and justice while also shoring up state politics as usual. This process became evident through the failure of a collaborative research project that I coordinated on right-to-health litigation. In rethinking that failure as an experiment in public ethnography, I draw on core disagreements with public officials over the interpretation of our findings from a legal database. Analyzing these disagreements provides an entry point into the mechanisms of veridiction and falsification at work in Brazil, whose government sees itself as providing public goods beyond the minimum neoliberal state. Countering state mythology, public ethnography thus illuminates the improvised quality of postneoliberal democratic institutions and opens up new avenues for theorizing power and the political field. [public ethnography, judicialization of health, precarious infrastructures, postneoliberal statecraft, de-pooring people, public mobilization, Brazil] Esta em andamento no governo brasileiro—especie hibrida de protecao social e expansao de mercado—uma fabulacao do poder. Ela serve, em ultima analise, para “despauperizar” as pessoas que procuram por assistencia a saude, infraestruturas eficientes e justica, enquanto que, simultaneamente, escora as politicas convencionais de Estado. Neste artigo, repenso um fracassado projeto de pesquisa colaborativa sobre a judicializacao do direito a saude como um experimento de etnografia publica. Para tanto, tomo as discordâncias interpretativas que tivemos com agentes publicos acerca de achados em um banco de dados de acoes judiciais como uma janela para o entendimento dos mecanismos de veridiccao e falsificacao em atividade no Brasil, cujo governo se ve como provedor de bens e servicos publicos muito alem do que um Estado neoliberal minimo faria. Contrapondo mitologias estatais, essa etnografia publica ilumina o carater improvisado das instituicoes democraticas pos-neoliberais brasileiras, abrindo novos caminhos para teorizar o poder e o campo politico. [etnografia publica, judicializacao da saude, infraestruturas precarias, estadismo pos-neoliberal, despauperizacao, mobilizacao publica, Brasil]
Repeated Famotidine Administration Results in a Diminished Effect on Intragastric pH in Dogs.

Background Famotidine is an acid suppressant commonly administered to dogs. Prolonged famotidine use in people results in decreased efficacy, but the effect in dogs is unknown. Hypothesis/Objectives To compare the effect of repeated oral administration of famotidine or placebo on intragastric pH and serum gastrin in dogs. We hypothesized that famotidine would have a diminished effect on intragastric pH on day 13 compared to day 1. Animals Six healthy adult colony Beagles. Methods Randomized, 2-factor repeated-measures crossover design. All dogs received oral placebo or 1.0 mg/kg famotidine q12h for 14 consecutive days. Intragastric pH monitoring was used to continuously record intragastric pH on treatment days 1–2 and 12–13. Mean pH as well as mean percentage time (MPT) that intragastric pH was ≥3 or ≥4 were compared between and within groups by analysis of variance. Serum gastrin was measured on days 0, 3, and 12 for each treatment. Results Continued administration of famotidine resulted in a significant decrease in mean pH, MPT ≥3, and MPT ≥4 (P < .0001) on day 12 and 13. This resulted in a mean decrease in pH by 1.63 on days 12 and 13 compared to days 1 and 2. Furthermore, a mean decrease of MPT ≥3 and MPT ≥4 by 33 and 45% was observed for the same time period, respectively. Conclusions and Clinical Importance Continued administration of famotidine results in a diminished effect on intragastric pH in dogs. Caution is advised when recommending long-term, daily oral administration of famotidine to dogs.
Alternate “Drug” Delivery Utilizing β-Lactam Cores: Syntheses and Biological Evaluation of β-Lactams Bearing Isocyanate Precursors

The synthesis of a small set of β-lactams containing isocyanate precursors is described. The release of the isocyanate precursor in model hydrolysis experiments was substantiated by trapping experiments, thus confirming that β-lactams can be designed that are capable of releasing alternatively reactive species. Preliminary biological assessments are also briefly discussed.
Resisting Coherence: Trans Men's Experiences and the Use of Grounded Theory Methods.

AbstractIn this methodological reflective manuscript, I explore my decision to use a grounded theoretical approach to my dissertation study on trans* men in higher education. Specifically, I question whether grounded theory as a methodology is capable of capturing the complexity and capaciousness of trans*-masculine experiences. Through the lenses of social justice and Critical Trans Politics I question whether theory generation with so little published about trans* men in research puts limitations on the possibilities of liberation for trans* men. I suggest researchers consider utilizing exploratory research to understand the experiences of trans* men instead of theorizing about their lived experiences.
Investigation of PARP1 as a therapeutic target in small cell lung cancer.

