cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On some recent modifications of Weibull distribution

Since the turn of the century, several papers have appeared in reliability journals (including the IEEE Transactions on Reliability) which claim to have proposed new modifications of the traditional Weibull distribution. It is pointed out here that the proposed distributions are either not new, or arise from a representation suggested by Gurvich et al. . A modification is suggested that contains all of the proposed distributions as particular cases.
A componential model of human interaction with graphs: 1. Linear regression modeling

Task analyses served as the basis for developing the Mixed Arithmetic-Perceptual (MA-P) model, which proposes (1) that people interacting with common graphs to answer common questions apply a set of component processes--searching for indicators, encoding the value of indicators, performing arithmetic operations on the values, making spatial comparisons among the indicators, and responding; and (2) that the type of graph and user's task determine the combination and order of the components applied (i.e., the processing steps). Two experiments investigated the prediction that response time will be linearly related to the number of processing steps according to the MA-P model. Subjects used line graphs, scatter plots, and stacked bar graphs to answer comparison questions and questions requiring arithmetic calculations. A one-parameter version of the model (with equal weights for all components) and a two-parameter version (with different weights for arithmetic and nonarithmetic processes) accounted for 76%-85% of individual subjects' variance in response time and 61%-68% of the variance taken across all subjects. The discussion addresses possible modifications in the MA-P model, alternative models, and design implications from the MA-P model.
Analysis of chaos-induced pulse trains in the ionization of hydrogen

We examine excitation (by a short laser pulse) of a hydrogen atom in parallel electric and magnetic fields, from an initial tightly bound state to a state above the classical ionization threshold. We predict that the atom ionizes by emitting a train of electron pulses. This prediction is based on the classical dynamics of electron escape. In particular, the pulse train is due to classical chaos, which occurs for nonvanishing magnetic field. We connect the structure of the pulse train to fractal structure in the escape dynamics, and discuss several issues of experimental interest, with a particular emphasis on understanding the resolution of individual pulses. A brief account of this work appeared previously as a Letter [Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 073001 (2004)].
Symptom-Based Clustering in Chronic Rhinosinusitis Relates to History of Aspirin Sensitivity and Postsurgical Outcomes

Background Symptoms burden in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) may be assessed by interviews or by means of validated tools such as the 22-item SinoNasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22). However, when only the total SNOT-22 scores are used, the pattern of symptom distribution and heterogeneity in patient symptoms is lost. Objectives To use a standardized symptom assessment tool (SNOT-22) on preoperative symptoms to understand symptom heterogeneity in CRS and to aid in characterization of distinguishing clinical features between subgroups. Methods This was a retrospective review of 97 surgical patients with CRS. Symptom-based clusters were derived on the basis of presurgical SNOT-22 scores using unsupervised analysis and network graphs. Comparison between clusters was performed for clinical and demographic parameters, postsurgical symptom scores, and presence or absence of a history of aspirin sensitivity. Results Unsupervised analysis reveals coclustering of specific symptoms in the SNOT-22 tool. Using symptom-based clustering, patients with CRS were stratified into severe overall (mean total score, 90.8), severe sinonasal (score, 62), moderate sinonasal (score, 40), moderate nonsinonasal (score, 37) and mild sinonasal (score, 16) clusters. The last 2 clusters were associated with lack of history of aspirin sensitivity. The first cluster had a rapid relapse in symptoms postoperatively, and the last cluster demonstrated minimal symptomatic improvement after surgery. Conclusion Symptom-based clusters in CRS reveal a distinct grouping of symptom burden that may relate to aspirin sensitivity and treatment outcomes.
Block-based Static Timing Analysis with Uncertainty

Static timing analysis is a critical step in design of any digital integrated circuit. Technology and design trends have led to significant increase in environmental and process variations which need to be incorporated in static timing analysis. This paper presents a new, efficient and accurate block-based static timing analysis technique considering uncertainty. This new method is more efficient as its models arrival times as cumulative density functions (CDFs) and delays as probability functions (PDFs). Computationally simple expression are presented for basic static timing operations. The techniques are valid for any form of the probability distribution, though the use piecewise linear modeling of CDFs is highlighted in this paper. Reconvergent fanouts are handled using a new technique that avoids path tracing. Variable accuracy timing analysis can be performed by varying the modeling accuracy of the piecewise linear model. Regular and statistical timing on different parts of the circuit can be incorporated into a single timing analysis run. Accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method is demonstrated for various ISCAS benchmark circuits.
Maternal and Fetal Cardiovascular Responses of the Normotensive and Hypertensive Pregnant Sheep to Parenteral Labetalol

