cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Multimodal Analysis of Qawwali: From Ecstasy to Exotic Trance

This study explores qawwali from emotional, aesthetic as well as devotional aspects to get its true feel. The purpose is to trace the extent to which qawwali acts as a catalyst for ecstatic or trance-like states of spiritual experience. A multimodal framework for analysis was used to study the common emerging patterns like love of God and His last prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H), beatitudes of God and paradox of spiritual or worldly love. The qawwali sung at the three famous shrines of Lahore, Pakistan was the main source of data. To trace its impact, perceptions of devotees were taken into account in the form of 16 case studies. It was found that qawwali’s emphatic rhythmical stress patterns repeating God’s name stirred devotees’ emotions for spiritual self-repositioning. But words fall short to capture these spiritual emotions. Hence, this study only described the emotions supposedly gaining spiritual proximity with God.
Continuous Symmetries and Broken Symmetries in Multivalley Semiconductors and Semimetals

Publisher Summary The chapter presents a review on continuous symmetries and broken symmetries in muitivalley semiconductors and semi metals. It has been long recognized that, for example, silicon (when donor doped) contains six pockets of electrons in the first Brillouin zone. Groups of two pockets, along 100, 010, and 001 are related by inversion symmetry. These pockets of electrons are connected as well by the various other point-symmetry operations. So far, it has been largely overlooked that to a very high degree of accuracy the two pockets related by inversion symmetry satisfy the continuous SU (2)-symmetry Lie group. The consequences of this continuous internal symmetry (which we will refer to as isospin space) is the subject of this chapter. Having recognized this continuous symmetry, the analogy between isospin and spin space is immediate. The internal SU (2) symmetry in isospin space is apparent immediately when we approximate the different valleys by an effective mass Hamiltonian. Corrections, beyond the effective mass approximation, will break the perfect isospin SU (2) symmetry; the chapter discusses these symmetry-breaking terms. The chapter also presents a discussion on the Fermi liquid properties of the multivalley systems; specifically the interplay of the metal-insulator transition and isospin space.
Myelin-associated oligodendrocytic basic protein: identification of an encephalitogenic epitope and association with multiple sclerosis.

Myelin-associated oligodendrocytic basic protein (MOBP) is an abundant myelin constituent expressed exclusively by oligodendrocytes, the myelin-forming cells of the CNS. We report that MOBP causes experimental allergic encephalomyelitis and is associated with multiple sclerosis. First, we note that purified recombinant MOBP inoculated into SJL/J mice produces CNS disease. Tests of overlapping peptides spanning the murine MOBP molecule map the encephalitogenic site to amino acids 37–60. MOBP-induced experimental allergic encephalomyelitis shows a severe clinical course and is characterized by a prominent CD4+ T lymphocyte infiltration and a lesser presence of CD8+ T cells and microglia/macrophages around vessels and in the white matter of the CNS. Second, PBL obtained from patients with relapsing/remitting multiple sclerosis mount a proliferative response to human MOBP, especially at amino acids 21–39. This response equals or exceeds the response to myelin basic protein and an influenza virus hemagglutinin peptide, both serving as internal controls. Thus, a novel myelin Ag, MOBP aa 37–60, plays a role in rodent autoimmune CNS disease, and its human MOBP counterpart is associated with the human demyelinating disease multiple sclerosis.
Inborn errors of metabolism, the clinical diagnosis in early infancy

Major advances occurring in recent years in the recognition and treatment of inborn errors of metabolism have made it more essential than ever that the physician be familiar with the clinical presentation of these disorders. Although infants with inborn errors of metabolism will continue to be best cared for in centers with expertise in the treatment of inherited metabolic disease, the initial recognition of these disorders remains the responsibility of the practicing physician. A clinical approach to the diagnosis of inborn errors of metabolism in the young infant is presented as well as suggestions for the use of readily available laboratory studies that can serve to identify these infants who will benefit from further evaluation and treatment.
Microwave absorption in insulating dielectric ionic crystals including the role of point defects

A theoretical model of microwave absorption in linear dielectric ~nonferroelectric! ionic crystals that takes into account the presence of point defects has been synthesized and specifically applied to NaCl single crystals by considering all relevant interaction mechanisms between a harmonic electric field and single-crystal ionic crystalline solids, including ionic conduction, dielectric relaxation, and multiphonon processes. The loss factor e9 has been measured by a cavity resonator insertion technique for nearly pure and Ca 21 doped NaCl single crystals at frequencies from 2 to 16 GHz and at the temperatures from 300 to 700 K. The experimental results are in good agreement with the theoretical model. The theoretical model predicts a transition between low- and high-temperature absorption processes that may partly account for the phenomenon of thermal runaway observed during microwave processing of ceramics.
Image reconstruction from rebinned helical cone-beam projection data

