cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The biologic actions of a new series of bis(dichloroacetyl) diamines.

Abstract Three members (Win 13,099, Win 17,416, Win 18,446) of a new series of bis(dichloroacetyl) diamines have been studied orally in rats, dogs, and/or monkeys. These data indicate the following points: 1. 1. These compounds proved to be relatively nontoxic substances which exert a specific effect upon the testes of the species studied. 2. 2. This biologic effect on the testes is characterized by arrest of spermatogenesis which is completely reversible within a few weeks after withdrawal of the drug. The Leydig, Sertoli, and spermatogonial cells appear to be normal even under the full influence of these drugs. 3. 3. The mechanism of the action of this phenomenon is not understood at present but should provide a fine tool in the study of the specific biochemical requirements for spermatogenesis.
Storm flow dynamics and loads of fecal bacteria associated with ponds in southern piedmont and coastal plain watersheds with animal agriculture

Storm events that increase flow rates can disturb sediments and produce overland runoff in watersheds with animal agriculture, and, thus, can increase surface water concentrations of fecal bacteria and risk to public health. We tested the hypothesis that strategically designed and placed ponds in watersheds with animal agriculture would attenuate downstream fluxes of fecal bacteria. We measured concentrations and fluxes of fecal indicator bacteria (commensal Escherichia coli and fecal enterococci) and manure pathogens (Salmonella and E. coli 0157:H7) in in- and outflows of Bishop Pond in the Southern Piedmont of Georgia during three storm events and in- and outflow concentrations and fluxes of fecal indicator bacteria at Ponds A and C in the Coastal Plain of Georgia during two storm events. Mean concentrations and fluxes of fecal indicator bacteria associated with pond in- and outflow during hydrograph rise, peak, fall, and 5-days after peak flow at Bishop Pond were significantly greater than their mean base flow concentrations and fluxes. In storm flow Bishop Pond significantly reduced the outflow concentrations and fluxes of fecal indicator bacteria compared with corresponding inflow measurements. Unlike fecal indicator bacteria, Bishop Pond appeared not to reduce outflow concentrations and fluxes of Salmonella or E. coli 0157:H7. At Ponds A and C in the Coastal Plain mean in- and outflow concentrations and fluxes of the fecal indicator bacteria associated with the hydrograph rise and peak flows of the storms were not different. Bishop Pond, with a length to width ratio of 3.3, attenuated downstream fluxes of fecal bacteria. In contrast, Ponds A and C were not effective at reducing downstream fluxes of fecal bacteria under storm flow conditions. The ineffectiveness of Ponds A and C may be attributed to their having length to width ratios of 1.2 and 2.5, respectively, both of which are below the minimum for effective pond performance. Our results indicated that in the humid Southeast an appropriately placed and configured pond in watersheds with animal agriculture can reduce storm flow loads of fecal indicator bacteria but not necessarily pathogenic E. coli 0157:H7.
The Making of a Historic District and the Economic Impact upon Housing Value: An Empirical Analysis of the Tree Streets Neighborhood in Johnson City, Tennessee

Many urban communities in the United States faced deteriorating physical infrastructure and social environment in the second half of the 20th century. To restore such inner city neighborhoods, many neighborhoods have adopted historic preservation as a means to both aesthetically and fiscally improve the condition. This paper studies a historic district in the Tree Streets neighborhood, Johnson City, Tennessee in regard to its road toward historical preservation and neighborhood restoration. We find that through decades of a local civic organization’s efforts and government planning initiatives, the community has successfully turned from a university slum into a livable neighborhood. We also find that the benefits are not strictly nostalgic but there is a positive economic impact of historic preservation designation on property values. The making of the historic district in the Tree Streets neighborhood both socially and economically has provided a great example of smart growth for Johnson city and other American cities to revitalize urban residential neighborhoods in central cities.
The importance of velocity, or why speed may matter more than distance

Theory and research on self-regulation emphasizes the importance of goals for guiding human behavior. Critical phenomena within the self-regulation literature are discrepancies between actual states and goal states. When such discrepancies are detected, they capture attention and effort is mobilized to move actual states closer to goal states (or in some cases align the latter with the former). While discrepancy feedback, or the distance between actual and goal states, is important, so too is velocity feedback, or the rate at which actual–goal discrepancies are decreasing. Unfortunately, research has mostly ignored the role played by velocity in the self-regulation process. To redress this limitation, we review the concept of velocity, the empirical studies that have examined this concept, and how velocity is commonly measured. We then discuss the role of velocity as it pertains to three self-regulatory functions at work: achieving performance goals, satisfying belonging needs, and satisfying esteem needs.
Engineering applications of neural networks

This paper describes several prototypical applications of neural network technology to engineering problems. The applications were developed by the authors as part of a graduate-level course taught at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign by the first author (now at Carnegie Mellon University). The applications are: an adaptive controller for building thermal mass storage; an adaptive controller for a combine harvester; an interpretation system for non-destructive evaluation of masonry walls; a machining feature recognition system for use in process planning; an image classification system for classifying land coverage from satellite or high-altitude images; and a system for designing the pumping strategy for contaminated groundwater remediation. These applications are representative of many of the engineering problems for which neural networks are applicable: adaptive control, feature recognition, and design.
CYP3A4 and pregnane X receptor humanized mice.

