cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neotectonic evolution and fault geometry change along a major extensional fault system in the Mission and Flathead Valleys, NW-Montana

Abstract Analysis of 3.5 kHz high-resolution seismic data from Flathead Lake, combined with results from onshore geologic mapping and literature review from previous studies in the area, reveals a significant change in fault geometry and seismic activity along strike of the Mission Fault system in the Mission and Flathead Valleys of northwestern Montana. The Mission Fault system is composed of faults with normal sense of motion and faults with minor oblique-slip and strike-slip motion. It evolves from a single fault strand in the Mission Valley south of Flathead Lake into a multiple strand fault system in the Flathead Lake basin and north of the lake. Fault activity decreases to the north as suggested by northward decreasing fault scarp heights in the lake basin. North of the lake the Mission Fault system is truncated by oblique strike-slip faults and the extensional strain is accommodated by the Swan Fault, another major normal fault north and east of the study area. We observed five phases of increased tectonic activity in the lake basin during the last 15,000 years. The oldest phase (phase B), active between 15,000 and 13,000 cal yr BP, resulted in fault scarps with up to 14 m of relief along the Mission Fault and the Kalispell–Finley Point Fault. We calculated average displacement rates as high as 1 mm/yr for this oldest phase. Phases C–F represent smaller tectonic events in the lake basin during the last 10,000 cal yr BP. Offset of seismic reflectors during these younger events is generally at dm-scale, indicating relatively low average displacement rates.
Evaluation of the Factor Structure of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale in Older Adults

The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale is the most utilized measure of global self-esteem. Although psychometric studies have generally supported the uni-dimensionality of this 10-item scale, more recently, a stable, response-bias has been associated with the wording of the items (Marsh, Scalas, & Nagengast, 2010). The purpose of this report was to replicate Marsh et al.’s findings in a sample of older adults and to test for invariance across time, gender and levels of education. Our results indicated that indeed a response-bias does exist in esteem responses. Researchers should investigate ways to meaningfully examine and practically overcome the methodological challenges associated with the RSE scale.
Potassium deficiency in rats: effects on rates of dehydration and electrolyte homeostasis

1. 1.|Three groups of rats were fed a nutritionally complete (C), potassium-deficient (−K), or potassium-supplemented (+K) diet for 28 days followed by passive exposure to a moderate heat stress (Tamb=31.5°C) until a hypohydration level of 8–9% of initial body weight was achieved. 2. 2.|Significant (P < 0.05) hypokalemia was achieved in the −K group and, while final Tre was also increased ifP < 0.05 rmvs C in this group, time to achieve hypohydration and water loss during heat stress were unaffected. 3. 3.|Potassium (K+) levels were decreased and sodium (Na+) concentrations were increased in selected striated muscles of both the +K and −K groups (vs C), but electrolytes in critical tissues (heart, brain, kidney, liver) were unaffected by dietary intake. 4. 4.|The moderate hyperthermia achieved during the dehydration interval elicited minor effects on several indices of heat stress/injury. 5. 5.|The results suggest that the combination of consumption of a K deficient diet for 28 days and exposure to moderate heat stress did not significantly affect dehydration rates or total water loss, but a slightly elevated final Tre was observed in the −K group.
Suicide Ideation and Attempts in Children with Autism.

Abstract Frequency of suicide ideation and attempts in 791 children with autism (1–16 years), 35 nonautistic depressed children, and 186 typical children and risk factors in autism were determined. Percent of children with autism for whom suicide ideation or attempts was rated as sometimes to very often a problem by mothers (14%) was 28 times greater than that for typical children (0.5%) but less than for depressed children (43%). For children with autism, four demographic variables (age 10 or older, Black or Hispanic, lower SES, and male) were significant risk factors of suicide ideation or attempts. The majority of children (71%) who had all four demographic risk factors had ideation or attempts. Comorbid psychological problems most highly predictive of ideation or attempts were depression, behavior problems, and teased. Almost half of children with these problems had suicide ideation or attempts. All children with autism should be screened for suicide ideation or attempts because ideation and attempts in autism are significantly higher than the norm and are present across the spectrum. This is especially important for children who have the demographic and comorbid risk factors, many of which can be targeted for intervention to reduce and prevent suicide ideation and attempts.
All About Me, I Mean, You: The Trouble with Narrative Authority in Self-Help Literature

By considering a neglected realm of narrative discourse, this article contributes to the communication scholarship on narrative authority. Authors of self-help books face a challenge that demands different methods of cultivating authority. Rather than do so by articulating professional expertise, they construct their authority based on personal narratives of self-transformation. Throughout the self-help genre's history, a particular type of talking cure has been intimately woven with ideas of selfhood. Positive thinking holds that our thoughts produce reality. Narratives about the self then place a tremendous power in and responsibility on the self, just as they deny the influence of social structures. In this study I aim to expose the implicit values of selfhood and storytelling that are occluded by the explicit stories of a free and helping self espoused in self-help and to demonstrate that that occlusion is enacted through the cultivation of narrative authority.
The lifetime cost of diabetes and its implications for diabetes prevention