In this work, we introduced an algorithm for image reconstruction in helical cone-beam CT based upon the backprojection-filtration (BPF) algorithm. This algorithm is a backprojection-filtration-type algorithm that reconstructs images from rebinned data. It retains the properties of the original BPF algorithm in that it requires minimum data and can reconstruct ROI images from truncated data. More importantly, due to the elimination of the spatially-variant weighting factor in the backprojection, it may improve the noise properties in reconstructed images. We have performed computer-simulation studies to investigate the ROI-image reconstruction and noise properties of this algorithm, and the quantitative results verify and demonstrate the proposed algorithm.
Mobility and performance enhancement in compressively strained SiGe channel PMOSFETs

Abstract We report that drive current enhancement and higher mobilities than the universal mobility in compressively strained Si1−xGex on Si surface-channel p-type metal-oxide–semiconductor field-effect-transistors (PMOSFETs) with HfO2 gate dielectric, for gate lengths (LG) down to 180 nm. 36% drive current enhancement was achieved for Si0.8Ge0.2 channel PMOSFETs compared to Si with HfO2 gate dielectric. We demonstrate that using SiGe in the channel may be one way to recover the mobility degradation due to the use of HfO2. Buried-channel PMOSFETs with a Si cap layer and SiO2 gate dielectrics were also studied. 41% peak mobility enhancement in Si1−xGex channel PMOSFETs was observed compared to Si channel PMOSFETs. 17% drive current enhancement was achieved for 70 nm channel length (LG) Si0.9Ge0.1 PMOSFETs with SiO2 gate dielectric. This shows the impact of increased hole mobility even for ultra-small geometry of MOSFETs and modest Ge mole fractions. Comparable short channel effects (SCE) were achieved for the buried-channel Si1−xGex devices with LG=70 nm, by controlling Si cap thickness, compared to the Si channel devices. Drive current enhancement without significant SCE and leakage current degradation was observed in this work.
Proteins that promote DNA inversion and deletion

Abstract Recent studies on site-specific DNA recombination reactions have provided new information on the structure of the DNA-binding and catalytic domains of the related Hin and γδ resolvase recombinases, respectively, and the interaction of the recombinational enhancer protein Fis with DNA. These advances lay the foundation for detailed structural studies of recombination complexes and for elucidating the enzymology of DNA strand exchange in this family of recombinases.
Coordination chemistry of scandium — IV Complexes of scandium(III) halides with ethylenediamine

Abstract The syntheses of Sc(en)3X3 (en = ethylenediamine, X = Cl−, Br−) are reported. When these compounds are heated under vacuum, 1 molecule of en is lost and cis[Sc(en)2X2]X is formed. All complexes have been characterized by elemental analysis, conductance measurements and i.r. spectra. Solid state reactions involving Sc(en)3X3 and ammonium halides NH4X, (X = F−, Cl−, Br−, I−) are also discussed.
MicroRNA-155 Deficient Mice Experience Heightened Kidney Toxicity When Dosed with Cisplatin

The development of nephrotoxicity limits the maximum achievable dosage and treatment intervals for cisplatin chemotherapy. Therefore, identifying mechanisms that regulate this toxicity could offer novel methods to optimize cisplatin delivery. MicroRNAs are capable of regulating many different genes, and can influence diverse cellular processes, including cell death and apoptosis. We previously observed miR-155 to be highly increased following ischemic or toxic injury to the kidneys and, therefore, sought to determine whether mice deficient in miR-155 would respond differently to kidney injury. We treated C57BL/6 and miR-155(-/-) mice with 20 mg/kg of cisplatin and found a significantly higher level of kidney injury in the miR-155(-/-) mice. Genome-wide expression profiling and bioinformatic analysis indicated the activation of a number of canonical signaling pathways relating to apoptosis and oxidative stress over the course of the injury, and identified potential upstream regulators of these effects. One predicted upstream regulator was c-Fos, which has two confirmed miR-155 binding sites in its 3' UTR and, therefore, can be directly regulated by miR-155. We established that the miR-155(-/-) mice had significantly higher levels of c-Fos mRNA and protein than the C57BL/6 mice at 72 h after cisplatin exposure. These data indicate a role for miR-155 in the cisplatin response and suggest that targeting of c-Fos could be investigated to reduce cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity.
UCR and NCS: Comparisons over space and time

Tests of statistical and correlation/regression methods were used to compare victimization data and official police data across time and space. For the spatial comparison, victimization data from twenty-six cities surveyed by the LEAA were compared with FBI Uniform Crime Report data on offenses known to the police for those same cities. For the temporal comparison, victimization data from the annual National Crime Survey were compared with national data from FBI Uniform Crime Report data on offenses known to the police. Victimization data were transformed when necessary to crimes per capita, rather than crimes per household to make them more comparable to official statistics. For selected offenses, rates of victimization involving injury, substantial property loss, or invasion of an individual's home (serious victimizations) were compared separately to official statistics. Based on the spatial and temporal comparisons, victimization and official statistics appear to have been measuring two different phenomena; none of the offenses can be regarded as equivalent with respect to victimization and official data over both space and time.
Effects of a single event of close inbreeding on growth and survival in steelhead

