cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cycles and Spectra

Some recent work on spaces of algebraic cycles is surveyed. The main focus is on spaces of real and quaternionic cycles and their relation to equivariant Eilenberg- MacLane spaces.
“Jodido, Pero Contento"Urban Economics and the Popular Revolution in Nicaragua

The People of Nicaragua have struggled through a decade that was torn between revolutionary triumph and counterreactions to that triumph. They have been stymied in finding a political economy for their revolution. Nicaraguans under the Sandinistas referred to theirs as a mixed economy, where the private and social sectors pursue cooperative instead of exploitive relations. When asked to explain their economic state, the Nicaraguans often said, "Jodido, pero contento,” which can be paraphrased as "poor, but happy.” Having failed with centralized regulative planning, the government decided to allow local-level generative planning to become a major factor in Managua's economic life. [Nicaragua, urban economics, planning, popular revolution]
Rules and variables in neural nets

A fundamental problem that must be addressed by connectionism is that of creating and representing dynamic structures (Feldman 1982; von der Malsburg 1985). In the context of reasoning with systematic and abstract knowledge, this problem takes the form of the variable binding problem. We describe a biologically plausible solution to this problem and outline how a knowledge representation and reasoning system can use this solution to perform a class of predictive inferences with extreme efficiency. The proposed system solves the variable binding problem by propagating rhythmic patterns of activity wherein dynamic bindings are represented as the synchronous firing of appropriate nodes.
Infantile beriberi presenting as subacute necrotizing encephalomyelopathy.

A case report of a breast-fed infant with formula supplementation showed it to suffer from infantile beriberi with lesions similar to those observed in patients with subacute necrotizing encephalomyelopathy. A modified thiochrome method was used to measure thiamine content; lesions were revealed by a CT scan. Other cases of infantile beriberi reported in the U.S. since 1958 occurred in infants for whom an unusual formula had been prescribed; it would seem prudent that any restrictive diet should be administered with caution and supplemented with a multivitamin preparation containing thiamine
Single-ended laser wind sensor

A single-ended, non-Doppler, laser wind sensor has been developed to measure path-integrated cross winds by viewing a distant target through a large telescope and observing the motion of a laser speckle pattern. The speed of the moving speckle pattern is determined by a cross-correlation between the signals from two detectors in the telescope focal plane. A prototype laser wind sensor was developed and tested. Results are shown for a laboratory test in a wind tunnel and for an outdoor test in a non-homogeneous wind field. Practical applications of the sensor are discussed, and possible modifications to measure two- or three-dimensional wind fields are described.
Early Modern Midwifery: Splitting the Profession, Connecting the History

“Early Modern Midwifery: Splitting the Profession, Connecting the History” examines the status of midwives in early modern England and makes two substantive claims. First, it argues that while historians have recognized that midwives came from across the social spectrum, they have failed to incorporate this knowledge into their analyses. Work as a midwife was (obviously) medical in nature, but midwives’ medical authority depended on a range of other factors, including social and marital status, wealth, and neighborliness. Because midwives came from across the social spectrum, their experience as practitioners was similarly diverse: a wealthy midwife’s practice would have been qualitatively different than a poor midwife’s. Second, the article connects recent cultural histories of early modern midwifery to life in England’s parishes. It does this by analyzing the language in which ordinary men and women talked about midwifery, and argues that during the 1690s Enlightenment ideas about science, midwifery, and childbirth began to gain currency in provincial England. It was during this period that midwifery underwent a transition from a “mystery” to a “science,” a change that facilitated the rise of male authority over childbirth.
GeoWeb on mobile internet

Geospatial data accessible on the web has become common place and transformative. The GeoWeb allows us to view geographic information about any location on the planet and to make plans based on this. Planning routes for travel using the GeoWeb has become highly advanced enabled by open standards. Using the GeoWeb for environmental studies is advancing but requires additional standards regarding semantics of the features of the world. The GeoWeb is now moving to mobile internet platforms. Soon, if not already, mobile devices will be the predominant method to access the Internet. This is enabled by dramatic advances in technologies and business models for electronic communications and hand held devices. Smartphones have led the way enabling access on mobile devices similar to fixed internet locations. The initial generation of Location Based Services were defined based on walled gardens. Now we are extending the GeoWeb to the mobile internet and enhancing it based on location context and by access to an Internet of things including sensors. Using mobile GeoWeb devices embedded in the world enables an augmented understanding of our geospatial reality.
Protein synthesis and cell division in a pyrimidine-starved protozoan☆

Abstract In media complete save for uracil, T. pyriformis continues to make protein, divide, and form normal cells, although its net RNA content does not increase. Uracil-starved cells rapidly regain their original RNA level when uracil is restored.
The effects of changes of intermolecular coupling on glass transition dynamics in polymer thin films and glass-formers confined in nanometer pores