OBJECTIVE To assess the cost implications of diabetes prevention, it is important to know the lifetime medical cost of people with diabetes relative to those without. We derived such estimates using data representative of the U.S. national population. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We aggregated annual medical expenditures from the age of diabetes diagnosis to death to determine lifetime medical expenditure. Annual medical expenditures were estimated by sex, age at diagnosis, and diabetes duration using data from 2006–2009 Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys, which were linked to data from 2005–2008 National Health Interview Surveys. We combined survival data from published studies with the estimated annual expenditures to calculate lifetime spending. We then compared lifetime spending for people with diabetes with that for those without diabetes. Future spending was discounted at 3% annually. RESULTS The discounted excess lifetime medical spending for people with diabetes was $124,600 ($211,400 if not discounted), $91,200 ($135,600), $53,800 ($70,200), and $35,900 ($43,900) when diagnosed with diabetes at ages 40, 50, 60, and 65 years, respectively. Younger age at diagnosis and female sex were associated with higher levels of lifetime excess medical spending attributed to diabetes. CONCLUSIONS Having diabetes is associated with substantially higher lifetime medical expenditures despite being associated with reduced life expectancy. If prevention costs can be kept sufficiently low, diabetes prevention may lead to a reduction in long-term medical costs.
On the freeness of equisingular deformations of plane curve singularities

Abstract We consider surface singularities in C 3 arising as the total space of an equisingular deformation of an isolated curve singularity of the form f ( x , y )+ zg ( x , y ) with f and g weighted homogeneous. We give a criterion that such a surface is a free divisor in the sense of Saito. We deduce that the Hessian deformation defines a free divisor for nonsimple weighted homogeneous singularities, and that the failure of this property “almost” characterizes the simple singularities. The criterion also yields distinct deformations of the same curve singularity, exactly one of which is free, showing that freeness is not a topological property.
Pressure pulse on a subassembly wall due to gas release from a failed fuel pin

Abstract This paper presents a mathematical model to predict the pressure pulse on a subassembly of fuel pins due to rapid release of gas from a failed pin into liquid coolant between the pins. The subassembly is simulated by a rigid circular tube, and liquid flow inside the tube is assumed incompressible, inviscid, and irrotational. A gas bubble along the centerline of the subassembly is considered to be formed as a result of the gas release from the plenum, and a pressure pulse on the subassembly wall is a consequence of the liquid being accelerated by the gas bubble. It is assumed that the gas bubble grows spherically until it touches the subassembly wall, and then expands as a cylinder with hemispherical ends. This analysis is particularly applicable to the EBR-II reactor.
Journey toward Integration: The Use of Collages to Assess the Separation and Individuation Process of an Adult Identical Twin

AbstractIn this paper, a single case study using art therapy to facilitate the separation-individuation process of an adult identical twin is presented. The client teas self-referred to a university counseling center. After initial crisis intervention sessions, the problems of dependency and identity were addressed through art therapy. The uniqueness of this study rests with its innnovative measurement tool, an inner circles collage which allowed the therapist to chart the client's intrapsychic move toward separation from her identical twin. The client used collages as a means of discovering differences between herself and her twin sister and to identify her own separate and unique sense of self.
Arcing Mechanisms in Color Picture Tubes and Reduction of Receiver Component Damage

Various practices will be described which will contribute to reduction of arcing in the picture tube as well as better protection of receiver components. Arcing is thought to be initiated by particulate contaminants on the focus grid causing electron bombardment of the tube walls. In a typical arcing case the main source of high voltage energy into the receiver was found to be arcing from the focus grid pin across the base to the cathode pin of the blue gun and the G1 pin of the green gun (on 90°bipotential focus tubes), causing heater and cathode damage. Heater protection can be accomplished with arc gaps from the focus grid pin and cathode leads to ground.
Nitrile groups as vibrational probes of biomolecular structure and dynamics: an overview

This paper presents an overview of recent experiments and theoretical developments aimed at using vibrational spectroscopy to understand the structure and dynamics of nitrile-labeled biomolecules. Nitrile groups are excellent vibrational probes of proteins and DNA because they absorb in a region of the spectrum that is relatively free of absorption due to the biomolecule, and they have high extinction coefficients. The vibrational frequency of nitrile groups is also extraordinarily sensitive to its local environment, and thus CN bonds have been employed in both linear and 2-D infrared (IR) spectroscopy experiments and also as vibrational Stark probes of electric fields in proteins. The interpretation and design of these experiments would be enhanced by accurate calculations of IR spectra from molecular dynamics simulations. Recently, theoretical developments towards computing the vibrational spectrum of nitrile groups in the condensed-phase have been highly successful. A strong synergy between experiment and theory will further promote the use of vibrational spectroscopy of nitrile-labeled biomolecules to address fundamental questions of structure and dynamics that are elusive to other techniques.
Phase I Study of Weekly Alternating Therapy with Irinotecan/Cisplatin and Etoposide/Cisplatin for Patients with Small-Cell Lung Cancer

