cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Processes controlling sperm—egg fusion

Sperm interaction with the egg envelopes triggers the acrosome reaction. Indeed, sperm-egg fusion is accomplished by the fusion of the acrosomal process (or of the exposed inner acrosomal membrane in mammals) with the egg plasma membrane. Fusion must be preceded by the establishment of molecular contact between the two membranes. It is suggested that, as in the case of artificial phospholipid membranes, the two major obstacles to the establishment of molecular contact are electrostatic repulsion and the hydration barrier. It is argued that morphology of the acrosome is such as to favour the overcoming of such barriers. By analogy with the conditions governing fusion of artificial phospholipid membranes and cell fusion, it is proposed that the following processes play a role in sperm-egg fusion. The large calcium uptake accompanying the acrosome reaction may help fusion either through the known effect of calcium on fusion of phospholipid membranes or by shielding the surface charges of the acrosomal process. Fusogenic proteins at the surface of the acrosomal process are likely to play a role in the fusion of the acrosomal process with the egg plasma membrane. The activation of phospholipases in conjunction with the acrosome reaction may also be instrumental in sperm-egg fusion through the transient production of lysophosphatides. Clearance or translocation of intramembraneous proteins in the egg plasma membrane at the site of contact with the acrosomal process may also be required for fusion. Lastly it is suggested that a translocation or a conformational change of some proteins of the egg plasma membrane, which is required for fusion, may be induced by the depolarization of the egg plasma membrane that follows molecular contact with the acrosomal process.
Cold-Storage Quarantine Treatment for Carambolas Infested with the Caribbean Fruit Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Cold storage at either 1.1° or 5°C was tested as a quarantine treatment method for mature larvae of the Caribbean fruit fly, Anastrepha suspense (Loew), in carambolas, Averrhoa carambola (L.). ‘Arkin’ carambolas were infested in an outdoor fly cage and held at either 1.1°C or 5°C. At 1.1°C, probit 9 mortality was estimated to occur at 13.6 d and at 5°C at 21.1 d. Carambolas cooled rapidly under cold storage (from 24°C to 5°C in approximately 6 h) and tolerated 15 d at 1.1°C with little loss of marketability.
Time-dependent variational principle and the effective action

Abstract The time-dependent variational principle used in derivations of time-dependent Hartree-Fock theory gives a variational definition for the effective action - the generating functional of single particle irreducible n -point functions.
Summer Methane Fluxes and Fall Oxygen Resources of Onondaga Lake

ABSTRACT The sediment release and cycling of CH4 in SO2− 4 – rich hypereutrophic Onondaga Lake, New York, was assessed for the summer/fall interval of 1989 through a program of collection and analysis of ebullitive gas and monitoring of the lake's water column for dissolved CH4. Approximately 1×107 mol of CH4 were released from the lake's sediments, at an average rate of 16 mmol/m2/d, from mid-June to mid-September; two-thirds was dissolved, one-third was in the gas phase. About 75% of the ebullitive release of CH4, or 25% of the total release, was lost from the lake to the atmosphere. Strong temporal variations in ebullitive flux were observed. Oxidation of entrained hypolimnetic accumulations of CH4 contributed importantly to the major depletion of O2 and highly undersaturated conditions observed for the lake's upper layers during the fall mixing period. This water quality problem is a manifestation of the cultural eutrophication of the lake.
Functional asymmetries in the rodent barrel cortex.

Neurophysiological and 2-deoxyglucose (2DG) studies of the rodent whisker barrel cortex have demonstrated asymmetries in its functional organization. To examine the possibility that the activity gradients observed in metabolic studies can be attributed to subtle rostral-caudal and dorsal-ventral asymmetries in electrophysiologically measured surround or cross-whisker inhibition, we compared 2DG results with predictions generated from quantitative single-cell receptive field data. Despite differences in the two experimental approaches, there is remarkable agreement between the findings. (1) The distribution of 2DG activity declines across the barrel cortex of the behaving animal from anteromedial barrels to posterolateral barrels, and is qualitatively and quantitatively similar to the values predicted from neurophysiology. (2) The strength of surround inhibition in barrel neurons predicts the twofold increase in activation of the C3 barrel following acute clipping of adjacent whiskers. And (3) within a cor...
Permanent Stained Preparations of Thick Blood Films

Fixing thick films in alcoholic solution of dye after the usual staining-and-laking procedure preserves the appearance of parasites and blood elements very similar to that of the usual thick films (not fixed) for the diagnosis of malaria and relapsing fever.Procedure recommended: Films are stained and laked for 15 minutes in diluted Giemsa—1 to 3 drops of stock solution (0.4 g. in 60 ml. equal parts absolute methyl alcohol and glycerin) per ml. distilled water; rinsed in water and allowed to dry. They are then immersed in, or flooded with, May-Griinwald's stain (0.5% in absolute methyl alcohol) for 30 seconds, rinsed in water and allowed to dry. Solutions of MacNeal's tetrachrome stain in methyl alcohol and glycerin may be substituted for Giemsa and a solution in methyl alcohol may be substituted for May-Griinwald. With slight modification of the procedure, both thick and thin films on the same slide may be stained together.Films stained and fixed as described, and mounted in Diaphane, have shown no evide...
Suppression of bovine lymphocyte responses to mitogens following in vivo and in vitro treatment with dexamethasone.

