cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cost Analysis of the Addition of Hyperacute Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Selection of Patients for Endovascular Stroke Therapy.

Background and Purpose: Patient selection is important to determine the best candidates for endovascular stroke therapy. In application of a hyperacute magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocol for patient selection, we have shown decreased utilization with improved outcomes. A cost analysis comparing the pre- and post-MRI protocol time periods was performed to determine if the previous findings translated into cost opportunities. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively identified individuals considered for endovascular stroke therapy from January 2008 to August 2012 who were ≤8 h from stroke symptoms onset. Patients prior to April 30, 2010 were selected based on results of the computed tomography/computed tomography angiography alone (pre-hyperacute), whereas patients after April 30, 2010 were selected based on results of MRI (post-hyperacute MRI). Demographic, outcome, and financial information was collected. Log-transformed average daily direct costs were regressed on time period. The regression model included demographic and clinical covariates as potential confounders. Multiple imputation was used to account for missing data. Results: We identified 267 patients in our database (88 patients in pre-hyperacute MRI period, 179 in hyperacute MRI protocol period). Patient length of stay was not significantly different in the hyperacute MRI protocol period as compared to the pre-hyperacute MRI period (10.6 vs. 9.9 days, p < 0.42). The median of average daily direct costs was reduced by 24.5% (95% confidence interval 14.1-33.7%, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Use of the hyperacute MRI protocol translated into reduced costs, in addition to reduced utilization and better outcomes. MRI selection of patients is an effective strategy, both for patients and hospital systems.
Beta particle transport and its impact on betavoltaic battery modeling.

Abstract Simulation of beta particle transport from a Ni-63 radioisotope in silicon using the Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) transport code for monoenergetic beta particle average energy, monoenergetic beta particle maximum energy, and the more precise full beta energy spectrum of Ni-63 were demonstrated. The beta particle penetration depth and the shape of the energy deposition varied significantly for different transport approaches. A penetration depth of 2.25±0.25 µm with a peak in energy deposition was found when using a monoenergetic beta particle average energy and a depth of 14.25±0.25 µm with an exponential decrease in energy deposition was found when using a full beta energy spectrum and a 0° angular variation. For a 90° angular variation, i.e. an isotropic source, the penetration depth was decreased to 12.75±0.25 µm and the backscattering coefficient increased to 0.46 with 30.55% of the beta energy escaping when using a full beta energy spectrum. Similarly, for a 0° angular variation and an isotropic source, an overprediction in the short circuit current and open circuit voltage solved by a simplified drift-diffusion model was observed when compared to experimental results from the literature. A good agreement in the results was found when self-absorption and isotope dilution in the source was considered. The self-absorption effect was 15% for a Ni-63 source with an activity of 0.25 mCi. This effect increased to about 28.5% for a higher source activity of 1 mCi due to an increase in thickness of the Ni-63 source. Source thicknesses of approximately 0.1 µm and 0.4 µm for these Ni-63 activities predicted about 15% and 28.5% self-absorption in the source, respectively, using MCNP simulations with an isotropic source. The modeling assumptions with different beta particle energy inputs, junction depth of the semiconductor, backscattering of beta particles, an isotropic beta source, and self-absorption of the radioisotope have significant impacts in betavoltaic battery design.
A low-power CMOS voltage boosting rectifier for wireless power transfer applications

The area of applications for wireless power transmission is increasing rapidly, so is the need for designing efficient rectifiers to convert an AC voltage signal to a DC voltage to deliver to the load. In a wireless power transfer module, rectifier, being one of the most important components, needs to be designed in an optimized manner to provide high DC output voltage with a high efficiency from a low RF input power. In this paper, a 10-stage rectifier design using Schottky diodes and poly2 over poly capacitors in 0.5 μm standard CMOS process is presented. Simulation results show that the rectifier can convert an RF signal with an input voltage of as low as 100 mV at 7.2 MHz frequency to an output voltage of 160 mVDc. It achieves 1.55 V dc signal for an input ac signal of 200 mV. This performance verifies the integration of the rectifier to the wireless power transfer module that would improve the overall power conversion efficiency.
SIRS-spheres (Y-90 microspheres) therapy for unresectable metastatic liver disease: Pitfalls from tracer preparation for injection to image interpretation

1082 Learning Objectives Ascertain and learn how to avoid: 1. Potential pitfalls during the preparation of Y-90 microspheres for injection. 2. How to effectively deliver the Y-90 microspheres to a determined liver target via intra hepatic arterial injections. 3. How to effectively document/image the Y-90 microspheres after therapeutic administration. 4. Identify potential Bremsstrahlung SPECT imaging artifacts and how to avoid them. SIRS-spheres, Y-90 microspheres, treatment is intended to be an alternate therapy option for patients with unresectable liver metastasis, but without widely metastatic disease, from a wide range of primary carcinomas. It has been found to be a safe and beneficial treatment option for patients with liver metastases. Successful and precise delivery of Y-90 microspheres to the targeted tumor(s) in liver through the appropriate hepatic artery branches will provide high-energy beta radiation therapy by inducing local tumor death, either by direct radiation effect or by cross-firing mechanisms. We will Demonstrate proper delivery of Y-90 microspheres to the effected segment/lobe of the liver via utilization of matched areas of uptake (congruency) in the liver on pre therapy Tc-99m SPECT MAA scan and immediate post therapy Bremsstrahlung SPECT scan and utilizing pre and post therapy cross-sectional scans to demonstrate response to therapy
The Intelligibility Question for Free Will: Agency, Choice and Branching Time