Marked species differences exist in P450 expression and activities. In order to produce mouse models that can be used to more accurately predict human drug and carcinogen metabolism, P450- and xenobiotic receptor humanized mice are being prepared using bacterial artificial chromosomes (BAC) and P1 phage artificial chromosomes (PAC) genomic clones. In some cases, transgenic mice carrying the human genes are bred with null-mice to produce fully humanized mice. Mice expressing human CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP2E1, CYP2D6, CYP3A4, and CYP3A7 were generated and characterized. Studies with the CYP3A4-humanized (hCYP3A4) mouse line revealed new information on the physiological function of this P450 and its role in drug metabolism in vivo. With this mouse line, CYP3A4, under certain circumstances, was found to alter the serum levels of estrogen resulting in deficient lactation and low pup survival as a result of underdeveloped mammary glands. This hCYP3A4 mouse established the importance of intestinal CYP3A4 in the pharmacokinetics of orally administered drugs. The hCYP3A4 mice were also used to establish the mechanisms of potential gender differences in CYP3A4 expression (adult female > adult male) that could account for human gender differences in drug metabolism and response. The pregnane X receptor (PXR) is also involved in induction of drug metabolism through its target genes including CYP3A4. Since species differences exist in ligand specificity between human and mice, a PXR-humanized mouse (hPXR) was produced that responds to human PXR activators such as rifampicin but does not respond to the rodent activator pregnenalone 16α-carbonitrile. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biochem Mol Toxicol 21:158–162, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/jbt.20173
Subglottic ductal cysts associated with complete tracheal ring deformity: Coexistence of two rare airway abnormalities with fatal outcome

Subglottic cysts are rare and may cause airway obstruction. Most cases are acquired secondary to endotracheal intubation, even short-term, particularly in the premature neonate. Complete tracheal rings are rare anomalies associated with tracheal stenosis. To our knowledge, the two have not been reported coexisting. A 16-month-old ex-premature boy was found unresponsive, with his tracheostomy tube dislodged. Tracheomalacia, subglottic stenosis, and a laryngeal cyst had been diagnosed shortly after birth, and the cyst was surgically treated at that time. At autopsy, a complete tracheal ring was noted in the subglottic region, above the tracheostomy site, and the tracheal diameter was markedly decreased in this area. In addition, multiloculated cysts were present at that level, arising from both anterolateral tracheal walls. These completely occluded the airway. To our knowledge, this is the first case of a combination of tracheal ring anomaly and subglottic cysts. Pediatric pathologists must be aware of iatrogenic lesions associated with care of the premature neonate, particularly as the age of viability continues to decrease.
Multifunctional meshed carbon nanotube thread patch antenna

A meshed patch antenna fabricated with carbon nanotube thread is proposed for multiple applications, including communications and chemical/gas sensing. Full wave simulation results of the meshed patch antenna are presented to demonstrate its use as a communications antenna and to predict its performance as a chemical/gas sensor. The patch antenna exhibits a center frequency of 27.85 GHz with a −10 dB bandwidth of 2.1 GHz (7.5%). The patch center frequency shifts approximately 60 MHz in direct response to the change in carbon nanotube permittivity that occurs due to the presence of a reacting gas.
Effects of increased processing load on parallel processing of visual displays

Three experiments were performed to determine whether displays processed in parallel would be processed serially if the information requirements in the task were increased. In Experiments 1 and 2, this increase consisted of an additional nonvisually confusing input. Mean reaction time increased, but parallel processing of the displays was still observed. In Experiment 3, the difficulty of the task was increased by including displays requiring fine discriminations. For both these visually confusing displays and the highly discriminable displays processed in parallel in Experiments 1 and 2, serial processing was observed.
Feline Neonatal Sepsis

When bacterial infections exceed or overcome the ability of a kitten's immune system to provide protection, life-threatening illnesses such as neonatal sepsis often occur. Many kittens with neonatal sepsis show unusual presentations or a wide variety of clinical presentations that may not be immediately recognized as being associated with sepsis. Because neonatal sepsis causes unexpected sudden death, kittens suspected of having sepsis should be treated immediately. In most instances, initial antimicrobial therapy is selected empirically. Kittens are treated by giving intravenous or intraosseous fluids for dehydration, oxygen to counter tissue hypoxemia, and glucose if hypoglycemia is present. The beta-lactam antimicrobial agents such as the penicillins, cephalosporins, and the combination of beta-lactam antimicrobials and beta-lactamase inhibitors are considered to be the first choice in the treatment of any septicemic kittens.
Fundamental limits on the z-resolution of ion beam patterning of magnetic multilayers

