cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Meperidine Neurotoxicity After Organ Transplantation

Meperidine neurotoxicity, characterized by recurrent convulsions, myoclonus, and asterixis, was diagnosed in an organ transplant recipient. Aside from cyclosporine toxicity, the literature regarding neurologic complications of transplantation contains limited reference to the neurotoxicity of therapy. The case reported illustrates how pharmacokinetic factors might render transplant patients particularly vulnerable to the neurotoxic side effects of certain medications, such as meperidine.
Self-Esteem and Drug Abuse

Theories of drug abuse can be categorized according to the disciplines of each individual theorist. While each one of these perspectives sheds a certain amount of light on the process of drug abuse, none of them alone describes the process precisely enough to provide a framework for making predictions about individual behavior.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL SYSTEMS FOR POST-MARKETING SURVEILLANCE

This session will address the following questions: 1. Are national/international systems adequate? 2. What are the limits to these spontaneous reporting systems? 3. Could spontaneous reports alone account for a post-marketing surveillance system? If not, what else is needed? 4. What are the techniques for harmonizing post-marketing surveillance efforts at an international level?
Mini-aortic valve replacements are not associated with an increased incidence of patient–prosthesis mismatch: a propensity-scored analysis

We sought to determine whether an AVR performed though a partial upper hemisternotomy (“mini-AVR”) resulted in a greater incidence of patient–prosthesis mismatch (PPM) than those through a full median sternotomy (“AVR”). Patients undergoing isolated aortic valve replacement from 2008 to 2013 were identified. Moderate PPM was defined as an in vivo effective orifice area ≤0.85 cm2/m2 body surface area; severe PPM was defined as ≤0.65 cm2/m2. A propensity score-matched analysis was utilized to compare the incidence of PPM between these groups. Of the 630 patients undergoing aortic valve surgery, 90 (14.3 %) received mini-AVRs and 540 (85.7 %) received regular AVRs. After propensity matching, we established two cohorts of 85 patients receiving each procedure. Both cohorts were similar with regard to all preoperative covariates including mean age (65.5 vs. 65.1, p = 0.85), diabetes (17.7 vs. 22.4 %), mean BMI (28.3 vs. 28.6, p = 0.73), mean EF (56.9 vs. 55.6, p = 0.43), proportion of patients with aortic stenosis (70.6 vs. 71.8 %, p = 1.00), preoperative valve area (0.88 vs. 0.93 cm2, p = 0.67), and proportion who received a bioprosthesis (85.9 vs. 83.5 %, p = 0.59). Postoperatively, 27.4 % of mini-AVRs and 26.8 % of AVRs had moderate PPM (p = 0.93); 2.4 and 1.2 % had severe PPM (p = 0.66). Kaplan–Meier analysis also failed to reveal a difference in 1-year survival between mini and regular AVRs (93.7 vs. 90.5 %, p = 0.49). After propensity matching, mini-AVRs are not associated with a greater incidence of PPM than regular AVRs. Severe PPM was rare across both procedure types in this surgical series.
The impact of trade liberalisation on the dynamics of the real exchange rate in Algeria

This paper reviews the impact of trade liberalisation on dynamic of real exchange rate. This is investigated while applying cointegration analysis with use of VAR and error correction models. Unlike the previous studies, the results of this paper show that liberalisation of trade in Algeria could lead to real appreciation of the real exchange rate, hampering economic diversification efforts of the economy.
Photochlorination of organics by aqueous Cl− codissolved with anionic NO x Emphasis>/−

Earlier research, on the photoreactivity of some organics with aqueous NO − extended to systems comprising codissolved chlorides. It is found that concentrations of NO3 − bear a determining role on the transfer of Cl from the aqueous into the organic phase and that rates of this transfer also depend on Cl− concentration as well as on the intensity of UV light. A simple overall mechanism is postulated for the process studied in the laboratory and the experimentation is thereafter extended to conditions of sunlight illumination where the reaction is found to occur along similar lines but with larger quantum yields.
Turnover and Equilibria in Insular Avifaunas, with Special Reference to the California Channel Islands

According to current biogeographical theory, the number of species comprising an insular biota is the result of a dynamic interaction between extinction and immigration rates. These rates, in turn, are thought to depend primarily on island size and distance from sources of potential colonists (MacArthur and Wilson 1963, 1967). This equilibrium model has been tested in a number of ways, including studies of recolonization of Krakatau, an island whose entire biota was destroyed by a natural catastrophe (MacArthur and Wilson 1967, after Dammerman 1948; Docters van Leeuwen 1936), tallies of the species of terrestrial arthropods present on tiny mangrove islands before and after intentional defaunation (Simberloff 1969; Simberloff and Wilson 1969, 1970; Wilson and Simberloff 1969), and through comparisons of the results of repeated surveys of insular avifaunas (Diamond 1969, 1971; Hunt and Hunt 1974; Terborgh and Faaborg 1973). It is understandable that ornithology should play an important role in the maturation of this body of theory, as it has in other areas of evolutionary biology. Compared with most other kinds of organisms, birds are relatively easy to observe and are well known taxonomically and biologically. Moreover, birds have been studied over a sufficient period in some regions so that it is possible to compare recent surveys with others going back 50 years or
Direct Visual Odometry using Bit-Planes