The combination of IP (irinotecan/cisplatin) has been shown to confer a survival benefit compared with EP (etoposide/cisplatin) in patients with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). Based on this and potential synergy from sequential inhibition of topoisomerases I and II, we conducted a phase I study to assess the feasibility of weekly therapy alternating IP and EP. The doses of EP were fixed (etoposide 60 mg/m2 on days 1-3 and cisplatin 20 mg/m2 on day 1). The dose of irinotecan was escalated in serial cohorts at 3 dose levels: 80, 90, and 100 mg/m2 on day 1. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor was given on days 2-5 and days 4-7 after IP and EP, respectively. Patients with limited-stage SCLC received chemoradiation during weeks 4-6 with etoposide 120 mg/m2 on days 1-3, cisplatin 60 mg/m2 on day 1, and thoracic radiation 1.5 Gy twice daily in 30 fractions. Patients received 12 weeks of therapy. To evaluate dose escalation in subsequent cohorts, dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) was initially assessed during weeks 1-3 of treatment. Characteristics of the 18 patients accrued are as follows: performance status 0/1, n = 9; female sex, n = 9; extended-stage SCLC, n = 16; and median age, 53 years. Four patients treated at irinotecan dose level 1 (80 mg/m2), 6 patients at dose level 2 (90 mg/m2), and 6 patients at dose level 3 (100 mg/m2) did not experience DLT in weeks 1-4 and completed therapy without major incident. The only 2 patients to experience DLT during weeks 1-4 were treated at dose level 2. Both were hospitalized during week 4 and subsequently died. However, patients had already been accrued at dose level 3 and tolerated therapy well. Therefore, the trial design was modified to assess DLT during weeks 1-4, and additional patients were cautiously added to the dose level 2 and 3 cohorts. Analysis of summary toxicity data resulted in a recommendation that dose level 3 be used in phase II based on the probability of DLT of 16% (95% CI, 3%-29%). Responses in 16 evaluable patients include complete response in 1 patient, partial response in 14 patients, and minor response in 1 patient. With the exception of the 2 deaths, the therapy was well tolerated and active. Phase II evaluation of the regimen in patients with extensive-stage SCLC is ongoing.
Contribution of the vertebral artery to cerebral circulation in the rat snake Elaphe obsoleta.

Blood supplying the brain in vertebrates is carried primarily by the carotid vasculature. In most mammals, cerebral blood flow is supplemented by the vertebral arteries, which anastomose with the carotids at the base of the brain. In other tetrapods, cerebral blood is generally believed to be supplied exclusively by the carotid vasculature, and the vertebral arteries are usually described as disappearing into the dorsal musculature between the heart and head. There have been several reports of a vertebral artery connection with the cephalic vasculature in snakes. We measured regional blood flows using fluorescently labeled microspheres and demonstrated that the vertebral artery contributes a small but significant fraction of cerebral blood flow (approximately 13% of total) in the rat snake Elaphe obsoleta. Vascular casts of the anterior vessels revealed that the vertebral artery connection is indirect, through multiple anastomoses with the inferior spinal artery, which connects with the carotid vasculature near the base of the skull. Using digital subtraction angiography, fluoroscopy, and direct observations of flow in isolated vessels, we confirmed that blood in the inferior spinal artery flows craniad from a point anterior to the vertebral artery connections. Such collateral blood supply could potentially contribute to the maintenance of cerebral circulation during circumstances when craniad blood flow is compromised, e.g., during the gravitational stress of climbing.
Multiple-Access Capability of Frequency-Hop Spread-Spectrum Communication

The multiple-access capability of frequency-hop spread-spectrum communication is considered from an information theoretic viewpoint. The model adopted is that of an interference channel with T source-receiver pairs with ith receiver only interested in the message produced by the ith source. Different transmitters use different frequency-hopping patterns which we model as random hopping patterns. We propose some simple models for the resulting channels. We consider both the case where all users are synchronized and the totally asynchronous case. We also consider the cases when the receiver can detect when two or more transmitters hop to the same frequency at the same time. This allows for erasure correction in decoding. Without this information the channel is modeled as a noisy M-ary symmetric channel. when there is a hit and a noise-less M-ary symmetric channel in the absence of a hit. For this channel model we determine the capacity region.
The Migrant Farmer in the History of the Cape Colony, 1657-1842