7096 Background: Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive malignancy that differs from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in its metastatic potential and response to treatment. To date, no mo...
Sovereign Wealth Funds, Capacity Building, Development, and Governance

Though operating in some form or another for over half a century, sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) did not become an object of general attention until the early part of the 21st century when a combination of the need of developed states for investment and the growing acceptability of state investment in private markets abroad made them both threatening and convenient. Assured by the framework of the Santiago Principles most states now view SWFs as a useful multi-purpose sovereign investment vehicle. Yet over the last decade or so, SWFs appear to have developed the potential to become an important instrument in good governance and development, especially for resource rich and capacity poor developing states. Following the lead of Chile, and with the patronage of IFIs, these SWFs have begun to serve objectives as and with development banks both within and beyond their home state. This paper considers the capacity of SWFs to serve ends beyond mere fund value maximization as envisioned in the Santiago Principles. It explores the value of SWFs as a means of enhancing governance capacity in weaker states, its utility in enhancing development objectives, the emerging landscape of joint ventures among SWFs for development and their intersections with emerging infrastructure and development banks, and their importance in enhancing the operationalization of emerging international business and human rights standards not only within their own organizations but through their investment activities. A brief assessment of these trends ends the paper. Lastly, it develops a set of transformative changes in approaches to SWF instrumentality that SWFs, especially the smaller SWFs and those in developing states, might deploy in structuring and operating their SWFs within a globalized economic order. These strategies are meant to avoid the circular characteristics of current discussions grounded on premises of finance instrument silos and state based systems that no longer accord with the realities of, and fail to take advantage of the possibilities now offered through, global finance and can be grouped into the three transforming categories suggested in Section III: regionalization strategies; financial objectives strategies; governance strategies.
Mosaics of fire and water: the co-emergence of anthropogenic landscapes and intensive seed exploitation in the Australian arid zone

AbstractIn arid Australia, the antiquity, role and ecological contexts of ‘firestick’ farming in seed-based foraging economies remain unclear. We use Landsat imagery to analyse effects of contemporary Martu hunting fires on seed-bearing grasses and forbs. Today, Martu rarely harvest wild seeds but inadvertently foster patches of grass when they burn to hunt burrowing monitor lizards. Therefore, anthropogenic seed patches need only be by-products of fires set to achieve other goals rather than the intended crop of firestick farming. Nonetheless, sustained burning over the long-term creates and maintains closely juxtaposed mosaics of seed and small game patches. We use the marginal value theorem (MVT) to model how pre-contact foragers may have used seed patches within such mosaics in response to climate change and population growth. We show that seeds would have been reliably available to foragers in anthropogenic patches whenever small game hunting returns were low and travel distances to new hunting patch...
Design and characterization of the tPix prototype: A spatial and time resolving front-end ASIC for electron and ion spectroscopy experiments at LCLS

OVER the past two decades momentum resolving spectrometers have revolutionized electron and ion spectroscopy. Momentum spectroscopy has enabled a new class of experiments in both laser based ultrafast sciences, and x-ray spectroscopy [1]. The fundamental concept of these spectrometers is that the time-of-arrival (ToA) and position of each fragment is measured. From these data the momentum vector of each particle can be calculated. So far delay-line detectors based on a microchannel plate (MCP) and a long wire anode have been used in these spectrometers which are severely limited in their multi-hit capability and therefore not suitable for experiments with fourth generation light sources such as Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS).
Evaluation of potential sources of a priori ozone profiles for TEMPO tropospheric ozone retrievals

Abstract. Potential sources of a priori ozone ( O3 ) profiles for use in Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) satellite tropospheric O3 retrievals are evaluated with observations from multiple Tropospheric Ozone Lidar Network (TOLNet) systems in North America. An O3 profile climatology (tropopause-based O3 climatology (TB-Clim), currently proposed for use in the TEMPO O3 retrieval algorithm) derived from ozonesonde observations and O3 profiles from three separate models (operational Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS-5) Forward Processing (FP) product, reanalysis product from Modern-era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications version 2 (MERRA2), and the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model (CTM)) were: (1) evaluated with TOLNet measurements on various temporal scales (seasonally, daily, and hourly) and (2) implemented as a priori information in theoretical TEMPO tropospheric O3 retrievals in order to determine how each a priori impacts the accuracy of retrieved tropospheric (0–10 km) and lowermost tropospheric (LMT, 0–2 km) O3 columns. We found that all sources of a priori O3 profiles evaluated in this study generally reproduced the vertical structure of summer-averaged observations. However, larger differences between the a priori profiles and lidar observations were calculated when evaluating inter-daily and diurnal variability of tropospheric O3 . The TB-Clim O3 profile climatology was unable to replicate observed inter-daily and diurnal variability of O3 while model products, in particular GEOS-Chem simulations, displayed more skill in reproducing these features. Due to the ability of models, primarily the CTM used in this study, on average to capture the inter-daily and diurnal variability of tropospheric and LMT O3 columns, using a priori profiles from CTM simulations resulted in TEMPO retrievals with the best statistical comparison with lidar observations. Furthermore, important from an air quality perspective, when high LMT O3 values were observed, using CTM a priori profiles resulted in TEMPO LMT O3 retrievals with the least bias. The application of near-real-time (non-climatological) hourly and daily model predictions as the a priori profile in TEMPO O3 retrievals will be best suited when applying this data to study air quality or event-based processes as the standard retrieval algorithm will still need to use a climatology product. Follow-on studies to this work are currently being conducted to investigate the application of different CTM-predicted O3 climatology products in the standard TEMPO retrieval algorithm. Finally, similar methods to those used in this study can be easily applied by TEMPO data users to recalculate tropospheric O3 profiles provided from the standard retrieval using a different source of a priori.
Substance Use and Adolescent Dating Violence: How Strong is the Link?

