cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Laparoscopic liver resection for malignancy: a review of the literature.

AIM: To review the published literature about laparoscopic liver resection for malignancy. METHODS: A PubMed search was performed for original published studies until June 2013 and original series containing at least 30 patients were reviewed. RESULTS: All forms of hepatic resections have been described ranging from simple wedge resections to extended right or left hepatectomies. The usual approach is pure laparoscopic, but hand-assisted, as well as robotic approaches have been described. Most studies showed comparable results to open resection in terms of operative blood loss, postoperative morbidity and mortality. Many of them showed decreased postoperative pain, shorter hospital stays, and even lower costs. Oncological results including resection margin status and long-term survival were not inferior to open resection. CONCLUSION: In the hands of experienced surgeons, laparoscopic liver resection for malignant lesions is safe and offers some short-term advantages over open resection. Oncologically, similar survival rates have been observed in patients treated with the laparoscopic approach when compared to their open resection counterparts.
In-situ polymerized poly(3-hexylthiophene) and TiO 2 nanocomposites for organic solar cells

A chemically tethered organic/inorganic hybrid nanocomposite of poly (3-hexylthiophene) [P3HT] and TiO 2 nanorods was successfully prepared through surface modification and in situ polymerization. In order to form an intimate contact between TiO 2 and P3HT, a new layer of silane linker was coupled on TiO 2 surface to replace the linoleic acid (LA). Subsequently, 3-hexylthiophene was insitu polymerized and anchored on the TiO 2 surface through silane linker to form the hybrid nanocomposites. From Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) spectra, the successful ligand exchange and polymerization on TiO 2 surface was observed. The UV-Visible absorption of as prepared P3HT showed that the conjugated polymer and TiO 2 has strong interaction with each other. The fluorescence quenching experiment proved that the chemically bonded nanocomposites have a more efficient charge transfer processes than simply blending them together.
An analysis of whether surgeon-performed neck ultrasound can be used as the main localizing study in primary hyperparathyroidism

Background Tc-99 sestamibi (MIBI) scan is the imaging study most frequently used in primary hyperparathyroidism (PHP). Transcutaneous cervical ultrasonography (US) is the other modality used for preoperative localization. The aim of this study was to determine whether surgeon-performed neck US can be used as the primary localizing study in PHP. Methods This was a prospective study of 1,000 consecutive patients with first-time, sporadic PHP who underwent parathyroidectomy at a tertiary academic center. All patients had surgeon-performed neck US and MIBI before bilateral neck exploration. Results The findings at exploration were 72% single adenoma, 15% double adenoma, and 13% hyperplasia. When US suggested single-gland disease (n = 842), MIBI was concordant in 82.5%, discordant and false in 8%, negative in 7%, and discordant but correct in 2.5%. When US suggested multigland disease (n = 68), MIBI was concordant in 47%, discordant and false in 41%, and negative in 12%. When US was negative (n = 90), MIBI was positive and correct in 43%, negative in 31%, and positive but false in 26%. Surgeon-performed neck US identified unrecognized thyroid nodules in 326 patients (33%), which led to fine-needle aspiration biopsy in 161 (49%) patients and thyroid surgery in 103 (32%) patients, with a final diagnosis of thyroid cancer in 24 (7%) patients. Conclusion Our results show that MIBI provides additional useful information in only a minority of patients with a positive US in PHP. Nevertheless, MIBI benefits about half of patients with a negative US. Because one-third of this patient population has unrecognized thyroid nodules as well, we propose that the most cost-effective algorithm would be to do US first and reserve MIBI for US-negative cases.
Electrocardiographic diagnosis of remote posterior wall myocardial infarction using unipolar posterior lead V9.

The accuracy of four electrocardiographic criteria for diagnosing remote posterior myocardial infarction was assessed prospectively in 369 patients undergoing exercise treadmill testing with thallium scintigraphy. Criteria included the following: 1) R-wave width ≥0.04 s and R-wave ≥S-wave in V 1 ; 2) R-wave ≥ S-wave in V 2 ; 3) T-wave voltage in V 2 minus V 6 ≥0.38 mV (T-wave index); 4) Q-wave ≥0.04 s in left paraspinal lead V 9 . Twenty-seven patients (7.3 percent) met thallium criteria for posterior myocardial infarction, defined as a persistent perfusion defect in the posterobase of the left ventricle. Sensitivities for the four criteria ranged from 4 to 56 percent, and specificities ranged from 64 to 99 percent. Posterior paraspinal lead V 9 provided the best overall predictive accuracy (94 percent), positive predictive value (58 percent), and ability to differentiate patients with and without posterior myocardial infarction of any single criterion (p 9 further enhanced the diagnostic yield: the sensitivity for detecting posterior infarction by at least one of these criteria was 78 percent, and when both criteria were positive, specificity was 98.5 percent. It is concluded that a single, unipolar posterior lead in the V 9 position is superior to standard 12-lead electrocardiographic criteria in diagnosing remote posterior myocardial infarction, and that combining V 9 with the T-wave index maximizes the diagnostic yield.
Inventory dynamics, time lags, and efficiency measures