Gnotobiotic calves given intramuscular injections of dexamethasone (DM, 0.5 mg kg−1 day−1) showed marked changes in haematological parameters including a neutrophilia and a lymphopaenia. Not only was there a reduction in the numbers of circulating mononuclear cells, but there was also a significant (P<0.01) decrease in the in vitro responsiveness of the remaining circulating peripheral blood lymphocytes to the mitogens, phytohaemagglutinin (PHA), concanavalin A (ConA) and poke-weed mitogen (PWM). Responses to all three mitogens were suppressed to a similar degree. Analysis of the circulating mononuclear cell sub-populations before and during DM treatment demonstrated a selective depletion of B cells; the T lymphocyte sub-population that expresses the gamma/delta form of T cell receptor, are CD2−, CD5+, CD8−, CD4− and constitute a major population in peripheral blood of calves. In vitro studies in gnotobiotic and conventional calves confirmed that DM was highly inhibitory for PHA responses but, in contrast to the in vivo findings, showed little effect of DM on ConA responses. Expression of surface antigens after 72 h in vitro culture in the presence of DM were little affected with the exception of BoCD8 and MHC II, which showed increased and decreased expression, respectively. These observations would suggest that distinct mechanisms are involved in glucocorticosteroid suppression of the responses to these two mitogens.
Geologic Age Versus Major, Minor, and Trace-Element Compositions of West Virginia Coals: ABSTRACT

The abundances of 36 elements in the ashes of 29 column samples representing 15 different West Virginia coals indicate several systematic relations between the geologic age of these coals and the abundance of certain elements within their ashes. Li, Si, Al, Be, Bi, Co, Cu, La, Ni, Ph, Sn, and Va show a definite increase in abundance with increasing geologic age; Bo and Fe show a definite decrease in abundance with increasing geologic age. In addition to the systematic relations, some local variations are evident, such as high concentrations of boron in ashes of Monongahela coals and high concentrations of tungsten in coal ashes from the Allegeheny through Monongahela Groups. This information opens speculation as to the geologic factors responsible for these relations and may be significant in coal utilization. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1581------------
Developmental Neurobiology Implications from Fabrication and Analysis of Hippocampal Neuronal Networks on Patterned Silane-Modified Surfaces

We have determined the parameters necessary to fabricate reproducible neuronal patterns which we are using to begin studying fundamental issues in developmental neurobiology. The addition of a beam homogenizer, as well as a new surface preparation, has enabled the routine production of reproducible, high-resolution (2−20 μm) organosilane patterns. The effects of surface preparation and beam dosage were monitored using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and proof of patterning is provided by high-resolution imaging XPS. We also report the guidance of neuronal adhesion and neurite outgrowth and the creation of reproducibly defined circuits of embryonic (E18−19) rat hippocampal neurons using these patterned surfaces in vitro. We have achieved a >50% rate of pattern formation, and at times the rate approaches 90%. We are using these patterns to address the issue of how geometric pattern cues might be used to affect cell-to-cell communication and we report the preliminary results on the synaptic developmen...
Effect of coherence loss in differential phase contrast imaging

Coherence property of x-rays is critical in the grating-based differential phase contrast (DPC) imaging because it is the physical foundation that makes any form of phase contrast imaging possible. Loss of coherence is an important experimental issue, which results in increased image noise and reduced object contrast in DPC images and DPC cone beam CT (DPC-CBCT) reconstructions. In this study, experimental results are investigated to characterize the visibility loss (a measurement of coherence loss) in several different applications, including different-sized phantom imaging, specimen imaging and small animal imaging. Key measurements include coherence loss (relative intensity changes in the area of interest in phase-stepping images), contrast and noise level in retrieved DPC images, and contrast and noise level in reconstructed DPC-CBCT images. The influence of size and composition of imaged object (uniform object, bones, skin hairs, tissues, and etc) will be quantified. The same investigation is also applied for moire pattern-based DPC-CBCT imaging with the same exposure dose. A theoretical model is established to relate coherence loss, noise level in phase stepping images (or moire images), and the contrast and noise in the retrieved DPC images. Experiment results show that uniform objects lead to a small coherence loss even when the attenuation is higher, while objects with large amount of small structures result in huge coherence loss even when the attenuation is small. The theoretical model predicts the noise level in retrieved DPC images, and it also suggests a minimum dose required for DPC imaging to compensate for coherence loss.
Killing the (coordination) moment: How ambiguity eliminates the restart effect in voluntary contribution mechanism experiments

