cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Integrating experimental and simulation length and time scales in mechanistic studies of friction

Friction is ubiquitous in all aspects of everyday life and has consequently been under study for centuries. Classical theories of friction have been developed and used to successfully solve numerous tribological problems. However, modern applications that involve advanced materials operating under extreme environments can lead to situations where classical theories of friction are insufficient to describe the physical responses of sliding interfaces. Here, we review integrated experimental and computational studies of atomic-scale friction and wear at solid‐solid interfaces across length and time scales. The influence of structural orientation in the case of carbon nanotube bundles, and molecular orientation in the case of polymer films of polytetrafluoroethylene and polyethylene, on friction and wear are discussed. In addition, while friction in solids is generally considered to be athermal, under certain conditions thermally activated friction is observed for polymers, carbon nanotubes and graphite. The conditions under which these transitions occur, and their proposed origins, are discussed. Lastly, a discussion of future directions is presented. (Some figures in this article are in colour only in the electronic version)
Skewing Around: Relationships Among Classes of Skewed Distributions

The relationships among normal hidden truncation models, closed skew normal families, fundamental skew normal families and extended skew normal families are explored. The models of Arnold and Beaver in (Test 11(1):7–54, 2002) include all of these absolutely continuous models. Slightly more general absolutely continuous models are available with the label of selection models in Arellano-Valle and Genton (Journal of Multivariate Analysis 96:93–116, 2005). The hidden truncation paradigm provides a convenient description of models that subsumes the full spectrum of these skewed models, including singular and absolutely continuous versions.
Regulation of Polyphosphate Kinase Production by Antisense RNA in Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf0-1

Pseudomonas spp. adapt rapidly to environmental fluctuations. Loss or overproduction of polyphosphate reduces the fitness of Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf0-1, indicating the importance of the fine-tuning of polyphosphate production. An antisense RNA was investigated and shown to regulate the polyphosphate kinase gene (ppk) by a posttranscriptional mechanism reducing ppk transcript abundance.
Electrochemical studies of gold ore processing wastewater containing cyanide, copper, and sulfur compounds

The electrochemistry of real gold ore processing wastewater solutions from copper sulfide containing gold ore has been investigated. Analysis shows that the wastewater contains a range of sulfur compounds in various oxidation states from sulfide to sulfate. The electrochemical characteristics of the gold ore processing wastewater were evaluated using rotating disk, cyclic voltammetric, polarization and preparative electrolysis studies. The solutions show clear differences versus synthetic alkaline copper cyanide solutions. The copper cyanide/copper oxide catalysis normally seen in synthetic alkaline copper cyanide solutions is strongly inhibited. Two components of the wastewater solution identified as inhibiting the copper cyanide/copper oxide catalysis are copper sulfide complexes and thiocyanate. The inhibition of the copper cyanide/copper oxide catalysis appears to have an initiation time possibly related to the accumulation of copper-sulfur compounds at the electrode surface. The passivated surface is still able to oxidize cyanide, though at a maximum rate that corresponds to the limiting current for free cyanide assuming 1 electron per cyanide. The lack of the copper oxide coating that typically forms during oxidation of synthetic alkaline copper cyanide solutions, plus possibly the presence of various sulfur compounds, results in corrosion at higher anodic potentials when stainless steel is used as an electrode. However, stainless steel can be successfully used as an electrode material to treat the solutions if the potential is carefully controlled.
Inhibition of vaccinia virus thymidine kinase by the Distal products of its own metabolic pathway

Abstract Vaccinia virus thymidine kinase activity is inhibited by low concentrations (10 μM) of dTDP or dTTP, but not by dTMP. This inhibition is specified for the thymidine nucleotides as dATP, dGTP, and dCTP have no effect. The viral enzyme phosphorylates thymidine to dTMP with typical first-order kinetics. However, evidence was obtained to indicate that the observed dTTP inhibition was noncompetitive in nature. This suggests that thymidine and dTTP interact with different sites in the native viral enzyme.
Banking crises and financial integration: Insights from networks science

Abstract This paper explores whether the level of de facto financial integration of banks in a country increases the incidence of systemic banking crises. The paper computes a measure of financial integration based on network statistics of banks participating in the global market of inter-bank syndicated loans. The network statistics used are indegree, outdegree, betweenness, clustering coefficients, authority, and hub centrality. The paper fits a count data model in the cross-section for the period 1980–2007, and finds that the level of financial integration of the average bank in a country is a robust determinant of the incidence of banking crises. While borrowing (weighted indegree) is positively associated with a higher incidence of crises, betweenness is associated with a lower incidence. That is, the more important is the average bank of a country to the global bank network, as captured by betweenness, the smaller the number of crises the country experiences.
The preparation of carrier-free 129Cs, 132Cs and 136Cs

