cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Compos(t)ing Presence in the Poetry of Carl Leggo: Writing Practices that Disperse the Presence of the Author

This paper was presented as part of the Carl Leggo keynote address at the third annual CSSE pre-conference for the Language and Literacy Researchers of Canada. The paper explores the possibility of deconstructing “presence” in reflexive writing. The author examines Leggo’s “writing as compos(t)ing” as an example of arts-informed reflexive writing that problematizes the desire for presence, and argues that Leggo’s “clown” poetry interrogates notions of transparency in reflexive writing. Reflexive writing traces the presence of the writer in/through the text. It is a form of writing that celebrates the power of personal story to illuminate the intersections between self and society. The desire for presence, however, is never innocent and never without complication. In tracing that presence - in writing reflexively - the writer inscribes silence and absence while simultaneously making her/himself visible.
The Rook Monoid is Lexicographically Shellable

Abstract We prove that the Bruhat–Chevalley–Renner order on the rook monoid is EL-shellable. We determine the homeomorphism type of the associated order complex.
Molybdenum toxicity and hypocuprosis in ruminants: a review.

Elevated Mo intakes depress Cu availability and may produce a physiological Cu deficiency in ruminants. Total sulfur or sulfate in the ration generally potentiates the effect of Mo. The ratio of Cu to Mo in feed is important regardless of the absolute amount of each. For this reason, and because of the importance of the S content of the diet, it is impossible to define safe dietary limits for Cu and Mo. Physiological Cu deficiencies are produced by four classes of feeds: (1) high Mo, generally above 100 ppM, (2) low Cu:Mo ratio, 2:1 or less, (3) Cu deficiency, below 5 ppM, and (4) high protein, 20 to 30% protein in fresh forage. The latter situation probably results from higher levels of sulfide produced from sulfur amino acids during rumen fermentation. Copper sulfide is largely unabsorbed. Future instances of hypocuprosis in the US are most likely to occur from marginal copper deficiencies in forages.
Arterial blood gases.

SUMMARY Blood gas analyses are an essential part of modern patient care. Although all blood gas instruments have pH, PCO2, and PO2 electrodes based on the same principles, instruments in current use vary greatly in design, operator dependence, and accuracy. For the clinician to obtain accurate and timely results there must be not only good instrumentation and laboratory techniques, but also reliable specimen collection and transport and data transmission. Dedicated personnel, duplicate instrumentation, frequent duplicate analyses of blood, blood tonometry, a good quality control system, and proficiency testing are advantageous. “Temperature correction” of the blood gas values by the laboratory to the patient’s actual temperature is disadvantageous.
Mechanics of the eye movement: geometry of the listing space

There is physiological evidence to support the thesis that all saccadic eye movements obey Listing's law, which states that eye orientations form a subset consisting of rotation matrices of which the axes are orthogonal to the normal gaze direction. Here we analyze the geometry of this restricted configuration space (referred to as the Listing space). We also compare distances eye needs to travel subject to the Listing's law with geodesic distances in the rotation group.
Privilege separation in HTML5 applications

The standard approach for privilege separation in web applications is to execute application components in different web origins. This limits the practicality of privilege separation since each web origin has financial and administrative cost. In this paper, we propose a new design for achieving effective privilege separation in HTML5 applications that shows how applications can cheaply create arbitrary number of components. Our approach utilizes standardized abstractions already implemented in modern browsers. We do not advocate any changes to the underlying browser or require learning new high-level languages, which contrasts prior approaches. We empirically show that we can retrofit our design to real-world HTML5 applications (browser extensions and rich client-side applications) and achieve reduction of 6x to 10000x in TCB for our case studies. Our mechanism requires less than 13 lines of application-specific code changes and considerably improves auditability.
Training Aboriginal Practitioners in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Comments on an article by Bennett-Levy and colleagues. This commentary reviews a dissemination of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for Aboriginal Australians, with regard to the strengths of the dissemination effort and areas for future efforts. As an initial step in bringing CBT to a population that has been severely limited in access to evidence based practice, despite a notable need, this study was an important step forward. Feedback from the participatory action research group (n = 5 Aboriginal Australian counsellors) identified CBT elements and adaptations perceived to be particularly effective with Aboriginal Australian clients. Case conceptualization was identified as a potential avenue for further tailoring CBT to the individual needs of clients. Several factor including the success of the dissemination effort, reports that clients shared CBT techniques with their communities, and the skill-building nature of CBT raised the possibility of future community-based dissemination.
Intelligent Information Loss: The Coding of Facial Identity, Head Pose, and Non-Face Information in the Macaque Face Patch System