In their important work, Facing the Future (Oxford 2001), Nuel Belnap and his collaborators, Michael Perloff and Ming Xu, say the following (p. 204): “We agree with Kane (1996) that ... the question whether a kind of freedom that requires indeterminism can be made intelligible deserves ... our most serious attention, and indeed we intend that this book contribute to what Kane calls ‘the intelligibility question.”’ I believe their book does contribute significantly to what I have called “the Intelligibility Question” for free will (which as I understand it is the question of how one might make intelligible a free will requiring indeterminism without reducing such a free will to either mere chance or to mystery and how one might reconcile such a free will with a modern scientific understanding of the cosmos and human beings). The theory of agency and choice in branching time that Belnap has pioneered and which is developed in detail in Facing the Future is just what is needed in my view as a logical foundation for an intelligible account of a free will requiring indeterminism, which is usually called libertarian free will. In the first two sections of this article, I explain why I think this to be the case. But the logical framework which Belnap et al. provide, though it is necessary for an intelligible account of an indeterminist or libertarian free will, is nonetheless not sufficient for such an account. In the remaining sections of the article (3–5), I then discuss what further conditions may be needed to fully address “the Intelligibility Question” for free will and I show how I have attempted to meet these further conditions in my own theory of free will, developed over the past four decades.
Micro-injection-mediated hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy.

Over the past decade, significant attention has been devoted to the development of viral vectors (i.e., retrovirus, lentivirus, adeno-associated virus) and conditions capable of transducing hematopoietic stem cells. After several years of disappointing results, recent reports in humans and other primates, most particularly the French report of successful treatment of X-linked severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) [1.], indicate that viral approaches will be successful in treating specific hematopoietic diseases. However, it is clear that alternate non-viral methods of gene delivery and genetic modification offer significant advantages, and may in fact be the only effective approach for treating certain blood diseases. In this review, we focus on glass needle-mediated micro-injection as a method for the delivery of genetic material into blood stem cells, with an emphasis on molecules capable of either compensating gene deletions/mutations or directly repairing gene mutations.
Potentially curative combination of TGF-b1 inhibitor losartan and FOLFIRINOX (FFX) for locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC): R0 resection rates and preliminary survival data from a prospective phase II study.

4116Background: FFX is under study in LAPC for its potential for curative resection, but the downstaging rate remains low. Preclinical data suggest that inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system with losartan reduces TGF-b1 activity, enhancing intratumoral penetration of chemotherapy by remodeling desmoplasia and improving perfusion. This study investigated the R0 resection rate of FFX/losartan in LAPC. Methods: LAPC pts (per NCCN criteria), ECOG PS 0-1 were enrolled in a single institution NCI-sponsored phase II study (NCT01821729). Pts received 8 cycles FFX/losartan. If the tumor was radiographically resectable after chemotherapy, pts received short-course chemoradiation (CRT) in 5 fractions (protons 25 GyE, capecitabine 825 mg/m2 bid). If the tumor still abutted vasculature, pts received CRT to 50.4 Gy with a vascular boost to 58.8 Gy. Primary endpoint was R0 resection rate. Secondary endpoints were mPFS, mOS and circulating biomarkers of losartan activity. Results: 50 pts enrolled from 8/2013 to 7/20...
Allegories of Breeding: Milton’s Queer Disfigurations

In “Allegories of Breeding: Milton’s Queer Disfigurations,” Corey McEleney examines the intimate link between rhetoric and sexuality, arguing that Paradise Lost’s allegory of Sin and Death “provides a glimpse at the queer disfigurations… on which figurative language, both like and as a form of desire, is based.” If allegory is a form of disfigurement, then the breeding of Sin and Death functions as a metafigural moment throwing light on the disfiguring transformations of figural language. Situating his argument within Renaissance humanist debates about rhetoric and rhetorical extravagance as well as recent historicist critiques of queer unhistoricism in early-modern studies, McEleney advocates a queer deconstruction attentive to tenuous and even monstrous links between sexuality and form, underscoring their capacity to unsettle hegemonic systems of signification.
Engineered biomaterials to mitigate growth factor cost in cell biomanufacturing