Abstract Standard measures employed to examine efficiency, such as production efficiency in manufacturing are static in nature. Standard methods typically employ a stock/flow approach to measure turnover and delay. This is a first estimate but an inadequate approach since production processes are time dependent and dynamic. This study examines theoretical issues concerning the standard method of measuring efficiency indices, and introduces a refined dynamic measurement methodology. The standard and proposed methodologies are applied to financial data for US Tire and Rubber Goods industry to demonstrate the empirical differences between the two measures.
Elucidation of the mechanism by which (+)-acylcarnitines inhibit mitochondrial fatty acid transport.

Abstract It is well established that medium and long chain (+)-acylcarnitines (i.e. fatty acid esters of the unnaturald-isomer of carnitine) inhibit the oxidation of long chain fatty acids in mammalian tissues by interfering with some component(s) of the mitochondrial carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) system. However, whether their site of action is at the level of CPT I (outer membrane), CPT II (inner membrane), carnitine-acylcarnitine translocase (CACT, inner membrane), or some combination of these elements has never been resolved. We chose to readdress this question using rat liver mitochondria and employing a variety of assays that distinguish between the three enzyme activities. The effect on each of (+)-acetylcarnitine, (+)-hexanoylcarnitine, (+)-octanoylcarnitine, (+)-decanoylcarnitine, and (+)-palmitoylcarnitine was examined. Contrary to longstanding belief, none of these agents was found to impact significantly upon the activity of CPT I or CPT II. Whereas (+)-acetylcarnitine also failed to influence CACT, both (+)-octanoylcarnitine and (+)-palmitoylcarnitine strongly inhibited this enzyme with a similar IC50 value (∼35 μm) under the assay conditions employed. Remarkably, (+)-decanoylcarnitine was even more potent (IC50 ∼5 μm), whereas (+)-hexanoylcarnitine was far less potent (IC50 >200 μm). These findings resolve a 35-year-old puzzle by establishing unambiguously that medium and long chain (+)-acylcarnitines suppress mitochondrial fatty acid transport solely through the inhibition of the CACT component. They also reveal a surprising rank order of potency among the various (+)-acylcarnitines in this respect and should prove useful in the design of future experiments in which selective blockade of CACT is desired.
Towards an integrated framework for accelerating the end of the global HIV epidemic among young people

For decades, the HIV epidemic has exacted an enormous toll worldwide. However, trend analyses have discerned significant declines in the overall prevalence of HIV over the last two decades. More recently, advances in biomedical, behavioural, and structural interventions offer considerable promise in the battle against generalised epidemics. Despite advances in the prevention of transmission and new infections, morbidity and mortality of HIV among young people remains a considerable concern for individuals, couples, families, communities, practitioners, and policy-makers around the globe. To accelerate the end of the global HIV epidemic among young people, we must merge existing efficacious interventions with more novel, cost-effective implementation strategies to develop integrated, multi-level combination interventions. The benefits of conceptualising the HIV epidemic more broadly and adopting ecological frameworks for the development of HIV prevention programmes are critical.
Decoupling functionalization from sensor array assembly using detachable cantilevers.

Cantilevers are useful as sensor devices with high sensitivity and have shown great promise for dense, multianalyte arrays. One of the difficulties has been the fabrication of multianalyte arrays that are capable of the simultaneous detection of a wide range of chemical and biological species. Functionalization procedures for one class of analytes are often incompatible with other classes and cross contamination is a significant concern when ink-jet deposition processes are used. In this study, we used surface micromachined cantilevers designed and fabricated using Sandia National Laboratories SUMMiT V MEMS process. The cantilevers are fabricated with a base that can be detached from the parent substrate after functionalization and mounted into a daughter array. We have utilized an IBM-fabricated 8-cantilever array chip as our daughter substrate due to its compatibility with a Scentris 8-cantilever readout system. Our initial work demonstrates that this is a feasible procedure for decoupling functionalization from array assembly. SCANNING 30: 000–000, 2008. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Multi-scale geophysical modeling using the spectral element method

The spectral element method offers distinct advantages for geophysical simulations, including geometric flexibility, accuracy and scalability. Developers of atmospheric and oceanic models are capitalizing on these properties to create new models that can accurately and effectively simulate multi-scale flows in complex geometries.
Presumed Pulmonary Embolism Following Power-Pulse Spray Thrombectomy of Upper Extremity Venous Thrombosis

To achieve more effective thrombolysis in a shorter treatment time, percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy has been increasingly used in the treatment of deep venous thrombosis (DVT). The power-pulse spray is a new technique to combine chemical and rheolytic effects on clots. We present a case of presumed pulmonary embolism following power-pulse spray treatment for upper extremity DVT which necessitated resuscitation and intubation. The power-pulse spray technique should be used with caution when treating DVT.
Viscosity of Molten Branched Polymers and Their Concentrated Solutions

