cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Influence of an Apical Negative Pressure Irrigation System on Bacterial Elimination during Endodontic Therapy: A Prospective Randomized Clinical Study

Abstract Introduction Recent in vitro studies that use an apical negative pressure irrigation system, EndoVac, have demonstrated promising results in the production of debris-free root canals, while also preventing potential extrusion of irrigants into the periapical region. We conducted a randomized, controlled, prospective clinical study to determine whether the use of EndoVac irrigation (EndoVac group) was more efficient compared with standard needle irrigation (control group) in obtaining canals from which microbes could not be cultivated. Methods Routine endodontic therapy was performed in 48 patients with necrotic, single-rooted, single-canal teeth. The patients were randomly assigned to either the EndoVac group (n = 25) or control group (n = 23). Irrigation with either method was carried out with 0.5% sodium hypochlorite. After surface disinfection, before instrumentation and on completion of chemomechanical preparation, intracanal microbial samples were obtained and cultured under anaerobic conditions. The frequency of microbial cultivability by using either irrigation system was analyzed. Results The frequency of obtaining culture-negative root canals was 90.9% and 82.6% for the control group and EndoVac group, respectively. There was no significant difference in the antimicrobial efficacy of either control group or EndoVac group (Fisher exact test, P = .665). Furthermore, no significant association between study variables and the irrigation systems' antimicrobial efficacy was found (P > .05). Conclusions The results of this prospective in vivo study demonstrate that the antimicrobial efficacy of EndoVac irrigation is comparable to that of standard irrigation.
Phase I study of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin and the multidrug-resistance modulator, valspodar

Valspodar, a P-glycoprotein modulator, affects pharmacokinetics of doxorubicin when administered in combination, resulting in doxorubicin dose reduction. In animal models, valspodar has minimal interaction with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PEG-LD). To determine any pharmacokinetic interaction in humans, we designed a study to determine maximum tolerated dose, dose-limiting toxicity (DLT), and pharmacokinetics of total doxorubicin, in PEG-LD and valspodar combination therapy in patients with advanced malignancies. Patients received PEG-LD 20–25 mg m−2 intravenously over 1 h for cycle one. In subsequent 2-week cycles, valspodar was administered as 72 h continuous intravenous infusion with PEG-LD beginning at 8 mg m−2 and escalated in an accelerated titration design to 25 mg m−2. Pharmacokinetic data were collected with and without valspodar. A total of 14 patients completed at least two cycles of therapy. No DLTs were observed in six patients treated at the highest level of PEG-LD 25 mg m−2. The most common toxicities were fatigue, nausea, vomiting, mucositis, palmar plantar erythrodysesthesia, diarrhoea, and ataxia. Partial responses were observed in patients with breast and ovarian carcinoma. The mean (range) total doxorubicin clearance decreased from 27 (10–73) ml h−1 m−2 in cycle 1 to 18 (3–37) ml h−1 m−2 with the addition of valspodar in cycle 2 (P=0.009). Treatment with PEG-LD 25 mg m−2 in combination with valspodar results in a moderate prolongation of total doxorubicin clearance and half-life but did not increase the toxicity of this agent.
Maximal chordal subgraphs

An algorithm for finding maximal chordal subgraphs is developed that has worst-case time complexity of O(|E|Δ), where |E| is the number of edges in G and Δ is the maximum vertex degree in G. The study of maximal chordal subgraphs is motivated by their usefulness as computationally efficient structures with which to approximate a general graph. Two examples are given that illustrate potential applications of maximal chordal subgraphs. One provides an alternative formulation to the maximum independent set problem on a graph. The other involves a novel splitting scheme for solving large sparse systems of linear equations.
Sterol metabolism--XLVI. Synthesis of oxidized cholesterol fatty acyl esters.

Abstract The synthesis of twenty-one fatty acyl esters of 5-cholestene-3β,25-diol, (25R)-5-cholestene-3β,26-diol and 3β-hydroxy-5-cholesten-7-one to be used as guides in subsequent analysis of human tissues is described. The esters prepared include 5-cholestene-3β,25-diol 3β-myristate, 3β-palmitate, 3β-stearate, 3β-oleate, 3β-linoleate, 3β-linolenate, 3β,25-dipalmitate, 3β,25-distearate, 3β,25-dioleate, 3β,25-dilinoleate and 3β,25-dilinolenate; (25R)-5-cholestene-3β,26-diol 3β-palmitate, 3β-stearate, 26-palmitate, 26-stearate, 3β,26-dipalmitate, 3β,26-distearate and 3β,26-dioleate; and 3β-hydroxy-5-cholesten-7-one 3β-myristate, 3β-palmitate and 3β-stearate.
Music in Worship: The Dark Side

For much of Christian history, music has been viewed with suspicion. It is now generally considered a force for good. Using three case studies, this article shows how church music can be used for malign or manipulative purposes. Areas considered include rhythm, inclusivity, breadth, ownership, and context. This article aims to show that, given that music is now used as an instrument of torture, it is time to have a debate about the use and abuse of music in worship.
Propagation through and Characterization of Strongly Inhomogeneous Ionospheric Turbulence