Feature descriptors, such as SIFT and ORB, are well-known for their robustness to illumination changes, which has made them popular for feature-based VSLAM\@. However, in degraded imaging conditions such as low light, low texture, blur and specular reflections, feature extraction is often unreliable. In contrast, direct VSLAM methods which estimate the camera pose by minimizing the photometric error using raw pixel intensities are often more robust to low textured environments and blur. Nonetheless, at the core of direct VSLAM is the reliance on a consistent photometric appearance across images, otherwise known as the brightness constancy assumption. Unfortunately, brightness constancy seldom holds in real world applications. In this work, we overcome brightness constancy by incorporating feature descriptors into a direct visual odometry framework. This combination results in an efficient algorithm that combines the strength of both feature-based algorithms and direct methods. Namely, we achieve robustness to arbitrary photometric variations while operating in low-textured and poorly lit environments. Our approach utilizes an efficient binary descriptor, which we call Bit-Planes, and show how it can be used in the gradient-based optimization required by direct methods. Moreover, we show that the squared Euclidean distance between Bit-Planes is equivalent to the Hamming distance. Hence, the descriptor may be used in least squares optimization without sacrificing its photometric invariance. Finally, we present empirical results that demonstrate the robustness of the approach in poorly lit underground environments.
The hospitalized patient as a partner in the survey on safe care in the Czech Republic.

OBJECTIVES The study examined the extent to which patients in the Czech Republic are involved in decisions regarding their treatment and whether they are interested in ensuring safety during hospitalization. METHODS Patients were interviewed to determine their perspectives regarding the previously stated objectives. The sample consisted of 514 patients who had been admitted to hospital for a minimum of three days. RESULTS It is clear that patients in the Czech Republic are unaware of safety issues associated with provided care, but 52.2% of respondents expressed a desire to be more involved in decisions pertaining to their treatment. Widowed patients, as well as those hospitalized for more than six days, expressed less of a desire for such involvement. Half of the patients enrolled in the study stated that health care professionals had encouraged them to ask questions about their treatment. With regard to errors associated with surgical reversals, 58.3% of respondents stated that nursing staff had performed checkups to avoid confusion in surgery. Another patient safety issue is nosocomial infection acquired through improper hand-washing techniques of medical personnel. 73.5% of patients said they would not have the courage to ask medical staff (doctors or nurses) whether they had washed their hands prior to examination. CONCLUSION Patients in the Czech Republic are unaware of the safety issues associated with provided care, but more than half expressed a desire to be more involved in decisions that pertain their treatment.
Recent changes in influenza epidemiology and vaccination recommendations

Influenza disease continues to cause thousands of deaths in the United States. Due to the burden of influenza hospitalizations among children, inactivated influenza vaccine is now routinely recommended for children age 6-23 months. A live, attenuated influenza vaccine was licensed in 2003 for healthy persons age 5-49 years.
Epilogue: The later papers of CLAUSIUS and the thermostatics of GIBBS

While the time I have taken is more than enough for a lecture, every one of you will be expecting to hear something about entropy and the theory of GIBBS. Since the final ironies of a good tragicomedy are implied by the fatal misunderstandings of the opening scene, a few words will suffice. This existence of entropy for the processes CLAUSIUS called reversible could have been read off from mere rephrasings of equations obtained in CLAUSIUS’ second paper. Such, however, was not the course of history.
Generation and use of statistical timing macro-models considering slew and load variability

Timing macro-modeling captures the timing characteristics of a circuit in a compact form for use in a hierarchical timing environment. At the same time, statistical timing provides coverage of the impact from variability sources with the goal of enabling higher chip yield. This paper presents an efficient and accurate method for generation and use of statistical timing macro-models. Results in a commercial timing analysis framework with non-separable statistical timing models demonstrate average performance improvements of 10× when using the model with less than 0.3 picosecond average and 5.5 picosecond maximum accuracy loss, respectively.
Precision of epicenters obtained by small numbers of world-wide stations

abstract A fundamental error in the application of the confidence ellipse concept to the estimation of location error is demonstrated. The change in procedure required to be statistically sound and to achieve agreement with observations is explained and illustrated. The resultant procedure is then applied to the estimation of the network detection capability on a world-wide basis of the WWSSN.
Preeclampsia and cognitive impairment later in life

