cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaporation of Metalworking Fluid Mist in Laboratory and Industrial Mist Collectors

This study measured the evaporation of mist made from three commercial metalworking fluids: a mineral oil, a hobbing oil, and a soluble oil. Recent studies have shown that metalworking fluid mists will partially evaporate and pass as vapor through a collector designed to capture droplets alone. Evaporation was determined for two laboratory collectors and one industrial field collector; the field collector was nearly identical to one of the laboratory collectors and could be used to corroborate laboratory findings. Organic vapor was sampled using activated carbon upstream and downstream from the collector, as high concentrations of mist were generated upstream. After the system was loaded with collected metalworking fluid, additional vapor samples were taken while no mist entered the collector to measure evaporation of droplets retained on collector components. For the laboratory collectors, vapor concentrations measured downstream of the collectors during mist injection was greatest for mineral oil (4.90 ...
Metabolic rearrangement of fluorenone oxime to phenanthridinone.

Fluorenone oxime is metabolized in vivo in the rat to phenanthridinone which is excreted in the urine. The structure of the metabolite has been determined by comparison of chromatographic and spectral properties of the metabolites with authentic phenathridinone.
Peripherally restricted opioid drugs: advances and retreats.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW The aim of this article is to familiarize anesthesiologists with recent research investigating peripheral opioid analgesia. The review focuses on studies of peripheral receptor distribution in humans and clinical data that support the hypothesis of peripheral analgesia that have been published over the past 2 years. RECENT FINDINGS Recent anatomical studies using human tissue have detected the presence of mu-opioid receptors in epidermal and dermal layers of normal skin, although expression was not altered in certain dermal clinical conditions. Nerve fibers of human dental pulp also contained detectable mu-opioid receptors. A survey of the clinical literature on peripherally mediated mu analgesia suggests that under conditions of inflammation, the onset of analgesia is typically delayed, but once initiated, is of long duration. A peripherally selective kappa agonist was efficacious in relieving the pain associated with chronic pancreatitis. SUMMARY Peripheral analgesia mediated through the mu-opioid receptor has been demonstrated in a variety of clinical settings, with the preponderance of data generated with arthroscopic procedures. Receptor localization studies using human tissue have corroborated the presence of the mu-opioid receptor in the periphery. Future research is needed to investigate the clinical utility of kappa and delta-opioid receptor agonists in the peripheral setting.
Electron beam reduction of sodium-containing glass surfaces

Abstract Soda-silicate and soda-lime silicate glass surfaces were irradiated by a 3 keV, 0.50 mA/cm2 electron beam and then characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Sodium is depleted from the bombarded surfaces and the non-bridging-to-bridging oxygen ratios also decrease, in agreement with previous studies. Metallic sodium forms on the surfaces of irradiated binary glasses, whereas no reduced sodium can be detected on electron bombarded CaO-containing glass surfaces.
Modeling the scholars: Detecting intertextuality through enhanced word-level n-gram matching

The study of intertextuality, or how authors make artistic use of other texts in their works, has a long tradition, and has in recent years benefited from a variety of applications of digital methods. This article describes an approach for detecting the sorts of intertexts that literary scholars have found most meaningful, as embodied in the free Tesserae website . Tests of Tesserae Versions 1 and 2 showed that word-level n-gram matching could recall a majority of parallels identified by scholarly commentators in a benchmark set. But these versions lacked precision, so that the meaningful parallels could be found only among long lists of those that were not meaningful. The Version 3 search described here adds a second stage scoring system that sorts the found parallels by a formula accounting for word frequency and phrase density. Testing against a benchmark set of intertexts in Latin epic poetry shows that the scoring system overall succeeds in ranking parallels of greater significance more highly, allowing site users to find meaningful parallels more quickly. Users can also choose to adjust both recall and precision by focusing only on results above given score levels. As a theoretical matter, these tests establish that lemma identity, word frequency, and phrase density are important constituents of what make a phrase parallel a meaningful intertext.
Implantable resorbable micro-prism arrays for real-time drug release monitoring

We present a free-standing micro-prism array device entirely constituted by silk protein showing enhanced optical reflectivity, which can be used to monitor drug delivery while slowly degrading to surrounding tissues with no adverse biological effects.
Late postpartum eclampsia revisited.

