cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Psychosocial correlates of glycemic control: the Pittsburgh Epidemiology of Diabetes Complications (EDC) Study.

The psychosocial correlates of glycemic control were examined in an incident cohort of childhood onset insulin-dependent diabetic subjects aged 18 years or older (n = 592). Glycosylated hemoglobin was measured at subjects' clinical examination, and questionnaires on diabetes self-care activity, barriers to regimen adherence and social support were completed. Demographic information was also collected. Glycosylated hemoglobin (GHb) was correlated with age, income and educational attainment (correlations coefficients between −0.1 and −0.2; P < 0.01), suggesting that older, more educated and wealthier patients have better glycemic control. GHb was also inversely associated with the degree of self-care activity (r = −0.11; P < 0.01), in particular administering injections at the recommended times and the frequency of performing blood/urine tests. Factors related to self-care behavior were identified, and included degree of social support (r = 0.14; P < 0.001) and patients' reports of difficulties adhering to their self-care regimen (r = −0.3; P < 0.0001). Gender was also related to self-care activities, with women reporting more self-care behavior than men (mean self-care scores 17.9 ± 3.7 vs. 16.9 ± 4.0; P < 0.01). Thus psychosocial factors (e.g. low income and education) may have an important effect on glycemic control in adults, and also (e.g. social support and adherence difficulties) seem particularly important in influencing the performance of self-care. As good metabolic control may help avoid the progression of diabetic complications, efforts need to be directed towards patients with these characteristics who are more likely to experience difficulties with self-care.
Balloon assistance as a routine adjunct to the endovascular treatment of cerebral aneurysms.

Abstract Background The technique of BAC is attractive because the balloon theoretically allows for (1) “control” of blood flow in the vessel; (2) improved stability of the microcatheter in the aneurysm; (3) denser packing with coils; and (4) improved delineation of the neck of the aneurysm. The purpose of this communication is to document our outcomes with this technique and help determine if this technique is of benefit. Methods Data on all endovascularily treated aneurysms have been gathered prospectively at our institution since March 2000. The first case of BAC was in November 2000. We have become very liberal in our indications, to the point where all aneurysms are considered for BAC. We document here our results obtained over a 1-year period, during which we treated 56 patients with 60 aneurysms in 58 coiling sessions using only bare platinum coils. Results Balloon-assisted coiling was attempted in 50 (86%) of the 58 coiling sessions. Successful embolizations were achieved in all but 1 patient in whom BAC was attempted. There was one technique-related complication. The packing density for the BAC cases was, on average, 35.7% (median, 34.6%; SD, 14.1%). Follow-up angiography revealed a 13% class 3 recurrence rate. Conclusion With experience, BAC can be used in the endovascular treatment of most cerebral aneurysms. Although complications are associated with its use, we feel that the risk/benefit ratio is favorable. Excellent coil packing density with bare coils is achievable with this technique.
Guided ion beam and theoretical studies of the reaction of Ru+ with CS2 in the gas-phase: thermochemistry of RuC+, RuS+, and RuCS+

The gas-phase reactivity of the atomic transition metal cation, Ru+, with CS2 is investigated using guided-ion beam mass spectrometry (GIBMS). Endothermic reactions forming RuC+, RuS+, and RuCS+ are observed. Analysis of the kinetic energy dependence of the cross sections for formation of these three products yields the 0 K bond energies of D0(Ru+–C) = 6.27 ± 0.15 eV, D0(Ru+–S) = 3.04 ± 0.10 eV, and D0(Ru+–CS) = 2.59 ± 0.18 eV, and consideration of previous data leads to a recommended D0(Ru+–C) bond energy of 6.17 ± 0.07 eV. A detailed reaction coordinate surface for these processes is determined by quantum chemical calculations and shows that all three reactions take place by insertion to form a S–Ru+–CS intermediate. Although multiple spin states are available, the reaction appears to occur primarily on the quartet ground state surface, although coupling to a sextet surface is required to form the RuS+(6Σ+) + CS(1Σ+) ground state products. Calculations are used to locate the approximate crossing points between the quartet and sextet surfaces, finding them in both the bending coordinate of the S–Ru+–CS intermediate and in the exit channel. Elimination of S2 to form RuC+ follows a much more complicated pathway involving a cyclic RuCSS+ intermediate, consistent with the energetic behavior of the experimental RuC+ cross section.
Reinventing primary health care: the need for systems integration

The world has come a long way since the Alma Ata Declaration 30 years ago. However, achievements have fallen short of expectations. This is therefore the time to launch a renewed eﬀ ort to strengthen health systems as the fundamental strategy for integrating primary health care.The origins of the idea of primary care probably date back to the Dawson Report, published in the UK in 1920. This report introduced the notion of three levels of care—primary health centres, secondary health centres, and teaching hospitals—which is still the basis of the pyramidal regionalisation of health services that prevails nowadays.
Anticipated Sexual Jealousy Its Relationship to Self-Esteem, Dependency, and Reciprocity