Abstract Carrier-free 129 Cs was produced from enriched 130 Ba by a combination of the ( p , 2 n ), ( p , pn ), and ( p , 2 p ) reactions. An upper limit of about 8 mCi of 129 Cs per hr could be produced from 100-mg 130 Ba targets. A half-life study of the 129 Cs product revealed a value of 33·3 ± 0·06 hr. Carrier-free 132 Cs was produced in a nuclear reactor by the 132 Ba( n , p ) 132 Cs reaction. The fission-neutron cross section for this reaction was determined to be 2·6 ± 0·4 mb. Cesium-136 was prepared in a nuclear reactor by the 136 Ba( n , p ) 136 Cs and 139 Cs and 139 La( n , α) 136 Cs reactions. The fission-neutron cross sections were determined to be 4·5 ± 0·9 and 0·4 ± 0·2 μb, respectively,, based on a value of 61 mb for the 54 Fe( n , p ) 54 Mn reaction. Based on the results obtained in this study it is concluded that usable quantities of carrier-free 136 Cs cannot be prepared in a nuclear reactor.
Biologics in Achilles tendon healing and repair: a review

Injuries of the Achilles tendon are relatively common with potentially devastating outcomes. Healing Achilles tendons form a fibrovascular scar resulting in a tendon which may be mechanically weaker than the native tendon. The resulting strength deficit causes a high risk for reinjury and other complications. Treatments using biologics aim to restore the normal properties of the native tendon and reduce the risk of rerupture and maximize tendon function. The purpose of this review was to summarize the current findings of various therapies using biologics in an attempt to improve the prognosis of Achilles tendon ruptures and tendinopathies. A PubMed search was performed using specific search terms. The search was open for original manuscripts and review papers limited to publication within the last 10 years. From these searches, papers were included in the review if they investigated the effects of biological augmentation on Achilles tendon repair or healing. Platelet-rich plasma may assist in the healing process of Achilles tendon ruptures, while the evidence to support its use in the treatment of chronic Achilles tendinopathies remains insufficient. The use of growth factors such as hepatocyte growth factor, recombinant human platelet-derived growth factor-BB, interleukin-6, and transforming growth factor beta as well as several bone morphogenetic proteins have shown promising results for Achilles tendon repair. In vitro and preclinical studies have indicated the potential effectiveness of bone marrow aspirate as well. Stem cells also have positive effects on Achilles tendon healing, particularly during the early phases. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), decellularized tendon tissue, and porcine small intestinal submucosa (SIS) are biomaterials which have shown promising results as scaffolds used in Achilles tendon repair. The application of biological augmentation techniques in Achilles tendon repair appears promising; however, several techniques require further investigation to evaluate their clinical application.
High magnetoresistance tunnel junctions with Mg–B–O barriers and Ni–Fe–B free electrodes

The use of boron-alloyed electrodes with the radio frequency (rf) sputter deposition of MgO yields magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) with Mg–B–O tunnel barriers. After annealing, such MTJs can exhibit very high tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) in the thin (∼1.0 nm) barrier regime. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy of Mg–B–O layers reveals a better defined, but smaller band gap in comparison to that of thin MgO. We produced Fe60Co20B20/Mg–B–O/Ni65Fe15B20 MTJs where after a 350 °C annealing the Ni–Fe–B free electrode crystallizes into a highly textured (001)-normal body centered cubic (bcc) crystal structure and the MTJs achieve 155% TMR.
The effect of exposure duration on the apparent contrast of sinusoidal gratings

Apparent contrast determined for sinusoidal grating targets which were flashed for varying durations appears to follow a temporal course similar to a Broca-Sulzer curve, and this temporal course is also influenced by the spatial frequency of the grating target. These results were discussed in terms of differential latency and temporal integrating characteristics of spatial frequency channels.
An Evaluation of GOES-8 Retrievals

Abstract The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-8) temperature–moisture retrievals were compared with collocated National Weather Service radiosonde observations (RAOBs) to assess retrieval performance. Retrieved values of temperature and dewpoint were evaluated at individual levels. Precipitable water and thickness also were evaluated, and the GOES-8 retrievals were compared with the first-guess data used in the algorithm. The dataset consisted of 1113 RAOB–retrieval pairs (collocated to within 50 km) over the United States at 1200 UTC during August–November 1995. GOES-8 temperature retrievals were found to agree better with their RAOB-derived counterparts than did the dewpoints. However, both temperatures and dewpoints were found to be highly dependent on their first-guess data from the Nested Grid Model. Retrievals generally were closer to the RAOBs than was the first guess. However, this was never guaranteed, even for large first-guess discrepancies. In fact, some retrievals did n...
Batch Process Planning for Waste Minimization

Modern environmental regulations and disposal costs as well as shipping regulations can dramatically increase the incentive for recovery of solvents generated by batch chemical processes using an in-house batch distillation. This solvent recovery system is often operated more like a utility system rather than an integral part of the batch process. Without considering the solvent recovery system, the major interest of batch processes is to maximize the productivity, which inevitably maximizes the peak load on the solvent recovery system and consequently on the waste disposal. Therefore, there is an incentive to consider the production plan together with the solvent recovery. In this study, production planning for a batch process including solvent recovery was performed with simulated annealing coupled with a discrete event simulation into estimate factors such as disposal costs, distillation costs, and recovered solvent values. To minimize disposed solvent wastes, it is crucial to use part of the productio...
Transient expression of sialylated glycans during glycoprotein processing by embryonal carcinomas.

