cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Electron transfer. 138. Potentials involving chelated chromium(V)

The bis(chelated) complex of CrV(0) derived from the dianion (L2−) of 2-ethyl-2-hydroxybutanoic acid is readily reduced to a bis(chelate of CrIII, featuring the monoanion (LH−) [CrV(0)(L2−)2]−+4H++H2O+2e−→[CrIII(OH2)2(LH−2]+ of this acid. Potentials estimated by Ghosh in 1993 for this 2e− change, E0 (pH 0) 1.32 V, Eeff (pH 3.3) 0.93 V, are in accord with the nearly irreversible reductions of the Cr(V) species (in 1∶1 ligand buffer) by Fe2+, V02+, IrCl63− and I−, whereas lower values reported by Bose in 1996, E0 (pH 0) 0.84 V, Eeff (pH 3.3) 0.45 V, are potentiometrically inconsistent with these conversions. A similar discrepancy is noted for potentials for Cr(V,IV) estimated in 1996, E0 (pH 0) 0.84 V, Eeff (pH 3.3) 0.46 V, which, wholly contrary to observation, predict that the reductions of excess Cr(V) to CR(IV) by Fe2+, V02+, and I− are thermodynamically disfavored.
DIAGNOSING COGNITIVE ERRORS: STATISTICAL PATTERN CLASSIFICATION BASED ON ITEM RESPONSE THEORY

This paper introduces a probabilistic model that is capable of diagnosing and classifying cognitive errors in a general problem-solving domain. The model is different from the usual deterministic strategies common in the area of artificial intelligence because item response theory is utilized to handle the variability of response errors. As for illustrating the model, the dataset obtained from a 38-item fraction addition test is used, and the students’ responses are classified into 34 groups of misconceptions. These groups are predetermined by the result of an error analysis previously done, and validated with the error diagnostic program written by a typical formal logic approach.
Structure and apparent topography of TiO 2 (110) surfaces

We present self-consistent ab initio total-energy and electronic-structure calculations on stoichiometric and nonstoichiometric ${\mathrm{TiO}}_{2}(110)$ surfaces. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) topographs are simulated by calculating the local electronic density of states over an energy window appropriate for the experimental positive-bias conditions. We find that under these conditions the STM tends to image the undercoordinated Ti atoms, in spite of the physical protrusion of the O atoms, giving an apparent reversal of topographic contrast on the stoichiometric $1\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1$ or missing-row $2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1$ surface. We also show that both the interpretation of STM images and the direct comparison of surface energies favor an added-row structure over the missing-row structure for the oxygen-deficient $2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1$ surface.
Northeast wisconsin science forum, an example of cooperative effort in upgrading science education

In view of growing national concern over the decline in scientific literacy among students and the need to attract more students to science and engineering, it is incumbent upon college and precollege science faculties to work together to find ways to help solve these problems. To this end, college and precollege science teachers and administrators established the NEW Science Forum and its dinner-and-lecture series and Science Teacher Day field trips. These activities stimulate teacher interest in science, upgrade scientific understanding, and provide new insights and information for classroom use. In addition, the Forum is an opportunity for discussion among techers and between teachers and university science faculty members. The continued high level of participation by teachers and professors during the seven years since the founding of the NEW Science Forum attests to its value to area educators. Our experience prompts us to encourage our colleagues at other colleges and universities to explore the feasibility of establishing a similar program in their regions. The rewards of strengthening ties with area school science teachers far outweigh lost time from research and the trepidation of operating with a zero budget.
A new technique for removing the pectus bar used in the Nuss procedure.

Background/Purpose: The Nuss procedure involves elevation of the sternum using a pectus bar, which is subsequently removed after approximately 3 years. When removing the bar, the tip of 1 end of the bar is exposed, and then the body is changed to the lateral recumbent position to remove the bar along the body surface. However, changing body positions in a sterile manner is often difficult. In this report, the authors present a new technique using their original bender design with which pectus bars can be smoothly removed. Methods: After exposing the pectus bar by placing a skin incision in the same location as had been used for bar insertion, benders were inserted subcutaneously into the thoracic wall at both ends of the bar. The bar was then immobilized, straightened, and removed. No change of body position was required. Conclusions: Between 2002 and 2003, this technique was used on 10 patients, and the bars were removed easily from all patients. The new procedure uses benders at both ends of the pectus bar as supporting points. This reduces the force required to straighten the bar and stabilizes the bar during removal. Most importantly, our procedure eliminates the need for change of body position.
Imaging properties of a patterned rough surface: Effects of roughness correlation and partial coherence

An investigation of partially coherent speckle is performed, including the effects of a pattern structure in the object plane of an imaging system. It is demonstrated that, when forming an image of a patterned rough surface into a binary photoresist, the width variations produced in the resultant pattern (also called line edge roughness) can increase as the imaging system becomes more incoherent. This unusual behavior occurs because of an interaction between the speckle produced by a rough surface and the partially coherent imaging properties of the pattern structure. It is shown that the increase in line edge roughness for a more incoherent system requires that the surface roughness of the object structure have a correlation length that is substantially smaller than the resolution of the imaging system.
Solar Bowl Component Efficiencies

Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratory has published two volumes on the economic evaluation of various proposed configurations and plant sizes for the four solar thermal technologies. These are the latest in a series of publications sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE) on plant and operational costs and are more complete in that they include calculations of electrical output. These latest Battelle volumes use the 1976 solar data from Barstow, Calif., and by calculating or estimating the energy conversion efficiency of each element in the process from sun to electricity predict the output and cost of electricity from different plant sizes for each of the four technologies. In this paper a comparison is presented of the component efficiencies developed by Battelle and those of the solar bowl at Crosbyton, Tex.
An approach to integrate a space-time GIS data model with high performance computers

In this paper, we describe an approach to integrate a Space-Time GIS data model on a high performance computing platform. The Space-Time GIS data model has been developed on a desktop computing environment. We use the Space-Time GIS data model to generate GIS module, which organizes a series of remote sensing data. We are in the process of porting the GIS module into an HPC environment, in which the GIS modules handle large dataset directly via parallel file system. Although it is an ongoing project, authors hope this effort can inspire further discussions on the integration of GIS on high performance computing platforms.
Thromboresistance of Balloon-Injured Porcine Carotid Arteries After Local Gene Transfer of Human Tissue Factor Pathway Inhibitor

Background —Tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) is an endogenous inhibitor of factor Xa and the coagulant initiator complex tissue factor/factor VIIa. Methods and Results —To study the effects of TFPI gene transfer on thrombus formation, balloon-injured porcine carotid arteries were treated locally with an adenovirus encoding human TFPI (Ad-TFPI) or control virus. Gene transfer of TFPI was confirmed by detection of human TFPI in the conditioned medium of porcine carotid arteries kept in culture after in vivo transduction. When carotid flow was measured with Doppler probe 5 days after surgery, cyclic flow variations (CFVs) developed in 7 of 8 control pigs after constriction of the injured carotid artery by 40%, and all control-treated arteries occluded after 70% constriction. In contrast, CFVs were observed in only 1 of 8 Ad-TFPI–treated pigs after 40% constriction, and only 3 of 8 occluded after constriction by 70% ( P =0.0027 and P =0.007, respectively). None of the 5 TFPI-transduced arteries open after 70% constriction developed CFVs during an incremental epinephrine infusion. Conclusions —Compared with baseline, systemic hemostatic variables and platelet aggregation were unimpaired, suggesting that TFPI gene transfer can prevent arterial thrombosis in the presence of severe shear stress and without detectable hemostatic impairment.
Inside the Kaisha: Demystifying Japanese Business Behavior

This article presents a review of the book “Inside the Kaisha: Demystifying Japanese Business Behavior,” by Noboru Yoshimura and Philip Anderson.
Who let the spikes out

Quantitative immunostaining, electrophysiology and modeling show that two sodium channel isoforms are asymmetrically distributed in the axon initial segment. Their polarized distribution explains many of the unique properties of the axon initial segment, including its ability to both initiate spikes and guarantee subsequent backpropagation.
Pumping Requirements And Options For Molecular Beam Epitaxy And Gas Source Molecular Beam Epitaxy/Chemical Beam Epitaxy

The current high level of interest in the growth of InP/InGaAsP/InGaAs lattice matched to InP, has influenced many researchers to consider the use of gas sources in growth by MBE. For gas flows greater than a few sccm, pumping speed requirements dictate the use of turbomolecular or diffusion pumps. GaAs samples with higher p-type mobilities than previously reported have been grown with a diffusion pumped molecular beam epitaxial system. This demonstration of the inherent cleanliness of a properly designed diffusion pumping system indicates that a diffusion pump is an excellent inexpensive and reliable choice for growth by molecular beam epitaxy and gas source molecular beam epitaxy/chemical beam epitaxy.© (1989) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Association between regional brain volumes and clozapine response in schizophrenia.

Abstract Background: Clozapine has shown considerable therapeutic promise in the treatment of schizophrenia; however, the clinical risks and initial high treatment costs associated with its administration motivate the search to identify patients who will best respond. Neuroimaging studies have suggested that prefrontal sulcal prominence may be a predictor of nonresponsiveness. Methods: We used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to test whether volumes in any cortical regions of the brain were associated with symptom improvement with clozapine treatment. The 21 schizophrenic men studied were clinically evaluated during treatment with typical neuroleptics (baseline) and after a mean of 6.2 months treatment with clozapine (final dose 300–900, median=562 mg/day). At least a 20% improvement on total Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) was seen in 47.6% of the schizophrenics. Clinical improvement was regressed on baseline differences in clinical severity, and the residual scores were related to MRI values. Results: Patients with larger anterior superior temporal lobe cerebrospinal fluid volumes (primarily sylvian fissure) showed greater improvement on total BPRS and withdrawal/retardation symptoms. Conclusions: Even schizophrenics with significant brain dysmorphology can have a positive clinical response to clozapine.
Kinematics and Laxity of Ulnohumeral Joint Under Valgus-Varus Stress

