cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biochemistry of Sleep

The problem of defining sleep in biochemical terms is extraordinarily difficult, yet studies in this area are numerous and have a long history. Many of them focus on the general metabolism of the sleeping animal compared with the waking animal. They provide observations often really only peripheral to the central question: what biochemical manifestations are intrinsically causative of, or directly the result of, sleep?
Physics of Internal Photoemission and Its Infrared Applications in the Low-Energy Limit

Internal photoemission (IP) correlates with processes in which carriers are photoexcited and transferred from one material to another. This characteristic allows characterizing the properties of the heterostructure, for example, the band parameters of a material and the interface between two materials. IP also involves the generation and collection of photocarriers, which leads to applications in the photodetectors. This review discusses the generic IP processes based on heterojunction structures, characterizing -type band structure and the band offset at the heterointerface, and infrared photodetection including a novel concept of photoresponse extension based on an energy transfer mechanism between hot and cold carriers.
Effect of Particle Size on the Luminescent Properties of Europium Doped Yttrium Oxide Nano-Phosphors

Red light emitting Eu3+ doped Y2O3 phosphor nano-particles were synthesized by a solgel method combined with a furnace firing. The particle size, measured using dynamic light scattering (DLS), was between36nm and 1 micron depending on the conditions. Final dopant concentrations were measured through inductively coupled plasma (ICP). The ICP results show a dopant loss of 58% during the processing for the europium doped yttria. Red photoluminescence (PL) and cathodoluminescence (CL), at 614nm was observed from the phosphor particles under UV excitation and electron bombardment. Results show that the samples with a mean diameter of 30nm displayed a significant increase in PL brightness over the samples whose mean diameter was 215nm. The lag in PL, and CL intensity behind the commercial reference samples is attributed to the significantly lower dopant levels present in the experimental phosphors. Results also indicate that these processing methods and nanophosphors may be a useful alternative to current materials and methods.
Dynamically Frequency Tunable Terahertz Metamaterials

We present novel terahertz metamaterials that feature frequency tunable resonant responses. Tunability is achieved by selective patterning of semiconductor regions within split-ring resonator structures. Simulations reveal non-linear frequency tuning as a function of conductivity.
Keynes and Crises: Before the General Theory

What is Keynesianism? Sharp debates about its meaning continue. These differences of opinion owe much to Keynes’ enigmatic presentation of his theory. Although for more than three decades Keynes immersed himself in policy matters at the highest levels of government, he devoted painfully little space to elaborating specific policy recommendations in any of his major writings, especially the General Theory (Chick, 1983, p. 316). Those recommendations that he offered were mostly impressionistic.
Perception of Helpfulness of a Question Prompt Sheet Among Cancer Patients Attending Outpatient Palliative Care

Abstract Background Data on the use of question prompt sheets (QPSs) in palliative care are limited. Our team previously developed a single-page QPS using a Delphi process. The main objective of this study was to determine the perception of helpfulness of a QPS in patient-physician communication among advanced cancer outpatients. Methods Hundred of 104 (96%) eligible patients and 68/68 (100%) caregivers received the QPS during their first palliative care clinic. Twelve palliative medicine specialists also participated in the study. Patient and physician perceptions about the QPS were assessed at the end of the visit. Patients' anxiety was also measured before and after consultation using the Spielberger State Anxiety Inventory. Results Among the responders, most agreed that the material was helpful in communicating with their doctor (77%), clear to understand (90%), had the right amount of information (87%), and they would use a similar material in the future (76%) and recommend it to other patients (70%). Overall, 92% were satisfied with their consultation visit. Physicians perceived that the QPS was helpful in 68% of the encounters and it did not prolong the consultation in 73% of the encounters. Physician agreement on helpfulness of the QPS was not significantly different from that of the patients (P = 0.3). Patient anxiety improved after consultation from a mean (SD) Spielberger State Trait Anxiety Inventory score of 39.2 (12.8) to 33.8 (10.7), P Conclusion The QPS was perceived as helpful in patient-physician communication among advanced cancer outpatients and it did not increase patient anxiety. Physicians similarly reported that the QPS was helpful and it did not prolong clinic visits. Further research is needed for its widespread adoption and integration into routine clinical practice.
Abnormal trajectories in cerebellum and brainstem volumes in carriers of the fragile X premutation

Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) is a late-onset neurodegenerative disorder typically affecting male premutation carriers with 55-200 CGG trinucleotide repeat expansions in the FMR1 gene after age 50. The aim of this study was to examine whether cerebellar and brainstem changes emerge during development or aging in late life. We retrospectively analyzed magnetic resonance imaging scans from 322 males (age 8-81 years). Volume changes in the cerebellum and brainstem were contrasted with those in the ventricles and whole brain. Compared to the controls, premutation carriers without FXTAS showed significantly accelerated volume decrease in the cerebellum and whole brain, flatter inverted U-shaped trajectory of the brainstem, and larger ventricles. Compared to both older controls and premutation carriers without FXTAS, carriers with FXTAS exhibited significant volume decrease in the cerebellum and whole brain and accelerated volume decrease in the brainstem. We therefore conclude that cerebellar and brainstem volumes were likely affected during both development and progression of neurodegeneration in premutation carriers, suggesting that interventions may need to start early in adulthood to be most effective.
Inhibition of Drug Metabolism: VI. Inhibition of Hexobarbital Metabolism in the Isolated Perfused Liver of the Rat