Faces are a behaviorally important class of visual stimuli for primates. Recent work in macaque monkeys has identified six discrete face areas where most neurons have higher firing rates to images of faces compared with other objects (Tsao et al., 2006). While neurons in these areas appear to have different tuning (Freiwald and Tsao, 2010; Issa and DiCarlo, 2012), exactly what types of information and, consequently, which visual behaviors neural populations within each face area can support, is unknown. Here we use population decoding to better characterize three of these face patches (ML/MF, AL, and AM). We show that neural activity in all patches contains information that discriminates between the broad categories of face and nonface objects, individual faces, and nonface stimuli. Information is present in both high and lower firing rate regimes. However, there were significant differences between the patches, with the most anterior patch showing relatively weaker representation of nonface stimuli. Additionally, we find that pose-invariant face identity information increases as one moves to more anterior patches, while information about the orientation of the head decreases. Finally, we show that all the information we can extract from the population is present in patterns of activity across neurons, and there is relatively little information in the total activity of the population. These findings give new insight into the representations constructed by the face patch system and how they are successively transformed.
Survey of undergraduate auditing education

Abstract This paper reports the results of a recent survey of 470 U.S. universities to assess the status of auditing courses in the undergraduate accounting curriculum. The survey was conducted to identify projects the American Accounting Association Auditing Section's Standing Education Committee could address in its efforts to improve auditing education. The major problems in undergraduate auditing education are in the areas of curriculum design, development of relevant teaching materials, dissemination of technology, and continuing education for auditing faculty.
Interference statistics of a poisson field of interferers with random puncturing

Assume that the transmitters in a random wireless network are distributed according to a Poisson Point Process (PPP) and that the receiver is interested in the signal transmitted by its kth nearest transmitter where k ∈ T and T denotes the set of desired transmitters. Excluding the desired transmitter(s) is equivalent to puncturing the points corresponding to the desired transmitters from the PPP which results in the field of interferers. In this paper, by assuming that the field of interferers keeps its Poisson property, we approximate the cumulants of interference. We show that to find the cumulants, the joint statistics of internodal distances in the PPP are required which we find in closed form. Simulation results show that the obtained analytical derivations provide very good approximation to the interference statistics.
Exact Evaluation of Two-Stage Procedures for Estimating the Difference Between Two Normal Means

Abstract We develop the exact distributions of the stopping variables of several two-stage procedures &#x1d4ab;1, &#x1d4ab;4, &#x1d4ab;5, &#x1d4ab;6 which were given by Mukhopadhyay et al. (2010) and Aoshima et al. (2011). The stopping variables were designed for estimating the difference Δ = μ1 − μ2 of normal means by some appropriately constructed fixed-width (2d) confidence interval with the confidence coefficient at least 1 − α. Here d (> 0) and 0 0) is known; μ1, μ2, σ2 are unknown parameters with − ∞ < μ1, μ2 < ∞, 0 < σ < ∞. Using our exact distributions of the stopping variables, we also give explicit formulae for expected sample sizes, moments for the estimator of Δ, and exact coverage probabilities for the confidence intervals.
Self-designed continuing education for supervisors in community mental health†

This paper describes a continuing education program designed to meet the needs and interests of supervisors working in community mental health centers. An initial group of supervisors was recruited as consultants to design all aspects of their educational experience. The group used a modified nominal group technique to develop the curriculum. Subsequently 28 trainees in three separate groups participated in the training program; they represented 20 agencies and included directors, training coordinators, supervisory staff, and direct service workers. Methods employed were satisfaction measures, content retention measures, and interviews to evaluate program impact. Participants reported that they increased their knowledge and were satisfied with training, but that the program was only modestly effective in contributing to changes in their job and agency functioning. Training was most effective with agency directors, employees of private agencies, and workers with fewer years at a given work site.
The Role of the Cystine Loop in Acetylcholine Receptor Assembly

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) are composed of alpha, beta, gamma, and delta subunits, assembled into alpha2betagammadelta pentamers. A highly conserved feature of ionotropic neurotransmitter receptors, such as AChRs, is a 15-amino acid cystine "loop." We find that an intact cystine loop is necessary for complete AChR assembly. By preventing formation of the loop with 5 mM dithiothreitol, AChR subunits assemble into alphabetagamma trimers, but the subsequent steps in assembly are blocked. When alpha subunit loop cysteines are mutated to serines, assembly is blocked at the same step as with dithiothreitol. In contrast, when beta subunit loop cysteines are mutated to serines, assembly is blocked at a later step, i.e. after assembly of alphabetagammadelta tetramers and before the addition of the second alpha subunit. After formation of the cystine loop, the alpha subunit undergoes a conformational change, which buries the loop. This conformational change is concurrent with the step in assembly blocked by removal of the disulfide bond of the cystine loop, i.e. after assembly of alphabetagamma trimers and before the addition of the delta subunit. The data indicate that the alpha subunit conformational change involving the cystine loop is key to a series of folding events that allow the addition of unassembled subunits.
A Dissection of Energetics of the Geostrophic Flow: Reconciliation of Rossby Wave Energy Flux and Group Velocity