Intermolecular coupling plays an important role in determining the dynamics and the mobility of polymeric and non-polymeric glass-formers. The breadth of the dispersion is an indicator of the intermolecular coupling strength. The coupling model relates intermolecular coupling through the breadth of the dispersion to the dynamics of bulk glass-formers. When a glass-former is confined in nanometer pores or in thin films and if there is absence of chemical and physical interactions with the wall, intermolecular coupling is reduced, resulting in an increase of mobility. The coupling model is used to account for such changes of relaxation time of 1) ortho-terphenyl and poly(dimethyl siloxane) confined in nanometer pores, 2) polymer thin film confined between two impenetrable walls from Monte Carlo simulation, and 3) polymer film confined by perfectly smooth and purely repulsive potential acting on the repeat units from molecular-dynamics simulation. The model continues to explain the opposite effects observed when there is an increase of intermolecular coupling due to the presence of chemical or physical interaction with the walls.
Inhibition of preshock-produced reflexive fighting by a 39 KHz tone

Abstract Two preliminary studies are mentioned in which the presence of a 39 KHz tone (generated by an ultrasonic motion detector) was associated with elimination of preshock-produced attenuation of reflexive fighting. To further evaluate this finding preshock vs. no-preshock treatment factorially was combined with the presence vs. the absence of the 39 KHz tone during the assessment of reflexive fighting. Preshock markedly attenuated fighting in the absence of the 39 KHz tone, this finding being consistent with other reports. The amount of reflexive fighting observed for preshocked animals in the presence of the tone was not different from non-preshocked groups. Moreover, the presence or the absence of the tone had no influence on reflexive fighting for the non-preshocked groups.
Growth, Mortality, and Age Composition of a Lightly Exploited Tilefish Substock off Georgia

Abstract We collected 1,351 male and 632 female tilefish Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps off Georgia with bottom longlines between May 1982 and August 1983. Anal fin rays formed a single annulus yearly between May and October. Tilefish reached 33 years of age and growth of males was significantly faster than females. Length-frequency histograms indicated that exploitation had not yet truncated the size structure of this substock. Males were fully recruited to the fishery at age 12 (mean standard length 606 mm) whereas females were fully recruited at age 10 (mean standard length 525 mm). Three estimates of instantaneous total mortality ranged from 0.10 to 0.25; most of this was attributable to natural mortality. Because these fish are long-lived and slow-growing and possess low natural mortality rates, they are vulnerable to overexploitation by a relatively low fishing effort. Consequently, fishing effort may have to be tightly regulated if optimal yields are to be sustained in this fishery.
Effects of cryogenic blockade of visual cortex on the responses of lateral geniculate neurons in the monkey

Striate cortex in unanesthetized, paralyzed rhesus monkeys was cooled to assess the effects of temporary blockade of corticogeniculate fibers on responses of lateral geniculate neurons. Most neurons recorded under the thermode became inexcitable on cooling. After the onset of cooling, superficial layers became inexcitable before deep layers, and at a time when superficial activity was blocked, deep neurons were still orientation specific and retained this property until they themselves became inexcitable. Twenty-eight percent of the geniculate neurons projecting to cortex under the thermode were judged to be affected by cortical blockade, generally showing increases in driven and spontaneous activity. Cooling produced changes in the scale of response magnitude, rather than in the timing of impulse discharge, as evaluated by response time histograms. Responses evoked by bars or edges or by flashing spots were equally affected. The changes of activity produced were generally small and frequently difficult to differentiate from spontaneous shifts in excitability. In contrast, a visually driven inferior pulvinar neuron with a receptive field in the cooled area was strongly affected by cortical blockage, and driving quickly and completely returned soon after the cortex was rewarmed. It therefore appears that the method of blockade was effective but incapable of producing large effects in geniculate neurons. This suggests that cortical control may be inherently weak in the immobilized animal or that the distribution of activity between excitation and inhibition is equally balanced.
Low Levels of Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist (IL-1RA) Predict Engraftment Syndrome after Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation in POEMS Syndrome and Other Plasma Cell Neoplasms

Abstract A rare, multisystem, plasma cell neoplasm, POEMS (polyradiculoneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, M-spike, skin changes) syndrome is characterized by an abundance of proinflammatory and angiogenic cytokines. Patients with POEMS are known to have a high incidence of engraftment syndrome after autologous stem cell transplantation. We conducted a pilot study assessing levels of 30 different pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines before and serially after transplantation in 18 patients with plasma cell neoplasms: POEMS syndrome (n = 9), multiple myeloma (n = 4), and amyloidosis (n = 5). We show that POEMS patients have higher pretransplantation levels of IL-4, IL-10, IL-13, IFN-α, and EGF as compared with those with non-POEMS plasma cell neoplasms. Higher pre- and posttransplantation IL-13 levels correlated with delayed neutrophil engraftment in POEMS patients. Low posttransplantation IL-1RA levels correlated with engraftment syndrome in both POEMS and non-POEMS patients. We conclude that differences in the peri-transplantation cytokine milieu may explain the higher transplantation morbidity in patients with POEMS syndrome. Our results need validation in a larger cohort.
Analysis of creep data on aluminum at very low stresses