The restart effect occurs in linear voluntary contribution mechanism (VCM) experiments when there is an upward pulse in contributions to the group account following a stoppage and then restarting of the VCM experiment. Although the restart effect is a well-known empirical regularity little research has been conducted regarding its causes. However, other scholars have noted that some kind of revision takes place during the stoppage that promotes cooperation. This research posits that certain common knowledge about when the stoppage occurs creates a “coordination moment” where group members simultaneously engage in revision and attempt to re-coordinate on a higher contribution level. Following Schelling’s description that such coordination comes from focal points that are both “prominent and conspicuous” I design a VCM experiment that reproduces the standard restart result and then compares those sessions to sessions where the exact pattern of stoppages is unknown. I find that this subtle manipulation of ambiguity (over the when stoppages will happen) eliminates the restart effect.
Concise synthesis of the retinoic acid receptor (RAR) agonist AGN-193836 utilizing a photochemical benzylic oxidation

Abstract A new, concise synthesis of retinoic acid receptor (RAR)-α agonist AGN-193836 (1) is described which employs a photochemical benzylic methyl oxidation with molecular oxygen as the key step (3 → 2). Further this route explores the application of green photochemistry in the synthesis of drug candidates and avoids a number of toxic or highly pyrophoric reagents that had been described in previous syntheses of 1. In addition, the oxidation proved to be higher yielding when compared to potassium permanganate, a metal oxidant typically used for this –CH3 to –CO2H functional group conversion.
A nonlinear atomization model based on a boundary layer instability mechanism

An axisymmetric boundary element method has been used to simulate primary atomization of a liquid jet including the effects of the orifice passage geometry. A ring vortex is placed at the orifice exit plane; its strength and location are uniquely determined by the local boundary layer characteristics at this locale. Using this methodology, nonlinear simulations are performed that include hundreds of individual atomization events. A linear analysis due to Ponstein is used to estimate the number of droplets formed from individual rings of fluid which are pinched from the periphery of the jet. Numerous results have been obtained to assess the effects of fluid parameters and orifice design on droplet sizes and atomization characteristics. Predicted droplet sizes show agreement with some limited experimental data.
Toward Safety for Low-Income Battered Women: Promoting Economic Justice Strategies

Interventions in domestic violence in the last 25 years have been premised on the idea that violence against women is something that can happen to any woman in a patriarchal culture, a reflection of the norms of a sexist society (Raphael, 2002). However, these interventions have failed to account for the overrepresentation of abuse in poor communities (Meier, 1997). In this article, the author (a) reviews the research literature on domestic violence, women's poverty and the intersection of domestic violence and poverty, (b) concludes that current interventions fail to address both poverty and violence, and (c) proposes a subsection for the TANF reauthorization policy that would provide a community development component to include opportunities for low-income women to pursue higher education, vocational training, and nontraditional employment safely.
Quantitation of cord serum IgM and IgA as a screening procedure to detect congenital infection: Results in 5,006 infants

Cord sera were obtained from 5,006 infants. There were 135 sera with IgM values greater than 20 mg. per cent. Of these, 60 per cent probably were due to a placental leak, 13 per cent were in a questionable category, and 27 per cent were considered to be due to production of abnormal amounts of IgM in utero. Although such determinations were of some value in discovering clinically significant, inapparent congenital infections, certain premature and full-term infants with infections recognized in the immediate postnatal period had normal levels of IgM. Long-term follow-up in 27 of the 37 infants with definitely abnormal IgM in their cord serums revealed all of them to be normal.
Objects in Context

In the task of visual object categorization, semantic context can play the very important role of reducing ambiguity in objects' visual appearance. In this work we propose to incorporate semantic object context as a post-processing step into any off-the-shelf object categorization model. Using a conditional random field (CRF) framework, our approach maximizes object label agreement according to contextual relevance. We compare two sources of context: one learned from training data and another queried from Google Sets. The overall performance of the proposed framework is evaluated on the PASCAL and MSRC datasets. Our findings conclude that incorporating context into object categorization greatly improves categorization accuracy.
Non-linear optimization with constraints: A cook-book approach

Based on the stationary co-content theorem in non-linear circuit theory and the penalty function approach in non-linear programming theory, a canonical circuit for simulating general non-linear programming problems with equality and/or inequality constraints has been developed. the task of solving a non-linear optimization problem with constraints reduces to that of finding the solution of the associated canonical circuit using a circuit simulation program, such as SPICE. A catalogue of canonical circuits is given for each class of non-linear programming problem. Using this catalogue, an engineer can solve non-linear optimization problems by a cook-book approach without learning any theory on non-linear programming. Several examples are given which demonstrate how SPICE can be used, without modification, for solving linear programming problems, quadratic programming problems, and polynomial programming problems.
The role of the public sector in tourism destination management from a network relationship approach.