A number of structurally unrelated drugs are known to be metabolized by microsomal enzymes systems of such limited specificity that one drug will competitively inhibit the metabolism of another (1). However, of several drugs tested in in vivo studies, only codeine and ethylmorphine inhibiited hexobarbital metabolism (2). Drugs that inhibited in vitro , but not in vivo , conceivably failed in the latter case to reach effective concentrations at the metabolic site. The isolated perfused liver was used to circumvent this problem. Ethylmorphine, codeine, morphine, levomethorphan, dextromethorphan, chlorpromazine, and 2-diethylaminoethyl 2,2-diphenylvalerate (SKF 525-A) inhibited hexobarbital metabolism in the perfused liver. Some correlation was found between the inhibitor potency of a drug and the Michaelis constant ( K m ) for its own metabolism by hepatic microsomes.
Is There a Role for Metformin in the Treatment of Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity often seems like an intractable problem, with a rising incidence, especially of severe obesity, over the last few decades and few effective treatment options. Lifestyle changes, including dietary modification and exercise, are effective only in a minority of patients, with significant and sustained weight loss most likely to occur in the setting of costly multidisciplinary programs. Thus, clinicians often turn to pharmacotherapy. Currently there is only 1 medication, orlistat, that is approved for childhood obesity, but its effect on weight is modest and its acceptability is limited by side effects related to decreased fat absorption. Metformin is the mainstay of treatment of type 2 diabetes in both children and adults, with effects mainly on improving insulin sensitivity and decreasing hepatic glucose output. Since 2000, there have been a large number of studies that have examined the use of metformin as a weight-loss drug in children with obesity. Although each study has been unique in its size, design, and the patient populations studied, the theme that emerges, as summarized in a systematic review in 2014 based on 14 randomized clinical trials,1 is that “metformin provides a statistically significant, but very modest reduction in BMI when combined with lifestyle interventions over the short term.” The latest addition to this literature, published in this issue of Pediatrics , is a study from Spain, “Metformin for obesity in prepubertal and pubertal children: A Randomized Controlled Trial,”2 which offers some benefit compared with previous clinical trials but leaves more questions unanswered … Address correspondence to Paul Kaplowitz, MD, Division of Endocrinology, Children’s National Health System, 111 Michigan Ave NW, Washington, DC 20010. E-mail: pkaplowi{at}childrensnational.org
Leading SMEs in a Difficult Period: What Differentiates Success from Failure

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the largest engines of job creation and innovation in the U.S. and many parts of the world–yet most of them fail within the first five years of being o...
Dark matter as a cosmic Bose-Einstein condensate and possible superfluid

Dark matter arising from spontaneous symmetry breaking of a neutral scalar field coupled to gravity comprises ultra low mass bosons with a Bose-Einstein condensation temperature far above the present background temperature. Assuming galactic halos to consist of a Bose-Einstein condensate of astronomical extent, we calculate the condensate coherence length, transition temperatures, mass distribution, and orbital velocity curves, and deduce the particle mass and number density from the observed rotation curves for the Andromeda and Triangulum galaxies. We also consider the possibility of superfluid behaviour in the halos of rotating galaxies, and estimate the critical angular frequency and line density for formation of quantised vortices.
Uncertainties in Technology Experience Curves for Integrated Assessment Models

The phenomenon of technological learning has been observed across a wide spectrum of energy and environmental technologies. Quantitative modeling of experience curves has become an increasingly common method of representing endogenous technical change in long-term integrated assessment models used for energy and environmental policy analysis. However, many issues remain to be addressed in the use of experience curves to quantify long-term cost trends of energy technologies. This paper highlights and critically reviews some of the major sources of uncertainty and their implications to model outcomes. It draws on recent empirical literature, as well as on new data characterizing historical cost trends in the early deployment of three environmental technologies especially relevant to energy systems. Our findings indicate the need for a more thorough and systematic examination of the uncertainty of experience curve formulations on the outcomes of energy and environmental policy analyses that extend over many decades.
Lower Bounds for Concurrent Self Composition

