cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dialogic framing of scientific content for conceptual and epistemic understanding

This article draws on M. M. Bakhtin's (1981) notion of dialogism to articulate what it means to understand a scientific idea. In science, understanding an idea is both conceptual and epistemic and is exhibited by an ability to use it in explanation and argumentation. Some distillation of these activities implies that dialogic understanding of a scientific idea includes being able to use it to explain natural phenomena, being aware that it is one among a multiplicity of alternatives, and that the scientific idea is superior to alternatives based upon a scientific evaluation which involves relating it to evidence. This notion of dialogic understanding is related here to a scaffolding framework, which we argue characterizes one form of instructional support for framing content dialogically as part of explanation and argumentation. For illustration, the framework is applied to data from a high school evolutionary biology course. In contrast to the prevailing position that dialogic understanding should be supported through engaging in argumentation (i.e., actual dialogue), we entertain an additional possibility that dialogic understanding can be supported through dialogic framing. We also entertain the possibility that dialogic framing of content can provide initial support for student engagement in argumentation. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 96:369–391, 2012
Comments on "Instability of optimal-aim control"

This note discusses the conclusions of the above paper on the instability of optimal-aim strategies relative to controllable linear systems. Contrary to these conclusions, it is proved that under fully implemented optimal-aim strategies, all controllable linear systems are stabilized.
Nucleotide nutrition in fish: Current knowledge and future applications

The roles of nucleotides and metabolites in fish diets have been sparingly studied for over 25 years. Beside possible involvement in diet palatability, fish feeding behavior and biosynthesis of non-essential amino acids, exogenous nucleotides have shown promise most recently as dietary supplements to enhance immunity and disease resistance of fish produced in aquaculture. Research on dietary nucleotides in fishes has shown they may improve growth in early stages of development, enhance larval quality via broodstock fortification, alter intestinal structure, increase stress tolerance as well as modulate innate and adaptive immune responses. Fishes fed nucleotide-supplemented diets generally have shown enhanced resistance to viral, bacterial and parasitic infection. Despite occasional inconsistency in physiological responses, dietary supplementation of nucleotides has shown rather consistent beneficial influences on various fish species. Although nucleotide nutrition research in fishes is in its infancy and many fundamental questions remain unanswered, observations thus far support the contention that nucleotides are conditionally or semi-essential nutrients for fishes, and further exploration of dietary supplementation of nucleotides for application in fish culture is warranted. Hypothesized reason(s) associated with these beneficial effects include dietary provision of physiologically required levels of nucleotides due to limited synthetic capacity of certain tissues (e.g. lymphoid), inadequate energetic expenditure for de novo synthesis, immunoendocrine interactions and modulation of gene expression patterns. However, currently there are numerous gaps in existing knowledge about exogenous nucleotide application to fish including various aspects of digestion, absorption, metabolism, and influences on various physiological responses especially expression of immunogenes and modulation of immunoglobulin production. Additional information is also needed in regard to age/size-related responses and appropriate doses and timing of administration. Thus further research in these areas should be pursued.
Independent dose calculations for the Peacock system

An independent dose calculation method has been developed to validate intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) plans from the NOMOS PEACOCK System. After the plan is generated on the CORVUS planning system, the beam parameters are imported into an independent workstation. The beam parameters consist of intensity maps at each gantry angle and each arc position. In addition, CT scans of the patient are imported into the independent workstation to obtain the external contour of the patient. The coordinate system is defined relative to the alignment point chosen in the CORVUS plan. The independent calculation uses the pencil beam data viz tissue maximum ratio (TMR) and beam profiles for a single 1 x 0.8-cm beamlet formed by the NOMOS multileaf intensity-modulating collimator (MIMiC) leaf. The pencil beam data were measured for the 6-MV photon beam from Siemens PRIMUS linear accelerator using film dosimetry. The dose at a point is calculated using the depth and off-axis distance from a given pencil beam, corrected for its beam intensity. Isodose distributions are generated using the independent dose calculations and compared to the CORVUS plans. Isodose distributions show good agreement with the CORVUS plans for a number of clinical cases. The independent dose calculation algorithm is described in this paper.
Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors

Neuroendocrine tumors of the pancreas are uncommon neoplasms. They may occur as a sporadic lesion or as part of a genetic disease such as the multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN-1) syndrome. Sporadic tumors usually arise as a single lesion, whereas those associated with familial disorders generally are multifocal. Tumors may be classified as functioning or nonfunctioning depending on whether or not there is excess hormone production correlated with a clinical syndrome. Clinical suspicion is based on development of the constellation of clinical symptoms characteristic of excess hormone production. In the case of a nonfunctioning tumor, its presence often becomes apparent because of symptoms from local tumor growth or metastatic disease. Once biochemical studies confirm the diagnosis and cross-sectional imaging exclude metastatic disease, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) can localize the tumor and guide surgical management, providing potentially curative resection.
Stimulated Emission of Radiation in a Single Mode