The viscosity of molten polymers and their concentrated solutions is investigated theoretically. Both linear and branched polymers are considered. Two methods are used, one being merely an extension of a previous computation for linear polymers. Essential agreement is found between the results of the two methods. It is found that the viscosity of a branched polymer ηb is related to the viscosity of a similar linear polymer of identical molecular weight by the equation ηb/ηl=g7/2 if the chains are highly entangled. For nonentangled chains the ratio is merely equal to g. The quantity g is the square of the ratio of the radius of gyration of the branched molecule to that of the linear molecule.
The Burma Road to Capitalism: Economic Growth versus Democracy

Preface Introduction Democracy, Economic Growth, and Asian Values Stability and Discipline in Burma under Military Rule The Nature and Performance of the Open-Door, Market-Oriented Economy of Burma Inflation, Monetary and Fiscal Policies The Economic Plight of Urban and Rural Population The Performance of the External Sector: Foreign Trade and Foreign Direct Investment Burma-China Border Trade Human Development of Burma under Military Rule: Education, Health, and Welfare Conclusion Bibliography Index
Cytoplasmic constriction and vesiculation after axotomy in the squid giant axon

The squid giant axon responded to a transection injury by producing a gradient of cytoplasmic and vesicular changes at the cut end. At the immediate opening of the cut axon the cytoplasm was fragmented and dispersed and the vesicles in this region were in rapid Brownian movement. Approximately 0.1 mm further in, at the site of maximal axonal constriction, the axoplasm was condensed into a compact, constricted mass containing many large vesicles. The axoplasm was normal a few millimetres beyond this constricted, vesiculated end. It appears that transection triggered the transformation of normal axoplasm into a tightly constricted, highly vesiculated structure. This modified axoplasm at the cut end may slow the spread of damage and degeneration by preventing the bulk outflow of axoplasm, by slowing down the loss of intracellular molecules and by slowing down the influx of destructive extracellular ions (like calcium and chloride).
Axial Scanning with 900 MeV Alpha Particles

High energy (fast) alpha particles can be used for nondestructive radiography of the human body because small electron density changes are reflected in measurable alpha particle energy changes. Using high resolution radiation detectors and computer techniques for transaxial reconstruction, it is possible to present information that is not available from conventional radiographs with doses one-tenth that required for photon scanning procedures incorporated in the EMI or similar scanners.
Temperature Measurement in Critical Care Adults: A Comparison of Thermometry and Measurement Routes:

Purpose.To describe within- and between-subject mean differences between and among temperature sites (oral, axilla, PA) and instruments.Methods. A convenience sample (N = 35) of volunteering, adult...
Evaluation of a safety resheathable winged steel needle for prevention of percutaneous injuries associated with intravascular-access procedures among healthcare workers

Objective To compare the percutaneous injury rate associated with a standard versus a safety resheathable winged steel (butterfly) needle. Design Before-after trial of winged steel needle injuries during a 33-month period (19-month baseline, 3-month training, and 11-month study intervention), followed by a 31-month poststudy period. Setting A 1,190-bed acute care referral hospital with inpatient and outpatient services in New York City. Participants All healthcare workers performing intravascular-access procedures with winged steel needles. Intervention Safety resheathable winged steel needle. Results The injury rate associated with winged steel needles declined from 13.41 to 6.41 per 100,000 (relative risk [RR], 0.48; 95% confidence interval [CI95], 0.31 to 0.73) following implementation of the safety device. Injuries occurring during or after disposal were reduced most substantially (RR, 0.15; CI95, 0.06 to 0.43). Safety winged steel needle injuries occurred most often before activation of the safety mechanism was appropriate (39%); 32% were due to the user choosing not to activate the device, 21% occurred during activation, and 4% were due to improper activation. Preference for the safety winged steel needle over the standard device was 63%. The safety feature was activated in 83% of the samples examined during audits of disposal containers. Following completion of the study, the safety winged steel needle injury rate (7.29 per 100,000) did not differ significantly from the winged steel needle injury rate during the study period. Conclusion Implementation of a safety resheathable winged steel needle substantially reduced injuries among healthcare workers performing vascular-access procedures. The residual risk of injury associated with this device can be reduced further with increased compliance with proper activation procedures.
Computational Test Cases for the Benchmark Active Controls Model

Unsteady aerodynamic and aeroelastic computational test cases have been selected from the data set for the Benchmark Active Controls Technology model. Data sets for trailing-edge control surface oscillations and uppersurfacespoileroscillationsforarangeofMachnumbers, angleofattack, andstaticcontroldee ectionsareincluded. Cases also include static angles of attack, static trailing-edge control, and static upper-surface spoiler dee ections for a range of conditions near those for the oscillation cases. The aeroelastic test cases include three types of e utter instability and dynamic response measurements for oscillations of the controls on the e exible mount.
Design of high-efficiency current-mode class-D amplifiers for wireless handsets

