cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Progressive outer retinal necrosis in a multiple sclerosis patient on natalizumab

A 54-year-old woman with multiple sclerosis, on natalizumab, reported 2 weeks of left eye redness and blurry vision, previously diagnosed as conjunctivitis. Visual acuity was 20/125. Funduscopy revealed progressive outer retinal necrosis (figure 1), a viral retinitis of immunocompromised patients that frequently causes vision loss.1 Sequential bilateral involvement is common. Etiologies include varicella zoster, herpes simplex, and rarely cytomegalovirus; aqueous PCR revealed varicella. Natalizumab was held. IV and intravitreal antivirals were administered. After repair of retinitis-induced retinal detachment and resolution of retinitis, visual acuity was 20/125 (figure 2). In immunocompromised patients with ocular symptoms, clinicians should consider infectious retinitis and obtain prompt funduscopic evaluation.
Sacrospinous ligament colpopexy : New instrumentation applied to a standard gynecologic procedure

Sacrospinous ligament colpopexy continues to be underutilized because of its technical difficulty. The Endo Stitch, a new laparoscopic suturing instrument, was used as a surgical adjunct in the performance of sacrospinous ligament colpopexy in nine patients with vaginal vault prolapse after hysterectomy. The procedures were performed with surprising technical ease.
An integrated theory for the practical application of “governance-based policing”

Purpose – This paper aims to reconcile the different theoretical approaches of the next stage of community policing – third-party policing, post-modern policing, community-based policing, public self-policing, community governance and public safety governance – into a cohesive theoretical framework through the integration of the new governance of public administration, systems theory and community development theory. Design/methodology/approach – This paper reviews the existing literature of community-oriented policing (COP) and the concepts of new governance of public administration, then reconciles the two to create a management framework of governance-based policing. Findings – COP falls short in many areas because it represents a natural system orientation and a technical-assistance approach to community development. The next stage of community policing requires an open system founded in the self-help approach to community development and new governance principles. Practical implications – This work a...
Effect of nitrogen concentration to the structural, chemical and electrical properties of tantalum zirconium nitride films

Abstract Tantalum zirconium nitride films with different nitrogen concentrations were deposited by reactive co-sputtering. Systematical material characterization was done to study the effect of nitrogen concentration to the ternary nitride films’ composition, microstructure, chemical and electrical properties. XRD and TEM showed that the microstructure of the films was mainly modulated by the Ta/Zr atomic ratio and nitrogen concentration, and amorphous structure formed in the nitrogen deficient films. XPS showed the chemical state of tantalum and zirconium atoms shifted systematically from metallic to ionic bonding state with the increasing of nitrogen. The stoichiometric ternary TaZrN films showed better conductivity than the binary TaN or ZrN constituents, because each tantalum atom contribute one excess d-orbital valence electron when the zirconium atom was substituted.
Effects of spectrometer band pass, sampling, and signal-to-noise ratio on spectral identification using the Tetracorder algorithm

[1] Estimates of spectrometer band pass, sampling interval, and signal-to-noise ratio required for identification of pure minerals and plants were derived using reflectance spectra convolved to AVIRIS, HYDICE, MIVIS, VIMS, and other imaging spectrometers. For each spectral simulation, various levels of random noise were added to the reflectance spectra after convolution, and then each was analyzed with the Tetracorder spectral identification algorithm [Clark et al., 2003]. The outcome of each identification attempt was tabulated to provide an estimate of the signal-to-noise ratio at which a given percentage of the noisy spectra were identified correctly. Results show that spectral identification is most sensitive to the signal-to-noise ratio at narrow sampling interval values but is more sensitive to the sampling interval itself at broad sampling interval values because of spectral aliasing, a condition when absorption features of different materials can resemble one another. The band pass is less critical to spectral identification than the sampling interval or signal-to-noise ratio because broadening the band pass does not induce spectral aliasing. These conclusions are empirically corroborated by analysis of mineral maps of AVIRIS data collected at Cuprite, Nevada, between 1990 and 1995, a period during which the sensor signal-to-noise ratio increased up to sixfold. There are values of spectrometer sampling and band pass beyond which spectral identification of materials will require an abrupt increase in sensor signal-to-noise ratio due to the effects of spectral aliasing. Factors that control this threshold are the uniqueness of a material's diagnostic absorptions in terms of shape and wavelength isolation, and the spectral diversity of the materials found in nature and in the spectral library used for comparison. Array spectrometers provide the best data for identification when they critically sample spectra. The sampling interval should not be broadened to increase the signal-to-noise ratio in a photon-noise-limited system when high levels of accuracy are desired. It is possible, using this simulation method, to select optimum combinations of band-pass, sampling interval, and signal-to-noise ratio values for a particular application that maximize identification accuracy and minimize the volume of imaging data.
Matter matters: offloading machine computation to material computation for shape changing interfaces