Petrus Johannes Van der Merwe wrote three of the most significant books on the history of South Africa before he was 35 years old. His trilogy, of which The Migrant Farmer is the first volume, has become a classic that no student of Cape colonial history of the seventeenth, eighteenth or nineteenth century can ignore. Van der Merwe was unique among Afrikaner historians in that he focused not on the single event known as the Great Trek, but on the greater migration, nearly three hundred years long, of peoples of Dutch, French and German descent out from the victualling station at Cape Town after their arrival there in 1652. In the process he pioneered new directions in historical writing decades before they became fashionable among other South African historians. Van der Merwe was less interested in politics than in the social, cultural, economic and religious lives of his subjects. He asked questions about such daily concerns as work, food, property owning, private and public worship, leisure activities, fashions, the environment and about the farmers' relations with their neighbors, both white and black. The Migrant Farmer (Die Trekboer in die Geskiedenis van die Kaapkolonie, 1657-1842) was published in Cape Town in Afrikaans in 1938. Beck's English translation will allow scholars worldwide the opportunity to use, or challenge, this pioneering study of South Africa.
Lateral interactions: size does matter

Usually a high-contrast, co-local mask increases contrast threshold (inhibition). Interestingly, a laterally displaced mask (flanker) can facilitate contrast detection (Vision Research 33 (1993) 993; 34 (1994) 73). When spatial scaling of these flanker effects was implied, stimulus bandwidth was confounded with spatial frequency (k � 1 ). Under conditions where at lower spatial frequencies, the size (standard deviation, r) of the Gabor patch was smaller (r < k) than higher spatial frequencies (r ¼ k), the effect appeared scale invariant. We replicated the original results for all conditions. However, when Gabor size was fixed (r ¼ k), facilitation changed with spatial frequency (range 2–13 cycles/deg). When Gabor size was varied (r ¼ 0:5–2k), usually the combination of larger patch sizes and lower spatial frequencies caused inhibition. We were unable to find any conditions that demonstrated spatial scaling. The size, both k and r, of both stimulus and flankers, influenced contrast threshold. Also, facilitation reduced as contrast of the flankers was reduced to detection threshold. Some facilitation was apparent with sub-threshold flankers. These results need to be reconciled with current models of lateral interactions. 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Decreased adherence of interleukin 6-treated breast carcinoma cells can lead to separation from neighbors after mitosis.

Abstract Interleukin 6 (IL-6) has been shown to inhibit the proliferation, but increase the motility, of wild-type ZR-75-1 human ductal breast carcinoma cells, a line of cells that resemble closely the malignant cells cultured from the ascitic effusion. IL-6-treated cells lose their epithelial character, become stellate or fusiform in shape, and migrate away from neighbors. In the wild-type ZR-75-1 cells, IL-6 causes cell-cell separation in preformed colonies as well as postmitotically. We have now investigated the action of IL-6 in clone B ZR-75-1 cells, which are morphologically distinct from wild-type ZR-75-1 cells. In the more polygonal rather than cuboidal clone B cells, IL-6 did not cause early inhibition of DNA synthesis and it caused little cell-cell separation in preformed colonies. However, IL-6 treatment markedly prolonged the interval between mitosis and readherence of daughter cells to their neighbors and the substratum. Supernatants from IL-6-treated cultures contained detached viable cells in increased numbers. Intermitotic intervals were prolonged in IL-6-treated cultures. IL-6-treated dividing breast carcinoma cells are characterized by an increased probability of separation from neighbors and the substratum.
The 25 kW power module - First step beyond the baseline STS

The backbone of the first reusable Space Transportation System (STS) is the Space Shuttle. The 25 kW Power Module is currently being defined by NASA as the first significant increment in capability beyond the baseline STS and is to be available for use in 1983. The Power Module is an orbit-based space system which will augment the capability of the Space Shuttle Orbiter to support Spacelab sortie missions and will provide a unique free-flying mode for a variety of payloads which require high capability, long duration, and man-tended operation. The Power Module will make it possible for the Space Shuttle Orbiter and Spacelab to remain on-orbit for periods of time significantly in excess of that provided by the baseline STS (7 days) without major penalty to the Shuttle and its payload.
Kestenbaum's Number as an Indicator of Pupillomotor Input Asymmetry

We compared the direct light response of both eyes in 90 patients who had anterior visual pathway disease using two different testing methods. We measured Kestenbaum's number in millimeters of pupillary diameter. Kestenbaum's number (K) is the difference in the pupil size attained in each eye under direct illumination while the other eye is occluded. We then measured the relative afferent pupillary defect (RAPD) in log units using neutral density filters. The two tests gave similar results (K = 0.88 × RAPD). Kestenbaum's number is the less precise measure, but it can be quickly and cheaply estimated even in dark brown eyes. The filter test requires a set of filters and at least one well-innervated iris sphincter. Kestenbaum's number can be measured without filters, but the iris sphincter and dilator muscles in both eyes must be normally innervated.
Mass-balance analysis of reactive transport and cation exchange in a plume of wastewater-contaminated groundwater