AbstractIt is shown in this paper that there is no ambiguity in the final form of the governing equations of a quasigeostrophic (QG) model after partitioning the total flow into the geostrophic, balanced ageostrophic, and unbalanced ageostrophic components. The uniqueness of the QG model formulation ensures that the energetics of a QG model is the same as that derived from the QG potential vorticity equation. Particularly, the well-known but somewhat mysterious “missing term” in the energetics of Rossby waves, identified in the literature as the difference between the pressure work and the energy flux transported at the group velocity, can be easily recovered. The missing term is the pressure work on the convergence of the balanced ageostrophic flow, representing a “hidden” conversion between kinetic and potential energy of the geostrophic flow that excites the unbalanced flow. This energy conversion equals the convergence of a one-directional energy flux that always transports energy westward at the zona...
Discrimination of number by infants

Four-month-olds' abilities to distinguish between visual arrays containing small numbers of elements were assessed via a habituation procedure. A series of dot patterns containing either four or five elements was presented until habituation occurred. Other discriminative cues were randomly varied including total area, area density, total contour, contour density, and configuration. Subjects were then shown another array containing either four or five dots. The results indicated that the infants were able to distinguish between arrays which differed only in the number of elements.
A representation theory for morphological image and signal processing

A unifying theory for many concepts and operations encountered in or related to morphological image and signal analysis is presented. The unification requires a set-theoretic methodology, where signals are modeled as sets, systems (signal transformations) are viewed as set mappings, and translational-invariant systems are uniquely characterized by special collections of input signals. This approach leads to a general representation theory, in which any translation-invariant, increasing, upper semicontinuous system can be presented exactly as a minimal nonlinear superposition of morphological erosions or dilations. The theory is used to analyze some special cases of image/signal analysis systems, such as morphological filters, median and order-statistic filters, linear filters, and shape recognition transforms. Although the developed theory is algebraic, its prototype operations are well suited for shape analysis; hence, the results also apply to systems that extract information about the geometrical structure of signals. >
Mucinous Cystic Neoplasm of the Pancreas

A healthy 31-year-old female presented with a 1-year history of microcytic anemia, which was associated ith abdominal pain and a 10-pound weight loss. On physical xamination, there was a palpable tender mass in the left upper uadrant of the abdomen. Previous investigations with an sophagogastroduodenoscopy and capsule endoscopy were esentially normal. However, an ultrasound of the abdomen reealed a complex multiseptated cystic mass measuring 16.5 11.5 cm within the pancreatic tail, as well as splenomegaly. ubsequent computed tomography scan of the abdomen conrmed the presence of the multiseptated lesion and it appeared o be closely associated with both the stomach and the body nd tail of the pancreas. Figure A shows a CT coronal image of the dumbbell-shaped multiseptated pancreatic mass, and an axial image is shown in Figure B. Further imaging with endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) revealed a multiseptated, predominantly cystic extrinsic mass, which appeared to be originating from the distal pancreas and also invading the stomach. Its ultasonographic features were consistent with a cystadenoma (Figure C) and scant mucin was visible on EUS-guided fineneedle aspiration. Serum tumor markers including carcinoembryonic antigen, carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9 and CA 125 were all within normal limits. During surgical exploration, a 19.5-cm encapsulated multilocular cyst was completely resected via distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy with en bloc subtotal distal gastrectomy, as the lesion was inseparable from the stomach. A gross image of the pancreatic mucinous cystic neoplasm encased in a smooth outer wall is seen in Figure D, and Figure E shows the multilobulated nature of this lesion in a cross-sectional image. This mass was confirmed to be originating from the pancreatic tail, with invasion of the adjacent gastric wall possibly because of prior cyst rupture leading to local inflammation and adhesion. Furthermore, it was occluding the splenic vein, and hence causing extensive venous congestion with resultant splenomegaly. On histology, the pancreatic mucinous cystic neoplasm was composed of glands lined by tall, mucinproducing cells, and ovarian-type stroma was also present without any evidence of invasive carcinoma cells (Figure F; HE original magnification 100). Additionally, the ovarian-type stromal cells
James A. Dinsmoor (1921-2005): questions of science and life.

James Arthur Dinsmoor, Jim to his many friends, was born in Woburn, MA, October 4, 1921, and died at his family's long-time summer residence in Laconia, New Hampshire, August 25, 2005. The summer residence was a place of rejuvenation where Jim and Kay visited with old friends from Columbia and students from Indiana. It was also a place of quiet for an unassuming man who at times lived a remarkably public, articulate life. In characterizing his career in a newspaper interview (“‘Ask questions,’” 1987), Jim described his motto as, “Never stop asking questions.” Although questioning is not an uncommon characteristic of scientists, few have committed themselves to it in so systematic, persistent, and general a way.
Epitaxial metal/insulator superlattices of Ti Ag/MgO grown on MgO(001) substrates

Abstract Metal/insulator multilayers composed of Ti 1− x Ag x alloy (0≤ x ≤1) and MgO were prepared on MgO(001) substrates at 273 K by electron beam evaporation in ultrahigh vacuum. Reflection high-energy electron diffraction, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopic measurements revealed that Ti 0.97 Ag 0.03 /MgO and Ti/MgO multilayers were epitaxially grown superlattices. It was found that the crystal structures of the metals (Ti 0.97 Ag 0.03 , Ti) in the superlattices were tetragonal.
Experimental Evaluation of Shared Control for Rehabilitation of Fine Motor Skills