Objective: To describe the clinical and neurologic findings in patients with late postpartum eclampsia (convulsions beginning more than 48 hours, but less than 4 weeks, after delivery). Methods: This study evaluated all patients with the diagnosis of late postpartum eclampsia managed at our institution between August 1977 and July 1992. Results: There were 54 cases of late postpartum eclampsia among a total of 334 cases of eclampsia during the study period. Late postpartum eclampsia constituted 56% of total postpartum eclampsia and 16% of all cases of eclampsia. Convulsions began from postpartum days 3-23 (mean 6). Thirty women (56%) had been identified as preeclamptic before their convulsions. A history of either severe headache or visual disturbances before convulsion was elicited in 83% of the patients. During the study period, eight women not included in the study group had late postpartum seizures attributed to other causes. Conclusions: Severe headache or visual disturbance frequently antedates late postpartum eclampsia. Only eight of 62 patients with late postpartum seizures had identifiable etiologies other than eclampsia.(Obstet Gynecol 1994;83:502-5)
On the Design of Integrated Waveguides using a Dielectric-Metal Substrate Structure for On-Chip Optical Communication

For on-chip communication, subwavelength optical waveguides have the potential to enable the high-speed transmission of large quantities of information. In this paper, we develop an efficient method to optimize the design of waveguides consisting of a dielectric strip over a metallic substrate. We investigate the effect of the design parameters on the light propagation and find the optimum design taking into account waveguide geometry, loss, and light confinement. The results indicate that the waveguide can support single mode propagation while simultaneously achieving low loss and high confinement, which is crucial for the realization of subwavelength on-chip optical communication in future nanoscale integrated circuits
Oxidative reactions of unsaturated lipids

Abstract Monohydroperoxides, which are the products of free radical autoxidation of unsaturated fatty acids, can under go further free radical chain reactions initiated by abstraction of hydrogen to reform peroxy radicals. In the autoxidation of methyl linolenate, the peroxy radicals corresponding to ‘inner’ hydroperoxides may cyclise and, after further oxygenation, yield diperoxides. The mixtures of the two peroxidic species, monohydroperoxides and diperoxides, obtained from linolenate can be identified and determined chromatographically. Mechanistic studies showed that the oxygenation of pentadienyl radicals to form peroxy radicals—an important propagation step in autoxidation—is reversible. H-donors can be used to control the relative rates of the forward and reverse reactions and so determine the relative proportions of different peroxidic species formed. α-Tocopherol was shown to be an effective H-donor and drastically altered the distribution of products formed in linolenate autoxidation. Such control of peroxide formation may be a factor determining the manifestations that are specific to the oxidative deterioration of a food product.
Molecule-specific imaging with mass spectrometry and a buckminsterfullerene probe: application to characterizing solid-phase synthesized combinatorial libraries.

We employ a newly developed buckminsterfullerene (C60) primary ion beam with time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry to create molecule-specific images of resin particles employed in the solid-phase synthesis of peptide combinatorial libraries. This new cluster ion source, when operated at an incident energy of 20 keV, is remarkably effective at desorbing small peptides directly from a polymer surface and opens new possibilities for characterizing large arrays of diverse sets of molecules. In addition, the C60 ion beam may be focused to a spot of 1.5 μm in diameter, enabling molecule-specific images of single 100 μm resin particles to be acquired. We report three significant aspects associated with utilizing the C60 projectile that show how this technology can be taken to a more advanced level, especially when compared to results obtained with more conventional atomic primary ions. First, the useful yield of molecular ions is generally observed to be enhanced by at least 3 orders of magnitude over ...
Septal hyperreactivity: A multivariate analysis of neuroanatomical correlates

A multivariate data analysis was used to obtain a quantitative comparison of the behavioral syndromes following different lesions, all of which have been described as producing hyperreactivity. Male rats were tested preoperatively and after radio frequency lesions in the septum, medial preoptic area, total preoptic area, medial olfactory stria, and ventromedial hypothalamus. Lesions of the total preoptic area produced a hyperreactivity similar to that found after septal lesions, while lesions of the medial preoptic and the medial olfactory stria were generally ineffective. Destruction of the ventromedial hypothalamus produced a slight hyperreactivity, but not as great as that following septal lesions. The results are discussed in terms of a common neuroanatomical and/or biochemical pathway mediating the different types of reactivity.
Comparison of (+)‐methamphetamine, ±‐Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, (+)‐amphetamine and ±‐fenfluramine in rats on egocentric learning in the Cincinnati water maze

(+)-Methamphetamine (MA), (±)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), (+)-amphetamine (AMPH), and (±)-fenfluramine (FEN) are phenylethylamines with CNS effects. At higher doses, each induces protracted reductions in brain dopamine (DA) and/or serotonin. Chronic MA and MDMA users show persistent monoamine reductions and cognitive impairments. In rats, similar neurochemical effects can be induced, yet cognitive impairments have been difficult to demonstrate. We recently showed that rats treated on a single day with MA (10 mg/kg x 4 at 2 h intervals) exhibit impaired egocentric learning (Cincinnati water maze [CWM]) without affecting spatial learning (Morris water maze [MWM]) (Herring et al., [2008] Psychopharmacology (Berl) 199:637–650). Whether this effect is unique to MA or is a general characteristic of these drugs is unknown. Accordingly, this experiment compared these drugs on CWM performance. Drugs were given s.c. in four doses at 2 h intervals. MA doses were 10 or 12.5 mg/kg/dose, AMPH 25 mg/kg/dose (to match MA12.5-induced hyperthermia), MDMA 15 mg/kg/dose (previously established hyperthermia-inducing dose), and FEN 16.5 mg/kg/dose (equimolar to MA12.5). Two weeks later, rats were tested in the CWM (2 trials/day, 21 days). AMPH and MA (both doses) induced significant increases in CWM errors and latency to reach the goal with no differences in swim speed. MDMA and FEN did not significantly alter learning. Given that FEN selectively and MDMA preferentially affect serotonin whereas AMPH selectively and MA preferentially affect DA, the data suggest that egocentric learning may be predominantly dopaminergically mediated.
Low-temperature oxidation of CO by a heterogenized Wacker catalyst