Abstract Successful commercialization of cell-based therapies depends on technologies and processes that support scalable, reproducible, and economical cell biomanufacturing. Currently, derivation of target therapeutic cell types from primary cells and stem cells often involves lengthy expansion and differentiation processes that use substantial quantities of recombinant growth factors (GFs) and cytokines. Engineered biomaterials that can regulate GF delivery, activity, and signaling offer promise as tools to enable more efficient GF usage in cell culture. This review discusses emerging design strategies for GF-regulating biomaterials and how such materials may be applied to mitigate growth factor cost in cell biomanufacturing.
Cold sintering with dimethyl sulfoxide solutions for metal oxides

Cold sintering of ZnO and MnO with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)-based solutions is demonstrated. For ZnO ceramics, density values approach 99% theoretical when cold-sintered at 180 °C with DMSO-HOAc and DMSO-Zn(OAc)2 solutions. MnO densified with aqueous HOAc solutions produces ceramics of 84% theoretical density that contain significant amounts of Mn(OH)2 secondary phases. In comparison, using DMSO-HOAc solutions produces density values of 94% theoretical at 250 °C with trace quantities of Mn3O4, verified via X-ray diffraction. Scanning electron microscope analysis of sample fracture surfaces containing Mn3O4 reveals numerous crystallites smaller than 100 nm that nucleate on or between the considerably larger starting MnO grains. With increasing temperature, these precipitates appear to coalesce and fill the porosity that remains after initial compaction. These results identify an avenue to cold sinter metal oxides that, in the presence of aqueous media, favor hydroxide formation which inhibits further densification.
Synergistic effects of surfactants and heterogeneous nanoparticles at oil-water interface: Insights from computations

Abstract Hypothesis Nanoparticles (NPs) can reduce the interfacial tension (IFT) of the oil-water system containing surfactants by reducing the interfacial area available to surfactants. The ability to reduce the IFT when surfactants are present in addition to NPs depends on the localization of the NPs on the interface, which is related to the nature of the NPs and the interaction between NPs and surfactant molecules. Experiments Systems of NPs and surfactants on the oil-water interface were studied using dissipative particle dynamics (DPD). Heterogeneous NPs with different properties and interface coverage were placed on the interface with various surfactant concentrations. The IFT and the surfactant density profiles across the interface were analyzed. Findings At constant surfactant concentration, adding NPs reduced the IFT; while with the absence of surfactant, NPs expressed no effect on the IFT. Among different types of heterogeneous NPs, the most effective were those that maximized their footprint on the interface, reducing thus the interfacial area available to surfactants. The interactions of the NPs with the surfactant molecules determined exactly which pattern of heterogeneity was most favorable. Based on these results, suggestions for designing NPs for maximum synergistic effects with surfactants were formulated.
Energy Dissipation in Solids due to Material Inelasticity, Viscous Coupling, and Algorithmic Damping

AbstractPresented is a study on energy dissipation in dynamic inelastic systems due to material inelasticity, viscous damping, and algorithmic damping. Formulation for plastic dissipation is based ...
The significance of ‘severity’

This essay considers whether permitting the cost-effectiveness of healthcare to govern its allocation is ethically objectionable on the grounds that it fails to give sufficient weight to the severity of people's health states. After documenting the popular sentiment that appears to support this criticism, the essay considers how to implement prioritising severity, focusing on Erik Nord's work. The remainder of the essay scrutinises the ethical arguments supporting policies prioritising severity and challenges those who would prioritise severity to define a notion of severity whose prioritisation they can defend.
Uniaxial Deformation and Crazing in Glassy Polymer-Grafted Nanoparticle Ultrathin Films

The deformation behavior of neat, glassy polymer-grafted nanoparticle (PGN) monolayer films is studied using coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations and experiments on polystyrene-grafted sil...
Time Series: Nonstationary Distributions and Unit Roots

A collection of data taken over time is called a time series. Often the goal of time series analysis is to model the correlation structure of the data for the purposes of making correct inferences or forecasting future values of the time series. When a series has constant mean and variance, and the covariance between two observations is a function only of the time separating them, the series is said to be stationary and estimates of the covariance structure have standard distributions in large samples. Many observed series appear not to be stationary in their original levels, but the series of time to time changes does appear stationary. This article discusses formal tests to distinguish nonstationary from stationary series. The tests are based on a theoretical mathematical model and an associated equation called the characteristic equation. The magnitude of the roots (solutions) of this equation determine whether or not the series is stationary with roots of magnitude 1 indicating nonstationarity of the type just described. Hence the tests are often referred to as ‘unit root tests.’
Culturally Inclusive and Contextually Appropriate Instructional Practices: Rethinking Pedagogical Perspectives, Practices, Policies, and Experiences in Early Childhood Education Programs

Many of the popular theories, perspectives, and practices regarding human development that currently guide early childhood education and care programs worldwide are inadequate because they situate ...
3D-Printed Synthetic Vocal Fold Models.