For two populations of Alaskan steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) of common ancestry we evaluated effects of inbreeding in second-generation descendants of wild fish by comparing progeny of full-sibling matings to those of non-inbred controls to determine if a single event of close inbreeding has significant effects on survival and growth in captivity or the wild. In captivity, both survival and size were highly variable between inbred and control types within each line and among the five broods during five periods of freshwater culture. However, no consistent patterns of inbreeding enhancement or depression between types within lines across years were evident. In contrast, in the wild marine environment, 34 of 34 pairwise comparisons between inbred and control types in body size of returning adults after 2 or 3 years at liberty in the ocean were consistent with inbreeding depression with significant inbreeding depression varying from 2.9% for female length to 20.0% for female weight. Survival of marked juveniles (smolts) to adults in the wild marine environment was consistently and significantly lower in inbred types for both lines, for an average inbreeding depression of 78.8%. The results underscore the potential problems that can arise from using protective culture technologies, including captive broodstocks, to supplement endangered populations, and they highlight the genetic hazards that can be faced by small wild populations. This study demonstrates that high natural mortality or selection increases the amount of inbreeding depression detected in survival. Inbreeding effects on survival and growth in captivity can be poor indicators of survival and growth in a wild marine environment.
The effect of age on calcium dynamics in rat brain in vivo

Abstract Different biochemical changes accompany development and ageing. However, the time frame for a particular biochemical change may be different than that for another. In the ageing brain, neurological deficits related to ageing have been suggested to be due to a breakdown of calcium (Ca + + ) homeostasis, and an increase in intracellular Ca + + . To understand the dynamics of calcium in CNS in relation to normal ageing, we have determined 45 Ca + + uptake by the different regions of brain in young (3 months) and aged (15 months) rats after a single i.v. injection of 90 μCi/kg 45 Ca + + . In the aged group, the initial plasma contents of the tracer were higher than in the young rats (3 months). The mean values of uptake (as fraction of injected dose/g × 10 5 ) of 45 Ca at different sites were higher in the 15-month-old animals than in the young rats (viz. cortex: 50 vs. 26; hippocampus: 90 vs. 46 and putamen: 54 vs. 30 at 120 min). Computer simulation of the uptake data indicated that the values of most of the fractional transport rates were similar or lower in the aged compared to the controls. However, the steady state ratio of intra/extracellular Ca + + was higher in the 15-month-old animals, suggestive of intracellular accumulation of Ca + + .
Actions of pharmacological agents on 5-hydroxytryptamine and dopamine in the cockroach nervous system (Periplaneta americana L.)

Abstract 1. 1. Liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection was used to determine concentrations of dopamine, N -acetyldopamine, 5-hydroxytryptamine, and N -acetyl-5-hydroxytryptamine in cerebral ganglion of the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana . 2. 2. Neuroactive drugs were injected into the cockroaches and their effects on biogenic amine levels in cerebral ganglion assessed. Drugs tested included α-methyltyrosine, p -chlorophenylalanine methyl ester, D ( + )-amphetamine, reserpine, pargyline, harmaline, and the formamidine pesticides chlordimeform, N -demethylchlordimeform, and N , N -didemethylchlordimeform. 3. 3. Although N -acetyldopamine was easily demonstrable in P. americana cerebral ganglion, N -acetyl-5-hydroxytryptamine could not be detected in cerebral ganglion from normal animals. However, when cerebral ganglia were incubated with 5-hydroxytryptophan or 5-hydroxytryptamine in vitro , a peak with the low oxidation potential and retention time of N -acetyl-5-hydroxytryptamine appeared. 4. 4. p -Chlorophenylalanine methyl ester and α-methyltyrosine, which have dramatic effects on the levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine and catecholamines respectively in mammalian brain, failed to significantly affect the levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine and dopamine in cerebral ganglia from cockroaches pretreated with the drugs. 5. 5. Two possible products of monoamine oxidase activity, dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and 5-hydroxy-indoleacetic acid, were not detected in cerebral ganglion from P. americana . 6. 6. Results of the present study do not support the hypotheses that either MAO inhibition or N -acetyl-transferase inhibition are important modes of insecticidal action of the formamidine pesticides.
GC-ARM: Garbage Collection-Aware RAM Management for Flash Based Solid State Drives

Previous on-board RAM management algorithms of SSD are oblivious of garbage collection (GC) efficiency in that they fail to analyze the performance degradation from the perspective of GC efficiency and thus unable to find the true culprit. For some workloads that do not generate enough invalid data, these approaches will suffer from severe performance degradation. Further, the existing write-buffer component in SSD is by and large oblivious of how FTL works in SSD, unable to minimize the address translation overhead. The GC efficiency and FTL obliviousness of SSD RAM buffer management can result in significantly increased GC-induced and address-translation-induced write traffic to the flash memory, which is very harmful to both performance and endurance. To address these performance and endurance issues of SSD, we propose GC-ARM, an SSD RAM management scheme consisting of a write buffer component and an FTL component. On the one hand, the write-buffer design of GC-ARM can improve the garbage collection efficiency by evaluating the benefits of different destaging approaches. On the other hand, the FTL component is designed to interact with the write-buffer component to reduce the address translation overhead. Moreover, GC-ARM optimizes the size ratio of RAM space allocated to the write buffer and the FTL's mapping table based on the varying randomness of workloads. Extensive trace-driven evaluation results show that GC-ARM consistently outperforms the state-of-the-art FTL and buffer management schemes in terms of the number of erasures, average response time, garbage collection efficiency and write traffic reduction.
Accuracy counts in modeling TCAD's future