Abstract Embryonal carcinoma and early embryonic cells express unusually large and complex carbohydrates on their surfaces that are lost during differentiation. These carbohydrates are composed of alternating galactose and N-acetylglucosamine residues and have either linear or branched architectures. Compared to the glycans expressed by many differentiated cells these glycans are poorly sialylated. However, metabolic studies reveal that there is a transient expression of sialylated glycans during the processing of glycoproteins by embryonal carcinomas. After a short pulse with mannose the major complex-type glycan is a biantennary glycan with two sialic acids. During subsequent chase periods this glycan species is replaced by unsialylated glycans that have elongated branches composed of alternating galactose and N-acetylglucosamine residues.
A Field Guide to Good Decisions: Values in Action, by Mark D. Bennett and Joan McIver Gibson

A Field Guide to Good Decisions: Values in Action, by Mark D. Bennett and Joan McIver Gibson. New York: Praeger, 2006. 216 pp. $39.95. Decisions are something we all face. Decisions change our lives. As parents, as community members, as professionals, we find ourselves daily in complex situations that require good decisionmaking. Most decisions impact not only the decision maker, but also a network of others whose lives they affect. For healthcare providers and clinical bioethicists, decisions lie at the heart of daily practice and are particularly challenging as they touch the lives of individuals who are often vulnerable and in need of guidance and clarity. Readers are invited to contact Greg S. Loeben in writing at Midwestern University, Glendale Campus, Bioethics Program, 19555 N. 59th Ave., Glendale, AZ 85308 (gloebe@midwestern.edu) regarding books they would like to see reviewed or books they are interested in reviewing.
Advanced Retrograde Well Technology for 90-nm-Node Embedded Static Random Access Memory Using High-Energy Parallel Beam

The advantage of forming a retrograde well using a high-energy parallel beam has been experimentally clarified for the first time. A conventional batch-type implanter requires tilted implantation to suppress the spatial variation in a wafer. Tilted implantation, however, imposes a limit on inter-well isolation, since it deteriorates the punchthrough resistance between the source-drain diffusion and the well, and causes variation in the threshold voltage for metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) around the well boundary. A parallel beam produced by a single-wafer implanter is found to give quite a uniform doping profile even for 0°-normal implantation. Small tilt angle implantation using a high-energy parallel beam improves inter-well isolation by ~ 0.16 µm compared with the conventional 7°-tilted implantation, which yields a ~ 15% reduction in the static random access memory (SRAM) cell size. This advanced retrograde well technology is indispensable for inter-well isolation of a 90-nm-node embedded SRAM with a sub-1-µm2 cell.
A semigroup approach to an integro-differential equation modeling slow erosion

Abstract The paper is concerned with a scalar conservation law with nonlocal flux, providing a model for granular flow with slow erosion and deposition. While the solution u = u ( t , x ) can have jumps, the inverse function x = x ( t , u ) is always Lipschitz continuous; its derivative has bounded variation and satisfies a balance law with measure-valued sources. Using a backward Euler approximation scheme combined with a nonlinear projection operator, we construct a continuous semigroup whose trajectories are the unique entropy weak solutions to this balance law. Going back to the original variables, this yields the global well-posedness of the Cauchy problem for the granular flow model.
Appraisal Theory: Old and New Questions

I describe my current thinking on two old questions—the causal role of appraisals and the relationship of appraisal theories to basic emotions theories and constructivist theories, and three (sort of) new questions—the completeness of appraisals, the role of language, and the development of automaticity in emotional responses.
Magnetic dynamic phase generated by spin currents

A large nonequilibrium spin-polarized current can induce a magnetization dynamic phase (ferrodynamics) when the static uniform magnetization becomes unstable. We quantitatively determine the transport and magnetic properties of the ferrodynamic phase. The scaling exponents near the critical current are analyzed via numerical simulations. We further propose the existence of the spin electric-motive force in the ferrodynamic phase.
The Daugavet property in the Musielak–Orlicz spaces☆