Investigations were made of a heterogenized form of Wacker catalyst for CO oxidation under conditions of water saturation and low temperature.
Embedded assessment of wellness with smart home sensors

Embedded home sensors hold the promise of helping older adults age in place. They can help older adults maintain awareness of their functional abilities, a critical step for early detection of decline. In this proposal, I describe my research in understanding how to design and deploy home sensors that monitor how well individuals perform everyday activities. These systems collect an overwhelming amount of data, and thus I will identify the information needs of stakeholders to inform the design of salient summaries of the data for elders, their family caregivers, and their doctors to become more aware of changes functional abilities.
Analysis of a fuzzy dynamic system and synthesis of its controller

Abstract The mathematical model and a new development of the systematic synthesis technique for a fuzzy dynamic system with a fuzzy controller will be presented. In a fuzzy dynamic system, a fuzzy relational matrix will be introduced as a counterpart of a differential equation in conventional control theory. Then, as an application of the concepts of fuzzy inverse problems, a new approach to the design of a fuzzy controller for a given dynamic system will also be discussed. A mathematical description of a fuzzy dynamic system will be developed; a systematic method to derive a fuzzy controller strategy from an underlying fuzzy system model will also be established. The theoretical development presented here enables the suboptimal control of the fuzzy system. The analysis proposed here may not be exhaustive but it does provide some insight into the basic operations and properties of fuzzy dynamic systems. As an illustrative example, a fuzzy controller problem with a unit delay will be discussed in detail and the simulation results will be presented.
The effect of calorie and protein malnutrition on both the parasite and the host in acute murine schistosomiasis mansoni.

Schistosomiasis mansoni occurs in areas of the world in which malnutrition is rife. Nevertheless, relatively little laboratory experimentation has been performed on the effects of various nutritional deficiencies on this major parasitic disease. The few previous studies have in general been devoted to the effect of malnutrition on either the parasite or the host but not on the interaction between them. Krakower et al. [1, 2], working with poor natural hosts [3], observed that developing Schistosoma mansoni worms were not destroyed as rapidly in vitamin A-deficient rats as in wellnourished controls, and that the worms in scorbutic guinea pigs produced defective egg shells. DeWitt [4, 5], feeding mice (good natural hosts) a diet deficient in selenium, vitamin E, and cystine, noted that more worms developed, but that they were immature and did not produce eggs. DeMeillon and Paterson [6], stimulated by DeWitt's studies, recorded their impression that mice on a 12.8 ^j protein diet passed relatively few eggs in their feces.
A Confirmatory Investigation of Industrial Buyer Image of the Saleswoman

An intervening variable between ability and sales performance is the receptivity of professional purchasing agents. In this article we examine the extent to which purchasing agents’ perceptions of female sales representatives constitute a barrier to the latter’s sales performance and effectiveness. The present investigation replicates the work of Swan et al. (1984) with two substantive improvements; (1) it is based on a sample representative of purchasing agents throughout the United States, and (2) the study introduces importance ratings for each of the attributes thought to contribute to buyer preference for a salesperson. In addition to replication, the present investigation allows for comparison of changes in purchasing agent’s perception of differences between male and female industrial salespersons during the decade of the 1980s. Results support the earlier study in finding no overt evidence of negative stereotyping of female sales representatives. Directions for future research are also discussed.
Motivational interviewing as a behavioral intervention to increase HAART adherence in patients who are HIV-positive: A systematic review of the literature

Abstract As HIV infection rates continue to rise, more and more people are faced with a complex, life-altering highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) regimen. With some researchers reporting as few as 50–70% of patients achieving adherence in the first six months of a HAART regimen, many behavioral interventions to increase HAART adherence have been examined. One such intervention, motivational interviewing (MI), has shown promise in previous studies and reviews as a possible successful intervention. Researchers conducted a review of the literature to identify studies analyzing the effect of a MI intervention on HAART adherence, with the objectives of examining this relationship and identifying gaps in the literature. To draw definitive conclusions about these questions and to maintain high methodological quality in the search, researchers used the Cochrane method for systematic reviews while conducting this review. Five studies were retained for review from the search and all were RCTs. Sample size...
Staging and imaging of small cell lung cancer.