We are on the path to meet the major challenges ahead for TCAD. The emerging computational grid will ultimately solve the challenge of limited computational power. The Modular TCAD Framework will solve the TCAD software challenge once more developers agree to cooperate. This framework also provides the ideal platform for rapid implementation of the many models needed in a partial differential equation solver.
International School Choice and Reform Academic Conferences

Announcing the First International School Choice and Reform Academic Conference, Fort Lauderdale, January 14–17, 2012. Please attend! Already booked: International scholars such as Charles Glenn, H...
Electroporation of excised membrane patches from neuroblastoma cells: Demonstration of single pores

Abstract Excised membrane patches from mouse and human neuroblastoma cells were subjected to positive and negative voltage ramps, from 0.25 mV s−1 to 3.3 mV s−1, using standard patch-clamp techniques. At a critical voltage, Vmr, the membrane ruptured. Vmr ranged from 54 mV to 426 mV with great variability, human cell membranes tending to be more resistant to rupture than mouse cell membranes. The presence or absence of voltage-gated ion channels did not affect the Vmr. Vmr was time and voltage dependent, characteristically resembling electroporation as it is described in the literature. Furthermore, close examination of current traces revealed evidence of the pores themselves, appearing when rupture was imminent. This allowed direct measurement of pore conductances, as well as direct observation of their behavior.
A futuristic curriculum model for the gifted child

Planning a curriculum model for the educational needs of the gifted for the 80's and beyond requires a futuristic perspective that will provide alternative programs, materials, and objectives.
Efficient harmonic generation in double-near-zero-permittivity slabs

Second and third harmonic generation are dramatically enhanced in slabs that simultaneously exhibit near-zeropermittivity for the pump and harmonic frequencies. The boost of the local field, together with the vanishing value of the refractive indices can deplete the pump for irradiance values of 1kW/cm 2 .
A kinetic study of fabric detergency

The kinetics of soil removal were investigated under domestic laundry conditions by incorporating small swatches of four artificially soiled test fabrics into a standard load of clean cotton goods. This prevented soil redeposition from affecting the soil removal rate. Two runs were analyzed, one with an anionic and the other with a nonionic detergent. Assessment of the amount of soil remaining on the fabric was made by reflectivity measurements interpreted according to the Kubelka-Munk equation. First-order kinetics were found to prevail for periods ranging from the first 6 min of the wash cycle to the entire 20 min, depending upon test fabric and detergent. For these lengths of time, the rate of soil removal was directly proportional to the amount of soil remaining on the fabric. The 8 first-order rate constants had rather similar values, varying at most by a factor of 2.3. The average value, 0.109 min−1, corresponds to a 6.4-min wash period for removing one-half of the soil and to a 21-min period for removing 90% of the soil from the soiled fabric. The magnitude of the response of the four artificially soiled test fabrics to the two detergents is compared and discussed in terms of the soiling materials. The nonionic detergent was more effective in cleaning a fabric soiled mainly with kaolin and wool fat, while the anionic detergent was more effective with a fabric containing large amounts of liquid oily soil plus carbon black and oleophilic bentonite.
Time‐domain model for noise from particulate recording media

A stochastic theory apprach is used to characterize the noise from particulate recording media, which has been established to be signal dependent and nonstationary. It is indicated that the media noise is completely characterized stochastically by determining its autocorrelation function. The inadequacy of power spectrum measurements, obtained from a spectrum analyzer, in determining the autocorrelation function of nonstationary noise is discussed. The nonstationary media noise is then modeled in the time domain in terms of two stationary stochastic processes, and one deterministic function of time. The consistency of this noise model with experimental observations of background noise and modulation noise is demonstrated. The deterministic function of time in this model is calculated from the signal, and the autocorrelation functions of the component stationary stochastic processes are determined from spectrum analyzer measurements. From these, the autocorrelation function of the nonstationary media noise...
Electronic instability of surfaces of solids

Abstract We study the effects of a surface perturbation on a semi-infinite solid. The bulk band structure is found to determine whether or not the surface is unstable against the formation of electronic surface bands. A criterion, involving a single component of the bulk inverse-effective-mass tensor, is derived.
The Scale-Adaptive Simulation Method for Unsteady Turbulent Flow Predictions. Part 1: Theory and Model Description

The article gives an overview of the Scale-Adaptive Simulation (SAS) method developed by the authors during the last years. The motivation for the formulation of the SAS method is given and a detailed explanation of the underlying ideas is presented. The derivation of the high-Reynolds number form of the equations as well as the calibration of the constants is provided. The concept of SAS is explained using several generic examples and test cases. In a companion article, the model is applied to more complex industrial-type applications.
Folate-dependent enzymes in cultured chinese hamster ovary cells: Evidence for mutant forms of folylpolyglutamate synthetase