This paper introduces material computation to offload computing from machine to material, in the process of creating shape-changing output. It contains the explanation on the mechanism of transformation, the concept of material computation, the summary and analysis of literature research within and beyond the HCI field, the interaction loop integrating material computation, and my own practice in material computation technics and applications.
A Race to the Bottom? Globalization, Labor Repression, and Development by Dispossession in Latin America's Banana Industry

Labor scholars and activists draw attention to the ways that the globalization of production and market activities have caused to a race to the bottom in wages and work conditions that has instilled labor discipline throughout the globe. A number of recently published reports by international labor rights organizations, however, have brought worldwide attention to the ways that direct forms of violent repression, rather than the global market alone, continue to be a key modality used to control labor in the contemporary age. This paper examines the link between globalization and labor repression through a macro-historical analysis of one particularly repressive global industry: Latin American bananas. The author finds that the violent race to the bottom dynamic characterizing this industry is a perverse institutional outcome of a historic wave of labor unrest and economic nationalism in Latin America that launched developmentalist regimes oriented to economic growth through banana production, despite the dispossession and proletarianization that these policies engender. Labor repression therefore occurs as these regimes prioritize the profitability of banana producers in an increasingly competitive global banana market over the demands of banana workers and the dispossessed.
Enrichment in saturated compounds of Black Sea interfacial sediment

THE sediment/water interface of the ocean should consist of organic compounds produced both in the overlying water column and during early diagenesis1–5. We have found that the uppermost ∼1 mm of sediment samples obtained from the Black Sea are enriched in saturated sterols and fatty acids relative to both suspended particles and underlying sediments. We speculate that either this 'floc' layer contains a microbial community capable of yielding a distribution of compounds that is high in saturated species, or the floe accumulates low-density, fine material enriched in saturated components produced in the water column6. Saturated components would thus be formed or concentrated very early during sedimentation and diagenesis. This has important implications for hydrogenation rates in geological environments, and may cast light on the way in which biological materials, rich in unsaturated compounds, become converted into sediments, petroleum and source rocks that contain predominantly saturated compounds.
Teaching nursing skills at a distance using a remotely controlled human patient simulator

We investigated the feasibility of using a nurse educator to control a human patient simulator and provide skills training for student nurses while located remotely from the students. Eight student nurses and a patient simulator were stationed at a site 8 km from the School of Nursing. The manikin was controlled over a private virtual local area network. Using videoconferencing at 400kbit/s, students were taught how to obtain peripheral and apical pulses on the manikin while exposed to rhythm disturbances initiated and controlled by the instructor. Students agreed that the simulation made understanding irregular rhythms easier and increased their interest in the course. On-site and remotely located nursing instructors agreed in their assessments of student performance. We conclude that a remotely located nurse educator can successfully instruct and control a manikin-based skills session in a manner that is acceptable to the nursing students.
Chromium diffusion and reduction in soil aggregates

The distribution of metal contaminants such as chromium in soils can be strongly localized by transport limitations and redox gradients within soil aggregates. Measurements of Cr(VI) diffusion and reduction to Cr(III) were obtained in soil columns representing transects into soil aggregates in order to quantify influences of organic carbon (OC) and redox potentials on Cr transport distances and microbial community composition. Shifts in characteristic redox potentials, and the extent of Cr(VI) reduction to Cr(III) were related to OC availability. Depth profiles of Cr(VI, III) obtained with micro X-ray absorption near edge structure (micro-XANES) spectroscopy reflected interdependent effects of diffusion and spatially dependent redox potentials on reduction kinetics and microbial community composition. Shallow diffusion depths (2−10 mm) and very sharply terminated diffusion fronts in columns amended with OC (80 and 800 ppm) reflected rapid increases in Cr reduction kinetics over very short (mm) distances. ...
Immunoreactivity of CD45, a protein phosphotyrosine phosphatase, in Alzheimer's disease.

Both protein kinases and phosphoprotein phosphatases are important components of signal transduction systems in cells. Recent studies in Alzheimer's disease (AD) have shown abnormal protein phosphorylation in the cortex suggesting an alteration in these enzymes. In the present study, an antibody against CD45 was used to analyze the status of this protein phosphotyrosine phosphatase in AD. We studied and quantified the immunohistochemical and immunochemical distribution of this integral membrane protein in control and AD brain. We found that anti-CD45 immunostained the great majority of microglia, both resting and activated. These cells were Ricinus communis agglutinin I positive and glial fibrillary acidic protein and neurofilament negative. The AD frontal cortex showed a 35% (P<0.01) increase in the number of anti-CD45 immunoreactive microglia as compared with controls. These results were consistent with the immunoblot quantification of CD45 immunoreactivity following native gel electrophoresis. In AD, 30% of the CD45-immunostained microglia were clustered in the neuritic plaques (about six per plaque) while the remaining 70% were scattered in the neuropil. The AD hippocampus showed an increase in CD45-immunoreactive microglia in the molecular layer of the dentte gyrus. At the ultrastructural level, CD45 immunoreactivity was localized exclusively to the plasma membrane of the microglia. The presence of the anti-CD45 immunoreactivity in microglia suggests the possibility that they may require the presence of CD45 as a cell surface receptor which may regulate cell function through modulation of intracellular signaling.
Spurious Harmonic Generation in Optical Heterodyning