The study aims to determine the suitability of the dyadic approach and the network relationship approach when engaging destination stakeholders and to identify the roles of the public sector within destination management. These study aims are investigated in the context of Mbombela Local Municipality, South Africa. A conceptual framework was developed based on a literature review. Data were then collected through official documents, 55 semistructured interviews with key stakeholders, a local economic summit, forum discussions, and 504 demand- and 403 supply-side questionnaires. The study findings suggest that the network relationship approach was the most suitable approach for the engagement of destination stakeholders. In addition to the roles identified in previous studies, the study findings identified several additional roles that the public sector should fulfill in destination management. Based on the study findings, a new conceptual framework for the role of the public sector in destination management has been proposed. By utilizing the conceptual framework developed in this study, destinations can engage their stakeholders more effectively and increase the attractiveness of their destinations. This is one of a few studies from Africa providing empirical findings on destination management and the role of the public sector within destination management.
Association of Anti-F(ab′)2 Antibodies (Pepsin Agglutinators) with Immune Complexes as Determined by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays

A solid-phase assay for the detection of anti-F(ab′)2 antibodies is described. Wells of microtiter plates are coated with F(ab′)2, dilutions of sera are added, and IgG bound to t
Extension of myocardial necrosis into normal epicardium following hypotension during experimental coronary occlusion

In an effort to determine the manner in which hypotension following experimental coronary occlusion affects myocardial infarct size, the left anterior descending coronary artery was occluded in 22 barbiturate anaesthetised dogs, the chest was closed, and the dogs allowed to recover. Thirty minutes following coronary occlusion, seven dogs were haemorrhaged to a mean arterial pressure of 8.2 ± 0.3 kPa (62±2 mmHg) and maintained at this pressure; no intervention was undertaken in control dogs. Twenty-four hours after coronary occlusion infarct size in control and hypotensive animals was determined. The hypotensive group developed larger percentages of necrosis of the left ventricles distal to the site of occlusion than did the control dogs (37.8 ± 2.3 vs 30.4 ± 1.4 (P<0.01)). Although the percentage of infarcted endocardium did not change significantly, the infarction of epicardium was 45% larger in the hypotensive group (34.4 ± 3.3 % vs 23.7 ± 1.9%, P < 0.01). Regional myocardial blood flow (RMBF) was determined by means of radioactive microspheres in 5 dogs following coronary occlusion before and after hypotension. RMBF following haemorrhage fell by an equal proportion, 61.9 ± 3.3% in normal tissue and 61.2 ± 2.4% in ischaemic zones. In conclusion, hypotension caused infarct extension into the epicardium, ie, into tissue that does not become necrotic under control conditions.
Characteristic forms of generalized conjunction/disjunction

In this paper we investigate seven special cases and nine characteristic forms of generalized conjunction/disjunction. They include the concepts of hard and soft partial conjunction and hard and soft partial disjunction, and their combinations. We analyze the threshold values of andness and orness that define the border between the hard and soft partial conjunction and partial disjunction. In addition, we propose new forms of aggregators that have adjustable values of andness and orness thresholds.
Democratic Instability: Democratic Consolidation, National Identity, and Security Dynamics in East Asia

Cho, Il Hyun. (2011) Democratic Instability: Democratic Consolidation, National Identity, and Security Dynamics in East Asia. Foreign Policy Analysis, doi: 10.1111/j.1743-8594.2011.00154.x During his tenure, President George W. Bush touted the East Asian democratic experience as a positive model for democratization in the Middle East. Contrary to the premise of democracy leading to regional stability, however, East Asian democracies in the past decade have often become a source of regional instability. Based on a comparative analysis of political developments in Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea, this paper explores the foreign policy behavior of East Asian democracies and assesses the overall impact on regional security dynamics. Specifically, I argue that incomplete democratic consolidation, combined with the political salience of national identity, sparked a process of acute intergroup competition among domestic political actors. As a result, the foreign policy orientation of the three East Asian democracies became belligerent, thereby unnecessarily increasing regional tensions.
Cost Analysis of Candida Infection among Surgical Intensive Care Unit Patients

The purpose of this study was to identify all hospital costs associated with surgical intensive care unit (SICU) patients who were at risk from or had documented systemic Candida infection. All patients admitted or transferred to the SICU in February 1993 were eligible. Of the 117 patients evaluated, many had recognised risk factors for systemic Candida infection, but based on eventual outcome, only 20 (17% of those admitted) were evaluated as high risk, i.e. those in the SICU ≥ 4 days on broad spectrum antibacterials with continued fever, hypothermia, or use of corticosteroids. When comparing the high risk group with a lower risk group, the increase in cost of hospital care was approximately $US41 000 per patient. Future clinical studies should evaluate if empirical antifungal agents can impact on the morbidity, mortality and economic burden incurred by Candida infection in high risk SICU patients.
Considerations in Fluids and Electrolytes After Traumatic Brain Injury