Background Hypertension is a risk factor for cerebrovascular disease and cognitive impairment. Women with hypertensive episodes during pregnancy report variable neurocognitive changes within the first decade following the affected pregnancy. However, long-term follow-up of these women into their postmenopausal years has not been conducted. Objective The aim of this study was to examine whether women with a history of preeclampsia were at increased risk of cognitive decline 35-40 years after the affected pregnancy. Study Design Women were identified and recruited through the medical linkage, population-based Rochester Epidemiologic Project. Forty women with a history of preeclampsia were age- and parity-matched to 40 women with a history of normotensive pregnancy. All women underwent comprehensive neuropsychological assessment and completed self-report inventories measuring mood, ie, depression, anxiety, and other symptoms related to emotional state. Scores were compared between groups. In addition, individual cognitive scores were examined by neuropsychologists and a neurologist blinded to pregnancy status, and a clinical consensus diagnosis of normal, mild cognitive impairment, or dementia for each participant was conferred. Results Age at time of consent did not differ between preeclampsia (59.2 [range 50.9-71.5] years) and normotensive (59.6 [range 52.1-72.2] years) groups, nor did time from index pregnancy (34.9 [range 32.0-47.2] vs 34.5 [range 32.0-46.4] years, respectively). There were no statistically significant differences in raw scores on tests of cognition and mood between women with histories of preeclampsia compared to women with histories of normotensive pregnancy. However, a consensus diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment or dementia trended toward greater frequency in women with histories of preeclampsia compared to those with normotensive pregnancies (20% vs 8%, P = .10) and affected more domains among the preeclampsia group ( P = .03), most strongly related to executive dysfunction ( d = 1.96) and verbal list learning impairment ( d = 1.93). Conclusion These findings suggest a trend for women with a history of preeclampsia to exhibit more cognitive impairment later in life than those with a history of normotensive pregnancy. Furthermore, the pattern of cognitive changes is consistent with that observed with vascular disease/white matter pathology.
Detecting coached neuropsychological dysfunction: a simulation experiment regarding mild traumatic brain injury

AbstractObjective: Performance validity tests (PVTs) and symptom validity tests (SVTs) are often administered during neuropsychological evaluations. Examinees may be coached to avoid detection by measures of response validity. Relatively little research has evaluated whether graduated levels of coaching has differential effects upon PVT and SVT performance. Accordingly, the present experiment evaluated the effect of graduated levels of coaching upon the classification accuracy of commonly used PVTs and SVTs and the currently accepted criterion of failing two or more PVTs or SVTs. Method: Participants simulated symptoms associated with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). One group was provided superficial information concerning cognitive, emotional, and physical symptoms. Another group was provided detailed information about such symptoms. A third group was provided detailed information about symptoms and guidance how to evade detection by PVTs. These groups were compared to an honest-responding group. Exte...
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, by Mathew Desmond

Mathew Desmond’s remarkable Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City is one part How the Other Half Lives (Riis, 1890) and one part The Urban Villagers (Gans, 1962), with a dollop of The Te...
The Social Construction of Learning

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses learning based on social construction. It illustrates functional psychology, behaviorism, cognitivism, situated learning, and their implications in detail. The polarization between behaviorist and cognitivist approaches to learning creates both theoretical and practical difficulties. Organism–environment transactions and functional psychology helped break down the barrier between thinking and acting as well as that between the individual and socio-cultural aspects of change, by focusing on activity. The behaviorists share a rejection of inner mental agents with the functionalists, who also think that positing egos or minds inside pulling the strings amounts to a metaphysical illusion. The behaviorist's external experiment is now simulated inside the mind and called problem solving. The cognitive revolution replaced outer reinforcement contingencies, and trial and error search behavior with inner problem representations and simulated search. Objects with certain properties and value in a situation are created by activity, not by reflective thought. The transactionalism of the functional psychologists and their emphasis on the social origin of mind is paralleled by the dialectical approach of the situated learning theorists and their emphasis on the social origins of symbolically mediated activity.
Confinement of spinons in the CPM-1 model.

We use the 1/{ital M} expansion for the CP{sup {ital M}{minus}1} model to study the long-distance behavior of the staggered spin susceptibility in the commensurate, two-dimensional quantum antiferromagnet at finite temperature. At {ital M}={infinity} this model possesses deconfined spin-1/2 bosonic spinons (Schwinger bosons), and the susceptibility has a branch cut along the imaginary {ital k} axis. We show that in all three scaling regimes at finite {ital T}, the interaction between spinons and gauge-field fluctuations leads to divergent 1/{ital M} corrections near the branch cut. We identify the most divergent corrections to the susceptibility at each order in 1/{ital M} and explicitly show that the full static staggered susceptibility has a number of simple poles rather than a branch cut. We compare our results with the 1/{ital N} expansion for the O({ital N}) sigma model.
Problems in taxonomy, a floating log

Given a region R in an n-dimensional normed linear space, is there a partition of R into k pieces R1,Rj,…,Rk with centers of mass c1,c2,…,ck respectively such that for each i ≤ k and each x × Ri we have |x-ci| ≤ |x-cj| for all j ≤ k. The problem is open even for n=2 and k=2 but some partial results are known.
Trophic Structure 1: Controls in Benthic Food Webs

Food webs are descriptions of what consumes that. Data for construction of food webs come from inferences from anatomical structures, observations of consumption, gut analysis, and more recently, from stable isotope signatures.
Abstract 3447: IL-6 promotes tumor metastasis by promoting anoikis resistance and stemness phenotype in cancer cells via the activation of FAK and nanog stabilization