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) has been primarily classified as limited or extensive, with limited stage confined to the primary tumor and regional lymph nodes. In the future, the TNM staging system should be integrated into the classification of SCLC. The appropriate staging work-up for patients with SCLC has traditionally included contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scans of the chest and abdomen, bone scan, and magnetic resonance imaging or CT scan of the brain. Recent data suggest that positron emission tomography can improve both staging accuracy and treatment planning in patients with SCLC. Treatment for limited-stage SCLC consists of chemotherapy plus radiotherapy, and such therapy can cure 20–25% of patients. Extensive-stage SCLC is incurable, but chemotherapy can improve quality of life and prolong life.
Therapeutic targets in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: identification, evaluation, and clinical translation.

Summary Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) encompasses a diverse group of malignancies originating in the oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx and hypopharynx. Although treatment modalities have improved, carefully designed biomarker-driven clinical trials will yield the best opportunities to enhance HNSCC therapy options in the future. Due to the heterogeneous nature of HNSCC, discovering a “silver bullet” for the treatment of HNSCC is unlikely. Consequently, impactful HNSCC clinical trials will require multiple assay platforms and expanded technical expertise. In this review, we will outline pathways critical to HNSCC oncogenesis and highlight signaling nodes within these pathways that represent biomarkers for prognosis and potential targeted therapies. All treatment modalities are subject to mechanisms of resistance; thus, lessons learned from HNSCC investigations and studies of similar targeted agents in other pertinent malignancies will be discussed.
Treatment of urinary incontinence by implantable prosthetic sphincter.

Abstract A completely implantable prosthetic urethral sphincter was implanted in five patients with urinary incontinence. The preliminary results indicate that this prosthesis successfully restored continence to all five patients. These patients included a forty five-year-old woman who had persistent stress incontinence in spite of standard operative procedures, a thirty-six-year-old woman with neurologic bladder secondary to meningomyelocele, a thirteen-year-old girl with traumatic seventh-vertebra paraplegia and neurologic bladder, an eighteen-year-old man whose neurologic defect from myelomeningocele caused total urinary incontinence, and a twenty-four-year-old woman with cauda equina injury resulting in neurologic bladder dysfunction.
Design and control of coupled reactor/column systems-Part 3. A reactor/stripper with two columns and recycle

Abstract This paper is the third in a series of papers that explore the challenging problems associated with the design and control of coupled reactor/column systems. In this paper we study a more complex process that consists of a coupled reactor/stripper, two distillation columns and one recycle stream. This study provides a good example for the integration of steady-state design and control design. Effects of various optimization parameters on both design and control were analyzed at the design stage. The flow rate of the recycle stream was found to be one of the major optimization parameters that strongly affected the steady-state economics. The effects of impurities in the recycle stream on economics were minor, however, the effect of impurities on controllability was not negligible. A large number of alternative control structures were explored. One control structure showed multiple closedloop steady-state solutions. An effective control structure was developed and tested for a variety of disturbances.
Atomic-Level Shear Stress-Strain Behavior of β-Sn

AbstractShear deformation of β-Sn along five different lattice orientations is studied at the atomic level. Simulated models are perfect β-Sn lattice without defects. To study the atomic behavior and constitutive relationship of β-Sn in shear, the β-Sn models are simulated by a molecular dynamics simulation package, LAMMPS, and the shear stress is computed by using virial stress. A modified embedded-atom method is employed for the β-Sn potential. The constant shear strain rate, 17.5 (%/ns), is applied. Simulation is conducted by using a canonical ensemble. To investigate thermal effects, the models are simulated at three different temperatures, 27, 127, and 227°C, and the results were compared with experimental data.
Effects of Climatic Stress Upon Outbreaks of the Southern Pine Beetle

The frequency and severity of outbreaks of the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmerman, appear to be controlled by climatic variations. Monthly tabulations of southern pine beetle activity in eastern Texas were correlated with various climatic variables derived from the Thornthwaite water balance to determine climate-beetle relationships and to develop a predictive technique capable of evaluating future insect activity based upon past climatic conditions. The magnitude of potential evapotranspiration 3 mo prior to the evaluated insect activity represented the most important climatic component within the regression model. In general, the intensity of insect activity was directly related to moisture surplus and deficit, and inversely related to summer potential evapotranspiration. The regression model was tested against the most recent southern pine beetle outbreak data to determine its predictive capabilities. The model predicted the severe outbreak which occurred July 1973, and isolated the climatic trigger mechanisms responsible for the outbreak.
Review and numerical assessment of the direct topographical reduction in geoid determination