Recently Glauber has described the properties of coherent radiation fields, and has constructed the density matrix of the field in two simple cases: (1) The radiating system is a classical radiator and no reaction is considered; (2) the central-limit theorem applies to a collection of radiators. This paper investigates other simple "almost" exactly soluble problems, in which a quantum-mechanical two-level system interacts with a quantized electromagnetic field originally in a pure coherent state in a single mode. The first-order correlation function ${G}^{(1)}=〈{E}^{\ensuremath{-}}{E}^{+}〉$ is compared with $〈{E}^{\ensuremath{-}}〉〈{E}^{+}〉$ at resonance when the stimulating field is initially a pure coherent state and the two-level system is initially in its excited state. The corresponding quantities are also computed for a field whose initial density matrix is a Gaussian superposition of coherent states (e.g., blackbody radiation), as well as for a field which is initially described as having a given number of photons.
Comparison of snorkeling and electrofishing for estimating abundance and size structure of brook trout and brown trout in two southern New England streams

Abstract Abundance and size structure of brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis and brown trout Salmo trutta determined by snorkeling were compared with estimates determined by electrofishing depletion in 30 habitat units of two Connecticut streams. Snorkel counts were significantly correlated ( P
Comparison of Fine Particulate Matter and Carbon Monoxide Exposure Concentrations for Selected Transportation Modes

Daily commutes may contribute disproportionately to overall daily exposure to urban air pollutants such as particulate matter less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) and carbon monoxide (CO). PM2.5 and CO concentrations were measured and compared across pedestrian, bus, and car modes during lunchtime and the afternoon peak hour within a 3-week time period on preselected round-trip routes. Variability in the concentration ratios of PM2.5 and CO for the selected transportation modes was quantified, and factors affecting variability in concentrations were identified. Exposure concentrations of transportation modes were sensitive to mode and were affected by factors such as vehicle ventilation and proximity to on-road emission sources. In general, pedestrian and bus modes had higher PM2.5 concentrations than did the car mode. However, the car mode had the highest average CO concentrations among the selected modes. Near-road pedestrian PM2.5 concentrations generally covaried with fixed site monitor (FSM) measurements, but th...
Market Signalling and Its Role in Business‐to‐Business Communications

Examines marketing signals as they are used in business‐to‐business communications. Marketing signals can be implemented in a variety of organizational marketing activities including promotion, pricing, distribution and competitive reactions. Provides observations and recommendations on their usage by industrial concerns so as to improve the efficiency of their signalling efforts.
An improved synthesis of pilocarpine

Abstract Michael condensation of diethyl ethylmalonate with 2-oxo-5-ethoxy-2,5-dihydrofuran (12) followed by treatment with hot hydrogen bromide-acetic acid afforded 2-ethyl-3-carboxymethylbutenolide (10b). Hydrogenation as the ester (10a) followed by acid hydrolysis yielded dl -homopilopic acid, the key intermediate for the synthesis of pilocarpine.
Testing a Second-Order Multidimensional Model of Negative Affectivity: A Cross-Validation Study

A number of conceptualizations and subsequent measures of Negative Affectivity (NA) have been presented in the literature. However, very few studies have attempted to establish the dimensionality of the NA construct prior to its use. The purpose of this preliminary investigation was to explore both the lower order and hierarchical conceptualizations of NA using Stokes and Levin's scale. The NA scale contains lower order factors of nervousness, pessimism, and dissatisfaction. Two samples were used to assess the hierarchical structure of the scale. The first sample consisted of management students (N = 356) of a large southeastern university. The second study consisted of managerial employees of a large automobile distributorship (N = 102) located in the southeastern United States. In each sample, the data indicated that the most satisfactory representation of the underlying structure of Stokes and Levin's NA scale was that of a higher order model. Following Watson and Clark, the authors recommend that rese...
On computing signal probability and detection probability of stuck-at faults

Algorithms for the following two problems are presented: (1) computing detection probability of stuck-at faults (CDP), and (2) computing signal probability (CSP). These problems arise in the context of random testing, pseudorandom testing, and testability analysis of combinational circuits. The algorithm for CDP combines the notion of supergates and a refinement of th algorithm for CDP presented in the work of S. Chakravarty and H.B. Hunt, III (1986). The algorithm for CDP can be used to compute the exact value of detection probability of multiple stuck-at faults in circuits with multiple outputs. Single-input, single-output pseudo gates are inserted to model stuck-at faults and derive an equivalent single-output circuit. CDP is thus reduced to the problem of computing the probability distribution of the output over the set of four logic values (0, 1d, d). The algorithm for CDP uses an efficient enumeration algorithm. The authors show how the enumeration algorithm can be used to refine the algorithm for CSP. >
Engineering Design and Conceptual Change in Science: Addressing thermal energy and heat transfer in eighth grade