Abstract Ion beam etching (i.e. ion milling) is the preferred patterning method for metallic magnetic multilayers. We explore the extendibility and fundamental limits of the technique with regard to z-resolution (i.e. etched depth). We studied the atomic relocation in Ni–Cu and Co–Cu multilayers under Ar+ bombardment, using molecular dynamics simulations. The atomistic mechanisms upon impact are significantly different for the two systems, especially on the monolayer scale: Ar bombardment of Co on Cu is found to lead to dewetting, while bombardment of Ni on Cu is found to lead mostly to formation of an interfacial alloy due to relocated atoms.
Lekking versus solitary display: temporal variations in dispersion in the buff-breasted sandpiper

Abstract On its breeding grounds in arctic Alaska, the buff-breasted sandpiper, Tryngites subruficollis , exhibited variation in social organization from lekking to solitary display as the nesting season progressed. At each of six sites observed between 1978 and 1980, males initially settled and displayed on small, contiguous, spatially clumped territories which were distant from the area in which females nested. At one site, 19 of 23 (82·6%) matings were seen during the first 2 days of lek occupancy. Once females began incubation, most males abandoned the lek and left the area, but the males that remained expanded their territories and displayed solitarily, in some cases near nest sites. Some solitary males did mate. Predation on nests and nest failure were high (72·2%). It is likely that display by males on dispersed territories is a successful option because of the probability that females will re-nest after losing their first clutch of eggs and mate with nearby males. The change in dispersion of males coincided with temporal changes in females' movements. On arrival, females travelled in groups over wide areas but, once nesting began, they travelled singly. The dynamics of social organization in this species are most consistent with a hotspot model for lek evolution.
Galileo's Discorsi as a Tool for the Analytical Art.

SummaryA heretofore overlooked response to Galileo's 1638 Discorsi is described by examining two extant copies of the text (one which has received little attention in the historiography, the other apparently unknown) which are heavily annotated. It is first demonstrated that these copies contain annotations made by Seth Ward and Sir Christopher Wren. This article then examines one feature of Ward's and Wren's responses to the Discorsi, namely their decision to re-write several of Galileo's geometrical demonstrations into the language of symbolic algebra. It is argued that this type of active reading of period mathematical texts may have been part of the regular scholarly and pedagogical practices of early modern British mathematicians like Ward and Wren. A set of Appendices contains a transcription and translation of the analytical solutions found in these annotated copies.
Low-resistance Coupling between Gland Cells. Some Observations on Intercellular Contact Membranes and Intercellular Space

ALTHOUGH it is not possible at present to give a general definition of the cellular surface membrane, or even to define its spatial limits, the consensus now is that it is related to the structure which under the electron microscope appears as a three-layered complex, about 75 A thick1. The physiologist generally assumes that this structure represents the barrier which he finds, by indirect means, restricting the flux of ions at the cell boundary. The general idea about this diffusion barrier is that its resistance is uniformly high over all faces of a given cell. This idea derives chiefly from electrophysiological work with a rather special group of cells which, like skeletal muscle and nerve fibres, have adapted to transmit electrical signals without appreciable cross-talk between cell neighbors; or which, like blood and gamete cells, are normally unconnected. Indeed, in these elements, except for special synaptic contact regions2–11 and certain neuroglia contacts12, the surface resistance is in general high and, within the limits of resolution of the methods, distributed rather uniformly over the cell surface.
The black church as a participant in community health interventions

(1994). The Black Church as a Participant in Community Health Interventions. Journal of Health Education: Vol. 25, No. 3, pp. 183-185.
Characterization of a G-protein Activator in the Neuroblastoma-Glioma Cell Hybrid NG108-15

Abstract Purified bovine brain G-protein was used in a solution phase assay to identify membrane-associated proteins that influenced the activation of heterotrimeric G-proteins. Detergent-solubilized membrane extracts from the neuroblastoma-glioma cell hybrid NG108-15, but not the parent C6B4 glioma cell line, increased [35S]GTPγS binding to purified G-protein by ∼460%. The G-protein activator was heat-sensitive, and the magnitude of its action was related to the amount of extract protein. The biophysical and biochemical properties of the G-protein activator were determined using DEAE ion exchange chromatography, gel filtration, and a lectin affinity matrix. In the presence of added GDP (1 μM), the enriched G-protein activator increased the initial rate of [35S]GTPγS binding to brain G-protein by up to 4-fold. In the absence of added GDP, the G-protein activator elicited an initial burst in [35S]GTPγS binding to brain G-protein within the first 30 s, after which the rate of nucleotide binding to G-protein was similar in the absence or presence of the G-protein activator. The stimulation of nucleotide binding to brain G-protein by the activator was also observed after resolution of Gα from Gβγ. The G-protein activator was distinct from other proteins (neuromodulin, tubulin, and β-amyloid precursor protein) that influence nucleotide binding to G-protein, indicating the existence of a novel signal accelerator.
Impulsive brightenings/velocity transients in quiescent solar prominences