We present the experimental results contrasting virtual fixtures (VFs) with a new shared control (SC) technique for rehabilitation of fine motor skills. The SC assistance algorithm used haptic attributes as the control goal. VF provided assistance based on trajectory. Shapes were chosen from the Visual Motor Integration test book and were used to train candidate’s nondominant hand, using samples recorded from their dominant hand. The results were analyzed using time, trajectory, forces, shape of trajectory, and haptic profiles as metrics. The results indicate that performance of VF and SC were comparable for simple trajectories and SC performed better for complex trajectories.
Properties of an optically anisotropic heterocyclic ladder polymer (BBL) in dilute solution

Light scattering, intrinsic viscosity, gel-permeation chromatography, and fluorescence depolarization measurements are reported on dilute solutions of a heterocyclic polymer (BBL) prepared by polymerization of 1, 4, 5, 8-naphthalene tetracarboxylic acid with 1, 2, 4, 5-tetraaminobenzene. The light-scattering data on fractions of the polymer giving the anisotropy δ and the mean-square radius of gyration s2 are discussed in terms of equations for the scattering from polydisperse anisotropic polymer. It is concluded from the dependence of δ and 〈s2〉 on the molecular weight that the polymer has a nearly rodlike conformation. The intrinsic viscosity data are analyzed in terms of relations for rods and wormlike chains. The fluorescence emission anisotropy is found to be so sensitive to molecular-weight distribution that analysis in terms of molecular parameters is prohibited. Association that can occur under certain circumstances is discussed.
Principal expression of two mRNA isoforms (ABCB5α and ABCB5β) of the ATP-binding cassette transporter gene ABCB5 in melanoma cells and melanocytes

ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters play a pivotal role in physiology and pathology. We identified and cloned two novel mRNA isoforms (ABCB 5alpha and ABCB 5beta) of the ABC transporter ABCB 5 in human melanoma cells. The deduced ABCB 5alpha protein appears to be an altered splice variant containing only a putative ABC, whereas the ABCB 5beta isoform shares approximately 70% similarity with ABCB1 (MDR1) and has a deduced topological arrangement similar to that of the whole carboxyl terminal half of the ABCB1 gene product, P-glycoprotein, including an intact ABC. Northern blot, real-time PCR, and conventional RT-PCR were used to verify the expression profiles of ABCB 5alpha/beta. We found that the melanomas included among the NCI-60 panel of cell lines preferentially expressed both ABCB 5alpha and ABCB 5beta. However, ABCB 5alpha/beta expression was undetectable in two amelanotic melanomas (M14 and LOX-IMVI). The expression profile of ABCB 5alpha/beta in all of the other melanomas of the panel was confirmed both by RT-PCR and by sequencing. Neither ABCB 5alpha nor ABCB 5beta expression was found in normal tissues such as liver, spleen, thymus, kidney, lung, colon, small intestines or placenta. ABCB 5alpha/beta mRNAs were also expressed in normal melanocytes and in retinal pigment epithelial cells, suggesting that ABCB 5alpha/beta expression is pigment cell-specific and might be involved in melanogenesis. Our findings indicate that expression of ABCB 5alpha/beta might possibly provide two novel molecular markers for differential diagnosis of melanomas and constitute potential molecular targets for therapy of melanomas.
Broad-search algorithms for the spacecraft trajectory design of Callisto-Ganymede-Io triple flyby sequences from 2024 to 2040, Part II: Lambert pathfinding and trajectory solutions $

Abstract Triple-satellite-aided capture employs gravity-assist flybys of three of the Galilean moons of Jupiter in order to decrease the amount of Δ V required to capture a spacecraft into Jupiter orbit. Similarly, triple flybys can be used within a Jupiter satellite tour to rapidly modify the orbital parameters of a Jovicentric orbit, or to increase the number of science flybys. In order to provide a nearly comprehensive search of the solution space of Callisto–Ganymede–Io triple flybys from 2024 to 2040, a third-order, Chebyshev's method variant of the p-iteration solution to Lambert's problem is paired with a second-order, Newton–Raphson method, time of flight iteration solution to the V ∞ -matching problem. The iterative solutions of these problems provide the orbital parameters of the Callisto–Ganymede transfer, the Ganymede flyby, and the Ganymede–Io transfer, but the characteristics of the Callisto and Io flybys are unconstrained, so they are permitted to vary in order to produce an even larger number of trajectory solutions. The vast amount of solution data is searched to find the best triple-satellite-aided capture window between 2024 and 2040.
Toddlers' Sensitivity to Standard Violations.