Design considerations are discussed for current-mode class-D (CMCD) microwave power amplifiers. Factors affecting amplifier efficiency are described analytically and via simulation. Amplifiers are reported that incorporate parallel LC resonators alongside the switching transistors. To reduce parasitic resistance, bond-wires were utilized to implement a high Q inductor in the LC resonator. An experimental CMCD amplifier based on GaAs HBTs is reported, with collector efficiency of 78.5% at an output power of 29.5 dBm (0.89 W) at 700 MHz.
Polarization effects in optical coherence tomography of various biological tissues

Polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) was used to obtain spatially resolved ex vivo images of polarization changes in skeletal muscle, bone, skin and brain. Through coherent detection of two orthogonal polarization states of the signal formed by interference of light reflected from the biological sample and a mirror in the reference arm of a Michelson interferometer, the depth resolved change in polarization was measured. Inasmuch as any fibrous structure will influence the polarization of light, PS-OCT is a potentially powerful technique investigating tissue structural properties. In addition, the effects of single polarization state detection on OCT image formation is demonstrated.
Delayed Hypoalgesia to a Heat Stimulus is Induced by Eccentric Exercise and is Greater for Red- than Dark-Haired Women

AbstractObjectives: This study sought to examine the potential delayed effect of eccentric exercise on pain perceptions of heat stimuli presented to red-haired and dark-haired women.Methods: Healthy college-aged women capable of physical exercise were sought for participation in the study. They were to assess pain intensity and unpleasantness of thermal stimuli [at 45, 47 and 49 °C] applied to their forearm and posterior lower leg before and 24 and 48 h after 18 eccentric actions of the non-dominant elbow flexors at an intensity of maximal voluntary concentric contraction strength. Women of similar age and ability served as controls and the exercise for the controls (n=6) was concentric exercise, resulting in little or no muscle injury.Results: Eighteen healthy adult women participated. Twelve [five with bright red hair and five with dark hair] subjects performed eccentric exercise. At 24- and 48-h after the eccentric exercise, the volume of the exercised arm increased by 2.2% [±1.5%] and by 5.0% [±2.2%],...
An optimization model for sample day selection in NAS-wide modeling studies

Future flight Schedules are generated based on air traffic demand forecast for the purpose of aviation planning and performance analysis studies. A selection process needs to be designed and implemented by sampling historical operational data for each fiscal quarter and choosing representative days that best reflect seasonality in terms of a given set of performance metrics. We propose an optimization based solution method for the sample day selection problem, which is formulated as a Mixed Integer Program (MIP). The objective of the MIP is to minimize the weighted difference between the true population and the sample to be selected in terms of the defined metrics subject to a set of constraints including the sample size limit, coverage requirements and other desired properties. An efficient solution algorithm has been implemented using the CPLEX MIP solver. Experiments have been conducted with a wide range of flight data from the recent years. The results from the MIP method provided robust solutions for the sample day selection problem. It is also shown that the method is quite flexible to incorporate additional constraints based on expert knowledge.
Skin hydration state estimation using a fiber-optic refractometer

A U-shaped fiber-optic refractometer is used to estimate the hydration state of human skin. The validity of the sensor in this application has been investigated by comparing the sensor output with the conductance of the skin to a high-frequency electrical current of 3.5 MHz, which has been reported to be a good measure of the skin hydration state. Results indicate that there is a relatively close relationship between the optical sensor output and the electrical conductance. A water sorption-desorption test conducted to confirm the above relationship has revealed that the fiber-optic probe can provide a convenient means for estimating the skin hydration state in an easy manner.
Model reduction using balance-truncation method with lower error bounds

A modified balance-truncation reduced-order model is developed by introducing a weighting factor which provides an extra degree of freedom in emphasizing the relative magnitude of the model reduction errors at low and high frequencies. The maximum model reduction error can be reduced to a lower value by an appropriate choice of the weighting factor. The direct model of B.C. Moore (1982) and the singular perturbation approximation method will become two special cases in the modified technique. A stability criterion for the reduced-order model and a procedure for selection of the weighting factor are developed. The formulae for the L/sub infinity /-norm error bound on the reduction at zero and infinite frequencies are also derived. The proposed model reduction method is demonstrated by designing lower-order controllers for a Phillips Laboratory experimental flexible grid structure. >
Periodic ion channel laser

Radially polarized radiation is amplified by a free electron laser (FEL) in which the undulator is an ion channel with periodic density. To ensure stable beam propagation, the undulator period is much shorter than the betatron wavelength. The gain at a given distance from the axis equals that of a planar magnetostatic undulator with the same quiver velocity. When an ultrarelativistic electron beam propagates in a periodic ion density of 10/sup 11/-10/sup 17/ cm/sup -3/, a short-wavelength FEL may be obtained.
Parent‐Adolescent Violence and Later Behavioral Health Problems Among Homeless and Housed Youth