The purpose of this research was to investigate the impact of engineering design classroom activities on middle‐school students’ conceptions of heat transfer and thermal energy. One eighth‐grade physical science teacher and the students in three of her classes participated in this mixed‐methods investigation. One class served as the control receiving the teacher’s typical instruction. Students in a second class had the same learning objectives, but were taught science through an engineering design curriculum that included demonstrations targeting specific alternative conceptions about heat transfer and thermal energy. A third class also used the engineering design curriculum, but students experienced typical demonstrations instead of targeted ones. Conceptual understandings of heat transfer and thermal energy and attitudes towards engineering were assessed prior to and after the interventions through interviews, observations, artefact analysis, a multiple choice assessment, and a Likert scale assessment. ...
Using the iPhone and iPod Touch for remote sensor control and data acquisition

Apple's iPod Touch1 is a powerful pocket computing platform, allowing users to play graphics-intensive games, listen to music, browse the World Wide Web, and communicate using email through a Wi-Fi internet connection. Apple's iPhone extends the iPod Touch by providing telephone service and high-speed 3G internet support when a Wi-Fi connection is unavailable. In this work, we investigate utilizing the iPhone and iPod Touch platforms for remote sensor control and data collection. Our example design interfaces a set of switches, a set of light emitting diodes, and a temperature sensor to the iPod Touch through a micro-controller and allows these devices to be controlled and monitored by a remote computer. Through this work, we show that the iPod Touch and iPhone can provide a low-cost, high-performance, and lightweight platform for remote data collection and control.
Endothelin-1-induced placental and fetal growth restriction in the rat.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of increased circulating endothelin on fetal and placental growth in the rat. Indwelling arterial and venous catheters were placed on day 14 of a 22-day gestation in timed-pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats. Saline, 0.2 nmol/kg/h endothelin, or 0.5 nmol/kg/h endothelin was continuously infused from day 15 through 21 in randomly assigned animals (n = 12 in each group). Maternal arterial blood pressure and serum endothelin levels were evaluated on days 15, 18, and 21 of gestation. On day 21, pregnancy outcome data including fetal and placental weights, litter size, and the occurrence of stillbirths were ascertained, and fetal blood was obtained for serum endothelin levels. All data were compared among the three groups, and statistical significance was determined by analysis of variance. Endothelin infusion resulted in a dose-dependent decrease in fetal and placental weights when compared to saline-treated pregnancies. A significant increase in maternal arteri...
Measurement of impulsive choice in rats: same- and alternate-form test-retest reliability and temporal tracking.

Impulsive choice is typically measured by presenting smaller–sooner (SS) versus larger–later (LL) rewards, with biases towards the SS indicating impulsivity. The current study tested rats on different impulsive choice procedures with LL delay manipulations to assess same-form and alternate-form test– retest reliability. In the systematic-GE procedure (Green & Estle, 2003), the LL delay increased after several sessions of training; in the systematic-ER procedure (Evenden & Ryan, 1996), the delay increased within each session; and in the adjusting-M procedure (Mazur, 1987), the delay changed after each block of trialswithin asessionbased on each rat’s choices inthepreviousblock. Inaddition tomeasuringchoice behavior, we also assessed temporal tracking of the LL delays using the median times of responding during LL trials. The two systematic procedures yielded similar results in both choice and temporal tracking measures following extensive training, whereas the adjusting procedure resulted in relatively more impulsive choices and poorer temporal tracking. Overall, the three procedures produced
Postoperative gastrointestinal complications after lung volume reduction operations

Abstract Background . Lung volume reduction operations have been shown to improve the quality of life and functional status of some patients with end-stage emphysema. Methods . Because of a perceived increase in the occurrence of postoperative gastrointestinal (GI) complications, we reviewed our experience in 287 patients who had lung volume reduction operations to determine the frequency of GI complications and to identify risk factors. Results . Using a broad definition of postoperative GI complications (nausea, vomiting, abdominal distension, gastroesophageal reflux, diarrhea, constipation) there were 137 complications in 67 patients (23%). More severe GI complications (bowel ischemia, GI bleeding, perforation, ulceration, ileus, colitis, cholecystitis, pancreatitis) occurred 49 times in 27 patients (9.4%). Seven of the 27 patients required abdominal operations. Risk factors identified as predictive of severe complications include diabetes ( p = 0.0003), lower preoperative hematocrit ( p = 0.01), steroid use ( p = 0.02), and use of parenteral meperidine analgesic ( p = 0.002). Stepwise logistic regression demonstrated that diabetes was 7.02 times more likely to produce severe complications. Other risk factors included steroids (2.81), number of different pain medications (2.59), hematocrit decrease of 5% (1.96), and hematocrit decrease of 1% (1.14). In the patients with severe GI complications there were six of 27 (22%) hospital deaths compared with five of 260 (2%) in those without GI complications ( p = 0.0001). Conclusions . Severe GI complications in patients with emphysema who had lung volume reduction operations are not uncommon (9.4%) and influence the perioperative mortality rate. Heightened awareness to identified risk factors will allow earlier recognition, prevention, and perhaps decrease morbidity and mortality rates in these high-risk patients.
Double Jeopardy for Children Who Stutter: Race and Coexisting Disorders.