Abstract The relationship between the Nabarro-Herring mechanism and the Harper-Dorn process is examined in the light of the available experimental evidence, and it is suggested that the creep data of thin foils and bulk specimens of aluminum are consistent with the treatment of the two processes as independent mechanisms. Also, analysis of creep data on single crystals of silver tends to lend support to this suggestion.
Molecular Geometry Optimization with a Genetic Algorithm

We present a method for reliably determining the lowest energy structure of an atomic cluster in an arbitrary model potential. The method is based on a genetic algorithm, which operates on a population of candidate structures to produce new candidates with lower energies. Our method dramatically outperforms simulated annealing, which we demonstrate by applying the genetic algorithm to a tight-binding model potential for carbon. With this potential, the algorithm efficiently finds fullerene cluster structures up to ${\mathrm{C}}_{60}$ starting from random atomic coordinates.
Household Mobility, Housing Traits, Public Goods, and School Quality in Cleveland’s Metropolitan Statistical Area

The author evaluates how selective housing traits, local government expenditures, and school district qualities influence household mobility in the suburban four-county Cleveland metropolitan statistical area (MSA). The efficacy of the Tiebout thesis is to some extent substantiated in Geauga, Lake, and Medina Counties. Low government expenditures and amenity-aesthetic improvements in small-size municipalities offer strong enticements for the in-migration of high median-income households. In contrast, in Cuyahoga County, the size of a municipality best determines household mobility and residential location. Because mobility and public services provision are not strongly associated in large-size municipalities, the Tiebout thesis inadequately explains household location decisions, and one must look elsewhere for an understanding of suburban housing mobility.
Dual mechanism for the action of cholesterol on membrane permeability.

CHOLESTEROL, which is a widespread component of the plasma membrane, has a substantial influence on the permeability properties of lipid bilayer1–3 and cell membranes4. Although the effects of cholesterol on membrane structure are increasingly well understood5 the mechanisms by which cholesterol modulates membrane permeability are obscure, mainly because it is difficult to deduce permeability properties from the knowledge of membrane structure alone.
AggiE-Challenge Program: A multidisciplinary, vertically integrated, project-based engineering program

The AggiE-Challenge, a multidisciplinary, project-based program, was created to develop student knowledge and skills for engineering design, lifelong learning, multidisciplinary teamwork, communications, ability to apply engineering fundamentals to problem solving, and appreciation for the impact of engineering on people. Distinctive features of the program include student engagement with a project associated with a grand challenge in engineering, undergraduate student teams with members from at least three engineering majors, active involvement by an engineering faculty member, and guidance by an engineering graduate mentor. Students receive course credit for their participation in AggiE-Challenge. Projects are designed for at least a full academic year to provide interested students in-depth opportunities to continue working on the same project for more than one semester. Faculty submit proposals to be considered for funding each year and selected proposals require faculty to recruit and mentor a studen...
MEDIAN, MEAN, AND OPTIMUM AS FACILITY LOCATIONS*

The mean and the median are both measures of centrality. In one dimension, the median minimizes the average absolute distance from a facility to a set of customers {xi}, and the mean minimizes the average squared distance. In two dimensions, the median minimizes the average rectangular distance, and the mean minimizes the average squared distance. This paper investigates the “location penalty” when a nonoptimal location is substituted for the optimal location. In one dimension, the average absolute distance at the mean is never more than twice the average absolute distance at the median. Surprisingly, this happens when the median and mean are close together. In two dimensions, the ratio of the average Euclidean distance at the median to the average Euclidean distance at the optimum is never more than . However, this upper bound depends on an unlikely scenario with just two customers. With three equal-sized customers, this ratio is never more than 1.12. However, if the triangle formed by the customers is rotated relative to the rectangular grid, the ratio never exceeds 1.028.
“The Calamity of So Long Life”: Life Histories, Contaminants, and Potential Emerging Threats to Long-lived Vertebrates

ABSTRACT Persistent contaminants are ubiquitous in the environment, often present at concentrations that may jeopardize reproductive fitness only after long periods of exposure. As the duration of exposure is largely regulated by life span, long-lived species of high trophic status, such as many reptiles, birds, and mammals, may be at risk of reduced fitness and population decline. Delayed maturation and iteroparity confer the potential for cumulative effects to be expressed prior to reproduction, and large parental investments in yolk and milk may threaten offspring because of exposure during critical developmental periods. Long generation times may delay emergence of obvious effects on populations, perhaps eluding early intervention, while constraining rates at which populations may recover if conditions subsequently improve. Life history theory thus suggests that the suite of traits that optimized reproductive fitness throughout long-lived species' evolutionary histories may ultimately put them in peri...
Perspectives on Global Supply Chain Supply-Side Risk Management