I review physics-based predictive modeling and novel multi-nesting computational techniques developed to characterize propagation through strongly inhomogeneous non-Kolmogorov ionospheric media. Nested numerical simulations of ionospheric plasma density structures associated with nonlinear evolution of the Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instabilities in Equatorial Spread F (ESF) are presented. The high resolution in targeted regions offered by the nested model is able to resolve scintillation producing ionospheric irregularities associated with secondary RT instabilities characterized by sharp gradients of the refractive index at the edges of mixed regions. The refractive index is decomposed into strongly inhomogeneous deterministic and stochastic components. The scintillation effects induced by trapping of electromagnetic (EM) waves in parabolic cavities created by the refractive index gradients along propagation paths are analyzed for solutions of the stochastic Maxwell equation.
Comparison of conservative and operative treatment for blunt carotid injuries: Analysis of the National Trauma Data Bank

Objectives Blunt carotid injury (BCI) is uncommon but potentially devastating. The best treatment modality for this injury remains undetermined. We conducted this study to better understand the hospital course and treatment outcomes for patients with BCI who received different interventions. Methods BCI and related vascular procedures were identified by ICD-9-CM codes from the National Trauma Data Bank1 using data gathered from 2002 to 2006. Conservative and operative treatment groups were compared by variables of patient demographics, initial assessment in the emergency department (ED), hospital course, and treatment outcomes. Open surgical and endovascular interventions were further compared. Results A total of 842 BCI were identified from 1,633,126 discharged blunt trauma patients (0.05%). Of these, 762 (90.5%) were treated conservatively and 80 (9.5%) received operative intervention. No differences in demographics were observed between these treatment groups. On initial assessment, no differences between conservative and operative treatment groups were noted with regard to vital signs, Glasgow coma scale, presence of drugs or alcohol in blood, or Trauma Related Injury Severity Score survival probability. Significant differences were seen in terms of the presence of a base deficit (−3.1 ± 6.8 vs −7.6 ± 8.3; P = .01), likelihood of a positive head computed tomography (CT) scan (58.6% vs 26.1%; P = .003), and total Injury Severity Score (29.8 ± 13.3 vs 26.1 ± 14.1; P = .02). Hospital course and treatment outcomes were comparable, with no differences in hospital length of stay (13.4 ± 15.3 days vs 13.7 ± 13.6 days; P = .86), total Functional Independence Measure (8.8 ± 3.3 vs 9.3 ± 3.1; P = .38), progression of original neurologic insult (7.5% vs 4.6%; P = .61) or mortality (28.1% vs 19%; P = .08). When comparing open surgical to endovascular interventions (46 open, 34 endovascular, including 3 combined), the only significant differences were in the total Injury Severity Score (22.4 ± 12.2 vs 31.4 ± 15.4; P = .01) and length of intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital stay (5.0 ± 6.0 days vs 10.7 ± 10.4 days; P = .01, and 10.3 ± 9.2 days vs 19.3 ± 17.7 days; P = .01). Multivariate regression analysis confirmed that neither Functional Independence Measure (FIM) nor mortality was associated with conservative or operative treatment. Conclusion BCI is rare and carries a poor prognosis. Operative intervention is not associated with functional improvement or a survival advantage. This study was unable to support that less invasive endovascular treatment improves treatment outcome when compared to open surgery.
[D11] The Penn Haptic Texture Toolkit

Summary form only given, as follows. The Penn Haptic Texture Toolkit (HaTT) is a collection of 100 haptic texture and friction models, the recorded data from which the models were made, images of the textures, and the code and methods necessary to render these textures using an impedance-type haptic device such as a SensAble Phantom Omni. This toolkit was developed to provide haptics researchers with a method for comparing and validating their texture modeling and rendering methods. The included rendering code has the additional benefit of allowing others, both researchers and designers, to incorporate our textures into their virtual environments, which will lead to a richer experience for the user. This demo showcases the rendering portion of the toolkit by allowing users to feel all 100 modeled textures mapped to a sphere using a SensAble Phantom Omni. The 100 real texture samples will also be available for comparison.
Primary distal renal tubular acidosis as a result of a gradient defect

It has been generally accepted that primary distal renal tubular acidosis (DRTA) is the result of a defect in proton secretion in the distal nephron (secretory defect). We report an infant with DRTA, evidenced by spontaneous hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis with low urinary ammonium excretion rate and inability to decrease urine pH during acidosis, who nevertheless exhibited an intact ability to increase urinary carbon dioxide partial pressure (pCO2) during maximal urine alkalinization and normal ability to acidify the urine after furosemide, suggestive of a gradient-type defect DRTA. This patient had never been exposed to amphotericin B. To our knowledge, this is the first fully documented report of primary DRTA that can be attributed to gradient defect.
Electrically conducting complexes of poly(3,6-N-methylcarbazolyl methylene