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the influence of racial and ethnic backgrounds in children who stutter (CWS) with 18 specific coexisting disorders. A sample of 1,184 speech-languag...
Factors Associated with the Use of St. John's Wort among Adults with Depressive Symptoms

Objective. To examine the association between access to conventional health care and the use of St. John's wort among adults who report depressive symptoms. Study Design. Logistic secondary analysis of the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Supplement to the 2002 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Study Population. Adults who report depressive symptoms and used St. John's wort (n = 246) were compared to nonusers with depressive symptoms (n = 5,111). Results. After controlling for various sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors, depressed adults who could not afford needed medical care due to cost were nearly two times (AOR 1.92, 95% CI 1.38–2.67) more likely to use St. John's wort than those who could afford conventional medical care. Higher income, education, and health status were also positively associated with the use of St. John's wort. Conclusion. The growing use of complementary and alternative therapies in the US is widely interpreted as evidence of changing consumer tastes and dissat...
FACTORS INFLUENCING THE COLOR OF COTTONSEED PROTEIN PRODUCTS

ABSRACT Factors influencing the color of liquid-cyclone-process (LCP), gland-less and gland-free cottonseed flours were investigated. Among the factors considered were variation in pH, heat, presence or absence of pigment glands and hull contents. It is apparent that all the factors studied here contribute to the discoloration of the cottonseed product to a certain degree. The major source of the discoloration problem associated with cottonseed products, however, remains the amount of the residual pigment glands and pigments from the glands in the seeds and in the final cottonseed products. The extra glandular pigments only show some influence on the colour of cottonseed products at alkalinic conditions.
Factors That Influence the Effectiveness of Child Protection Teams

OBJECTIVES: More than $55 million is spent on hospital-based child protection teams (CPTs) annually, but there is no consensus on what makes CPTs effective. The objective of this study was to create expert consensus on tasks that CPTs should perform and factors that contribute to effectiveness. METHODS: A modified Delphi approach was used to create expert consensus among professionals with experience working on or with hospital-based CPTs. Three initial rounds of surveys were conducted; a first round of open-ended questions generated topics related to CPT tasks and factors related to team effectiveness. A Likert scale (range: 1–7) determined rank. In the fourth round, participants ranked the top 5 variables associated with effectiveness. RESULTS: Twenty-six (90%) of 29 participants completed the first 3 rounds, and 20 (67%) completed the final ranking. Experts believed that CPTs should provide communication of findings to appropriate agencies (mean Likert score: 7.0), court testimony (7.0), medical consultations (6.9), multidisciplinary case review (6.6), and forensic interviews (6.0). CPT success should be determined by professionals who use CPT services (6.6) and CPT members (6.5). Variables that were ranked most often as critical to effectiveness included interdisciplinary collaboration (95% of participants), provision of resources (80%), and team collegiality (75%). Variables that were ranked as most detrimental included inadequate staffing (85%) and lack of collegiality (80%). CONCLUSIONS: A multidisciplinary team working in a collegial atmosphere seems to be the major key to CPT effectiveness. In addition to providing services, CPTs should focus on improving collegiality and interdisciplinary collaboration and should seek performance feedback from referring professionals and CPT members.
Log-convexity properties of Schur functions and generalized hypergeometric functions of matrix argument

We establish a positivity property for the difference of products of certain Schur functions, sλ(x), where λ varies over a fundamental Weyl chamber in ℝn and x belongs to the positive orthant in ℝn. Further, we generalize that result to the difference of certain products of arbitrary numbers of Schur functions. We also derive a log-convexity property of the generalized hypergeometric functions of two Hermitian matrix arguments, and we show how that result may be extended to derive higher-order log-convexity properties.
The Timing of XIST Replication: Dominance of the Domain

Contiguous replicons are coordinately replicated and may be organized in temporal-spatial domains with early replication domains containing expressed genes and late ones carrying silent genes. XIST is silent on the active, early replicating X chromosome and expressed from the inactive, late replicating homolog. These circumstances potentially deviate from the aforementioned generalization and make studies of replication timing for XIST of special interest. Although earlier investigations of XIST replication in fibroblasts based on analysis of extracted DNA from cells at different stages of the cell cycle suggested that the silent gene does replicate before the expressed allele, studies using FISH technology produced the opposite results. Because the FISH replication studies could not directly distinguish between the active and inactive X chromosomes in the same cell, we undertook a re-investigation of this question utilizing FISH analysis under conditions that allowed us to make that distinction using cells sorted into different cell cycle stages by flow cytometry. The findings reported here indicate that the silent XIST gene on the active X chromosome does replicate before the expressed allele on the inactive X, supporting the view that the time of a gene's replication is determined by the large, multi-replicon domain in which it is located and not necessarily its expression state.
Examining Rural/Urban Differences in Prescription Opioid Misuse Among US Adolescents.