In the setting of concurrent self composition, a single protocol is executed many times concurrently by a single set of parties. In this paper, we prove that there exist many functionalities that cannot be securely computed in this setting. We also prove a communication complexity lower bound on protocols that securely compute a large class of functionalities in this setting. Specifically, we show that any protocol that computes a functionality from this class and remains secure for m concurrent executions, must have bandwidth of at least m bits. Our results hold for the plain model (where no trusted setup phase is assumed), and for the case that the parties may choose their inputs adaptively, based on previously obtained outputs. While proving our impossibility result, we also show that for many functionalities, security under concurrent self composition (where a single secure protocol is run many times) is actually equivalent to the seemingly more stringent requirement of security under concurrent general composition (where a secure protocol is run concurrently with other arbitrary protocols). This observation has significance beyond the impossibility results that are derived by it for concurrent self composition.
Principles, Virtues, and the Morality of Personal Relations

Dans le cadre de la discussion contemporaine sur l'ethique de la vie familiale comme modele des obligations et des droits, l'A. interprete la position particulariste de J. McDowell dans le sens d'une critique de la morale des relations personnelles fondee en principes, plutot que dans le sens d'une critique radicale de l'utilisation des principes au profit du contexte toujours particulier de l'action. Distinguant les regles determinees et codifees des regles indeterminees et non encore codifees au sein du processus de decision, l'A. montre que la critique particulariste n'est pas plausible en ce qui concerne la valeur d'autrui en tant qu'individu, ni en ce qui concerne les regles morales qui structurent et guident l'interaction sociale.
Training Effects of Visual Stroboscopic Impairment on Surgical Performance: A Randomized-Controlled Trial

Objective There have been numerous advances to accelerate and improve quality and dexterous proficiency of surgical training to meet the growing US demand of graduating surgeons. The authors aimed to investigate the learning effects of such limited visual input on the surgical proficiency in untrained novice surgeons. Design A prospective randomized-controlled study was created with 11 participants in the study and 11 in the control group. Setting An inanimate surgical simulation lab of a tertiary academic institution (Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas). Participants Adult medical students in the experimental group were wearing stroboscopic eyewear while performing the same tasks as students in the control group with normal vision. For 5 weeks, the subjects were scored during 3 standardized surgical tasks from the American College of Surgeons and the Association of Program Directors in Surgery Resident Skills Curriculum: knot tying, simple interrupted sutures, and a running stitch. Pretrial, we employed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and post-trial, the NASA Task Load Index. Results The demographic characteristics of our study participants were uniformly distributed between the 2 cohorts: each group had 7 males and 4 females. Average ages were 23.6 and 24.2 years (p = 0.471). The anxiety was low during all 5 sessions and indifferent between both groups. At the end of the study, no changes were observed in the stroboscopic group for the knot-tying task (p = 0.619). However, for the simple interrupted and the running stitch, the students with stroboscopic glasses performed significantly better (p = 0.001 and p = 0.024, respectively). The stroboscopic students also had significantly lower NASA workload scores (p = 0.001). Conclusions Regular training with stroboscopic glasses that limit visual input has a significant positive effect on the technical skills of novice surgical trainees with regards to more complex tasks such as multiple simple interrupted suturing or running suture. Intermittently impaired vision is beneficial in the early education of students and surgical residents.
Threshold Conditions for a Family of Epidemic Dynamic Models for Malaria with Distributed Delays in a Non-Random Environment

A family of deterministic SEIRS epidemic dynamic models for malaria is presented. The family type is determined by a general functional response for the nonlinear incidence rate of the disease. Furthermore, the malaria models exhibit three random delays — the incubation periods of the plasmodium inside the female mosquito and human hosts, and also the period of effective acquired natural immunity against the disease. Insights about the effects of the delays and the nonlinear incidence rate of the disease on (1) eradication and (2) persistence of malaria in the human population are obtained via analyzing and interpreting the global asymptotic stability results of the disease-free and endemic equilibrium of the system. The basic reproduction numbers and other threshold values for malaria are calculated, and superior threshold conditions for the stability of the equilibria are found. Numerical simulation results are presented.
Resonance Ver.M: An Interactive Installation to Peep into One's Dreams

Resonance Ver.M is an interactive video projection installation that allows the audience to have a peep into the artist's inside world. The project is the combination of a series of experimental executions including self-training, performance, EEG recording, interpretation of the bio-signal, subjective dream log, exhibition and interaction. The artwork shows an approach to the investigation of the dreams and a new form of "Human-Human interaction" through electrophysiological signals. It also introduces an innovative form of interaction between the reality and dream world, the conscious mind and the unconscious brain.
Globally-Minded Leadership: A New Approach for Leading Schools in Diverse Democracies

Global migration, global markets, and technological advances have connected the world at an unprecedented scale and have diversified the communities with which people engage and the schools in which educators teach. This study explores the school leadership attributes that facilitate the learning of critical competencies needed to thrive in a diverse, interconnected world. Using a grounded theory approach to analyze in-depth interviews with eleven practicing school principals, ten globally minded leadership practices emerged from the data. These fell under the constructs of setting the direction, developing people, redesigning the organization, and situating glocally. Findings hold implications for how educational leadership programs and professional development providers can utilize this emerging framework to cultivate globally minded leaders.
Concussions and Capital: Tom Brady, CTE, and the NFL’s Crisis of Identity:

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)–related research has threatened the NFL’s reputation, the prospects of its labor pool, and its most dominant mythologies. To survive this crisis, the league m...
What Fractionates Oxygen Isotopes During Respiration? Insights from Multiple Isotopologue Measurements and Theory

The precise mass dependence of respiratory O2 consumption underpins the “oxygen triple-isotope” approach to quantifying gross primary productivity in modern and ancient environments. Yet, the physi...
A persistent dermal hypersensitivity reaction associated with Helicobacter pylori infection

A dermal hypersensitivity reaction is a histopathologic entity that remains poorly understood. Although it is associated with diverse clinical presentations, common features include intractable pruritus and a recalcitrant urticarial and/or eczematous eruption. Autoimmune disease, drugs, infection, and malignancy have been reported as triggers. Often, however, the etiology is elusive. Here, we describe a unique case of persistent dermal hypersensitivity reaction associated with Helicobacter pylori infection, which resolved with antimicrobial therapy.
Trading in War: London’s maritime world in the age of Cook and Nelson: by M. Lincoln Yale University Press 2018, £25.00 (hb), 304 pages, illustrations, index, ISBN 9780300227482

Trading in War examines the social and cultural history of the maritime districts of London, on both the north and south banks of the Thames, from the Seven Years War era through the Napoleonic War...
Molecular recognition and specificity of biomolecules to titanium dioxide from molecular dynamics simulations

Titania (TiO2) is used extensively in biomedical applications; efforts to boost the biocompatibility of TiO2 include coating it with the titania binding hexamer, RKLPDA. To understand the binding mechanism of this peptide, we employ molecular dynamics simulations enhanced by metadynamics to study three amino acids present in the peptide—arginine (R), lysine (K), and aspartate (D), on four TiO2 variants that have different degrees of surface hydroxyl groups. We find that binding is a function of both sidechain charge and structure, with R binding to all four surfaces, whereas the affinity of K and D is dependent on the distribution of hydroxyl groups. Informed by this, we study the binding of the titania binding hexamer and dodecamer (RKLPDAPGMHTW) on two of the four surfaces, and we see strong correlations between the binding free energy and the primary binding residues, in agreement with prior experiments and simulations. We propose that the discrepancies observed in prior work stem from distribution of surface hydroxyl groups that may be difficult to precisely control on the TiO2 interface.
Development and validation of a retrospective self-report measure of childhood neglect.

Abstract Background Several measures are available to assess childhood physical and sexual abuse, but few measures focus specifically on neglect and little psychometric research on measures exists. This paper aims to fill a gap in the field by describing a new instrument to measure childhood neglect retrospectively and providing information about construct, predictive, and discriminant validity using adults with documented histories of childhood neglect. Methods Data are from a large prospective, longitudinal study of abused and neglected children and matched controls followed up and assessed in adulthood. The current sample (N =717) includes 370 individuals with histories of childhood neglect and 347 demographically matched controls without those histories. Self-reports of childhood neglect were collected in in-person interviews at approximate age 40. Participants responded to a pool of items representing neglect. Missing responses were treated as substantive information in analyses. An optimal set of items was selected using Support Vector Machine (SVM) – a machine leaning algorithm. Neglect severity, diversity and SVM-based propensity scores were tested for predictive, construct and discriminant validity. Results The optimal item subset included 10 items. The propensity scale measured with this optimal subset passed all validity tests, showing high predictive validity for neglect, discrimination between documented cases of neglect and abuse, and significant correlation with violence in adulthood (construct validity). The simple severity and diversity scores failed in at least one of the validity tests. Conclusions This new instrument shows promise in detecting experiences of childhood neglect retrospectively. Missing responses were found informative in recollections of childhood neglect.
Variable Damping Control of a Robotic Arm to Improve Trade-off between Agility and Stability and Reduce User Effort

This paper presents a variable damping controller to improve the trade-off between agility and stability in physical human-robot interaction (pHRI), while reducing user effort. Variable robotic damping, defined as a dual-sided logistic function, was determined in real time throughout a range of negative to positive values based on the user's intent of movement. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed controller, we performed a set of human experiments with subjects interacting with the end-effector of a 7 degree-of-freedom robot. Twelve subjects completed target reaching tasks under three robotic damping conditions: fixed positive, fixed negative, and variable damping. On average, the variable damping controller significantly shortened the rise time by 22.4% compared to the fixed positive damping. It is also important to note that the rise time in the variable damping condition was as fast as that in the fixed negative damping condition and there was no statistical difference between the two conditions. The variable damping controller significantly decreased the percentage overshoot by 49.6% and shortened the settling time by 29.0% compared to the fixed negative damping. Both the maximum and mean root-mean-squared (RMS) interaction forces were significantly lower in the variable damping condition than the other two fixed damping conditions, i.e., the variable damping controller reduced user effort. The maximum and mean RMS interaction forces were at least 17.3% and 20.3% lower than any of the fixed damping conditions, respectively. The results of this study demonstrate that humans can extract the benefits of the variable damping controller in the context of pHRI, as it significantly improves the trade-off between agility and stability and reduces user effort in comparison to fixed damping controllers.
Tetracycline use in treating osteoarthritis: a systematic review