Abstract We show that among all Musielak–Orlicz function spaces on a σ-finite non-atomic complete measure space equipped with either the Luxemburg norm or the Orlicz norm the only spaces with the Daugavet property are L 1 , L ∞ , L 1 ⊕ 1 L ∞ and L 1 ⊕ ∞ L ∞ . In particular, we obtain complete characterizations of the Daugavet property in the weighted interpolation spaces, the variable exponent Lebesgue spaces (Nakano spaces) and the Orlicz spaces.
Optimization of batch polymerization processes—narrowing the MWD. II. Experimental study

Programmed solvent injection was previously proposed and analyzed in the first part of this two-paper series as a viable alternative for controlling the average molecular weight and narrowing the polydispersity of products from a free-radical polymerization process with an inherent tendency to exhibit strong gel and glass effects. Here, methyl methacrylate is chosen for experimental verification of this idea. The product molecular weight distribution is indeed narrowed.
An improved method for the gas chromatographic determination of methionine in proteins and crude plant materials.

Abstract Procedures for the determination of methionine in crude plant materials by means of cyanogen bromide digestion and gas chromatographic analysis of the digest were modified to achieve complete reaction, enhanced precision, and shortened reaction times. Oxides of methionine and derivatives of S-methylcysteine did not add to the values obtained for free and peptide-bound methionine.
Identification of porcine mycoplasmas using commercial enzyme assay systems.

1. Benfield DA, Haelterman EO, Burnstein T: 1978, An indirect fluorescent antibody test for antibodies to transmissible gastroenteritis of swine. Can J Comp Med 42:478-482. 2. Bohl EH: 1981, Enteric viral infections as related to diarrhea in swine. In: Proc Third Int Symp neonatal diarrhea, pp. l-9. Veterinary Infectious Disease Organization, Saskatoon, SK, Canada. 3. Garwes DJ, Pocok DH: 1975, The polypeptide structure of transmissible gastroenteritis virus. J Gen Virol 29:25-34. 4. Hofmann M, Wyler R: 1988, Propagation of the virus of porcine epidemic diarrhea in cell culture. J Clin Microbiol 26:22352239. 5. Nelson LD, Kelling CL: 1984, Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of transmissible gastroenteritis virus antibody in swine serum. Am J Vet Res 45:1654-1657. 6. Pensaert M, Callebaut P, Vergote J: 0000, Isolation of a porcine respiratory non-enteric coronavirus related to transmissible gastroenteritis. Vet Q 8:257-260. 7. Rukhadze GG, Aliper TI, Sergeev VA: 1989, Isolation of peplomer glycoprotein E2 of transmissible gastroenteritis virus and application in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. J Clin Microbiol 27: 1754-1758. 8. Saif LJ, Bohl EH: 1986, Transmissible gastroenteritis. In: Diseases of swine, ed. Dunn HW, 5th ed., pp. 255-274. Iowa State Univ Press, Ames, IA. 9. Underdahl NR, Mebus CA, Torres-Medina A: 1975, Recovery of transmissible gastroenteritis virus from chronically infected experimental pigs. Am J Vet Res 36:1473-1476. 10. Young GA, Underdahl NR, Hinz RW: 1953, A serum neutralization test for transmissible gastroenteritis of swine. Cornell Vet 43:56 l-567.
Ascorbate does not act as a pro-oxidant towards lipids and proteins in human plasma exposed to redox-active transition metal ions and hydrogen peroxide.

The combination of ascorbate, transition metal ions, and hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) is an efficient hydroxyl radical generating system called "the Udenfriend system." Although the pro-oxidant role of ascorbate in this system has been well characterized in vitro, it is uncertain whether ascorbate also acts as a pro-oxidant under physiological conditions. To address this question, human plasma, used as a representative biological fluid, was either depleted of endogenous ascorbate with ascorbate oxidase, left untreated, or supplemented with 25 microM-1 mM ascorbate. Subsequently, the plasma samples were incubated at 37 degrees C with 50 microM-1 mM iron (from ferrous ammonium sulfate), 60 or 100 microM copper (from cupric sulfate), and/or 200 microM or 1 mM H(2)O(2). Although endogenous and added ascorbate was depleted rapidly in the presence of transition metal ions and H(2)O(2), no cholesterol ester hydroperoxides or malondialdehyde were formed, i.e., ascorbate protected against, rather than promoted, lipid peroxidation. Conversely, depletion of endogenous ascorbate was sufficient to cause lipid peroxidation, the rate and extent of which were enhanced by the addition of metal ions but not H(2)O(2). Ascorbate also did not enhance protein oxidation in plasma exposed to metal ions and H(2)O(2), as assessed by protein carbonyl formation and depletion of reduced thiols. Interestingly, neither the rate nor the extent of endogenous alpha-tocopherol oxidation in plasma was affected by any of the treatments. Our data show that even in the presence of redox-active iron or copper and H(2)O(2), ascorbate acts as an antioxidant that prevents lipid peroxidation and does not promote protein oxidation in human plasma in vitro.
The use of δ13C signature of C-3 and C-4 plants in determining past depositional environments in rapidly accreting marshes of the Mississippi River deltaic plain, Louisiana, U.S.A.