The relation between anticipated sexual jealousy and a number of variables was investigated in three samples of males and females differing in age, socioeconomic status, and extramarital sexual involvement. Anticipated jealousy was not correlated with self-esteem for males; the correlation between these variables was small for females. A stronger association between anticipated jealousy and emotional dependency was observed A strong negative relationship was found between one's own intended extramarital involvement and jealousy; this is interpreted as evidence for the operation of the norm of reciprocity.
Mapping Spatiotemporal Molecular Distributions Using a Microfluidic Array

The spatial and temporal distributions of an extensive number of diffusible molecules drive a variety of complex functions. These molecular distributions often possess length scales on the order of a millimeter or less; therefore, microfluidic devices have become a powerful tool to study the effects of these molecular distributions in both chemical and biological systems. Although there exist a number of studies utilizing microdevices for the creation of molecular gradients, there are few, if any, studies focusing on the measurement of spatial and temporal distributions of molecular species created within the study system itself. Here we present a microfluidic device capable of sampling multiple chemical messengers in a spatiotemporally resolved manner. This device operates through spatial segregation of nanoliter-sized volumes of liquid from a primary sample reservoir into a series of analysis microchannels, where fluid pumping is accomplished via a system of passive microfluidic pumps. Subsequent chemical analysis within each microchannel, achieved via optical or bioanalytical methods, yields quantitative data on the spatial and temporal information for any analytes of interest existing within the sample reservoir. These techniques provide a simple, cost-effective route to measure the spatiotemporal distributions of molecular analytes, where the system can be tailored to study both chemical and biological systems.
Introduction to the special supplement: prevention with persons living with HIV.

Welcome to this special supplement to AIDS Education and Prevention entitled “Prevention With Persons Living With HIV.” Those of us in the public and private sectors, ranging from the federal government to the university and community–based organizations, remain as partners in the ongoing struggle against HIV and AIDS. This supplement is intended as a resource for persons who design, implement, manage, and evaluate HIV/AIDS education and prevention programs with HIV–infected persons. This is essential work in the struggle against HIV and AIDS. The release of this publication is timely. In the current world of HIV/AIDS prevention, such diverse entities as grassroots organizations, primary care clinics, community-planning groups, and State health departments have devoted increased resources to “prevention with persons living with HIV.” Why are efforts to prevent persons with HIV from transmitting the virus to others receiving increased attention? Are interventions for persons living with HIV effective? Does the effectiveness of prevention programs vary by program setting or target population? What are the prevention community’s challenges in planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating these interventions? The introductory discussion and articles that follow address these questions with the presentation of both quantitative and qualitative findings from individualand group-level interventions for HIV–infected persons. Interventions for men and women, ranging from black non–gay-identified men who have sex with men to female injection drug users, are presented and real-world implementation and evaluation challenges in community–based settings are discussed. Suggestions for addressing these challenges are also presented.
The pH dependence of serpin-proteinase complex dissociation reveals a mechanism of complex stabilization involving inactive and active conformational states of the proteinase which are perturbable by calcium.

Abstract Serpin family protein proteinase inhibitors trap proteinases at the acyl-intermediate stage of cleavage of the serpin as a proteinase substrate by undergoing a dramatic conformational change, which is thought to distort the proteinase active site and slow deacylation. To investigate the extent to which proteinase catalytic function is defective in the serpin-proteinase complex, we compared the pH dependence of dissociation of several serpin-proteinase acyl-complexes with that of normal guanidinobenzoyl-proteinase acyl-intermediate complexes. Whereas the apparent rate constant for dissociation of guanidinobenzoyl-proteinase complexes (k diss, app) showed a pH dependence characteristic of His-57 catalysis of complex deacylation, the pH dependence of k diss, app for the serpin-proteinase complexes showed no evidence for His-57 involvement in complex deacylation and was instead characteristic of a hydroxide-mediated deacylation similar to that observed for the hydrolysis of tosylarginine methyl ester. Hydroxylamine enhanced the rate of serpin-proteinase complex dissociation but with a rate constant for nucleophilic attack on the acyl bond several orders of magnitude slower than that of hydroxide, implying limited accessibility of the acyl bond in the complex. The addition of 10–100 mmCa2+ ions stimulated up to 80-fold the dissociation rate constant of several serpin-trypsin complexes in a saturable manner at neutral pH and altered the pH dependence to a pattern characteristic of His-57-catalyzed complex deacylation. These results support a mechanism of kinetic stabilization of serpin-proteinase complexes wherein the complex is trapped as an acyl-intermediate by a serpin conformational change-induced inactivation of the proteinase catalytic function, but suggest that the inactive proteinase conformation in the complex is in equilibrium with an active proteinase conformation that can be stabilized by the preferential binding of an allosteric ligand such as Ca2+.
THE OPTIMAL CAPACITY EXPANSION POLICY FOR A MULTI‐PRODUCT FIRM UNDER A DYNAMIC FRAMEWORK *