The process of tumor metastasis is highly complex and involves dissemination of tumor cells from the primary tumor through the vascular system. However, most of the cancer cells, particularly epithelial cancer cells, have very low survival rates in circulation and undergo rapid anoikis. Tumor cells that acquire malignant potential have developed mechanisms to resist anoikis and thereby survive while travelling though the lymphatic or circulatory systems. Recently, we have shown that IL-6 promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and tumor metastasis. A number of studies have shown that FAK signaling pathways play an important role in inducing anoikis resistance in tumor cells. In this study, we examined if IL-6 promoted tumor metastasis by enhancing stemness and anoikis resistance in cancer cells via the activation of FAK signaling. Our results demonstrate that IL-6 significantly enhanced stemness phenotype in cancer cells as measured by tumorsphere formation and ALDH positive cells by upregulating nanog protein levels. Nanog knockdown significantly reversed IL-6-mediated cancer stem cell (CSC) phenotype. IL-6 treatment of cancer cells induced FAK phosphorylation in a time dependent manner. Interestingly, FAK knockdown did not significantly decrease nanog mRNA levels but markedly decreased nanog protein levels. FAK depletion completely blocked IL-6-mediated nanog phosphorylation and enhanced nanog protein ubiquitination and degradation. These results suggest that FAK may be modulating nanog protein levels by stabilization nanog protein through phosphorylation. Furthermore, FAK knockdown significantly decreased IL-6-mediated tumorsphere formation, anoikis resistance and tumor metastasis. Taken together, our results show that IL-6 promotes tumor metastasis by enhancing stem cell phenotype and anoikis resistance in head and neck cancer cells via FAK activation and nanog protein stabilization. Citation Format: Arti Yadav, Bhavna Kumar, Pawan Kumar. IL-6 promotes tumor metastasis by promoting anoikis resistance and stemness phenotype in cancer cells via the activation of FAK and nanog stabilization [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3447.
Fetal Echocardiographic Measures to Improve the Prenatal Diagnosis of Coarctation of the Aorta

The objective of this study is to identify fetal echocardiographic measures that predict postnatal coarctation of the aorta (CoA). A retrospective review of patients from 2013 to 2017 identified 13 cases of prenatal diagnosis of CoA confirmed postnatally and 14 cases of prenatal diagnosis of CoA with normal arches postnatally. There were 30 controls. Measurements were made and indices applied on all available longitudinal fetal echocardiograms for each patient. Linear mixed effects models were used to examine the between-group differences in the trajectories of the measurements. Significant differences were seen in the true CoA group for the following: smaller distal transverse arch diameter to distance between the left common carotid and left subclavian arteries (DT/LCA–LSCA) index (p = 0.04), smaller distal transverse arch diameter (p = 0.005), and longer brachiocephalic to left common carotid artery (LCA) (p = 0.004) and LCA–left subclavian artery (LSCA) distances (p < 0.0001). Additionally, the LCA/DT index trend appears to differentiate false positives from true coarctations (p < 0.03). The fetal echocardiographic DT/LCA–LSCA index, brachiocephalic–LCA distance and LCA–LSCA distance are significant predictors of postnatal coarctation. The LCA/DT index trend over time may differentiate which of those patients with prenatal concern for coarctation are more likely to develop coarctation postnatally. The use of fetal echocardiographic measures may improve prenatal detection and predication of postnatal coarctation.
How to Determine Lipid Interactions in Membranes from Experiment Through the Ising Model

The determination and the meaning of interactions in lipid bilayers are discussed and interpreted through the Ising model. Originally developed to understand phase transitions in ferromagnetic systems, the Ising model applies equally well to lipid bilayers. In the case of a membrane, the essence of the Ising model is that each lipid is represented by a site on a lattice and that the interaction of each site with its nearest neighbors is represented by an energy parameter ω. To calculate the thermodynamic properties of the system, such as the enthalpy, the Gibbs energy, and the heat capacity, the partition function is derived. The calculation of the configurational entropy factor in the partition function, however, requires approximations or the use of Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. Those approximations are described. Ultimately, MC simulations are used in combination with experiment to determine the interaction parameters ω in lipid bilayers. Several experimental approaches are described, which can be used...
A Low-Power CMOS-MEMS Vibration Spectrum Analyzer

This work presents implementation and characterization of building blocks of a low-power miniaturized vibration spectrum analyzer. The proposed spectrum analyzer is comprised of an array of several piezoresistive cantilevers each covering a narrow frequency range (~15-100Hz) in the close vicinity of its resonance frequency. To cover the entire targeted frequency range (0-10kHz), two different device configurations, both utilizing piezoresistive strain gauges on microscale cantilevers, have been fabricated using a standard CMOS process with minimal mask-less post-CMOS micro-machining. Sensitivities as high as 9.73mV/g (at DC for 1mW of power consumed) and 14. SmV/g (at 7.2kHz for 1mW of power consumed) have been obtained for the lower and higher frequency configurations with a minimum resolution of 1.02mg and 0.2mg (for 1mW power consumption) respectively.
Analyzing the Impact of Lossy Compressor Variability on Checkpointing Scientific Simulations