Abstract The stable carbon isotope compositions of vegetation and soils of marshes of Louisiana's Barataria Basin were determined. The δ13C-values of organic soils taken from fresh, intermediate, brackish and salt marshes are similar to the δ13C-value of its vegetation. The δ13C of a sediment profile taken from a salt marsh in a rapidly subsiding distributary of the Lafourche delta, an older distributary of the Mississippi River, showed that the δ13C signature of buried peats represents original organic sources (e.g., fresh marsh plant species). The δ13C signature at depth representing a C-3 plant-dominated freshwater environment corresponded to reported depositional reconstruction using paleo-environmental techniques. Vertical accretion rates determined by 137Cs dating support historical and measured δ13C-values in the profiles corresponding to earlier freshwater environments.
Implementing EPSDT Screening in the Public School: Resolving Some Issues

The use of the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment Program (EPSDT) as an adjunct to school health and education services was investigated. In the process of developing systematic procedures for public schools to use in collaborating with EPSDT, critical procedural, cost and policy issues surfaced. Methods for determining and protecting student eligibility information, estimating the cost and feasibility of the procedures and the role of local and state school health policy are examined. Specific recommendations are made. Information is provided that will help others interested in involving the public schools in the EPSDT program.
Cortical Petechial Hemorrhage, Leukoencephalopathy, and Subacute Dementia Associated With Seizures Due to Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy

Although cerebral amyloid angiopathy is a well-known cause of cerebral lobar hemorrhage, subacute dementia, seizures, and acute encephalopathy without lobar hemorrhage are infrequently recognized as manifestations of this disease. In this report, we describe a case of cerebral amyloid angiopathy in a 74-year-old woman who had subacute progressive dementia and a superimposed rapid acute neurologic deterioration associated with seizures and the presence of cerebral edema on computed tomographic scans and leukoencephalopathy and cortical petechial hemorrhages on magnetic resonance imaging. A diagnosis of cerebral amyloid angiopathy in conjunction with small cortical infarcts and petechial hemorrhages was confirmed by antemortem biopsy. This clinical and radiologic picture is being increasingly recognized as characteristic of cerebral amyloid angiopathy.
Predictors of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in Childhood Cancer Survivors

Objective. The diagnosis and treatment of childhood cancer are extremely stressful experiences, with psychological sequelae which can persist many years after the end of treatment. This study investigated the relative contributions of general anxiety, treatment intensity, medical sequelae of treatment, and the subjective appraisal of life threat and treatment intensity to later posttraumatic stress symptoms, such as intrusive memories, avoidance, and hypervigilance. Method. One hundred eighty-six childhood cancer survivors ages 8 through 20 years, off of treatment for more than 1 year, and their parents completed questionnaires. Medical sequelae of treatment and intensity of treatment were rated by a pediatric oncologist. Results. Significant, independent predictors of persistent posttraumatic stress symptoms included: 1) the survivor9s retrospective subjective appraisal of life threat at the time of treatment, and the degree to which the survivor experienced the treatment as “hard” or “scary”; 2) the child9s general level of anxiety; 3) history of other stressful experiences; 4) time since the termination of treatment (negative association); 5) female gender; and 6) family and social support. Mother9s perception of treatment and life threat contributed to anxiety and subjective appraisal for the survivor, but did not independently contribute to posttraumatic stress symptoms. Conclusions. Symptoms of posttraumatic stress seem to decrease with time, but are persistent in a subset of childhood cancer survivors. Other than time and gender, the predictors of posttraumatic stress symptoms are primarily subjective factors (ie, anxiety and subjective appraisal) rather than objective stressors of treatment and medical sequelae.
Subphonetic modeling for speech recognition

How to capture important acoustic clues and estimate essential parameters reliably is one of the central issues in speech recognition, since we will never have sufficient training data to model various acoustic-phonetic phenomena. Successful examples include subword models with many smoothing techniques. In comparison with subword models, subphonetic modeling may provide a finer level of details. We propose to model subphonetic events with Markov states and treat the state in phonetic hidden Markov models as our basic sub-phonetic unit --- senone. A word model is a concatenation of state-dependent senones and senones can be shared across different word models. Senones not only allow parameter sharing, but also enable pronunciation optimization and new word learning, where the phonetic baseform is replaced by the senonic baseform. In this paper, we report preliminary subphonetic modeling results, which not only significantly reduced the word error rate for speaker-independent continuous speech recognition but also demonstrated a novel application for new word learning.
Plasma-based dry etching techniques in the silicon integrated circuit technology

Plasma-based dry etching techniques play a major role in the formation of silicon-based integrated circuits. The first part of this paper reviews our understanding of the means for achieving etching directionality and selectivity in reactive etching using glow discharges. Relevant trends in magnetically enhanced rf diode systems, microwave-excited electron cyclotron resonance plasmas, process clustering, real-time process monitoring and control, and computer modeling of glow discharges are discussed in the second part of the paper.
Stimulation methods for neuropathic pain control.