Three-dimensional kinematics of the ulnohumeral joint under simulated active elbow joint flexion-extension was obtained by using an electromagnetic tacking device. The joint motion was analyzed based on Eulerian angle description. In order to minimize the effect of "downstream cross-talk" on calculation of the three Eulerian angles, an optimal axis to best represent flexion-extension of the elbow joint was established. This axis, on average, is close to the line joining the centers of the capitellum and the trochlear groove. Furthermore, joint laxity under valgus-varus stress was also examined. With the weight of the forearm as the stress, maximums of 7.6° valgus-varus laxity and 5.3° axial rotation laxity were observed within a range of elbow flexion. The results of this study provide useful baseline information on joint laxity for the evaluation of elbow joints with implant replacements and other surgical treatment modalities.
Relationally Mapping XML Queries For Scalable XML Search

The growing trend of using XML to share security data requires scalable technology to effectively manage the volume and variety of data. Although a wide variety of methods exist for storing and searching XML, the two most common techniques are conventional tree-based approaches and relational approaches. Tree-based approaches represent XML as a tree and use indexes and path join algorithms to process queries. In contrast, the relational approach seeks to utilize the power of a mature relational database to store and search XML. This method relationally maps XML queries to SQL and reconstructs the XML from the database results. We use the XBench benchmark to compare the scalability of the SQLGenerator, our relational approach, with eXist, a popular tree-based approach.
Primary acute myeloid leukemia cells with IDH1 or IDH2 mutations respond to a DOT1L inhibitor in vitro

Primary acute myeloid leukemia cells with IDH1 or IDH2 mutations respond to a DOT1L inhibitor in vitro
Proactive learning: cost-sensitive active learning with multiple imperfect oracles

Proactive learning is a generalization of active learning designed to relax unrealistic assumptions and thereby reach practical applications. Active learning seeks to select the most informative unlabeled instances and ask an omniscient oracle for their labels, so as to retrain the learning algorithm maximizing accuracy. However, the oracle is assumed to be infallible (never wrong), indefatigable (always answers), individual (only one oracle), and insensitive to costs (always free or always charges the same). Proactive learning relaxes all four of these assumptions, relying on a decision-theoretic approach to jointly select the optimal oracle and instance, by casting the problem as a utility optimization problem subject to a budget constraint. Results on multi-oracle optimization over several data sets demonstrate the superiority of our approach over the single-imperfect-oracle baselines in most cases.
Reversal of cardiomyopathy with tocilizumab in a case of HIV-negative Castleman's disease

The association between Castleman's disease (CD) and cardiomyopathy has been rarely reported and the optimal therapeutic approach remains unknown. We report a previously healthy 20-year-old African American female who presented with fever, dyspnea, anasarca, and generalized lymphadenopathy. Diagnostic workup, including an axillary lymph node biopsy, revealed that she had human immunodeficiency virus-negative and human herpes virus-8-negative multicentric CD. She had a non-anaphylactoid infusion reaction during her fourth rituximab infusion. A few weeks later, she developed new-onset severe cardiomyopathy requiring inotropic therapy, warranting consideration for left ventricular assist device. Several clinical clues indicated her new-onset heart failure was a manifestation of her CD. Interestingly, a trial of tocilizumab (an anti-interleukin-6 receptor monoclonal antibody) resulted in complete resolution of her cardiomyopathy and other manifestations of CD. Tocilizumab received orphan drug approval for the treatment of CD in Japan, but is not yet approved for this indication in the United States. Clinicians should be aware of its potential clinical utility in CD.
Interactions of lipids with aquaporin-0 and other membrane proteins

The structure of aquaporin-0 (AQP0) has recently been determined by electron crystallography of two-dimensional (2D) crystals and by X-ray crystallography of three-dimensional (3D) crystals. The electron crystallographic structure revealed nine lipids per AQP0 monomer, which form an almost complete bilayer. The lipids adopt a wide variety of conformations and tightly fill the space between adjacent AQP0 tetramers. The conformations of the lipid acyl chains appear to be determined not only by the protein surface but also by the acyl chains of adjacent lipid molecules. In the X-ray structure, the hydrophobic region of the protein is surrounded by a detergent micelle, with two ordered detergent molecules per AQP0 monomer. Despite the different environments, the electron crystallographic and X-ray structures of AQP0 are virtually identical, but they differ in the temperature factors of the atoms that either contact the lipids in the 2D crystals or are exposed to detergents in the 3D crystals. The temperature factors are higher in the X-ray structure, suggesting that the detergent-exposed AQP0 residues are less ordered than the corresponding ones contacting lipids in the 2D crystals. An examination of ordered detergent molecules in crystal structures of other aquaporins and of lipid molecules in 2D and 3D crystals of bacteriorhodopsin suggests that the increased conformational variability of detergent-exposed residues compared to lipid-contacting residues is a general feature.
The long-term effect of radiotherapy on the immune status of patients cured of a gynecologic malignancy.