In some quiescent prominences, areas are found where the Hα emission profiles are centrally reversed. By combining good spatial, spectral, and temporal resolution, the detailed behavior of these reversal regions has been investigated. Many of the regions show a growth and subsequent decay in the affected area, peak intensity, line width, and depth of the central reversal. Lifetimes of the time-varying reversal features range from 10 to more than 60 min, and they are found near the edges of the prominence fine structure. These events are similar to the impulsive events that the authors discussed in an earlier paper, and may share a common cause. The detailed behavior of the Hα line profiles is consistent with these reversal features being true self-reversal of the line, indicating unusually high column masses in these areas. Some models of condensation of coronal material to the prominence state predict temporary regions of high density, perhaps high enough to produce the observed reversal. This implies that reversal features are the result of on-going condensation of coronal material into already formed prominences, a result which impacts models of prominence formation and stability.
Using the master's tools : resistance and the literature of the African and South-Asian diasporas

PART I - In, But Not of, the West: Repetition, Appropriation, Re-Visions of Dominant Colonial Knowledges - Inhabiting the Metropole: C.L.R. James's 'Grand Narratives' of Resistance and Emancipation - Re-Playing the Indian Subcontinent: Salman Rushdie's Method(s) of Critique - PART II - Return(s) to the Native Land: The Politics of Cultural Nationalism - Reversing Europe's Gaze: Ama Ata Aidoo's Oppositional Art - 'Retracing the African Part of Ourselves': Blackness as Revolutionary Consciousness and Identity in Michelle Cliff. - PART III - In and of the (Imperial) Metropole - 'A New Way of Being British': Hanif Kureishi's (Necessary) Defence of Mixtures and Heterogeneity
Mesostructured γ-Al2O3 with a Lathlike Framework Morphology

A novel three-step assembly pathway is reported for the formation of a mesostructured alumina with framework pore walls made of crystalline, lathlike γ-Al2O3 nanoparticles. In the initial supramolecular assembly step of the pathway a mesostructured alumina with a wormhole framework morphology and amorphous pore walls is assembled through the hydrolysis of Al13 oligocations and hydrated aluminum cations in the presence of a nonionic diblock or triblock poly(ethylene oxide) surfactant as the structure-directing porogen. The walls of the initial mesostructure are then transformed in a second hydrolysis step at a higher temperature to a surfactant−boehmite mesophase, denoted MSU-S/B, with a lathlike framework made of boehmite nanoparticles. A final thermal reaction step topochemically converts the intermediate boehmitic mesophase to a mesostructure with crystalline γ-Al2O3 pore walls, denoted MSU-γ, with retention of the lathlike framework morphology. The boehmitic MSU-S/B intermediates formed from the chlori...
Effects of External Rotation on Anteroposterior Translations in the Shoulder: A Pilot Study

Background Using physical examination to make the diagnosis of shoulder instability can be difficult, because typical examination maneuvers are qualitative, difficult to standardize, and not reproducible. Measuring shoulder translation is especially difficult, which is a particular problem, because measuring it inaccurately may result in improper treatment of instability.
Primacy effects induced by temporal or physical context shifts are attenuated by a preshift test trial.

When subjects are sequentially trained with a cue (A) paired separately with two outcomes (B and C) in different phases (i.e., A–B pairings followed by A–C pairings) testing in the training context after short retention intervals often reveals recency effects (i.e., stronger influence by A–C). In contrast, testing after long retention intervals or testing in a context different from that of training sometimes reveals primacy effects (A–B). Three experiments were conducted using rats in a Pavlovian conditioned bar-press suppression preparation to ascertain whether a nonreinforced test trial in the training context soon after training can attenuate this shift to primacy. Experiment 1 demonstrated that exposure to A shortly after both phases of training, but prior to a long retention interval, can attenuate shifts from recency to primacy otherwise observed with a long retention interval. Experiment 2 showed that exposure to A in the training context can also eliminate the shift from recency to primacy otherw...
3D quantitative phase imaging of neural networks using WDT

