cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Building qualitative elevation maps from side scan sonar data for autonomous underwater navigation

Deriving a terrain model from sensor data is an important task for the autonomous navigation of a mobile robot. An approach is presented for autonomous underwater vehicles using a side scan sonar system. Some general aspects of the type of data and filtering techniques to improve it are discussed. An estimated bottom contour is derived using a geometric reflection model and information about shadows and highlights. Several techniques of surface reconstruction and their limitations are presented. A method is presented for feature extraction which is important for future data matching/fusion procedures. >
Comonoids in chu: a large cartesian closed sibling of topological spaces

Abstract ComK may be defined as the (cartesian closed) category of comonoids in chuK, or equivalently as dictionaries D for which any crossword over D has its main diagonal in D. Com2 resembles Top, ordinary topological spaces. Common to both are the Alexandroff posets and the Scott DCPOs, while the topological space R and the dual DCPO {−∞ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/theory-edge/messages/6957 .
A short review of information and communication technologies and basic education in LDCs—what is useful, what is sustainable?

Abstract Information and communication technologies such as radio and television have long been used in education. The advent of the technology of the Internet has created pressure for Internet access in primary and secondary schools across the world. This paper reviews some of the available evidence on the impact and cost of such technologies in developing countries. It concludes that while there is strong evidence for the efficacy and efficiency of interactive radio instruction, the evidence on the impact of computer-supported education remains mixed, and costs are prohibitive for many LDCs (less developed countries).
The incineration research facility

Abstract The Cincinnati-based Risk Reduction Engineering Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, U.S. EPA operates the Incineration Research Facility (IRF) in Jefferson, Arkansas. This facility's pilot-scale experimental incineration systems include a Rotary Kiln System and a Liquid Injection System. Each system incorporates primary and secondary combustors and associated waste handling equipment, process controllers, safety equipment and air pollution control devices. These “state-of-practice” incinerators are fully permitted to test the entire range of RCRA hazardous wastes normally encountered in the hazardous waste treatment industry. This paper reports the principal features and capabilities of the IRF.
Double vector-integral-equation method for microstrip-lines on photonic band-gap substrates

This paper presents a double vector-integral-equation (DOVIE) method for the modeling of integrated circuit components on artificial (photonic band-gap) substrates. The proposed computational method deals with the interaction of circuit components (continuous plane wave spectrum) and artificial materials (discrete plane wave spectrum, Floquet modes). The method of solution involves two stages of vector integral-equations. The first integral equation formulation is to find the Green's function for a PBG structure. A spectral-domain moment-method is applied to the second vector integral-equation to determine the fields or currents on the circuit components and the associated parameters of interest. Field solutions of microstrip lines on PBG substrates are discussed. The results of this work initiate research for many innovated microwave and millimeter-wave integrated components and devices.
Investigation of the molecular detection of vaccine-derived equine herpesvirus type 1 in blood and nasal secretions from horses following intramuscular vaccination

The objective of this study was to investigate whether intramuscular vaccination of healthy adult horses with a killed or a modified live equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) vaccine could induce transient positive PCR results in either blood or secretions collected on a nasopharyngeal swab. Four horses in each group received either a single killed or a modified-live vaccine intramuscularly. Two local commingled and 2 distant nonvaccinated controls were included for each group. All horses were observed daily for evidence of clinical abnormalities throughout the study periods. Blood and nasopharyngeal swabs were collected twice before vaccination and once weekly for 4 weeks after vaccination and submitted for PCR testing for EHV-1 by 2 independent laboratories using different real-time PCR methodologies. Serum samples collected from all horses on the vaccination day and 21 days later were tested for antibodies against EHV-1 using a serum neutralization test. Whereas the 2 vaccine strains tested positive in both EHV-1 PCR assays, nasopharyngeal swabs and whole blood collected from vaccinated and control horses had negative PCR test results for EHV-1 during the entire study period. Serum neutralization testing revealed a 2- to 4-fold increase in titers for all vaccinated horses, whereas titers in control horses were largely unchanged. The use of seropositive horses before immunization and the sampling frequency of 7 days may have prevented the occasional molecular detection of the vaccine virus in whole blood and nasopharyngeal secretions. However, the study results demonstrate that detection of EHV-1 DNA by PCR in vaccinated and unvaccinated healthy horses is not a common event.
Enhanced erbium emission in photonic crystal nanocavities

We fabricated photonic crystal nanocavities to enhance erbium (Er) emission in silicon rich nitride nanocrystals. We observed experimental quality factors of ~6000 and 20-fold enhancement, in agreement with numerical calculations of the Purcell effect.
Antenna verification for closed loop transmit diversity in UMTS