Appropriate fluid management of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) presents a challenge for many clinicians. Many of these patients may receive osmotic diuretics for the treatment of increased intracranial pressure or develop sodium disturbances, which act to alter fluid balance. However, establishment of fluid balance is extremely important for improving patient outcomes after neurologic injury. The use of hyperosmolar fluids, such as hypertonic saline, has gained significant interest because they are devoid of dehydrating properties and may have other beneficial properties for patients with TBI. Electrolyte derangements are also common after neurologic injury, with many having neurologic manifestations. In addition, the role of electrolyte abnormalities in the secondary neurologic injury cascade is being delineated and may offer a potential future therapeutic intervention.
Discriminating risk and resilience endophenotypes from lifetime illness effects in familial major depressive disorder.

Importance The neural systems that confer risk or vulnerability for developing familial depression, and those that protect against or confer resilience to becoming ill, can be disentangled from the effects of prior illness by comparing brain imaging measures in previously ill and never ill persons who have either a high or low familial risk for depression. Objective To distinguish risk and resilience endophenotypes for major depression from the effects of prior lifetime illness. Design, Setting, and Participants We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure and compare brain function during performance of an attentional, self-regulatory task across a large sample of multigenerational families ascertained specifically to be at either high or low risk for developing major depression. Study procedures were performed in a university setting. A total of 143 community participants were followed up prospectively for more than 20 years in a university setting. The sample was enriched with persons who were at higher or lower familial risk for developing depression based on being biological offspring of either a clinical sample of persons with major depression or a community control sample of persons with no discernible lifetime illness. Main Outcomes and Measures Task-related change in blood oxygen level–dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging signal. Results A risk endophenotype included greater activation of cortical attention circuits. A resilience endophenotype included greater activation of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. The effects of prior lifetime illness were common to both risk groups and included greater deactivation of default-mode circuits. Conclusions and Relevance These findings identify neural systems that increase risk for depression, those that protect from illness, and those that endure following illness onset, and they suggest circuits to target for developing novel preventive and therapeutic interventions.
Performance of a process flowsheeting system on a supercomputer

Abstract A sequential modular flowsheet simulator, FLOWTRAIN, was installed on the Cray XMP/24 supercomputer with minimal code modifications. Comparisons of performance for the flowsheet simulator were made between the supercomputer and a conventional mainframe computer, the IBM 4341-2. Test cases ran between 3.5 and 26 times faster on the supercomputer. These speedup numbers, although significant, are much less than speedups predicted based on peak computation rates. To achieve the potential performance improvements supercomputers offer, code changes would be required to take advantage of supercomputer architecture. bl
Concept, Strategies, and Feasibility of Noninvasive Insulin Delivery

OBJECTIVE —To comprehensively review the progress to date on the development of alternative routes for insulin delivery. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS —Study data were collected through a Medline review. RESULTS —Proof of principle has been established for many routes of administration including dermal, nasal, oral, buccal, and pulmonary insulin delivery. CONCLUSIONS —Of all the approaches to date, pulmonary delivery appears to be most feasible. Ongoing phase III studies will ultimately determine safety, tolerability, and efficacy before approval for clinical use.
Serum antinuclear antibodies in progressive systemic sclerosis (scleroderma)

Sera from 47 patients with PSS were studied for the presence of antinuclear antibodies. Antinuclear antibodies were present in 60 per cent of the sera in a titer of1:16 or greater. In most cases the titer was low, but a titer of1:256 or greater was present in sera from 6 patients. The pattern of nuclear fluorescence was most commonly that of fine or large speckles. Most sera contained both IgC and IgM antinuclear antibodies. There was no relation between duration of disease or severity of disease and the presence of antinuclear antibodies. Similarly, no correlation could be demonstrated between clinical findings and the immunoglobulin class, titer, or staining pattern of antinuclear antibody. The prevalence of high tilers of antinuclear antibodies was greater in patients with hypergammaglobulinemia than in those with normal levels of gamma globulin. Rheumatoid factor was present in 33 per cent of sera. Patients with high liters of rheumatoid factor tended to have high tilers of antinuclear antibodies. Antinuclear antibodies were found in low titer in 7 per cent of blood relatives less than 60 years of age. The number of sera with antinuclear antibodies was slightly higher in the non-aged relatives of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (11 per cent), while the prevalence in relatives of patients with chronic discoid lupus (2 per cent) was similar to that of a group of healthy student nurses. The results reveal that antinuclear antibodies of a speckled pattern are commonly present in sera from patients with FSS and appear to be unrelated to the duration or severity of the disease. The peripheral pattern of nuclear fluorescence produced by sera from acutely ill patients with systemic lupus erythematosus was not observed with any of the sera of patients with PSS. These obs 3 ervations emphasize the fact that the presence of antinuclear antibodies in general is not diagnostic of any one disease, and indicate that the pattern of nuclear fluorescence produced by the antinuclear antibodies may aid in confirmation of clinical diagnosis.
Optimization of diffractive MEMS for optical switching