Lossy compression algorithms are effective tools to reduce the size of high-performance computing data sets. As established lossy compressors such as SZ and ZFP evolve, they seek to improve the compression/decompression bandwidth and the compression ratio. Algorithm improvements may alter the spatial distribution of errors in the compressed data even when using the same error bound and error bound type. If HPC applications are to compute on lossy compressed data, application users require an understanding of how the performance and spatial distribution of error changes. We explore how spatial distributions of error, compression/decompression bandwidth, and compression ratio change for HPC data sets from the applications PlasComCM and Nek5000 between various versions of SZ and ZFP. In addition, we explore how the spatial distribution of error impacts application correctness when restarting from lossy compressed checkpoints. We verify that known approaches to selecting error tolerances for lossy compressed checkpointing are robust to compressor selection and in the face of changes in the distribution of error.
Whole genome phylogeny of Gallus: introgression and data-type effects

Previous phylogenetic studies that include the four recognized species of Gallus have resulted in a number of distinct topologies, with little agreement. Several factors could lead to the failure to converge on a consistent topology, including introgression, incomplete lineage sorting, different data types, or insufficient data. We generated three novel whole genome assemblies for Gallus species, which we combined with data from the published genomes of Gallus gallus and Bambusicola thoracicus (a member of the sister genus to Gallus). To determine why previous studies have failed to converge on a single topology, we extracted large numbers of orthologous exons, introns, ultra-conserved elements, and conserved non-exonic elements from the genome assemblies. This provided more than 32 million base pairs of data that we used for concatenated maximum likelihood and multispecies coalescent analyses of Gallus. All of our analyses, regardless of data type, yielded a single, well-supported topology. We found some evidence for ancient introgression involving specific Gallus lineages as well as modest data type effects that had an impact on support and branch length estimates in specific analyses. However, the estimated gene tree spectra for all data types had a relatively good fit to their expectation given the multispecies coalescent. Overall, our data suggest that conflicts among previous studies probably reflect the use of smaller datasets (both in terms of number of sites and of loci) in those analyses. Our results demonstrate the importance of sampling large numbers of loci, each of which has a sufficient number of sites to provide robust estimates of gene trees. Low-coverage whole genome sequencing, as we did here, represents a cost-effective means to generate the very large data sets that include multiple data types that enabled us to obtain a robust estimate of Gallus phylogeny.
Regulation of Cyclic Nucleotide Levels by Sequestration

Publisher Summary This chapter explains the mechanisms involved in the sequestration of cGMP by PDE6 and also by PDE5. Cyclic GMP is the primary intracellular second messenger for visual transduction, and is present in high concentrations in photoreceptor cells. Light stimulation activates PDE6 more than 100-fold, causing free cytoplasmic cGMP to drop to submicromolar levels. Recovery of the dark-adapted level of cGMP is aided by PDE inactivation in concert with guanylyl cyclase activation. The cGMP-gated cation channels in the plasma membrane close in response to the light-induced decrease in cGMP, resulting in hyperpolarization of the cell. Both PDE6 holoenzyme and the cGMP-gated channel bind cGMP, and could sequester it. The relative number of cGMP-binding sites and the affinity with which each protein binds cGMP indicate that the cGMP-gated ion channel plays a minor role in sequestration of cGMP in the outer segment. Phosphorylation of PDE5 by PKG at Ser-92 (bovine enzyme) increases allosteric cGMP-binding affinity 10-fold and also stimulates the catalytic activity of the enzyme. The occupation of the catalytic site of bovine PDE5 by cGMP or cGMP analogs stimulates binding of cGMP to the allosteric sites, which in turn stimulates phosphorylation at Ser-92. Ligand binding to the catalytic site also stimulates phosphorylation independent of cGMP binding to the allosteric site. The number and affinity of cGMP-binding sites must be sufficient to buffer cGMP, and the rate of binding/sequestration must be about equal to or faster than the rate of loss via hydrolysis in order for sequestration of cGMP to play a significant role in modulating the free cGMP levels in PDE5-regulated signaling pathways.
Tracking Additive Manufacturing Using Machine Vision

This paper presents a method of vision-based trajectory reconstruction for additive manufacturing (AM). With the rise in popularity of AM comes severe cyber-physical risks. Towards addressing this issue, this paper presents a method of reconstructing printhead motion with a minimally invasive camera module retrofit. A feature based Visual Odometry (VO) algorithm is used to estimate the relative motion of the extruder, leveraging expanded methods from the MATLAB Computer Vision Toolbox. Preliminary results in simulation demonstrate feasibility of the proposed VO method and identify factors that may limit performance. Further, a hardware implementation is demonstrated on a retrofitted LulzBot TAZ6, as well as novel methods to improve feature-based VO performance.
Occlusion Handling for Industrial Robots