We discuss the problem of estimating, at the mobile receiver, the weights applied by the base station transmitter when closed loop transmit diversity is used. This problem is referred to as antenna verification in the UMTS literature and performance of any closed loop scheme depends greatly on the accuracy of such an estimation. Maximum a posteriori and minimum mean square error formulations are sought, and corresponding antenna verification algorithms are derived under the two criteria. The problem of transmit power estimation is also addressed, since power estimates are required in the antenna verification algorithms. The tradeoffs associated with pilot power allocation in terms of its effects on minimizing the total transmitted power are also discussed.
Dietary Protein Level and Source Differentially Affect Bone Metabolism, Strength, and Intestinal Calcium Transporter Expression during Ad Libitum and Food-Restricted Conditions in Male Rats

High-protein (HP) diets may attenuate bone loss during energy restriction. The objective of the current study was to determine whether HP diets suppress bone turnover and improve bone quality in male rats during food restriction and whether dietary protein source affects this relation. Eighty 12-wk-old male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned to consume 1 of 4 study diets under ad libitum (AL) control or restricted conditions [40% food restriction (FR)]: 1) 10% [normal-protein (NP)] milk protein; 2) 32% (HP) milk protein; 3) 10% (NP) soy protein; or 4) 32% (HP) soy protein. After 16 wk, markers of bone turnover, volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD), microarchitecture, strength, and expression of duodenal calcium channels were assessed. FR increased bone turnover and resulted in lower femoral trabecular bone volume (P < 0.05), higher cortical bone surface (P < 0.001), and reduced femur length (P < 0.01), bending moment (P < 0.05), and moment of inertia (P = 0.001) compared with AL. HP intake reduced bone turnover and tended to suppress parathyroid hormone (PTH) (P = 0.06) and increase trabecular vBMD (P < 0.05) compared with NP but did not affect bone strength. Compared with milk, soy suppressed PTH (P < 0.05) and increased cortical vBMD (P < 0.05) and calcium content of the femur (P < 0.01) but did not affect strength variables. During AL conditions, transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily V, member 6 was higher for soy than milk (P < 0.05) and HP compared with NP (P < 0.05). These data demonstrate that both HP and soy diets suppress PTH, and HP attenuates bone turnover and increases vBMD regardless of FR, although these differences do not affect bone strength. The effects of HP and soy may be due in part to enhanced intestinal calcium transporter expression.
Miniaturized, multiplexed readout of droplet-based microfluidic assays using time-domain modulation

Recent advances in microfluidics to generate and control picoliter emulsions of water in oil have enabled ultra-sensitive assays for small molecules, proteins, nucleic acids, and cells. Unfortunately, the conventional fluorescence detection used to measure the outcome of these droplet-based assays has not proven suited to match the time and space multiplexing capabilities of microfluidic systems. To address this challenge, we developed an in-flow fluorescence detection platform that enables multiple streams of droplets to be monitored using only a single photodetector and no lenses. The key innovation of our technology is the amplitude modulation of the signal from fluorescent droplets using distinct micro-patterned masks for each channel. By taking advantage of the high bandwidth of electronics, our technique enables the velocity-independent recovery of weak fluorescent signals (SNR ≪ 1) using only simple hardware, obviating the need for lasers, bulky detectors, and complex fluid control. We demonstrated a handheld-sized device that simultaneously monitors four independent channels with the capability to be scaled-up to more than sixteen, limited primarily by the droplet density.
ESTIMATING WITHIN-LOCUS NONADDITIVE COEFFICIENT AND DISCRIMINATING DOMINANCE VERSUS OVERDOMINANCE AS THE GENETIC CAUSE OF HETEROSIS

Testing (over)dominance as the genetic cause of heterosis and estimating the (over)dominance coefficient ( h ) are related. Using simulations, we investigate the statistical properties of Mukai9s approach, which is intended to estimate the average ( h ¯ ) of h i across loci by regression of outcrossed progeny on the sum of the two corresponding homozygous parents. A new approach for estimating h ¯ is also developed, utilizing data on families formed by multiple selfed genotypes from each outcrossed parent, thus not requiring constructing homozygotes. Assuming constant mutation effects, h can be estimated accurately by both approaches under dominance. When rare alleles have low frequencies at any polymorphic locus, Mukai9s approach can estimate h accurately under over(under)dominance. Therefore, the (over)dominance hypothesis for heterosis can be tested by estimating h , under either dominance or overdominance at all genomic loci. However, this is invalid with more plausible mixed dominance and overdominance at different loci. Estimating the variance of h i across loci is also investigated. In self-compatible outcrossing populations with mutations of variable effects and lethals, our new approach is better than Mukai9s, not only because of not requiring homozygotes but also because of the better statistical performance reflected by the smaller mean square errors of the estimates.
Effects of age, sex, and cimetidine on acute ethanol-induced inhibition of the hepatic monooxygenase systems.