An experiment is described in which the simultaneous photodetection of two incoherent light beams chopped at different frequencies yields a direct measurement of the cross-modulation coefficient of a photocathode. This is a technique generally applicable to the measurement of small nonlinearities in photodetectors.
Endoscopic stapled diverticulotomy: treatment of choice for Zenker's diverticulum.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of endoscopic stapled diverticulotomy in the treatment of patients with Zenker's diverticulum. Study Design Cohort study. Methods Fourteen elderly patients (11 men and 3 women) with Zenker's diverticulum were evaluated in a community hospital setting from July 1996 to November 1999. Before surgery patients had significant dysphagia, regurgitation, cough, or aspiration pneumonia. The common septum between the diverticulum and cervical esophagus was visualized with a Weerda diverticuloscope. While using videoendoscopic monitoring, the septum was divided and the edges simultaneously sealed with a linear endoscopic stapler. Average operative time was 31 minutes. Results The operation was successfully performed in 11 of 14 patients. In the three unsuccessful cases, one patient's pouch was too small to staple and the other two patients had a septum that was difficult to visualize with the diverticuloscope. There was no significant postoperative morbidity or mortality. Patients started a liquid diet on the first postoperative day and resumed a soft diet a week later. They were usually discharged on the first postoperative day. Most patients reported significant improvement with resolution of dysphagia and regurgitation. Conclusions Compared with the traditional open technique, the endoscopic stapled diverticulotomy technique is safe, quick, and effective and requires a shorter length of stay in the hospital. Therefore it has become our treatment of choice for elderly, high-risk patients with a large (>2 cm) hypopharyngeal (Zenker's) diverticulum.
Pathogenicity studies on a bovine herpesvirus

Abstract A virus was isolated from uterine exudate of a cow and later identified as a herpesvirus that had no serologic relationship to several known viruses. The virus produced a febril response in 7 month old Holstein steers. Inoculation of the virus into bovine fetuses of various gestational ages resulted in death of some fetuses in the 3rd and 4th months of gestation. Some fetuses in the 3rd and 4th month, and all older than 4 months, survived the inoculation. These fetuses experienced a lymphoreticular activation and a humoral antibody response.
Eukaryotic ribonuclease P : increased complexity to cope with the nuclear pre-tRNA pathway

Ribonuclease P is an ancient enzyme that cleaves pre-tRNAs to generate mature 5' ends. It contains an essential RNA subunit in Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya, but the degree to which the RNA subunit relies on proteins to supplement catalysis is highly variable. The eukaryotic nuclear holoenzyme has recently been found to contain almost twenty times the protein content of the bacterial enzymes, in addition to having split into at least two related enzymes with distinct substrate specificity. In this review, recent progress in understanding the molecular architecture and functions of nuclear forms of RNase P will be considered. J. Cell. Physiol. 187:11–20, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Neuroscience: Navigation with a cognitive map.

Hippocampal place cells encode information about an animal's spatial world. A study now finds that these same neurons envisage a future journey moments before a rat sets off. See Article p.74 The hippocampal region of the brain has an important role in providing the memory component of human navigation. It has been known for some time that after the completion of a movement, compressed sequences of hippocampal place cells can 'replay' that previous navigational trajectory and encode it to memory. It has been proposed that similar sequences may fire before a choice to navigate is made during a navigational planning process. Here, Brad Pfeiffer and David Foster reveal that prior to navigational decisions, place-cell sequences representing spatial trajectories are active in rats choosing and navigating between a large number of possible food locations in an open area. The observed firing sequences are predictive of future behaviour, and seem to support goal-directed navigational choice mechanisms.
Explaining disparities in colorectal cancer screening among five Asian ethnic groups: A population-based study in California

Data from the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) indicate that levels and temporal trends in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening prevalence vary among Asian American groups; however, the reasons for these differences have not been fully investigated. Using CHIS 2001, 2003 and 2005 data, we conducted hierarchical regression analyses progressively controlling for demographic characteristics, English proficiency and access to care in an attempt to identify factors explaining differences in screening prevalence and trends among Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean and Japanese Americans (N = 4,188). After controlling for differences in gender and age, all Asian subgroups had significantly lower odds of having ever received screening in 2001 than the reference group of Japanese Americans. In addition, Korean Americans were the only subgroup that had a statistically significant decline in screening prevalence from 2001 to 2005 compared to the trend among Japanese Americans. After controlling for differences in education, marital status, employment status and federal poverty level, Korean Americans were the only group that had significantly lower screening prevalence than Japanese Americans in 2001, and their trend to 2005 remained significantly depressed. After controlling for differences in English proficiency and access to care, screening prevalences in 2001 were no longer significantly different among the Asian subgroups, but the trend among Korean Americans from 2001 to 2005 remained significantly depressed. Korean and Vietnamese Americans were less likely than other groups to report a recent doctor recommendation for screening and more likely to cite a lack of health problems as a reason for not obtaining screening. Differences in CRC screening trends among Asian ethnic groups are not entirely explained by differences in demographic characteristics, English proficiency and access to care. A better understanding of mutable factors such as rates of doctor recommendation and health beliefs will be crucial for designing culturally appropriate interventions to promote CRC screening.
Optimization of light-gage cold-formed steel shapes by parametric bandwidth constriction