White-light diffraction tomography (WDT) is a recently developed 3D imaging technique based on a quantitative phase imaging system called spatial light interference microscopy (SLIM). The technique has achieved a sub-micron resolution in all three directions with high sensitivity granted by the low-coherence of a white-light source. Demonstrations of the technique on single cell imaging have been presented previously; however, imaging on any larger sample, including a cluster of cells, has not been demonstrated using the technique. Neurons in an animal body form a highly complex and spatially organized 3D structure, which can be characterized by neuronal networks or circuits. Currently, the most common method of studying the 3D structure of neuron networks is by using a confocal fluorescence microscope, which requires fluorescence tagging with either transient membrane dyes or after fixation of the cells. Therefore, studies on neurons are often limited to samples that are chemically treated and/or dead. WDT presents a solution for imaging live neuron networks with a high spatial and temporal resolution, because it is a 3D imaging method that is label-free and non-invasive. Using this method, a mouse or rat hippocampal neuron culture and a mouse dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neuron culture have been imaged in order to see the extension of processes between the cells in 3D. Furthermore, the tomogram is compared with a confocal fluorescence image in order to investigate the 3D structure at synapses.
Sources of Economic Distress Individual and Family Outcomes

Examined in this article are relationships between six measures of economic stress—financial adequacy, perceived economic well-being, respondent's and partner's job instability, and respondent's and partner's job insecurity—and seven measures of individual and family well-being. Presented are descriptive and regression analyses of social survey data drawn from telephone interviews with 366 householders ages 18 to 65 residing in a southeastern U.S. metropolitan county. For both women and men, perceived economic well-being was generally the strongest predictor of measures of individual and family well-being. For men as well as women, spouse's or partner's job variables were important predictors of measures of family well-being. The respondent's own job instability and insecurity appeared more important to women than men, and more so for family than individual well-being outcomes. Two alternative pathways were proposed and partially supported for the influence of economic factors on individual well-being.
A novel closed form solution for ultrasound calibration

This paper describes a new robust method for calibration of ultrasound probe (2D/3D). Prior to calibration, a position sensor is attached to the probe for tagging each image/volume with its position and orientation in space. The localization process of the acquired image/volume in 3D space critically requires a calibration procedure that determines its accuracy. The calibration procedure is performed to determine the transformation (translations, rotations, scaling) of the scan plan with respect to the position sensor. In the literature, there are many solutions to the US calibration, but no approach has been published so far that brings a closed form solution for this problem. The proposed methodology will provide a closed form solution from two motions of the US probe. Also, we are presenting the calibration setup along with the experiments that have been conducted with synthetic and real sequences. This calibration method is shown to be easy and fast to perform.
A review of adaptive antennas

Most adaptive receiving arrays permit beam steering in a selected "look" direction while rejecting or nulling strong interferences which arrive at angles other than the look direction. Nulling is accomplished by adjusting parameters of a signal processor connected to the array sensing elements (whether at rf, audio, or seismic frequencies) to minimize total output power. A signal arriving in the look direction would not be nulled because the adaptive process is constrained to maintain a predetermined sensitivity in the look direction. A substantial literature exists in the field. The September 1976 issue of the IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation was dedicated to the subject of adaptive antennas. It is the purpose of this presentation to compare the works of Howells and Applebaum, Widrow, and Frost.
A Connection Oriented Framework for Effectively Using Multicore in the Enterprise

Enterprise applications are built for client server architectures and rebuilt using service-oriented principles. When such web service based applications are hosted on multicore there are specific performance issues due to spatial and temporal characteristics of the multicore. Existing literature addresses the spatial case where inherent parallelism is exploited and the temporal case, where data is not available on main memory. We address a second temporal case, where the data is available in memory, but thread local data is of dissimilar sizes. We present a connection oriented framework and a testbed implementation of an enterprise application. We modeled this enterprise applications for both client-server as well as webservice configurations. We used Cache miss as a key metric for measuring spatial and temporal performance and then demonstrate how an "compute infrastructure awareness" using feedback can improve the performance on a hybrid multicore without modifying the application.
Venom of the Scorpion Vejovis spinigerus

The chemical composition of lyophilized venom from Vejovis spinigerus is reported. At least 13 distinct bands were obtained on disc electrophoresis; on Sephadex G-50, four major peaks were found. The lethal activity was associated with the second peak. The intravenous lethal dose, median (lethal for 50 percent of inoculated group), of the crude venom was 4.87 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. Neither the crude venom nor its fractions had a deleterious effect on neuromuscular transmission, reflex discharge, or antidromic inhibition. Crude venom evoked simultaneous changes in systemic arterial, venous, and cisternal pressures.
Droplet-stream combustion in the steady boundary layer near a wall