Our aim was to investigate the possible interaction of acute ethanol (E) with the metabolism of other drugs by microsomes isolated from immature and mature rat livers and placenta. The effects of acute in vitro E exposure on the W-demethylation of [“C]aminopyrine and [1-,4C]methylcaffeine by these tissues were determined. In addition, the effects of ethanol on these two enzyme systems from male and female livers were compared along with an analysis of ethanol and cimetidine inhibitory interactions. The degree (percentage) of inhibition by acute E (1–3 mg/ml) varied with both age and sex. Amino-pyrine demethylase activity was inhibited by E to a greater degree (p < 0.05) in the adult female than the male. However, when inhibition was expressed in absolute terms (control minus inhibited activity), these inhibitory values varied in direct proportion to initial (control) enzyme activity. Thus, E reduced aminopyrine demethylase from adult male microsomes by 4 times that in the female and in excess of 1000 times the absolute inhibiton observed in fetal liver regardless of E concentration. A similar pattern of sex and age differences in caffeine demethylase response to E was observed except that absolute differences in inhibition were less due to smaller variation in control values. In addition, placental caffeine demethylase was highly sensitive to E inhibition (51% at 3 mg/nl) but not to the extent of caffeine demethylase from fetal liver (75% at 3 mg/nl). Finally, it was demonstrated that E interacts with cimetidine in a manner that may be additive.
Comparison of the Recovery and G2 Filter as Retrievable Inferior Vena Cava Filters

Purpose To compare the technical success of the Recovery and G2 filters as retrievable inferior vena cava (IVC) filters. Materials and Methods Recovery ( n = 128) and G2 ( n = 113) filters were placed in the IVCs of 241 patients with the intent of retrieval. The referring physician and/or patient were contacted at 6-month intervals to ensure filter retrieval when indicated. The Recovery and G2 filter groups were compared regarding technical success of filter placement, technical success of attempted retrieval, filter tilt, filter migration, filter fracture, and filter efficacy. Results Filter placement was technically successful in 95% of Recovery filters ( n = 122) and 100% of G2 filters ( n = 113). Recovery filter retrieval was attempted in 55% of patients ( n = 71) at a mean of 228 days (range, 0–838 d) after filter placement. G2 filter retrieval was attempted in 55% of patients ( n = 62) at a mean of 230 days (range, 7–617 d) after filter placement. Technical success rates of filter retrieval were 94% ( n = 67) and 97% ( n = 60) in the Recovery and G2 filter groups, respectively. The G2 filter group had significantly fewer cases of (i) filter tilt at placement, (ii) filter tilt at attempted retrieval, and (iii) filter fracture than the Recovery filter group. In the G2 filter group, there was a significantly higher technical success rate of filter placement and there were more cases of caudal filter migration than in the Recovery filter group. Conclusions Compared with the Recovery filter, the G2 filter is associated with significantly less filter fracture and tilt, greater technical success of filter placement, and more caudal filter migration.
Evaluation of continental precipitation in 20th century climate simulations: The utility of multimodel statistics

At the request of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), simulations of 20th-century climate have been performed recently with some 20 global coupled ocean-atmosphere models. In view of its central importance for biological and socio-economic systems, model-simulated continental precipitation is evaluated relative to three observational estimates at both global and regional scales. Many models are found to display systematic biases, deviating markedly from the observed spatial variability and amplitude/phase of the seasonal cycle. However, the point-wise ensemble mean of all the models usually shows better statistical agreement with the observations than does any single model. Deficiencies of current models that may be responsible for the simulated precipitation biases as well as possible reasons for the improved estimate afforded by the multi-model ensemble mean are discussed. Implications of these results for water-resource managers also are briefly addressed.
MALLARD HARVEST DISTRIBUTIONS IN THE ATLANTIC AND MISSISSIPPI FLYWAYS DURING PERIODS OF RESTRICTIVE AND LIBERAL HUNTING REGULATIONS

Abstract Associations between spatial distribution of harvest and harvest regulations are an important consideration in the management of midcontinent and eastern populations of mallards (Anas platyrynchos), especially if regional harvest allocation is an explicit harvest management objective. I used categorical data analysis and bootstrap techniques to compare the distribution of harvest between a 10-year period of restrictive hunting regulations (1985–1994) and a subsequent 5-year period of liberal regulations (1995–1999). I focused my analyses on breeding populations of importance to the Mississippi (MF) and Atlantic Flyways (AF). I found that liberal hunting regulations were associated with increases in proportion of harvest of midcontinent mallard populations in both northern and southern regions of the MF relative to harvest proportions in Canada and the northern Central Flyway (CF). Relative proportion of the harvest of eastern Canada populations increased with liberal regulations in the northern A...
Genotype–Environment Correlation and Family Relationships