Recent geo-political events, such as terrorism and political instability, and geological and climatologic disasters, have underscored the potential risks to global supply chains and their catastrophic financial impact on global companies. Disruptions can occur anywhere along the supply chain?at the inbound or supplier side, during the internal processes inside the company's facilities, or at the outbound or customer-facing side. This paper focuses on risks to the inbound/supplier side part of the supply chain, in which parts or services move from the supplier to the manufacturer or retailer. The paper begins with a discussion of the reasons for increasing supply chain vulnerability, and then describes major threats to supply chains. Section IV discusses the way Supply Chain Risk Management is used to identify threats, assess them, and determine what actions should be taken to manage them. The paper then explains how the outcome of risk assessments can guide firms to handle risks, through forecasting, appropriate use of single or multiple suppliers, risk sharing, information sharing and collaboration with suppliers, flexible supplier relationships, and security prevention measures. The paper concludes with a discussion of research needs in the supply chain risk area.
Synchytrium solstitiale sp. nov. causing a false rust on Centaurea solstitialis in France

A new species of Synchytrium, S. solstitiale, infecting leaves of Centaurea solstitialis in France, is described and illustrated. Synchytrium solstitiale caus- es development of orange to red galls on the leaves and petioles of living plants. It differs microscopically from all previously described species of the genus mainly in having larger sporangia and zoospores and resting spores that are formed in succession without an evanescent prosoral stage.
Public Concern with Animal Well-Being: Place, Social Structural Location, and Individual Experience.

Abstract While sociologists and the public at large are increasingly interested in the life conditions of animals, conceptual and empirical development of the topic is limited. This paper seeks to further develop the sociological research on attitudes toward animal well-being. We build on insights from contemporary stratification theory to explain the nature of animal attitudes and their determinants. We also extend past work by examining a broader range of factors related to attitudes about animal well-being, focusing on place, other social structural factors, and individuals' unique animal-related experiences. Data are from a survey of over 4,000 Ohio residents conducted in 2002. We find that childhood experience has the greatest place-based effect on attitudes. Other findings highlight the importance of social structural factors, suggesting support for the “underdog hypothesis.” Women, people experiencing economic hardship, those with less education, younger and middle aged people, and blacks tend to be more concerned with animal well-being. Individualized, experiential variables are also important. Our results reflect the complexity of attitudes about animals and point to the need for greater sociological attention to factors left largely unexplored in previous studies, including childhood place-based factors, economic hardship, and individuals' unique animal-related experiences
Using patient-reported outcomes in clinical practice: challenges and opportunities.

Purpose Introduce and explore issues at an international conference about the use of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in clinical practice.
A Voltage and Resource Synthesis Technique for Energy-Aware Real-time Systems

We consider a resource synthesis technique for realtime systems where dynamic voltage scaling is supported, the energy budget is limited, and the performance of the system depends on how resources and energy are used. We propose a resource synthesis technique that derives both the supply voltages and the resource allocation of the tasks in the system to maximize system performance. The resulting system satisfies real-time schedulability and energy requirements.
Psychopathy and instrumental aggression: Evolutionary, neurobiological, and legal perspectives

In the study of aggression, psychopathy represents a disorder that is of particular interest because it often involves aggression which is premeditated, emotionless, and instrumental in nature; this is especially true for more serious types of offenses. Such instrumental aggression is aimed at achieving a goal (e.g., to obtain resources such as money, or to gain status). Unlike the primarily reactive aggression observed in other disorders, psychopaths appear to engage in aggressive acts for the purpose of benefiting themselves. This is especially interesting in light of arguments that psychopathy may represent an alternative life-history strategy that is evolutionarily adaptive; behaviors such as aggression, risk-taking, manipulation, and promiscuous sexual behavior observed in psychopathy may be means by which psychopaths gain advantage over others. Recent neurobiological research supports the idea that abnormalities in brain regions key to emotion and morality may allow psychopaths to pursue such a strategy—psychopaths may not experience the social emotions such as empathy, guilt, and remorse that typically discourage instrumentally aggressive acts, and may even experience pleasure when committing these acts. Findings from brain imaging studies of psychopaths may have important implications for the law.
Mood Experience: Implications of a Dispositional Theory of Moods

The core feature that distinguishes moods from emotions is that moods, in contrast to emotions, are diffuse and global. This article outlines a dispositional theory of moods (DTM) that accounts for this and other features of mood experience. DTM holds that moods are temporary dispositions to have or to generate particular kinds of emotion-relevant appraisals. Furthermore, DTM assumes that the cognitions and appraisals one is disposed to have in a given mood partly constitute the experience of mood. This article outlines a number of implications of DTM (e.g., regarding the noncognitive causation and rationality of moods) and summarizes empirical results supporting the theory.
Effect of venous air embolization on pulmonary microvascular protein permeability.