Diffractive Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (D-MEMS) have enjoyed increased attention in the fields of communication, spectroscopy, projection display, and maskless lithography. Redirecting an optical signal into predefined angles, precisely balancing this optical signal, inherent wavelength filtering capability and high switching speed are some of the advantages over other optical MEMS. D-MEMS based on customized IC fabrication processes are being used to assemble system-level architectures for integration into mainstream circuitry. The goal of this work is to improve the optical performance while minimizing the power consumption and operational voltage. Operational characteristics of new D-MEMS have achieved a reduction of the optical switching voltage to 2V at a 6.5V bias. Structural modifications through variation in ruling/top-electrode width and spacing have been studied. An alternative structural material, polyimide, is being optimized for further decreasing the operating voltage of the D-MEMS dev...
Conditionalization and Belief De Se

Colin Howson (1995) offers a counter-example to the rule of conditionalization. I will argue that the counter-example doesn't hit its target. The problem is that Howson mis-describes the total evidence the agent has. In particular, Howson overlooks how the restriction that the agent learn ‘E and nothing else’ interacts with the de se evidence ‘I have learnt E’.
A Review of: “The Trauma Spectrum: Hidden Wounds and Human Resilience”

In “Trauma Spectrum,” Dr. Robert Scaer, a neurologist specializing in rehabilitation following motor vehicle accidents, develops a controversial theory of causation for a range of physical illnesse...
Olfactory detection of a complex versus a simple substance in advanced age

Thresholds for lavandin oil (highly complex substance) and n-butanol (single compound) averaged higher in subjects over 70 years than in controls under 30, by comparable amounts and with about the same variability.
A self calibrating quadrature generator with wide frequency range

A quadrature local oscillator generator that produces 0/spl deg/ and 90/spl deg/ amplitude matched signals over a wide frequency range was fabricated using a high performance bipolar technology. This circuit employs a unique phase shifting circuit combined with an improved high frequency phase detector to produce quadrature outputs. RC based circuits, which have typically been used to generate high frequency quadrature signals, can operate only over a narrow frequency range. Other quadrature generation methods such as frequency dividers, use a reference LO frequency at least twice that of the desired quadrature signal and require a duty cycle adjustment circuit which has bandwidth limitations. The circuit described in this paper operates over a frequency range of 400 MHz through 700 MHz with low amplitude and phase imbalance.
Conduits for Coronary Bypass: Internal Thoracic Artery

This second report in the series on coronary artery bypass presents the authors experience and personal views on the internal thoracic artery (ITA) which date to 1966. There has been a very gradual evolution in the acceptance of this conduit which was initially compared with the saphenous vein and viewed as an improbable alternative to it. As is common with concepts and techniques which are 'outside the box' there was skepticism and criticism of this new conduit which was more difficult and time consuming to harvest for the surgeon who had to do it all. It was viewed as small, fragile, spastic and its flow capacity was questioned. Only a few surgeons employed it because of these issues and some of them would frequently graft it to the diagonal artery as it was thought not to supply adequate flow for the left anterior descending unless it was small. After a decade, angiographic data revealed superior patency to vein grafts. Even this evidence and survival benefit reported a few years later did not convince many surgeons that their concerns about limitations justified its use. Thus widespread adaption of the ITA as the conduit of choice for the anterior descending required another decade and bilateral use is only now expanding to more than 5% of patients in the US and somewhat faster in other countries.
Realizing Privacy-Preserving Features in Hippocratic Databases

Presenting privacy has become a crucial requirement for operating a business that manages personal data. Hippocratic databases have been proposed to answer this requirement through a database design that includes responsibility for the privacy of data as a founding tenet. We identify, study, and implement several privacy-preserving features that extend the previous work on Limiting Disclosure in Hippocratic databases. These features include the support of multiple policy versions, retention time, generalization hierarchies, and multiple SQL operations. The proposed features facilitate in making Hippocratic databases one step closer to fitting real-world scenarios. We present the design and implementation guidelines of each of the proposed features. The evaluation of the effect in performance shows that the cost of these extensions is small and scales well to large databases.
On Compact Formulation of Constraints Induced by Disjoint Prohibited-Zones

The constraints induced by prohibited-zones (PZs) were traditionally formulated as multiple disjoint regions. This letter proposes a compact formulation that simplifies the representation of economic load dispatch (ELD) models and expedites the algorithm implementation. This type of conversion would play a pivotal role to invoke representative optimization procedures in engineering software packages.
Africa In An Age Of Globalization