The long-term effect of radiotherapy on the immune system was evaluated in 52 patients cured for a gynecologic malignancy from 3 to 15 years. Eighty-seven percent of the patients had no depression in cell-mediated immunity as determined by delayed hypersensitivity reaction to DNCB. The absolute lymphocyte count, as well as the circulating immunoglobulins (IgA, IgG, IgM), were within the normal range. Thus, there were no significant changes in cell-mediated immunity and circulating immunoglobulins several years after radical wide-field radiotherapy.
An algorithm for the Quillen-Suslin theorem for monoid rings

Abstract Let k be a field, and let M be a commutative, seminormal, finitely generated monoid, which is torsionfree, cancellative, and has no nontrivial units. Gubeladze [8] proved that finitely generated projective modules over kM are free. This paper contains an algorithm for finding a free basis for a finitely generated projective module over kM. As applications one obtains new algorithms for the Quillen-Suslin Theorem for polynomial rings and Laurent polynomial rings, based on Quillen's proof.
Inhibition of Bmp signaling affects growth and differentiation in the anagen hair follicle

Growth and differentiation of postnatal hair follicles are controlled by reciprocal interactions between the dermal papilla and the surrounding epidermal hair precursors. The molecular nature of these interactions is largely unknown, but they are likely to involve several families of signaling molecules, including Fgfs, Wnts and Bmps. To analyze the function of Bmp signaling in postnatal hair development, we have generated transgenic mice expressing the Bmp inhibitor, Noggin, under the control of the proximal Msx2 promoter, which drives expression in proliferating hair matrix cells and differentiating hair precursor cells. Differentiation of the hair shaft but not the inner root sheath is severely impaired in Msx2–Noggin transgenic mice. In addition to hair keratins, the expression of several transcription factors implicated in hair development, including Foxn1 and Hoxc13, is severely reduced in the transgenic hair follicles. Proliferating cells, which are normally restricted to the hair matrix surrounding the dermal papilla, are found in the precortex and hair shaft region. These results identify Bmps as key regulators of the genetic program controlling hair shaft differentiation in postnatal hair follicles.
Thermo-mechanical response of tension panels under intense rapid heating

Abstract The temperature dependence of the fracture strength of 7075-T6 aluminum alloy was determined under rapid heating (0.02–.50 sec) conditions by exposing thin-section specimens to intense surface irradiation while under constant tensile load. When combined with a numerical thermal analysis and an appropriate limit analysis, these data enabled accurate prediction of the heating time required to produce ductile fracture in spot irradiated tension panels. The transient heat transfer model employed in the computations incorporated material removal due to melting, temperature-dependent material properties, and convection/radiation losses.
A Review of Robocasting Technology

Robocasting is a freeform fabrication technique for dense ceramics and composites that is based on layer-wise deposition of highly loaded colloidal slurries. The process is essentially binderless with less than 1% organics and parts can be fabricated, dried, and completely sintered in less than 24 hours. This review will highlight materials developments for structural applications and modelling of slurry flow. Fabrication of preforms for alumina / metal composites will be discussed as well as techniques for multimaterial deposition in both graded structures and discrete placement of fugitive materials.
Dielectric loss features of some epoxy resins

At temperatures far below the heat distortion point, the dissipation factor (and therefore power factor) of epoxy resins is comparably low—in the order of 0.001–0.01. Internally flexibilized, polyester-modified resins may have higher loss tangents, in the order of 0.01–0.10, even at room temperature. At temperatures far above the heat distortion point, anhydride curing agents give lower dissipation factors than do amines or acids. With anhydride cures, the higher molecular weight resins investigated cure faster than the lower molecular weight resins, give lower elevated temperature power factors and loss tangents, and are tougher. With any hardener–epoxy resin system, the optimum elevated temperature power factor, weight loss on aging and heat distortion point will probably depend on a close examination of the optimum hardener/resin ratio. With certain anhydride-cured low molecular weight epoxy resin systems, an increased rate of cure and lower elevated temperature power factor may be obtained by use of a small amount of higher molecular weight (polyhydroxy) epoxy resin. Attempts to compare the effect on power factor of changing the hydroxyl groups to less mobile dipoles by acetylation were unsuccessful, since the resulting acetoxy groups changed the cure mechanisms. However studies with resins of different molecular weights indicated that the effect of hydroxyl content on elevated temperature power factor is subordinate to other effects such as the rigidity of the cured resin system, rate of cure and ionic impurities. Acetylation of hydroxyl-containing epoxy resins may inhibit cure with some curing agents, due to side reactions of the resulting acetoxy group with specific hardeners.
The role of interleukin-17 in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis

Interleukin (IL)-17 (also known as IL-17A), the signature cytokine of the newly described T helper 17 (Th17) cell population, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis. IL-17 is the founding member of a new subclass of cytokines that have highly proinflammatory properties. Studies in rodents and mammalian cell culture systems, as well as clinical settings, support a role for IL-17 in promoting rheumatoid arthritis. This article discusses the history of the discovery of Th17 cells, the potential mechanisms of action of IL-17 in autoimmunity, and perspectives for IL-17-targeted cytokine therapy.
SEA TURTLES AS BIOLOGICAL TRANSPORTERS OF NUTRIENTS AND ENERGY FROM MARINE TO TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS

Our study quantified the nutrients and energy introduced into the nesting beach at Melbourne Beach, Florida, from distant foraging grounds by loggerhead sea turtles, Caretta caretta. The fate of eggs deposited into 97 nests was determined by monitoring nests throughout incubation. The organic matter, energy, lipid, nitrogen, and phosphorus content of fresh eggs, eggs at successive stages of development, hatchlings, and hatching remains were determined. From these analyses, we estimated the flow of energy and nutrients introduced into the 14305 nests (-1.6 X 106 eggs) deposited in a 21-km stretch of Mel- bourne Beach in 1996. We quantified the amount of energy and nutrients incorporated into each of four pathways: ingested by nest predators; consumed by detritivores, decomposers, and plants; lost as metabolic heat or gases during embryological development and hatching; or returned to the ocean as hatchlings. Each nest introduced a mean of 688 g of organic matter, 18 724 kJ of energy, 151 g of lipids, 72 g of nitrogen, and 6.5 g of phosphorus into the beach. Twenty-five percent of the organic matter, 27% of the energy, 34% of the lipids, 29% of the nitrogen, and 39% of the phosphorus introduced into the nests returned to the ocean as hatchlings. Quantities of energy and nutrients transported by the turtles are com- parable to quantities moved by other important biological transporters. Human activities have substantially altered the quantity of energy and nutrients transported, and the distri- bution of those nutrients on the beach. By introducing nutrients into beach ecosystems, sea turtles may help maintain stable dune systems that are critical to their reproductive success.
Health plan use of board certification and recertification of surgeons and nonsurgical subspecialists in contracting policies.

Objectives To characterize the role of board certification in general surgeon, surgical specialist, and nonsurgical subspecialist credentialing and contracting policies and to examine possible variation among different types of health plans. Design Telephone survey conducted from October 27, 2006, through March 30, 2007. Setting Health plans across the United States. Participants Health plan credentialing personnel from a random sample of 223 health plans stratified by enrollment size, plan type, Medicaid enrollment, and tax status. Main Outcome Measures Proportion of health plans that require specialty board certification at initial contract or at some point during association with the plan and health plan requirements for recertification. Results Of 223 health plans, 9 were ineligible, and credentialing personnel completed the telephone survey in 176, which resulted in an overall response rate of 82%. More than 60% of the health plans in this study did not require surgical specialists, general surgeons, or nonsurgical subspecialists ever to be board certified to contract with the plan. Approximately two-thirds of respondents reported that they did not require surgeons (65%) or nonsurgical subspecialists (63%) with time-limited board certification to recertify in their specialty. More than half of the health plans reported that they made exceptions to their board certification policies based on geographic or network need. Conclusions Most health plans did not use specialty board certification to assess surgeon and nonsurgical subspecialist competence.
SUSTAINABLE SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS: AN IMPOSSIBILITY?

Given rapid changes in large-scale human and biophysical processes—carbon emissions, population increase and migrations, overharvesting and pollution leading to loss of species—scientists are worried that many of the social-ecological systems existing today may collapse by the end of the 21st century. Is this an exaggerated worry? The thesis I will present is that the negative prognosis will indeed occur in many parts of the world if we do not worry a great deal about these processes and their consequences. More important than simply worrying, however, is the development of a strong diagnostic method for analyzing the diversity of processes and the multiplicity of potential social and biophysical solutions that are needed to cope effectively with these varied processes. Past efforts to impose simple solutions to these complex problems have frequently led to worse outcomes than the problems addressed. Our need today is building a strong interdisciplinary science of complex, multilevel systems that will enable over time a matching of potential solutions to a careful diagnosis of specific problems embedded in a social-ecological context. I will take some small steps toward this goal in my presentation.
Tactical Network Connectivity Planning