Summary Objective Synthetic vocal fold (VF) models used for studying the physics of voice production are comprised of silicone and fabricated using traditional casting processes. The purpose of this study was to develop and demonstrate a new method of creating synthetic VF models through 3D printing in order to reduce model fabrication time, increase yield, and lay the foundation for future models with more life-like geometric, material, and vibratory properties. Study design Basic science. Methods A 3D printing technique based on embedding a UV-curable liquid silicone into a gel-like medium was selected and refined. Cubes were printed and subjected to tensile testing to characterize their material properties. Self-oscillating VF models were then printed, coated with a thin layer of silicone representing the epithelium, and used in phonation tests to gather onset pressure, frequency, and amplitude data. Results The cubes were found to be anisotropic, exhibiting different modulus values depending on the orientation of the printed layers. The VF models self-oscillated and withstood the strains induced by phonation. Print parameters were found to affect model vibration frequency and onset pressure. Primarily due to the design of the VF models, their onset pressures were higher than what is found in human VFs. However, their frequencies were within a comparable range. Conclusion The results demonstrate the ability to 3D print synthetic, self-oscillating VF models. It is anticipated that this method will be further refined and used in future studies exploring flow-induced vibratory characteristics of phonation.
Influenza Vaccination and COVID19 Mortality in the USA

COVID-19 mortality rate is higher in the elderly and in those with preexisting chronic medical conditions. The elderly also suffer from increased morbidity and mortality from seasonal influenza infection, and thus annual influenza vaccination is recommended for them. In this study, we explore a possible area-level association between influenza vaccination coverage in people aged 65 years and older and the number of deaths from COVID-19. To this end, we used COVID-19 data until June 10, 2020 together with population health data for the United States at the county level. We fit quasi-Poisson regression models using influenza vaccination coverage in the elderly population as the independent variable and the number of deaths from COVID-19 as the outcome variable. We adjusted for a wide array of potential confounding variables using both county-level generalized propensity scores for influenza vaccination rates, as well as direct adjustment. Our results suggest that influenza vaccination coverage in the elderly population is negatively associated with mortality from COVID-19. This finding is robust to using different analysis periods, different thresholds for inclusion of counties, and a variety of methodologies for confounding adjustment. In conclusion, our results suggest a potential protective effect of the influenza vaccine on COVID-19 mortality in the elderly population. The significant public health implications of this possibility point to an urgent need for studying the relationship between influenza vaccination and COVID-19 mortality at the individual level, to investigate both the epidemiology and any underlying biological mechanism.
Airborne Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers for Long-Range Detection

This paper presents an airborne piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (PMUTs) operated at low frequency (40–50 kHz) for long-range detection, where the acoustic absorption loss in air is relatively low (0.8–1 dB/m). The PMUTs made with single-crystal Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) enables a high piezoelectric coefficient ( ${e} _{31, f} \approx ~16$ - 24 C/ $\text{m}^{{2}}$ ), and a low dielectric constant ( $\varepsilon _{\mathrm {r}}~\approx ~308$ ), achieving high PMUT transceiver efficiency. The $2\times 2$ PMUT array achieves a very high sound pressure level (SPL) output of 109.4 dB at 26 cm distance. Different from conventional PZT PMUTs, this study utilized single-crystal PZT with a low permittivity to achieve a good acoustic reception, demonstrating the sensitivity of 2 mV/Pa. This work reports the PMUT design, modeling, fabrication, characterization, enabling a long-range detection of 4.8 meters in a pulse-echo experiment, which was conducted by a pair of $2\times 2$ PMUT arrays with the matched resonances. [2020-0270]
Adhering to Social Distancing Rules Using a "Split Patient" Model With Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice in Pediatric High-Fidelity Simulations

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has required simulation-based medical education to adapt to physical distancing regulations in order to protect learners and facilitators. The "split patient" model allows for physical distancing of learners in pediatric high-fidelity simulations. This model was able to be used with the Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice to teach pediatric residents basic and advanced life support skills and the principles of Crisis Resource Management.
Oblique wing ready for research aircraft

Performance features and possible design configurations for oblique wings which would lower the supersonic drag characteristics of fighter aircraft are described. The oblique shape reduces wave drag in proportion to the wing length, and can achieve reductions by factors of 4-16. Variable sweep would be accompanied by fuel pumping to maintain an acceptable center of gravity and tail loading. The lift forces remain balanced and thus remove fuselage loads considerations. Extra tail loading to handle longitudinal moments of center-of-lift shifts with variable sweep aircraft are also eliminated. However, oblique wings couple the roll, pitch and yaw axes and require digital controls to provide balancing forces. NASA has initiated a four phase design, construction and flight test program to examine the flight envelope of oblique wings on the F-8 aircraft.
Descriptive analysis of kinematics and kinetics of catchers throwing to second base from their knees