Young children's emerging sensitivity to standard violations has been postulated, but not systematically examined, as an important aspect of early morality. In this study, we observed 100 26–41-month-old toddlers in contexts that involved standard violations. In one context, children were shown flawed and whole objects. In the other context, they were led to believe they had damaged the examiners' valued possessions (“mishaps”). When presented with the flawed and whole objects, toddlers expressed preference for the latter, but showed more interest in the former, thus indicating that the whole-flawed quality was salient. Verbal and nonverbal reactions reflecting sensitivity to the whole-flawed aspects were interrelated. Moreover, manifestations of sensitivity to flawed objects were associated with several behavioral and affective responses during the contrived mishaps (acceptance of responsibility, apologies, focus on reparations, and distress). Thus, sensitivity to standard violations in toddlerhood appeared to be a general phenomenon underlying different aspects of early morality.
VLSI design with multiple active layers

Abstract A recent circuit of Alia, Barsi and Martinelli (1984) is improved. During our redesign process, we assumed that transistors can be formed on more than one ‘active’ layer of silicon. A small, single-layer layout can easily be obtained from our multiple-layer layout. We believe that ours is not an isolated theoretical result. A multiple-to-single layer transformation should be incorporated into commercial VLSI design tools.
Enhanced thermal property measurement of a silver zinc battery cell using isothermal calorimetry

Abstract The push for increased energy density of electrochemical cells highlights the need for novel electrochemical techniques as well as additional characterization methods for these cells in order to meet user needs and safety requirements. To achieve ever increasing energy densities and faster controlled release of that energy, all materials of construction must be constantly evaluated from electrode to casing and everything in-between. Increasing the energy density of the cell improves its utility, but it also increases the waste heat and maximum potential uncontrolled energy release. Design agents and system developers need new ways to monitor and classify the probability and severity of the catastrophic failures as well as the system characteristics during intended operation. To support optimization of these battery cells it is necessary to understand their thermal characteristics at rest as well as under prescribed charge and discharge cycles. One of the many calorimetric tools available to observe and record these characteristics is heat flow calorimetry. Typically, a heat flow calorimeter is operated isothermally and measures the sum heat released or consumed by a sample material inside of a calorimetric measuring cell. For this study an improved calorimetric measuring cell for a modified Hart 6209 precision temperature bath was designed and constructed to measure the heat flow of larger electrochemical cells (18 × 8 × 16 cm). This new calorimetric measuring cell is constructed to allow independent measurements of heat flow among each of the sample’s six sides in contrast to the typical one measurement of the average heat flow. Heat flows from 0.01 to 7.00 Watts were measured by the calorimeter with an average signal noise less than 1 mW during the charge and discharge cycles of the batteries under test. The heat capacities of the samples were also determined with experimental deviation of less than 2%. This paper provides a description of the calorimeter, calibration test results on its performance, and test results from two cells tested.
The Significance of Atrial Fibrillation in Patients Aged ≥55 years Undergoing Abdominal Surgery

The Institute of Medicine has identified atrial fibrillation (AF) among national priorities for research. We examine the incidence of AF and its association with outcomes of patients undergoing abdominal surgery. Patients ≥55 years who underwent abdominal surgery captured in a State Inpatient Database, 2008–2010. Three patient groups were created: (1) No diagnosis of AF (No-AF), (2) Pre-existing AF (Hx-AF), and (3) New-onset AF (New-AF). Outcomes were analysed using bivariate and multivariate methods. AF incidence among 116,477 patients was 8.6 %; approximately one in four patients aged ≥85 years had AF. 26.6 % of patients with AF experienced New-AF; the latter was more likely after pancreas resection (43.0 %) and least common after cholecystectomy (20.2 %). Complications (71.1, 47.3 vs. 26.5 %), mortality (8.0, 5.7 vs. 2.0 %), longer hospital stays (8.8, 5.6 vs. 3.8 days), and higher hospitalization cost ($41,427, $26,312 vs. $18,310) were more likely in patients with AF (New-AF, Hx-AF vs. No-AF respectively) (all p < 0.001). After adjustment, New-AF was among factors independently associated with mortality (OR 2.0, 95 % CI 1.7–2.4, p < 0.001); each case of New-AF increased cost of care by $4,482. Factors independently associated with New-AF included ≥1 complication, electrolyte imbalance, and procedure-type. Whereas 2.0 % of patients who developed New-AF were admitted from a long-term care facility, 23.8 % of patients with New-AF were discharged to a long-term care facility. AF is common among abdominal surgery patients, particularly the elderly; New-AF is a serious, potentially avoidable adverse event that could serve as an important quality of care indicator for abdominal surgery patients.
A security framework for wireless sensor networks utilizing a unique session key

Key management is a core mechanism to ensure the security of applications and network services in wireless sensor networks. It includes two aspects: key distribution and key revocation. Many key management protocols have been specifically designed for wireless sensor networks. However, most of the key management protocols focus on the establishment of the required keys or the removal of the compromised keys. The design of these key management protocols does not consider the support of higher level security applications. When the applications are integrated later in sensor networks, new mechanisms must be designed. In this paper, we propose a security framework, uKeying, for wireless sensor networks. This framework can be easily extended to support many security applications. It includes three components: a security mechanism to provide secrecy for communications in sensor networks, an efficient session key distribution scheme, and a centralized key revocation scheme. The proposed framework does not depend on a specific key distribution scheme and can be used to support many security applications, such as secure group communications. Our analysis shows that the framework is secure, efficient, and extensible. The simulation and results also reveal for the first time that a centralized key revocation scheme can also attain a high efficiency.
Preparation of Polyaryloxysilanes and Polyaryloxysiloxanes by B(C6F5)3 Catalyzed Polyetherification of Dihydrosilanes and Bis-Phenols