Tactical Network Connectivity Planning (TNCP) is needed for analysis of tactical ground forces communications. A Tactical Edge Network Emulation Tool (TENET) has been developed for such analysis. The tool provides network connectivity based on radio communication range and Line of Sight (LOS) using Digitized Terrain Elevation Data (DTED). The analysis should be done for network and force lay down planning in specific theaters, operational scenarios, and combinations of node types. We show the importance of optimizing certain communication nodes by tasking for strategic placement of ground and airborne nodes to improve network connectivity and restorability. Strategic placement of gateway or relay nodes can make a big impact in reducing the network cost and maximizing the performance. In this paper, network connectivity is reported as a function of nodes lay down and various network and the communication node specific parameters. Results show the sensitivity of network connectivity to network size, antenna height, radio range, connectivity of airborne nodes and other parameters. The paper discusses several novel approaches and algorithms to expedite the computation times for complex tactical networks with several hundred nodes in terrain described by high resolution DTED.
An adaptive output feedback control methodology for non-minimum phase systems

A method of output feedback design of an adaptive controller is presented that can be used to augment a fixed-gain linear controller. The key feature is that it is applicable to non-minimum phase nonlinear systems, having both parametric uncertainty and unmodeled dynamics. Ultimate boundedness of error signals can be shown using Lyapunov's direct method. An example is provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the approach.
Knowledge of norovirus prevention and control among infection preventionists.

A Web-based survey was administered to infection preventionists (IPs) (N = 941) to characterize awareness and knowledge of norovirus (NoV). Only 44% of respondents correctly identified NoV as one of the 3 most common foodborne pathogens in the United States, and 5% correctly identified the 3 most common settings for NoV outbreaks. Several gaps in IPs’ knowledge of NoV were identified; specifically, IPs could benefit from learning more about the natural history of NoV, modes of transmission, and cleaning and disinfection processes.
Current advances in the management of stroke

Stroke is currently one of the most devastating public health problems. It is the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of serious long-term disability in the United States. It affects an estimated 700,000 persons each year, and only about two-thirds of those with a new or recurrent stroke survive. Unfortunately, lingering motor and cognitive deficits that often accompany a stroke can be demoralizing to the survivors, relegating many productive individuals to the role of dependent. The costs associated with the acute treatment, long-term care, and lost productivity of stroke survivors are a significant burden to the individual and to society. These concerns have provided the impetus for extensive research efforts to clarify the causes and pathophysiology of stroke and to develop effective acute and preventive interventions. The status of these efforts was addressed recently by stroke experts at the Second Annual Advances in Stroke Management conference. This supplement presents an overview of those proceedings. Evidence that platelets play an integral role in the pathophysiology of thromboembolic stroke is indisputable. Platelets normally contribute to clot formation and vascular repair. However, under pathologic conditions they participate in the formation of vascular-occluding thrombi and emboli. Therefore, acute and preventive treatments focus on platelets and other elements of the coagulation system. Cardiac disease and atherosclerotic cerebrovascular disease leading to stroke are often coincident. In fact, stroke patients …
Detection of targets embedded in multipath clutter with Time Reversal

Detection of targets in complex environments is of importance in both radar and sonar applications. Recent work has shown that the use of Time Reversal (TR) techniques improves the performance of systems operating in deterministic channels with a significant multipath return. This paper extends those results to stationary random channels with significant multipath. We develop a TR-based approach and derive the Likelihood Ratio Test (LRT) for this approach. We compare this TR-LRT to an LRT derived through a “water filling” approach. We derive theoretical performance curves for the water filling LRT, and evaluate both the water filling and TR detectors with Monte Carlo simulations. For the scenarios tested, we show that TR achieves an SNR gain of 1–2dB over the water filling detector.
Admiration for virtue: Neuroscientific perspectives on a motivating emotion

Social emotions like admiration for another person’s virtue are often associated with a desire to be virtuous one’s self, and to engage in meaningful and socially relevant activities against any odds (Haidt & Seder, 2007). These emotions can profoundly inspire us, sometimes motivating our most significant life-course decisions. Yet despite the cognitive maturity and complexity of knowledge required to induce an emotion like admiration for virtue, our recent study of the brain and psychophysiological correlates of experiencing this emotion revealed significant involvement of low-level brain systems responsible for the feeling of the gut and the maintenance of basic life regulation (Immordino-Yang, McColl, Damasio, & Damasio, 2009). These findings contribute an interesting jumping-off point for reexamining the educational study of motivation states because they suggest that, contrary to current conceptions in educational research, nonconscious, low-level physiological processes related to survival and bodily sensation may be critical contributors to intrinsic motivation.
Cefepime neurotoxicity in the intensive care unit: a cause of severe, underappreciated encephalopathy