A Chinese hamster ovary auxotroph requiring glycine + adenosine + thymidine (CHO AUXB1) was shown by us previously to lack several folylpolyglutamate synthetase (FPGS) type activities. Two revertants of AUXB1 (one spontaneous and one Pt(S04)2 induced) have been isolated and found to contain altered forms of this enzyme. The revertant enzymes are more sensitive to heat inactivation (37 °C, pH 7.4 or 9.0) than the parent CHO enzyme. Increased sensitivity of revertant FPGS is observed irrespective of whether one assays the specific catalysis of radioactive tetrahydropteroyldi- or tetraglutamate synthesis. ATP and MgCl2 protect both revertant and parent CHO FPGS against rapid heat denaturation at pH 9.0, but not at pH 7.4. A genetically related auxotroph (CHO AUXB3) contains one-fifth the parent amount of FPGS. AUXB3 FPGS shows a normal sensitivity to 37 °C heat inactivation, but it has an altered substrate saturation and specificity pattern when assayed for tetrahydropteroyldi[U-14C]glutamate synthesis. Also, unlike the FPGS from parent CHO and a genetically unrelated mutant requiring only glycine (CHO AUXB2), the AUXB3 enzyme specifically lacks tetrahydropteroyltetra[U-14C]glutamate synthetase activity. These findings and polyethylene glycol fusion data with AUXB2 indicate that AUXB1 and AUXB3 each carry a mutation in the structural gene for a CHO FPGS that catalyzes tetrahydropteroyldi- as well as tetraglutamate formation. The altered form of FPGS in AUXB3 is responsible for its glycine + adenosine auxotrophy under standard culture conditions.
Flunarizine and α-adrenergic responses in isolated canine saphenous veins

Abstract 1. 1. Experiments were designed to determine how flunarizine affects contractions of cutaneous veins to α-adrenergic activation. 2. 2. Rings of canine saphenous vein were mounted at optimal length for isometric tension recording in organ chambers filled with physiological salt solution. 3. 3. At concentrations higher than those needed to inhibit KCl-induced contractions, flunarizine inhibited the contractile responses evoked by α 2 -adrenergic agonists (B-HT 920, xylazine), partial (St-587) and full (cirazoline, phenylephrine) α 1 -adrenergic agonists and the combined α 1 -/ α 2 -adrenergic agonist, norepinephrine. 4. 4. The inhibitory effect of flunarizine against α 2 -adrenergic responses was similar to that produced by other calcium-antagonists and results presumably from inhibition of the influx of extracellular calcium. 5. 5. The inhibitory effect of flunarizine against α 1 -adrenergic responses was greater than expected and appears to result from competitive antagonism of α 1 -adrenoceptors (p A 2 = 5.79). 6. 6. Therefore, flunarizine can decrease adrenergic contractile responses by depressing the influx of extracellular calcium and by blocking postjunctional α 1 -adrenoceptors.
Primeval Winds within Globular Clusters

Early stellar mass-loss rates within Galactic globular clusters were likely to have been much larger than at present. Within the most tightly bound globular clusters a substantial intracluster medium could have been acquired during the epoch when the main sequence turn-off mass was around 5 solar mass. By contrast, the stellar ejecta are likely to have been lost entirely from clusters having small binding energies, either stochastically through the expansion of discrete mass-loss shells, or via outflow within a continuous intracluster wind. Criteria for the establishment of continuous winds within globular clusters are obtained from a consideration of the cluster escape velocities and the expected rate of stellar mass ejection events. If mass loss from intermediate-mass stars was characterized by ejection speeds of ~20 km s-1, it is concluded that a number of Galactic globular clusters may have been the sites of primeval winds. It is found that the accretion of material from such a wind, even if it were pure nitrogen, would be insufficient to account for the nitrogen enhancements observed among some CN-strong cluster giants. In particular, the CN enhancements observed among some stars in low-mass clusters such as Palomar 5 are unlikely to have been produced by accretion, unless such clusters were initially much more massive than at present.
Factors Influencing SCC and IASCC of Stainless Steels in High Temperature Water

SCC growth studies were performed in high temperature, high purity water on various grades and various conditions of stainless steel. The synergistic effects of corrosion potential, sensitization, cold work (yield strength), temperature and irradiation were evaluated, and their implications to interpreting and modeling SCC in unirradiated and irradiated structures are discussed.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Recognizing Cardiac Syncope in Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department with Trauma

Abstract Background Cardiac syncope is associated with poor outcomes and may result in traumatic injuries. In patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with trauma, recognizing the cause of syncope is particularly challenging. Also, clinical markers to identify cardiac syncope are not well established. Study Objectives We sought to evaluate clinical markers that could identify cardiac syncope in patients with traumatic falls derived from a large urban trauma database. Methods All patients presenting to the ED during a 10-year study period with a traumatic fall were identified retrospectively. The subset of patients with syncope was ascertained by chart review and defined as cardiac syncope (e.g., presence of dysrhythmia, valvular abnormality), non-cardiac syncope (e.g., vasovagal, neurological), or syncope of unknown cause. Results Of the 5420 patients with traumatic falls, 180 (3.3%) patients with syncope were identified. Among the 180 patients with syncope, the cause was identified as cardiac in 24 (13%), noncardiac in 58 (32%), and unknown in 98 (54%). Three independent predictors (i.e., risk factors) of cardiac syncope were identified: age >65 years, presence of coronary artery disease, and pathological Q waves. Presence of at least one risk factor accurately predicted cardiac syncope in this population, with a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 43%, and a negative predictive value of 100% (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve: 0.80 ± 0.04). Conclusion In patients with traumatic falls and syncope, simple clinical and electrocardiographical variables may identify patients with cardiac causes of syncope. Proper identification of cardiac syncope in this population can potentially prevent recurrence of life-threatening traumatic injury.
Cold Spray Al-5% Mg Coatings for the Corrosion Protection of Magnesium Alloys