Polyaryloxysilanes and siloxanes (PAS) are an interesting and useful class of polymers with excellent flammability characteristics. The B(C6F5)3 catalyzed dehydrocondensation of bis-phenols or their simple alkylethers with dihydrosilanes and siloxanes provides ready access to these polymers. The reaction proceeds readily even when hindered phenol or silane substrates are employed affording sterically protected PAS derivatives. The combination of steric hindrance around the silyl ether linkage, the absence of ionic impurities and the use of very low levels of the boron catalyst in these reactions produces thermally and hydrolytically robust materials, which should further enhance their utility. Phenol functional macromonomers, such as polycarbonate and PPO derivatives, are readily coupled, providing easy access to siloxane copolymers. The only severe limitation of this process for preparing PAS derivatives is that the reaction is intolerant of base functionality in either the monomers or solvents used in t...
Hemothorax after percutaneous cryoablation of the kidney: part 2.

Cryoablation is a recently introduced minimally invasive nephron-sparing procedure for managing renal malignancy. This induces cell death through a rapid freeze-thaw process that results in ice crystal formation and ischemic necrosis [1]. Cryosurgery has the advantage of sparing nephrons while minimizing the need for renal dissection and the complications related to extirpative renal surgery. Indications include patients who are not surgical candidates and individuals with a solitary kidney or renal insufficiency where surgical excision would result in dialysis [2,3]. Although clinical experience has confirmed the safety and efficacy of cryosurgery for patients with renal malignancies [4], the technique is not without risk. Major complications are similar to other laparoscopic and percutaneous renal procedures [2,5–7]. Pulmonary complications are recognized sequelae of any abdominal procedure. Atelectasis and pneumonia have been reported following laparoscopic and percutaneous procedures. Moreover, exudative pleural effusions have been described [2]. Percutaneous cryoablation has been associated with reduced morbidity and mortality than with surgical ablation [2,3]. With the increasing enthu-
Porosity dependence of elastic moduli in LAST (Lead–antimony–silver–tellurium) thermoelectric materials

Abstract Porosity in thermoelectric materials affects the thermal, electrical and mechanical properties of the materials. In this study, the resonant ultrasound spectroscopy technique was used to determine the Young's modulus, E, shear modulus, G, and Poisson's ratio, ν, of 12 hot pressed and five cast polycrystalline specimens of the thermoelectric material LAST (lead–antimony–silver–tellurium) as a function of volume fraction porosity, P, for P ranging from 0.01 to 0.14. A least-squares fit of the Young's and shear moduli data to the relationships E = ED(1 − bPEP) and G = GD(1 − bPGP), respectively yielded ED = 58.4 ± 0.6 GPa and GD = 23.0 ± 0.2 GPa, where ED and GD are the estimated Young's modulus and shear modulus at room temperature for theoretically dense specimens, respectively. The unitless, material-dependent constants bPE and bPG were bPE = 3.5 ± 0.2 and bPG = 3.5 ± 0.2.
Slowing of ventricular tachycardia as a possible endpoint for serial drug testing at electrophysiological study.

Certain patients who cannot be rendered noninducible by serial drug testing during electrophysiology study demonstrate significant slowing of their ventricular tachycardia rate with selected agents. We evaluated the characteristics and outcome of 19 such patients to assess whether this slowing could be considered an acceptable endpoint for treatment. This group consisted of 14 males and 5 females (mean age 63 ± 9) with a mean ejection fraction of 28 ± 13% and inducible sustained ventricular tachycardia. Sixteen patients had known coronary artery disease and 13 had prior myocardial infarction. The other three patients had idiopathic cardiomyopathy. Serial drug testing during an electrophysiology protocol that used up to three extrastimuli at two or three cycle lengths at two right ventricular sites was used to select a medication regimen that provided optimal ventricular tachycardia slowing without limiting side effects. Five patients were treated with amiodarone, three with Ic agents fall with ejection fraction > 30%), and the remainder with la and Ib agents alone or in combination. Mean initial ventricular tachycardia rate was 219 ± 26 beats/mm with posttreafment ventricular tachycardia rate 137 ±17 fmean initial cycle length 278 ± 35 msec, posttreatment 443 ± 53 msec). Two groups were identified, those who had recurrent (although well-tolerated) ventricular tachycardia (group 1, n = 6, mean time to recurrence = 15 months), and those who did not (group II, n = 11, mean follow-up 22 months). Overall sudden death rate was 5%, while total mortality was 11% (all mortality in group I). No factor such as sex, age, drug type, ejection fraction, presence of coronary artery disease or aneurysm, or ventricular tachycardia morphology was significantly different between the groups. Conclusions: Significant ventricular tachycardia slowing by selected drug therapy at electrophysiology study is an acceptable therapeutic endpoint for certain patients, with a low rate of subsequent sudden death. However, recurrence, even if well tolerated, may be a marker for need for nonmedical therapy such as a device or surgery.
Automated 3D dendritic spine detection and analysis from two-photon microscopy