Purpose This study examines differences in prescription opioid misuse (POM) among adolescents in rural, small urban, and large urban areas of the United States and identifies several individual, social, and community risk factors contributing to those differences. Methods We used nationally representative data from the 2011 and 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health and estimated binary logistic regression and formal mediation models to assess past-year POM among 32,036 adolescents aged 12-17. Results Among adolescents, 6.8% of rural, 6.0% of small urban, and 5.3% of large urban engaged in past-year POM. Net of multiple risk and protective factors, rural adolescents have 35% greater odds and small urban adolescents have 21% greater odds of past-year POM compared to large urban adolescents. The difference between rural and small urban adolescents was not significant. Criminal activity, lower perceived substance use risk, and greater use of emergency medical treatment partially contribute to higher odds among rural adolescents, but they are also partially buffered by less peer substance use, less illicit drug access, and stronger religious beliefs. Conclusions Researchers, policy makers, and treatment providers must consider the complex array of individual, social, and community risk and protective factors to understand rural/urban differences in adolescent POM. Potential points of intervention to prevent POM in general and reduce rural disparities include early education about addiction risks, use of family drug courts to link criminal offenders to treatment, and access to nonemergency medical services to reduce rural residents’ reliance on emergency departments where opioid prescribing is more likely.
Constraints on Stress and Friction from Dynamic Rupture Models of the 1994 Northridge, California, Earthquake

We have simulated several scenarios of dynamic rupture propagation for the 1994 Northridge, California, earthquake, using a three-dimensional finite-difference method. The simulations use a rate- and slip-weakening friction law, starting from a range of initial conditions of stress and frictional parameters. A critical balance between initial conditions and friction parameters must be met in order to obtain a moment as well as a final slip distribution in agreement with kinematic slip inversion results. We find that the rupture process is strongly controlled by the average stress and connectivity of high-stress patches on the fault. In particular, a strong connectivity of the high-stress patches is required in order to promote the rupture propagation from the initial nucleation to the remaining part of the fault. Moreover, we find that a small amount of rate-weakening is needed in order to obtain a level of inhomogeneity in the final slip, similar to that obtained in the kinematic inversion results. However, when the amount of rate-weakening is increased, the overall moment drops dramatically unless the average prestress is raised to unrealistic levels. A velocity-weakening parameter on the order of 10 cm per second is found to be adequate for an average prestress of about a hundred bars. The presence of the free surface and of the uppermost low-impedance layers in the model are found to have negligible influence on the rupture dynamics itself, because the top of the fault is at a depth of several kilometers. The 0.1–0.5 Hz radiated waves from the dynamic simulation provides a good fit to strong motion data at sites NWH and SSA. Underprediction of the recorded peak amplitude at JFP is likely due to omission of near-surface low velocity and 3-D basin effects in the simulations.
Review: The role of LOXL1 in exfoliation syndrome/glaucoma

Exfoliation syndrome is a common cause of open-angle glaucoma. It is characterized by microscopic flakes of protein-rich material being deposited in both ocular and non-ocular tissues. While its mechanism is poorly understood, family- and population-based studies have established that the disorder has a strong genetic component. A further understanding of the relevant gene variants might help reveal the molecular mechanism behind exfoliation. The most-strongly associated genetic variants are found in the lysyl oxidase-like 1 (LOXL1) gene. However, two major risk alleles in the LOXL1 coding region are reversed between ethnic groups. It now appears the strong association between LOXL1 and XFS is due to non-coding variants that have not yet been identified. Such variants might alter LOXL1 expression, which is decreased in the late stages of exfoliation syndrome/glaucoma. Here we discuss LOXL1 as a risk gene for exfoliation syndrome and glaucoma.
Model based double patterning lithography (DPL) and simulated annealing (SA)

Double Patterning Lithography (DPL) is currently being used as part of Resolution Enhancement Technique (RET) in 45nm and 32nm technologies. DPL involves partitioning a layout into two masks to reduce interference from neighboring patterns and improve resolution. Triple pattern lithography has also been suggested as a way to continue scaling with trailing lithography technology. However, due to complexity involved with dense layouts, sometimes a polygon in a layout needs to be split into two masks, placing additional demand on precision of overlay control. These are known as stitches that may adversely impact manufacturing yield. Most of the previous layout decompositions for DPL are primarily based on using geometric rules such as minimum distance criteria. Such approaches neglect the positive effects that polygons in a mask may have on one another and may introduce unnecessary stitches. In this paper, we propose a model based layout decomposition technique that uses simulated annealing (SA) for mask assignment. The model based approach uses a fast lithography simulator to compute Edge Placement Error (EPE) which is then used as a metric for mask assignment. SA based mask assignment allows a greater solution space to be explored. We present results comparing SA based approach against greedy solution. It is shown that SA based approach converges to better quality solutions with nearly 20X reduction in runtime on average. The study reports the number of moves, stitches, EPE and runtime to illustrate the qualitative improvements offered by this solution.
A brief survey of radiation effects on polymer dielectrics