. An optimal capacity policy model for a multi-product firm is constructed in a dynamic programming framework, which assumes the following: all current inputs have a perfectly competitive market, all capital resources are limitational, though capable of being utilized in more than one production line and there is a marketing cost function of a specified type for the outputs sold.
Under Siege: The Brain on Opiates

Opiate-induced adaptations in neuronal function involve molecular adaptations in components of signaling pathways that go far beyond regulation of endogenous opioid peptides and opioid receptors or other neurotransmitter receptor systems. Increasing evidence supports a role for adaptations in the cAMP pathway as one important molecular mechanism of opiate tolerance and dependence. Adaptations in many other signaling pathways are also likely to be involved. One example is opiate regulation of the neurotrophin–ERK signaling cascade and its possible role in mediating some of the long-term effects of opiates on the brain. Opiate- induced changes in the structural features of VTA dopamine neurons further highlight the complex types of adaptations that are elicited in the brain by chronic drug exposures. Indeed, these structural changes lend support to growing evidence for neural plasticity in the brain that is detectable at the anatomical level. The availability of accurate animal models of opiate addiction enable the exploration of these various mechanisms of neural plasticity within functional and clinically relevant contexts.
A numerical model to predict fiber tow saturation during liquid composite molding

Abstract A dual scale porous medium contains two distinct scales of pores. We will consider the case in which small scale pores are ordered within well-defined sub-regions. Typical examples of such media are textile preforms used in various composite-manufacturing processes. Rigorously, the phenomenon can be modeled by using Darcy's law to describe flow through porous medium and mass conservation for the flow within the larger pores. The smaller pores can be included within these equations as a sink term. This approach, though straightforward, poses implementation difficulties. In this paper, we suggest an alternative way to model this concept. We use the standard finite element/control volume approach and model the “internal” sink term by appending extra one-dimensional elements to control volumes associated with the control volumes of discretized part geometry. This approach offers two advantages over previously attempted schemes: (1) the problem to be solved remains linear and flow can be calculated explicitly within the time domain and (2) existing simulation packages for RTM filling simulation will be able to incorporate saturation effects to simulate the flow in dual scale media. To illustrate this point we present the implementation of the developed algorithm within the frameworks of an existing simulation package LIMS. The implementation is capable of providing saturation data during filling of arbitrarily shaped part and can capture the influence of saturation on filling pressure or flow-rate. This should prove useful in determining the time needed to completely saturate the fiber tows, which is crucial for part performance and also allow us to explain the variation in injection pressure and difficulties in “assigning” single scale permeability for such porous medium.
High refractive index nanocomposite cover-layer for optical storage media

Abstract A nanocomposite cover-layer consisting of a UV curable resin and TiO 2 nanoparticles, a dielectric cover-layer, and a hybrid cover-layer for near-field optical recording media are prepared and characterized. The dielectric and the nanocomposite cover-layers with a refractive index of about 1.95 showed a rough surface, which yields collisions between a solid immersion lens and a cover-layer during the near-field gap servo test. A smooth surface with a nanocomposite cover-layer can be obtained by reducing the refractive index to less than 1.86, which results in a successful gap servo without the collision.
Artificial sweeteners are not the answer to childhood obesity

While no single factor is responsible for the recent, dramatic increases in overweight and obesity, a scientific consensus has emerged suggesting that consumption of sugar-sweetened products, especially beverages, is casually linked to increases in risk of chronic, debilitating diseases including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke. One approach that might be beneficial would be to replace sugar-sweetened items with products manufactured with artificial sweeteners that provide sweet tastes but with fewer calories. Unfortunately, evidence now indicates that artificial sweeteners are also associated with increased risk of the same chronic diseases linked to sugar consumption. Several biologically plausible mechanisms may explain these counterintuitive negative associations. For example, artificial sweeteners can interfere with basic learning processes that serve to anticipate the normal consequences of consuming sugars, leading to overeating, diminished release of hormones such as GLP-1, and impaired blood glucose regulation. In addition, artificial sweeteners can alter gut microbiota in rodent models and humans, which can also contribute to impaired glucose regulation. Use of artificial sweeteners may also be particularly problematic in children since exposure to hyper-sweetened foods and beverages at young ages may have effects on sweet preferences that persist into adulthood. Taken as a whole, current evidence suggests that a focus on reducing sweetener intake, whether the sweeteners are caloric or non-caloric, remains a better strategy for combating overweight and obesity than use of artificial sweeteners.
Western Sahara: war, nationalism, and conflict irresolution

Western Sahara: war, nationalism, and conflict irresolution (Syracuse Studies on Peace and Conflict Resolution) by Stephen Zunes and Jacob Mundy, Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 2010, 424 ...
Algorithmic, geometric and graphs issues in wireless networks