Mass-balance calculations were used to quantify reactive transport processes and cation exchange in a plume of groundwater contaminated with septage-effluent wastewater on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Of the chloride mass recharged to the aquifer in effluent, as much as 72% was accounted for using spatial moment analysis and finite-element integration of groundwater concentrations, which were sampled at ≤69 wells and supplemented by borehole electromagnetic-induction logging. Comparison of chloride transport and mass balances with transport and mass balances of other species indicated that reactive processes substantially altered concentrations of all major chemical constituents. Calcium in effluent was exchanged for magnesium on aquifer sediments. Potassium also was attenuated, possibly through exchange with magnesium, sodium, and/or hydrogen ions. Sufficient hydrogen ions were generated by microbial nitrification in the unsaturated zone to consume effluent alkalinity and lower the effluent pH from 7.2 to 5.0 in the recharged groundwater; the resultant acid conditions may have facilitated anion adsorption and silicate-mineral dissolution. Retardation factors (R) calculated from breakthrough curves indicated that calcium (R = 1.4−2.2) and boron (R = 1.3−2.1) were similarly retarded, whereas potassium experienced greater retardation (R = 1.8−5.2). Retardation of calcium, boron, and potassium was greater in the unsaturated zone than in the saturated zone; this may have resulted from spatial heterogeneity in exchange properties and preferential saturated-zone flow through coarse-grained sediments not present in the unsaturated zone. Although concentrations may stabilize and chemical reactions reach equilibrium at fixed points along paths in the plume, the mass-balance analysis illustrated that steady-state conditions will not be established throughout the aquifer and the cumulative mass of reacted constituents in the plume will increase until the plume reaches its discharge area. The analysis also indicates that retrospective study of dissolved concentrations in an established plume after many years of transport may not identify reactive transport and attenuation of plume constituents, if precise data on source concentrations (or masses) and the spatial distribution of solutes during plume development are not available. Finally, transport of the effluent-contaminated groundwater also altered the geochemistry of the aquifer, for example, through cation exchange, such that the introduction of clean, uncontaminated water into the aquifer will not immediately restore pre-plume conditions.
Facilitative Strategies in Action

Thoughtful collaborations between student and academic affairs enhance the student learning environment.
The Effects of Differential Timing in the Introduction of Japanese Syllabaries on Early Second Language Development in Japanese

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a time lag in the introduction of Japanese syllabaries makes a difference in the early second language acquisition of Japanese. Two groups of native speakers of English, an experimental (lag) group and a control (nonlag) group, participated in this study. The difference between these groups was the amount of time (8 weeks) that elapsed before syllabaries were introduced into their respective Japanese curricula. The 2 groups were equivalent in terms of demographic characteristics, and the instructors, instructional materials, and methods were identical. The results of 2 posttests showed no significant differences between the experimental and control groups. Thus, the timing of the introduction of syllabaries may not be as significant an issue as has been previously thought.
Design and performance of a skid-mounted portable compartment fire gas furnace and monitoring system

A custom, portable natural gas fire furnace was designed and constructed for use at the University of Notre Dame to experimentally investigate the out-of-plane behavior of full-scale reinforced concrete (RC) bearing walls under fire. The unique aspects of this furnace allowed the application of large mechanical loads and non-contact optical response monitoring to be done while subjecting the wall to elevated temperatures. The performance of the experimental furnace, mechanical loading, and response monitoring system is reported using the results from the first two RC wall test specimens.
Income Disparity, Time Allocation, and Social Welfare in a System of Cities

The objective of this paper is to examine the formation of specialized cities with multiple types of households in a decentralized system of cities. This is done in a two-sector spatial general-equilibrium model of a closed economy consisting of two groups of labor forces: a continuum of unskilled labor used to produce a food product, and a continuum of skilled labor used in the production of a high-tech product. Cities are formed in this model as a result of investment in public infrastructure. This investment leads to a reduction in commuting cost and consequently to an increase in the time that households can utilize for work and leisure. The paper characterizes the equilibrium solution for a purely specialized system of cities and presents some comparative static results. Moreover, the paper presents an explanation for the variation in city sizes as a result of differences in households' value of time. Finally, the paper analyzes the determinants of income disparity between the two different types of cities and its impacts on social welfare.
Modulation of the Secretory Pathway Rescues Zebrafish Polycystic Kidney Disease Pathology