Recent papers in the geodetic literature promote the reduction of gravity for geoid determination according to the Helmert condensation technique where the entire reduction is made in place before downward continuation. The alternative approach, primarily developed by Moritz, uses two evaluation points, one at the Earth’s surface, the other on the (co-)geoid, for the direct topographic effect. Both approaches are theoretically legitimate and the derivations in each case make use of the planar approximation and a Lipschitz condition on height. Each method is re-formulated from first principles, yielding equations for the direct effect that contain only the spherical approximation. It is shown that neither method relies on a linear relationship between gravity anomalies and height (as claimed by some). Numerical tests, however, show that the practical implementations of these two approaches yield significant differences. Computational tests were performed in three areas of the USA, using 1′×1′ grids of gravity data and 30″×30″ grids of height data to compute the gravimetric geoid undulation, and GPS/leveled heights to compute the geometric geoid undulation. Using the latter as a control, analyses of the gravimetric undulations indicate that while in areas with smooth terrain no substantial differences occur between the gravity reduction methods, the Moritz–Pellinen (MP) approach is clearly superior to the Vanicek–Martinec (VM) approach in areas of rugged terrain. In theory, downward continuation is a significant aspect of either approach. Numerically, however, based on the test data, neither approach benefited by including this effect in the areas having smooth terrain. On the other hand, in the rugged, mountainous area, the gravimetric geoid based on the VM approach was improved slightly, but with the MP approach it suffered significantly. The latter is attributed to an inability to model the downward continuation of the Bouguer anomaly accurately in rugged terrain. Applying the higher-order, more accurate gravity reduction formulas, instead of their corresponding planar and linear approximations, yielded no improvement in the accuracy of the gravimetric geoid undulation based on the available data.
Identification of nonlinear write effects using pseudorandom sequences

Nonlinear distortion causes significant degradation at high linear recording densities. Nonlinear distortion cannot generally be corrected by equalization and is thus particularly important to correctly identify and quantify. A technique is described which is easily applied, clearly separates linear from nonlinear effects, can be related to the underlying physical processes, and provides a good basis for modeling the channel. The technique involves the recording of a binary pseudorandom sequence and the capture and processing of the playback waveform. The technique is used to identify four distinct nonlinear effects and to examine their behavior as a function of flying height and record current.
The Descriptive Epidemiology of Cerebral Palsy

The prevalence of cerebral palsy (CP) ranges from 1.5 to 2.5 per 1000 live births with little or no variation among western nations, although data from the Americas are sparse. Time trends in overall CP prevalence for the past 40 years are most notable for their stability, but a modest increase in prevalence probably occurred in the last decades of the twentieth century. European countries have pioneered the development of CP registries, and as a result, CP is a condition that is enumerated regularly in several parts of the world. The United States has no CP registries, although ongoing surveillance of CP, along with other developmental disabilities, is performed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in metropolitan Atlanta.
Microbiological transformation of cannabinoids.

Microorganisms were screened for their ability to modify 2 synthetic cannabinoid substrates (I andII). Structure analyses revealed that microorganisms transformed the substrates by (a) primary oxidation of the side chain, β-oxidation of the side chain, ketone formation on the side chain or cyclohexene ring, (b) secondary hydroxylation on the side chain, (c) aromatization of the cyclohexene ring, and (d) tertiary hydroxylation at the b/c ring juncture.
Animal-experimenter interaction and open-field behavior: The rat

In a preliminary study rats showed a high consistency in order of being picked up in the dark from a feeding stand. The present study shows the consistency to be independent of prior behavioral treatment or surgical procedures. Although open-field tests do differentiate between groups differing in prior behavioral treatment they do not differentiate between order of picking up. A partial exploration of dominance suggests this variable may be related to order of picking up.
Growth of Tilapia aurea in ponds receiving poultry wastes.

Abstract Tilapia aurea fry were stocked in five 0.05 ha ponds at 8000 fish/ha during June 1977. Four ponds received the wastes from 500, 1000, 2000 and 4000 laying hens/ha, respectively, while the fifth pond received no poultry wastes. After a 150-day growing period, final mean fish weights and average daily production paralleled the rates of organic fertilization. T. aurea averaged only 46 g in the pond which received no organic fertilization, but reached an average of 304 g in the pond fertilized by the wastes from 4000 hens/ha. Thus, T. aurea can be reared to market-size in Texas within a single growing season if sufficient levels of nutrient are available. Survival reached or exceeded 95% in all five ponds. Water quality remained within acceptable limits throughout the experiment, although the effects of organic fertilization on water quality were apparent.
Bayesian Maximum Entropy Integration of Ozone Observations and Model Predictions: An Application for Attainment Demonstration in North Carolina