Abstract Poly(3,6- N -methylcarbazoly methylene) prepared by acid-catalysed condensation polymerization of N -methylcarbazole with formaldehyde exhibits p-type semiconducting properties when doped with electron acceptors such as iodine, bromine, nitrosyl tetrafluoroborate and nitrosyl hexafluoroantimonate. The polymer samples have T g in the range 100 – 148 °C, chain length in the range 13 – 25, and a molecular weight distribution of 1.17 –1.51. The polymer complexes with dopant anion (I 3 − , Br 3 − , BF 4 − ) to polymer repeating unit ratio of 0.67 – 0.95 have a d.c. conductivity of 10 −3 to 10 −1 ohm −1 cm −1 and a positive thermoelectric voltage at 23 °C. An important new feature of the methylene-bridged polycarbazole conducting polymers is doping-induced polymer backbone conjugation of the form CH 2 →=CH. Evidence for this oxidation mechanism, converting methylene linkage to methine linkages, includes elemental analysis, infrared spectra, proton NMR and electron spin resonance results.
Observational investigations of gravity wave momentum flux with spectroscopic imaging

[1] We apply a newly developed gravity wave momentum flux estimation method to the mesospheric measurements obtained with colocated airglow imager and meteor radar at Maui, Hawaii (20.7°N, 156.3°W), during the Maui Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere (Maui MALT) campaign. The method identifies individual quasi-monochromatic gravity waves with periods between 6 and ∼40 min, estimates the intrinsic wave parameters, and calculates the momentum fluxes carried by vertically propagating waves. Data taken on 28 October 2003 are analyzed in detail to reveal the relationship between momentum flux and wave parameters. The January, April, July, and October 2003 data are divided into summer and winter categories, and nightly average momentum fluxes are calculated for comparison of the seasonal wave propagation directions. Average wave momentum flux is directed to the northeast during most of the summer nights, while a southwest preference exists for the winter nights. The results extracted from Maui, Hawaii, combined with the earlier results from Starfire Optical Range, New Mexico (35°N, 107°W), and other observations, support the notion that the seasonal trend in meridional flux is a global phenomenon.
Designing and Validation of Error Detection Software

We propose a systematic approach for design and validation of error detection software. Formally, the semantic of a specification is represented by a transition system. This representation is then used to generate a flowgraph or ddgraph which is used to construct an execution path tree. The information obtained from this algorithm representation is used to aid in the design of software-based fault detection techniques for hardware faults. Flowgraph and ddgraph representations provide information to predict future program flow. During execution, the current program path is recorded, along with the expected path. Checks are placed to verify that the program path follows the predicted path. Algorithm-based fault tolerance (ABFT) techniques are used to detect data structure corrupting faults and to improve the fault coverage. Fault coverage provided by this approach for different types of hardware faults has been estimated through experiments with the software-based fault injection tool (SOFIT) and the data is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method.
Modelocking and Femtosecond Pulse Generation in Chip-Based Frequency Combs

We show experimentally under suitable conditions that frequency combs generated via parametric mixing in chip-based micro resonators can exhibit modelocking and femtosecond pulse generation at repetition rates exceeding 100 GHz.
“No-o-o-o Peeking”: Preschoolers’ Executive Control, Social Competence, and Classroom Adjustment

The goals of this study were to evaluate (1) how specific aspects of executive control, briefly assessed, predict social competence and classroom adjustment during preschool and (2) differences between two aspects of executive control, according to child’s age, socioeconomic risk status, and gender. The facets of executive control were defined as cool executive control (CEC; affectively neutral, slow acting, and late developing) and hot executive control (HEC; more emotional, fast acting, and early developing). Two hundred eighty-seven 3- to 5-year-old children from private child care and Head Start centers were directly assessed during executive control tasks, and preschool teachers provided information on their school success. Aspects of executive control varied with age, socioeconomic risk, and gender. Specifically, older children performed better on CEC tasks across three age levels; for HEC tasks, change was seen only between 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds. Children of mothers with less formal education...
Photoelectron-spectroscopic determination of lattice self-potentials in lanthanide trifluorides☆

Abstract Since the photoelectron spectroscopically measured binding energies probe the potentials at the cation and anion sites separately in solids, they should be a direct determination of the lattice self-potentials at these sites through comparisons with the respective ionization potentials of the gaseous ions. In a study of the photoionization of the 1 s orbital electrons on the fluoride ion and of the outer 5 p or 4 f orbital electrons on the cations of the lanthanide trifluorides, it is found that the so determined lattice self-potentials at the anion sites deviate from those calculated from the electrostatic interactions in the point charge model by an amount which can be explained in terms of ionicity. For the cations, however, the deviations for all except La 3+ and perhaps Gd 3+ exceed those expected for ionicity in the point charge model by as much as 2.3 eV in the case of the maximum at Pr 3+ . These deviations are discussed in terms of crystal field interactions, covalency, polarization, and complication caused by final state relaxation during photoionization.
INDIRECT FITNESS BENEFITS DO NOT COMPENSATE FOR THE LOSS OF DIRECT FITNESS IN YELLOW-BELLIED MARMOTS