The global markets continue to grow in developing countries. Global markets have created new businesses and provided opportunities for global employers and individuals in developing countries. Through globalization of economies, jobs have been created which reduce unemployment rates. However, economic growth rates in Africa have been lagged behind other developing countries. This paper examines the importance of global business to Africa. Also, this study explores how African countries can strengthen their macroeconomic policies and structural reforms in order to achieve globalization of their economies. In addition, this study evaluates the current state and future direction of globalization in Africa.
"She's a Natural": Identifying and Developing Athletic Talent

Similarities between the identification and development of athletic talent and that of gifted children are rarely compared. Interestingly, however, they share analogous processes. The purpose of this review is to investigate the progress of research regarding athletic talent identification and development, including current issues, and provide suggestions for future research. Key roadblocks to the identification of athletic talent include attempting to identify talent at an early age, use of flawed athletic talent identification models, and lack of education of coaches, parents, and teachers regarding how to properly identify athletic talent.
Independent Identically Distributed Summands

This chapter is devoted to study in some depth of consecutive sums S1, S2, .... of sequences of independent identically distributed sum-mands X1, X2,... with common law ℒ(X); we shorten “independent identically distributed” to iid. As usual, methods are emphasized. Methods and results took their definitive form in the third quarter of this century.
Multiple Translations in Bilingual Memory: Processing Differences Across Concrete, Abstract, and Emotion Words

Historically, the manner in which translation ambiguity and emotional content are represented in bilingual memory have often been ignored in many theoretical and empirical investigations, resulting in these linguistic factors related to bilingualism being absent from even the most promising models of bilingual memory representation. However, in recent years it was reported that the number of translations a word has across languages influences the speed with which bilinguals translate concrete and abstract words from one language into another (Tokowicz and Kroll in Lang Cogn Process 22:727-779, 2007). The current work examines how the number of translations that characterize a word influences bilingual lexical organization and the processing of concrete, abstract, and emotional stimuli. In Experiment 1, Spanish-English bilinguals translated concrete and abstract words with one and more than one translation. As reported by Tokowicz and Kroll, concreteness effects emerged only when words had more than one translation across languages. In Experiment 2, bilinguals translated emotion words with more than one translation. Concreteness effects emerged in both language directions for words with more than one translation, and in the L1-L2 language direction for words with a single translation across languages. These findings are discussed in terms of how multiple translations, specifically for emotion words, might be incorporated into current models of bilingual memory representation.
Patient attendance at a UK dental hospital emergency clinic

A questionnaire survey was performed within a dental emergency clinic at a London teaching hospital to determine patients' reasons for attendance and satisfaction with their care. Questionnaires were distributed to all patients registering for the dental emergency clinic over a four week period. A total of 1,058 questionnaires were returned, with an average satisfaction score of 9.3/10. The majority of patients (58%) reported symptomatic dental attendance. Common reasons for irregular attendance were lack of perceived 'need' for care and concerns about cost of care. Patients with irregular attendance were significantly more likely to report their past dental care had been affected by cost than regular attenders. Fifty-one percent of all respondents had tried to make an appointment with a dentist prior to attending the emergency clinic, and 21% of patients with a GDP reporting difficulty accessing urgent care at their practice. Forty-nine percent of patients attending the emergency clinic were referred to oral surgery clinics. Overall, this survey revealed high levels of satisfaction with care in this dental emergency clinic. Patients' reasons for attendance at the clinic can be considered in terms of 'push' and 'pull' factors, deterring them from primary dental care and drawing them into secondary/tertiary care environments.
The Interplay of Mortality, Economics, and Female Empowerment in Fertility Transformations A Fixed Effects Analysis Across 40 Years and 167 Countries

Theoretical explanations for fertility transformations, such as the demographic transition, have primarily emphasized one of three influences: (a) decreasing mortality rates, (b) economic development, and (c) the transmission of female empowerment norms. Empirical tests suggest that the relative contribution of these factors on predicting fertility varies across populations and time periods. Identification of the factors underlying this variation will ultimately be aided by the pooling of cross-national and time-series data. To this end, the current study combines data from 167 countries across a 40-year time period (i.e., 1970-2010). A fixed effects model is specified to examine how the three factors predict within-country variability in adolescent and total fertility rates. Results indicate that all three variables are associated with fertility patterns in theoretically consistent ways, although the association is often non-linear. In addition, the level of association between economic development and f...
Adherence to the 2013 Blood Cholesterol Guidelines in Patients With Diabetes at a PCMH: Comparison of Physician Only and Combination Physician/Pharmacist Visits.