Abstract Optimization of structural shapes governed by the American Iron and Steel Institute Specification for the Design of Cold-Formed Steel Structural Members presents particular problems. Not only must a variety of buckling formulas be considered for flexural-torsional buckling of the shape as a whole as well as for buckling of the separate plate elements of the cross-section, but also the section properties used to evaluate buckling stress constraints are themselves stress dependent. A simplicial technique is detailed for forcing convergence to competitive designs in spite of the iterative computational oscillations caused by the nonlinear complexity and discontinuities that are present in the mathematical programming problem which must be solved. The set of constraints includes all applicable and unmodified design formulas appearing in the AISI specification. The technique is a two-phase process which gradually constricts the range limits of the design parameters as observed over a set number of iterations and adaptively relieves cyclic infeasibilities caused by the constriction. Convergence is also aided by the use of a character string manipulation language to generate machine readable expressions for the exact differentials of all nonlinear functions. The behavior of the convergence forcing technique is demonstrated for a lipped Z shape in flexure and for a two-channel lipped wide flange beam column.
Large submarine slide (olistostrome) associated with Sunda Arc subduction zone, northeast Indian Ocean☆

Reflection profiling in a region of anomalous topography and structure in the Bay of Bengal off Burma has revealed the presence of a large submarine slide (olistostrome) at the base of the continental slope off the Bassein River. The slide overlies a thick section of Bengal Deep-Sea Fan turbidites and has a complex internal structure consisting of two primary elements. The lower element is pervasively disturbed and is interpreted as a mudflow generated at the time of the slide which spread over a large area to as much as 35 km beyond the topographic toe. This mudflow poured into a distributary channel on the Bengal Fan and virtually filled it for 145 km along its length. The upper element comprises a series of relatively coherent blocks of stratified sediments (olistoliths) bounded by curved fault planes. The blocks have been transported as much as 55 km from the original Sunda Trench wall. Their dimensions, up to 360 m thick and 2.8 km between faults, are similar to olistoliths of the slide terrain in the Apennines. The blocks are blanketed by younger slope strata. The total area covered by the slide, including the mudflow, is almost 4,000 km2, and total volume of the slide is over 900 km3. Material of the slide consists of Bengal Fan turbidites offscraped above the Sunda Subduction zone and blanketed by rapidly deposited slope sediments from a western Irrawaddy River distributary (the Bassein River) during Late Quaternary glacial low sea level. This rapid loading, probably coupled with a large earthquake, triggered the slide.
Evaluation of novel direct- and indirect-detection active matrix flat-panel imagers (AMFPIs) for mammography