Chronic and pregnancy-induced hypertension complicate 13% of all human pregnancies. Although several antihypertensive agents have been investigated for use during pregnancy, limited experimental information is available on the effects of labetalol (an α1- and β1- adrenergic blocking agent) on uterine blood flow. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that labetalol safely lowers blood pressure in the normotensive and hypertensive pregnant ewe without adversely affecting uterine blood flow or fetal blood pressure and heart rate. Twelve normotensive and three renal hypertensive pregnant ewes were chronically catheterized to study the effects of bolus intravenous injections of labetalol (12.5 mg to 200 mg) on maternal and fetal blood pressure, heart rate, and uterine blood flow. All doses of labetalol produced significant reductions in both maternal mean arterial pressure and uterine blood flow (p < 0.05). Cardiac output responses were measured only at the 12.5 and 25 mg dose of labetalol, but showed...
Exploring What Greening the Economy Means for African American Workers, Entrepreneurs, and Communities:

As the United States recovers from the worst economic crisis in 80 years, both environmental and economic epidemics are disproportionally affecting communities of color. The U.S. unemployment rate stands near 10%. Yet for African Americans in some areas, it is twice as high. Simultaneously, the world is threatened by the effects of climate change and increasing environmental health issues, whereas communities of color are overburdened by environmental injustices. The Obama administration has invested heavily in policies to “green the economy” as a strategy to preserve the environment while stimulating economic recovery in large part through The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009. Although this strategy has yielded tremendous opportunity, resource distribution has been uneven across geographic areas and demographic groups. Unfortunately, some of our nation’s neediest people and communities are being left out of the green revolution. This essay discusses the impact of “greening the economy” for ...
Consistent specification tests for semiparametric/nonparametric models based on series estimation methods

Abstract This paper considers the problem of consistent model specification tests using series estimation methods. The null models we consider in this paper all contain some nonparametric components. A leading case we consider is to test for an additive partially linear model. The null distribution of the test statistic is derived using a central limit theorem for Hilbert-valued random arrays. The test statistic is shown to be able to detect local alternatives that approach the null models at the order of Op(n−1/2). We show that the wild bootstrap method can be used to approximate the null distribution of the test statistic. A small Monte Carlo simulation is reported to examine the finite sample performance of the proposed test. We also show that the proposed test can be easily modified to obtain series-based consistent tests for other semiparametric/nonparametric models.
Dok-7 Myasthenia: Phenotypic and Molecular Genetic Studies in 16 Patients

Congenital myasthenic syndromes (CMS) are heterogeneous disorders in which the safety margin of neuromuscular transmission is compromised by one or more specific mechanisms. Between 1995 and 2005, defects in seven end-plate (EP)–associated proteins encoded by 10 different genes have been identified as molecular targets of the CMS.1 In 2006, Okada and coworkers identified Dok-7 as a muscle-intrinsic activator of MuSK required for synaptogenesis.2 Dok-7 harbors N-terminal pleckstrin homology (PH) and phosphotyrosine-binding (PTB) domains, and is strongly expressed at the postsynaptic region of skeletal muscle and in heart. Subsequently, mutations in DOK7 were shown to cause a CMS that preferentially involved proximal limb muscles.3–5 The majority of patients were heterozygous or homozygous for a 1124_1127dupTGCC mutation. Only this mutation was functionally characterized, and in two patients only a single mutation was detected.3 Studies in six patients eventually shown to carry DOK7 mutations demonstrated small EPs and simplified junctional folds, but the counts of the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) per EP were deemed appropriate for size of the EPs.6 The amplitude of the synaptic response to acetylcholine (ACh), reflected by the amplitude of the miniature EP potential (MEPPA) and EP potential (EPPA), and the number of quanta released by nerve impulse (m) were reduced, whereas the amplitude of the miniature EP current (MEPCA) was reported as normal. The impaired safety margin of neuromuscular transmission was attributed to the reduced EPPA.6 This article describes clinical features of 16 unrelated CMS patients with Dok-7 myasthenia. In 14 of these patients, we analyze parameters of neuromuscular transmission in vitro and examine 613 EP regions of 409 EPs by quantitative electron microscopy. We find that the structural changes and the electrophysiological alterations are more variable than previously reported. We identify mutations in DNA or complementary DNA (cDNA) in each patient, and evaluate most of these mutations by expression studies.
Green Fluorescent Protein in the sea urchin: new experimental approaches to transcriptional regulatory analysis in embryos and larvae