The functional significance of dendritic spines and their plasticity to a wide spectrum of developmental and pathological conditions has led to extensive studies based on spine morphology. The advances in image acquisition techniques and the associated generation of large 3D data sets of optical micrographs have not been accompanied by comparable advances in data analysis techniques. We present an automated 3D spine detection and quantification procedure suitable for images obtained by laser scanning microscopy. The image is first processed by deconvolution and the dendritic phase consisting of the neuronal cytoplasm is extracted by segmentation. Spines are detected as geometrical protrusions relative to the dendritic backbone. As very thin necks may not be imaged, some spine `heads' may be detached from the dendrite and are detected as detached components. These detected heads are merged with spine `bases' where appropriate. Morphological characterizations on spine length, volume, density and shape classifications are obtained. For time-lapse data, images are registered and individual spines are traced through the image sequence. Successful comparison results on spine lengths and densities with manual analysis are obtained. This method is highly automatic and allows detailed and objective quantification of the structure and dynamics of dendritic spines, which can be important predictors for the function of neural networks.
Revisiting a Discrepant Result: A Propensity Score Analysis, the Paired Availability Design for Historical Controls, and a Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials

There is an ongoing controversy over whether epidural analgesia for women in labor increases the probability of Caesarean section. Previous research compared results from three methods for estimating the effect of epidural analgesia on the probability of Caesarean section: a propensity score analysis, the paired availability design for historical controls, and meta-analysis of randomized trials. The propensity score analysis and a paired availability design gave substantially different results with the latter in closer agreement with results of a meta-analysis of randomized trials. We updated this investigation in three ways. First, we discussed the use of causal graphs for variable selection in the propensity score analysis. Second, we introduced new extrapolation estimates to improve generalizability for the paired availability design and the meta-analysis of randomized trials with crossovers. Third, we included the results from more recent studies. This analysis provides a window into various topics in causal inference and comparative effectiveness research.
Intrasubthalamic nucleus metabotropic glutamate receptor activation: a behavioral, Fos immunohistochemical and [14C]2-deoxyglucose autoradiographic study

Metabotropic glutamate receptors are a major class of excitatory amino acid receptors. Eight metabotropic glutamate receptor subtypes have been cloned, and are classified into three groups (I, II and III) based on amino acid sequence identity, effector systems and pharmacological profile. Previous results have shown that unilateral stimulation of metabotropic glutamate receptors in the subthalamic nucleus with the non-subtype-selective metabotropic glutamate receptor agonist 1S,3R-1-amino-1,3-cyclopentane dicarboxylate results in contralateral rotation in rats and Fos expression in the subthalamic nucleus. This suggests that metabotropic glutamate receptor stimulation results in altered subthalamic nucleus activity with consequent altered basal ganglia activity on the injected side. We sought to determine the metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype(s) involved and the functional neuroanatomy underlying the rotational behavior. Unilateral intrasubthalamic nucleus injection of group II or group III metabotropic glutamate receptor agonists induced contralateral rotation. In addition to producing rotation, group II and group III metabotropic glutamate receptor agonists induce toxicity in the subthalamic nucleus and overlying thalamus. Following group II or group III subthalamic nucleus metabotropic glutamate receptor stimulation, there is Fos-like immunoreactivity in the globus pallidus, subthalamic nucleus, substantia nigra pars reticulata and entopeduncular nucleus, suggesting altered activity in subthalamic nucleus target regions. However, examination of [14C]2-deoxyglucose uptake suggests that the alterations in basal ganglia activity are different following group II versus group III metabotropic glutamate receptor stimulation, suggesting that rotation is occurring via different mechanisms. It appears that stimulation of subthalamic nucleus group II metabotropic glutamate receptors induces rotation by increasing subthalamic nucleus activity. These results suggest that group II metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonists may be useful for alleviating subthalamic nucleus overactivity in Parkinson's disease.
Using simulation to teach agribusiness management and managerial decision-making skills

Abstract This paper discusses the use of a simulation game as part of a course on agribusiness management. The structure and functioning of the game is first discussed, followed by a discussion of its use in a teaching environment. The conclusion of this paper is that simulation games are useful instructional media for teaching agribusiness management. However, to be useful instructional media, simulation games must be realistic, must reinforce the principles to be taught, must be easy to use so as to not distract from the course content, and must be well integrated with the course content.
Effect of Pressure and Turbine Inlet Temperature on the Efficiency of Pressurized Fluidized Bed Power Plants