The purpose of the review was to synthesize the current literature regarding tetracyclines in the treatment of osteoarthritis. Using multiple databases, a systematic review was performed with customized search terms crafted to identify studies examining doxycycline or minocycline in the treatment of osteoarthritis. Results were classified into basic science mechanistic studies, in vivo animal studies, and human clinical trials. A total of 1446 potentially relevant studies were reviewed, and after exclusion criteria were applied, 23 investigations were included in the final analysis. From 12 basic science mechanistic studies, we report on three main mechanisms by which tetracyclines may exert benefit in osteoarthritis progression: matrix metalloproteinase inhibition, immunomodulation, and nitric oxide synthase inhibition. Seven animal studies showed generally encouraging results. Four articles reported human clinical studies, showing mixed results in the treatment of osteoarthritis, potentially related to the choice of patient population, primary outcomes, and timing of treatment. Tetracyclines have the potential to benefit osteoarthritis patients via multiple mechanisms. Further study is warranted to examine the optimal dose and timing of tetracycline treatment in osteoarthritis.
Stochastic synchronization induced by noise

Random perturbations applied in tandem to an ensemble of oscillating objects can synchronize their motion. We study multiple copies of an arbitrary dynamical system in a stable limit cycle, described via a standard phase reduction picture. The copies differ only in their arbitrary phases $\phi$. Weak, randomly-timed external impulses applied to all the copies can synchronize these phases over time. Beyond a threshold strength there is no such convergence to a common phase. Instead, the synchronization becomes erratic: successive impulses produce stochastic fluctuations in the phase distribution $q(\phi)$, ranging from near-perfect to near-random synchronization. The sampled entropies of these phase distributions themselves form a steady-state ensemble, whose average can be made arbitrarily negative by tuning the impulse strength. A random-walk description of the entropy's evolution accounts for the observed exponential distribution of entropies and for the stochastic synchronization phenomenon.
The opportunistic intracellular bacterial pathogen Rhodococcusequi elicits type I interferon by engaging cytosolic DNA sensing in macrophages

Rhodococcusequi is a major cause of foal pneumonia and an opportunistic pathogen in immunocompromised humans. While alveolar macrophages constitute the primary replicative niche for R. equi, little is known about how intracellularR. equi is sensed by macrophages. Here, we discovered that that in addition to previously characterized pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., Tnfa, Il6, Il1b), macrophages infected with R. equi induce a robust type I IFN response, including Ifnband interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs), similar to the evolutionarily related pathogen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Follow up studies using a combination of mammalian and bacterial genetics demonstrated that induction of this type I IFN expression program is largely dependent on the cGAS/STING/TBK1 axis of the cytosolic DNA sensing pathway, suggesting that R. equi perturbs the phagosomal membrane and causes DNA release into the cytosol following phagocytosis. Consistent with this, we found that a population of ~12% of R. equi phagosomes recruits the galectin-3,-8 and -9 danger receptors. Interestingly, neither phagosomal damage nor induction of type I IFN require the R. equi’s virulence-associated plasmid. Importantly, R. equi infection of both mice and foals stimulates ISG expression, in organs (mice) and circulating monocytes (foals). By demonstrating that R. equi activates cytosolic DNA sensing in macrophages and elicits type I IFN responses in animal models, our work provides novel insights into how R. equi engages the innate immune system and furthers our understanding how this zoonotic pathogen causes inflammation and disease.
Training Future School and Clinical Psychology Leaders in Consultation for Early Childhood Education Settings

This paper describes how training school and clinical psychology graduate students in early childhood mental health consultation (ECMHC) has the potential to fill gaps in the ECMHC workforce, enhan...
The Language of Liberal Constitutionalism: The Search for Sovereignty: Law, Language, and the Beginnings of Modern Constitutionalism