States in the USA are required to demonstrate future compliance of criteria air pollutant standards by using both air quality monitors and model outputs. In the case of ozone, the demonstration tests aim at relying heavily on measured values, due to their perceived objectivity and enforceable quality. Weight given to numerical models is diminished by integrating them in the calculations only in a relative sense. For unmonitored locations, the EPA has suggested the use of a spatial interpolation technique to assign current values. We demonstrate that this approach may lead to erroneous assignments of nonattainment and may make it difficult for States to establish future compliance. We propose a method that combines different sources of information to map air pollution, using the Bayesian Maximum Entropy (BME) Framework. The approach gives precedence to measured values and integrates modeled data as a function of model performance. We demonstrate this approach in North Carolina, using the State's ozone monitoring network in combination with outputs from the Multiscale Air Quality Simulation Platform (MAQSIP) modeling system. We show that the BME data integration approach, compared to a spatial interpolation of measured data, improves the accuracy and the precision of ozone estimations across the state.
SCHOOL PERCEPTIONS OF PUERTO RICAN MOTHERS AND ACHIEVEMENT OF THEIR CHILDREN

The purpose of this study was to examine the correlations between school-related perceptions of 57 Puerto Rican mothers residing in east-central Pennsylvania and achievement of their children. The school-related perceptions were obtained using the Marjoribanks Family Environment Schedule, which yielded scores for satisfaction with school, teachers, and subject areas as well as a measure of the mother's language of preference for instruction. The children's achievement was measured by the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. Statistically significant correlations were not found between the Iowa reading scores and maternal satisfaction with all school-related variables. However, a significant value of .27 was identified between maternal satisfaction with teachers' and the children's Iowa mathematics scores. Of the mothers 86% expressed a preference for English as the language of instruction for their children. The school personnel need to identify factors contributing to these positive attitudes.
A Fuzzy Modeling Approach for Risk-Based Access Control in eHealth Cloud

A number of recent studies have adopted risk assessment in access control for healthcare applications, but few of the work is specifically concerned with the risk assessment in the presence of uncertainties, such as uncertain values of risk factors, and consequences of imprecision. This paper presents a fuzzy modeling-based approach that accounts for uncertainty analysis when evaluating the risk. Three inputs -- data sensitivity, action severity, and risk history -- are modeled with fuzzy set and used to calculate the level of risk associated with healthcare information access in a cloud environment. Experiments were conducted and demonstrated that the approach can generate accurate and realistic outcomes in assessing current security risk and predicting the scope and impact of different risk factors. This would lead to a great change of access control from being active to being proactive to security breach, and enhance the security level of eHealth cloud applications.
A radioassay for angiotensin converting enzyme

Current methods for measuring angiotensin converting enzyme activity (EC 3.4.15.1, ACE) are somewhat cumbersome and have limited the general availability of the test. We describe here a simple four-step radioassay for ACE which uses the substrate 14C-Hippurate-L-Histidyl-L-Leucine and measures the product, 14C-Hippurate. We found that incubation at pH 7.0 (Hepes buffer) increased the sensitivity of the test by 50 percent when compared to results obtained with the pH 8.0 buffer normally used for ACE assays. A split sample comparison study between the radioassay and the spectrophotometric method showed good correlation (n = 47; mean, spectrophotometric, 26.0 U/mL; mean, radioassay, 26.1 U/mL; m = 0.86; b = 3.9; r = 0.868). We found that there was no significant difference between the spectrophotometric, kinetic and radioassay (Newman-Keuls multiple range test), but the liquid chromatographic method gave results significantly different from the other methods. The assay for ACE described here combines enhanced technical ease with the sensitivity of a radioassay.
Adaptive image segmentation by quantization

Segmentation of images into textural homogeneous regions is a fundamental problem in an image understanding system. Most region-oriented segmentation approaches suffer from the problem of different thresholds selecting for different images. In this paper an adaptive image segmentation based on vector quantization is presented. It automatically segments images without preset thresholds. The approach contains a feature extraction module and a two-layer hierarchical clustering module, a vector quantizer (VQ) implemented by a competitive learning neural network in the first layer. A near-optimal competitive learning algorithm (NOLA) is employed to train the vector quantizer. NOLA combines the advantages of both Kohonen self- organizing feature map (KSFM) and K-means clustering algorithm. After the VQ is trained, the weights of the network and the number of input vectors clustered by each neuron form a 3- D topological feature map with separable hills aggregated by similar vectors. This overcomes the inability to visualize the geometric properties of data in a high-dimensional space for most other clustering algorithms. The second clustering algorithm operates in the feature map instead of the input set itself. Since the number of units in the feature map is much less than the number of feature vectors in the feature set, it is easy to check all peaks and find the `correct' number of clusters, also a key problem in current clustering techniques. In the experiments, we compare our algorithm with K-means clustering method on a variety of images. The results show that our algorithm achieves better performance.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The liguleless2 gene of maize functions during the transition from the vegetative to the reproductive shoot apex.