The difficulties encountered in past and present efforts to operate direct coal-fired gas turbines are substantial. Hence the development effort required to assure a reliable, high-temperature pressurized fluidized bed (PFBC) combined cycle may be very expensive and time consuming. It is, therefore, important that the benefit of achieving high-temperature operation, which is primarily increased efficiency, be clearly understood at the outset of such a development program. This study characterizes the effects of PFBC temperature and pressure on plant efficiency over a wide range of values. There is an approximate three percentage point advantage by operating at a gas turbine inlet temperature of 870 C (1600 F) instead of 538 C (1000 F). Optimum pressure varies with the gas turbine inlet temperature, but ranges from 0.4–1.0 MPa (4–10 atm). An alternate PFBC cycle offering high efficiency at a peak temperature of about 650 C (1200 F) is also discussed.Copyright © 1980 by ASME
The Heritability of Official Type Ratings and the Correlation between Type Ratings and Butter–Fat Production of Ayrshire Cows

Summary The classification ratings of 3,738 paternal sisters and of 1,601 cows out of classified dams were used to estimate the portion of the differences in official type ratings that is transmitted from parents to offspring. This portion is called heritability and from these data this figure is estimated to be 0.3. Thus offspring inherit about one-third of the observed superiority of the parents’ type, and herd improvement in the type of dairy cattle can be made by the selection of animals that are above the herd average in type for parents of the next generation. The correlation between classification rating and production of butterfat was computed from data on 5,177 cows. Within herds there was an average increase of 13 lb. of butterfat for each increase of one grade of type. The relationships between the classification rating and the first butterfat record of a cow, between the type rating of a cow and her butterfat record begun nearest the date of classification, and between the type rating of a cow and the average of all her butterfat records were statistically highly significant, but they were so low that their practical significance is quite small. The correlation coefficients were 0.16, 0.16, and 0.19, respectively.
MALDI-TOF and ESI-MS analysis of oligosaccharides labeled with a new multifunctional oligosaccharide tag.

A new multifunctional oligosaccharide label with a 1o amino-group was synthesized and characterized. The oligosaccharide label was introduced into several neutral oligosaccharides by reductive amination, and the derivatives were analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight (TOF) and by electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry. It was demonstrated that the labeling reaction was satisfactory, and that as little as 50 pmol of starting material could be efficiently labeled with minimal loss to side reactions. A mixture of high-mannose N-glycans released from ribonuclease B was labeled. The label did not appear to interfere with structural characterization of the oligosaccharides by mass spectrometry. N-quaternization of the labeled oligosaccharides resulted in significantly increased sensitivity of detection with as little as 100 fmol on the probe detected. Deuterium coding of labeled oligosaccharide mixtures and relative abundance of mixture components was investigated. A protocol for the chromatographic separation of mixtures of labeled oligosaccharides by HPLC was developed and is reported here.
Clinician's Corner: The Metabolic Syndrome: A Lifestyle Medicine Foe Worthy of a Seek and Destroy Mission

The Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is comprised of dyslipidemia, elevated blood pressure, elevated plasma glucose, abdominal obesity and associated prothrombotic and proinflammatory states. It is accompanied by a life long twofold increased risk of cardiovascular disease and a fivefold increase risk for diabetes. Since cardiovascular disease and diabetes are predictable by modifiable risk factors, metabolic syndrome is a prime candidate for lifestyle modification utilizing the tools of Lifestyle Medicine (LM), (exercise, nutritional therapy and behavior modification). Such approaches can prevent the development of full blown Type II diabetes (5) and dramatically modify all of the components of the metabolic syndrome. This article discusses the definition and importance of MetS and how to screen for it and manage it using LM principles.
Physically guided liquid surface modeling from videos

We present an image-based reconstruction framework to model real water scenes captured by stereoscopic video. In contrast to many image-based modeling techniques that rely on user interaction to obtain high-quality 3D models, we instead apply automatically calculated physically-based constraints to refine the initial model. The combination of image-based reconstruction with physically-based simulation allows us to model complex and dynamic objects such as fluid. Using a depth map sequence as initial conditions, we use a physically based approach that automatically fills in missing regions, removes outliers, and refines the geometric shape so that the final 3D model is consistent to both the input video data and the laws of physics. Physically-guided modeling also makes interpolation or extrapolation in the space-time domain possible, and even allows the fusion of depth maps that were taken at different times or viewpoints. We demonstrated the effectiveness of our framework with a number of real scenes, all captured using only a single pair of cameras.
Complex dynamical behavior in a new chemical oscillator: The chlorite–thiourea reaction in a CSTR

The reaction between chlorite ion and thiourea has been studied both in a closed (batch) system and in a flow reactor (CSTR). The principal stoichiometry is given by In batch, the reaction displays an induction period, whose length is proportional to [CS(NH2)2]/[ClO] [H+], followed by the rapid buildup and disappearance of a ClO2 intermediate. At [ClO]/[CS(NH2)2] ratios between 2.5 and 3.5, a second peak in the ClO2 absorbance is observed. In the CSTR, this iodine-free system displays simple and complex periodic oscillation, bistability, aperiodic oscillation, and birhythmicity.