Abstract Dating violence, including psychological, physical, and sexual aggression, is a pervasive problem among adolescents. There has been some research to indicate that substance use is related to both dating violence perpetration and victimization. This chapter reviews the literature on alcohol use, marijuana use, and use of other drugs and their relation to dating violence perpetration and victimization among adolescents. The literature demonstrates a consistent link between alcohol use and dating violence perpetration and victimization, though the relationships between marijuana and use of other drugs and dating violence is less clear. Studies in this field are limited by methodological flaws including a primary focus on physical violence and limited data on temporal associations between substances and dating violence. Further research should be conducted to better understand potential causal relationships between substance use and dating violence, which will inform dating violence prevention and intervention programs.
Experiences in Applying to and Attending Biological Anthropology Programs Focused on Human Skeletal Biology

Because of the lack of forensic anthropology degree-granting programs, forensic anthropologists have traditionally attended programs that grant general anthropology degrees while performing human skeletal biology (HSB) research. In order to examine potential changes in competition for HSB graduate programs and to generally inform the community of trends and the current state of HSB graduate programs, the authors generated an electronic survey, distributed from June 2016 to April 2017, soliciting responses from anyone with current or past experiences attending HSB graduate programs. Among other results, respondents indicate that GPA remains an important factor for acceptance in graduate programs, with the average respondent GPA of 3.6 and all faculty respondents indicating a preferred minimum GPA at or above 3.0 (with an average faculty response of 3.3). The average combined GRE score of respondents was 312, although 56% of faculty respondents indicated that they did not have a preferred minimum GRE for applicants. Letters of recommendation and personal statements were ranked highest by faculty in degree of importance in graduate student applications. Debt accrued by degree varied greatly among individuals, but 69% of respondents had full funding for their doctorate. Notably, 90% of respondents recommended students take some time off between degrees. The results of this survey promote a general awareness of HSB graduate program environments. The information provided can be used to better prepare students in biological anthropology, including those pursuing forensic anthropology, for success in their academic journey.
Automatic Speech Recognition

In this chapter we describe techniques to build a high performance speech recognizer for Arabic and related languages. The key insights are derived from our experience in the DARPA GALE program, a 5-year program devoted to enhancing the state-of-the-art in Arabic speech recognition and translation. The most important lesson is that general speech recognition techniques work very well also on Arabic. An example is the issue of vowelization: short vowels are often not transcribed in Arabic, Hebrew, and other Semitic languages. Semi-automatic vowelization procedures, specifically designed for the language, can improve the pronunciation lexicon. However, we also can simply choose to ignore the problem at the lexicon level, and compensate for the resulting pronunciation mismatch with the use of discriminative training of the acoustic models. While we focus on Arabic, in this chapter, we speculate that the vast majority of the issues we address here will completely carry over to other Semitic languages. We have tested the approaches discussed in this chapter only on Arabic, as that is the Semitic language with the most resources. Our experimental results demonstrate that such language-independent techniques can solve language-specific issues at least to a large extent. Another example is morphology, where we show that a combination of language-independent techniques (an efficient decoder to deal with large vocabulary and exponential language models) and language-specific techniques (a neural network language model that uses morphological and syntactic features) lead to good results. For these reasons we describe in the text a list of both language-independent and language-specific techniques. We describe also a full-fledged LVCSR system for Arabic that makes best use of all the techniques. We also demonstrate how this system can be used to bootstrap systems for related Arabic dialects and Semitic languages.
Lymphoma of the Optic Apparatus in an Immunocompetent Patient: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Background Primary optic apparatus involvement by lymphoma is an exceedingly rare entity, with only 3 cases previously reported in the literature. Whether this represents a distinct pathology, metastatic disease from an unidentified systemic lymphoma, or the first manifestation of evolving primary central nervous system lymphoma is not currently understood. Case Description We present a case of a young immunocompetent male with rapidly progressive visual loss who was found to have isolated lymphomatous involvement of the optic apparatus. We discuss the classification of the lesion, the clinical presentation, the diagnostic workup, and the visual and overall prognosis. Special consideration is given to the operative approach and selecting an appropriate site for biopsy based on the visual exam at the time of presentation. Conclusions Primary optic nerve lymphoma is a rare disease that requires a systemic workup and a multidisciplinary approach to treatment.
Left ventricular ejection hemodynamics before and after relief of outflow tract obstruction in patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy and valvular aortic stenosis