The contribution of indirect fitness to inclusive fitness is expected to increase as the reproductive skew increases, with indirect fitness being the only component of inclusive fitness of sterile individuals in eusocial species. However, the relative contribution of indirect fitness to inclusive fitness has rarely been evaluated empirically. Using data from a long-term study (1962‐2003), we show that female yellow-bellied marmots that have a later age of 1st successful reproduction incur a substantial loss of direct fitness with no corresponding gain in indirect fitness. Additionally, although females that survive to reproductive age but do not successfully reproduce have a greater indirect fitness than those that reproduce at least once, indirect fitness benefits of foregoing reproduction are insufficient to compensate for the loss of direct fitness resulting from later reproduction. Although indirect fitness composed 22.2% of the inclusive fitness of females that reproduced at least once, females that reproduced at least once had 2.3 times higher inclusive fitness than those that survived to reproductive age but never reproduced. These results suggest that, in yellow-bellied marmots and other species with similar life histories, the contribution of indirect fitness to inclusive fitness does not compensate for loss of direct fitness.
Who Will Pay for the Social Infrastructure? The Role of Polish Local Governments in Housing Privatization

The transformation of countries in Eastern Europe involves sweeping changes in the scope and roles of national and local governments. The reallocation of economic activities between the public and ...
Assessing Posture While Typing on Portable Computing Devices in Traditional Work Environments and at Home

Mobile computers are becoming increasingly popular for many user populations, since they allow owners to perform computing activities in a number of settings (e.g., home, office). However, little research exists that quantifies ergonomic exposures associated with using mobile computing devices, particularly in non-traditional environments or for newer, compact mobile computers (e.g., slate computers). Therefore, the objective of this study was to quantify posture differences between mobile computing devices when performing data entry tasks at a traditional workstation and on a sofa. Wrist and neck flexion/extension (FE) and wrist radial/ulnar deviation (RU) were measured using electrogoniometers. When working at the non-traditional work station (i.e., sofa), postures were found to be degraded particularly when typing on the slate computer. These findings indicate that the potential or injury or illness may be elevated when working on smaller computers in non-traditional work settings.
Theory of loss measurements of Fabry Perot resonators by Fourier analysis of the transmission spectra.

We present a detailed theoretical analysis for the determination of the total internal loss in Fabry–Perot resonators based on Fourier analysis of the emission or transmission spectrum. The observation of higher-order harmonics and their relative height in the Fourier-transformed spectrum allow us to quantify the total resonator loss. Because this new method considers both contrast and shape of the Fabry–Perot fringes it is especially well suited for the evaluation of high-finesse laser resonators such as those of vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers in terms of propagation loss/gain.
Defensiveness and Defense Mechanisms

This introduction to the Journal of Personality's special issue on the topic of defense mechanisms raises the question of why defenses have been largely overlooked in personality research. Although defenses were originally discussed in the context of psychopathology, for the past 60 years psychodynamically oriented psychologists have understood that defenses play an important part in normal psychological development. Recently, psychologists outside the field of personality have incorporated the ideas of unconscious mental processes and of defenses into their research programs. In this issue, personality researchers discuss their ideas about defense mechanisms, organized around three topical areas: current conceptualizations of defense, the measurement of defense mechanisms, and the integration of defense mechanisms into personality research. The issue concludes with a commentary on these articles and provides suggestions for future work.
Velocity Pulse Model for Turbulent Diffusion from Flowing Water into a Sediment Bed

The "velocity pulse model" simulates the transfer of turbulence from flowing water into a sediment bed, and its effect on the diffusional mass transfer of a solute e.g., oxygen, sulfate, or nitrate in the sediment bed. In the "pulse model," turbulence above the sediment surface is described by sinusoidal variations of vertical velocity in time. It is shown that vertical velocity components dampen quickly inside the sediment when the frequency of velocity fluctuations is high and viscous dissipation is strong. Viscous dissipation inside the sediment is related to the apparent viscosity depending on the structure of the sediment pore space, i.e., the porosity and grain diameter, as well as inertial effects when the flow is turbulent. A value /0 between 1 and 20 0 is kinematic viscosity of water has been considered. Turbulence penetration into the sediment is parametrized by the Reynolds number Re= UL/ and the relative penetration velocity W / U, where Uamplitude of the velocity pulse; and Wpenetration velocity; L = WTwave length of the velocity pulse; and T is its period. Amplitudes of vertical velocity components inside the sediment and their autocorrelation functions are computed, and the results are used to estimate eddy viscosity inside the sediment pore system as a function of depth. Diffusivity in the sediment pore system is inferred by using turbulent or molecular Schmidt numbers. Turbulence penetration from flowing water can enhance the vertical diffusion coefficient in a sediment bed by an order of magnitude or more. Penetration depth of turbulence is higher for low frequency velocity pulses. Vertical diffusivity inside the pore system is shown to decrease more or less exponentially with depth below the sediment/water interface. Vertical diffusivities in a sediment bed estimated by the "velocity pulse model" can be used in pore water quality models to describe vertical transport from or into flowing surface water. The analysis has been conducted for a conservative material, but source and sink terms can be added to the vertical transport equation.
Inheritance of Shoulder Spotting in the Red-base Tetra (Characidae: Hemigrammus stictus)

The Red-base tetra (Hemigrammus stictus) exhibits two phenotypes associated with shoulder spotting. Fish either possess a prominent black shoulder spot located directly behind the operculum or lack this spotting pattern. Segregation patterns observed from the progenies of eleven different crosses suggest that the inheritance of shoulder spotting is controlled by the action of two autosomal loci acting in a complementary recessive fashion, with dominance at either locus resulting in the expression of the spotted phenotype.
Suppression of apoptosis and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor-induced differentiation by an oncogenic form of Cbl.