Summary During a maize plant’s (Zea mays) development, the shoot apical meristem (SAM) generates an apex that proceeds through different phases: juvenile vegetative, adult vegetative and reproductive. During each phase the structures produced are distinguishable from structures produced during the other phases. In this paper, we demonstrate that the LIGULELESS2 (LG2) function is required for an accurate vegetative to reproductive phase transition. The maize gene liguleless2 (lg2) has been shown to encode a basic-leucine zipper (bZIP) protein and to function in narrowing the region from which the ligule and auricle develop in a typical maize leaf. Here we show that lg2 mutant plants can have reduced long tassel branches, extra vegetative leaves and extra husk leaves when compared to wild-type siblings. This indicates a role for the lg2 gene in the vegetative to reproductive phase transition of the shoot apex. We also discuss a potential role for the lg2 gene in general phase transition processes.
Sequential learning versus no learning in Bayesian regression models

We consider two regression models: linear and logistic. The dependent variable is observed periodically and in each period a Bayesian formulation is used to generate updated forecasts of the dependent variable as new data is observed. One would expect that including new data in the Bayesian updates results in improved forecasts over not including the new data. Our findings indicate that this is not always true. We show there exists a subset of the independent variable space that we call the “region of no learning.” If the independent variable values for a given period in the future are in this region, then the forecast does not change with any new data. Moreover, if the independent variable values are in a neighborhood of the region of no learning, then there may be little benefit to wait for the new data and update the forecast. We propose a statistical approach to characterize this neighborhood which we call the “region of little learning.” Our results provide insights into the trade-offs that exist in situations when the decision maker has an incentive to make an early decision based on an early forecast versus waiting to make a later decision based on an updated forecast. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 61: 532–548, 2014
The dual-readout approach to calorimetry

Abstract Simultaneous detection of the Cherenkov light and scintillation light produced in hadron showers makes it possible to measure the electromagnetic shower fraction event by event and thus eliminate the effects of fluctuations in this fraction, which limit the precision with which hadrons and jets can be detected in calorimeters. In the RD52 (DREAM) project, the possibilities of this dual-readout calorimetry are investigated and optimized. In this talk, the latest results of this project are presented. These results concern the first tests of the partially completed full-scale SuperDREAM fiber calorimeter, which were recently carried out at CERN.
Effects of foliar fertilization on yield, protein, oil and elemental composition of two soybean varieties

Abstract The effects of foliar fertilization on the yield and seed composition of two soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill) varieties were investigated under mid‐Missouri conditions over a 2‐year period. The foliar fertilizer treatments consisted of (i) 80–8–24–4 (NPKS) kg/ha, (ii) 40–4–12–2 (NPKS) kg/ha, and (in) control (no foliar treatment) with the optimum proportion of N:P:K:S in the solution 10:1:3:0.5 respectively. Nutrient sources were urea, potassium polyphosphate, and potassium sulfate. Water solutions of fertilizers (pH 6.9) containing 0.1% Tween 80 (v/v) were sprayed on the plants using a CO2 ‐ pressurized back‐pack sprayer. Foliar fertilizer was split between four equal applications during the seed filling period. The variety Mitchell at the higher rate and the variety Williams at the lower fertilizer application rate produced slight, though statistically insignificant, yield increases. At the higher rate of application, the seed protein contents of both varieties increased, while the oil contents...
Foucault on Theorizing Specificity

Philo has brought Foucault's early, ‘archaeological’ work to the attention of human geographers as a possible source of help in theorizing specificity. By contrast, in this paper the archaeological project is portrayed as an illuminating failure which holds valuable lessons for geographers. The archaeological period is placed in the context of Foucault's career, and then the Archaeology of Knowledge is situated as the arena for Foucault's most instructive encounters with the problems of necessity, contingency, and human subjectivity. Although Foucault's profound theoretical modesty does not solve the problem of how to theorize specificity, it does suggest that we make significant adjustments in our own attempts to do so. The implications of the argument are given a test drive through a brief reading of recent work by Thrift, after which a recasting of the notion of responsibility is put forward as a means of beginning to deal more bravely with poststrueturalism.
TU-A-213CD-08: A Novel 2-Point Step Size Gradient Method for Regularized Total Variation Based CBCT Reconstructions