Future space power needs are extrapolated to be at least three to four orders of magnitude more than is currently available. This long-term reliable power will be required on missions such as the Space Station, Pathfinder, Space Plane, and high-powered satellites, and for national defense. Electrical insulation and dielectrics are the key electrical materials needed to support these power systems, where a single-point system failure could prove catastrophic or even fatal for the whole mission. Therefore, the impact of radiation, an environmental stress, on the properties and performance of insulation and dielectrics must be understood. The influence of radiation on polymer dielectrics, the insulating materials most commonly used for power transmission and storage, is reviewed. The effects of the type of radiation, dose, rate, and total exposure on the key electrical, mechanical, and physical properties of polymer dielectrics are described and explained. >
Biomarkers of Ovarian Reserve

The primary function of the female ovary is the production of a mature and viable oocyte capable of fertilization and subsequent embryo development and implantation. At birth, the ovary contains a finite number of oocytes available for folliculogenesis. This finite number of available oocytes is termed “the ovarian reserve”. The determination of ovarian reserve is important in the assessment and treatment of infertility. As the ovary ages, the ovarian reserve will decline. Infertility affects approximately 15%–20% of reproductive aged couples. The most commonly used biomarker assay to assess ovarian reserve is the measurement of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) on day 3 of the menstrual cycle. However, anti-mullerian hormone and inhibin-B are other biomarkers of ovarian reserve that are gaining in popularity since they provide direct determination of ovarian status, whereas day 3 FSH is an indirect measurement. This review examines the physical tools and the hormone biomarkers used to evaluate ovarian r...
Toxicity and Residual Effectiveness of Insecticides on Insecticide-Treated Spheres for Controlling Females of Rhagoletis pomonella (Diptera: Tephritidae)

This study evaluated the toxicity of five technical-grade insecticides of four different classes to apple maggot females, Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh), following a 10-min exposure period in insecticide-coated glass jars, with or without a feeding stimulant (sucrose) present. According to LC90 values for toxicity by ingestion and tarsal contact, imidacloprid was 1.5 times more toxic than dimethoate or abamectin, diazinon was less toxic, and phloxine B (a phototoxic dye) least toxic. Based on LC90 values for tarsal contact alone, dimethoate was 2.3, 4.0, and 18.4 times more toxic than imidacloprid, abamectin, and diazinon, respectively. Contact alone with phloxine B caused no mortality. When exposure was assessed using spheres coated with a latex paint mixture containing sucrose and formulated dimethoate (Digon 400 EC) or imidacloprid (Provado 1.6 F) at concentrations ranging from 5 to 70 g (AI)/cm2, both insecticides showed reduced effectiveness compared with toxicities from glass jar tests, with Digon two times more toxic than Provado. After exposure to artificial rainfall and retreatment with sucrose, Digon- and Provado-treated spheres exhibited greatest residual effectiveness, with diazinon-treated spheres less effective. Spheres treated with formulated abamectin (Agri-Mek 0.15 EC) at 1.0% (AI) performed only slightly better than phloxine B-treated spheres, which completely lost effectiveness after exposure to rainfall. Spheres treated with formulated imidacloprid (Merit 75 WP) at 1.5% (AI) showed equal or better residual efficacy in killing apple maggot flies (>80% mortality, shorter lethal duration of feeding) over a 12-wk exposure period to outdoor weather than spheres treated with Digon at 1.0% (AI) after both types were retreated with sucrose. Our results indicate that imidacloprid is a promising safe substitute for dimethoate as a fly killing agent on lure-kill spheres. Imidacloprid formulated as Merit 75 WP had greater residual efficacy than imidacloprid formulated as Provado 1.6 F.
Psychiatric crisis intervention in the general emergency service of a Veterans Affairs hospital.

An after-hours crisis intervention program staffed by psychiatric residents between 5 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. on weekdays was developed in the general emergency room at a Veterans Affairs hospital to reduce inpatient psychiatric admissions. The program offered medication, family interventions, and referrals to outpatient services. In the programs's first year, inpatient admissions during the hours covered by the program decreased by 34 percent, for a net savings of nearly $400,000 in inpatient treatment costs.
Oxygen Vibrational Relaxation Times: Shock Tube/Laser Absorption Measurements

The vibrational relaxation times of oxygen were measured using laser absorption spectroscopy behind incident and reflected shocks in a shock tube. The Bethe–Teller equation was used to model the vibrational relaxation, which (along with the shock jump relations) was used to model the gas dynamics conditions throughout the nonequilibrium relaxation process. The absorbance was modeled based on these gas dynamics conditions while adjusting the vibrational relaxation time to fit the model to the measured oxygen absorbance time history at wavelengths 210–230 nm in the Schumann–Runge system. Undiluted oxygen was studied behind incident shocks at initial postshock translational/rotational temperatures from 1000 to 3300 K and pressures from 0.05 to 0.7 atm, while a mixture of 2% oxygen in argon was studied behind incident and reflected shocks at initial translational/rotational temperatures from 1000 to 4000 K and pressures from 0.2 to 1 atm. Good agreement was found with prior experimental work by White and Mill...
Association of Male Inguinal Patch Size with Mate Assortment in the Kihansi Spray Toad, Nectophrynoides asperginis