Objective:An increase in pulmonary lymph flow and lymph protein clearance following pulmonary air embolization has been interpreted as evidence of increased pulmonary microvascular permeability. Th...
Dietary factors and Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is increasing in prevalence, and environmental risk factors have not been identified with certainty. There is evidence that oxidative stress, homocysteine-related vitamins, fats, and alcohol have a role in the pathogenesis of AD. Few large epidemiological studies have explored the associations between nutrients and AD, and there has been only one trial of vitamin E in the prevention of AD. Some studies suggest that high intake of vitamins C, E, B6, and B12, and folate, unsaturated fatty acids, and fish are related to a low risk of AD, but reports are inconsistent. Modest to moderate alcohol intake, particularly wine, may be related to a low risk of AD. Available data do not permit definitive conclusions regarding diet and AD or specific recommendations on diet modification for the prevention of AD.
Agency Responsiveness to the Legislative Oversight of Administrative Rulemaking: A Case Study of Rules Review in the Illinois General Assembly

Students of public administration have long maintained that for bureaucratic power to be in balance with constitutional democracy, it must be exercised by a responsible bureaucracy. Legislative oversight is one means by which to secure the responsible exercise of this power. However, little is known regarding why agencies are responsive to oversight. In this article this question is explored by presenting a case study of bureaucratic responsiveness to a highly specialized and routine approach to oversight found in state legislatures—the legislative review of administrative rule-making or "rules review." Five factors that appear to explain agency responsiveness are presented as analytical generalizations that may find application elsewhere; these include the lack of relevance that oversight may have for many legislators, the availability of sanctions that can be applied against nonresponsive agencies, the working relationship between an oversight committee and the agencies, agency costs associated with res...
A Heuristic Relaxation Method for Nonlinear Mapping in Cluster Analysis

A relaxation method mapping high-dimensional sample points to low-dimensional sample points is discussed. This method tries to preserve the local interdistance of sample points. Some special heuristics have been introduced to handle the difficulty arising from a large amount of data. Experimental results with handwritten character data and Iris data show that the method runs fast, converges rapidly, and requires a small amount of memory space.
Impact of technology scaling on performance of domino logic in nano-scale CMOS

With the scaling of the CMOS technology, domino logic circuits experience larger leakage currents, which affect their robustness and performance. The leakage can be compensated by using a properly sized PMOS keeper transistor, at the cost of circuit delay increase. Hence, it is expected that the performance improvement of domino logic will stop in future technology nodes, due to increased required keeper size to maintain robustness. In this paper, we will study different methods of keeper sizing for comparing the performance of CMOS-OR domino logic circuits designed using Predictive Technology models of 32nm, 22nm and 16nm CMOS technology nodes. The keeper size will be adjusted to obtain the same robustness (noise immunity) across the technology generations. With this method of keeper sizing across technology nodes, the simulation results shows that indeed the delay of a low fan-in domino circuit increases from 32nm to 22nm node and the domino circuits fail to operate at 16nm node. For a high fan-in domino gate, however, the delay reduces from 32nm to 22nm; and the circuit fails at 16nm.
Rates of p16 (MTS1) Mutations in Primary Tumors with 9p Loss

Chromosomal loss at 9p21-22 has been implicated in the genesis of different types of primary tumors. The gene p16[sup INK4], an inhibitor of activated cyclin D-cdk4 complexes, recently emerged as a candidate tumor suppressor gene when it was localized to 9p21. The authors selected 75 primary tumors that displayed alleleic loss of the region. They then amplified exons 1 and 2, cloned the amplified products, and sequenced p16 from pooled clones. They conclude from the results of sequencing that p16 is not the primary target of 9p21-22 loss in a large number of nonmelanoma primary tumors. 14 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab.
Girls' Education and Discursive Spaces for Empowerment: Perspectives from Rural India.

This article examines a national girls' education program and its role in addressing gender inequality in the Indian state of Gujarat. In 2004, the Ministry of Education, Government of India, enacted the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyala (KGBV) program. As a national program designed to increase educational access for the most marginalized girls, the KGBV program innovatively partners with the non-governmental organization (NGO) CARE India and employs a curriculum focused on fostering girls' ‘empowerment’. Empowerment, a process relating to an increase in individuals' power over resources and decisions in their life, relies upon education as the key institution to provide the tools to expand women's access to the economic and political spheres of society. Employing an ethnographic and institutional approach, this article empirically investigates the education-empowerment link by examining how institutional form impacts the social processes that both define and characterize empowerment. In other words, it inv...
Trimetallic Ag@AuPt Neapolitan nanoparticles.