The use of Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) as a reporter for expression transgenes opens the way to several new experimental strategies for the study of gene regulation in sea urchin development. A GFP coding sequence was associated with three different previously studied cis-regulatory systems, viz those of the SM50 gene, expressed in skeletogenic mesenchyme, the CyIIa gene, expressed in archenteron, skeletogenic and secondary mesenchyme, and the Endo16 gene, expressed in vegetal plate, archenteron and midgut. We demonstrate that the sensitivity with which expression can be detected is equal to or greater than that of whole-mount in situ hybridization applied to detection of CAT mRNA synthesized under the control of the same cis-regulatory systems. However, in addition to the important feature that it can be visualized nondestructively in living embryos, GFP has other advantages. First, it freely diffuses even within fine cytoplasmic cables, and thus reveals connections between cells, which in sea urchin embryos is particularly useful for observations on regulatory systems that operate in the syncytial skeletogenic mesenchyme. Second, GFP expression can be dramatically visualized in postembryonic larval tissues. This brings postembryonic larval developmental processes for the first time within the easy range of gene transfer analyses. Third, GFP permits identification and segregation of embryos in which the clonal incorporation of injected DNA has occurred in any particular desired region of the embryo. Thus, we show explicitly that, as expected, GFP transgenes are incorporated in the same nuclei together with other transgenes with which they are co-injected.
Parents' Beliefs about Children's Math Development and Children's Participation in Math Activities

This study explored associations between parents’ beliefs about children’s development and children’s reported math activities at home. Seventy-three parents were interviewed about the frequency of their children’s participation in a broad array of math activities, the importance of children doing math activities at home, how children learn math, parents’ role in their children’s math learning, and parents’ own math skills. Although the sample consisted of African Americans, Chinese, Latino, and Caucasian parents in the United States, the majority were Chinese or Caucasian. Several important findings emerged from this study. Parents’ beliefs about math development and their role in fostering it were significantly related to children’s math activities. There was important variability and relatively limited participation of children in math activities at home. There were age-related differences in children’s engagement in math activities. Chinese and Caucasian parents showed somewhat similar beliefs about how children developed math. Although further research is needed to confirm the findings with a larger sample and to include measures of children’s math competencies, these findings are an important step for developing home-based interventions to facilitate children’s math skills.
Two case studies of cognitive adaptation training for outpatients with schizophrenia.

Introduction by the column editors: Psychosocial treatment and rehabilitation can be categorized as a primarily remedial or a primarily compensatory means of targeting the functional deficits of persons with schizophrenia and other disabling mental disorders. Remedial strategies attempt to overcome functional deficits by improving the individual’s skills through training interventions. Social skills training and the token economy are examples of this approach (1,2). Compensatory approaches aim to create environmental supports that reduce cognitive burdens, stress, and requirements for functioning while providing for the individual’s needs and quality of life. Assertive case management and supported employment are examples of compensatory programs (3,4). Remedial interventions focus on changing the individual, while compensatory programs aim to improve support and accommodations in the person’s environment. Most psychiatric rehabilitation programs, in reality, use both remedial and compensatory interventions. This month’s Rehab Rounds column describes a compensatory approach called cognitive adaptation training that uses neurocognitive assessment to direct treatment planning. C
Despite Expert Recommendations, Second-generation Antipsychotics Are Not Often Prescribed in the Emergency Department

Abstract Background Recent expert guidelines recommend oral second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) as first-line therapy for acute agitation in the emergency department (ED), with intramuscular (IM) SGAs as an alternative. However, little is known about how these meds are used in the ED or how often SGAs are prescribed. Objectives 1) The measurement of patient characteristics, concomitant benzodiazepine use, and use of SGAs compared to haloperidol or droperidol; 2) the prescribing rates of SGAs over time in ED patients. Methods This is a structured analysis of a historical patient cohort from 2004–2011 in two university EDs. The cohort consisted of all patients receiving aripiprazole, olanzapine, quetiapine, risperidone, or ziprasidone. Descriptive analysis compared age, gender, use of first-generation antipsychotics (FGAs) such as haloperidol/droperidol, and rates of concomitant benzodiazepine use. Linear regression was used to test whether SGA prescribing increased over time. Results There were 1680 unique patients accounting for 1779 ED visits who received SGAs over the study period, which is a minority of patients receiving any antipsychotic. Of patients receiving any SGA in the ED, most were given orally (93%). Adjunctive benzodiazepines were administered on 21% of visits, and were also administered on 21% of the visits involving alcohol + patients. The rate of SGA use in the ED is not increasing over time. Conclusion Despite expert recommendations, SGAs are administered a minority of the time to ED patients. The rate is not increasing over time. When used, SGAs are most commonly given orally, are often administered with benzodiazepines, and are frequently administered to alcohol-intoxicated patients.
Measuring the Efficacy of Leaders to Assess Information and Make Decisions in a Crisis: The C-LEAD Scale