Traditionally, the unit for analysis in considering adult mental health has been the individual. Research, assessment, and treatment of psychological and behavioral issues have most often focused on identifying or changing certain characteristics of the recognized target individual. When considering development and children, the focus often widens to include parents, though research, intervention, and treatments again tend to address behaviors, emotions, or cognitions of the identified “problem child.” Exceptions to this general trend can be found in empirically supported preventive and intervention programs that involve children, parents, schools, and communities (e.g., Hawkins, Catalano, & Arthur, 2002; Olds, Hill, O’Brien, Rache, & Mortiz, 2003; Reid & Webster-Stratton, 2001; Robbins, Alexander, & Turner, 2000). These programs address the systems (such as school, workplace, peer groups, and families) in which individuals act and interact and the influences that these systems can have on psychological and behavioral functioning. Though evidence indicates that these systems-based interventions are effective, it is not yet clear what the mechanisms are through which individual factors influence and are influenced by others. One of the most universal systems in human development is the family. There have been numerous correlational studies linking various parent attributes to child behavior and developmental outcomes (e.g., Belsky, Crnic, & Woodworth, 1995; Bornstein, 2002; Maccoby, 2002). For instance, parental depression – particularly maternal depression – and marital conflict are risk factors for various forms of psychopathology in children, including both behavioral and emotional problems (Whiffen, 2005). In addition, aggressive parents are often found to have aggressive children who grow into aggressive adults (Huesmann, Eron, Lefkowitz, &
Distinct geochemistries of water–basalt–Fe0 reactions in the presence versus absence of CO2-driven microbial methanogenesis

Abstract Microbial CO2-driven methanogenesis, the biologically mediated conversion of hydrogen and carbon dioxide to methane, is potentially one of the earliest metabolic strategies to appear on Earth and likely originated in ecosystems sustained by water/rock interaction. The potential for methanogens to influence secondary mineralization pathways during water–rock reactions is not well known. Yet geochemical signatures of the presence and activity of life in rock-hosted environments are of great interest in the search for life and signs of life preserved on Earth and other planets. We designed a laboratory experiment to evaluate microbial growth and secondary mineralization pathways in the presence and absence of microbial methanogenesis. Methanothermobacter thermoflexus, a moderately thermophilic methanogen was supported by the continuous production of H2 from water–basalt–Fe0 reactions at 55 °C for over one year. As H2 was converted to CH4 in culture experiments, the H2 concentration was maintained at 0.1–0.5 μM, orders of magnitude lower than the concentration in comparable abiotic experiments. The pH in active cultures was lower than in abiotic experiments. The concentration of CO2(g), and thus CO2(aq), was higher in the active cultures vs. abiotic and inactive culture experiments. These differences in chemistry between the two systems led to the prediction, from geochemical equilibrium models, of distinct Fe-bearing secondary phases stable in the active cultures (carbonate) vs. abiotic and inactive culture experiments (phyllosilicate). The application of synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopic techniques enabled the detection of rare and microscale Fe-bearing solid-phase reaction products. A phyllosilicate dominated the Fe-bearing secondary mineralogy of the abiotic and inactive culture experiments. In contrast, the phyllosilicate was not formed in the active cultures. However, a carbonate phase was not robustly detected. Surprisingly, an Fe-bearing pyroxene was detected in some cultures, and formed through an unknown pathway. Thus distinct secondary mineralization occurred in the presence vs. absence of microbial methanogenesis, whether it was directly or indirectly caused by in-situ biological activity.
Automatic dictionary extraction for cross-language information retrieval

In experiments comparing a variety of different methods for cross-language information retrieval using a bilingual training corpus—methods based on both machine translation and “traditional” information-retrieval techniques—a fairly simple statistical technique for automatically extracting a bilingual dictionary from parallel text proved to have the best performance. Surprisingly, an improvement to the dictionary extraction method that significantly increases the accuracy of the dictionary proved to be slightly detrimental to overall performance even though it is highly beneficial for other applications. This chapter will describe the extraction method and its enhancement in detail, and compare the performance of a retrieval system using the automatically-generated dictionaries with other retrieval methods.
Evaluation of pharmacy services in emergency departments of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers

Objective In 2008, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) published a national survey that revealed only 6.8% of hospitals surveyed had a pharmacist assigned to the emergency department (ED) for any period of time. This survey was distributed among general and children’s medical-surgical hospitals in the United States and did not include any Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Centers. To date, there have been no identified survey studies describing the prevalence of pharmacy services within VA EDs. The objectives of this study are to determine the prevalence of dedicated pharmacy services within VA EDs, categorize the types of pharmacy services, determine if interventions/outcomes related to pharmacy services were collected, and assess the desire for pharmacy services in facilities that did not currently have dedicated pharmacy services. Methods The study was designed as a cross-sectional survey study conducted between January 14, 2010 and March 29, 2010. The study population included Pharmacy Clinical Coordinators employed at a VA facility. An initial email containing a link to the web-based survey was distributed via the national Pharmacy Clinical Coordinator listserv. Results of the survey were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results The survey was distributed to 153 VA Medical Centers and a total of 33 (21.6%) responses were received. Of the responses, 24 facilities (72.7%) documented the presence of an ED, and of those, 5 (20.8%) indicated that they had a pharmacist dedicated to providing pharmacy services to the ED. The most common pharmacy services provided included medication reconciliation, patient education/ counseling, pharmacotherapy recommendations, ED staff education, precepting activities, adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting, and ensuring formulary compliance. Three of the 5 facilities documented interventions, with 1 facility documenting ADRs prevented and cost avoidance in addition to interventions. Of the 19 facilities that did not have a pharmacist dedicated to the ED, 16 (84.2%) indicated a desire for such services. Conclusion A greater prevalence of ED pharmacy services was reported in VA facilities compared with a national sample of non-VA facilities. Despite the high prevalence and variety of dedicated pharmacy services provided to the ED, documentation of these services remains an area in need of improvement.
Analysis of the Spore Membrane Proteome in Clostridium perfringens Implicates Cyanophycin in Spore Assembly