We present an overview of the recent progress of applying computational geometry techniques to solve some questions, such as topology construction and broadcasting, in wireless ad hoc networks. Treating each wireless device as a node in a two-dimensional plane, we model the wireless networks by unit disk graphs in which two nodes are connected if their Euclidean distance is no more than one. We first summarize the current status of constructing sparse spanners for unit disk graphs with various combinations of the following properties: bounded stretch factor, bounded node degree, planar, and bounded total edges weight (compared with the minimum spanning tree). Instead of constructing subgraphs by removing links, we then review the algorithms for constructing a sparse backbone (connected dominating set), that is, subgraph from the subset of nodes. We then review some efficient methods for broadcasting and multicasting with theoretic guaranteed performance. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A rapid micro-starch quantitation method for potato callus and its application with potato tubers

The procedure described was developed as a micro-starch method for potato callus tissue (0.1-0.2% starch on a fresh weight basis) and then evaluated with macro-starch samples of potato tubers harvested during three physiological stages of development. This method consisted of the following steps: (a) a mild alkaline-sonic extraction of starch from lyophilized 80% aqueous ethanol-washed samples, (b) starch hydrolysis of the neutralized, filtered extracts by 1 N HC1, and (c) the determination of liberated glucose by the specific glucose oxidase system. Results with this procedure were as sensitive and accurate (SD ± 0.86%) as with other starch-specific methods with more extensive starch isolation and purification steps.
Risk Factors for Infections With Multidrug-Resistant Stenotrophomonas maltophilia in Patients With Cancer

BACKGROUND. Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is responsible for an increasing number of infections, especially in hospitalized patients. Therapy options are limited and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) is often the main treatment option for this infection. In the current study, the risk factors were determined for the emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) S. maltophilia. METHODS. A case-control study was conducted to determine risk factors for the development of MDR S. maltophilia in cancer patients. The case group was composed of patients treated at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center for MDR S. maltophilia between 1996 and 2004 (n = 54). Two control groups were used: patients at comparable risk for S. maltophilia (C-controls) and patients with S. maltophilia infection that was susceptible to TMP-SMX and at least 2 other antibiotics (ciprofloxacin, ceftazidime, amikacin, and ticarcillin/clavulanate) (S-controls). RESULTS. When compared with C-controls, prior use of carbapenems or quinolones and admission to an intensive care unit within 30 days of isolation of the pathogen were found to be independently associated with MDR S. maltophilia infection (P < .02), as was an increased overall mortality rate (P = .04). When compared with S-controls, risk factors were history of S. maltophilia infection during the prior year and prior use of TMP-SMX (P = .015). CONCLUSIONS. Judicious use of TMP-SMX, carbapenems, and quinolones is necessary to control the risk for MDR S. maltophilia infection. Cancer 2007. © 2007 American Cancer Society.
Excitation of upper-hybrid waves by a thermal parametric instability

A purely growing instability characterized by a four-wave interaction has been analysed in a uniform, magnetized plasma. Up-shifted and down-shifted upper-hybrid waves and a non-oscillatory mode can be excited by a pump wave of ordinary rather than extraordinary polarization in the case of ionospheric heating. The differential Ohmic heating force dominates over the ponderomotive force as the wave–wave coupling mechanism. The beating current at zero frequency produces a significant stabilizing effect on the excitation of short-scale modes by counterbalancing the destabilizing effect of the differential Ohmic heating. The effect of ionospheric inhomogeneity is estimated, showing a tendency to raise the thresholds of the instability. When applied to ionospheric heating experiments, the present theory can explain the excitation of field-aligned plasma lines and ionospheric irregularities with a continuous spectrum ranging from metre-scale to hundreds of metre-scale. Further, the proposed mechanism may become a competitive process to the parametric decay instability and be responsible for the overshoot phenomena of the plasma line enhancement at Arecibo.
Charge-carrier injection into CuPc thin films: a scanning tunneling microscopy study

Abstract Injection of charge carriers into the LUMO and HOMO levels of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) is investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy. The threshold for injection of charge carriers emitted by the tip of the STM allows us to determine the so-called single-particle band gap ( E gsp ) of CuPc polymorphs as well as the band edge alignment with respect to the Fermi level of the Au(1 1 1) substrate. We find E gsp values significantly lower than the optical band gap. This indicates the presence of intermolecular interactions, giving rise to in-gap states that can play a predominant role in controlling injection as well as transport properties. The lowest value of E gsp is found for the crystalline phases of CuPc obtained by thermal annealing, whereas the largest band gap and inferior charge-transport properties are found for samples grown on substrates at room temperature.
A computational analysis and comparison of some sarin and soman analogues