Effective leadership is needed in times of public health and safety crisis, yet the empirical research on what it means to be an effective crisis leader is scarce. We present a new measure, the Crisis Leader Efficacy in Assessing and Deciding (C-LEAD) scale, to further research on this important topic. C-LEAD captures the self-efficacy of an individual to perform two critical crisis leader behaviors, assessing information and making decisions, in the face of the ambiguity, high stakes, and urgency present in crises. In addition to the psychometric properties of the C-LEAD scale, we demonstrate evidence of its factor structure and discriminant validity from two related constructs - general leader efficacy and procedural crisis preparation. In particular, we found that C-LEAD more accurately predicts decision-making difficulty in a crisis context than general leadership efficacy. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Coincident bit counting-a new criterion for image registration

A similarity measure based on the number of coincident bits in multichannel images is presented. The similarity criterion incorporated in the image registration algorithm uses a coincident bit counting (CBC) method to obtain the number of matching bits between the frames of interest. The CBC method not only performs favorably compared with traditional techniques, but also renders simpler implementation in conventional computing machines. An image registration algorithm that incorporates the CBC criterion is proposed to determine the translation motion among sequences of images. The errors caused by noise, misregistration, and a combination of these two are analyzed. Some experimental studies using low-contrast coronary images from a digital angiographic sequence are discussed. The results compare favorably with those obtained by using other nonparametric methods. >
Electromigration study of micro bumps at Si/Si interface in 3DIC package for 28nm technology and beyond

This paper is a study of the electromigration (EM) effects of micro bumps at silicon-silicon interface in 3DIC package for 28nm technology and beyond. Two joint schemes were designed and fabricated: one of the schemes was the joining of Sn-capped Cu post to ENEPIG (Electroless-Nickel-Electroless-Palladium-Immersion-Gold) UBM (Under-Bump-Metallurgy) pad on silicon substrate; the other scheme was the joining of top Cu post to bottom Cu post that formed a symmetrical joint structure. In-situ resistance was monitored to study the situation of joint degradation. During the test, a progressive resistance change was observed, which differed from the test data of conventional C4 (Controlled Collapse Chip Connections) bumps under regular test condition. (The detail will be described in this paper.) The experimental results showed that the rapid resistance shifts of both micro bump schemes were due to the high current density and the fast Cu-Sn IMC (Inter Metallic Compound) formation.
Microscopic formulation of fractional calculus theory of viscoelasticity based on lattice dynamics

A microscopic fractional calculus theory of viscoelasticity is developed on the basis of lattice dynamics by generalizing the standard model of a chain of coupled simple harmonic oscillators to a chain of coupled fractional oscillators by generalizing the integral equations of motion of a chain of simple harmonic oscillators into ones involving fractional integrals. This set of integral equations of motion pertaining to the chain of coupled fractional oscillators is solved by using Laplace transforms. In the continuum limit the time-fractional diffusion-wave equation in one dimension is obtained. The response of the system to the sinusoidal forcing in this limit consists of a transient part and an attenuated steady part. Expressions for the absorption coefficient and the specific dissipation function are derived and numerical applications are discussed.
Estimating Meridional Energy Transports by the Atmospheric and Oceanic General Circulations Using Boundary Fluxes

Abstract The annual-mean meridional energy transport in the atmosphere–ocean system (total transport) is estimated using 4-yr mean net radiative fluxes at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) calculated from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project cloud datasets. In addition, the net atmospheric and surface radiative fluxes are calculated. When supplemented by a climatology of the surface latent and sensible heat fluxes, these radiative fluxes are used to derive the separate atmospheric and oceanic energy transports using a surface and planetary energy-balance method. Most previous results are based on direct calculations of the atmospheric energy transport from in situ measurements of horizontal wind velocity, temperature, and humidity in the atmosphere and on inference of oceanic heat transports as the difference between the atmospheric transports and the total energy transport (the planetary energy-balance method). Total, atmospheric, and oceanic energy transports from this study are in good a...
Effect of Ancillary Ligand on Electronic Structure as Probed by 51V Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy for Vanadium-o-Dioxolene Complexes.

A series of vanadium(V) complexes with o-dioxolene (catecholato) ligands and an ancillary ligand, (N-(salicylideneaminato)ethylenediamine) (hensal), were investigated using 51V solid-state magic angle spinning NMR spectroscopy (51V MAS NMR) to assess the local environment of the vanadium(V). The solid-state 51V NMR parameters of vanadium(V) complexes with a related potentially tetradentate ancillary ligand (N-salicylidene-N'-(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylenediamine) (h2shed) were previously shown to be associated with the size of the HOMO-LUMO gap in the complex, and as such provide insights on the interaction between metal ion and ligand (P. B. Chatterjee, et al., Inorg. Chem 50 (2011) 9794). Our results show that the modification of the ancillary ligand does not impact the observed trend between complexes ranging from catechols with electron rich to electron poor substituents. However, the ancillary ligand does impact the size of the HOMO-LUMO separation in the parent complex and thus the solid-state vanadium NMR chemical shift of the unsubstituted vanadium complex. For these complexes significant changes observed in the isotropic shifts and more modest changes detected in the CQ reflect the electronic changes in the complex as the catechol is varied. However, no obvious trend was observed in the chemical shift anisotropies (δσ and ησ) with the variation in the catechol. The electronic changes in the coordination environment of the vanadium can be described using solid-state 51V NMR spectroscopy.
Reaction between LiBH4 and MgH2 induced by high-energy ball milling