Industrial robots contain minimal sensing capability beyond recognition of their internal state. It is critical that an external vision system should cover the designated robot work space with awareness of blind spots and occlusions. This work presents two mechanisms to handle occlusions in an external multi-robot vision system: occlusion-aware optimal sensor positioning, and event-driven occlusion detection. When deploying sensors to the system, various scenarios are considered during optimization to reduce potential occlusions and increase sensor coverage. These methods are tested on a working cell with three industrial robot arms. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scenario-based multi-objective optimization for sensor positioning. Once the sensors are deployed, occlusion detection is actively triggered prior to robot path planning.
Integrating International Video Chat into the Foreign Language Curriculum

This article is a description of face-to-face real-time international virtual language exchanges that have been integrated into first and second year Spanish courses at the university level. The focus of this article is to explain the origins of the virtual language exchange, its implementation into the program-wide curriculum, its effect on students, and to explain in detail how a session operates. The success of the virtual language exchange program is evident based on an analysis of video captured dialogues, coordinator and facilitator observations of the program, as well as participant feedback about the experience. The content and methodology of this article are adaptable to any second/foreign language course.
Physiology of One-Lung Ventilation

Published estimates of the incidence of hypoxemia during ­one-lung ventilation (OLV) have decreased from 25% in the 1970s to currently less than 10% (1 2). Technical improvements (fiberoptic bronchoscopy, DLT design, etc.) account for some of this progress (Chapter 8). Improved understanding of the physiology of OLV has also contributed importantly and is the topic of this chapter.
Bovine Thrombin and Activated Factor X: SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION

Abstract Parke-Davis bovine thrombin was resolved into three distinct protein peaks on a Sephadex G-200 column. A stepwise chromatographic technique on diethylaminoethyl (DEAE) cellulose was developed for the complete separation and partial purification of thrombin and activated Factor X. Thrombin was quantitatively eluted in the first protein peak with 0.1 m NaCl, pH 7.0. A second peak with residual thrombin activity, containing more than 65% of the applied protein, was eluted with 0.14 m NaCl in 0.05 m sodium citrate, pH 5.8. When this fraction was rechromatographed, to remove the residual thrombin, Factors II, VII, IX, and nonactivated X were detected in this peak. Activated Factor X was eluted from the column with 0.2 m sodium citrate, pH 5.8. This activated Factor X fraction did not clot a standard fibrinogen solution during 24 hours either at 22° or 37°, with or without added calcium, nor after removal of the citrate by dialysis against 0.14 m NaCl. The DEAE-cellulose-chromatographed thrombin was further purified by Sephadex G-200 chromatography. More than 68% of the resulting thrombin peak had a constant specific activity of approximately 7000 National Institutes of Health units per mg of tyrosine. At high dilutions, when the thrombin activity in the commercial bovine thrombin preparation was negligible, the activated Factor X activity was still detectable in appreciable quantity. The purified thrombin fraction was free of plasminogen and plasmin.
GPS interference suppression using self-coherent feature of GPS signals

In this paper, a novel anti-jamming GPS receiver is proposed which relies on the unique structure of the coarse/acquisition (C/A) code of the GPS signals. The proposed receiver utilizes the inherent self-coherence property of the GPS signal to excise interferers which have different structures from that of the GPS signals. It is demonstrated that the GPS receiver is capable of providing high gains towards all desired GPS signals, while suppressing strong interferers.
Creating Multilingual Web Content

Any organization preparing to conduct business globally will need to create and execute a web site globalization plan. This plan involves a multidisciplinary approach to tackle a range of web site strategic and tactical initiatives. With the help of web based information systems it is easier for every firm to show its presence worldwide. Therefore in order to stay competitive organizations are forced to seriously consider their multilingual presence on web. This paper briefly discusses the challenges faced by an organization in the process of construction and implementation of multilingual web site. Further it goes on explaining the key components of true multilingual web site, detailed strategy involved in creating a successful multilingual site, and how global content management systems play an important role in maintaining multilingual web sites.
Morphine-mediated effects on rat hepatic heme and cytochrome P-450 in vivo: Antagonism by naloxone in the liver☆

Abstract Chronic morphine administration to adult male rats has long been known to lower hepatic cytochrome P-450 content and its dependent mixed function oxidase activity. More recently, we found that acute treatment of mature male rats with a dose of morphine higher than that used chronically also reduces their hepatic cytochrome P-450. In the present study, we demonstrate that this acute reduction of cytochrome P-450 in the rat liver is a result of morphine-mediated accelerated turnover (degradation) of its heme moiety and apparently is associated with hepatotoxicity of the drug. These morphine-mediated effects are largely prevented by concomitant administration of naloxone, a morphine antagonist.
Studies on the relationship between adeno-associated virus type 1 (AAV-1) and adenoviruses. II. Inhibition of adenovirus plaques by AAV; its nature and specificity.