Mutations in polycystin 1 and polycystin 2 are responsible for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, the most common heritable human disease. Polycystins function as calcium ion channels, but their impact on cell physiology is not fully known. Recent findings suggest that polycystins could function in the maintenance of extracellular matrix integrity. In zebrafish, polycystin 2 knockdown induces kidney cysts, hydrocephalus, left/right asymmetry defects, and strong dorsal axis curvature. Here, we show that increased notochord sheath collagen deposition in polycystin 2-deficient embryos is directly linked to axis defects. Increased collagen II protein accumulation did not associate with increased col2a1 mRNA or a decrease in matrix metalloproteinase activity but, instead, it associated with increased expression of the endoplasmic reticulum/Golgi transport coat protein complex II Sec proteins. sec24D knockdown prevented dorsal axis curvature and kidney cystogenesis in polycystin 2 morphants. Nontoxic doses of brefeldin A also prevented the dorsal axis curvature formation in polycystin 2 morphants and curly up polycystin 2 mutants. Brefeldin A treatment after the onset of polycystin deficiency phenotypes reversed the curved axis phenotype but not kidney cyst progression. Our results suggest that polycystin 2 deficiency causes increased collagen II synthesis with upregulation of secretory pathway coat protein complex II components. Restoration of normal rates of secretory protein synthesis and secretion may be a new target in the treatment of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.
A new diagnostic algorithm for early prediction of vascular compromise in 208 microsurgical flaps using tissue oxygen saturation measurements.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the detection of vascular complications earlier than clinical evidence using a noninvasive near-infrared tissue oximeter monitor. Early detection of circulatory compromise allows for earlier re-exploration and better outcomes. The monitoring method studied was the ViOptix T.Ox Tissue Oximeter (ViOptix Inc., Fremont, CA). The device uses an optical tissue characterization based on measuring scattering and absorption of near infrared light. Tissue oxygen saturation and its derivates were evaluated as candidates for a more sensitive algorithm to predict vascular flap complications. Criteria studied in various combinations were the absolute value of tissue oxygen saturation (StO 2 ), the amount of its change (ΔStO 2 ) and the rate of its change (ΔStO 2 /Δt). There were 208 monitored breast flaps in 145 patients (62 bilateral and 83 unilateral). In 1 patient, 2 flaps were used to make a single breast. Patients were monitored intraoperatively and postoperatively for 36 hours. No flap being monitored was lost. Among the 208 flaps monitored, 5 patients exhibited complications that were predicted by the tissue oximeter before clinical signs were evident. If blood flow was completely occluded by either venous or arterial thrombosis, the tissue oximeter provided information that enabled diagnosis to be made in about 1 hour. The drop rate indicator ΔStO 2 /Δt, when it is equal to or greater than 20% per hour sustained more than 30 minutes predicted vascular complications. The use of the new diagnostic algorithm with the T.Ox Tissue Oximeter monitor was successful in predicting flap complication within 1 hour of the onset of the occlusive event with a high diagnostic accuracy in the 208 flap procedures.
Optimizing transdermal drug therapy.

Purpose. The pharmacokinetics, benefits, risks, and future of transdermal drug products are reviewed. Summary. Transdermal drug delivery capitalizes on an attractive route of drug delivery, as it avoids the need for painful i.v. drug administration, i.v. site access, and syringe disposal and is an option for drug delivery to patients who are unable to swallow oral medications. Specific transdermal drug designs have advantages and disadvantages, including the ability to alter the patch size or readily manipulate the products. Transdermal drug delivery systems currently available include drug reservoir and microreservoir membrane-modulated systems, drug-in-adhesive layer designs, and matrix patches. Maximizing patient response to transdermal drug formulations may also rely on a number of other practical concerns, including patient dexterity, dose reproducibility, storage and stability of the remaining portion, and decreased adhesive efficacy. Adhesives in transdermal precuts may be locally irritating, and prolonged use and high dosages have resulted in dermatological reactions to some patches. Patients may also develop contact sensitization or systemic sensitization to the transdermal formulation itself. When a transdermal product regimen is initiated, caregivers should be mindful of the product’s primary features and educate patients accordingly, specifically addressing where and how to apply the patch, duration of patch use, and procedures for properly changing and storing patches. Conclusion. The increasing complexity of transdermal drug products, the growing number of medications available in such dosage forms, and reports of potential safety concerns contribute to the need for clinicians to understand the principles of transdermal drug delivery, safe usage techniques, and proper patient counseling points.
A Major Human White Matter Pathway Between Dorsal and Ventral Visual Cortex

Human visual cortex comprises many visual field maps organized into clusters. A standard organization separates visual maps into 2 distinct clusters within ventral and dorsal cortex. We combined fMRI, diffusion MRI, and fiber tractography to identify a major white matter pathway, the vertical occipital fasciculus (VOF), connecting maps within the dorsal and ventral visual cortex. We use a model-based method to assess the statistical evidence supporting several aspects of the VOF wiring pattern. There is strong evidence supporting the hypothesis that dorsal and ventral visual maps communicate through the VOF. The cortical projection zones of the VOF suggest that human ventral (hV4/VO-1) and dorsal (V3A/B) maps exchange substantial information. The VOF appears to be crucial for transmitting signals between regions that encode object properties including form, identity, and color and regions that map spatial information.
Minority Group: An Ideological Formulation

This paper traces the process by which the term minority group was derived from its predecessor, national minority , and came to be used as a general term for all groups subjected to prejudice and discrimination. The historical context in which the evolution of the term occurred was shaped by political factors with both domestic and international aspects that influenced the choice of the term. I discuss the conceptual shortcomings of the term, show how it implies a contestable theory of prejudice and discrimination, and analyze it as an ideological formulation. In conclusion, I propose its replacement by the term oppressed group.
Biochemical and virological outcome of patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with interferon alfa-2b for 6 or 12 months: a 4-year follow-up of 211 patients