Abstract Previous studies of ab initio density functional theory (DFT) calculations have predicted that reactions between LiBH4 and MgH2 can take place at temperature near 200 °C. However, such predictions have been shown to be inconsistent with many experiments. Herein, we have designed a novel process termed as ball milling with aerosol spraying (BMAS) to prove, for the first time, that the reaction between LiBH4 and MgH2 can indeed occur during ball milling at room temperature. Through this BMAS process we have demonstrated unambiguously the formation of MgB2 and LiH during ball milling of MgH2 while aerosol spraying of the LiBH4/THF solution. In this BMAS process, aerosol spraying of the LiBH4/THF solution leads to the formation of LiBH4 nanoparticles which decompose to form Li2B12H12. The Li2B12H12 formed then reacts with MgH2 in situ during ball milling to form MgB2 and LiH. The discovery made in this study has significant implications in making LiBH4 + MgH2 as a viable system for reversible hydrogen storage applications near ambient temperature in the future.
Assimilating Adjuncts: Strategies for Orienting Contract Faculty

Abstract Social work education programs often rely on adjunct or contract instructors to teach a portion of their curriculum. Such teachers can supplement full-time faculty who are unavailable, and they can be used to bolster segments of the curriculum that would benefit from their specialized practice knowledge and skills. This article describes the critical elements of an existing training program designed to systematically prepare contract faculty for teaching responsibilities in social work education programs. This program can be used as a model by social work education programs in preparing and integrating this crucial segment of the instructional workforce.
Fractional Hall Quantization of Two-Dimensional Holes in Gaas-GaAlAs Heterostructures

The quantum Hall effect in two-dimensional electron systems has been reported in a number of heterostructures,1–4 in which the Hall resistance, ρxy =h/νe2, shows plateaus at integral values of ν and the magneto-resistance, ρxx, tends to vanish simultaneously. of these structures, only the GaAs-GaAlAs has been made to contain sufficiently low electron concentrations to reach the region of the extreme quantum limit where, in general, ν corresponds to fractional values in ρxy, and ρxx exhibits minima as a function of the magnetic field B.5–7 The two-dimensional hole system in this heterostructure has also been investigated.6,8 The results were largely the same as those in electrons in terms of the fractional Hall quantization, but complexity arose which was intrepreted on the basis of two ground subbands as a result of lifting the Kramers degeneracy.
Piezoelectric-based smart sensing system for I-beam structural health monitoring

In recent decades, the I-beam has become one of the most important engineering structural components being applied in areas such as mechanical, civil, and constructional engineering. To ensure safety and proper maintenance, an effective and accurate structural health monitoring method/system for I-beams is urgently needed. This paper proposes a smart sensing system for I-beam crack detection that is based on the energy diffusivity (attenuation) between two individual piezoelectric transducers (PZTs). Sensor (one of the PZTs) responses are analyzed and applied to characterize the health status of the I-beam. Lab experiments are carried out for effective evaluation of this approach in structural health monitoring. The characteristics of crack distribution are studied by calculating and analyzing the energy diffusivity variation of the sensor responses to artificially cuttings to the I-beam. Moreover, instead of utilizing an actuator and a sensor, the system employs a couple of PZTs sensors, which offer the potential for in-field, in situ sensing with the sensor arrays. This smart sensing system can be applied in railway, metro, and iron-steel structures for I-beam health monitoring applications.
Vibro-acoustography: quantification of flow with highly-localized low-frequency acoustic force.

The intersection of two ultrasound beams with slightly different frequencies results in generation of a localized radiation force and stimulates emission of audio signals from targeted objects. Vibro-acoustography uses this phenomenon to probe elastic properties of objects. Vibro-acoustography of contrast microbubbles in degassed water produced quantitative flow measurements from analysis of their acoustic emission. We used a dual-beam transducer generating bursts of 40-kHz vibrations. The vibrations resulted from interference of 3.48-MHz and 3.52-MHz confocal beams intersecting at the center of a thin plastic conduit. We tested flows of 13, 48, 85, and 120 mL/min of contrast microbubbles at concentrations from 1.2 times 105 to 6 times 105 bubbles/mL. The amplitude of the acoustic emission was linear with microbubble concentrations up to a value of 3.6 times 105 bubbles/mL. A replenishment method for microbubble contrast and flow rate analysis was used with radiation force bursts deployed at 0.05, 0.1, 0....
Studies of an Insect Mycosis. I. Etiology of the Disease