Cefepime, a broad spectrum antibiotic, is commonly prescribed in intensive care units (ICU) and may be an overlooked cause of neurologic symptoms such as encephalopathy, myoclonus, seizures, and coma. We aimed to characterize cefepime neurotoxicity in the ICU. We performed a retrospective study of adult ICU patients treated with intravenous cefepime for at least 3 days between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2011. The primary outcome was the development of cefepime neurotoxicity, with the likelihood of causality ascribed via a modified Delphi method. This study included 100 patients. The mean age was 65.8 years (± 12.7 years). The median daily average dose of cefepime was 2.5 (IQR 2.0 to 3.5) grams. The median treatment duration was 6 (IQR 4 to 10) days. Renal failure in any form was present in 84 patients. Chronic kidney disease affected 40 patients, and 77 had acute kidney injury. Cefepime neurotoxicity occurred in 15 patients. Of these, seven were considered definite cases, three probable, and five possible. Neurotoxic symptoms included impaired consciousness (n = 13), myoclonus (n = 11), disorientation (n = 6), and nonconvulsive status epilepticus (n = 1). The dose of cefepime was appropriately adjusted for renal clearance in 64 patients (75.3%) without cefepime neurotoxicity and four patients (28.6%) with neurotoxicity (P = 0.001). Chronic kidney disease was present in 30 patients (35.3%) without neurotoxicity and in 10 (66.7%) of those with neurotoxicity (P = 0.04). Critically ill patients with chronic kidney disease are particularly susceptible to cefepime neurotoxicity. Myoclonus and impaired consciousness are the predominant clinical manifestations. Neurotoxic symptoms occur more often when the cefepime dose is not adjusted for renal function, but can still occur despite those modifications.
Psychosocial impact of childhood face burns: a multicenter, prospective, longitudinal study of 390 children and adolescents.

Abstract Introduction This two-year longitudinal study of the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of children with face burns was conducted in three regional pediatric burn care centers. Subjects were 390 children less than 18 years old at injury, admitted for burn treatment from September 2001 to December 2004. Methods HRQoL was assessed using the age-specific Burn Outcomes Questionnaire (BOQ) administered at scheduled time points following discharge up to 24 months thereafter. A psychosocial score was determined from domains of the BOQ, and these scores from children with both face burns and grafts were compared to those of children with non-face burns or with face burns but no face grafts. Results The parents of both the 0–4 year olds and the 5–18 year olds, who had facial burns and grafts, reported decreased BOQ psychosocial scores. When the teenagers (11–18 year olds) with facial burns and grafts filled out the BOQ themselves, they also reported low psychosocial scores compared to those with no facial burns with grafts. Conclusions Severe face burn influences HRQoL in children. Additional psychosocial support is suggested to enhance recovery for patients with severe face burns and their families during the years following injury.
Coaction Effects on a Muscular Endurance Task

Abstract The effect of one and three coactors on an individual's performance of a muscular endurance task was determined for 8-, 13-, and 18-year-old males. Subjects extended the dominant leg in a horizontal position for as long as possible under one of three conditions: alone, in pairs, and in groups of four. Results showed that individuals in quadrads performed significantly better than individuals in dyads and alone. No significant difference was found between individuals performing alone and in dyads. Eight-year-olds were found to be superior to the two older age groups, but the age factor was independent of the coaction effect.
Do ducks and songbirds initiate more nests when the probability of survival is greater

Nesting chronology in grassland birds can vary by species, locality, and year. The date a nest is initiated can influence the subsequent probability of its survival in some grassland bird species. Because predation is the most significant cause of nest loss in grassland birds, we examined the relation between timing of nesting and nest survival. Periods of high nest survival that correspond with the peak of nesting activity might reflect long-term adaptations to specific predation pressures commonly recurring during certain periods of the nesting cycle. We evaluated this theory by comparing timing of nesting with date-specific nest survival rates for several duck and passerine species breeding in north-central North Dakota during 1998–2003. Nest survival decreased seasonally with date for five of the seven species we studied. We found little evidence to support consistent relations between timing of nesting, the number of nest initiations, and nest survival for any species we studied, suggesting that factors other than nest predation may better explain nesting chronology for these species. The apparent mismatch between date-specific patterns of nest survival and nest initiation underscores uncertainty about the process of avian nest site selection driven mainly by predation. Although timing of nesting differed among species, the general nesting period was fairly predictable across all years of study, suggesting the potential for research activities or management actions to be timed to take advantage of known periods when nests are active (or inactive). However, our results do not support the notion that biologists can take advantage of periods when many nests are active and survival is also high.
David Oliver: The best health system.