Parent-adolescent violence (i.e., violence between parents and adolescents) is an important pathway to homelessness and predicts poor behavioral health outcomes among youth. However, few studies have examined links between parent violence and outcomes among youth who are homeless. Existing research has also tended to ignore adolescent violence toward parents, despite evidence that mutual violence is common. The current study examines prospective links of parent-adolescent violence to outcomes among youth who were homeless and demographically matched youth, through two complementary substudies: (a) an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of items measuring parent and adolescent violence combined in the same analysis; and (b) an examination of predictive relationships between the factors identified in the EFA and behavioral health problems, including mental health and alcohol abuse problems. Predictive relationships were examined in the overall sample and by gender, ethnic, and housing status subgroups. Results of the EFA suggested that parent-adolescent violence includes intraindividual (i.e., separate parent and adolescent) physical components and a shared psychological component. Each of these components contributed uniquely to predicting later youth behavioral health. Implications for research and practice with youth who are homeless are discussed.
Isokinetic rehabilitation after surgery A review of factors which are important for developing physiotherapeutic techniques after knee surgery

The postoperative rehabilitation of individuals who've had surgery has been a primary concern of all mem bers of the health care community. With the advent of new training devices for use during the rehabilitation period (i.e., isokinetic training devices) and new re search in sports medicine, there has been a renewed interest in how to best rehabilitate individuals following surgery (knee surgery, in particular). This paper briefly reviews basic muscle physiology as it relates to muscle fiber types and recruitment patterns. Sub sequently, it reviews studies that have investigated muscle atrophy and methods to reduce muscle dys function related to surgery, immobilization, and dis use. Finally, it reviews isokinetic training studies and examines the concept of "specificity of speed" train ing. These principles of muscle physiology and muscle plasticity are then applied to a proposed isokinetic rehabilitation program which might be adapted for use following joint surgery.
Globus pallidus deep brain stimulation for adult-onset axial dystonia.

Introduction Generalized dystonia, both primary and secondary forms, and axial dystonias such as tardive dystonia, and idiopathic cervical dystonia are responsive to globus pallidus interna (GPi) DBS. There is a paucity of investigations probing the impact of DBS on adult-onset axial dystonia. We assessed the efficacy of GPi DBS in four patients with rare adult-onset axial dystonia.
Perlecan and the Blood-Brain Barrier: Beneficial Proteolysis?

The cerebral microvasculature is important for maintaining brain homeostasis. This is achieved via the blood-brain barrier (BBB), composed of endothelial cells with specialized tight junctions, astrocytes, and a basement membrane (BM). Prominent components of the BM extracellular matrix (ECM) include fibronectin, laminin, collagen IV, and perlecan, all of which regulate cellular processes via signal transduction through various cell membrane bound ECM receptors. Expression and proteolysis of these ECM components can be rapidly altered during pathological states of the central nervous system. In particular, proteolysis of perlecan, a heparan sulfate proteoglycan, occurs within hours following ischemia induced by experimental stroke. Proteolysis of ECM components following stroke results in the degradation of the BM and further disruption of the BBB. While it is clear that such proteolysis has negative consequences for the BBB, we propose that it also may lead to generation of ECM protein fragments, including the C-terminal domain V (DV) of perlecan, that potentially have a positive influence on other aspects of CNS health. Indeed, perlecan DV has been shown to be persistently generated after stroke and beneficial as a neuroprotective molecule and promoter of post-stroke brain repair. This mini-review will discuss beneficial roles of perlecan protein fragment generation within the brain during stroke.
Armor and anesthesia: exposure, feeling, and the soldier's body.

A whole range of technologies, from weapons and armor to battlefield medicine, extend U.S. soldiers’ capacity for violence and enhance their ability to withstand it. In military logic as well as the civilian imagination, these technologies work in concert with discipline and training to produce soldiers as subjects who, thanks to their insensitivity to pain and their immunity from danger, can reliably be sent to face bullets, bombs, and the other attendant threats of a war zone. For so many of the soldiers I spent time with at and around the U.S. Army’s Ft. Hood in central Texas, however, the vulnerability that came with being deployed in harm’s way was an abiding preoccupation. Soldiers’ talk about and experience of armor and other protective technologies mediated this sense of exposure and materialized the complex feelings that come with the difficult and dangerous labor of war making. In this article I relate a series of anecdotes and cases from the words and experiences of individual soldiers. With this approach I aim to convey both the complex breadth of form of soldiers’ feelings of vulnerability and the depth of its penetration into the routine experience of war making. Throughout these vignettes, soldiers’ narratives and actions suggest that their embodied experience is profoundly shaped by armor and related technologies. I argue that this shaping reflects both a long-term genealogy of modern warfare and the current specific conditions of counterinsurgency war in Iraq. By attending to the historical-material conditions of war’s production, the highly organized regimes of power to which soldiers are subjected, and the phenomenology of sense–perception and embodied experience, I theorize this embodied state as a complex interrelationship of bodily discipline and protection, on the one hand, and brutal exposure to discomfort and harm, on the other hand, which I gloss as anesthesia. I then unpack various dimensions of this dynamic as they arose in the talk of different soldiers: generalized anxieties and suspicions surrounding protective gear; the banal phenomenology of grinding military labor; the tactile relationship between wounded bodies and wounding objects; and the highly specific ways that the geography and technology of counterinsurgency warfare expose soldiers’ bodies to harm. I conclude by locating this portrait of vulnerable, instrumentalized bodies within a broader context of civilian perceptions of soldiers, military technology, and the violent bodily consequences of violent U.S. foreign policy. Both technologically mediated soldierly embodiment and technologically mediated civilian perceptions of war, I argue, are characterized by forms of anesthesia that circumscribe much of the bodily experience of war violence.
Applications of situation-dependent intensity and intensity spread predictions based on a weighted analog technique