Neurostimulation methods for control of chronic neuropathic pain have recently gained in popularity. The reasons for this are mutifactorial. As opposed to nerve ablation, these methods are minimally invasive and reversible. The improvements in hardware design simplified implantation techniques and prolonged equipment longevity. Stimulation trials have become less invasive, allowing patients to test its effects before final implantation. Finally, the scientific evidence has shown good outcomes of neurostimulation methods for chronic neuropathic pain control. Recent research efforts have revealed new potential mechanisms of action of neurostimulation. Whereas its action was widely explained by gate control theory in the past, it seems that neuromodulation acts also by modulation of neurotransmitters in the central nervous system.
Placental transfer of radioactive digitoxin in pregnant women and its fetal distribution.

Placental transfer of radioactive C14-digitoxin was investigated in four pregnant women. The concentration of the labeled drug and its metabolic products in the various fetal organs was determined. Less than 1 per cent of the administered glycoside was detected in the fetus as unchanged digitoxin and less than 3.5 per cent as its metabolites. The fetal heart and kidney of 11 to 12 weeks gestation had the highest concentrations. However, at near term the fetal liver, gallbladder and intestine had somewhat similar concentrations. Metabolic conversion of the cardiac glycoside by fetal liver as well as biliary excretion is indicated from the tissue distribution data.
Age Norms and the Structure of Consciousness: Some Final Comments

Taken together, the foregoing articles attest to general agreement in people's perceptions about the appropriate ages for filling major social roles. Although not discussed specifically, I note that both the existence of such age norms and acceptance of a range of ages considered appropriate for entering and leaving key roles have broad implications: for understanding age as a key element in social structures and the potential for changes in age structuring in the society.
Antiplatelet therapy for transient ischemic attack.

Transient ischemic attack (TIA) is currently defined as a transient episode of neurologic dysfunction caused by focal brain, spinal cord, or retinal ischemia without infarction. TIA is an important risk factor for stroke and other major vascular events. Risk factors for TIA or stroke need to be addressed effectively to reduce the risk for stroke in patients who have had a TIA. Aspirin (ASA) significantly reduces the risk for stroke when given after a TIA, stroke, or myocardial infarction in a dose of 50 mg/d to 325 mg/d. The role of ASA in the primary prevention of TIA or stroke, however, is less well-substantiated. Clopidogrel may be used in the secondary prevention of TIA or stroke, but its antiplatelet effect may be reduced in poor metabolizers of the drug. The combination of ASA and extended-release dipyridamole is effective in reducing risk for TIA and stroke, and may confer additional risk-lowering without an increased risk of bleeding compared with ASA alone. ASA monotherapy, clopidogrel alone, or the combination of ASA and extended-release dypiridamole are all acceptable options for initial therapy in patients with a TIA and stroke, and the combination of ASA plus extended-release dypiridamole is recommended over ASA alone.
Scheduling real-time disk transfers for continuous media applications

The authors study how continuous media data can be stored and accessed in the Swift distributed input/output (IO) architecture. They provide a scheme for scheduling real-time data transfers that satisfies the strict requirements of continuous-media applications. This scheme allows large data objects to be stored and retrieved concurrently from multiple disks to satisfy the high data rate requirements typical of real-time video and audio data. To do this, data transfer requests are split into smaller requests, which are then handled by the various components by Swift. On-line algorithms are studied that respond to a data request by promising to either satisfy or reject it. Each response must be made before the next request is seen by the algorithm. The authors discuss two different performance measures to evaluate such algorithms and show that no on-line algorithm can optimize these criteria to less than a constant fraction of the optimal. Finally, they propose an algorithm for handling such requests on-line and the related data structures. >
Covariances between regression coefficient estimates in a single mediator model

This study presents formulae for the covariances between parameter estimates in a single mediator model. These covariances are necessary to build confidence intervals (CI) for effect size measures in mediation studies. We first analytically derived the covariances between the parameter estimates in a single mediator model. Using the derived covariances, we computed the multivariate-delta standard errors, and built the 95% CIs for the effect size measures. A simulation study evaluated the accuracy of the standard errors as well as the Type I error, power, and coverage of the CIs using various parameter values and sample sizes. Finally, we presented a numerical example and a SAS MACRO that calculates the CIs for the effect size measures.
Parental Alcohol Screening in Pediatric Practices