Liberal constitutionalism is a recent invention, but its historical roots lie deep in Renaissance and Early Modern thought. An examination of the problems and the arguments that gave rise to the concept of liberal constitutionalism goes a long way toward clarifying the special role that authority over language plays in establishing the legitimacy of a constitutional regime. At the beginning of the modern era, the question of political legitimation became the search for the true source of sovereignty. The search for sovereignty arose from the desire for a basis for human political authority unmoored from assertions of theological orthodoxy. In the fifth century c.e ., Augustine had proposed that the survival of a state depended on its being governed in accordance with Christian teachings, rather than on the republican virtues that had been emphasized by writers such as Aristotle and Polybius. As a consequence, Augustine concluded that a government owed a duty to its people to provide Christian governance by virtue of its duty to promote the state's existence. In the fifteenth century, Florentine republican writers, among whom Machiavelli was the leading figure, argued that Augustine had it wrong. Confronted by the record of a millennium of religious conflict, and inspired by the recent rediscovery of ancient texts of classical republicanism, Machiavelli proposed that the key to creating and preserving the state was either a restoration of republican virtue or else the tyrannical but effective rule of a Prince bereft of either republican or Christian virtue.
HEALTH Surgical and Medical Treatment: Provide for Informed Consent

The Act provides for informed consent of the material risks of: (1) any surgical procedure performed under general anesthesia, spinal anesthesia, or major regional anesthesia; (2) an amniocentesis diagnostic procedure; and (3) a diagnostic procedure which involves the intravenous injection of a contrast material.
Surgical Placement of Leads for Occipital Nerve Stimulation

Abstract Occipital electrode placement into the subcutaneous tissues, innervated by and adjacent to the greater, lesser, and/or third occipital nerves from the C2-3 nerve roots for intractable occipital headache syndromes, continues to be an evolving methodology since the first cases were performed in 1993 and reported in 1999. These initial cases described a percutaneous method of wire electrode lead placement, which has been verified and modified among implanters for almost 25 years. Various paddle electrode designs have been implanted with more open techniques in an effort to minimize issues with migration and erosion and maximize tissue contact and electrical conduction into the subcutaneous tissues and adjacent affected nerves. Using text and pictures, traditional percutaneous placement, paddle electrode implantation, and wireless electrode placement will be described and discussed in this chapter.
What Motivates Minnesota’s Fortune 500 Firms to Create Equitable Work Environments for GLBT People?

University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. May 2012. Major: Work and Human Resource Education. Advisors: Dr. James Brown & Dr. Mary Ann Marchel. 1 computer file (PDF); ix, 191 pages, appendices A-G.
Output Feedback Adaptive Control with Low-Frequency Learning and Fast Adaptation

Although adaptive control has been used in numerous applications to achieve system performance without excessive reliance on system models, the necessity of high-gain learning rates for achieving fast adaptation can be a serious limitation of adaptive controllers. Specifically, in safety-critical systems involving large system uncertainties and abrupt changes in system dynamics, fast adaptation is required to achieve stringent tracking performance specifications. However, fast adaptation using high-gain learning rates can cause high-frequency oscillations in the control response, resulting in system instability. This paper develops an output feedback adaptive control framework for continuous-time minimum-phase multivariable dynamical systems for output stabilization and command following to address the problem of achieving fast adaptation using high-gain learning rates for systems with partial state information. The proposed framework uses a controller architecture involving a modification term in the upd...
Reflections: One Person Looks Back on the Pandemic

What lessons have we learned over the course of the HIV pandemic? We have learned that many things can cause dis-ease and rage out of control. It is our systems that have been sick. We have learned...
Impaired renal NCC function and expression: a mechanism driving norepinephrine evoked salt-sensitive hypertension? (857.6)

Aim: These studies test the hypothesis that impaired renal NCC regulation is a mechanism underlying the development of norepinephrine (NE) evoked salt-sensitive hypertension in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Methods: SD rats receiving a s.c. saline vehicle, NE (600ng/min), DMSO/saline vehicle (50:50), or hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ 4mg/kg/d) and NE infusion were fed a 0.4% (NS) or high 8% NaCl (HS) diet for 14 days. On day 14, MAP, MAP response to i.v. hexamethonium (30mg/kg) and peak natriuresis to i.v. HCTZ (2mg/kg) infusion was assessed and NCC immunoblotting was performed on kidney cortex tissue. Results: NE significantly increased MAP and vascular sympathetic tone. HS exacerbated NE induced hypertension, induced up-regulation of NCC protein levels and prevented dietary sodium stimulated reduction in HCTZ evoked natriuresis. HCTZ + NE co-infusion abolished the salt-sensitive component of NE induced hypertension. s.c. saline vehicle s.c. NE s.c. DMSO/saline s.c. NE + HCTZ NS HS NS HS HS HS MAP (mmHg) 124±2 12...
A Comparison of the Clinical Judgment Process in Experienced Registered Nurses and Student Nurses