Abstract Nectophrynoides asperginis (Bufonidae) is a small toad endemic to the spray zone of the Kihansi River waterfall in Tanzania, Africa. This species was declared extinct-in-the-wild by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) following construction of a hydroelectric dam that reduced the flow of the waterfall. The species is now limited to ex situ populations at the Wildlife Conservation Society's (WCS) Bronx Zoo, New York, the Toledo Zoo, Ohio, and two newer facilities in Tanzania. Much of the natural history of N. asperginis remains unknown, though it is known they are a sexually dimorphic species. Typically, males are smaller than females and possess distinctive dorsolateral inguinal patches (IP). Males appear to display these patches to conspecifics, but their function remains unknown. We created a five-grade schema to categorize the IPs by visual prominence accounting for both patch size and color, with Grade 1 being the least and Grade 5 being the most prominent. We hypothesiz...
Clemency for the 21st Century: A Systemic Reform of the Federal Clemency Process

Federal clemency is in crisis. In response to that crisis, a remarkable bipartisan consensus has formed in support of systemic reform. This short statement acknowledges that consensus, and lays out a framework for change. The reforms described here are achievable without significant congressional action, consistent with best practices in the states, and cost-effective. We urge that this administration take the clemency process out of the Department of Justice, create an independent and bipartisan Clemency Board that would report directly to the President, and establish a regular and systemic process for executive consideration of individual cases.
Electronic Transport Measurements in Tin Oxide Microfibers Created From a Polymer Solution

Tin oxide microfibers were created through electrospinning using a precursor solution consisting of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and chloroform (CHCl3) which was then mixed with its tin precursor, dimethyldineodecanoatin (C22H44O4Sn). Since the conductivity of SnO2 is affected by any chemisorbed oxygen molecules on its surface, this semiconductor has high potential for use as a gas sensor for both oxidizing and reducing gases. Due to the fact that a greater surface area will produce gas sensors with improved sensitivity, work is underway to reduce the fibers size into the nanoscale range. Thus, this study explores various electronic transport characteristics—such as the conductivity and magnetoresistance—of the tin oxide microfibers. Additionally, the composition and phase of the fibers were characterized through XRD and Raman spectroscopy.
Electronic Information Systems Use in Residential Care Facilities: The Differential Effect of Ownership Status and Chain Affiliation

The use of electronic information systems (EISs) including electronic health records continues to increase in all sectors of the health care industry. Research shows that EISs may be useful for improving care delivery and decreasing medical errors. The purpose of this project is twofold: First, we describe the prevalence of EIS use among residential care facilities (RCFs), and second, we explore utilization differences by ownership status and chain affiliation. We anticipate that RCFs that are non-profit and non-chain will use more EIS than other categories of RCFs. Data for this project come from the 2010 National Survey of Residential Care Facilities. The sample consists of 2,300 facilities. Overall use of EIS was greatest among RCFs that are non-profit and chain-affiliated. Conversely, the use was lowest among for-profit RCFs that were also non-chain affiliated. This may suggest that these facilities lack the necessary resources or motivation to invest in information systems.
B-Lymphocyte Typing (HLA-DR, MT, MB) Inter laboratory Reproducibility

Frozen lymphocytes from six persons were shipped, in three batches, from one location to 11 other participating laboratories for B-lymphocyte typing. The cells were received by the participating laboratories in a frozen state with one exception. Four of the 12 (including the host laboratory) used two-color fluorescence method, seven used nylon wool to isolate B-lymphocytes followed by cytotoxicity testing using trypan blue, and one laboratory used goat anti-human F(ab′)2 to isolate B-lymphocytes for two cells and two-color fluorescence method for the other four cells. Reference antigen assignments of the various cells were essentially the consensus of the various laboratories and major departures from those assignments were considered errors. Twelve typing errors were seen in a total of 67 typings (for HLA-DR), i.e ., an error rate of 17.9%. Four of the errors might have been due to the poor state of cells resulting from the participating laboratory storing the cells for over four weeks before testing. Six of the 12 laboratories were in agreement for all six cells and made no errors. Typing for MT antigens did not appear to be particularly reliable, but there was a good interlaboratory correlation for MB antigen assignments. The exercise has established the feasibility of conducting a cell exchange for B-lymphocyte typing over a fairly wide geographic area, and has shown that the overall error rate for HLA-DR antigen assignments is about three times the rate of HLA-AB typing.
Sulfite-Driven, Oxorhenium-Catalyzed Deoxydehydration of Glycols