Abstract Objective There has been debate on the importance and pathophysiologic effects of the dynamic subaortic pressure gradient in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy. The study was conducted to elucidate the hemodynamic abnormalities associated with the dynamic pressure gradient in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy. Methods Eight patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy and 7 patients with valvular aortic stenosis underwent a detailed hemodynamic study of pressure flow relationships before and after myectomy or aortic valve replacement during operation. Results In aortic stenosis, the increased gradient after premature ventricular contraction was associated with an increase in peak flow (325 ± 122 mL/s to 428 ± 147 mL/s, P = .002) and stroke volume (75.0 ± 27.3 mL to 88.0 ± 24.0 mL, P = .004), but in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy peak flow remained unchanged (289 ± 79 mL/s to 299 ± 85 mL/s, P = .334) and stroke volume decreased (45.9 ± 18.7 mL to 38.4 ± 14.4 mL, P = .04) on the postpremature ventricular contraction beat. After myectomy, the capacity to augment stroke volume on the postpremature ventricular contraction beats was restored in patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (45.6 ± 14.4 mL to 54.4 ± 11.8 mL, P = .002). Conclusions The pressure flow relationship in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy supports the concept of true obstruction to outflow, with a low but continued flow during late systole, when the ventricular-aortic pressure gradient is the highest. Septal myectomy can abolish obstruction and restore the ability to augment stroke volume, which may explain the mechanism of symptomatic improvement after operation.
Investigations on E-commerce Data for Forecasting the Efficient Promotional Platform Using Supervised Machine Learning

The technological advancements provide various platforms for e-commerce companies to leverage the maximum benefits for higher revenue generation. Websites and product applications are the prominently used platforms by the users or customers to identify the various features of the product while also adopting this mode for purchase. E-commerce industries consider the determination of the most ideal platform as a critical task. Datas pertaining to user's inclination towards website or product applications are collected through registration credentials. With the available data which is big in size, it becomes a herculean task to precisely predict. Nevertheless conventional tools have been adopted by the industries whose results are not satisfactory and promote further explorations with advanced tools. Accounting for these complex tasks, this study attempts to employ linear regression, a versatile tool for predicting the most popular platform that generates maximum revenue. Various machine learning libraries have been used to scrutinize each and every parameter like number of registrants and the frequency of visits to arrive at a predicted value that would facilitate e-commerce industries for promoting the specific business platforms and eventually reap higher revenue. The proposed technique may be extrapolated for parametric forecasting by any industry with local customization.
4.3 A 28GHz 4-Element MIMO Beam-Space Array in 65nm CMOS with Simultaneous Spatial Filtering and Single-Wire Frequency-Domain Multiplexing

High-data-rate wireless links at mm-wave have motivated the development of scalable, dense arrays with hundreds of elements [1], [2]. The evolution from “multiple-input-single-output” phased arrays towards multibeam/MIMO arrays presents significant challenges. Firstly, increasing the number of beamforming blocks and outputs to preserve signals from every element increases IC area and makes compact on-package signal routing challenging. This limits a scalable unit-tile approach with $\lambda/2 \times\lambda$ /2 spacing. Secondly, it is important to include spatial filtering in such MIMO arrays to mitigate blockers and reduce ADC dynamic-range requirements (Fig. 4.3.1) [4]–[6]. Thirdly, traditional digital beamforming requires the full aggregate IF interface bandwidth and all ADCs to operate irrespective of the number of beams. Given dynamic operating environments, it is desirable to have array architectures that support power-scalable configurability from phased-arrays to multibeam arrays to full-field-of-view (FoV) MIMO arrays.
Intrusion Detection for Cybersecurity of Smart Meters

The integration of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) enables real-time communication for smart meters to participate in power system operations. However, Advanced Metering Infrastructures (AMI) are vulnerable to cyber attacks. Both utilities and power consumers may become victims of cyber intrusions. In this paper, a two-stage cyber intrusion protection system is proposed. At the first stage of intrusion detection, a Support Vector Machine (SVM) is used as a detection algorithm to discover suspicious behaviors inside a smart meter. At the second stage, the Temporal Failure Propagation Graph (TFPG) technique is used to generate attack routes for identifying attack events. Finally, the proposed pattern recognition algorithm is used to calculate the similarity between a detected abnormal event and pre-defined cyber attacks. A higher similarity value implies a higher chance that a smart meter is under attack. An AMI security test platform has been developed to: (1) Collect training/testing data for SVM, (2) Simulate and analyze cyber attack events, and (3) Validate the proposed cyber attack protection system. The test platform consists of Network-Simulator 3 (NS-3) software to simulate an AMI network environment and single board computers (SBCs) to emulate the IEEE 802.15.4 communication between a grid router and a smart meter.
46 Year Old Black Male with Multiple Growths on Penis