Abstract Several analogues of sarin ( I ) and soman ( II ) were investigated for their possible ability to elicit effective antibodies to these anti-cholinesterase agents. The key issue is whether the fluorines in sarin and soman can be replaced by some other functional group that would result in lower toxicity, so that antibodies would have the opportunity to form, but that mimics fluorine well enough that these antibodies would also show satisfactory anti-sarin and anti-soman activities. The analysis involved a comparison of calculated (ab initio SCF) electrostatic potentials of five molecules; one ( IV ) serves as a sarin/soman model, while in the others the —F was replaced by a group X, where X = —CN, —OH, —OCH 3 or —NH 2 . On the basis of the electrostatic potential analysis, it was concluded that —CN and —OCH 3 show the greatest promise, for present purposes, as fluorine replacements.
Size structure of populations within populations: leaf number and size in crowded and uncrowded Impatiens pallida individuals

We compared the size distributions of leaves on naturally-occurring crowded and experimentally thinned “uncrowded” individuals of Impatiens pallida in southeastern Pennsylvania. Crowding decreased the number of leaves on individual plants and altered the distribution of leaf size. Crowded individuals had smaller leaves, but the size (length) inequality of the leaf population did not change. The relationships between the height of a plant and the mean and maximum length of its leaves were significantly different for crowded and uncrowded plants. There were weak positive relationships between height and total leaf area, and height and total number of leaves for uncrowded plants, whereas crowded plants showed tighter but curvilinear relationships between these variables. Our results point out the strengths and the limitations of viewing canopies as populations of modules.
Anesthetic Pharmacology and the Morbidly Obese Patient

Anesthesiologists are increasingly being faced with treating obese patients. Physiologic and anthropometric associated with obesity-most notably increases in cardiac output, changes in tissue perfusion and increases in total body weight (TBW), lean body weight (LBW), and fat mass affect the pharmacokinetics (PK) of anesthetic agents. In addition, redundancy of airway tissue, obstructive and central sleep apnea and CO2 retention affect the pharmacodynamics (PD) of anesthetics and narrow the therapeutic window of numerous anesthetic drugs. Safe and effective pharmacologic management of the obese patient requires a thorough understanding of how obesity affects the PK and PD of anesthetics.
Shade tree diversity, carbon sequestration, and epiphyte presence in coffee agroecosystems: A decade of smallholder management in San Ramón, Nicaragua

A B S T R A C T period to identify patterns of shade tree density and diversity, epiphyte presence, and carbon stocks within smallholder shade coffee systems of northern Nicaragua. We also analyzed each of these parameters with respect to management by comparing collectively- and individually-managed farms. Our results indicate that the overall shade tree density has decreased over time (F = 42.597, p < 0.001), but that diversity remained constant. Carbon stocks in coffee systems also showed a decreasing trend over time (F = 2.981, p = 0.056), most likely due to the decreasing tree densities. Epiphytic plant presence increased over time despite decreased host tree densities, suggesting either a change in management or improved habitat conditions for epiphytes. Research plots on individually-managed coffee farms generally had higher shade tree densities than those on collectively managed farms (t = 2.141, p = 0.037), but we found no differences in shade tree species richness or carbon stocks (t = 0.573, p = 0.568). We conclude that smallholder coffee farmers continue to conserve both shade tree diversity and epiphyte communities.
Multi-Method Virtualization: An Architectural Strategy for Service Tuning

A wide variety of virtualization methods have recently come into common use. Using these methods as a suite of tools to tune service offerings has becoming a viable strategy for enhancing an Academic Research Network (ARNe) as it services a globally dispersed user population. This report will present a model for organizing and applying these virtualization methods to maximize service efficiency.
Cardiovascular Toxicities of Immunosuppressive Agents

Cardiovascular disease is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality following solid organ transplantation. Many of the current immunosuppressive drugs are associated with an increase of one or more risk factors for the development of atherosclerosis. This review compares the mechanism by which individual immunosuppressive agents may impact on these risk factors and the differential contribution of cyclosporine, tacrolimus, mycophenolate, azathioprine, and Rapamycin to these individual risk factors. Attention to the potential cardiovascular toxicities of individual immunosuppressive agents may help design strategies for maintenance of immunosuppression tailored to individual patients.
Some primary olfactory axons project to the contralateral olfactory bulb in Xenopus laevis.

Abstract Cobaltous lysine and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) were used to trace primary olfactory axons to their terminations. The tracers were taken up in the olfactory mucosa and transported to the olfactory bulb. The results suggests that either HRP or cobaltous-lysine methods are useful and simple tools for studying such connections. In addition to the ipsilateral projection, we report here for the first time a projection to the medial part of the contralateral olfactory bulb. The overlaps of ipsi- and contralateral inputs to the medial bulb provide further evidence that its functions in frogs may be different from the lateral part, because other connections differ as well.
Integrating molecular and digital computing: an information systems design perspective

Abstract Biological systems use a non-programmable, but evolvable and efficient mode of information processing that can be traced to its underlying macromolecular basis (Conrad, 1985, Commun. ACM 28, 464–480). Digital computers, on the other hand, are structurally programmable, but not evolvable, nor efficient. In this paper we explore ways to provide effective support of function in organizations by combining the molecular and digital modes of information processing in a synergistic manner. In particular, we look at the potential of molecular computing technology for extending the problem-solving and decision-making capabilities of humans in complex organizational systems. Synergies resulting from the integration of molecular computing (including both human and molecular computing devices) and digital computing, are analyzed from an information systems design perspective.
Incorporating product retirement in field performance reliability analysis