A version of our situation-dependent intensity prediction (SDIP) is proposed for operational application after three modifications: (i) Ten historical track analogs are matched with Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) official track forecasts rather than besttracks; (ii) Giving two times as much weight to the 72 h — 120 h portion of the track as to the 0–72 h portion to give higher rankings for analog tracks with similar landfall or recurvature positions and timing; and (iii) Weighting both the intensity prediction technique and a new intensity spread guidance product according to new rankings of the track analogs rather than assuming all track analogs are equally likely. These special matchings and weightings of the track analogs in this weighted-analog intensity (WANI) add skill in the 72–120 h forecast intervals in regions where landfalls occur. Viability as an operational technique is demonstrated as the WANI has only 1 kt larger mean absolute errors than the JTWC intensity errors from 12 h through 72 h, and the WANI is 5 kt (20%) better at 120 h. The WANI rank-weighted intensity spreads each 12 h among the 10 best historical track analogs are processed to reduce any intensity bias and calibrated to reduce (increase) the over-determined (under-determined) intensity spreads at early (later) forecast intervals. Thus, the situation-dependent intensity spread guidance is generated that will include about 68% of the verifying intensities at all forecast intervals. Four examples of the WANI intensity predictions and intensity spread guidance are presented to illustrate how the forecaster might use this information in potential landfall and intensity bifurcation situations.
An Assessment Of The Stock Market And Exchange Rate Dynamics In Industrialized And Emerging Markets

This paper adopts an Exponentional General Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (EGARCH) framework to explore the relationship between stock prices and exchange rates for two groups of countries: emerging and developed economies. Results show that some positive significant price spillovers from the foreign exchange market to the stock market exist for Canada, Japan, the U.S and India. Findings also show for the developed countries, there is no persistence of volatility in the stock markets and the exchange rate markets. For the emerging economies, findings point to the opposite: volatility is pronounce and enduring.
Robust video mining based on local similarity alignment of motion trajectories

Motion trajectory is one of the most important cues for extracting semantic information from video data. Numerous studies have focused on the analysis and comparison of the similarity among motion trajectories. Most of the previous methods rely on a global measure that does not account for partial or lost information. In particular, existing techniques fail to capture the salient features of local events shared by distinct motion trajectories. In this paper, we propose a novel local similarity alignment based method for retrieving similar motion events. Our approach is motivated by the well-known global sequence alignment and BLAST algorithms used in character string matching and genomic analysis. The proposed local similarity alignment measure focuses on key segments of motion trajectories and thus yields superior computational speed while providing improved performance, especially in the presence of missing information. We conduct extensive computer simulations that demonstrate the superiority of the proposed approach in terms of its efficiency and computational speed. Moreover, we highlight the robustness of the proposed local similarity alignment method to information loss (e.g. due to occlusion) by demonstrating its performance for partial motion trajectories.
Experimental Vibrio cholerae wound infections

The invasive potential of environmental and clinical strains of O1 and non-O1 Vibrio cholerae was examined. Mice injected subcutaneously (s.c.) with strains of these organisms were monitored for the development of lesions or mortality. Of 12 strains of non-O1 V. cholerae tested, 7 gave a high mortality rate. All other strains produced swelling and lesions at the site of inoculation. The injection of highly virulent strains of non-O1 V. cholerae produced bacteremia. In contrast, only 1 of the 10 strains of O1 V. cholerae tested was highly lethal, and bacteremia was not detected. The highly virulent strains of O1 and non-O1 V. cholerae failed to produce keratoconjunctivitis in the Sereny test. A qualitative enzyme study showed no differences in ability to produce enzymes associated with invasiveness.
Beetles (Coleoptera) of Peru: A Survey of the Families. Staphylinidae Latreille, 1802