In order to decrease the amount of time that it takes the catcher to throw the ball, a catcher may chose to throw from the knees. Upper extremity kinematics may play a significant role in the kinetics about the elbow observed in catchers throwing from the knees. If relationships between kinematics and kinetics exist then the development of training and coaching instruction may help in reduced upper extremity injury risk. Twenty-two baseball and softball catchers (14.36±3.86years; 165.11±17.54cm; 65.67±20.60kg) volunteered. The catchers exhibited a less trunk rotation (5.6±16.2°), greater elbow flexion (87.9±21.4°) and decreased humeral elevation (71.1±12.3°) at the event of maximum shoulder external rotation as compared to what has previously reported in catchers. These variables are important, as they have previously been established as potential injury risk factors in pitchers, however it is not yet clear the role these variables play in catchers' risk of injury. A positive relationship between elbow varus torque during the deceleration phase and elbow flexion at MIR was observed (r=0.609; p=0.003). Throwing from the knees reduces a catcher's ability to utilize the proximal kinetic chain and this may help to explain why their kinematics and kinetics differ from what has previously been presented in the literature.
Government Investment in Manufacturing: Stimulus or Hindrance to Pakistan's Private Sector?

The cornerstone of the government’s adjustment program is to increase the efficiency of private investment and activity by deregulating the economy and promoting competition. The counterpart of this fundamental strategy is the need to increase the effectiveness of the public sector which in Pakistan had become overextended. To this end, public sector resources and management capacity are being redirected and concentrated in those areas in which public sector intervention is required because of market failures or social objectives. The results obtained strongly suggest that the government’s program is supported by strong empirical evidence. There is no question that private investment has been discouraged by the public capital formation in manufacturing. Not only has government investment in this area stifled the private sector, but also it has diverted funds away from productive activities that would most likely have encouraged a follow‐on expansion in private investment.
Technical Assistance Needs and Research Priorities for Small Community Water Systems

Drinking water supplies in the United States are among the safest in the world. This is primarily due to the system of national drinking water regulation and monitoring that began with the passage of the Safe Drinking Water Act in 1974. Currently, approximately 94% of the U.S. population is served by community water systems that meet all existing health-based standards (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2002b). However, the burden of meeting these regulatory demands falls most heavily on the nation’s smallest systems. These systems face numerous community, economic, and environmental challenges in operating and maintaining their systems and meeting regulatory guidelines (Cromwell et al. 1992; National Research Council 1996; Shanaghan 1994). Numerous initiatives have been employed to improve small systems’ viability. Technical assistance programs from non-governmental organizations, funding assistance from state and federal agencies, promotion of regional approaches to water delivery systems, and operator training programs are some of the efforts that have targeted different facets of the small system problem. The most recent amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act (1996) included many provisions that address the needs of small systems. One of these provisions authorized nine Technical Assistance Centers to serve small systems, including the Midwest Technology Assistance Center (Midwest Technology Assistance Center 2003). MTAC’s mission is to “provide small system administrators and operators with the information necessary to make informed decisions on planning, financing, and the selection and implementation of technological solutions to address their needs” (MTAC 2003). As part of its mission, MTAC sponsored a study to establish benchmarks of economic and managerial capacity for small systems (Dziegielewski et al. 2000). This paper reports on that benchmark study; specifically, it reviews (1) the status of drinking water systems in the Midwest and (2) the expressed need of system managers for assistance.
The probabilistic and deterministic parallel complexity of symmetric functions

In this paper we prove lower bounds on the computational complexity of symmetric functions on parallel machines. The parallel models considered are PRIORITY and ARBITRARY, both widely used versions of the Parallel Random Access Machine (PRAM). We first consider PRIORITY. We prove that a PRIORITY PRAM with one shared memory cell and O(n) processors requires Ω(g(n)) time in order to decide if a binary vector of length n has at least g(n) 1's, for the case g(n)=o(n1/4). This is the decision problem for the threshold language Lg. Our lower bound is tight. For PRIORITY with m shared memory cells we prove an Ω(g(n)/m) lower bound. The limitation on the number of processors is essential, since with enough processors Lg can be decided by the same model in O(√g(n)) time. The limitation on g is important: for instance, for g(n)=n/2 Lg can be decided in time O(√g(n)), which is optimal [VW].
On the schedulability of measurement conflict in overlay networks

Network monitoring is essential to the correct and efficient operation of overlay networks, and active measurement is a key design problem in network monitoring. Unfortunately, almost all active probing algorithms ignore the measurement conflict problem: Active measurements conflict with each other - due to the nature of these measurements, the associated overhead, and the network topology - which results in reporting incorrect results. In this paper, we consider the problem of scheduling periodic QoS measurement tasks in overlay networks. We first show that this problem is NP-complete, and then propose a conflict-aware scheduling algorithm whose goal is to maximize the number of measurement tasks that can run concurrently, based on a well known approximation algorithm. Simulation results show that our algorithm achieves 25% better schedulability over the existing algorithm. Finally, we discuss various practical considerations, and identify several interesting research problems in this context.
Thin film resistor and conductor on Duroid/sup /spl reg// soft material

The appearance of the RT/Duroid/sup /spl reg// without copper is not suitable for manufacturing thin film resistor and conductor due to the tissue of the material. Changing the appearance is necessary for thin film purposes. The thin film resistor and conductor are realized on the changed Duroid material by sputtering, photolithography and etching technologies. The properties of the integrated resistors are discussed in detail in this paper. The method is useful to miniaturize and integrate the microwave products.
Beyond the tablet PC: using the tablet PC in a collaborative learning environment