The purpose of this study was to analyze the clinical judgment process used by registered nurses identified as highly-skilled judgment-makers (HSJMs) and student nurses. Two areas of the clinical judgment process were explored: the type and number of cues elicited, and the judgment process. Thirteen students within a month of graduation, and 13 HSJMs participated in this study. For each participant, the judgment task was the initial assessment of a hospitalized patient. Each nurse reviewed the patient's Kardex, listened to the end-of-shift report and then assessed the patient as if this was the beginning of a workshift. This nurse-patient interview was tape recorded. Each nurse was then asked to review her thoughts as short segments of the nurse-patient interview were replayed. This was also tape recorded. These tapes were transcribed, and three nurse educators rated each transcript using a judgment process rating scale. Results of this study indicated the following: the registered nurses collected significantly more cues than the students, use of each cue type was not the same, students and HSJMs collected cues in the same proportion, and total scores on the rating scale could discriminate between the student and HSJM groups.
Modeling the non-linear viscoelastic response of high temperature polyimides

Abstract A constitutive model is developed to predict the viscoelastic response of polyimide resins that are used in high temperature applications. This model is based on a thermodynamic framework that uses the notion that the ‘natural configuration’ of a body evolves as the body undergoes a process and the evolution is determined by maximizing the rate of entropy production in general and the rate of dissipation within purely mechanical considerations. We constitutively prescribe forms for the specific Helmholtz potential and the rate of dissipation (which is the product of density, temperature and the rate of entropy production), and the model is derived by maximizing the rate of dissipation with the constraint of incompressibility, and the reduced energy dissipation equation is also regarded as a constraint in that it is required to be met in every process that the body undergoes. The efficacy of the model is ascertained by comparing the predictions of the model with the experimental data for PMR-15 and HFPE-II-52 polyimide resins.
Starting method for sensorless operation of slotless permanent magnet synchronous machines

Slotless permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM) are receiving much attention for drive applications because of their high efficiency, high power-to-volume ratio, and their elimination of cogging torque. Furthermore, motor control without a rotational transducer is a subject that is receiving significant attention. In order to eliminate the need for high-resolution rotor position sensors, many sensorless techniques have been developed. It is well known, however, that sensorless operation is problematic at standstill-especially for a round rotor machine such as the slotless PMSM. Unless the initial rotor position is known, it is not possible to start the machine at full torque or to guarantee dither free startup. This paper presents a sensorless drive for a slotless PMSM with emphasis placed on stable startup by estimating the initial rotor position before starting. To estimate initial position, voltage pulses are applied to the stator windings. The resultant current measurements are then used to estimate the initial rotor position before starting. The proposed starting method for standstill rotor position identification is verified by experiment on a slotless PMSM.
Hepatitis E virus and the safety of plasma products: investigations into the reduction capacity of manufacturing processes.

BACKGROUND Hepatitis E virus (HEV) has been transmitted by transfusion of labile blood products and the occasional detection of HEV RNA in plasma pools indicates that HEV viremic donations might enter the manufacturing process of plasma products. To verify the safety margins of plasma products with respect to HEV, virus reduction steps commonly used in their manufacturing processes were investigated for their effectiveness to reduce HEV. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS Detection methods for HEV removal (by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction) and inactivation (using an infectivity assay) were established. Immunoaffinity chromatography and 20-nm virus filtration for Factor (F)VIII, cold ethanol fractionation, and low-pH treatment for immunoglobulin, heat treatment for human albumin, and 35-nm nanofiltration for FVIII inhibitor-bypassing activity (FEIBA) were investigated for their capacity to reduce HEV or the physicochemically similar viruses feline calicivirus (FCV) and hepatitis A virus (HAV). RESULTS For FVIII, HEV reduction of 3.9 and more than 3.9 log was demonstrated for immunoaffinity chromatography and 20-nm nanofiltration, respectively, and the cold ethanol fractionation for immunoglobulin removed more than 3.5 log of HEV, to below the limit of detection (LOD). Heat treatment of human albumin inactivated more than 3.1 log of HEV to below the LOD and 35-nm nanofiltration removed 4.0 log of HEV from the FEIBA intermediate. The results indicated HAV rather than FCV as the more relevant model virus for HEV. CONCLUSION Substantial HEV reduction during processes commonly used in the manufacturing of plasma products was demonstrated, similar to that previously demonstrated for HAV.
Chemical Vapor Deposition of Ru and RuO 2 for Gate Electrode Applications

In this work, Ru and RuO2 films have been investigated for potential applications in emerging CMOS gate electrode and memory capacitor bottom electrode applications. Films were deposited on SiO2 using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and low power plasma assisted CVD (PACVD) in a 200-mm wafer deposition cluster tool using a metal beta-diketonate precursor [Bis (2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionato) (1,5-cyclooctadiene) ruthenium (II)]. Hydrogen and oxygen were employed as the reactive gases to deposit, respectively, Ru and RuO2, over a wafer temperature range from 320°C to 480°C. The resulting film properties were analyzed using cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy (CS-SEM), four point resistance probe, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) and x-ray diffraction (XRD). Both Ru and RuO2 films could be deposited with minimal carbon concentration (∼5 at. %). The purity of the films was also reflected in the as-deposited resistivity of the films, which was as low as 47 μΩ-cm, and was strongly dependent on processing conditions. In order to assess thermal stability, the films were subsequently annealed in forming gas and oxygen ambients for 60 min at 650°C. It was observed that, generally speaking, CVD RuO2 films were stable, with respect to resistivity, in oxidizing ambients, while annealing in a reducing ambient resulted in significant film densification and reduction of the film resistivities to as low as 43 μΩ-cm. Ru films demonstrated good adhesion after anneals in oxidizing, but not in reducing ambients.
Computer-supported co-operative work: research issues for the 90s