To compare two interferon (IFN) schedules for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C, we followed 211 patients who received 3 million units IFN-alpha2b thrice weekly for either 6 months (group 1; 85 patients) or 12 months (group 2; 126 patients), with a median follow-up of 3.4 (0.1-8.4) and 4.2 (0.7-8.7) years, respectively. The biochemical and virological responses at the end of treatment were 34.1% and 16.5% versus 62.7% and 41.2% for the 6- and the 12-month regimens, respectively. Late biochemical responses (after the third month of treatment) occurred in 30.6% of responding patients, and they were not particularly associated with an adverse long-term treatment outcome. In a multivariate analysis, patients with a primary response were significantly more frequently infected with a non-1b HCV genotype (relative risk [RR]: 14.4), had been treated for 12 months (RR: 6.0), and had an early stage of liver fibrosis (RR: 5.2). Baseline serum HCV-RNA and ferritin levels also bore a significant, though weaker, association with a primary response. Using a set of pretreatment variables in a model of discriminant analysis, we could correctly predict the long-term virological outcome in 86.6% of the individual cases. At the end of follow-up, a biochemical and virological sustained response was observed in 14.1% and 11.8% versus 40.5% and 31% of groups 1 and 2, respectively. Significant predictors of a virological sustained response were a virological primary response (RR: 41.2) and the pretreatment level of serum HCV-RNA (RR: 10.3 per each 10(6)-Eq/mL decrease). Patients with a "good treatment profile," including an early stage of liver fibrosis, a non-1b genotype and serum HCV-RNA <0.35 x 10(6) Eq/mL, had a 66.7% rate of observed virological SR, compared with a zero response for those with the opposite, a "bad treatment profile." We conclude that a 12-month IFN treatment, along with a non-1b genotype and the absence of advanced stage of fibrosis, are the main determinants for the induction of a virological primary response in chronic hepatitis C. Such response, along with a low pretreatment serum HCV-RNA level, are the main predictors for a 4-year virological response to IFN.
Sentinel Node Localization in Head and Neck Tumors

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is a minimally invasive method that was developed to stage the regional lymphatics of patients with cutaneous melanoma. Many studies performed worldwide have shown that SLNB is a feasible method to stage the cervical lymphatics in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The accuracy of SLNB in patients with HNSCC is currently under investigation in a multicenter study sponsored by the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group that compares the results of SLNB with standard elective neck dissection. Research to date has also shown that multiple SLNs and individualized drainage patterns characterize head and neck mucosal sites. These findings suggest that lymphoscintigraphy alone may be useful to delineate the lymphatic basins that require treatment in patients with HNSCC and in patients whose head and neck lymphatics are disrupted because of prior surgery or irradiation.
Cost analysis of mobility management entities for SIGMA

To facilitate mobile computing, mobility protocols have been proposed and mobility management involves signaling costs. Widespread use of IP-enabled mobile devices have resulted in increase in number of mobile users in the network and the signaling cost on underlying mobility entities have increased significantly, which will result in performance degradation of the mobility protocols. However, there has been no comprehensive cost analysis of mobility protocol entities that considers all possible costs for mobility management. In this paper, we have developed analytical models to estimate total costs of mobility management entities of SIGMA, an IP-diversity based seamless handover protocol. We have presented numerical results to demonstrate the impact of increased of network size, mobility rate, traffic rate and data volume on these costs. Our results show that a significant amount of resources are required by the mobility entities for transmission, processing of various signaling messages, as well as searching location database. Our cost analysis will thus help network engineers estimate actual resource requirements of the network in future design.
A Simple Two‐Sector Model of Outsourcing

Outsourcing has become an increasingly contentious subject ever since N. Gregory Mankiw remarked in 2004 that outsourcing is just another way of doing international trade, and must be beneficial to the nation, including the workers. We construct a simple two-sector specific-factor model and explore the validity of Mankiw's remarks. We find his ideas are valid when the country does not produce any outsourced factor's work at home in that both the laborers and the nation benefit. But when some outsourced factor cum intermediate good is also produced at home, the nation still benefits but the workers may suffer.
Traversing Scales of Brain and Behavioral Organization II: Analysis and Reconstruction

Brain signals can be recorded from humans in a great variety of experimental setups and task conditions. As outlined in the first of our papers (Kelso, Fuchs and Jirsa this volume, referred to in the following as KFJ) our approach aims at specific situations were (in most cases) coordination tasks are used to prepare the brain into a certain state. Changing this state by either the variation of an external parameter or slight changes in the task allows us to link properties of movement behavior to ongoing neural activity. In so-called transition paradigms we have shown how the spatiotemporal patterns obtained by recordings of the electric scalp potential (EEG) (Wallenstein et al. 1995), (Meaux et al. 1996) or the magnetic field (MEG) (Fuchs et al. 1992) undergo changes when spontaneous switches in the subject’s motor coordination occur. Here we describe in detail how analysis and visualization techniques can be used to show how brain activity is related to a kinematic feature of finger movement — its velocity profile, as outlined in KFJ. We are going to show which parts of the brain signals are invariant a cross different movement types, i.e. the flexion or extension of an index finger, and what differences can be found for different task conditions, i.e. syncopation or synchronization with an external stimulus.
Long-term increases in snow pack elevate leaf N and photosynthesis in Salix arctica: responses to a snow fence experiment in the High Arctic of NW Greenland