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to assess adherence to the 2013 blood cholesterol guideline in a population with diabetes based on the atherosclerotic cardiovascular (ASCVD) risk.MethodsPatients with diabetes were assessed to see whether they received the appropriate intensity statin therapy via chart review. Patients seen by a physician or pharmacist at CommUnityCare, a PCMH, from December 2013 to October 2014 were included in this retrospective study. The ASCVD risks were calculated to determine if the patients received appropriate intensity statin.ResultsA total of 583 patients met the inclusion criteria; there were 475 in the physician only group and 108 with additional pharmacist visits. Statin therapy was prescribed in 71% of patients in the physician group and 88% of patients in the pharmacist/physician group. The appropriate intensity statin was prescribed in 32% of patients in the physician group and 35% of patients in the pharmacist/physician group. The appropriate intensity statin in statin...
Microstructural and Photoluminescence Studies on Europium Doped Yttrium Oxide Films Synthesized by Metallorganic Vapor Deposition

The microstructural and luminescence properties of europium doped yttrium oxide (Y2O3:Eu) thin films deposited by metallorganic chemical vapor deposition are presented in this work. It was found that surface morphology, crystallinity and photoluminescent emission properties are strongly dependent on substrate temperature during deposition. The depositions were carried out in a stainless steel chamber using yttrium and europium 2,2,6,6,-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionates as volatile precursors and O2 as the reactant gas. Post-annealing increased the crystallite size and decreased the lattice parameter, resulting in an increased photoluminescent emission intensity.
Mechanism by which cAMP activates PI3-kinase and increases bile acid secretion in WIF-B9 cells.

Previous studies in rat bile canalicular membrane vesicles and WIF-B9 cells revealed that cAMP-induced trafficking of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters to the canalicular membrane and their a...
Improving the scalability of formal human---automation interaction verification analyses that use task-analytic models

The enhanced operator function model with communications (EOFMCs) is a task-analytic modeling formalism used for including human behavior in formal models of larger systems. This allows the contribution of human behavior to the safety of the system to be evaluated with model checking. The previous method for translating the EOFMCs into model checker input language was conceptually straightforward, but extremely statespace inefficient. This limited the applications that could be formally verified using EOFMC. In this paper, we present an alternative approach for formally representing EOFMCs that substantially decreases the model's statespace size and verification time. This paper motivates this effort, describes how the improvement was achieved, presents benchmarks demonstrating the improvements in statespace size and verification time, discusses the implications of these results, and outlines directions for future improvement.
133 A DERMATOLOGIC MANIFESTATION OF MUCORMYCOSIS IN A PEDIATRIC PATIENT WITH ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKEMIA.

We describe a patient with invasive necrotizing cutaneous mucormycosis caused by Rhizopus. The patient is a 15-year-old female diagnosed with high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), on chemotherapy for 1 year. She presented with a small painless erythematous papule of the lower extremity. She was started on voriconizole, and the small erythematous papule progressed to large necrotic lesion with surrounding erythema and tenderness. Debridement was performed, and microscopic examination and culture revealed mucormycosis. The patient was immediately started on amphotericin B, and after 8 weeks of therapy, all subsequent fungal cultures were negative. She continued with chemotherapy with resulting intermittent neutropenia. Six months after debridement and antifungal therapy, she had persistent poor wound healing with intermittent and superinfection with Pseudomonas. Appropriate antibiotic therapy was started without delay, and following count recovery, a second debridement and skin grafting were performed by plastic surgery. Following the second debridement and skin grafting, she had a complete recovery. Clinicians should have a very high index of suspicion that patients with leukemia, or other immunocompromised states, presenting with cutaneous lesions may have cutaneous manifestations of mucormycosis. These patients should be evaluated promptly with tissue biopsy, aggressive debridement, appropriate cultures, and empiric therapy with amphotericin B without delay. Isolated fungal soft tissue infections are uncommon but may result in significant morbidity and mortality in the immunocompromised patient. A second debridement with skin grafting by a skilled plastic surgeon should be highly considered in this patient population.
Translation of Contextual Control Model to chronic disease management: A paradigm to guide design of cognitive support systems

Abstract Background Electronic health records (EHRs) continue to be criticized for providing poor cognitive support. Defining cognitive support has lacked theoretical foundation. We developed a measurement model of cognitive support based on the Contextual Control Model (COCOM), which describes control characteristics of an “orderly” joint system and proposes 4 levels of control: scrambled, opportunistic, tactical, and strategic. Methods 35 clinicians (5 centers) were interviewed pre and post outpatient clinical visits and audiotaped during the visit. Behaviors pertaining to hypertension management were systematically mapped to the COCOM control characteristics of: (1) time horizon, (2) uncertainty assessment, (3) consideration of multiple goals, (4) causal model described, and (5) explicitness of plan. Each encounter was classified for overall mode of control. Visits with deviation versus no deviation from hypertension goals were compared. Results Reviewer agreement was high. Control characteristics differed significantly between deviation groups (Wilcox rank sum p Conclusion The COCOM control characteristics appear to be areas of potential yield for improved user-experience design.