A performance evaluation of small-area, high-spatial-resolution, active matrix flat-panel imager (AMFPI) prototypes, operated under mammographic conditions, is reported. These prototypes are based on two 512 x 512 pixel imagers employing novel designs to enhance signal performance for direct and indirect detection. The indirect detection prototype is based on a 75 μm pixel pitch array incorporating a continuous photodiode design, as opposed to the discrete photodiode design used in conventional flat-panel imagers. This array was coupled to a pair of commercially-available x-ray converters: (1) a 34 mg/cm2 Gd2O2S:Tb phosphor screen (Min-R, Kodak) and (2) a 150 μm thick structured CsI:Tl scintillator on a fiber-optic plate (FOS-HL, Hamamatsu). The direct detection prototype is based on a 100 μm pixel pitch array and uses a 240 μm thick, high gain mercuric iodide (HgI2) photoconductor. Measurements of sensitivity, MTF, NPS and DQE were performed with a 26 kVp mammography beam attenuated by a 4 cm BR-12 breast phantom at various radiation exposures. Results from empirical studies of sensitivity indicate that these imagers offer a substantial enhancement in signal over conventional flat-panel imagers. Measurements of DQE for the imagers show values greater than those obtained from high performance mammographic film-screen systems, under some conditions. These studies also show that the FOS-HL imager configuration despite its lower MTF, exhibits DQE performance (up to approximately 0.77) superior or equivalent to that of the Min-R configuration due to better optical properties of the converter. In addition, despite a smaller pixel pitch, both of these indirect detection configurations exhibit improved DQE in comparison to similar configurations employing a 97 μm pitch discrete photodiode design, especially at low exposures. Results of DQE measurements from the HgI2 photoconductor prototype are promising (DQE values up to approximately 0.6). Finally, calculations of potential DQE performance for hypothetical 50 μm pitch imagers, employing similar novel designs, were performed. These calculations were based on the cascaded systems formalism and used realistic inputs derived from empirical measurements. The results predict that the HgI2 configuration would provide high DQE performance (up to approximately 0.9), which would be largely unaffected by the magnitude of exposure, due to the high gain of the photoconductor. These calculations also indicate that the continuous photodiode configuration would provide high DQE (up to approximately 0.8), degraded only at low exposure by the effect of additive noise.
Satellite DNA sequences of Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract Three of the four major satellite DNAs of Drosophila melanogaster were isolated by centrifugation in Ag + Cs 2 SO 4 gradients. The satellites were characterized by buoyant density analysis in neutral and alkaline CsCl and by thermal melt analysis, and were judged to be pure by these criteria. Complementary RNA was synthesized using Escherichia coli RNA polymerase, [α-32P]NTPs, and the separated satellite DNA strands as template. The complementary RNA was analyzed by RNA sequencing techniques. The sequences determined for the satellites are simple in composition and are related to one another. Satellite I is composed of A-A-T and A-T in the molar ratio of 2A-A-T:3A-T. Satellite II consists of the ten-nucleotide repeating sequence: A-A-T-A-A-C-A-T-A-G. Satellite IV is composed of A-A-G, A-G and G in the molar ratios of 3A-A-G: 4A-G: IG. One sequence present in long regions of satellite IV is A-A-G A-G. The sequences of the three satellites may be represented by the general expression (AAN)m(AN)n. The similarity of the sequences provides evidence for theories concerning the origin of families of satellite sequences.
Dynamic Matching and Evolving Reputations

This paper introduces a general model of matching that includes evolving public Bayesian reputations and stochastic production. Despite productive complementarity, assortative matching robustly fails for high discount factors, unlike in Becker (1973). This failure holds around the highest (lowest) reputation agents for “high skill” (“low skill”) technologies. We find that matches of likes eventually dissolve. In another life-cycle finding, young workers are paid less than their marginal product, and old workers more. Also, wages rise with tenure but need not reflect marginal products: information rents produce non-monotone and discontinuous wage profiles.
High quality structure–property regressions. Boiling points of smaller alkanes

For the correlation of the boiling points of smaller alkanes we outline the use of the variable connectivity index 1χf involving a parameter x, to be determined during the regression fitting. The optimal values of the variable x is determined by minimizing the standard error of the regression. With the value x=0.65 we obtained a quadratic regression characterized by a standard error of 2°C, when out of 21 structures one structure is eliminated as an outlier (having a standard error over 6°C). This result, based on a single descriptor, is better than hitherto reported regressions on the same set of compounds using other descriptors. Using as an additional descriptor the product P3W3, where P3 are the paths of length three and W3 are the walks of length three, the standard error was further reduced to 1.56°C. We include also the regression results derived for orthogonalized descriptors and clarify the alternative approaches to orthogonalization of descriptors.
Study of the correlation between surface roughness and cutting vibrations to develop an on-line roughness measuring technique in hard turning

Abstract Surface roughness is one of the important factors in all areas of tribology and in evaluating the quality of a machining operation. In order to achieve computer controlled machining in a flexible manufacturing system, a technique is needed for the on-line, real-time monitoring of each machining process parameter that affects surface roughness. As the first step in developing such an algorithm, research on the correlation between surface roughness and cutting vibration is reported in this paper. The algorithm utilizes the relative cutting vibrations between tool and workpiece, which are measured through an inductance pickup and filtered by an analog bandpass filter for a specific vibrational component. The cutting vibration signals of a specific :frequency are superimposed onto the kinematic roughness, which is calculated by the tool edge radius and feed rate. Experimental results show good correlation between the simulated roughness obtained using the proposed algorithm and the roughness actually measured with a surface profilometer
Lower bound for connectivity in local-learning neural networks

Abstract How does the connectivity of a neural network (number of synapses per neuron) relate to the complexity of the problems it can handle? Switching theory would suggest no relation at all, since all Boolean functions can be implemented using a circuit with very low connectivity (e.g., using two-input NAND gates). However, for a network that learns a problem from examples using a local learning rule, we prove that the entropy of the problem becomes a lower bound for the connectivity of the network. The current result generalizes a previous result by removing a restriction on the features that are loaded into the neurons during the learning phase.
Opioid reinforcement in heroin-dependent volunteers during outpatient buprenorphine maintenance