Heat resistant endospore formation plays an important role in Clostridium perfringens -associated foodborne illnesses. The spores allow the bacterium to survive heating during normal cooking processes followed by germination and outgrowth of the bacterium in contaminated foods. To identify proteins associated with germination and other spore functions, comparative spore membrane proteome analysis of C. perfringens dormant and germinated spores from strain SM101, using gel-based protein separation and liquid chromatography coupled with MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry, was performed. A total of 494 proteins were identified, and 117 of them were predicted to be integral membrane or membrane-associated proteins. Among these membrane proteins, 16 and 26 were detected only in dormant and germinated spores, respectively. One protein detected only in germinated spore membranes was the enzyme cyanophycinase, a protease that cleaves the polymer cyanophycin, which is composed of L-arginine-poly(L-aspartic acid), to β-Asp-Arg. Genes encoding cyanophycinase and cyanophycin synthetase have been observed in many species of Clostridium , but their role has not been defined. To determine the function of cyanophycin in C. perfringens , a mutation was introduced in the cphA gene, encoding cyanophycin synthetase. In comparison to the parent strain, SM101, the spores of the mutant strain retained wild type levels of heat resistance, but fewer were made and the spores were smaller in size, suggesting cyanophycin synthesis plays a role in spore assembly. Although cyanophycin could not be extracted from sporulating C. perfringens cells, an Escherichia coli strain expressing the cphA gene made copious amounts of cyanophycin, confirming cphA encodes a cyanophycin synthetase. IMPORTANCE Clostridium perfringens is a common cause of food poisoning and germination of spores after cooking is thought to play a significant role in the disease. How C. perfringens controls the germination process is still not completely understood. We characterized the proteome of the membranes from dormant and germinated spores and discovered large-scale changes occur after germination is initiated. One of the proteins that was detected after germination was the enzyme cyanophycinase, which degrades the storage compound cyanophycin, found in cyanobacteria and other prokaryotes. A cyanophycin synthetase mutant was constructed and found to make spores with altered morphology but normal heat resistance, suggesting cyanophycin plays a different role in C. perfringens than it does in cyanobacteria.
Dispersal and oviposition by navel orangeworm moths.

Dispersal and time of oviposition of internally marked (Calco Oil Red N-1700®) navel orangeworm moths were observed in almond orchards by presence of marked eggs on oviposition traps. Positive anemotactic responses were clearly evident when unidirectional air movement predominated. When air movement varied, moths dispersed approximately equal proportions of their progeny at all distances up to 375 meters from the release site. Moth emergence occurred at sunset and was followed by a mating and pre-oviposition period of 24-48 h. Under hot summer temperature conditions, substantial oviposition began about 20 minutes after sunset, continued until midnight and was completed in one or 2 nights. The temperature threshold for oviposition activity was somewhat below 17.9°C, and when this was reached within one h of sunset, oviposition extended over at least 7 nights.
The Generalized Fermat's Point

In the 17th century, Fermat proposed and Torricelli solved the problem of determining a point P in a given acute triangle ABC such that the sum PA + PB + PC of the distances from P to the vertices of the triangle is the minimum. The first proof was published in 1659, and the point P is called Fermat 's point in the literature. There is a very natural generalization of Fermat's problem. Let 1, m, n be three positive real numbers. Find a point P in a given triangle ABC such that 1 PA + m a PB + n * PC is a minimum. This generalization was considered in two articles in this journal [2], [3]. The method in [2] is complicated, while the method in [3] does not use synthetic geometry. In this note, using the idea in the proof of the existence of Fermat's point [1], we give a proof for the generalized case. This proof is just a slight modification of the old one. Let us recall the proof of the existence of Fermat's point. On the sides of AB, BC, CA of triangle ABC, erect externally the equilateral triangles ABC', A'BC, and AB'C. Draw lines CC' and AA' to intersect at P. Then the point P is Fermat's point. The proof is based on the fact that a line segment is the shortest path between two points. Here is the outline of the proof in [1].
THE APPARITION AT MEDJUGORJE: A TRANSPERSONAL PERSPECTIVE - PART 2