A 46 year old black male presented with a complaint of multiple growths on his penis. He was previously diagnosed with condylomata acuminata, HIV infection and diabetes. He admits to having numerous sexual partners, and rarely uses barrier contraception.
Network Performance Influences of Software-defined Networks on Micro-service Architectures

Modern business applications are increasingly developed as micro-services and deployed in the cloud. Due to many components involved micro-services need a flexible and high-performance network infrastructure. To ensure highly available and high performance applications, operators are increasingly relying on cloud service platforms such as the OpenShift Container Platform on Z. In such environments modern software-defined network technologies such as Open vSwitch (OVS) are used. However, the impact of their architecture on network performance has not yet been sufficiently researched although networking performance is particularly critical for the quality of the service. In this paper, we analyse the impact of the OVS pipeline and selected OVS operations in detail. We define different scenarios used in the industry and analyse the performance of different OVS configurations using an IBM z14 mainframe system. Our analysis showed the OVS pipeline and its operations can affect network performance by up to factor 3. Our results show that even the use of virtual switches such as OVS, network performance can be significantly improved by optimizing the OVS pipeline architecture.
Pathomechanics of diabetic foot ulceration: revisiting plantar shear and temperature

Abstract In this chapter, we will provide an overview of the diabetic ulceration etiology from a biomechanics perspective. We will start with the basics of ground reaction forces and associated plantar stresses and discuss their clinical relevance. A review of the literature on plantar pressures will be provided. Since pressure injuries (i.e., ulcers) and diabetic foot ulcers have a similar but ultimately distinct pathomechanics we will provide a brief comparison of the biomechanics of the two clinical problems. We will then discuss the latest finding on plantar shear stresses and their clinical significance. A review of plantar temperatures will also be provided, by revisiting pressure ulcer literature. We will conclude with a brief summary of the content and reasons that the author suggests it is time that diabetic foot ulcer etiology needs to be revisited.
Human-Humanoid Robot Interaction through Virtual Reality Interfaces

In the last decade, there have been great advancements in virtual reality (VR) resulting in its availability for everyday consumers. As VR becomes more ubiquitous, there is an opportunity to utilize this technology to create intuitive operator interfaces for interaction with complex dynamic systems, such as humanoid robots. As evidenced in the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC), current interfaces for humanoids primarily use a standard computer setup with monitor, keyboard, and mouse requiring operators to process 3D data with 2D devices. And although these interfaces can be very capable in operating a robot, they are often complex and require expert operators as well as extensive training. However, this paradigm can be changed with VR by allowing operators to visualize and interact with 3D data in a 3D environment, allowing for a more natural interaction. In this paper, we present our work on converting a typical interface to a virtual reality interface for NASA's humanoid robot, Valkyrie. We compare our standard computer interface and our VR interface for Valkyrie, as well as the shared control planners and system architecture that make our interfaces possible. The goal of this work is to better understand the utility of virtual reality interfaces and how they can be employed in human-supervised robot applications so that we may move towards more intuitive and easy-to-use interfaces for control and interaction.
Subarachnoid Neurocysticercosis Presenting as a New-Onset Seizure in an Immigrant From Guatemala.

Subarachnoid involvement is a rare but severe form of neurocysticercosis (NCC), leading to serious complications if not recognized and treated appropriately. Imaging of the brain usually involves computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance image (MRI) of the brain, both of which can lead to a diagnosis of NCC. We present a 20-year-old female with no significant past medical history presenting with a new-onset seizure whose clinical treatment was significantly altered when subarachnoid involvement was identified. This case highlights the importance of brain MRI in recognizing subarachnoid disease, an important subset of NCC disease presentation.
Do beractant dosing intervals make a difference