In the spring of 1947, a disease outbreak of some severity oc? curred among pupae of Platysamia cecropia L. which were being used for experimentation in the laboratory of Dr. C. M. Williams. The animals became infected after being operated on as described by Williams (1946, 1947). Soon after infection, they blackened, lost their sensitivity to stimuli and finally died. In order to control the disease, it became necessary to investigate its nature and to isolate the causal agent. During these investigations, it became apparent that this disease relationship afforded an advantageous combination of material for further research on the etiology and physiology of insect diseases. The parasite, Aspergillus flavus Link, is among the most thor? oughly studied of the common molds, is easily cultivated and many strains are available. The host is also suitable for such experi? ments (Williams, 1947) since the diapausing cecropia pupa is literally a "living test-tube" and is excellently suited for dissection and experimentation. Also, the brainless diapausing animal is in a relatively stable physiological steady state (Wigglesworth, 1948), which allows for a maximum of repeatable physiological and bio? chemical testing. Therefore, it was felt that an investigation of the pathological relationship of this fungus and insect might throw some light on the fundamental biological problems involved in disease in general.
The role of the nephrologist in patient rehabilitation

The justification for the enactment of the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Program in 1972 was to provide the lifesaving potential of dialysis and transplant to patients with terminal renal failure. Implied as a return on cost was that many of those whose lives were prolonged would contribute to society through work and taxes. It is not surprising at a time of growing concern about health-care costs that vocational rehabilitation for patients undergoing dialysis and transplant has again come to the attention of Congress and others. The nephrologist, the leader of the health-care team caring for patients on dialysis and outpatients with transplants, plays a crucial role if an increasing number of patients are to be rehabilitated. The attitudes of the nephrologist can establish the belief in staff and suitable patients for or against the possibility of attending school, retraining, or working. Identification of medical problems as impediments to rehabilitation and their resolution, where possible, is an essential function of the nephrologist and other team members. Any process that seems at first glance to be difficult requires an evangelist if success is to come. The nephrologist must be the primary motivator. There are a number of extrinsic barriers to rehabilitative success including employer health insurance, disability regulations, and attitudes toward people with disabilities. The nephrologist, as a respected figure and patient advocate, must be willing to deal aggressively with these barriers whenever the occasion arises.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
An Important Role for N-Acylethanolamine Acid Amidase in the Complete Freund’s Adjuvant Rat Model of Arthritis

The endogenous lipid amides, palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) and oleoylethanolamide (OEA), exert marked antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects in animal models by engaging nuclear peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α. PEA and OEA are produced by macrophages and other host-defense cells and are deactivated by the cysteine amidase, N-acylethanolamine acid amidase (NAAA), which is highly expressed in macrophages and B-lymphocytes. In the present study, we examined whether a) NAAA might be involved in the inflammatory reaction triggered by injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) into the rat paw and b) administration of 4-cyclohexylbutyl-N-[(S)-2-oxoazetidin-3-yl]-carbamate (ARN726), a novel systemically active NAAA inhibitor, attenuates such reaction. Injection of CFA into the paw produced local edema and heat hyperalgesia, which were accompanied by decreased PEA and OEA content (assessed by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry) and increased NAAA levels (assessed by Western blot and ex vivo enzyme activity measurements) in paw tissue. Administration of undec-10-ynyl-N-[(3S)-2-oxoazetidin-3-yl] carbamate (ARN14686), a NAAA-preferring activity-based probe, revealed that NAAA was catalytically active in CFA-treated paws. Administration of ARN726 reduced NAAA activity and restored PEA and OEA levels in inflamed tissues, and significantly decreased CFA-induced inflammatory symptoms, including pus production and myeloperoxidase activity. The results confirm the usefulness of ARN726 as a probe to investigate the functions of NAAA in health and disease and suggest that this enzyme may provide a new molecular target for the treatment of arthritis.
Interleukin-6 inhibition attenuates hypertension and associated renal damage in Dahl salt-sensitive rats