Abstract This paper presents a numerical analysis of the thermal-expansion effects on the behavior of healing and vaporizing fuel droplet streams in the flow near a healed flat plate. The gas-phase Navier-Stokes equations are simplified using (he boundary-layer approximation, while the thermal-expansion effect appears as a simplified state equation relating the gas density to its temperature. The main driving force for the thermal expansion is a one-step chemical reaction of the Arrhenius type between the vaporized fuel and the air. In addition, the heating of the gas near Ihe wall contributes to the thermal expansion. The droplets are injected parallel to the wall at a specified streamwise location, and are assumed to remain spherical at all times. The droplet temperature is nonuniform and time dependent. Comparisons of the droplet behavior in terms of trajectories, heating and vaporization rates are made. In all cases, it is predicted that the droplets will be driven away from the hot wall into the cool...
Synchrotron-based characterization of solar cell nanodefects

It is accepted throughout the photovoltaic community that the overall performance of entire modules is regulated by inhomogeneously distributed nanoscale defects inside the wafers. Over the years a variety of techniques have been used to map and characterize precipitates, grain boundaries and dislocations. However, in the race to achieve higher and higher resolutions, while studying industry-relevant material, many of these techniques fall short either due to the inherent resolution limitations of the equipment or because the combination of low defect spatial densities and strong heterogeneity, present a challenge to sample preparation and characterization. In this work, we discuss the future of synchrotron-based nanoprobe techniques for identifying defects in large volumes of commercial solar cell materials. We describe a state-of-the-art X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) nanoprobe beamline to identify the precise nature of performance-limiting defects in commercial mc-Si solar cells. For the first time, XRF with a beam spot size < 100 nm is used to characterize the contamination levels in solar cell materials.
Perioperative use of the modified nasal trumpet in 346 patients

Background The modified nasal trumpet (MNT) is a prepackaged nasopharyngeal airway modified with distal holes and fitted with a 15 mm adaptor allowing connection to an anaesthesia circuit. It may be useful for airway management during anaesthesia. Methods After applying a spray to constrict the nasal mucosa, we used the MNT in 346 spontaneously breathing patients for three indications: alone as an airway device during general anaesthesia, to provide supplemental oxygen immediately after extubation instead of by facemask, and to facilitate fibreoptic intubation during general anaesthesia. Results The device was successful for giving supplemental oxygen after extubation (n=244) and facilitating fibreoptic intubation (n=28). When used as an airway for general anaesthesia, it was only successful without manipulation in 33 of 74 patients (45%). The MNT was easy to insert in awake patients. We encountered six complications: one MNT folded in the pharynx, and five patients (1.4%) experienced nosebleeds. Conclusions The MNT was disappointing as a primary airway device under general anaesthesia but was useful for giving oxygen after extubation and for facilitation of fibreoptic intubation. It can cause nosebleeds.
Investigation and Control of Chemical and Surface Chemical Effects During Dielectric CMP

Due to the ever-increasing popularity of STI in microelectronic device fabrication, designer slurries must be tailored to meet increasingly stringent planarity requirements. Although dielectric polishing is primarily mechanical in nature, the chemical and surface chemical effects can be tailored to enhance selectivity and planarity. Examples of chemical and surface chemical effects in dielectric CMP include; control of slurry pH, use of reactive particles such as cerium dioxide, and addition of surfactants to modulate the particle-substrate interactions. Cerium dioxide particles are utilized due to an increase in substrate dissolution through particle-substrate bonding, which accelerates the material removal of the dielectric surface. The increased efficiency of reactive particles is largely dependent on the area of contact between particle and substrate during polishing. The chemical nature of the interaction between the particles and silica substrates has been investigated using polishing experiments, AFM, and an in-situ friction force apparatus. Both the pH and cerium dioxide particles have been found to significantly affect the near surface region of the oxide film.
Nonclinical Factors Associated with 30-Day Mortality after Lung Cancer Resection: An Analysis of 215,000 Patients Using the National Cancer Data Base

Background Clinical variables associated with 30-day mortality after lung cancer surgery are well known. However, the effects of nonclinical factors, including insurance coverage, household income, education, type of treatment center, and area of residence, on short-term survival are less appreciated. We studied the National Cancer Data Base, a joint endeavor of the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons and the American Cancer Society, to identify disparities in 30-day mortality after lung cancer resection based on these nonclinical factors. Study Design We performed a retrospective cohort analysis of patients undergoing lung cancer resection from 2003 to 2011 using the National Cancer Data Base. Data were analyzed using a multivariable logistic regression model to identify risk factors for 30-day mortality. Results During our study period, 215,645 patients underwent lung cancer resection. We found that clinical variables, such as age, sex, comorbidity, cancer stage, preoperative radiation, extent of resection, positive surgical margins, and tumor size were associated with 30-day mortality after resection. Nonclinical factors, including living in lower-income neighborhoods with a lesser proportion of high school graduates, and receiving cancer care at a nonacademic medical center were also independently associated with increased 30-day postoperative mortality. Conclusions This study represents the largest analysis of 30-day mortality for lung cancer resection to date from a generalizable national cohort. Our results demonstrate that, in addition to known clinical risk factors, several nonclinical factors are associated with increased 30-day mortality after lung cancer resection. These disparities require additional investigation to improve lung cancer patient outcomes.
Tail pinch induced stress-arousal facilitates brain stimulation reward