Trimetallic Ag@AuPt Neapolitan nanoparticles were prepared by two sequential galvanic exchange reactions of 1-hexanethiolate-capped silver nanoparticles (AgC6, 5.70 ± 0.82 nm in diameter) with gold(I)-thiomalic acid (AuITMA) and platinum(II)-hexanethiolate (PtIIC6) complexes. The first reaction was carried out at the air–water interface by the Langmuir method where the AgC6 nanoparticles formed a compact monolayer and water-soluble AuITMA was injected into the water subphase; the nanoparticles were then deposited onto a substrate surface in the up-stroke fashion and immersed into an acetone solution of PtIIC6. As both reactions were confined to an interface, the Au and Pt elements were situated on two opposite poles of the original Ag nanoparticles. The tripatchy structure was clearly manifested in elemental mapping of the nanoparticles, and consistent with the damping and red-shift of the nanoparticle surface plasmon resonance. Further characterizations by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that the reactions were mostly confined to the top layers of the Ag metal cores, and contact angle and infrared spectroscopic measurements confirmed the incorporation and segregated distribution of the organic capping ligands on the nanoparticle surface.
Influence of body habitus and use of oral contrast on reader confidence in patients with suspected acute appendicitis using 64 MDCT

The purpose of this study is to evaluate how body habitus affects reader confidence in diagnosing acute appendicitis and appendiceal visualization using 64 MDCT technology with and without oral contrast. We conducted a HIPAA compliant, IRB approved study of adult patients presenting to the Emergency Department with nontraumatic abdominal pain. Subjects were randomized to two groups: 64 MDCT scans performed with oral and intravenous contrast or scans performed solely with intravenous contrast. Three radiologists established their confidence about the presence of appendicitis as well as recording whether the appendix was visualized. Reader confidence in diagnosing acute appendicitis was compared between the two groups for the three readers. The impact of patient BMI and estimated intra-abdominal fat on reader confidence in diagnosing appendicitis was determined. Finally, a comparison of the effect of BMI and intra-abdominal fat on appendiceal visualization between the two groups was carried out. Three hundred three patients were enrolled in this study. There was a statistically significant difference in confidence based on BMI for reader 2, group 1 in diagnosing appendicitis. No further statistically significant differences in reader confidence for diagnosing appendicitis based on BMI or intra-abdominal fat were identified. There was no influence of BMI or intra-abdominal fat on appendiceal visualization. Increasing BMI was seen to improve reader confidence for one of three readers in patients that received both oral and intravenous contrast. No further effects of BMI or intra-abdominal fat on confidence in diagnosing or excluding appendicitis were seen. Neither BMI nor intra-abdominal fat were seen to influence appendiceal visualization.
Moderation of Preference Reversals in the Long Run

The evaluation of a monetary gamble requires consideration of two basic types of information: (a) the probabilities associated with winning and losing, and (b) the amounts to be won and lost. The well-documented phenomenon of preference reversals provides strong evidence that the processing of this information depends on how the evaluation is expressed (Goldstein & Einhorn, 1987; Grether & Plott, 1979; Lichtenstein & Slovic, 1971, 1973; Lindman, 1971; Slovic & Lichtenstein, 1983). When presented with two gambles close in expected value, many subjects choose a bet with a high probability of winning a modest amount of money (P-bet) over a bet with a low probability of winning a large amount ($-bet), even though they place a higher minimum selling price on the $-bet. When confronted with the apparent inconsistency in their behavior and given the chance to change either of their responses, the majority of these subjects stand by their decisions (Slovic, 1986). In the typical preference reversal task, response modes may vary in two ways: (a) subjects either make a choice between two lotteries or make a judgment of each separately, and (b) the focus is either on the monetary value of the gamble or on its attractiveness. Goldstein and Einhorn (1987) manipulated these two factors independently and demonstrated preference reversals associated with each. Although recent research (Tversky, Sattath, & Slovic, 1988) has demonstrated preference reversals for nonprobabilistic stimuli, the vast majority of preference reversal studies have used gambles as stimuli. In this article, we explore the possibility that these preference reversals are largely due to the way in which people evaluate probabilities for unique, one-shot events. Two experiments test this hypothesis by varying the number of times a gamble
Pore‐pressure response due to penetration through layered media

SUMMARY A solution is developed for a point dislocation traversing a slab of saturated porous material under prescribed upper and lower hydraulic boundary conditions as an analogue to penetration in a layer of finite thickness. Pressure response is conditioned by geometrical parameters and those of dimensionless penetration rate U,, dimensionless time following penetration initiation t,, and dimensionless time followiiig penetration arrest t6. The extended set of dimensionless parameters controlling the response makes parameter determination problematic and questionably non-unique. Pressure response in the proximity of a lower permeable or impermeable boundary is indistinguishable from the homogeneous case for coefficients of consolidation c in excess of 2 cm2/s. Below this threshold, penetration-generated pore pressures are visibly modified in the presence of a discrete boundary. In situ parameters inferred directly from pressure magnitudes, without due consideration for the influence of layering, may therefore be in considerable error. In the hydraulically visible range, the influence of layering on the generated tip pressures is apparent at a separation of the order of 1.5 cm for standard penetration. Although absolute pressure magnitudes are strongly modified in the presence of boundaries, dissipation rates remain relatively unaffected and are consistent with those recorded in the absence of boundaries. The monitoring of dissipation rates, post-arrest, is suggested as the most reliable and accurate method of extricating parameters, in situ.
Dutch, Swedish, and English Elements in the Development of Pidgin Delaware