Abstract Objective The retroviral oncogene v-Cbl causes pre-B cell lymphomas and myeloid leukemias in mice, and its Drosophila homologue is oncogenic, causing enhanced receptor tyrosine kinase signaling. The human Cbl gene resides at 11q23. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of oncogenic Cbl on growth-regulating responses. Materials and Methods The oncogenic mutant of Cbl (CblΔ1-357) was transfected into factor-dependent 32Dcl3 myeloid cells. Consequently, cell survival and differentiation were measured. Lyn, Syk, MAP kinase, and phosphatidylinositol 3′(PI3′)-kinase activities, protein phosphorylation, Bcl-2 promoter activity, ubiquitination, and levels of Bcl-2, Bax, Bad, and Bcl-x L were determined. In addition, the effect of v-Cbl on TF-1 cell survival upon granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor withdrawal was studied. Results 32Dcl3 and TF-1 cells expressing v-Cbl showed resistance to apoptosis upon growth factor withdrawal, and 32Dcl3 cells completely failed to respond to granulocyte colony-stimulating factor's induction of differentiation. Basal activities of Lyn, Syk, and PI3′-kinase were elevated in the v-Cbl line. There was neither enhanced tyrosine phosphorylation of cellular protein content, Cbl, or Jak2, nor serine phosphorylation of MAP kinase or Akt. After factor withdrawal, the level of Bcl-2 was greater in v-Cbl cells than in control cells. Conclusions Neither increased Bcl-2 promoter activity nor decreased ubiquitination of Bcl-2 could account for increased Bcl-2 levels. v-Cbl–expressing 32Dcl3 cells were resistant to differentiation. v-Cbl suppresses apoptosis and differentiation, possibly through enhancement of Lyn, Syk, and PI3′-kinase activities and Bcl-2.
Control of Contarinia nasturtii Keiffer (Diptera: Cecidomyiidea) by foliar sprays of acetamiprid on cauliflower transplants

Abstract Swede midge (Contarinia nasturtii Keiffer) is a serious gall-forming insect pest of cruciferous plants in Europe and southwestern Asia. In North America, it was first identified in Ontario, Canada, in 2000 and in Niagara County, New York, US, in 2004. The insect is now rapidly spreading in Canada and the US. To date, infestation of C. nasturtii has been confirmed in 46 counties in Canada. The US Department of Agriculture has confirmed the presence of C. nasturtii in 6 counties in the US, although our surveys using pheromone traps have identified 19 counties in New York and one county in Massachusetts and New Jersey. Currently, hundreds of farms in the northeastern US that grow cruciferous vegetables are at risk for infestation of C. nasturtii through movement of vegetable seedlings and harvested produce from infested areas. To prevent the spread of C. nasturtii, the efficacy of acetamiprid, the first labeled insecticide in the US for C. nasturtii control, was evaluated by using foliar sprays on cauliflower seedlings. Results indicated the efficacy of acetamiprid on C. nasturtii was 99.52% 100% and 99.83% when cauliflower seedlings were sprayed before inoculation with C. nasturtii, 0 and 4 d after inoculation, respectively. The efficacy of acetamiprid was reduced to 69.89% when seedlings were sprayed 8 d after inoculation, and C. nasturtii larvae could successfully pupate and emerge after the spray. These results indicate that acetamiprid can effectively control C. nasturtii on cauliflower seedlings, especially in the early stage of insect occurrence. Based on these results, we suggest that seedlings be treated with acetamiprid as a foliar spray before shipment of seedlings from C. nasturtii infested areas.
Commentary: Placing Planning in the World—Transnationalism as Practice and Critique

This essay uses critical transnationalism to place planning in the world. It examines two types of transnational practices: the enforcement of the global border in the Americas, and the transnation...
Nurse managed clinics: an approach to graduate community health nursing education.