Abstract Plaque formation by simian adenoviruses, SV15 and SV34, and a simian papovavirus, SV40, was prevented in cell cultures treated with AAV. Specific antiserum to AAV inhibited this effect and thus provides a quantitative means for measuring AAV neutralizing antibody. The nature of the adenovirus inhibition does not suggest an interferon-like mechanism, but suggests an interference mediated directly by the AAV particle. This phenomenon, of adenovirus plaque inhibition, has been utilized in an attempt to determine the minimum number of interfering AAV particles present in a sample.
Symmetric tensor networks and practical simulation algorithms to sharply identify classes of quantum phases distinguishable by short-range physics

Phases of matter are sharply defined in the thermodynamic limit. One major challenge of accurately simulating quantum phase diagrams of interacting quantum systems is due to the fact that numerical simulations usually deal with the energy density, a local property of quantum wave functions, while identifying different quantum phases generally relies on long-range physics. In this paper, we construct generic fully symmetric quantum wave functions under certain assumptions using a type of tensor networks (projected entangled pair states), and provide practical simulation algorithms based on them. We find that quantum phases can be organized into crude classes distinguished by short-range physics, which is related to the fractionalization of both onsite symmetries and space-group symmetries. Consequently, our simulation algorithms, which are useful to study long-range physics as well, are expected to be able to sharply determine crude classes in interacting quantum systems efficiently. Examples of these crude classes are demonstrated in half-integer quantum spin systems on the kagome lattice. Limitations and generalizations of our results are discussed.
The two-phase critical discharge of initially saturated or subcooled liquid

A nonequilibrium model is developed to describe the two-phase critical discharge of initially saturated and subcooled liquid through sharp edged inlet, constant area ducts with L/D ≥ 12. A similar ...
Early-life reliability prediction methodology for integrated circuits

Abstract A methodology for predicting early failures due to random process flaws in integrated circuits is proposed. Early failures are not intrinsic failures, and therefore the current practice of extrapolating intrinsic life-test distributions to estimate early-life reliability is incorrect and yields optimistic results. Early failure mechanisms are classified into three categories based on the physical understanding and statistical data available for the mechanism. Subpopulations with defect-related failure distributions are characterized by a knowledge of the effects of defects in category one and using past field return data in category two. The third category, associated with failures due to applied overstress or misuse, iis characterized by field return, technology and design data. Modeling early failures at the ‘micro’ level (subsystem level) is an improvement over the existing practice of characterizing infant mortality based on field returns at the ‘macro’ level (chip level). Using the proposed methodology, process and design improvements can be incorporated in the early failure predictions. Examples showing the application of this methodology are included.
Fabrication and performance of large (64x64) arrays of integrated VCSELs and detectors

Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) are uniquely suited for applications requiring high-density 2-dimensional arrays of lasers, such as massively parallel interconnects or imaging applications. We have successfully fabricated 64x64 arrays containing alternating rows of selectively-oxidized 850 nm VCSELs and resonant-cavity photodetectors (RCPDs) on semi-insulating GaAs. In order to reduce the input/output pin count, we employed a matrix addressable architecture, where all the VCSELs (or RCPDs) in each row are connected by a common metal trace at the base of their mesas. The columns are connected by metal traces that bridge from mesa top to mesa top, connecting every other row (i.e., only VCSELs or only RCPDs). The pitch of devices in the array is 55 microns, and total resistance contributed by the long (up to 3.5 mm) row and column traces is below 50 ohms. The epitaxial design, fabrication and performance of these arrays is discussed.
Physiological assessment of coronary artery disease and myocardial viability in ischemic syndromes using adenosine echocardiography.

We hypothesized that it would be feasible and safe to use adenosine echocardiography to assess the physiological significance of coronary stenoses, detect ischemic myocardium, and assess myocardial viability in a high risk group of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Therefore, in 40 patients with either unstable angina, non-Q myocardial infarction, or myocardial infarction treated with thrombolytic therapy, we performed adenosine echocardiography (140 μglkg per min for 5 mins with a 16 segment model for analysis) and compared the findings with quantitative planar thallium-201 scintigraphy, and (in 26 patients) coronary angiography. The technique was safe, and there were no serious complications. Adenosine resulted in a significant increase in heart rate and decrease in blood pressure. The sensitivity of adenosine echocardiography and thallium scintigraphy were 96% and 88%, respectively, for detecting > 75% stenosis. The change in echo score from baseline during adenosine infusion was significantly higher with more severe coronary disease (single vessel right coronary artery [RCA] or left circumflex [LCX] disease = 0.125± 0.15, proximal left anterior descending coronary artery [LAD] disease = 023 ±0.15, RCA and LCX disease=0.30 ± 0.14, LAD and RCA and/or LCX disease = 0.62 ± 0.13). Likewise, the echo score during adenosine infusion was significantly higher in patients with high risk thallium scans (low risk = 1.29 ± 0.26, medium risk = 1.74 ± 022, and high risk= 2.21 ± 0.37). In 13 patients receiving thrombolytic therapy, adenosine echocardiography identified 12 with viable myocardium as defined by quantitative thallium criteria. Furthermore, the wall-motion response of the viable segment was indicative of the degree of stenosis of the artery subtending the segment. Regional function deteriorated in patients with high grade (95 ± 2%) stenoses and improved in those with nonflow limiting stenoses (66 ± 25%, P = 0.03). Therefore, we conclude that adenosine echocardiography can detect significant coronary stenoses, has a high degree of concordance with thallium in detecting cardiac perfusion abnormalities, and can assess myocardial viability following thrombolytic therapy. adenosine echocardiography, thallium scintigraphy, unstable angina, thrombolytic therapy, viability
Barriers to cancer screening for people with disabilities: a literature review.