Poor corrosion resistance is a significant limitation of magnesium alloys as structural materials. To address this problem, the objective of this study was to apply to a magnesium alloy a corrosion-resistant barrier coating that has galvanic compatibility with magnesium and a hardness value no less than that of magnesium. Aluminum coatings were applied to ZE41A-T5 Mg by the cold spray process. A custom-made high-purity Al-5 wt.% Mg powder was produced by spray metal forming for the coating evaluation. In addition, coatings of commercially pure Al (99.5 wt.%), high-purity Al (99.95 wt.%), AA5356, and AA4047 were used for comparison. Coating evaluation included mechanical testing (hardness and adhesion strength) and corrosion testing (salt spray, galvanic coupling, and crevice corrosion). The Al-5% Mg powder resulted in the best overall performance, including a high hardness, 125 Hv100, and an adhesion strength, over 60 MPa, when treated for over 1000 h in a salt spray chamber and with a low galvanic current.
Transbilayer Lipid Redistribution Accompanies Poly(ethylene glycol) Treatment of Model Membranes but Is Not Induced by Fusion

Small, unilamellar vesicles (SUV) or large, unilamellar vesicles (LUV) containing a small amount of N-(7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazol-4-yl)phosphatidylethanolamine (NBD-PE) or the corresponding phosphatidylserine (NBD-PS) were made asymmetric in labeled lipid by reduction of outer leaflet probe with externally added sodium dithionite. Following removal of dithionite, transbilayer lipid redistribution (presumably due to lipid flip-flop) was indicated by a loss of fluorescence intensity upon readdition of dithionite. Vesicle rupture and fusion in the presence of PEG were measured by changes in the fluorescence of trapped Tb3+ complexed with dipicolinic acid (DPA) or by the increase of fluorescence from 8-aminonaphthalene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid (ANTS) coencapsulated with a quenching agent. NBD-PE redistributed slowly (∼2%/h) in all symmetrically labeled vesicles examined, while NBD-PS did not. NBD-PE redistribution was not accelerated by treatment of vesicles with PEG below concentrations that induced vesicle r...
Internal devaluation in a monetary union

Reversing significant cumulative losses in competitiveness has emerged as a core challenge in some Eurozone countries. This brief note takes a closer look at one episode of successful internal devaluation, the experience of the new states following German reunification. The case suggests that substantial cumulative competitiveness gains are possible but require significant time. The case further points to relative productivity gains—and hence to structural reforms—as an important aspect of the adjustment process.
A different approach to teaching Chinese through serious games

From the days of computer assisted language learning (CALL) [10], using computers as a means to acquire a new language has been a long standing research field. Chinese is a notoriousloy difficult language to learn, and teaching methods that are used take a long time and can be tedious[7], but these techniques have been shown to be effective[11]. We believe that by creating a serious game that uses newer second language acauisition techniques, the learning process can be expidited and enjoyable. Our game exposes the player to an abundance of simple, comprehensible target language input, which provides an interesting, motivating, and low stress setting. Also Lost in the Middle Kingdom utilizes total immersion, focusing on the language's culture to create a holistic experience.
Japanese expository prose

Abstract This paper discusses aspects of Japanese expository prose or‐ginazation through an overt comparison of similar English expository prose writings. It is shown that English prose paragraphs are defined through a uniform orientation and that the paragraph topic is established early in the paragraph. English paragraphs have a hierarchical structure, with an indefinite number of subtopics, or perspectives. Japanese paragraphs, on the other hand, tend to be organized by a return to a baseline theme at the initiation of each subtopic, or perspective. Perspectives are more loosely connected, although there is some cohesive‐ness. The overall structure of a Japanese paragraph contains (1) an introduction (2) directly or indirectly related comments, and (3) an optional generalization, summation, or both.
Effect of temperature on transitions in creep mechanisms in class-A alloys

Abstract Alloy class materials exhibit viscous glide controlled creep, where dislocations are locked by solute atoms thereby decreasing their glide velocity while dislocation annihilation by climb still occurs. The creep-rate here varies as cube of the applied stress (stress exponent, n = 3) while the activation energy for creep becomes equal to that for solute atom diffusion. At high enough stress, the dislocations get freed from solute atom locking and transition to climb controlled creep is noted with n ∼ 5 while at still higher stresses, power-law breakdown is observed. For relatively small grain-sizes, viscous creep mechanisms such as Nabarro–Herring or Coble creep usually occur at low stresses. A close examination of the model equations reveals that at temperatures below a critical temperature, a transition from diffusional viscous creep to dislocation climb occurs without the intermediate viscous glide creep. Recent experimental results on a Zr–Nb sheet clearly follow these formulations exhibiting narrower intermediate region with decreasing temperature.
Proton affinity of β-oxalylaminoalanine (BOAA): Incorporation of direct entropy correction into the single-reference kinetic method