Summary In summary, nurse managed clinics can be another step toward narrowing the gap between education and service and providing a non-traditional setting for the developing of leaders in futuristic nursing.
Computer aided design system for VLSI interconnections

A simulation environment for prediction of electrical characteristics of integrated circuit packaging structures is described. The simulation shell, Packaging Design Support Environment (PDSE), integrates tools for modeling and simulation of electrical characteristics in VLSI packages. It also provides facilities for supporting design of VLSI packages. Two simulation tools model inductance and capacitance for multiconductor, multidielectric, two-dimensional structures with lossy dielectrics. Another accepts the L and C matrices and computes pulse response characteristics of uniform multiple, coupled, lossless transmission lines which are terminated at discrete points with R, L, and C elements. The design process in PDSE proceeds in three major phases: modeling, simulation, and evaluation. These processes are interactive and allow the designer to refine a design model, modify simulation experiments, and apply various evaluation processes. >
Unified Development for Mixed Multi-GPU and Multi-coprocessor Environments Using a Lightweight Runtime Environment

Many of the heterogeneous resources available to modern computers are designed for different workloads. In order to efficiently use GPU resources, the workload must have a greater degree of parallelism than a workload designed for multicore-CPUs. And conceptually, the Intel Xeon Phi coprocessors are capable of handling workloads somewhere in between the two. This multitude of applicable workloads will likely lead to mixing multicore-CPUs, GPUs, and Intel coprocessors in multi-user environments that must offer adequate computing facilities for a wide range of workloads. In this work, we are using a lightweight runtime environment to manage the resource-specific workload, and to control the dataflow and parallel execution in two-way hybrid systems. The lightweight runtime environment uses task superscalar concepts to enable the developer to write serial code while providing parallel execution. In addition, our task abstractions enable unified algorithmic development across all the heterogeneous resources. We provide performance results for dense linear algebra applications, demonstrating the effectiveness of our approach and full utilization of a wide variety of accelerator hardware.
The separation of lanthanides and actinides in supercritical fluid carbon dioxide

Supercritical fluid carbon dioxide presents an attractive alternative to conventional solvents for recovery of the actinides and lanthanides. Carbon dioxide is a good solvent for fluorine and phosphate-containing ligands, including the traditional tributylphosphate ligand used in process-scale uranium separations. Actinide and lanthanide oxides may even be directly dissolved in carbon dioxide containing the complexes formed between these ligands and mineral acids, obviating the need for large volumes of acids for leaching and dissolution, and the corresponding organic liquid–liquid solvent extraction solutions. Examples of the application of this novel technology for actinide and lanthanide separations are presented.
An experimental study on inter-domain routing dynamics using IP-level path traces

Commercial relationships between Autonomous Systems (ASes) regulate the inter-domain routing dynamics. Identifying these relationships and properly interpreting them can help understand inter-domain routing dynamics and explore routing anomalies where ASes are not following standard transit policies. Most studies in this domain use Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) data to study inter-domain routing dynamics. In this study, we use IP-level topology data to complement these studies. More specifically, we use traceroute tool to collect end-to-end path traces. Then, we map our data to an AS-level topology map. We do this mainly by using the existing BGP based topology maps and AS-level neighborhood data to come up with several new heuristics to identify false AS-level links and missing AS hops in our dataset. In addition, we infer relationships for those AS-level links in our IP-level data that do not appear in the existing BGP based topology maps. We evaluate the accuracy of our heuristics by comparing their findings to that of the existing state-of-the-art techniques. Finally, we use AS-level paths along with AS relationships dataset to infer potential inter-domain routing anomalies and classify them according to their suspected causes.
Seismic Interaction of Structures on Hysteretic Foundations

The effects of soil-structure interaction on the seismic response of simple structures are analyzed considering the foundation medium to behave as a linear viscoelastic solid. Two forms of viscoelastic action are investigated—the standard Voigt model and the constant hysteric model—and a procedure is recommended for interrelating the properties of the two models so that maximum deformation of the structure is approximately the same in the two cases. Comprehensive response spectra are presented for a range of the parameters defining the problem, and the results are used to access the accuracy of a simple approximate method of analysis in which the system is represented by a viscously damped simple oscillator. Simple expressions of high accuracy and numerical data are included for evaluating the characteristics of the replacement oscillator. It is shown that hysteretic action in the supporting medium may affect significantly the response of flexibly mounted structures.
DACTULIOCHAETA, A NEW GENUS FOR THE FUNGUS CAUSING RED LEAF BLOTCH OF SOYBEANS

The generic name Dactuliochaeta is established to accommodate Pyrenochaeta glycines, the causal agent of red leaf blotch of soybeans and its synanamorph Dactuliophora glycines. The fungus is redescribed and illustrated from isolates originating from sclerotia on Neonotonia wightii or soybean (Glycine max) leaves or that were sieved from soil in Zambia, Africa. The genus is characterized by setose sclerotia which germinate to form mycelium and then setose pycnidia and/or pycnidia and sclerotia on their surfaces. The inner pycnidial walls are lined with ampulliform to lageniform, phialidic conidiogenous cells that often are periclinally thickened at the conidiogenous locus and bear uninucleate, hyaline conidia.
Cameroon’s national literatures: An introduction