Methyltrioxorhenium and perrhennate salts catalyze the deoxydehydration (DODH) of glycols by sulfite, producing olefins regiospecifically. The scope and efficiency of these reactions with respect to the polyol substrate, reducing agent, catalyst, solvents, and various additives are investigated. In general, MeReO3 is a more active catalyst for sulfite-driven DODH, but the Z+ReO4– derivatives (Z = Na, Bu4N) are more selective. Epoxides are also deoxygenated by Na2SO3/MeReO3, but not by Bu4NReO4. The perrhenate catalysts also promote glycol DODH with other reductants, e.g., PR3, secondary alcohols, and ArSMe. The DODH reactions of 1,2-cyclohexanediol and (+)-diethyl tartrate occur with high syn-stereoselectivity. The polyol meso-erythritol is largely converted to 1,3-butadiene with minor amounts of 2-butene-1,4-diol and 2,5-dihydrofuran, indicating faster terminal glycol DODH. Stoichiometric reaction studies demonstrate the viability of a catalytic pathway involving (a) glycol condensation with MeReO3 to fo...
Complex interactions between the replicating oncolytic effect and the enzyme/prodrug effect of vaccinia-mediated tumor regression.

replicating viruses for cancer gene therapy have beneficial antitumor effects, however, in the setting of an enzyme/prodrug system, the interactions between these viruses and the activated agents are complex. a replicating vaccinia virus expressing the cytosine deaminase gene (vvcd), which converts the prodrug 5-fc into 5-fu, was characterized in vitro and in vivo for its antitumor effects and pathogenicity. replicating vvcd (±5-fc) at various mois was used to infect mc38 murine colon adenocarcinoma cells. at high mois (>0.1) virus alone was able to kill the majority (65–90%) of cells by day 5 with no additional benefit from prodrug. At low MOIs only the effect of prodrug is seen. Cell lysates demonstrated 300-fold reduced viral recovery from cells treated with both VVCD and 5-FC compared with controls treated with virus alone. Nude mice bearing subcutaneous MC38 tumors were injected with VVCD (or control) and treated with 5FC or control. Mice injected with VVCD (with or without 5FC treatment) had smaller tumors than the controls, suggesting that replicating vaccinia alone is cytotoxic to tumors in vivo. The addition of 5-FC improved the antitumor response when a low dose of virus was injected into tumors. Also, compared with mice that received virus alone, those that received VVCD and 5FC had significantly prolonged survival from virus-mediated death. In conclusion, the addition of an enzyme/prodrug system to a replicating virus can improve the antitumor response and decrease viral pathogenicity.
A New Semantics for Vagueness

Intuitively, vagueness involves some sort of indeterminacy: if Plato is a borderline case of baldness, then there is no fact of the matter about whether or not he’s bald—he’s neither bald nor not bald. The leading formal treatments of such indeterminacy—three valued logic, supervaluationism, etc.—either fail to validate the classical theorems, or require that various classically valid inference rules be restricted. Here we show how a fully classical, yet indeterminist account of vagueness can be given within natural semantics, an alternative semantics for classical proof theory. The key features of the account are: there is a single notion of truth—definite truth—and a single notion of validity; sentences can be true, false, or undetermined; all classical theorems and all classical inference rule are valid; the sorites argument is unsound; ‘definitely’ is treated as a meta-language predicate; higher-order vagueness is handled via semantic ascent.
Dynamic behaviors of polypropylene fiber reinforced lightweight aggregate concrete by SHPB tests

Large dimension SHPB(split Hopkenson pressure bar) apparatus was used to measure the dynamic behaviors of polypropylene fiber reinforced lightweight aggregate concrete,and stress-strain curves under strain rate between 60 s-1 and 110 s-1 were acquired.The relation between the mechanical property of this material and the strain rate was analyzed.And its property in dynamic condition was compared with that in static condition.The result shows that polypropylene fiber reinforced lightweight aggregate concrete is a kind of good strike resisting material.
Electrophysiological and functional effects of adenosine on ventricular myocytes of various mammalian species

The goal of this study was to determine the electrophysiological and functional effects of adenosine on ventricular myocytes of guinea pig, rabbit, rat, and ferret hearts. Adenosine (100 microM) shortened the action potential durations of rat and ferret myocytes by 14 +/- 1 and 57 +/- 7%, reduced the amplitudes of cell twitch shortening by 13 +/- 1 and 54 +/- 5%, and increased outward currents by 15 +/- 4 and 55 +/- 5%, respectively, but had no effect on guinea pig and rabbit myocytes. The properties of adenosine-activated outward current in rat and ferret ventricular myocytes indicated that this current is the adenosine-sensitive K+ current [IK(Ado)]. Adenosine had no significant effect on basal Ca2+ current but specifically inhibited isoproterenol-stimulated L-type Ca2+ current in myocytes of all species studied. Binding studies revealed that the density of A1 adenosine receptors (A1AdoR) was highest in ferret and lowest in rabbit myocytes, but the differential effects of adenosine among species could not be solely explained by differences in A1AdoR density. In summary, adenosine shortened the action potential and reduced the twitch shortening of rat and ferret but not of guinea pig and rabbit ventricular myocytes. Shortening of the action potential was associated with the activation of IK(Ado). The anti-beta-adrenergic action of adenosine appeared to be independent of species.