This research focuses on the use of the Tablet PC in education. The research explores the development of the Tablet PC and introduces the Classroom Presenter software. Implementation efforts of both the Tablet PC and the Classroom Presenter software at Coastal Carolina University are explored.
Comparison of platelet-activating factor-induced chemotaxis of normodense and hypodense eosinophils

Abstract Platelet-activating factor (PAF)-induced eosinophil (EOS) migration is an important event in the development of tissue eosinophilia and allergic inflammation. EOSs are heterogeneous cells in that different states of activation have been ascribed to EOSs of varying densities. We therefore studied the ability of PAF to induce hypodense and normodense EOS chemotaxis. Both hypodense and normodense EOSs were isolated in pure form from seven subjects and studied concurrently. Dose-response and time-course experiments indicated no significant differences in PAF-induced hypodense versus normodense EOS chemotactic responses. Hypodense and normodense cells achieved maximal chemotaxis in response to 1 μmol/L of PAF, and maximal chemotaxis was achieved at 2 hours. However, marked differences in PAF-induced EOS chemotactic responses existed between patients. We conclude that PAF is a potent EOS chemoattractant, and despite reported differences in metabolic activity, normodense and hypodense EOSs exhibit similar chemotactic responsiveness to PAF.
Drugs in preclinical and early-stage clinical development for pancreatic cancer

Introduction: Pancreatic cancer (PC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the US and Europe, and the lethality of this cancer is demonstrated by the fact that the annual incidences are approximately equal to the annual deaths. Current therapy for PC is multimodal, involving surgery and chemotherapy. Clinical symptoms are unspecific, and consequently about 85% of patients with PC are diagnosed at advanced tumor stages without any surgical therapy options. Since the therapeutic rates for PC are so dismal, it is essential to review the clinical targets for diagnosis and treatment of this lethal cancer. Areas covered: In this review, we discuss potential treatment options for PC by identifying molecular targets including those involved in cell proliferation, survival, migration, invasion and angiogenesis. Targeting these molecules in combination with surgery could improve the clinical outcome for PC patients. Expert opinion: For a decade, gemcitabine has remained the single first-line chemo...
Analysis of serotonin, dopamine and their metabolites in the caudate putamen, the suprachiasmatic nucleus and the median raphe nucleus of euthermic and torpid deermice, Peromyscus maniculatus

Abstract Deermice, subjected to food rationing and low ambient temperature, were sacrificed in normothermia or during daily torpor. Levels of monoamines and their metabolites in the caudate putamen (CPN), the suprachiasmatic nuclear area (SCN), and the median raphe nucleus (MRN) were quantified through the use of HPLC with electrochemical detection. Significant elevations in levels (pg/mg protein) of the serotonin (5-HT) metabolite, 5-hydroxyindole-3-acectic acid (5-HIAA) were noted in torpid individuals in all nuclei examined. The dopamine (DA) metabolite, homovanillic acid (HVA) was significantly elevated in the CPN and MRN of torpid individuals. Moreover, a significant increase in the HVA to DA ratio was also noted in the CPN and the MRN. In the SCN, the concentrations of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), 5-HT, DA and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) were also increased significantly during torpor. These significant elevations suggest that an increase in the activity of the serotonergic and dopaminergic systems occurs in these nuclei during daily torpor in the deermouse.
A study on the combustion characteristics of PVC, poly(styrene), poly(ethylene), and poly(propylene) particles under high heating rates

Abstract The combustion characteristics of four commonly encountered plastics: poly(styrene), PVC, poly(ethylene) and poly(propylene) were studied under conditions pertinent to incinerators, that is, high heating rates (in the order of 10,000 K/s) and elevated gas temperatures (1200–1500 K). Batches of spherical and monodisperse particles of these plastics were generated in the size range of 53–300 μm. Combustion of single particles, of known size and mass, was conducted in a laminar-flow drop-tube furnace, at controlled atmospheres. The radiation emitted from burning particles was monitored, along their flight path, by simultaneous three-color optical pyrometry and high-speed cinematography. With these techniques the total particle/flame combustion duration, as well as the flame temperature and diameter were measured. Results indicate that polymer particles (plastics) burned expediently with burntimes similar to those of light oil drops such as kerosene, hexadecane, etc. Both PVC and poly(styrene) burned with very luminous yellow flames, which were attributed to high soot loadings. The flame combustion of PVC was the brightest and fastest with steadily decreasing temperature and flame diameter, while that of poly(styrene) occurred mostly at constant flame diameter and mildly decreasing temperature. Combustion of both poly(ethylene) and poly(propylene) was dimmer and somewhat lengthier. Furthermore, in this temperature region, it is argued herein that the combustion of poly(styrene), poly(ethylene), and poly(propylene) occurred concurrently with, and was partially controlled by, pyrolysis reactions. PVC seemed to undergo significant pyrolysis prior to ignition; thereafter, combustion occurred in a premixed-like flame mode and, finally, dimly glowing combustion of the remaining char was observed. An energy balance during the flame combustion period enabled the calculation of the instantaneous burning rate and the average soot loading of the flame. PVC exhibited the highest soot volume fraction in its flame (3 × 10−5), followed by poly(styrene) (3 × 10−6), poly(propylene) (2.5 × 10−6), and poly(ethylene) (1 × 10−6). Moreover, it was observed that the rate of burning was the highest for PVC particles and the lowest for poly(ethylene).
Sol−Gel-Processed SiO2/TiO2/Poly(vinylpyrrolidone) Composite Materials for Optical Waveguides