A new version of the single-reference-extended kinetic method is presented in which direct entropy correction is incorporated. Results of calibration experiments with the monodentate base pyridine and the bidentate base ethylenediamine are presented for which the method provides proton affinities in excellent agreement with published values and reasonable predictions for the protonation entropies. The method is then used to determine the proton affinity and protonation entropy of the non-protein amino acid β-oxalylaminoalanine (BOAA). The PA of BOAA is found to be 933.1±7.8 kJ/mol and a prediction for the protonation entropy of −39 J mol−1 K−1 is also obtained, indicating a significant degree of intramolecular hydrogen bonding in the protonated form. These results are supported by hybrid density functional theory calculations at the B3LYP/6–311++G**//B3LYP/6–31+G* level. They indicate that the preferred site of protonation is the α-nitrogen atom (PA = 935.0 kJ/mol) and that protonated BOAA has a strong hydrogen bond between the hydrogen on the α-amino group and one of the carbonyl oxygen atoms on the side chain.
Pleomorphic Leiomyosarcoma of the Adrenal Gland: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Primary adrenal leiomyosarcomas (LMS) are extremely rare mesenchymal tumors. To the best of our knowledge only 12 cases (9 cases of conventional and 2 cases of pleomorphic LMS) have been reported in the literature until the present date. Herein we report a case of pleomorphic LMS in a 47-year-old woman who presented with severe abdominal pain. Computed tomography showed a large heterogeneous left adrenal mass abutting the renal vessels. The adrenal mass was resected and histopathologic examination revealed a highly pleomorphic malignant spindle cell neoplasm diffusely infiltrating the adrenal parenchyma with an immunoprofile consistent with that of a leiomyosarcoma. Clinical management and subsequent follow-up of this patient is presented.
Solid-state and multidimensional solution-state NMR of solid phase extracted and ultrafiltered riverine dissolved organic matter.

In this study we used multidimensional solution-state NMR to elucidate the differences in the chemical composition of solid phase extracted and ultrafiltered DOM isolates. DOM was isolated from water sampled from an oligotrophic river, the River Tagliamento (Italy). The recovery of total DOM was up to 42% with both isolation techniques. In addition to 1- and 2-D solution-state NMR, we also applied 1-D solid-state 13C NMR spectroscopy for DOM characterization. 13C NMR spectroscopy only produced broad overlapping resonances, thus allowing a bulk characterization of DOM composition. However, it demonstrated that the bulk chemical composition of the two DOM fractions exhibited minor spatial-temporal changes. The 2-D experiments (TOCSY, HMQC) showed that the solid phase extracted hydrophobic DOM contained predominantly aliphatic esters, ethers, and hydroxyl groups, whereas the ultrafiltered DOM was comprised partially of peptides/protein, with further evidence for a small amount of aliphatic/fatty acid materia...
Journal Club: Clinical Prediction Rules

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ON THIS TOPIC: Previous out-of-hospital studies indicate that selective spinal immobilization may miss patients with cervical injury. WHAT QUESTION THIS STUDY ADDRESSED: Can paramedics apply the Canadian C-Spine Rule in alert, stable, cooperative, blunt-trauma patients to reserve spinal immobilization for high-risk patients while avoiding immobilization for low-risk patients? WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS TO OUR KNOWLEDGE: In this 1,949-patient cohort, paramedics achieved 100% sensitivity and 38% specificity for important cervical fractures. HOW THIS MIGHT CHANGE CLINICAL PRACTICE: Use of the Canadian C-spine Rule by paramedics may safely avoid unnecessary spinal immobilization.
Is fecal diversion necessary for nondestructive penetrating extraperitoneal rectal injuries