Diversity in Peru: 17 subfamilies, 221 genera, 877 species (confirmed). Recognition: Staphylinidae or rove beetles range in size from 1–35 mm (most are 2–8 mm) and vary greatly in shape from very compact to extremely slender or even antlike, but most may be recognized by having more or less truncate elytra (exposing one to many abdominal tergites), six or seven visible abdominal sternites, and contiguous procoxae which vary in shape but are often prominent and conical. The antennae are usually 11–segmented and filiform to weakly clavate (rarely with a loose to compact antennal club or reduced segmentation), and tarsi are often five– segmented but may have only four, three or two segments or various heteromerous combinations. Some members possess paired ocelli dorsally on the head. Habitat: Rove beetles can be found almost everywhere beetles occur, from seashore to alpine grasslands (e.g., Thayer, 2005). They are especially abundant in forest habitats, including in leaf litter and rotting logs, on fungi and vegetation, and attracted to dung and other decaying materials, and in non-forested moist habitats such as marine beaches and near lakes, rivers and bogs. They tend to be scarce in arid and curtivated or other highly disturbed habitats. A majority of species are predators of other invertebrates as adults and larvae, but many are saprophages or mycophages, and some feed on algae or pollen, but virtually none feed on living green plants. Many species are inquilines of social insects, especially ants and termites, and these are often well integrated with their host societies (e.g., Kistner, 1982), but some species are found in vertebrate nests or even, in one group, are commensals living on the bodies of small mammals (Seevers, 1955). Some species of the genus Paederus Fabricius in Peru (and elsewhere) have a toxic chemical, pederin, in their haemolymph that can cause severe dermatitis or lesions in humans (known locally as “dermatitis purulenta”, internationally as “Paederus dermatitis” or “linear dermatitis”) and thus are of medical and even economic importance (e.g., Ojeda
On the Causal Effect of Option Trading on Underlying Stock Pricing

This paper shows that option trading does not reduce overpricing in the underlying stock market. A popular view in the literature is that options lower short selling cost, therefore, they allow stock prices to better incorporate negative information and opinions. Testing such a hypothesis is challenging because certain variables can drive both option trading and stock pricing, and failure to control for these variables gives rise to endogeneity issues. We develop an instrumental variable for option trading volume and use it to show that exogenous increase in option trading leads to more severe overpricing, which contradicts the existing view. Specifically, the instrumental variable is the distance between two adjacent option strike prices measured as a percentage of the underlying stock price.
DNA polymerase from mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria: I. Purification and properties of DNA polymerase from Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus stearothermophilus

Abstract 1. DNA polymerase has been isolated by an idential procedure from the mesophile Bacillus licheniformis and the thermophile Bacillus stearothermophilus. The procedure involved phase partition removal of the nucleic acids, (NH4)2SO4 fractionations, and DNA-cellulose chromatography. Both polymerases were purified approximately 2000-fold. 2. The polymerases had the same basic requirements for the reaction involving the conversion of [3H]dATP into acid insoluble product, but the polymerase from B. stearothermophilus required higher Mg2+ concentration for maximum activity. The apparent K m values with respect to DNA template were 7 · 10−5 and 9 · 10−5 M for the polymerase from B. licheniformis and B. stearothermophilus, respectively. 3. The polymerases had similar pH optima but differed sharply in their temperature optima. The temperature optimum was at 45 and 65°C for the polymerase from B. licheniformis and B. stearothermophilus, respectively. These temperatures were about 10°C below the respective maximum growth temperatures of the organisms. 4. Both homologous and calf thymus DNA could serve as template in the reaction. In each case, activated DNA (deoxyribonuclease treated) was the best template, followed by native DNA and heat denatured DNA in this order. The effectiveness of the activated DNA depended on the extent of treatment with deoxyribonuclease.
Temporal Stability of the Learning Efficiency Test—II

This study's focus was the temporal stability of the Learning Efficiency Test–II for 32 undergraduate volunteers over an average test-retest time interval of 44 days. Correlations and dependent groups t tests were used to examine the consistency of participants' scores across this interval. Analysis indicated high temporal stability for scores on the Visual, Auditory, and Global Memory processing factor, with correlations of .86, .81, and .95, respectively. The temporal stability of participants' scores on the 12 subtests was more variable with statistically significant correlations ranging from .40 to .89. The findings support the reliability of the test as a tool to evaluate the information-processing characteristics of young college students and also show the stability of memory over 6 wk. Expansion to a wider age range of the full population is desirable.
Effect of an Oothecal Parasitoid, Comperia merceti (Compere) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), on a Population of the Brownbanded Cockroach (Orthoptera: Blattellidae)