This study examined the reinforcing effects of hydromorphone (HYD) (0, 4, 8, and 16 mg/70 kg i.m.) in heroin-dependent outpatient volunteers maintained on buprenorphine (BUP) at doses of 2, 4, and 8 mg, each for 2 weeks. Following a week of maintenance at each dose, volunteers received injections of one of the four HYD doses under double-blind conditions. Eight volunteers (abstainers) were heroin-free during HYD test weeks, whereas six volunteers remained heroin-positive (nonabstainers). Among abstainers, HYD had minimal reinforcing value, whereas in nonabstainers there were marked dose-related increases in HYD reinforcing value, which were not attenuated by increasing doses of BUP. A similar pattern was found for HYD subjective agonist effects. Heroin craving among nonabstainers was significantly higher compared with abstainers, and was reduced in a dose-related manner by HYD. Although BUP and HYD produced dose-related miosis, abstinence status had no differential effect. In summary, BUP effects on opioid reinforcement were consistent from outpatient setting (heroin abstinence) to laboratory setting (decreased HYD reinforcement), supporting the validity of this laboratory model.
Health insurance and access to care among Social Security Disability Insurance beneficiaries during the Medicare waiting period.

For most Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries, Medicare entitlement begins 24 months after the date of SSDI entitlement. Many may experience poor access to health care during t...
Islamizing Egypt? Testing the limits of Gramscian counterhegemonic strategies

This article evaluates the political effectiveness of the Gramscian-style counterhegemonic strategy employed by the leading Islamist movement in Egypt. The article analyzes, historically and comparatively, the unfolding of this strategy during the period from 1982 to 2007, emphasizing how its success triggered heightened state repression, which ultimately prevented Islamists from capitalizing politically on their growing cultural power. The coercive capacity of modern states, as this article demonstrates, can preserve a regime’s political domination long after it has lost its cultural hegemony. The empirical evidence derived from the Islamist experience in Egypt supports theoretical claims that go beyond the Egyptian case: namely, it exposes the limits of the narrow cultural reading of Gramsci that has become commonplace over the years.
Prehistoric New World population size: Historical review and current appraisal of North American estimates

Estimates recently submitted for publication in the Handbook of North American Indians concerning prehistoric North American tribal populations are markedly higher than those estimates published by Mooney in 1928 and subsequently used by Kroeber (1939) and others. Although these estimates reflect the current trend among prehistorians to accept larger prehistoric population estimates than suggested by Mooney they fall considerably short of those recently predicted by Borah (1964) and Dobyns (1966). The present magnitude of increase (88%) over Mooneys estimates would imply a hemispheric population of only about 16000000 using the Hemispheric-North American population ratio (used by both Kroeber and Dobyns) of just over 9:1. This figure remains far below the 90-100 million suggested by Borah and Dobyns. To some extent the increased tribal estimates reflect a Borah-Dobyns influence or at least a reflection of the general liberal attitude toward aboriginal population numbers that has prevailed in anthropological thinking in the recent past.
Magnetic and electronic properties of La 1 − x Sr x Co O 3 single crystals across the percolation metal-insulator transition

Lightly doped ${\mathrm{La}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{x}\mathrm{Co}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ single crystals (i.e., $x\ensuremath{\leqslant}0.15$) have been intensively studied primarily due to the occurrence of spin-state transitions and magnetoelectronic phase separation. We report here the electronic transport and magnetic properties of more heavily doped crystals $(0.15lxl0.30)$ with compositions clustered around the percolation metal-insulator transition (MIT). While the magnetic ordering temperature and saturation magnetization increase gradually as $x$ is increased above 0.17, the resistivity and coercivity show drastic decreases in the range $0.17lxl0.20$, due to the percolation and coalescence of the metallic ferromagnetic (FM) clusters that form in a semiconducting non-FM matrix at low doping. The doping dependence of the coercivity can be qualitatively understood in terms of the thermal stability of isolated FM clusters and the formation of domains in percolated networks. The magnetoresistance shows a smooth crossover from the intergranular giant magnetoresistance (GMR)-type behavior that is dominant at low $x$ (due to spin-dependent transport between FM clusters) to the conventional negative magnetoresistance occurring in the vicinity of the ordering temperature at high $x$. These two mechanisms coexist in the range $0.17lxl0.20$, providing further evidence of the spatial coexistence of insulating and metallic phases. The data suggest that although magnetoelectronic phase separation certainly occurs, it may be active over a smaller doping range than in polycrystals. At a composition between $x=0.20$ and 0.30 the signatures of phase coexistence in the magnetotransport disappear. Interestingly, this is coincident with a transition in the high-temperature (above the Curie point) transport from semiconducting-like to metallic-like. The largest ``colossal magnetoresistance-type'' negative magnetoresistance effects on the metallic side of the MIT are $\ensuremath{\sim}20%$ in ${\mathrm{La}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{x}\mathrm{Co}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$, smaller than the equivalent manganites, due to the absence of close competition with a strongly insulating phase. The incompatibility of some of the relevant spin states and crystal symmetries with a static, coherent, Jahn-Teller distortion, and the absence of long-range antiferromagnetic order in the ${\mathrm{La}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{x}\mathrm{Co}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ phase diagram are likely key factors in this regard.
Creep evaluation of (orthotic) cast materials during simulated clubfoot correction