Statistical time-to-failure analysis is a very powerful and versatile analytical tool available to reliability engineers and statisticians for understanding and communicating the failure risk and reliability of a component, device, or system. The typical approach to characterizing time to failure involves fitting a parametric distribution, such as a Weibull probability function, using time series data on sales and records of failure incidents since the launch of a product. Surviving units are treated as having right-censored failure times. If all sold products never retire from service or the retirement rate is so low that it can be ignored, the quantity of surviving units at each age point can be simply derived from the corresponding monthly sales quantity by subtracting the number of failed units sold in that month. However, modern consumer electronic products retire at much faster rates than traditional products such as coffee grinders or audio receivers. For example, most cell phone and consumer printer users upgrade to newer generations of devices even though their older devices work just fine. Properly accounting for the retirement rate in estimating the size of the at-risk population has become one of the most important steps in the field performance reliability analysis of consumer products. Neglecting to account for the shortened age of early retired units can lead to inaccurate characterization of the time-to-failure distribution and an inaccurate estimate of future failures. Retirement rates can be estimated from available information, or analyses can be performed using different assumed rates to examine the sensitivity of inferences. We present several case studies to demonstrate the practical value of accounting for the product retirement of surviving units. Results vary significantly from those obtained without addressing product retirement, thus underscoring the importance of this consideration in practical applications.
Attributes of repeat visitors to small tourist-oriented communities

Abstract This study investigates the characteristics of small tourist towns to discern why visitors want to return. It examines how accessibility, physical and cultural amenities, the social setting, and the prestige of places influence repeat-tourism. A survey assessed the perceptions, attitudes, and experiences of visitors to three small towns in Texas: an ethnocultural and craft center, a summer beach community, and an artisan marketplace. Discriminant analyses showed that shorter travel distance and the presence of friends or family are the characteristics most strongly related to repeat visitation.
1508 GLIADIN-INDUCED HYPOCOMPLEMENTEMIC MEMBRANOUS GLO-MERULONEPHRITIS

A 13-month-old presented with intractable diarrhea, marked proteinuria (8 g/24 hrs) and severe nephrotic syndrome. Small bowel biopsy showed celiac disease. Renal biopsy demonstrated epimembranous glomerulonephritis with deposition of IgG, IgA, C3, properdin and substantial amounts of gliadin. Serum complement studies showed marked depression of CH50 titers and classical pathway (CP) proteins C1, C2, C3 and C3-C9. Alternative pathway (AP) proteins factor B, properdin, β1H and C3bINA were equally depressed as was the lysis of unsensitized rabbit erythrocytes by the patient's serum. In all cases, values were more than 3 S.D. from the age-corrected mean. No C3NeF or circulating immune complexes by Raji cell assay were detectable. Treatment with prednisone, restricted diet, and hyperalimentation allowed for a reduction in diarrhea and proteinuria (400 mg/24 hrs) as well as an increase in all CP proteins within 2 months. Serum levels of β1H and C3bINA also rose but the remainder of the AP abnormalities persisted for several more months before returning to normal. These data suggest that gliadin, adsorbed via the GI tract and deposited within the glomerulus, may have induced the development of membranous glomerulonephritis in this child. Further, the bound gliadin may also have been responsible for the IgG-mediated CP activation and, either alone or with IgA, the more persistent AP activation.
Soft X-ray microscopy at the NSLS☆

Abstract The U15 beamline at the NSLS has been instrumented for various forms of soft X-ray imaging. A toroidal grating serves as the monochromator and as the optical element that images the source onto the exit slit. Thin contamination barriers separate the UHV region from an intermediate vacuum region and from the atmospheric environment. The scanning microscope uses a Fresnel zone plate to demagnify a 30 μm aperture located near the exit slit 100× to form a 0.3 μm focal spot through which the specimen is scanned under computer control. The electron-beam fabricated zone plate has 1500 A wide outer zones and a 5 mm focal length at 32 A. The focus is in the atmospheric environment. X-rays transmitted by the specimen are detected with a flow proportional counter, and the image is displayed on a television screen. Other forms of imaging take place in the intermediate vacuum environment. For contact microscopy an array of specimen-resist sandwiches are mounted on a manipulator and exposed in sequence. For tests of in-line Fresnel holography a camera is attached to the beamline which includes a collimator, the specimen and photographic film. Feasibility tests of soft X-ray diffraction are carried out using another camera, with particular attention to the detection of X-rays diffracted at large angles. We describe the performance of the apparatus, present some of the first results, and describe plans for the future.
Wide-angle stray-light reduction for a spaceborne optical hemispherical imager