Introduction: Surfactant dosing in extremely premature infants is not based on rigorous human pharmacokinetic data. Beractant (Survanta ) is an animal-derived surfactant. The manufacturer's package insert suggests a dosing interval of "no sooner than 6 hours" after a preceding dose. Other animal-derived surfactant preparations are commonly dosed at 12 hour intervals. We evaluated Survanta use following a change in the re-treatment dosing interval from no less than 6 (Q6 h) to no less than 12 hours (Q12 h) in June 2007. Method: We used a retrospective comparison of two cohorts, Q6 h and Q12 h, born at <31 weeks' gestation or with birth weights < 1100 grams treated with Survanta for respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Infants could receive up to 4 doses, if clinically indicated. Results: Infants in the Q12 group (n = 77) and the Q6 group (n = 140) had similar birth weight (mean ± SD; 1079 ± 351 vs. 1117 ± 326 g, p = 0.44), birth in a tertiary center (inborn) (84% vs. 84%, p = 1.0), prenatal treatment with steroids (88% vs 81%, p = 0.17), Cesarean section delivery (78% vs. 73%, p = 0.51), and singleton birth (64% vs. 62%, p = 0.93). However, infants in the Q12 group had a slightly lower gestational age (mean ± SD; 27 ± 2v s 28± 2 wk, p = 0.014) and had a higher proportion of male infants (62% vs 48%, p = 0.047.The Q12 group also had a higher but not statistically significant proportion of white infants (82% vs. 69%, p = 0.053) than the Q6 group. Infants in the Q12 group received fewer surfactant doses per patient (mean ± SD; 1.91 ± 0.54 vs. 2.11 ± 0.63, p = 0.018) and less frequently received more than two doses of surfactant (8% vs. 21%, p = 0.012) compared to the Q6 group. The Q12 and the Q6 groups had similar rates of chronic lung disease (CLD) (23% vs. 18%, p = 0.25), death (18% vs. 14%, p = 0.44), duration of mechanical ventilation (mean±SD; 21 ± 21 vs. 18 ± 25 days, p = 0.477), and total hospital length of stay (mean ± SD; 58 ± 39 vs. 59 ± 33 days, p = 0.94). Conclusions: Administering Survanta to premature infants at 12 hour intervals was associated with using less surfactant to treat RDS compared to dosing at 6 hour intervals and similar measured respiratory parameters, including duration of hospitalization and mechanical ventilation and rates of death and CLD. We speculate that using a longer Survanta dosing interval would also result in significant cost savings.
Mental States, Conscious and Nonconscious

I discuss here the nature of nonconscious mental states and the ways in which they may differ from their conscious counterparts. I first survey reasons to think that mental states can and often do occur without being conscious. Then, insofar as the nature of nonconscious mentality depends on how we understand the nature of consciousness, I review some of the major theories of consciousness and explore what restrictions they may place on the kinds of states that can occur nonconsciously. I close with a discussion of what makes a state mental, if consciousness is not the mark of the mental.
Fostering scientific habits of mind in the context of online play

In today's increasingly "flat" world of globalization, the need for a scientifically literate citizenry has only grown more urgent; yet, by some measures, we have done a poor job at fostering the right scientific habits of mind in schools. Recent research on informal games-based learning indicates that such technologies/communities may be one viable alternative -- not to teachers and classrooms but to textbooks and science labs. In this paper, we provide empirical evidence substantiating previous claims about the potential of games for learning and offer specific design heuristics that might inform their future production and use. Using codes based on AAAS benchmarks and Chinn and Malhotra's (2002) framework for evaluating inquiry tasks, we examine the scientific habits of mind that characterize online discussion forums of the MMOG World of Warcraft and the features of the game -- both as designed object and emergent culture -- that appear to foster them.
Implications of aggressive children's positively biased relatedness views for future relationships.

The present study examined the tendency of aggressive children to generalize the positive bias in their perceptions of relatedness across different interpersonal relationships. Secondly, it examined the implications of distorted perceptions of relatedness for quality of aggressive children's future relationships. Subjects included 62 second and third grade children nominated and rated by teachers as aggressive. Self- and others' appraisals of relationship quality were gathered across four interpersonal domains (i.e., mother, teacher, mentor, and peer). Children's positively biased perceptions of social relatedness were concordant across adult relationship domains but not across the peer domain, suggesting that children's relationships with adults and peers represent somewhat distinct socialization contexts. As expected, children who inflate levels of social relatedness establish less close relationships with novel partners (mentors). The findings emphasize the need for clinicians to focus on mental representations while planning interventions with aggressive children.
Advanced Control Surface Seal Development for Future Space Vehicles

High temperature control surface seals have been identified as a critical technology in the development of future space vehicles. These seals must withstand temperatures of up to 2600 F and protect underlying temperature-sensitive structures (such as actuators and sealing capability by remaining resilient during flight conditions. The current baseline seal, used on the Shuttle orbiters and the X-38 vehicle, consists of a Nextel 312 sheath, an internal Inconel X-750 knitted spring tube, and hand-stuffed Saffil batting. Unfortunately at high temperatures (> 1500 F), the seal resiliency significantly degrades due to yielding and creep of the spring tube element. The permanent set in the seals can result in flow passing over the seals and subsequent damage to temperature sensitive components downstream of the seals. Another shortcoming of the baseline seal is that instances have been reported on Shuttle flights where some of the hand-stuffed Saffil batting insulation has been extracted, thus potentially compromising the seal. In vehicles where the thermal protection systems are delicate (such as with Shuttle tiles), the control surface seals must also limit the amount of force applied to the opposing surfaces. Additionally, in many applications the seals are subjected to scrubbing as control surfaces are actuated. The seals must be able to withstand any damage resulting from this high temperature scrubbing and retain their heat/flow blocking abilities.
The effect of cement factory air pollution on thermophilous rocky grassland