Abstract Adult male Sprague Dawley rats with chronic access to self stimulation were subjected to handling, tail pinch, or left undisturbed. Tail pinch increased responding for positive reinforcement while the other conditions did not. The stress related properties of tail pinch may therefore facilitate responding in the present and other situations.
Multilevel algorithms for partitioning power-law graphs

Graph partitioning is an enabling technology for parallel processing as it allows for the effective decomposition of unstructured computations whose data dependencies correspond to a large sparse and irregular graph. Even though the problem of computing high-quality partitionings of graphs arising in scientific computations is to a large extent well-understood, this is far from being true for emerging HPC applications whose underlying computation involves graphs whose degree distribution follows a power-law curve. This paper presents new multilevel graph partitioning algorithms that are specifically designed for partitioning such graphs. It presents new clustering-based coarsening schemes that identify and collapse together groups of vertices that are highly connected. An experimental evaluation of these schemes on 10 different graphs show that the proposed algorithms consistently and significantly outperform existing state-of-the-art approaches.
Overconfidence produces underachievement: Inaccurate self evaluations undermine students’ learning and retention

The function of accurately monitoring one’s own learning is to support effective control of study that enhances learning. Although this link between monitoring accuracy and learning is intuitively plausible and is assumed by general theories of self-regulated learning, it has not received a great deal of empirical scrutiny and no study to date has examined the link between monitoring accuracy and longer-term retention. Across two studies, college students paced their study of key-term definitions (e.g., “Proactive interference: Information already stored in memory interferes with the learning of new information”). After all definitions were studied, participants completed practice cued recall tests (e.g., “What is proactive interference?”) in which they attempted to type the correct definition for each term. After each test trial, participants judged how much of their response was correct. These study-test-judgment trials continued until a definition was judged as correct three times. A final cued recall test occurred two days later. In Study 1, judgment accuracy was manipulated experimentally, and in Study 2, individual differences in accuracy were examined. In both studies, greater accuracy was associated with higher levels of retention, and this link could not be explained by differential feedback, effort during study, or trials to criterion. Results indicate that many students could benefit from interventions aimed at improving their skill at judging their learning.
Effects of Natural Forest Fragmentation on a Hawaiian Spider Community

The kipuka system, a network of forest fragments surrounded by lava sows on the island of Hawaii, offers an opportunity to study the natural, long-term fragmentation of a native ecosystem. We examined the impacts of habitat edges upon the community structure of nocturnally active native spiders, primarily in the genus Tetragnatha. We measured plant and spider species distributions across the edges of four small fragments and one large continuously forested area that were surrounded by a lava sow in 1855. Results indicated that an20 m edge ecotone surrounds core forest habitat. Spider community structure changed across the edge, with a decrease in total species richness and diversity at the forest/lava boundary, and a change in the dominant taxon from native Tetragnatha (Tetra- gnathidae) to native Cyclosa (Araneidae). Severe habitat restrictions were found for some spider species. In addition, nearly all of the spiders captured were endemic species, and the few introduced species were limited to the younger and more open lava sows. Our results suggest that species responses to edges can vary, and that core habitat specialists may decline in fragmented conditions.
Cone-beam reconstruction using the backprojection of locally filtered projections

This paper describes a flexible new methodology for accurate cone beam reconstruction with source positions on a curve (or set of curves). The inversion formulas employed by this methodology are based on first backprojecting a simple derivative in the projection space and then applying a Hilbert transform inversion in the image space. The local nature of the projection space filtering distinguishes this approach from conventional filtered-backprojection methods. This characteristic together with a degree of flexibility in choosing the direction of the Hilbert transform used for inversion offers two important features for the design of data acquisition geometries and reconstruction algorithms. First, the size of the detector necessary to acquire sufficient data for accurate reconstruction of a given region is often smaller than that required by previously documented approaches. In other words, more data truncation is allowed. Second, redundant data can be incorporated for the purpose of noise reduction. The validity of the inversion formulas along with the application of these two properties are illustrated with reconstructions from computer simulated data. In particular, in the helical cone beam geometry, it is shown that 1) intermittent transaxial truncation has no effect on the reconstruction in a central region which means that wider patients can be accommodated on existing scanners, and more importantly that radiation exposure can be reduced for region of interest imaging and 2) at maximum pitch the data outside the Tam-Danielsson window can be used to reduce image noise and thereby improve dose utilization. Furthermore, the degree of axial truncation tolerated by our approach for saddle trajectories is shown to be larger than that of previous methods.
Inquiry-based Learning and Digital Libraries in Undergraduate Science Education