Immune cells in the kidney are implicated in the development of hypertension and renal damage in the Dahl salt-sensitive (SS) rat. Interestingly, interleukin 6 (IL-6) mRNA is 54-fold higher in T-lymphocytes isolated from the kidney compared with circulating T-lymphocytes. The present experiments assessed the role of IL-6 in the development of SS hypertension by treating rats (n = 13-14/group) with an IL-6 neutralizing antibody or normal IgG during an 11-day period of high-salt (4.0% NaCl chow) intake. The mean arterial pressure (MAP) and urine albumin excretion rates (Ualb) were not different between the groups fed low salt (0.4% NaCl). Following 11 days of drug treatment and high salt, however, the rats receiving anti-IL-6 demonstrated a 47% reduction of IL-6 in the renal medulla compared with control SS. Moreover, the increase in MAP following 11 days of high-NaCl intake was significantly attenuated in SS administered anti-IL-6 compared with the control group (138 ± 3 vs. 149 ± 3 mmHg) as was the salt-induced increase in Ualb and glomerular and tubular damage. To investigate potential mechanisms of action, a flow cytometric analysis of immune cells in the kidney (n = 8-9/group) demonstrated that the total number of monocytes and macrophages was significantly lower in the treatment vs. the control group. The total number of T- and B-lymphocytes in the kidneys was not different between groups. These studies indicate that IL-6 production may participate in the development of SS hypertension and end-organ damage by mediating increased infiltration or proliferation of macrophages into the kidney.
Novice User’s Trust of Data Mining Technology

Although data mining has been widely and successfully used in the domain of business operations, research into how novice end users might make an adoption decision is sparse and much needed. This paper employs a view that trust is generally assumed to be an important precondition for the adoption of any information technology and identifies the antecedents of trust in data mining systems synthesizing empirical studies on people’s trust in computer-mediated services as well as multiple anecdotal evidences documented in the literature. In recent decades, innovative information technologies (IT) and their applications have profound impacts to many aspects of people’s work and life. The relationship between people and technology becomes more critical. While the adoption and use of technology has been widely studied, trust of information technology has not received much attention. We investigate user’s trust toward an innovative and important information technology – data mining. We not only adapt conceptual relationships previously proposed in e-commerce context, but also propose new constructs and new hypotheses. We contribute to trust literature by developing and validating a new conceptual model of trust toward an innovative technology. It will broaden our understanding of an important area of trust application – trust of information technology. Our research also has practical implications for organizations where management could benefit from this study to know why novice business users trust or not trust data mining technology. We can imagine that in some scenarios where data is collected and available. Easy to use data mining tools are also accessible. So the question is to what extent novice users trust and distrust data mining applications. For a trader (such as in stock market, option market or commodity market) who is a novice user of data mining technology, what is the degree of trust and distrust of the data mining technology? Understanding this would help organizations better adopt and use data mining applications for business activities. In essence this view of user trust of data mining technology is similar to that in online environment for e-commerce. The core is does novice user trust data mining technology backed application to make a business decision, such as buy or sell a stock, accept or decline a loan application, send out promotion to a particular potential prospect, or make a phone call to a potential donor. In this paper, we concern more of the overall judgment, sentiment and attitude of users on the data mining application and examine the antecedents affecting user’s trust of data mining technology.
Pioneers of Lighting and Power

Britain had led European economic growth during the industrialisation of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.1 To a considerable degree, this unprecedented growth derived from the ingenuity and empiricism of practically-minded entrepreneurs and inventors. Their modifications of existing practice, and their more radical innovations, were taken up by craftsmen and manufacturers in the basic metal, textile and engineering industries. Scientific inquiry and elaborate mathematical calculation had not been absent,2 but these factors were to play a much greater role in the next wave of innovation in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Thus, with the infant organic chemical industry, the electricity supply industry shares the distinction of being the first important modern industry to rest its fundamental development on the inquiries of scientists. The industry did, of course, also have clearly discernible links with established engineering practice, but the readily comprehensible work of the mechanical engineer, dealing with machines whose effects were visually apparent, yielded precedence, in the electrical industry, to an industrial culture which drew equally on the contribution of the research scientist. It involved phenomena at one remove from the easily understood experience of the common man. The spinning jenny and the first iron bridge at Coal brookedale could be seen and apprehended; electric power, by contrast, was at first a mysterious force, and, even when the public became familiar with its properties in use, understanding of its nature and the development of its applications remained the prerogative of the engineer and scientist.
Introduction to the Leech

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses mainly on the studies done with embryos of Helobdella triserialis. H. triserialis feeds on the lymph of aquatic snails. It reaches an adult length of 1–2 cm and propagates with an egg-to-egg generation time of about 3 months. This chapter provides a review of leech embryogenesis, which is considered to be highly determinate in the sense that the genealogical origin of identified cells can be traced, via a sequence of stereotyped cleavages, to the fertilized egg. This determinacy suggests that the developmental fate, that is, characteristic phenotype, of a given cell of the juvenile leech is the product of a series of preordained, somatically heritable restrictive developmental commitments made during successive cleavages in its particular line of descent from a developmentally pluripotent ancestral cell.
Evaluating Polygraph Data