We describe a simple visible-light stray-background-reducing baffle, suitable for use on a stabilized interplanetary platform. The design is a corrallike enclosure with five concentric walls. The baffle reduces direct sunlight and reflections from illuminated portions of the spacecraft by a factor of 10−12, provided that all these lie beyond at least a hemisphere centered on the viewing aperture. With this condition these bright sources do not directly illuminate within the outermost wall of the corral, and diffraction over the wall tops is the dominant mechanism by which light reaches the corral interior. We present design calculations for such a corral, as well as a laboratory measurement confirming the basic design assumption.
Abnormal eating and dissociative experiences: A further study of college women

A total of 241 female college students completed the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) and a battery of other scales measuring tendencies toward psychopathology. Both abnormal eating and ego dysfunction were most strongly associated with depression; lower correlations were obtained with dissociation, fears, obsessions and compulsions, perceptual aberration, and magical ideation. Panic disorder was associated with abnormal eating but not ego dysfunction. There appears to be no specific association between eating disorder and dissociation.
Adding more “DL” to IDL: towards more knowledgeable component inter-operability

In an open component market place, interface description languages (IDLs), such as CORBA's, provide for the consumer only a weak guarantee (concerning type signatures) that a software service will work in a particular context as anticipated. Stronger guarantees, regarding the intended semantics of the service, would help, especially if formalized in a language that allowed effective, automatic and static checking of compatibility between the server and the client's service descriptions. We propose an approach based on a family of formalisms called description logics (DLs), providing three examples of the use of DLs to augment IDL: (1) for the CORBA Cos Relationship service; (2) for capturing information models described using STEP Express, the ISO standard language used in the manufacturing domain (and a basis of the OMG PDM effort); and (3) constraints involving methods. While traditional formal specification techniques are more powerful, DLs offer certain advantages: they have decidable, even efficient reasoning algorithms, yet they still excel at modeling natural domains, and are thus well-suited for specifying application and domain-specific services.
Palinacousis—Auditory Perseveration: Two Cases and a Review of the Literature

Palinacousis is an auditory illusion rarely reported in cases of temporal lobe dysfunction. Detailed observations where made by Jacobs et al. in 1973. Since that time, only a few other cases have been described in the literature. After reviewing the literature and comparing our clinical experience, we believe that palinacousis can occur as an aura, a simple partial seizure, a complex partial seizure, and/or a postictal event. Within one academic year, we observed two patients who experienced palinacousis. Palinacousis maybe more common than recognized in patients with receptive aphasias or diffuse cerebral dysfunction, whose language deficits preclude adequate description. It is important to differentiate palinacousis from auditory hallucinations seen in psychotic and psychiatric patients. Identification of palinacousis as an aura, simple partial seizure, complex partial seizure, and/or postictal phenomenon can help localize potential lesions and improve patient care.
Presidential address: Society and vascular surgery—The need for humanism and research

It is with profound gratitude and humility that I address you today. I am thankful for the privilege of being president of the oldest society in North America dedicated to vascular surgery. I am also humbled by the knowledge that many of you are far more deserving of this honor than I, and I am further humbled after reviewing the distinguished list of past presidents, the giants of vascular surgery. Society has provided me the privilege of being a surgeon. What other profession affords the satisfaction of helping your fellow human, having fun doing it, and also being paid for it? None that I know of. Therefore I am not only indebted to you my family, friends, residents, students, and colleagues but to society as well.
End-Column Amperometric Detection in Capillary Electrophoresis: Influence of Separation-Related Parameters on the Observed Half-Wave Potential for Dopamine and Catechol

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) was coupled to a microelectrode-based end-column amperometric detector. The influences of separation voltage, CE buffer concentration, and capillary-to-electrode distance on the observed hydrodynamic voltammetry of dopamine and catechol were studied using a separation capillary with an i.d. of 25 μm. It was found that an increased CE voltage, increased buffer concentration, or decreased capillary-to-electrode distance resulted in a positive shift of the observed half-wave potentials for both dopamine and catechol. At a constant separation current of 1.6 μA, the observed half-wave potential was found to increase with applied separation voltage. Furthermore, when experiments were carried out with a platinum quasi-reference electrode instead of a Ag/AgCl reference electrode, similar shifts in half-wave potential were observed. These results indicate that the observed shifts are an effect of the separation voltage rather than the separation current or a change in the reference p...
Transient flow structure in the entrance region of a bubble column using particle image velocimetry

Abstract The transient flow phenomena in the entrance region of a three-dimensional bubble column system were investigated over the dispersed bubble and coalesced bubble regimes. Two different gas distributors (porous plate and perforated plate) were studied to elucidate their effects on the overall hydrodynamic behavior of the system and on the hydrodynamic behavior of the entrance region. The instantaneous and averaged flow information was obtained through the use of a Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) system. The PIV system is a non-intrusive technique capable of simultaneously providing the full-field flow information of both the gas and liquid phases. The overall gas holdup of the bubble column system was used to demarcate the flow conditions, in order of increasing gas velocity, into the dispersed bubble regime and the coalesced bubble regime which consisted of the vortical—spiral and turbulent flow conditions. The instantaneous flow fields and averaged liquid velocity and gas holdup profiles obtained through the PIV system provide a better understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the development of the flow in each regime. The averaged results were also used to determine the length required for the flow to become fully developed. The results show that the entrance effect are significant in the dispersed bubble regime but diminish with increasing velocity in the coalesced bubble regime, represented by the vortical—spiral and turbulent flow conditions.
Commentary: treatment guidelines for child and adolescent bipolar disorder.