SiO2/TiO2/poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) composite materials processed by the sol−gel technique were studied for optical waveguide applications. Change of refractive index through the range 1.39−1.65 at 633 nm (optical wavelength) was achieved by varying the ratio between the SiO2 and TiO2 concentrations. To produce low optical propagation loss in the waveguide, it was necessary to avoid the precipitation of TiO2 particles caused by the fast hydrolysis reaction of titanium alkoxide. By using titanium ethylhexoxide as a titanium alkoxide together with acetic acid and 2-propanol as the solvent, the precipitation of TiO2 was avoided in the TiO2 concentration range of up to 30 wt %, resulting in low optical propagation losses in the slab waveguide configuration. In the higher TiO2 concentration range, an additional measure, peptization was necessary. With this method, we could produce optical waveguides possessing optical propagation losses of 0.62 dB/cm or lower at 633 nm. Low optical propagation loss in all t...
A cylindrical‐bubble model for the response of plant‐tissue gas bodies to ultrasound

Many plant tissues contain gas in intercellular channels (gas bodies) which pulsate when insonated at megahertz frequencies, thus causing perturbations in nearby cells. Certain long, narrow gas bodies may be approximated acoustically by cylindrical gas bubbles with added stiffness due to the cell walls bounding the gas. Typical gas bodies in Elodea leaves and Vicia faba roots have four and three walls, respectively, which are about 0.5 μm thick and 6 μm wide. The Young’s modulus of the wall material is estimated to be 1010 dyn/cm2, and the walls are subject to a tensile stress of about 104 dyn/cm. Theoretical expressions for the effective stiffness and mass and the radiation, viscous, and thermal damping constants are obtained for free cylindrical bubbles and gas bodies. A 6‐μm diam cylindrical bubble is expected to be resonant at 0.3 MHz with a total damping constant of 0.33. A four‐walled gas body with 6 μm wide sides is expected to be resonant at 3 MHz, with a total damping constant of 0.48. In a typic...
The impact of multiple operations on the importance of arterial wall cultures

Abstract The present study reviewed arterial culture data from 172 patients undergoing major vascular reconstructions between July 1, 1977, and Dec. 31, 1984. Prosthetic graft infection was documented in 0 of 97 cases (0%) with negative arterial cultures but in six of 75 cases (8%) with positive arterial cultures (χ 2 = 5.84; 0.01 2 = 0.019), whereas the presence of positive arterial cultures was associated with a significant increase in the incidence of graft infection in group II patients (5 of 18 cases vs. 0 of 22 cases; χ 2 = 4.68; 0.025
The present role and future considerations of video-assisted thoracoscopy in general thoracic surgery

Abstract The past 2 years have witnessed the evolution of videoassisted thoracoscopy in the United States. Performance of the procedure has now moved from the university center to the community hospital. It is clear that thoracoscopy is the modality of choice for both the diagnosis and management of pleural disease (except mesothelioma); the identification of undiagnosed peripheral pulmonary nodules; the removal of simple mediastinal cysts; and the performance of wedge biopsy for interstitial lung disease and simple pericardial procedures. Its role in the management of primary lung cancer and esophageal disease remains to be defined. There are four areas that currently need to be addressed as the present role of therapeutic thoracoscopy evolves: (1) instrumentation, (2) economics, (3) a credentialing process, and (4) its application in certain procedures. All of these are addressed in this presentation.
Applying DNA Computation to Error Detection Problem in Rule-Based Systems

As rule-based systems (RBS) technology gains wider acceptance, the need to create and maintain large knowledge bases will assume greater importance. Demonstrating a rule base to be free from error remains one of the obstacles to the adoption of this technology. In the past several years, a vast body of research has been carried out in developing various graphical techniques such as utilizing Petri Nets to analyze structural errors in rule-based systems, which utilize propositional logic. Four typical errors in rule-based systems are redundancy, circularity, incompleteness, and inconsistency. Recently, a DNA-based computing approach to detect these errors has been proposed. That paper presents algorithms which are able to detect structural errors just for special cases. For a rule base, which contains multiple starting nodes and goal nodes, structural errors are not removed correctly by utilizing the algorithms proposed in that paper and algorithms lack generality. In this study algorithms mainly based on Adleman’s operations, which are able to detect structural errors, in any form that they may arise in rule base, are presented. The potential of applying our algorithm is auspicious giving the operational time complexity of O(n*(Max{q, K, z})), in which n is the number of fact clauses; q is the number of rules in the longest inference chain; K is the number of tubes containing antecedents which are comprised of distinct number of starting nodes; and z denotes the maximum number of distinct antecedents comprised of the same number of starting nodes.
Neither Pictorialism nor Documentary Photography: The Camera's Uses and the Struggle for Self-Expression in Industrial Cities, ca.1857–1907