We examine the influence of altered winter precipitation on a High Arctic landscape with continuous permafrost. Gas exchange, leaf tissue element and isotopic composition (N, δ13C, δ15N), and plant water sources derived from stem and soil water δ18O were examined in Salix arctica (arctic willow) following a decade of snow-fence-enhanced snow pack in NW Greenland. Study plots in ambient and +snow conditions were sampled in summer 2012. Plants experiencing enhanced snow conditions for 10 years had higher leaf [N], photosynthetic rate, and more enriched leaf δ15N. Enhanced snow did not influence stomatal conductance or depth of plant water use. We attribute the higher photosynthetic rate in S. arctica exposed to deeper snow pack to altered biogeochemical cycles which yielded higher leaf [N] rather than to enhanced water availability. These data demonstrate the complexity of High Arctic plant responses to changes in winter conditions. Furthermore, our data depict the intricate linkages between winter and summer conditions as they regulate processes such as leaf gas exchange that may control water vapor and CO2 feedbacks between arctic tundra and the surrounding atmosphere.
Next-generation sequencing to guide cancer therapy

As a result of multiple technological and practical advances, high-throughput sequencing, known more commonly as “next-generation” sequencing (NGS), can now be incorporated into standard clinical practice. Whereas early protocols relied on samples that were harvested outside of typical clinical pathology workflows, standard formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded specimens can more regularly be used as starting materials for NGS. Furthermore, protocols for the analysis and interpretation of NGS data, as well as knowledge bases, are being amassed, allowing clinicians to act more easily on genomic information at the point of care for patients. In parallel, new therapies that target somatically mutated genes identified through clinical NGS are gaining US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, and novel clinical trial designs are emerging in which genetic identifiers are given equal weight to histology. For clinical oncology providers, understanding the potential and the limitations of DNA sequencing will be crucial for providing genomically driven care in this era of precision medicine.
A VLSI design for a trace-back Viterbi decoder

A systolic Viterbi decoder for convolutional codes is developed which uses the trace-back method to reduce the amount of data needed to be stored in registers. It is shown that this new algorithm requires a smaller chip size and achieves a faster decoding time than other existing methods. >
Understanding the energy efficiency of SMT and CMP with multiclustering

In this paper we study the energy efficiency of SMT and CMP with multiclustering. Through a detailed design space exploration, we show that clustering closes the energy efficiency gap between SMT and CMP at equal performance points. Specifically, we show that the energy efficiency of CMP compared to SMT at a given performance decreases from a maximum of 25% in a monolithic processor case to 6% when the processor resources are clustered. By carefully considering floorplans, we show that this is, in part, enabled by the small energy consumption (less than 3%) of the interconnection buses required for clustering, even with SMT. As the gap narrows, we show that the efficiency of SMT versus CMP depends on the contribution of leakage energy: at lower leakage, the CMP tends to be better than the SMT, while the SMT outperforms the CMP at higher leakage levels. We demonstrate these results over a wide range of performance and machine configurations.
Student Perceived and Determined Knowledge of Biology Concepts in an Upper-Level Biology Course.

Students who lack metacognitive skills can struggle with the learning process. To be effective learners, students should recognize what they know and what they do not know. This study examines the relationship between students’ perception of their knowledge and determined knowledge in an upper-level biology course utilizing a pre/posttest approach. Significant differences in students’ perception of their knowledge and their determined knowledge exist at the beginning (pretest) and end (posttest) of the course. Alignment between student perception and determined knowledge was significantly more accurate on the posttest compared with the pretest. Students whose determined knowledge was in the upper quartile had significantly better alignment between their perception and determined knowledge on the pre- and posttest than students in the lower quartile. No difference exists between how students perceived their knowledge between upper- and lower-quartile students. There was a significant difference in alignment of perception and determined knowledge between males and females on the posttest, with females being more accurate in their perception of knowledge. This study provides evidence of discrepancies that exist between what students perceive they know and what they actually know.
A note on the nonzero spectra of irreducible matrices

In this note we extend the necessary and sufficient conditions of Boyle–Handleman [M. Boyle and D. Handelman, The spectra of nonnegative matrices via symbolic dynamics, Ann. Math. 133 (1991), pp. 249–316] and Kim–Ormes–Roush [K.H. Kim, N.S. Ormes, and F.W. Roush, The spectra of nonnegative integer matrices via formal power series, J. Am. Math. Soc. 13 (2000), pp. 773–806] for a nonzero eigenvalue multiset of primitive matrices over ℝ+ and Z +, respectively, to irreducible matrices.