Purpose: To develop a novel, fast converging 2‐point step size gradient method for CBCTreconstructions and show its clinical feasibility. Methods: The Barzilai‐Borwein (BB) 2‐point step size gradient method is getting recent attentions for accelerating Total Variation (TV) based CBCTreconstructions. In order to become truly viable for clinical applications, however, the iterative framework needs to ensure guaranteed convergence by carefully defining the cost function and the reconstruction algorithm. We propose a novel approach that combines an unconstrained BB (UBB) method and the gradient projection (GP) method enforcing non‐negativity constraints. This way, the proposed GP‐UBB algorithm inherits both the fast converging property of the UBB and the robust convergence property of GP. We applied this algorithm to both Shepp‐Logan numerical phantom and a clinically‐treated head‐and‐neck patient acquired from the TrueBeam system (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA). Furthermore, we accelerated the reconstruction by implementing the algorithm on NVIDIA GTX 295 GPU card. Results: We first compared GPUBB with a recently proposed BB‐ based CBCTreconstruction method available in the literature and the well‐ known ASD‐POCS algorithm using Shepp‐Logan numerical phantom with 40 projections. As the iterations progress, GPUBB is found to converge much faster than the other two algorithms. Therefore, GPUBB commands superior image quality with less number of iterations. We then applied the algorithm to a clinically‐treated head‐and‐neck patient. It was observed that, compared with the FDK algorithm with 364 projections, our GPUBB algorithm produces a visually equivalent quality CBCTimage with only 120 projections, further supporting its practical value for realizing low‐dose iterative CBCTreconstructions.Conclusions: By developing a novel, fast converging 2‐step size gradient method for a CBCTreconstruction problem, we enhanced the clinical applicability of the compressive sensing based iterative reconstruction by guaranteeing convergence (i.e., consistent reconstructions) and accelerating the reconstruction speed (i.e., less number of iterations).
Involvement of N-Myristoylation in Monoclonal Antibody Recognition Sites on Chimeric G Protein α Subunits

Monoclonal antibody, LAS-2, directed against the α subunit of transducin (Gtα), inhibited Gtβγ-dependent, pertussis toxin-catalyzed ADP ribosylation of Gtα and was specific for Gtα. Immunoblotting studies on proteolytic fragments of Gtα were consistent with an amino-terminal epitope. To define the antibody recognition site, recombinant Gtα was synthesized in Escherichia coli cotransfected with or without yeast N-myristoyltransferase. Amino-terminal fatty acylation of Gtα, verified by use of radiolabeled fatty acid, was required for immunoreactivity. LAS-2 did not react with a chimeric protein consisting of residues 1-9 of Gtα and the remainder Goα, regardless of its myristoylation. Immunoreactivity was observed when amino acids 1-17 of Gtα were present in a Goα chimera and the protein was amino-terminally myristoylated; there was no reactivity without myristoylation. It appears that the LAS-2 epitope requires both Gtα-specific sequence in amino acids 10-17 and a fatty acyl group in proximity to these residues. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the myristoyl group is essential for protein structure; conceivably it "folds back" on and stabilizes the amino-terminal structure of Gtα, as opposed to protruding from an amino-terminal α-helix and serving as an amino-terminal membrane anchor.
Prenatal exposure to the brominated flame retardant hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) impairs measures of sustained attention and increases age-related morbidity in the Long-Evans rat

Abstract Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is a brominated flame retardant that is widely-used in foam building materials and to a lesser extent, furniture and electronic equipment. After decades of use, HBCD and its metabolites have become globally-distributed environmental contaminants that can be measured in the atmosphere, water bodies, wildlife, food staples and human breastmilk. Emerging evidence suggests that HBCD can affect early brain development and produce behavioral consequences for exposed organisms. The current study examined some of the developmental and lifelong neurobehavioral effects of prenatal HBCD exposure in a rat model. Pregnant rats were gavaged with 0, 3, 10, or 30 mg/kg HBCD from gestation day 1 to parturition. A functional observation battery was used to assess sensorimotor behaviors in neonates. Locomotor and operant responding under random ratio and Go/no-go schedules of food reinforcement were examined in cohorts of young adult and aged rats. HBCD exposure was associated with increased reactivity to a tailpinch in neonates, decreased forelimb grip strength in juveniles, and impaired sustained attention indicated by Go/no-go responding in aged rats. In addition, HBCD exposure was associated with a significant increase in morbidity in the aged cohort. One health complication, a progressive loss of hindleg function, was observed only in the aged, 3 mg/kg HBCD animals. These effects suggest that HBCD is a developmental neurotoxicant that can produce long-term behavioral impairments that emerge at different points in the lifespan following prenatal exposure.
Anaerobic fixed film wastewater treatment

Abstract The anaerobic methane fermentation process has long been used in the field of wastewater engineering in sludge processing, mainly for waste stabilization and solids reduction. Recently, major advances in the fundamental understanding of the process microbiology and biochemistry, along with the development of new reactor configurations have promoted a resurgence of interest in the use of this technology for the processing of liquid industrial and municipal wastewaters. Three of these new processes, the anaerobic filter, expanded/fluidized bed, and upflow anaerobic sludge blanket, are discussed. Each of these processes is a fixed film process, which enables the attainment of high solids retention times for good system efficiency and stability, with low hydraulic retention times for system economy. Fixed film anaerobic processes are able to realize many of the benefits of anaerobic processes while overcoming many of the problems historically associated with anaerobic processes. Each of the processes is described, and examples are presented for industrial and municipal applications. Finally, the processes are qualitatively compared. At present, it is not possible to say which reactor configuration is best. In fact, the selection is often dependent on wastewater characteristics, local factors, and several other factors. More full-scale data and operating experience along with basic research needs are needed to clarify further this situation, and to design these systems optimally.