AbstractCan the regional contexts of photography help us better understand the medium's uses and aesthetics? This article shows that while nineteenth-century art photographers in the capitals applied academic theories of painting in their work (a movement called Pictorialism), regional photographers in the industrial cities of Britain and France showed much less interest in Pictorialism, focusing their attention more on an array of local, commercial, and municipal activity. Regional amateurs and commercial photographers began combining formal and candid techniques in the field decades before “documentary photography” found favor among the metropolitan avant-garde. These photographers' creativity in the second half of the century flourished not in the salons or artistic circles, but in the context of town surveys, industrial commissions, and construction projects. Operators such as Augustin Boutique, James Mudd, and Samuel Coulthurst, all scarcely mentioned in the great surveys of nineteenth-century photog...
Activation ofα1-Adrenergic Receptor during Ca2+Pre-conditioning Elicits Strong Protection against Ca2+Overload Injury via Protein Kinase C Signaling Pathway

The objective was to test the hypothesis that transient activation of the alpha1-adrenergic receptor mimics the beneficial effects of Ca2+ preconditioning on the Ca2+ paradox (Ca2+ PD) injury in rat hearts, and that the protection is mediated by protein kinase C (PKC) signaling pathway. Langendorff-perfused rat hearts were subjected to the Ca2+ PD (10 min of Ca2+ depletion followed by 10 min of Ca2+ repletion). The effects of alpha1-adrenergic receptor activation and other interventions on functional, biochemical and pathological changes were assessed. In hearts pretreated with 50 micromol/l phenylephrine, left ventricular end-diastolic pressure and coronary flow were significantly preserved after Ca2+ PD; furthermore, peak loss of lactate dehydrogenase was significantly decreased while ATP was significantly preserved. A remarkable preservation of cell structure was observed in phenylephrine-treated hearts in contrast to non-treated Ca2+ PD hearts. However, pre-conditioning elicited by phenylephrine caused only a mild improvement in left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP) as opposed to its impressive recovery of left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP), heart rate (HR), or coronary flow (CF). The salutary effects of phenylephrine on the Ca2+ PD injury were almost similar to those observed in hearts which underwent Ca2+ pre-conditioning (CPC) or were pretreated with 1-stearoyl-2-arachidonoyl-glycerol (SAG), a potent PKC activator. In phenylephrine pretreated hearts, PKC isoform-alpha was localized in the sarcolemma and nucleus, while PKC-delta and PKC-epsilon were localized in the cell membrane, and intercalated disk respectively. Prazosin, a specific alpha1-adrenergic receptor antagonist completely abolished the beneficial effects of phenylephrine on the Ca2+ PD and blocked translocation of PKC isoforms. In addition, prazosin (1 micromol/l) also reversed salutary effects of CPC. Moreover, the beta-adrenergic antagonist, propranolol, had no effect on the protection provided by phenylephrine against the Ca2+ PD injury. This study suggests that the activation of the alpha1-adrenergic receptor confers protection against the lethal injury of the Ca2+ PD via PKC-mediated signaling pathways. The protection is shared by stimuli common with calcium pre-conditioning.
Diagnosis of occult arrhythmias by Holter electrocardiography

Abstract Holter electrocardiography is of proven clinical value. Practical equipment is now widely available with established methodologies for processing and evaluation of the recorded data. Holter recording is the most satisfactory method for detection of transient symptomatic and asymptomatic arrhythmias and transient conduction abnormalities. It is the method of choice in proving the efficacy of therapy in such cases. It is of considerable value in the assessment of chest pain, transient neurologic symptoms, and of the cardiac role in nocturnal symptoms. It is a valuable clinical adjunct in determining permissible levels of activity in patients with established heart disease. Finally, Holter recording may be the earliest practical method of detecting the coronary prone patient, especially those subject to the risk of sudden death.
The molecular genetics of holoprosencephaly: a model of brain development for the next century

The recent identification of some of the human holoprosencephaly genes is beginning to elucidate the intricate developmental programs that pattern normal and abnormal brain development. Here we present some of these advances in the context of our present understanding and conclude with some speculations regarding the direction for future investigations. We are living in a tremendously exciting time in medicine with the rapid application of molecular genetic approaches to the understanding of human disease. It is the purpose of this review to stress the underlying principals of our approach at a level that can be readily appreciated by colleagues who themselves are experts in brain anatomy but not necessarily the molecular genetics of brain development.