OBJECTIVES. Pediatricians are in an ideal position to screen parents of their patients for alcohol use. The objective of this study was to assess parents’ preferences regarding screening and intervention for parental alcohol use during pediatric office visits for their children. METHODS. A descriptive multicenter study that used 3 pediatric primary care clinic sites (rural, urban, suburban) was conducted between June 2004 and December 2006. Participants were a convenience sample of consecutively recruited parents who brought children for medical care. Parents completed an anonymous questionnaire that contained demographics; 2 alcohol-screening tests (TWEAK and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test); and items that assessed preferences for who should perform alcohol-screening, acceptance of screening, and preferred interventions if the screening result was positive. RESULTS. A total of 929 of 1028 eligible parents agreed to participate, and 879 of 929 completed surveys that yielded sufficient data for analysis. Most participants were mothers. A total of 101 of 879 parents screened positive on either the TWEAK or the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test. Parents with a negative alcohol screen (alcohol-negative) were more likely than parents with a positive alcohol screen (alcohol-positive) to report that they would agree to being asked about their alcohol use. There were no significant differences in preferences within alcohol-positive and alcohol-negative groups for screening by the pediatrician or computer-based questionnaire. Most preferred interventions for the alcohol-positive group were for the pediatrician to initiate additional discussion about drinking and its effect on their child, give educational materials about alcoholism, and refer for evaluation and treatment. Alcohol-positive men were more accepting than alcohol-positive women of having no intervention. CONCLUSIONS. A majority of parents would agree to being screened for alcohol problems in the pediatric office. Regardless of their alcohol screen status, parents are accepting of being screened by the pediatrician, a computer-based questionnaire, or a paper-and-pencil survey. Parents who screen positive prefer that the pediatrician discuss the problem further with them and present options for referral.
Optical maps distinguish individual strains of Escherichia coli O157 : H7.

Optical maps of 11 Escherichia coli O157 : H7 strains have been generated by the assembly of contiguous sets of restriction fragments across their entire 5.3 to 5.6 Mbp chromosomes. Each strain showed a distinct, highly individual configuration of 500–700 BamHI fragments, yielding a map resembling a DNA ‘bar code’. The accuracy of optical mapping was assessed by comparing directly the in silico restriction maps of two wholly sequenced reference genomes of E. coli O157 : H7, i.e. EDL933 and the Sakai isolate (RIMD 0509952), with the optical maps of the same strains. The optical maps of nine other E. coli O157 : H7 strains were compared similarly, using the sequence-based maps of the Sakai and EDL933 strains as references. A total of 91 changes at 28 loci were positioned and sized; these included complex chromosomal inversions, insertions, deletions, substitutions, as well as a number of simple RFLPs. The optical maps defined unique genome landmarks in each of the strains and demonstrated the ability of optical mapping to distinguish and differentiate, at the individual level, strains of this important pathogen.
Is Chronic Nonmalignant Pain Associated with Decreased Appetite in Older Adults? Preliminary Evidence

Objectives: To examine the association between self-reported appetite impairment and pain intensity in community-dwelling older adults with chronic nonmalignant pain. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: An outpatient pain clinic at the University of Pittsburgh. Participants: A convenience sample of 65 older adults with chronic nonmalignant pain. Measurements: Demographics, pain intensity (short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire), self-reported appetite impairment using a newly developed instrument, mood (30-item Geriatric Depression Scale, (GDS)), cognitive status (Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination), dependence in feeding, dependence in grocery shopping and meal preparation, and comorbidities (Cumulative Illness Rating Scale). Medication information was classified as total number of medications, number of analgesics, number of opioids, and number of potential appetite-impairing side effects. Results: Univariate analyses revealed that those who reported pain-related appetite impairment had higher pain intensity than those who reported no appetite impairment (P<.001). Comparison of subjects with and without pain-related appetite impairment revealed a significant difference in GDS scores (P=.027), number of analgesics (P=.015), and number of opioids (P=.014). None of the other variables was statistically significant. The relationship between pain intensity and perceived pain-related appetite impairment was maintained in an analysis of covariance that controlled for GDS score, number of analgesics, and presence of opioids (P=.004). Conclusion: Chronic pain is associated with self-reported appetite impairment in older adults, but examination of the influence of reduction in pain intensity on appetite improvement is needed to establish a causal relationship between chronic pain and diminished appetite.
Novel designs for integrating YIG/air photonic Crystal slab polarizers with waveguide Faraday rotators

Photonic crystal slab waveguides (PCSWs), based on the novel magnetooptic material, yttrium iron garnet (YIG), have been designed in order to enable fully integrated optical isolators. The PCSWs possess fundamental bandgaps for even (transverse-electric (TE)-like) modes around the wavelength of 1.33 /spl mu/m. Propagation losses for both the TE-like and transverse-magnetic (TM)-like polarizations with various orientations have been investigated numerically using partial-wave analysis and a three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain method. The resulting PCSW designs can be used to isolate TE-like modes from TM-like modes and vice versa with isolation ratios of -60 and -40 dB, respectively. One of the main benefits of these designs is that they provide interface-free polarizers for the garnet waveguides. The designs can easily be extended to 1.55 /spl mu/m for further versatility.
AN APPROACH TO SELECT DESIRED DYNAMICS GAINS FOR DYNAMIC INVERSION CONTROL LAWS