This is the first part of a two-part article that provides in-depth background information and a critical examination of a phenomenon that has importance not only to transpersonal psychology but also to psychology and science more generally-the protracted Marian apparition at Medjugorje. The article presents four perspectives that may advance understanding of what the apparition and related phenomena might mean and the implications that it has for our respective disciplines and areas of interest. Critical realism and parapsychology are addressed in Part I, while aspect psychology and empowered Imagination are treated in Part II, where future work suggested by the proposed models is also presented. The goals of this two-part article are to increase awareness of the Medjugorje apparition and identify alternative ways of interpreting the phenomenon. The apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Madonna or Gospa, as the local Croatian Catholics call her) that is associated with the small Catholic parish of St. James in the remote mountain village of Medjugorje (pronounced meh'-joo- gor-yeh) in the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina of the former Yugoslavia, began on June 25, 1981 and continues to this day. To afford a fuller account and analysis of the phenomenon the article is divided into two parts. Part I presents an outer history of the events tied to the apparition. Background information is provided about the percipients, the apparitional experience, the Messages and ten ''Secrets,'' its sociological impact and scientific studies, and the Roman Catholic Church's official position regarding the phenomenon. Four key questions that frame the present inquiry are identified, judgments about the apparition's validity are discussed, and the ambiguity of the situation is acknowledged. The perspective of critical realism is then presented that addresses the complex psychological and philosophical issues posed by the apparition. Critical realism is defined and distinguished from other interpreta- tions, inner and outer order of events are differentiated, and the problem of literalizing symbolic experience is discussed. The issue of the extent to which different forms of religious experience are intrinsic or unnecessary to basic transcendent reality is examined. An argument is made for moving beyond the perennialism/constructivism debate to a framework of participatory spiritualism and noetic pluralism. The implications of this move for understanding the nature of basic reality are described. Finally, a parapsychological perspectiv ei s presented that draws upon studies of other types of apparitions to place the Medjugorje phenomenon in the context of scientific literature. The Marian apparition's classification and resemblance to secular apparitions of the living and the dead, its evidential aspects and collectively-perceived nature, and quasi- physical features are examined. Two parapsychological theories (psi-mediated
Multiple roles for keratin intermediate filaments in the regulation of epithelial barrier function and apico-basal polarity

As multicellular organisms evolved a family of cytoskeletal proteins, the keratins (types I and II) expressed in epithelial cells diversified in more than 20 genes in vertebrates. There is no question that keratin filaments confer mechanical stiffness to cells. However, such a number of genes can hardly be explained by evolutionary advantages in mechanical features. The use of transgenic mouse models has revealed unexpected functional relationships between keratin intermediate filaments and intracellular signaling. Accordingly, loss of keratins or mutations in keratins that cause or predispose to human diseases, result in increased sensitivity to apoptosis, regulation of innate immunity, permeabilization of tight junctions, and mistargeting of apical proteins in different epithelia. Precise mechanistic explanations for these phenomena are still lacking. However, immobilization of membrane or cytoplasmic proteins, including chaperones, on intermediate filaments ("scaffolding") appear as common molecular mechanisms and may explain the need for so many different keratin genes in vertebrates.
Pediatric cardiac arrhythmia 116 cases of ecg analysis

Objective:To summarize the clinical features of pediatric cardiac arrhythmia.Methods:The clinical data from 2009-to July 2011 the menstrual electrocardiogram diagnosis arrhythmia age children under 14 were retrospectively analyzed.Results: The type of pediatric cardiac arrhythmia in sinus arrhythmia is given priority to,ectopic rhythm take second place.Cause center source arrhythmia than non cardiac arrhythmia more.In the center of its source and venereal disease because of the first to viral myocarditis.Conclusions: Pediatric cardiac arrhythmia type is more.some of the normal children may also appear.should seriously review petals.due to positive.symptomatic treatment.as soon as possible to improve the symptoms.and eliminate the cause.
Design of Small-scale Automatic Handling System

In order to solve problems of complex structure and high cost of existing handling system,the paper proposed a design scheme of small-scale automatic handling system.The system uses supports and ropes to handing goods through control mode of multi-computer network,and uses interpolation algorithm to set or optimize handling paths.The system realizes functions of sorting inbound,palletizing and distributing outbound through manual mode,semi-automatic mode or automatic mode.The debugging and running results showed that the system realizes expected functions perfectly.
Disposition of a mixed meal by the conscious dog.