Abstract Background Over 50 million Americans are currently living with some form of disability. Studies have shown that people with disabilities are underinsured, have less access to health care, and are more likely to engage in risky health behavior. Routine preventive screenings for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer are recommended for all adults to improve early detection and treatment of cancer. Although early detection of cancer offers the best chances for treatment and survival, cancer screening has been limited for many people with disabilities. Objective To present results of a scoping review of studies focused on barriers to cancer screening for people with disabilities. Methods Online databases were searched for research articles on barriers to cancer screening (breast, cervical, prostate, and colorectal) in people with disabilities. Results Thirty-five peer-reviewed articles met inclusion criteria. Existing research on cancer screenings, particularly prostate cancer, among people with disabilities is limited. Current studies suggest that those with advanced disabilities are not being screened for cancer as often as the able-bodied population with the exception of military veterans. Education, income, age, employment, screening history, tobacco use, activity level, disability level, and geography affected screening rates. Conclusions Barriers include cost, access, health care provider discomfort, and physical and cognitive restraints. Future interventions to improve routine preventive cancer screenings rates could include specialized health care provider training, community interventions, emphasis on the value of health promotion and the specific health care needs of people with disabilities.
Local triviality for Hurewicz fiberings of manifolds

LET p: E -+ B be a fibering in the sense of Hurewicz. i.e. the map p has the path lifting property or what is the same the covering homotopy property holds for all spaces. As is well known, the fibering need not be locally trivial, i.e. 17: E -+ B need not be a fiber bundle. On the other hand, one might suspect that stringent conditions on the nature of E and B might force the map to be locally trivial. The following seems plausible: CONJECTURE. Let p: E + B he afiheriry in the sense of HurercYcz of a mcm{fold E (n.ith empty boundary) onto a rceakiy iocail,v contrnctible pnracompact base B. Then thejiberinq is locally trivial.
Meronlike solutions of conformally covariant coupled nonlinear field equations

Abstract We derive a new class of solutions of conformally covariant coupled spinor and scalar equations including a nonlinear spinor self-coupling term, for which the energy-momentum density is nonzero, but the total energy is zero (“meronlike” solutions).
Hearing loss in pediatric patients with isolated nonsyndromic sagittal synostosis.

Summary Objective Recent studies have shown increased rates of speech, language, cognitive and behavioral abnormalities in patients with isolated nonsyndromic sagittal synostosis. Little is known regarding the prevalence and type of hearing abnormalities in children with craniosynotosis. This study characterizes hearing loss in pediatric patients with isolated nonsyndromic sagittal synostosis. Methods Retrospective chart review of isolated nonsyndromic sagittal synostosis patients in a pediatric craniofacial clinic to determine the prevalence, severity, and type of hearing loss. Results Fifteen of 57 patients with isolated nonsyndromic sagittal synostosis had hearing loss (26% with a 95% confidence interval of 14.9 to 37.7%). Twelve patients demonstrated a conductive loss and three an unspecified type of loss (no bone conduction thresholds were recorded for these patients). The prevalence of conductive hearing loss in our population was 21% with a 95% confidence interval of 10.4 to 31.6%. All cases of hearing loss were mild or moderate in severity. Conclusions The most common hearing impairment in patients with isolated nonsyndromic sagittal synostosis is conductive hearing loss likely secondary to middle ear effusion. These patients do not appear to have a higher frequency of middle ear effusion and conductive hearing loss than the normal population of comparable age. We conclude that there is no evidence of increased risk of hearing loss in our study population. We infer that hearing loss does not play a causative role in the elevation of risk for speech, language, behavioral and cognitive impairments which these patients experience. Health care professionals are obligated to ensure that conductive loss from middle ear effusion does not exacerbate these impairments. This obligation can safely be performed by managing hearing loss in the INSS population similar to hearing loss in comparably aged normal children.
Probing the extremes of high baryon density nuclear matter: The BNL AGS program

Abstract The Brookhaven National Laboratory Tandem-AGS accelerator facility has been used since 1986 to generate beams of 16 O and 28 Si at momenta of 14.6 A·GeV/c and recently 197 Au at momenta of up to 11.6 A·GeV/c. In collisions with nuclear targets, these relativistic heavy ion beams are believed to produce nuclear matter at close to the highest baryon densities achievable in the laboratory. The status of the experimental program and theoretical understanding of these interactions will be summarized. Although no unambiguous evidence for new physics (such as the formation of a quark gluon plasma) has been found, a number of interesting features have arisen. In particular, it is clear that the dynamic evolution of these systems is dominated by the creation, interactions, and decays of high-mass excited baryons.