The thermophilous communities of calcareous rocky slopes in Radotin Valley are rather stable and present a species composition very similar to that described by Domin (1928). Some changes in their structure may nevertheless be observed due to the changing complex of human impact. The worst influence in the last 20 years is the air pollution of a cement factory. The following changes were observed on permanent plots at various distances from the source of pollution: 1. Complete disappearance of a number of species. 2. Decrease in frequency of other species and increase of frequency of a few of the most resistant species, occupying the free niche. 3. Decrease in cover of the entire community. 4. Acceleration of soil erosion, disintegration of the soil profile, enormous accumulation of Ca cations accompanied by decrease of many other mineral elements. These results show that the effect of cement factories on the environment should not be underestimated in comparison with more serious damage caused by other air pollutants.
Who Wants to Be an E-tailpreneur? Experiences from an Electronic Retailing Course

This paper outlines the experiences of developing a new hands-on marketing course. The objective of the course was to simulate the real-world scenario of starting an online retailing business and let students become entrepreneurs. Students were challenged to assimilate and apply relevant e-retailing knowledge while being responsible for designing, developing, sourcing, and selling merchandise through a Web site. At the end of the semester, students were able to witness and experience the challenges faced by an e-retailer. Based on the assessment of performance of students, instructor, and the course itself, suggestions are offered to adapt the course so that the concept can be applied to other marketing courses in the future.
Filamentous Growth of Mucor rouxii Under Nitrogen

The form of growth of Mucor rouxii (National Regional Research Laboratory 1894) under nitrogen is dependent on inoculum size. With a large inoculum (106 spores inoculated per ml), the morphology consists mainly of swollen spores with some filaments and yeastlike cells. At lower inoculum levels growth is filamentous. The morphology of this strain on incubation under nitrogen and the dependence of the form of growth on inoculum size are similar to those found previously for other strains of M. rouxii. Images
13 – Displacement Potentials and Stress Functions

This chapter investigates the method of potentials to generate solutions to elasticity problems. Several different potential techniques have been developed in order to solve problems within both displacement and stress formulations. Methods related to the displacement formulation include the scalar and vector potentials from the Helmholtz decomposition, Galerkin vector, and Papkovich–Neuber functions. These schemes provide general solution forms for Navier's equations. Potentials used in the stress formulation are those related to the Maxwell and Morera stress functions, and these lead to Airy and other common stress functions that have already been used for the solution of particular elasticity problems. These stress functions normally satisfy the equilibrium equations identically and when combined with the compatibility relations they yield a simpler and more tractable system of equations. For either displacement or stress formulations, these solution schemes bring up the question: are all solutions of elasticity expressible by the particular potential representation? This issue is normally referred to as the completeness of the representations. For many cases these approaches are useful to solve particular three-dimensional elasticity problems, and we will investigate several such solutions. Some potential methods are also particularly useful in formulating and solving dynamic elasticity problems involving wave propagation.
Women, Armed Conflict, and Peacemaking in Sri Lanka: Toward a Political Economy Perspective

This article discusses women's roles as victims, perpetrators, and peacemakers in armed conflicts in contemporary Sri Lanka. It covers such phenomena as rape as a weapon of war, women IDPs, “war widows,” female-headed households, women suicide bombers, mothers for peace, and feminist peace activism. The article points out that aggression and victimization need to be understood as occurring across ethnicity and gender as well as within ethnic and gender groups. Contributing toward a political economy perspective, the article considers the complex intersection of gender, ethnicity, caste, and social class within the confluence of local, regional, and international forces. The article concludes by emphasizing the need to broaden the social class and local bases of feminist peace activism and to formulate an integrated gender-, ethnicity- and class-sensitive policy agenda for postconflict development in Sri Lanka.
The question of structure and vision in European integration

The thesis of this paper is that the idea or vision of what Europe ought to be, politically speaking, will become increasingly urgent in the decade ahead, and that this important question will not be addressed solely or suf~ciently by means of functional or sectoral diplomacy as represented currently by the European Community (EC), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Conferenoe on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), and so forth. The two parts of this thesis are closely interconnected: every new step of functional diplomacy (for example, monetary union in the EC, or redefining NATO) heightens the importance of the question of Europe’s identity; every argument for a vision of what Europe should become heightens the importance of seeing how the multiple functions of economy, defense, culture, religion, language (etc.) should be treated within a larger (and perhaps more integrated) Europe. While the practical implications of this thesis will remain the special burden of political leaders, many historical and philosophical questions about Europe will demand ever more serious attention from scholars.
Osmoregulatory Evaluation of the Seminole Killifish after Gradual Seawater Acclimation