The purpose of this paper is twofold: to describe robust rationales for integrating inquiry-based learning into undergraduate science education, and to propose that digital libraries are potentially powerful technological tools that can support inquiry-based learning goals in undergraduate science courses. Overviews of constructivism and situated cognition are provided with regard to how these two theoretical perspectives have influenced current science education reform movements, especially those that involve inquiry-based learning. The role that digital libraries can play in inquiry-based learning environments is discussed. Finally, the importance of alignment among critical pedagogical dimensions of an inquiry-based pedagogical framework is stressed in the paper, and an example of how this can be done is presented using earth science education as a context.
Chomsky's Language Development Theories: Rescuing Parents out of Dilemma

Being a language teacher to foreign language learners in China for 11 years, the author has developed thorough understanding of many language learning and teaching issues in China. Casting deep insights into the fundamental language learning theories developed by Chomsky, the author provides suggestions to parents, not only in China, but parents of diverse language and culture backgrounds, about how to handle children’s language development issues based on the inspirations from these theories. Keywords: Language acquisition; Language development; Foreign language learning and teaching; Bilingual children
Fractal Dimension and Similarity Search in High-Dimensional Spatial Databases

In this paper, the relationship between the dimension of the address space and the intrinsic ("fractal") dimension of the data set is investigated. An estimate of a lower bound for the number of features needed in a similarity search is given and it is shown that this bound is a function of the intrinsic dimension of the data set. Our result indicates the "deflation" of the dimensionality curse in fractal data sets by showing the explicit relationship between the intrinsic dimension of the data set and the embedding dimension of the address space. More precisely, we show that the relationship between the intrinsic dimension and the embedded dimension is linear.
A comparison of precipitation datasets for the Amazon Basin

Six different estimates of precipitation (three based entirely on rain gauge measurements, one based on a combination of rain gauge measurements and satellite data, and two based on reanalyzed meteorological datasets) for the Amazon basin are compared. Altogether, these different estimates have a mean value of 2130 mm/yr. The long-term spatial patterns of annual precipitation within the basin are in good agreement for datasets based on rain-gauges, while data from the reanalyzed meteorological datasets appear to have significant spatial biases resulting from the influence of the spectral representation of topography. While the long-term average precipitation climatology of the Amazon basin appears to be consistently described by the six different datasets, the interannual variability in precipitation (as represented by the four datasets that contain precipitation time-series information with various lengths of record) has significant regional discrepancies. These results suggest that some caution be exercised when using precipitation time-series data over the Amazon basin.
Airtime Fair Distributed Cross-Layer Congestion Control for Real-Time Video Over WLAN

We propose a distributed cross-layer congestion control algorithm that provides enhanced quality of service QoS and reliable operation for real-time uplink video over WiFi applications. Such applications are characterized by many wireless devices transmitting video at various PHY rates over a relatively congested channel. Unfortunately, today's off-the-shelf 802.11 equipment can be easily demonstrated to suffer catastrophic failure when subject to these conditions-let alone provide acceptable perceptual quality to the user. We show that in order to remedy these issues, it is preferable to apply airtime fairness with a cross-layer approach. The idea is to use a fast frame-by-frame control loop in the carrier sense multiple access/collision avoidance (CSMA/CA)-based medium access control (MAC) layer while simultaneously exploiting the powerful control loop gain attainable by performing source-rate adaptation in the application layer. We support the proposed algorithm through both simulation and experimentation with various channel and PHY rate scenarios.
On integrated CMOS-MEMS system-on-chip

The paper reviews the state-of-the-art in the field of CMOS-based microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The different CMOS MEMS fabrication approaches, pre-CMOS, intermediate-CMOS, and post-CMOS, are summarized and examples are given.
Multi-task reinforcement learning: a hierarchical Bayesian approach

We consider the problem of multi-task reinforcement learning, where the agent needs to solve a sequence of Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) chosen randomly from a fixed but unknown distribution. We model the distribution over MDPs using a hierarchical Bayesian infinite mixture model. For each novel MDP, we use the previously learned distribution as an informed prior for modelbased Bayesian reinforcement learning. The hierarchical Bayesian framework provides a strong prior that allows us to rapidly infer the characteristics of new environments based on previous environments, while the use of a nonparametric model allows us to quickly adapt to environments we have not encountered before. In addition, the use of infinite mixtures allows for the model to automatically learn the number of underlying MDP components. We evaluate our approach and show that it leads to significant speedups in convergence to an optimal policy after observing only a small number of tasks.