The disposition of a mixed meal administered intragastrically was examined in 13 24-h-fasted conscious dogs, using the arteriovenous (AV) difference technique (and isotopic methods in 6 dogs). Post...
Homology, convergence and parallelism

Homology is a relation of correspondence between parts of parts of larger wholes. It is used when tracking objects of interest through space and time and in the context of explanatory historical narratives. Homologues can be traced through a genealogical nexus back to a common ancestral precursor. Homology being a transitive relation, homologues remain homologous however much they may come to differ. Analogy is a relationship of correspondence between parts of members of classes having no relationship of common ancestry. Although homology is often treated as an alternative to convergence, the latter is not a kind of correspondence: rather, it is one of a class of processes that also includes divergence and parallelism. These often give rise to misleading appearances (homoplasies). Parallelism can be particularly hard to detect, especially when not accompanied by divergences in some parts of the body.
Discussion of methods for depth enhancement in single and multiphoton-stimulated emission microscopy

Methods to enable enhanced tissue depth in stimulated emission imaging are discussed. To take advantage of the increased scattering length and reduced absorption in the near infrared, 2–4 photons are used for both molecular excitation and stimulated emission in stimulated fluorescence imaging. The method is called multiphoton-stimulated emission microscopy (MP-STEM). In a confocal microscope, the axial focal spot in 3-photon MP-STEM may be reduced to about ½ the wavelength of the stimulated emission beam, potentially enabling the detection of ballistic backscatter at the tissue surface. Also discussed is a microscope geometry that combines Bessel beam excitation with an orthogonal structured illumination stimulated emission beam. This geometry is called Bessel beam-stimulated emission microscopy (BB-STEM). It is shown that the axial focal spot diameter of the stimulated emission beam may be reduced to less than ½ of the stimulated emission beam wavelength for 1–3 photon stimulated emission processes, enabling dipole backscatter ballistic photons to be detected in both stimulated fluorescence and stimulated Raman processes. Dipole ballistic backscatter detection reduces emitter concentrations detection thresholds by the reduction of the detected stimulated emission beam background noise. Use of multiple time delays between the excitation and emission processes enables the use of these approaches to measure the fluorescent lifetime of species with multiple lifetimes. Also discussed are the challenges of these methods, including the required laser power, focal spot blooming, and array detectors.
Temperature-Dependent Friction and Wear Behavior of PTFE and MoS2

An investigation of the temperature-dependent friction behavior of PTFE, MoS2, and PTFE-on-MoS2 is presented. Friction behavior was measured while continuously varying contact temperature in the range −150 to 175 °C while sliding in dry nitrogen, as well as for self-mated PTFE immersed in liquid nitrogen. These results contrast with previous reports of high-friction transitions and plateaus for pure and composite MoS2 at temperatures below about −20 °C; instead, we have found persistently weak thermal behavior between 0 and −196 °C, providing new insight about the molecular mechanisms of macroscale friction. The temperature-dependent friction behavior characteristic of self-mated PTFE was found also for PTFE-on-MoS2 sliding contacts, suggesting that PTFE friction was defined by subsurface deformation mechanisms and internal friction even when sliding against a lamellar lubricant with extremely low friction coefficient (µ ~ 0.02). The various relaxation temperatures of PTFE were found in the temperature-dependent friction behavior, showing excellent agreement with reported values acquired using rheological techniques measuring energy dissipation through internal friction. Additionally, hysteresis in friction behavior suggests an increase in near-surface crystallinity upon exceeding the high-temperature relaxation, T α ~ 116 °C.
The impact of variation in scaling factors on the estimation of internal dose metrics: a case study using bromodichloromethane (BDCM).

A rate for hepatic metabolism (Vmax) determined in vitro must be scaled for in vivo use in a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model. This requires the use of scaling factors such as mg of microsomal protein per gram of liver (MPPGL) and liver mass (FVL). Variation in MPPGL and FVL impacts variation in Vmax, and hence PBPK model-derived estimates of internal dose used in dose response analysis. The impacts of adult human variation in MPPGL and FVL on estimates of internal dose were assessed using a human PBPK model for bromodichloromethane (BDCM), a water disinfection byproduct, for multiple internal dose metrics for two exposure scenarios (single 0.25 liter drink of water or 10 min shower) under plausible (5 μg/L) and high level (20 μg/L) water concentrations. For both concentrations, all internal dose metrics were changed less than 5% for the showering scenario (combined inhalation and dermal exposure). In contrast, a 27-fold variation in area under the curve (AUC) for BDCM in venous blood was observed at both oral exposure concentrations, whereas total amount of BDCM metabolized in liver was relatively unchanged. This analysis demonstrates that variability in the scaling factors used for in vitro to in vivo extrapolation (IVIVE) for metabolic rate parameters can have a significant route-dependent impact on estimates of internal dose under environmentally relevant exposure scenarios. This indicates the need to evaluate both uncertainty and variability for scaling factors used for IVIVE.
Introducing Quantitative Research to HRM Majors: The Structured Survey Project

Statistical literacy is important for all citizens. As part of the curriculum of any business school, students need to learn how to use data, calculate appropriate statistics, and draw correct conclusions from the data. This is an iterative process and introducing students to data analysis and research in a structured manner can be a foundational step. In this exercise, HRM students are given a set of surveys with known statistical properties and must answer a set of questions about the data. Instructors can evaluate whether students picked the right statistic to answer the question, produced the correct statistical output, and made the correct interpretation of the statistical test. After completing this project, students are in a better position to create surveys, as well as analyze and interpret data.
Data-driven robust MILP model for scheduling of multipurpose batch processes under uncertainty