Once considered rare in children, pediatric bipolar disorder is now widely diagnosed in the United States. The illness has become a cultural phenomenon, adorning the cover of Time magazine and headlining national news broadcasts. Kowatch and colleagues, in compiling consensus recommendations for bipolar disorder in children and adolescents, have done a laudable job given that the topic is infused with considerable controversy, debate, and dyspepsia. However, lost in the discussion is the fact that characterizing bipolar disorder as frequent, brief, intense outbursts of mood and behavioral dysregulation represents a fundamental change in the definition of the illness. Diagnostic Continuity The crux of the controversy is whether juvenile bipolar disorderisthesameillnessclassicallydescribedinadults:abiphasicconditioncharacterizedby well-demarcatedphasesof mania and depression. The presentation of mania in children is considered atypical, with recurrent bouts of marked irritability and agitation (Biederman et al., 2000). There is little dispute that many youths suffer from explosive and emotionally reactive outbursts, problems not well captured by existing DSM-IV childhood psychiatric diagnostic categories. The question is whether such cases represent bipolar disorder because they are qualitatively distinct from the classic illness. A related debate occurs in the adult literature, in which ‘‘bipolarity’’ overlaps with a broad array of mood and anxiety problems, including difficulties attributed to personality disorders and/or substance abuse (see Baldessarini, 2000). Because differences between juvenile mania and the classic later-onset illness may simply be developmental, it is important to consider other relevant lines of evidence that theoretically are related to diagnostic continuity. Epidemiologyandage atonset. Theestimatedprevalence of bipolar I disorder in the general population ranges from 0.4% to 1.6%, with an average age at onset of 20 years. Higher estimates (5%–8%) of subthreshold bipolarity are noted (see Judd and Akiskal, 2003). Although historically childhood onset was considered quite rare, some experts suggest that the juvenile form may be as prevalent as it is in adults (Geller and Luby, 1997). This is difficult to reconcile if the early and later-onset forms represent the same illness because the cumulative prevalence should increase with age. If the rates are the same, either the age at
Utilisation des bas de contention dans l'insuffisance veineuse chronique : compliance des patients et efficacité

Les bas de contention sont consideres comme la piece maitresse du traitement de l'insuffisance veineuse chronique (IVC). On sait que les bas echouent chez quelques patients pour des raisons diverses : ils sont inefficaces en depit de leur port chez certains, mais generalement les patients sont incapables de les mettre ou peu disposes a les employer comme prescrits. Des statistiques detaillees concernant la compliance au port des bas ne sont pas disponibles sauf dans quelques series choisies qui se sont concentrees sur les ulceres de jambe. Cette etude se concentre sur l'utilisation, la compliance des patients, et l'efficacite des bas de compression dans une grande cohorte de patients referes a une clinique veineuse tertiaire. Un total de 3144 nouveaux patients atteints d'IVC a ete vu de 1998 a 2006. Comme dans tout centre de reference, les patients avaient ete suivis par des medecins ou des specialistes de soins primaires pendant des periodes variables. Une histoire detaillee des traitements de contention anterieurs et en cours faisait partie de notre evaluation initiale des patients atteints d'IVC. Ces donnees ont ete saisies dans un dossier medical electronique horodate et analysees ulterieurement. Seulement 21% des patients rapportaient le port quotidien des bas, 12% les employaient la plupart des jours, et 4% les employaient moins souvent. Les 63% restant ne portait pas les bas du tout ou les avaient abandonnes apres une periode d'essai dans le passe. Les raisons primaires donnees pour le non usage etaient les suivantes : incapable de specifier une raison, 30% ; non prescrit par le medecin primaire, 25% ; n'a pas aide, 14% ; port « genant » la circulation, 13% ; « trop chaud » a porter, 8% ; douleurs du membre, 2% ; aspect cosmetique mauvais, 2% ; incapable de les mettre sans aide, 2% ; dermatite de contact ou demangeaisons, 2% ; et autres (cout, situation professionnelle, etc.), 2%. Des facteurs multiples ont ete cites dans 8% des cas. De maniere etonnante, il n'y avait aucune difference de compliance entre les hommes et les femmes (39% contre 38%) ou parmi differents groupes d'âge par decile. La compliance etait relativement meilleure a 50% chez les patients qui avaient des antecedents de thrombose veineuse profonde (n = 675) par comparaison a 35% chez ceux sans antecedent (n = 2437) (p 10 ans, 44% (p