This paper investigates the influence of Dutch, Swedish, and English on the syntax of Pidgin Delaware, a contact language used in the Middle Atlantic region in the seventeenth century. Arguments are presented against Thomason's (1980) view that the pidgin predated European contact; instead, the structures of the pidgin are viewed from the perspective of Dutch speakers attempting to learn the Delaware language. The theoretical framework of Van Coetsem 1988 is used to explain which Algonquian features were successfully acquired by the Dutch and where the Dutch imposed features from their native language in the early, formational stage of the pidgin. In addition, subsequent changes in Pidgin Delaware are attributed to its use by Swedish and English speakers.
Imaging of the Parapharyngeal Space

The parapharyngeal space (PPS) is a space in the suprahyoid neck that contains fat and is surrounded by several other spaces defined by the fascial layers of the neck. This article presents the spatial anatomy of the PPS and describes the displacement patterns of the PPS fat that are essential for accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment of pathology arising in this region.
Expression of fractalkine and fractalkine receptor in urinary bladder after cyclophosphamide (CYP)-induced cystitis

Alterations in the expression of the chemokine, fractalkine (CX3CL1), were examined in the urinary bladder after cyclophosphamide (CYP)-induced cystitis of varying duration: acute (4 h or 48 h), or chronic (10 day). CYP-induced cystitis significantly (p<or=0.01) increased fractalkine protein expression in the urinary bladder with acute (48 h) and chronic CYP treatment. Western blot analysis also demonstrated significantly (p<or=0.01) increased fractalkine expression in the whole urinary bladder with acute (1.5-2.2-fold) and chronic (3-fold) CYP-induced cystitis. Immunohistochemistry for fractalkine-immunoreactivity revealed little fractalkine-IR in control or acute (4 h) CYP-treated rat urinary bladders except in a vascular bed but showed no colocalization with nerve fibers in the suburothelial plexus in any experimental group. However, expression was significantly (p<or=0.001) upregulated in the urothelium with 48 h or chronic CYP treatment. Similarly, fractalkine receptor (CX3CR1)-IR was significantly (p<or=0.001) upregulated in the urothelium with 48 h or chronic CYP treatment. These studies demonstrated upregulation of the chemokine, fractalkine, in the urinary bladder and specifically in the urothelium with CYP-induced cystitis. Chemokines, and specifically, fractalkine, may be another class of neuromodulatory agents upregulated in the urinary bladder that can affect micturition function and sensory processing with cystitis and may represent novel, drug targets for cystitis.
Improvement in electricity distribution efficiency to mitigate pollution IEEE ISEE (May 2008)

For electricity distribution companies, power theft is a problem of alarming proportions in developing nations. In addition to causing massive financial losses, it increases the pollution level due to unrestrained usage of free(stolen) power. Current methods to curb theft include the adoption of 11 kV LT distribution, HVDS (high voltage distribution system) employing pole-mounted transformers, etc. We have attempted to provide an economic and flexible method of detecting power theft using pole mounted FM band radio telemetry, which will allow distribution companies to find and fix such problems with greater ease.
MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH INTERMEDIATE-THICKNESS MELANOMA

▪ Abstract It is important to understand the management of patients with melanoma because of a rising incidence of this cancer in the United States. The most important prognostic factor is tumor thickness. Patients with early melanoma (thickness 4.0 mm) have a high risk of metastases and are treated with a wider local excision (2–3 cm). Controversies surrounding the management of patients with intermediate-thickness melanoma (thickness 1–4 mm) center on the issues of local excision and management of regional lymph nodes. Randomized trials have shown that a 2-cm radius of excision will minimize the risk for local recurrence. Although retrospective analyses have indicated a survival advantage for elective regional lymph node dissection, two randomized trials have not shown a benefit for the early removal of lymph nodes. Two more randomized trials are in p...
Partitioning of the Seasonal Simulation of a Monsoon Climate

Abstract The emphasis of this paper is on residue-free budgets of seasonal climate forecasts. It is possible to ask the following question: given a seasonal mean geopotential height simulation from a climate model, what is a breakdown of that contribution from different areas of the model physics and dynamics? In that context, the authors have examined the maintenance of a monsoonal 500-mb ridge, the eastward shift of the Tibetan anticyclone during an El Nin˜o year, and the Pacific-North American pattern. The salient results of this study include a substantial contribution from the advective nonlinear dynamics toward the maintenance (positive or negative) of the seasonal climate.
The role of stratotypes in stratigraphy: Part 2. The debate between Kleinpell and Hedberg, and a proposal for the codification of biochronologic units