The Ponseti method is a widely accepted and highly successful conservative treatment of pediatric clubfoot that relies on weekly manipulations and cast applications. However, the material behavior of the cast in the Ponseti technique has not been investigated. The current study sought to characterize the ability of two standard casting materials to maintain the Ponseti corrected foot position by evaluating creep response. A dynamic cast testing device (DCTD) was built to simulate a typical pediatric clubfoot. Semi-rigid fiberglass and rigid fiberglass casting materials were applied to the device, and the rotational creep was measured at various constant torques. The movement was measured using a 3D motion capture system. A 2-way ANOVA was performed on the creep displacement data at a significance level of 0.05. Among cast materials, the rotational creep displacement was found to be significantly different (p-values ≪ 0.001). The most creep displacement occurs in the semi-rigid fiberglass (approximately 1.0 degrees), then the rigid fiberglass (approximately 0.4 degrees). There was no effect of torque magnitude on the creep displacement. All materials maintained the corrected position with minimal change in position over time.
OSTEONECROSIS IN SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS, STEROID-INDUCED OR A LUPUS-DEPENDENT MANIFESTATION?

Osteonecrosis (ON) is a well-known complication in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) often associated with steroid therapy. In a cohort of 280 SLE patients followed over the last 10 years, seven patients developed symptomatic ON, one of them after septic arthritis of the hip. Two other patients developed ON several years after discontinuing steroids. One patient developed ON of both humeral and femoral heads within a few months after the diagnosis of SLE. When we compared the cumulative steroid doses taken by our patients with those described in other reports (43,700 mg and 45,300 mg, respectively), our patients received less steroids (38,834 mg). We found no increased frequency of Raynaud's phenomenon, leukopenia, anti-phospholipid antibodies, or a flare of SLE activity in our patients with ON, factors which have been reported to be associated with ON. Various pathogenic mechanisms, which could lead to ON in SLE patients are discussed.
Modeling Data Movement in the Memory Hierarchy in HPC Systems

Increasing core counts and cache sizes in modern processors are causing data movement across the memory hierarchy to increase. With High Performance Computing (HPC) systems becoming more and more energy constrained, improving energy efficiency is becoming a necessity. Given its significant impact on system energy efficiency, the data movement costs in terms of energy and performance cannot be neglected. Conventional techniques for modeling and analyzing data movement across the memory hierarchy have proven to be inadequate in helping computer architects and system designers to optimize data movement. Our work is a position statement emphasizing the need for more detailed data movement modeling tools that better quantify how data movement across the memory hierarchy during application execution affects energy and performance. The hope is that exposing more detailed characteristics about the data movement would enable designers to optimize applications and architectures for minimizing data movement and in turn reduce energy and perhaps even increase performance.
Reasoning for automated model integration

This paper investigates some reasoning issues involved in developing an integrated modeling environment called a model management system. A model management system is a computer-based environment designed to support effective development and utilization of quantitative decision models. Since the construction of decision models is a knowledge-intensive process, reasoning plays a critical role. Reasoning is particularly important when automated model integration is needed in a large-scale system. In this case, heuristics are required to reduce the complexity of the process. This paper examines the planning and automated formulation of complex models from smaller building blocks. First, a hierarchy of abstractions that integrates previous contributions in model management is presented. Then, a modeling process is formulated as a planning process by which a set of operators are scheduled to achieve a specific goal. This process involves searches for alternatives that can eliminate the difference between the i...
Antireflection treatment of metal films for optical lithography

Abstract The effects of antireflection coating of thin metal films by surface chemical treatments to reduce reflectance for applications to very-large-scale integrated (VLSI) lithography have been studied. The study includes surface treatments in chemical solutions, thin film deposition and direct thermal reaction with gaseous chemicals. Aluminum and molybdenum films were used as test vehicles for the antireflection coatings. While many chemical compositions were effective in reducing aluminum reflectance, some chemicals produced a color with sufficient uniformity for VLSI applications. H2O2 was effective in staining molybdenum films, with a reflectance as low as 10% at a wavelength of 436 nm. Molydbenum nitride films, made by direct reaction with ammonia in the temperature range 500–750°C, also reduced the reflectance and added other beneficial properties. Deposition of transparent dielectrics is only effective in the deep-UV region. An opaque film deposition reduced the reflectance in the optical wavelength range. A thin zinc coating deposited by means of electroless plating showed the greatest reduction in reflectance. Some of these techniques applied to photoresist patterning near a tapered step were found to be useful for VLSI lithography.
Assignment of the DPP4 gene encoding adenosine deaminase binding protein (CD26/dipeptidylpeptidase IV) to 2q23.