Abstract Aquaculture of marine baitfish species is still in its relative infancy and the increasing value of coastal property is forcing marine aquaculture inland. The Seminole killifish Fundulus seminolis, a freshwater species that is endemic to Florida, has recently emerged as a candidate for marine baitfish aquaculture. Gradual acclimation of Seminole killifish from 0-g/L salinity to natural seawater at 32-g/L salinity was carried out over 24, 48, 72, and 96 h. Physiological analyses of seawater-acclimated fish yielded elevated plasma ion (sodium, potassium, chloride) and osmolality concentrations accompanied by decreases in body weight and muscle water content. Although all of the seawater-acclimated physiological endpoints measured remained significantly different from control values, a general trend signaling the initiation of osmoregulatory compensation was noticed in 96-h values as select analytes began to migrate towards reference values derived from controls. Results of this investigation will c...
Women and ICT: global issues and actions

Integration of women as full partners and leaders in the development of ICT and inclusion of women's concerns in ICT design varies among countries and within different organizations and populations in a particular country. Women interact with ICT as members of the ICT workforce, as users of information technology, and as designers of ICT. Where a particular group may be with regard to each of these interactions and how ICT curriculum can facilitate these interactions may be understood by using a five stage model, including the following phases: 1) Absence of women from ICT not noted; 2) Women added on to existing ICT structures and designs; 3) Women's concerns and approaches seen as a problem, anomaly, or deviant from the norms of ICT; 4) Focus on women as workers, users, and designers in ICT; 5) Full inclusion of women in all aspects of ICT. The model can also be used to devise actions to move to the next stage of including women in ICT.
Brightness as a function of retinal locus

Brightness functions were determined for the dark-adapted fovea and periphery. In one series of experiments, observers matched numbers to the brightness of a 1° white target at various intensities, presented half the time to the fovea, the other half to one of five peripheral loci: 5°, 12°, 20°, 35°, and 60°. In a second series, observers matched the brightness of a 1° white target in the fovea of one eye to the brightness of an identical target in the periphery of the other eye at various intensities. Thresholds were also determined for the fovea and for the five peripheral loci by a staircase procedure. The magnitude estimations and the interocular matches concur in showing that a stimulus of fixed luminance appears brighter in the periphery than in the fovea. The brightness was found to be maximal at 20°. Brightness grows as a similar power function of luminance at all six retinal positions.
Structure of random bidisperse foam

Abstract The Surface Evolver was used to compute the equilibrium microstructure of random soap foams with bidisperse cell-size distributions and to evaluate topological and geometric properties of the foams and individual cells. The simulations agree with the experimental data of Matzke and Nestler for the probability ρ ( F ) of finding cells with F faces and its dependence on the fraction of large cells. The simulations also agree with the theory for isotropic Plateau polyhedra (IPP), which describes the F-dependence of cell geometric properties, such as surface area, edge length, and mean curvature (diffusive growth rate); this is consistent with results for polydisperse foams. Cell surface areas are about 10% greater than spheres of equal volume, which leads to a simple but accurate relation for the surface free energy density of foams. The Aboav–Weaire law is not valid for bidisperse foams.
Acoustic profiling in a complexly social species, the American crow: caws encode information on caller sex, identity and behavioural context

Previous research on inter-individual variation in the calls of corvids has largely been restricted to single call types, such as alarm or contact calls, and has rarely considered the effects of age on call structure. This study explores structural variation in a contextually diverse set of ‘caw’ calls of the American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos), including alarm, foraging recruitment and territorial calls, and searches for structural features that may be associated with behavioural context and caller sex, age and identity. Automated pitch detection algorithms are used to generate 23 pitch-related and spectral parameters for a collection of caws from 18 wild, marked crows. Using principal component analysis and mixed models, we identify independent axes of acoustic variation associated with behavioural context and with caller sex, respectively. We also have moderate success predicting caller sex and identity from call structure. However, we do not find significant acoustic variation with respect to caller...
Sample Sizes for Comparison of Proportions

This paper examines the problem of determining sample sizes for comparing sample proportions from n independent binomial populations under the null hypothesis that the population proportions are different. For specified precisions and sampling costs, it is shown that the problem of determining optimal sample sizes can be formulated as a convex programming problem. In addition, the problem of obtaining the best precision within a budgeted cost of sampling is examined. This methodology is illustrated with an example application.