Abstract The different functions of stratotypes are illustrated by the writings of H.G. Schenck, R.M. Kleinpell, and H.D. Hedberg. Schenck and Kleinpell advocated the use of exemplary stratotypes and flexible biochronologic units for both the standard global time scale and provincial time scales, while Hedberg urged the use of strict boundary-defining stratotypes and permanent definitions for all time scales. In order to provide a stable common language for all geologists, Hedberg's view has been accepted for the standard global time scale, but remains problematic for provincial biochrons. R.M. Kleinpell's stratigraphic philosophy is representative of many stratigraphers who work with provincial biochrons and who generally opposed Hedberg's recommendations. In agreement with Kleinpell, because these entities are intended to reflect the most obvious and/or “natural” paleobiological changes in a given province in a given fossil group, their boundaries are often fuzzy, are always subject to modification with new evidence, and cannot be defined by golden spikes. Hedberg's restriction of biostratigraphic units to purely empirical entities has left traditional biochronologic/biochronostratigraphic units in limbo. The unit terms age/stage should be assignable to provincial biochronologic/biochronostratigraphic units having geographic names, as long as those names are formalized by the designation of a nominal stratotype or nominal type locality. The definition of “biochron” in the International Stratigraphic Guide is unacceptable because in defining biochronologic units in terms of biostratigraphic units, said definition confuses the concepts of the biochron and parachron, does not take into account the problem of reworking, and fails to consider the often enormous difference between the total time subtended by a biostratigraphic unit and the span of time defined by its analogous biochronologic unit. In order to call attention to and solve these problems, a proposal is made for the codification of biochronologic units.
Light-induced degradation free and high efficiency p-type indium-doped PERC solar cells on Czochralski silicon

In this paper, novel and promising high efficiency light-induced degradation (LID) free indium-doped Cz Si cells are presented. Two different commercial grade and large area B-doped Cz materials were included for comparison. Ion-implanted large area (239 and 242.22 cm2) screen printed full Al-BSF cells as well as passivated emitter rear contact (PERC) cells with oxide passivation and local aluminum back surface field were fabricated. In-doped PERC cells achieved 20.3% efficiency while the B-doped cells gave the efficiencies of 20.7% and 20.5% from low (2 Ω-cm) and high resistivity (6.2 Ω-cm) substrates, respectively. Although the initial efficiency of In-doped PERC cells was slightly lower than B-doped cells, In-doped PERC cells surpassed the low and high resistivity B-doped PERC cells by 0.5% and 0.3%, respectively, in absolute efficiency after 0.8 sun 48-hour illuminations at 37°C.
The development and content validity testing of the Quick-EBP-VIK: A survey instrument measuring nurses' values, knowledge and implementation of evidence-based practice

Objective: A validated survey tool that concisely measures nurses’ values, knowledge and implementation of evidence-based practice (EBP) is needed to develop needs-based curricula for continuing nurse education. Purpose: Develop a succinct measurement instrument, the Quick-EBP-VIK, assessing nurses’ values, implementation and knowledge of EBP, to establish face and content validity. Methods: In Phase I-Review of the existing literature to establish topic domains, developed and refined questions. Phase II established face validity, and Phase III content validity using EBP experts as raters. Results and conclusions: Twenty-five questions met the clarity and relevance criteria with content validity indices of > .80. Questions were critically evaluated by EBP experts from both academic and clinical settings across the country for relevance and clarity and revised when indicated. The use of EBP experts and content validity indices resulted in a final survey instrument, measuring nurses’ values, knowledge and implementation of EBP.
Fast triangle counting through wedge sampling.

Graphs and networks are used to model interactions in a variety of contexts, and there is a growing need to be able to quickly assess the qualities of a graph in order to understand its underlying structure. Some of the most useful metrics are triangle based and give a measure of the connectedness of “friends of friends.” Counting the number of triangles in a graph has, therefore, received considerable attention in recent years. We propose new sampling-based methods for counting the number of triangles or the number of triangles with vertices of specified degree in an undirected graph and for counting the number of each type of directed triangle in a directed graph. The number of samples depends only on the desired relative accuracy and not on the size of the graph. We present extensive numerical results showing that our methods are often much better than the error bounds would suggest. In the undirected case, our method is generally superior to other approximation approaches; in the undirected case, ours is the first approximation method proposed.
Disaffection rising? Generations and the personal consequences of paid work in contemporary Canada

This article highlights the ‘personal consequences’ of contemporary employment relations in Canada, characterized by increasing precarity, shifting gender relations in families and in the workforce...
Effect of Serotonin On Ovulation in the Fowl

Abstract Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) injected 8 hours before the expected time of ovulation effectively blocked ovulation (90%). When serotonin was administered for 10 days, the ovarian weight, number follicles, adrenal weights, and ovulation rate were significantly changed (P ≤ .05). Serotonin or reserpine treatment induced premature oviposition if the egg was in the genital tract. It was suggested from this study that there is stimulation for ovulation at 8 hour before ovulation which can be inhibited by serotonin.