Future funding and delivery of UK health services is the subject of unprecedented debate. The media are filled with opinionated talking heads citing selective evidence comparing nations. Ranking systems isn’t easy. Health outcomes are influenced by socioeconomic and lifestyle determinants. Ratings depend on the items picked, the weight given, and the ideological frame. The United Kingdom has four national systems, although they are often unhelpfully aggregated. Spending per capita or as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) is easier to rank than performance. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Economist …
Evaluation of Lipid Indices of the Wood Thrush

Many techniques for assessing lipid reserves have been used, but techniques are seldom evaluated. We evaluated five common methods (fat scoring, regression residuals of body mass vs. morphological measurements, quotients of body mass divided by morphological measurements, total body electrical conductivity, and water content) for assessing lipid reserves in the Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) in Rhode Island. Lipid content ranged from 3 to 1 l%, water content ranged from 64 to 72%, and fat score ranged from 0 to 4. Mean total body electrical conductivity (TOBEC) was moderately correlated with lean body mass. Percentage water and fat score were highly correlated with extracted lipid mass and percentage lipid content. Body mass, tail x mass regression residuals, and quotient of body mass/tail length were highly correlated with lean body mass. Morphological measurements were correlated with lean mass only when in association with body mass, but not considered alone. Combining TOBEC readings with body mass and morphological measurements produced regression models with similar predictive abilities as previous studies using TOBEC, but TOBEC provided little or no additional predictive ability. TOBEC did not significantly improve body fat predictive models and does not appear accurate in predicting lipid mass of individual small birds. Fat score and percentage water are useful indices of body fat in Wood Thrush.
Heat Shock Factor-1 Knockout Enhances Cholesterol 7α Hydroxylase (CYP7A1) and Multidrug Transporter (MDR1) Gene Expressions to Attenuate Atherosclerosis.

Aims Stress response, in terms of activation of stress factors, is known to cause obesity and coronary heart disease such as atherosclerosis in human. However, the underlying mechanism(s) of these pathways are not known. Here, we investigated the effect of heat shock factor-1 (HSF-1) on atherosclerosis. Methods and results HSF-1 and low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLr) double knockout (HSF-1−/−/LDLr−/−) and LDLr knockout (LDLr−/−) mice were fed with atherogenic western diet (WD) for 12 weeks. WD-induced weight gain and atherosclerotic lesion in aortic arch and carotid regions were reduced in HSF-1−/−/LDLr−/− mice, compared with LDLr−/− mice. Also, repression of PPAR-γ2 and AMPKα expression in adipose tissue, low hepatic steatosis, and lessened plasma adiponectins and lipoproteins were observed. In HSF-1−/−/LDLr−/− liver, higher cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase ( CYP7A1 ) and multidrug transporter [ MDR1 /P-glycoprotein (P-gp)] gene expressions were observed, consistent with higher bile acid transport and larger hepatic bile ducts. Luciferase reporter gene assays with wild-type CYP7A1 and MDR1 promoters showed lesser luminescence than with mutant promoters (HSF-1 binding site deleted), indicating that HSF-1 binding is repressive of CYP7A1 and MDR1 gene expressions. Conclusion HSF-1 ablation not only eliminates heat shock response, but it also transcriptionally up-regulates CYP7A1 and MDR1/P-gp axis in WD-diet fed HSF-1−/−/LDLr−/− mice to reduce atherosclerosis.
EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF DAMAGE AND DESTROY OF X-RAY MULTI-LAYER REFLECTOR

The plasma environment which creates X-ray laser brings the difficulty to the application of X-ray multi-layer reflector. The most difficult is that the X-ray emitted by the plasma destroys and damages the multi-layer reflector. It is shown by the simulated test that the damaged threshold of Mo/Si multilayer reflector made in china is less than 0.10J/cm 2. With he exposure the radiation dose the rood-mean square roughness of multi-layer apparently increases and the reflectivity almost drops to zero. According to these results, the article state some ideas for preventing damages of the multi-layer reflector.
A descriptive study of immune status in patients undergoing colorectal surgery: lymphocyte phenotypes.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To describe immune status in patients prior to colorectal surgery for cancer, to establish values to serve as a baseline for subsequent analyses, and to describe a procedure for studying phenotypes of the immune system, elucidating its advantages. DESIGN One component of a larger longitudinal survey. SETTING Two large, inner-city university hospitals and two of their affiliated hospitals in the northeastern United States. SAMPLE Patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer (N = 94). Subjects were primarily male (n = 57) and Caucasian (n = 85) and ranged in age from 26-88 years (mean = 63). Seventy-seven percent (n = 73) had cancer, 23% (n = 21) had benign diseases or conditions. METHODS Flow cytometry analysis of lymphocyte phenotypes was performed on blood samples drawn from patients before they underwent surgery for colorectal cancer. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The average absolute lymphocyte subset levels and the average relative lymphocyte subset levels of blood samples taken from patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer were compared (using t-tests) with the subset levels of two normal reference samples. FINDINGS The average absolute lymphocyte subset levels and average relative lymphocyte subset levels of patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer fell within normal ranges. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that this sample of patients undergoing surgery has one essential element of an intact immune system--normal levels of lymphocyte subsets. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE There is no indication preoperatively that this population is at a higher risk for infection or delayed wound healing. However, there may be other times in the illness trajectory when the immune system does become compromised, and these values prior to surgery will serve as a baseline to identify changes in patients' immune status over time. Further longitudinal studies are necessary.