The objective of automated scoring algorithms for polygraph data is to create reliable and statistically valid classification schemes minimizing both false positive and false negative rates. With increasing computing power and well developed statistical methods for modeling and classification we often launch analyses without much consideration for the quality of the datasets and the underlying assumptions of the data collection. In this paper we try to assess the validity of logistic regression when faced with a highly variable but small dataset. We evaluate 149 real-life specific incident polygraph cases and review current automated scoring algorithms. The data exhibit enormous variability in the subject of investigation, format, structure, and administration making them hard to standardize within an individual and across individuals. This makes it difficult to develop generalizable statistical procedures. We outline steps and detailed decisions required for the conversion of continuous polygraph readings into a set of features. With a relativelly simple approach we obtain accuracy rates comparable to those currently reported by other algorithms and manual scoring. Complexity that underlines assessment and classification of examinee's deceptiveness is evident in a number of models that account for different predictors yet give similar results, typically ``overfitting" with the increasing number of features. While computerized systems have the potential to reduce examineer variability and bias, the evidence that they have achieved this potential is meager at best.
Idling in Mao's Shadow: Heroin Addiction and the Contested Therapeutic Value of Socialist Traditions of Laboring.

The Chinese government has come under attack by international critics for forcing drug users to labor in the name of treatment. While joining these activists in criticizing conditions in compulsory labor centers, former detainees who congregated at a drop-in center in southern Yunnan also defended the therapeutic potential of socialist legacies of laboring. Shuttling between laboring in state compulsory centers and idling in a market economy, long-term heroin users saw their difficulties in recovering from addiction as inextricably linked to their inability to find suitable work opportunities. Certain drop-in center attendees maintained that earlier Communist laboring projects had helped wayward citizens, including drug addicts, “merge into” society as productive workers. This group evoked the stable long-term jobs and benefits once provided by local state-owned enterprises and the radical revolutionary power of “remolding through labor” they imagined to have existed in the first years of the People’s Republic as powerful alternatives to their recent crisis of idling. The nuanced ways that drop-in center regulars revisited the potential healing power of earlier traditions of socialist laboring as remedies to their contemporary struggles complicates long-standing debates about coercion in treatment and the responsibility of the postsocialist state towards marginalized workers.
Accelerated vernalization response by an altered PHD-finger protein in Arabidopsis

Vernalization is a response to the winter cold to acquire the competence to flower in next spring. VERNALIZATION INSENSITIVE 3 (VIN3) is a PHD-finger protein that binds to modified histones in vitro. VIN3 is induced by long-term cold and is necessary for Polycomb Repression Complex 2 (PRC2)-mediated tri-methylation of Histone H3 Lysine 27 (H3K27me3) at the FLC locus in Arabidopsis. An alteration in the PHD-finger domain of VIN3 changes the binding specificity of the PHD-finger domain of VIN3 in vitro and results in an accelerated vernalization response in vivo. The acceleration in vernalization response is achieved by increased enrichments of VIN3 and tri-methylation of Histone H3 Lysine 27 (H3K27me3) at the FLC locus without invoking the increased enrichment of Polycomb Repressive Complex 2. This result indicates that the binding specificity of the PHD-finger domain of VIN3 plays a role in mediating a proper vernalization response in Arabidopsis. Furthermore, this work shows a potential that the alteration of PHD-finger domains could be applied to alter various developmental processes in plants.
Preventable Health Care–Associated Infections in Pediatric Critical Care

Health care–associated infections (HAIs) account for a substantial portion of health care–acquired conditions that harm patients receiving medical care in the acute care setting. In this review, we will focus on four common HAIs: central line–associated bloodstream infections, ventilator-associated pneumonia, surgical site infections, and catheter-associated urinary tract infections. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site provides additional detailed definitions and reporting criteria for each HAI. Integral to the definition of an HAI is the timing of the infection in relation to the placement of the indwelling device or surgical incision. Valid and reliable surveillance data are necessary to assess the effectiveness of prevention strategies and provide interfacility comparisons, and for pay-for-performance programs. The bundle concept, which utilizes a small set of evidence-based interventions, is integral to the prevention of HAIs.
Trager, George L. (1906–1992)

George L. Trager (1906–1992) gained recognition for his contributions to structural linguistics, phonetics, American-Indian languages, Romance philology, and Slavic and Germanic linguistics. During his formative years in the 1940s, he was well-known for co-founding with Charles F. Hockett the informal linguistics journal Studies in Linguistics. His fame as a structuralist rests primarily on his collaborative efforts with, for example, Bernard Bloch and Henry Lee Smith.
An Attempt to Photograph the Vortex Lattice in Rotating He II

It is by now well established that He II in rotation is threaded by quantized vortex lines.1 It is our intent to establish the spatial distribution of vortices in a rotating cylinder. We are attempting to photograph the vortices using a technique suggested to us by T. M. Sanders.