FISH was performed on chromosome preparations obtained from phytohemagglutinin-stimulated human blood lymphocytes. cDNA encoding ADAbp was isolated from the SK-RC-28 human renal cell carcinomas cell line using PCR technique and was cloned in pSVK3 plasmid for use as a probe. The PCR primers were constructed from the known nucleotide sequence of CD26, and the cDNA product was extracted from nucleotides 1 to 2344. The vector containing the probe was labeled by nick-translation with biotin-11-dUTP. Hybridization to chromosome spreads, washings, detection with FITC-conjugated avidin, selection and photography of metaphases, analysis of signals, and banding were performed according to the described method.
The Loop 5 Element Structurally and Kinetically Coordinates Dimers of the Human Kinesin-5, Eg5

Eg5 is a homotetrameric kinesin-5 motor protein that generates outward force on the overlapping, antiparallel microtubules (MTs) of the mitotic spindle. Upon binding an MT, an Eg5 dimer releases one ADP molecule, undergoes a slow (∼0.5 s−1) isomerization, and finally releases a second ADP, adopting a tightly MT-bound, nucleotide-free (APO) conformation. This conformation precedes ATP binding and stepping. Here, we use mutagenesis, steady-state and pre-steady-state kinetics, motility assays, and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy to examine Eg5 monomers and dimers as they bind MTs and initiate stepping. We demonstrate that a critical element of Eg5, loop 5 (L5), accelerates ADP release during the initial MT-binding event. Furthermore, our electron paramagnetic resonance data show that L5 mediates the slow isomerization by preventing Eg5 dimer heads from binding the MT until they release ADP. Finally, we find that Eg5 having a seven-residue deletion within L5 can still hydrolyze ATP and move along MTs, suggesting that L5 is not required to accelerate subsequent steps of the motor along the MT. Taken together, these properties of L5 explain the kinetic effects of L5-directed inhibition on Eg5 activity and may direct further interventions targeting Eg5 activity.
Structural optimal design of systems with imprecise properties: a possibilistic approach

Abstract The optimization problem of structural systems with imprecise properties on the basis of a possibilistic approach is considered. System imprecisions are defined by fuzzy numbers and characterized by membership functions. A methodology for the efficient solution of the optimization process is presented. A two-step method is used to include the imprecision within the optimization, where high quality approximations are used for the evaluation of structural responses. The approximations are constructed using concepts of intermediate response quantities and intermediate variables. The approach is basically an algebraic process which can be implemented very efficiently for the optimal design of general structural systems with imprecise parameters. The method provides more information to the designer than is available using conventional design tools. The effectiveness of the methodology and the interpretation of the results are illustrated by the solution of two example problems.
Post-injection sciatic neuropathy in a cynomolgus macaque (Macaca fascicularis).

Background Intramuscular injection is a common route parenteral used in primates. Methods A cynomolgus macaque was evaluated for acute lameness and atrophy of the left leg with no evidence of trauma. Results History revealed ketamine injection 12 days prior. Conclusions Histologic examination supported traumatic injection neuropathy due to intramuscular injection.
Corporate Governance in Entrepreneurial Firms: Effects of Corporate Venture Capital and Founders

R&D strategy is one of the most important resource allocation decisions that investors and top-level managers make, and it is particularly important for young entrepreneurial firms in technology-in...
Use of procalcitonin for the detection of sepsis in the critically ill burn patient: A systematic review of the literature

The purpose of this systematic review was to assess the evidence for use of routine procalcitonin testing to diagnose the presence of sepsis in the burn patient. The electronic databases MEDLINE, Cochrane, CINAHL, ProQuest, and SCOPUS were searched for relevant studies using the MeSH terms burn, infection, procalcitonin, and meta-analysis. The focus of the review was the adult burn population, but other relevant studies of critically ill patients were included as data specific to the patient with burns are limited. Studies were compiled in tabular form and critically appraised for quality and level of evidence. Four meta-analyses, one review of the literature, one randomized controlled trial, nine prospective observational, and three retrospective studies were retrieved. Six of these studies were specific to the burn population, with one specific to burned children. Only one meta-analysis, one adult burn and one pediatric burn study reported no benefit of procalcitonin testing to improve diagnosis of sepsis or differentiate sepsis from non-infectious systemic inflammatory response. The collective findings of the included studies demonstrated benefit of incorporating procalcitonin assay into clinical sepsis determination. Evaluation of the burn specific studies is limited by the use of guidelines to define sepsis and inconsistent results from the burn studies. Utility of the procalcitonin assay is limited due to the lack of availability of rapid, inexpensive tests. However, it appears procalcitonin assay is a safe and beneficial addition to the clinical diagnosis of sepsis in the burn intensive care unit.
The role of magma injection in localizing black-smoker activity

The mechanisms for localization of black-smoker systems at mid-ocean ridges remain to be fully understood. Seismic data for a segment of the Juan de Fuca ridge with long-lived black-smoker vents reveal ongoing magma recharge into the crustal magma chamber, thereby providing an explanation for the localization.