The density and age structure of a free-living Supella longipalpa (F.) population were monitored with baited jar traps over a 3-year period in a fly-rearing room. The impact of Comperia merceti (Compere) parasitism on this population was assessed by means of trap hosts. These were cockroach oothecae from a laboratory colony which were placed in the fly-rearing room weekly. After an artificially stimulated rise in cockroach density, percent parasitism in trap hosts increased sharply from trace levels (< 1%) to 70 to 90%. Ninety to 120 days after this rise in parasitism, cockroach captures decreased sharply. This decrease began with the smallest nymphal class, followed by medium and large nymphs, and ultimately adults. This pattern of increased parasitism followed by a sharp decline in cockroach density and a progressive change in the population age structure supports the conclusion that C. merceti caused the collapse of the cockroach population.
Quantitative velocity modulation spectroscopy

Velocity Modulation Spectroscopy (VMS) is arguably the most important development in the 20th century for spectroscopic study of molecular ions. For decades, interpretation of VMS lineshapes has presented challenges due to the intrinsic covariance of fit parameters including velocity modulation amplitude, linewidth, and intensity. This limitation has stifled the growth of this technique into the quantitative realm. In this work, we show that subtle changes in the lineshape can be used to help address this complexity. This allows for determination of the linewidth, intensity relative to other transitions, velocity modulation amplitude, and electric field strength in the positive column of a glow discharge. Additionally, we explain the large homogeneous component of the linewidth that has been previously described. Using this component, the ion mobility can be determined.
Application of Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation in Sensory Quality Improvement of Artificial Rice

Artificial rice was produced from rice flour on a single-screw extrusion machine.Based on one-factor-at-a-time experiments,an L9(34) orthogonal array design was employed to optimize the production formula of artificial rice for maximizing its comprehensive sensory evaluation,conducted by means of fuzzy mathematics.The results indicated that artificial rice made up of 2% GMS,4% soybean protein isolate and 1.25% compound modifier revealed improved boiling resistance and excellent sensory quality.Hence,the combined use of the three improvers can result in considerable improvement in the boiling resistance and eating quality of artificial rice.
Chick stem cells.

A stem cell is defined as a proliferating cell with the ability to renew itself. In the adult organism, such cells are required to maintain a continuous supply of cells to compensate for cell loss throughout the lifetime of the individual and therefore include the basal proliferating cells that renew the epidermis, specialized cells that maintain the inner lining of the digestive system, progenitors of the spermatozoa in the male, hematopoietic progenitors responsible for ensuring a supply of blood cells, and probably the olfactory epithelium, which produces sensory neurons throughout life. The fertilized egg itself could be considered as a stem cell, since subsequent divisions generate all the somatic cells of the organism as well as germ cells.
Base transport in near-ideal graded-base Si/Si/sub 1-x/Ge/sub x//Si heterojunction bipolar transistors from 150 K to 370 K

A detailed study of electron base transport in Si/Si/sub 1-x/Ge/sub x//Si graded-base n-p-n heterojunction bipolar transistors is presented. The temperature dependence from 150 to 370 K of the collector current in near-ideal devices with various base gradings is examined, and it is shown that this collector current can be modeled over the entire temperature range by a simple analytical formula. It is also shown that graded base devices with an estimated room-temperature base spreading resistance of 7 k Omega / Square Operator have a gain of about 4000 at 89 K. >
Faust and Zarathustra in Our Time

(1940). Faust and Zarathustra in Our Time. The Germanic Review: Literature, Culture, Theory: Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 116-136.
Seasonal Transitions and the Westerly Jet in the Holocene East Asian Summer Monsoon

AbstractThe Holocene East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) was previously characterized as a trend toward weaker monsoon intensity paced by orbital insolation. It is demonstrated here that this evolution is more accurately characterized as changes in the transition timing and duration of the EASM seasonal stages (spring, pre-mei-yu, mei-yu, midsummer), and tied to the north–south displacement of the westerlies relative to Tibet. To this end, time-slice simulations across the Holocene are employed using an atmospheric general circulation model. Self-organizing maps are used to objectively identify the transition timing and duration of the EASM seasonal stages.Compared to the late Holocene, an earlier onset of mei-yu and an earlier transition from mei-yu to midsummer in the early to mid-Holocene are found, resulting in a shortened mei-yu and prolonged midsummer stage. These changes are accompanied by an earlier northward positioning of the westerlies relative to Tibet. Invoking changes to seasonal transitions al...
Selective Transport through Membranes with Charged Nanochannels Formed by Scalable Self-Assembly of Random Copolymer Micelles.

Membranes that can separate compounds based on molecular properties can revolutionize the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. This study reports membranes capable of separating organic molecules of similar size based on their electrostatic charge. These membranes feature a network of carboxylate-functionalized 1–3 nm nanochannels, manufactured by a simple, scalable coating process: a porous support is coated with a packed array of polymer micelles in alcohol, formed by the self-assembly of a water-insoluble random copolymer with fluorinated and carboxyl functional repeat units. The interstices between these micelles serve as charged nanochannels through which water and solutes can pass. The negatively charged carboxylate groups lead to high separation selectivities between organic solutes of similar size but different charge. In single-solute diffusion experiments, neutral solutes permeate up to 263 times faster than negatively charged compounds of similar size. This selectivity is further enhanced in...