Background: Current management of penetrating extraperitoneal rectal injury includes diversion of the fecal stream. The purpose of this study is to assess whether nondestructive penetrating extraperitoneal rectal injuries can be managed successfully without diversion of the fecal stream. Methods: This study was performed at an urban Level I trauma center during a 28-month period from February 2003 through June 2005. All patients who suffered nondestructive penetrating extraperitoneal rectal injuries were managed with a diagnosis and treatment protocol that excluded fecal stream diversion. Patients were placed in one of two management arms based upon clinical suspicion for intraperitoneal injury. In the first arm, patients with suspicion for rectal injury and a positive clinical examination for intraperitoneal injuries were delivered to the operating room for exploratory laparotomy. Proctoscopy was performed before exploratory laparotomy. Extraperitoneal rectal injuries were left to heal by secondary intention. Intraperitoneal rectal injuries were repaired primarily. Patients did not receive fecal diversion or perineal drainage. In the second management arm, patients with a negative clinical examination for intraperitoneal injury and wounding agent trajectory suspicious for rectal injury underwent diagnostic peritoneal lavage (DPL), cystography, and proctoscopy in the emergency room. Positive DPL or cystography warranted laparotomy as above. Patients with positive proctoscopy alone were admitted and placed on a clear liquid diet. Barium enema was performed 5 to 7 days postinjury for all rectal injuries with diets advanced accordingly. A matched historic control group of rectal injury patients who underwent fecal diversion was compared with the nondiversion protocol group. Patients from both groups were matched for penetrating abdominal trauma index (PATI), age and mechanism of injury. Results: There were 14 consecutive patients diagnosed with penetrating rectal injury placed in the nondiversion management protocol. Of these, 9 (64%) patients in the nondiversion group required laparotomy. The average age in the diversion historical control group was 30.5 years and 29.3 years in the nondiversion group. The average PATI in the diversion group was 15.3 and 16.1 in the nondiversion protocol group. The average length of stay for the diversion and nondiversion groups was 9.8 days (range, 7-15) and 7.2 days (range, 4-10), respectively. There were no complications associated with rectal injuries in either group. Conclusions: Nondestructive penetrating rectal injuries can be managed successfully without fecal diversion. Randomized prospective study will be necessary to assess this management method.
Optimal Flood Control in Alluvial Channel Using Adjoint Sensitivity Analysis

Flood flows in alluvial channels (rivers) convey suspended sediments from upstream to downstream, and also entrain bed materials along with flood currents. It is obvious that morphological changes in channels due to sediment deposition/erosion will affect water stages, and results in different hydrographs, in comparison with those in a fixed channel bed. During flood seasons, due to speeding flood currents, even drastic bed changes will occur. It is therefore of importance to take into account morphological changes in alluvial channels induced by flood flows for the purpose of flood control operation. This paper presents a systematical numerical investigation on the effect of morphological change in an alluvial channel on optimal flood control. As an example, the numerical optimal flood control is demonstrated by operating a floodgate to withdraw flood waters from a channel. The optimal withdrawal hydrographs for the floodgate operations are obtained by an integrated numerical optimization modeling system which consists of a hydrodynamic model, a sediment transport model, and a bound constrained optimization model. The hydrodynamic module is to solve the one-dimensional nonlinear de Saint-Venant equations. The sediment transport module solves the non-equilibrium transport equations for non-uniform sediments. And the optimization module is to find the optimal solution iteratively by solving the adjoint equations of the Saint-Venant equations obtained by variational approach. In order to study the effectiveness and applicability of the optimal control theory, alluvial channels with single floodgate is considered for different flow conditions and sediment properties. The changes in morphology due to control of flows are studied thoroughly. It is found that the influence of morphological changes on flood control becomes critical under certain flow conditions and the integrated model is applicable to perform optimal flood control under consideration of sediment transport in alluvial channels/rivers.
The influence of mechanical deformation on the electrical properties of single wall carbon nanotubes

Recent experimental studies and atomistic simulations have shown that carbon nanotubes (CNTs) display strong interplay between the mechanical deformation and electrical properties. We have developed a simple and accurate method to determine atom positions in a uniformly deformed CNT via a continuum analysis based on the interatomic potential. A shift vector is introduced to ensure the equilibrium of atoms. Such an approach, involving only three variables for the entire CNT, agrees very well with the molecular mechanics calculations. We then study the effect of mechanical deformation on the band gap change of single wall CNTs under tension, torsion, and combined tension/torsion via the k-space tight-binding method. Prior studies without this shift vector lead to significant overestimation of the band gap change. It is established that the conducting CNTs may easily become semi-conducting ones subject to mechanical deformation, but the semi-conducting CNTs never become conducting ones upon deformation.
Determination of Dosage Compensation of the Mammalian X Chromosome by RNA-seq is Dependent on Analytical Approach

An enduring question surrounding sex chromosome evolution is whether effective hemizygosity in the heterogametic sex leads inevitably to dosage compensation of sex-linked genes, and whether this compensation has been observed in a variety of organisms. Incongruence in the conclusions reached in some recent reports has been attributed to different high-throughput approaches to transcriptome analysis. However, recent reports each utilizing RNA-seq to gauge X-linked gene expression relative to autosomal gene expression also arrived at diametrically opposed conclusions regarding X chromosome dosage compensation in mammals. Here we analyze RNA-seq data from X-monosomic female human and mouse tissues, which are uncomplicated by genes that escape X-inactivation, as well as published RNA-seq data to describe relative X expression (RXE). We find that the determination of RXE is highly dependent upon a variety of computational, statistical and biological assumptions underlying RNA-seq analysis. Parameters implemented in short-read mapping programs, choice of reference genome annotation, expression data distribution, tissue source for RNA and RNA-seq library construction method have profound effects on comparing expression levels across chromosomes. Our analysis shows that the high number of paralogous gene families on the mammalian X chromosome relative to autosomes contributes to the ambiguity in RXE calculations, RNA-seq analysis that takes into account that single- and multi-copy genes are compensated differently supports the conclusion that, in many somatic tissues, the mammalian X is up-regulated compared to the autosomes.