Robust optimization has been widely used in the scheduling of multipurpose batch processes under uncertainty. However, traditional robust scheduling methods make simple assumptions about uncertainty, such as independence and symmetry. This paper proposes a novel scheduling approach of batch processes based on a data-driven robust mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model. The Dirichlet process mixture model is adopted to construct an uncertainty set via variational inference from the historical data of uncertainty parameters. A data-driven robust counterpart of a general MILP is then derived as a conic quadratic mixed-integer programming based on this uncertain set. A specific data-driven robust MILP model is further developed to address multipurpose batch process scheduling problem under various uncertainties. An industrial case study is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Impact of pharmacist management of pain, agitation, and delirium in the intensive care unit through participation in multidisciplinary bundle rounds.

Purpose A two-phase program to increase pharmacist involvement in management of pain, agitation and delirium (PAD) at a large community teaching hospital is described. Summary Florida Orlando Hospital implemented a two-phase initiative to decrease intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS), ventilator use, sedative use, and hospital expenditures while advancing pharmacists’ scope of practice. Phase 1 of the initiative involved a pilot project to evaluate pharmacist management of sedative therapy for mechanically ventilated patients. Using a newly developed PAD order set, a pharmacist performed daily sedation management in a cohort of patients; relative to physician-managed standard care, pharmacist-directed sedation management resulted in fewer hours of patient exposure to continuous sedation, with an overall 46% reduction in continuous infusions of sedatives and reductions in both ICU and total hospital LOS, resulting in estimated savings of $1.2 million in direct hospital costs and $183,216 in drug costs. In phase 2 of the project, an expanded group of pharmacists collaborated with interprofessional teams to manage PAD using an integrated “ABCDE bundle” to promote early mobility and weaning from sedatives and analgesics. A retrospective comparison of data on a cohort of medical ICU patients managed using the ABCDE bundle approach ( n = 436) and a standard-care cohort ( n = 499) demonstrated improvements in several outcomes, including mean ventilator days per patient, ICU LOS, and mortality. Conclusion The provision of proactive critical care pharmacist services directed at PAD management is an innovative approach to fostering interprofessional collaboration and optimizing clinical outcomes.
Longitudinal trajectory of cancer survivorship in patients with recurrent rectal cancer: Anatomy of recurrence in relation to quality of life and pain.

679Background: Multiple treatment modalities are utilized for patients with recurrent rectal cancer (RRC). While recurrent pelvic tumor can be highly symptomatic, treatments often carry significant morbidity risks. Patient reported outcomes such as quality of life (QoL) and pain can supplement traditional clinical endpoints in assessing the effectiveness of salvage treatments, and thus aid in treatment decision making. We aimed to examine the longitudinal trajectory of cancer survivorship in RRC. Methods: A prospective protocol enrolled patients diagnosed with RRC between 2008 and 2015. Participants prospectively self-reported QoL (measured by the validated EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-CR29) and pain (measured by the Brief Pain Inventory, BPI), at presentation, and then every 6 months for 5 years. After accounting for repeated measures, trajectory of mean scores over time was assessed for patients amenable to surgical salvage vs those who were not, using linear mixed-effects modeling. Results: A total of 1...
Morphogenetic factors controlling differentiation and dedifferentiation of epidermal cells in the gynoecium of Catharanthus roseus : II. Diffusible morphogens.

During postgenital fusion of the distal adaxial surfaces of the two originally separate carpel primordia of Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don, approx. 400 epidermal cells undergo rapid dedifferentiation into parenchymatous cells. To characterize the mechanism of the induction of dedifferentiation, various types of both water-permeable and water-impermeable barriers were placed between pre-fusion carpels. Barriers which did not allow the passage of water-soluble agents blocked dedifferentiation. Barriers which allowed passage of water-soluble agents did not block dedifferentiation of the contacting epidermal cells, implicating a diffusible agent or "morphogen" as the factor responsible for dedifferentiation. Experiments with barriers of known pore size demonstrated that the molecular weight of this morphogen was less than 1000. The two cell walls and thin cuticle present at the site of this postgenital fusion do not block the movement of some substances between the fusing carpels. Tracer studies with tritium-labeled asparagine confirmed that substances can be transported across the fusion plane.
Scrotal enteric fistula in an extremely low birth weight premature neonate

Abstract Congenital inguinal hernia is a common condition in the pediatric population. Incarceration of inguinal hernias is known to result in significant morbidity such as necrotic bowel, and if not recognized promptly, has the potential to present as a scrotal fecal fistula. We present an extremely low birth weight premature male infant who developed spontaneous fecal drainage from his right scrotum.