Beaucoup de travaux se realisent actuellement en groupe, ce qui necessite une communication et une utilisation de l'ordinateur particulieres. Les recherches portent sur les besoins en supports technologiques. Le groupe est considere soit comme un collectif avec ses objectifs et ses methodes, soit comme une collection d'individus, avec des forces et des faiblesses, qui n'est pas forcement homogene dans le travail. Dans le premier cas, le probleme est celui du comportement organisationnel, dans le second, celui de la psychologie sociale et cognitive
New Approaches to Teaching Early Confucianism

Teachers are often tempted to present early Confucianism as an abstract ethical philosophy whose wisdom stands outside of time and space. Nevertheless, this kind of rarefied treatment makes it difficult for students to understand. Instead, one should try to make Confucianism more tangible by firmly placing it in its historical and intellectual context. This can be done in the following ways: Use indigenous nomenclature for words like “Confucius” and “Confucianism.” Closely examine the history and character of the Confucian community. Draw attention to the overwhelming importance of ritual in Confucian doctrine. Underline the all-encompassing nature of Confucian religiosity. Show the popular stories and images by which Confucians transmitted their teachings. Although these methods focus on the otherness of early Confucianism and thereby might make it less appealing to modern tastes, they will provide students with a lively and vivid image of the early tradition and its advocates.
Novel classification scheme of cardiovascular tissues using trace metal compositions.

Abstract Statistical methods of pattern recognition have been employed to characterize the trace metal profiles created by the concentrations (the geometric means of 11 determinations) of 13 trace metals for 17 anatomic regions of pig heart tissue. Metals analyzed were zinc, copper, tin, aluminum, lead, cadmium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, strontium, barium, cesium and chromium. Anatomic sites sampled included main pulmonary artery, aorta, mitral valve, tricuspid valve, aortic valve, pulmonary valve, right superior vena cava, right atrium, sinus node, crista supraventricularis, left bundle branch, atrioventricular node and His bundle, left ventricle-papillary muscle, right ventricle (free wall), left ventricle (free wall), interventricular septum, and left atrial appendage. Both techniques of pattern recognition used, namely cluster analysis and discriminant analysis, recognized similar relationships among the tissues, including differences between: (1) arterial and venous tissues; (2) semilunar and atrioventricular valves; and (3) tissues derived from ordinary and specialized myocardium and those derived from blood vessels and heart valves. The pulmonary valve was found to concentrate many trace metals relative to other anatomic sites. The differences among the tissues were sufficiently striking that, using the profiles, 65% of the specimens analyzed were correctly classified with respect to their anatomic origin.
Rethinking Technology & Creativity in the 21st Century: On Being In-Disciplined

udwig Boltzmann (1844–1906) was one of the greatest scientists of his time. His work on statistical mechanics and the kinetic theory of gases helps explain and predict how the properties of atoms (such as charge and mass) determine the physical properties of gases (such as viscosity, diffusion and temperature). Ludwig Boltzmann was also an accomplished musician. Boltzmann, however, did not see these two interests (in science and music) as being independent of each other. In contrast, he often described a synchronicity between mathematics and music, seeing both as being involved in the creative act of identifying and manipulating underlying rhythms and patterns to create new ones. Moreover, Boltzmann perceived this process as being deeply personal, in how an individual’s creative voice was deeply connected to the final product. This of course is in sharp contrast to the prevailing view of science as being a coolly dispassionate methodology, disconnected from the personality of the scientist. Boltzmann’s viewpoint can be seen in how he described the experience of reading physicist James Clerk Maxwell’s work on the dynamical theory of gases. Note the manner in which Boltzmann connects his reading of mathematics to the experience of hearing a musical composition: The variations of the velocities are, at first, developed majestically: then from one side enter the equations of state: and from the other side, the equations of motion in a central field. Ever higher soars the chaos of formulae. Suddenly we hear, as from kettle drums, the four beats “Put N = 5.” The evil spirit V (relative velocity of molecules) vanishes: and, even as in music a hitherto dominating figure in the bass is suddenly silenced, that which had seemed insuperable has been overcome as if by a stroke of magic...One result after another follows in quick succession till at last, as the unexpected climax, we arrive at the conditions for thermal equilibrium together with the expressions for the transport coefficients. The curtain then falls! (Boltzmann quoted in Root-Bernstein, 1989, p. 334)