In the Afterword of my book The Sacred Door and Other Stories: Cameroon Folktales of the Beba (2008), I wrote the following: “My earliest impressions of Cameroon were gleaned from the stories told by older people. Their comments revolved around two things: first, that Mount Cameroon—also known as Mount Fako, the Throne of Thunder, and the Chariot of the Gods—the highest peak in West and Central Africa, is the site of the earliest recorded volcanic eruption in the region; and second, that the country they call home was named after prawns by some white people. It is said that in the fifth century BCE, while sailing along the Atlantic coast of West Africa, Hanno, the Carthaginian explorer and ship’s captain, observed Mount Cameroon erupting and inscribed in his travel writings the name Theon Ochema, Chariot of the Gods. He is said to have noted that the fires from the mountain were so hot and so bright that the flames reached up and touched the stars. Firm believers in this historical version point out that Mount Cameroon (also called Mount Fako because it is situated in Fako Division of the South West Province) is the only active volcano on the coast of West Africa, erupting seven times in the twentieth century alone. They also point to the fact that the mountain is known locally as monga-ma loba—Seat of the Gods. I was born in the South West Province but was raised through my teenage years in the grasslands of the North West, where Beba, my village of origin, is situated. Mount Cameroon has therefore held a kind of mystery for me. As a young girl, I was fascinated with these stories of the so-called discovery by Hanno, of flaming arrows reaching for the stars, and with the fact that Debundscha, the wettest place on the African continent and the place with the second-highest rainfall in the world, lies at the foot of the Seat/Chariot of the Gods. I found it amusing that my country was named after big juicy shrimp, and by a bunch of white men we did not know. I could not grasp what that act of naming really entailed, but the teachers who taught me in primary school and the adults who told us stories by the evening fire were not amused. They insisted that branding us with the name of shrimp was an invitation to a feast. The metaphor was lost on my young sensibilities. As I got older and attended primary and secondary school, our curriculum was tailored to the British education system of O Levels and A Levels. In our history lessons, little was afforded the various peoples who migrated to and now inhabit the sahel and plateau regions of the mostly Muslin north, or the grasslands, littoral, and forest regions of the mostly Christian south. History lessons were dominated by European and Cameroon’s colonial history. Only later, at the University of Yaounde, did I, on my own, read all the books I could that addressed the various kingdoms, chiefdoms, and indigenous civilizations of the people who today call Cameroon home.
Primary high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma emerging from an adenomatous polyp in the setting of familial adenomatous polyposis

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is a rare inherited syndrome that is characterised by innumerable adenomas of the colon and rectum, a high risk of colorectal cancer and a variety of extracolonic manifestations. FAP presents as hundreds to thousands of colonic adenomas beginning in adolescence. The syndrome is associated with less than 1% of all colorectal cancer cases, but there is a nearly 100% lifetime risk of colorectal cancer in individuals with FAP. This case demonstrates a 60-year-old man with FAP who developed high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma with glandular and squamous differentiation, and regional lymph node and liver metastases. Early diagnosis of FAP is of the utmost importance to start screening colonoscopies to assess disease burden, perform polypectomies and to make management decisions. Neuroendocrine carcinomas rarely occur in patients with FAP, and awareness of this association among general medical physicians and pathologists is essential for the diagnosis and care of these patients.
Modeling Rainfall Interception Loss for an Epiphyte-Laden Quercus virginiana Forest Using Reformulated Static- and Variable-Storage Gash Analytical Models

AbstractBarrier island forests are sensitive to changing precipitation characteristics as they typically rely on a precipitation-fed freshwater lens. Understanding and predicting significant rainfall losses is, therefore, critical to the prediction and management of hydrometeorological processes in the barrier island forest ecosystem. This study measures and models one such loss, canopy rainfall interception, for a barrier island forest common across subtropical and tropical coastlines: epiphyte-laden Quercus virginiana on St. Catherine’s Island (Georgia, United States). Reformulated Gash analytical models (RGAMs) relying on static- and variable-canopy-storage formulations were parameterized using common maximum water storage (minimum, mean, maximum, and laboratory submersion) and evaporation (Penman–Monteith, saturated rain–throughfall regression, and rain–interception regression) estimation methods. Cumulative interception loss was 37% of rainfall, and the epiphyte community contribution to interception...
Lysis of human blood clots in vitro

Blutkoagula, 1 1/2–18 Tage alt, und thrombosierte Arterien- und Venenstuckchen vom Menschen wurden in vitro Streptokinase in verschiedener Dosierung ausgesetzt. Die Gerinnsel losten sich mit Ausnahme derer, die bereits bindegewebig organisiert waren. Auf Grund der Versuchsergebnisse werden folgende Fragen diskutiert: 1. Die Theorien uber die Wirkungsweise der fibrinolytischen Stoffe, 2. die Dosierung der Streptokinase, deren Effekt bei niedriger oder hoher Menge absinkt, wahrend es einen „optischen Mittelwert“ gibt, 3. die Wirksamkeit der Streptokinase bei uber 3 Tage alten Gerinnseln, die entgegen anderen Literaturangaben noch gewahrleistet sein durfte. Es werden Schlusse auf die therapeutischen Moglichkeiten gezogen.
Smoking and tobacco use by U.S. military personnel.