Dynamic inversion, similar to feedback linearization in concept, is a nonlinear control design method which is based on canceling the nonlinear terms in the equations of motion with control inputs. The main advantage of the method over more conventional linear control techniques is its applicability to the nonlinear models. That is, it uniquely applies to entire operating region, not just point conditions. Feedback properties of dynamic inversion control laws are directly related to the gains of the desired dynamics. However, how to choose these gains has not been fully addressed. In the applications of the method, usual practice is to use ad hoc rules. In this research, a novel approach introduced in our earlier work to select these gains is formalized and extended to a multivariable case. The main idea of the approach is to map desired feedback properties of linear quadratic (LQ) full state feedback designs into dynamic inversion structure via the desired dynamics gains by a procedure we call feedback loop mapping . This idea provides the designer with a formal approach of gain selection and desired LQ stability and robustness properties in terms of gain and phase margins for dynamic inversion control laws.
Resilience and the Neoliberal Project Discourses, Critiques, Practices—And Katrina

Like sustainable development, disaster resilience can be conceptualized as a collective surge in science, policy, and practice. The strength of the resilience surge is based on the concept’s usefulness as a boundary object and in particular its resonance with the discourses and practices of neoliberalization, in which the role of the state is diminished and superseded by private–public partnerships and contracts. Current U.S. resilience approaches support particular types of state–society relationships, construct particular kinds of at-risk subjects, and privilege technocratic solutions to disaster vulnerability. Neoliberal disaster risk reduction strategies and their outcomes had a profound impact on post-Katrina recovery in New Orleans.
The relation of birth order and socioeconomic status to children's language experience and language development

Variation in mothers' child-directed speech and in their children's rates of language development were examined as a function of child birth order and family socioeconomic status (SES). A total of 63 children between 18 and 29 months were recorded in dyadic interaction with their mothers on two separate occasions, 10 weeks apart. The children included first and later boms who came from high-SES and mid-SES backgrounds. Analyses of the children's speech at the second visit showed that the first-bom children were more advanced in lexical and grammatical development than the later-bom children, and that the later-bom children were more advanced in the development of conversational skill. High-SES children showed more advanced lexical development than mid-SES children. These differences are interpreted as the result of differences in language learning experience associated with birth order and SES, some of which were in evidence in the mothers' speech recorded at the first visit. With respect to theories of language acquisition, these findings suggest that language experience plays a nontrivial role in language development, and that the nature of that role is different for different components of language development. With respect to general developmental consequences of birth order and SES, the findings indicate that differences in early language experience may set the stage for later developmental differences, but that when long-term and pervasive differences are observed, as is the case for SES-related differences in achievement, it is likely that there are pervasive and continuing differences in experience.
Adaptive limited-supply online auctions

We study a limited-supply online auction problem, in which an auctioneer has k goods to sell and bidders arrive and depart dynamically. We suppose that agent valuations are drawn independently from some unknown distribution and construct an adaptive auction that is nevertheless value- andtime-strategy proof. For the k=1 problem we have a strategyproof variant on the classic secretary problem. We present a 4-competitive (e-competitive) strategyproof online algorithm with respect to offline Vickrey for revenue (efficiency). We also show (in a model that slightly generalizes the assumption of independent valuations) that no mechanism can be better than 3/2-competitive (2-competitive) for revenue (efficiency). Our general approach considers a learning phase followed by an accepting phase, and is careful to handle incentive issues for agents that span the two phases. We extend to the k›1 case, by deriving strategyproof mechanisms which are constant-competitive for revenue and efficiency. Finally, we present some strategyproof competitive algorithms for the case in which adversary uses a distribution known to the mechanism.
PAVEd for Success: An Evaluation of a Comprehensive Preliteracy Program for Four-Year-Old Children:

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of PAVEd for Success, comprehensive preliteracy program guidelines to support the development of foundational preliteracy skills in 4 year olds. Prekindergarten teachers received professional development on variables of the program that included a summer institute, after-school workshops, and classroom support from preliteracy specialists. Children were assessed at prekindergarten entry, following the implementation period and at the end of the school year. Vocabulary knowledge, phonological awareness, and alphabet knowledge were assessed during the prekindergarten year, and early literacy indicators and early decoding skills were assessed at the end of the kindergarten year. While all experimental variables showed some benefits to the development of children's preliteracy skills, only the full program benefited children who entered the prekindergarten program at risk for reading difficulties. The program participants benefited in early literacy a...