Findings regarding smoking behavior for the 1985 survey of military personnel were compared to findings from earlier surveys. A decline in the percentage of cigarette smokers was evident for all ranks and ages. Reported use of smokeless tobacco and cigar/pipe smoking indicated that one-fifth of the cigarette smokers also use smokeless tobacco and that two-fifths of the cigarette users smoke a pipe or cigar. Among non-smokers of cigarettes, about one-tenth of the respondents used smokeless tobacco and/or smoked a pipe or cigars. Using self-evaluation of health status, non-smokers reported "excellent" health significantly more than smokers.
Distribution and repeatability of anterior pituitary responses to GnRH and relationship of response classification to the postpartum anovulatory interval of beef cows.

Our objectives were to investigate the phenotypic variation in anterior pituitary responsiveness to GnRH (100 microg, i.v.) of beef cows between d 5 and 8 postpartum, estimate repeatability, and determine the relationship between response classification and duration of the postpartum anovulatory interval (PPI). Brahman x Hereford (F1) cows (n = 137) and primiparous heifers (n = 58) were evaluated. Response classifications (Class) included peak LH (Low, Intermediate, or High; Class I) and time to peak LH (Early, 10 to 30 min or Late, 60 to 120 min; Class II). The independent effects of Class I and II on PPI were determined in 145 of 195 cows through twice-weekly serum samples analyzed for progesterone. For Class I, pituitary responses to GnRH approximated a normal distribution and, by definition, differed (P .10) interclass correlations. Nevertheless, overall results provide evidence that variability in individual pituitary responses to GnRH could be targeted as a selection marker to improve reproduction.
[Surveillance on Salmonella infection in Guangdong province, 2008 - 2009].

Objective To understand the infection of Salmonella (S.) in patients with diarrhea and outbreaks caused by Salmonella to identify the serotypes, resistance to antibiotics and PFGE types of the strains from the surveillance program in Guangdong province. Methods S. strains from patients with diarrhea were detected, and all the positive strains collected in routine and outbreak surveillance programs, were tested by serum agglutination, antibiotic susceptibility and PFGE.Results 71 S. strains were isolated from 1922 stool samples in 2008, with positive rate as 3.7%.85 S. strains were isolated from 2110 stool samples in 2009, with positive rate as 4.0%. All the 156 strains were divided into 37 serotypes, with S. serotype typhimurium and enteritidis as the most common serotypes. 10 incidents of food poisoning were detected, of which 4 were caused by enteritidis and 3 by typhimurium. A suspected outbreak by enteritidis was discovered and under epidemiological investigation. The findings indicated that 2 of the 4 patients from this outbreak were infected with identical enteritidis isolates. 80% of the 229 isolates were found susceptible to cephalosporins and quinoione and 59.3% of them were muitiresistant to the antibiotics. Conclusion S. enteritidis and S. typhimurium were the most common serotypes that caused infectious diarrhoea and food poisoning in Guangdong province. Key words: Salmonella; Surveillance; Outbreak
Adolescent Spirituality and Education

Conceptions of adolescent spirituality are often coupled with frameworks and programs for the cultivation of moral reasoning, ethical decision-making, virtuous character, and/or religious confirmation. Researchers and practitioners typically focus on what constitutes movement toward psychological well-being and socially approved relational behavior, with some attention also given to philosophical or religious questions of meaning and purpose. Perspectives in the field are diverse, both because training comes from a variety of feeder disciplines (e.g. education, human development, theology, counseling) and spiritual nurture takes place in diverse settings (e.g. schools, religious congregations, community centers, treatment programs). To better serve the needs of young people, the field of adolescent spirituality and education needs to embrace and carefully explore the benefits and challenges of its interdisciplinary nature and work at integrating research data and disciplinary frameworks in more creative and coherent ways.
Trilobites from the base of the type Whiterockian (Middle Ordovician) in Nevada

No trilobite species, and very few genera, pass from the Lower (Ibexian) into the Middle Ordovician (Whiterockian), which is a turning point in Laurentian trilobite history. Trilobites from three sections exposing the base of the Whiterock Series (basal) Middle Ordovician) in Nevada are described and illustrated. They are attributable to different, and generally more open-shelf, biofacies from the Bathyurid biofacies trilobites described from the Ibex area, Utah, by Fortey and Droser (1996), but include species in common, which allow correlation into the Ibexian type section. At Little Rawhide Mountain the basal Middle Ordovician is developed in Olenid biofacies, described for the first time in western North America from rocks of this age. Correlation based on species-level similarity shows that the "spike" that has been used to define the type base of the Whiterockian (and hence the Middle Ordovician) at Whiterock Canyon is at a level younger than the base of the Whiterockian assumed in recent discussions of its international correlation. The type Whiterock base correlates with the Psephosthenaspis glabrior trilobite Subzone at Ibex, well above the major change in trilobite faunas at the base of the Psephosthenaspis Zone (P. microspinosa Subzone). In all study sections there is an abrupt change of facies after trilobite Zone J, possibly associated with regression. Four new species are described: Cloacaspis tesselata, Harpillaenus rossi, Acidiphorus? lineotuberculatus, and Benthamaspis serus.