cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Kernel Density Estimation as a Measure of Environmental Exposure Related to Insulin Resistance in Breast Cancer Survivors

Background: Environmental factors may influence breast cancer; however, most studies have measured environmental exposure in neighborhoods around home residences (static exposure). We hypothesize that tracking environmental exposures over time and space (dynamic exposure) is key to assessing total exposure. This study compares breast cancer survivors' exposure to walkable and recreation-promoting environments using dynamic Global Positioning System (GPS) and static home-based measures of exposure in relation to insulin resistance.Methods: GPS data from 249 breast cancer survivors living in San Diego County were collected for one week along with fasting blood draw. Exposure to recreation spaces and walkability was measured for each woman's home address within an 800 m buffer (static), and using a kernel density weight of GPS tracks (dynamic). Participants' exposure estimates were related to insulin resistance (using the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, HOMA-IR) controlled by age and body mass index (BMI) in linear regression models.Results: The dynamic measurement method resulted in greater variability in built environment exposure values than did the static method. Regression results showed no association between HOMA-IR and home-based, static measures of walkability and recreation area exposure. GPS-based dynamic measures of both walkability and recreation area were significantly associated with lower HOMA-IR (P < 0.05).Conclusions: Dynamic exposure measurements may provide important evidence for community- and individual-level interventions that can address cancer risk inequities arising from environments wherein breast cancer survivors live and engage.Impact: This is the first study to compare associations of dynamic versus static built environment exposure measures with insulin outcomes in breast cancer survivors. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 26(7); 1078-84. ©2017 AACR.
A Phase I Trial of High-Dose Lenalidomide and Melphalan as Conditioning for Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation in Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma

Abstract Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) conditioned with high-dose chemotherapy has long been established as the standard of care for eligible patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. Despite recent therapeutic advances, high-dose melphalan (HDM) remains the chemotherapy regimen of choice in this setting. Lenalidomide (LEN) in combination with low-dose dexamethasone is recognized as a standard of care for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM), and there is growing support for the administration of LEN as maintenance therapy post-ASCT. In view of the above, the present phase I clinical trial was designed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of high-dose LEN (HDLEN) in patients with RRMM, and to determine the maximum tolerated dose of HDLEN when added to HDM before ASCT. Despite administering HDLEN at doses of up to 350 mg/day, the maximum tolerated dose could not be determined, owing to an insufficient number of dose-limiting toxicities in the 21 patients enrolled in the trial. Conditioning with HDLEN plus HDM was associated with a favorable tolerability profile. Adverse events following ASCT were as expected with HDM. Median progression-free and overall survival were 10 months and 22 months, respectively, in this population of heavily pretreated patients. Our findings suggest that HDLEN in combination with HDM may offer significant potential as a conditioning regimen before ASCT in patients with RRMM. These preliminary findings are now being evaluated further in an ongoing phase II clinical trial.
Educação Básica: contribuição universitária nas boas práticas de gestão escolar

A aproximacao da universidade no melhoramento das praticas de gestao escolar nos ocupa neste artigo. O objetivo e identificar e descrever a contribuicao universitaria com as boas praticas em gestao escolar desenvolvidas na Escola Municipal Santa Marta de Sao Leopoldo. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa, tipo Estudo de Caso. A coleta de dados se da atraves do diario de campo de um dos autores deste artigo, tambem participante da direcao da respectiva escola; da analise documental e da literatura e de entrevista com a diretora da escola. Os resultados preliminares evidenciam: os fatores social, economico e cultural por si so nao determinam boas ou mas praticas de gestao escolar; as boas praticas de gestao escolar dao-se de forma colaborativa, participativa envolvendo todos os atores sociais no contexto escolar; a colaboracao entre escolas e universidades apresenta-se categoria relevante para o exito na gestao escolar resultando em boas praticas. Normal 0 21 false false false PT-BR X-NONE X-NONE
An Information-Processing Theory of Interactive Analogical Retrieval

Analogy is said to be ubiquitous in cognition. Since cognition is situated, it follows that analogical reasoning too is situated in external physical, social and informational environments. An essential first step in analogical reasoning is retrieval of a source case appropriate for the target situation. In this chapter, we study analogical retrieval in the context of biologically inspired design in which new technological designs are generated by cross-domain analogies to biological systems. We focus on the phenomenon of interactive analogical retrieval (IAR) wherein the source biological cases are obtained through interaction with online information environments. We first provide a description of IAR based on two in situ studies of biologically inspired design in an educational setting. We then describe an information-processing theory called PRISM that provides an explanation of IAR. The PRISM theory builds on the Pirolli’s [49] Information Foraging Theory and Thagard et al.’s [56] computational model of Analogical Retrieval by Constraint Satisfaction. If we take the boundary of the cognitive system in biologically inspired design as including online information environments, then the phenomenon of IAR becomes an important element of understanding the situatedness of analogical reasoning. By folding in interactions with external information environments, PRISM may provide a starting point for developing a general information-processing theory of situated analogy.
Conflicting Data on the Incidence of Leukopenia and Neutropenia After Heated Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy with Mitomycin C

During heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), neutropenia rates of 20 to 40% have been reported when mitomycin C (MMC) is dosed by weight or body surface area (BSA). This study investigated the authors’ HIPEC experience using a fixed 40-mg dose of MMC, per consensus guidelines, and analyzed predictors for severe leukopenia and neutropenia. Patients who underwent MMC-HIPEC from 2007 to 2016 at a single tertiary care center were retrospectively reviewed. Among 314 MMC-HIPEC cases, 72 patients in the early era of the authors’ program received routine prophylactic postoperative granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor (GCSF). This early cohort had five severe leukopenic reactions and one neutropenic reaction. In the subsequent 242 cases without GCSF prophylaxis, severe leukopenia developed in 16 patients (7%), with neutropenia occurring in 11 (4.5%) of these cases. A history of prior systemic chemotherapy was noted in 9 (56%) of the 16 leukopenic patients compared with 112 (46%) of the patients who had no leukopenia (nonsignificant difference). The median nadir of leukopenia was 5 days (range 1–11 days). Of the 11 neutropenic patients, 6 received therapeutic GCSF, and 5 recovered without intervention. The 30-day postoperative mortality of the patients with leukopenia was 0%. In this study, the incidence of neutropenia after HIPEC with 40 mg of MMC was markedly lower than reported in the literature for doses adjusted by BSA or weight. The authors report that GCSF is not necessary for routine prophylaxis of all MMC-HIPEC patients. The findings suggest that a fixed 40-mg dose of MMC allows HIPEC to be performed with less risk of immunosuppression.
Increasing Caregivers’ Adherence to an Early-Literacy Intervention Improves the Print Knowledge of Children with Language Impairment

This study investigated the effects of four behavior-change techniques for caregivers implementing a 15-week literacy intervention with their children with language impairment. Techniques include modeling, encouragement, feedback, and rewards. Random assignment within a factorial experimental design was used to determine which behavior-change technique(s) each of the 128 caregivers would receive. Caregivers' adherence was assessed for frequency and dosage of intervention based on submission of logs and tape recordings. Children's print knowledge was assessed at pre- and posttest to assess literacy skills. Results showed that children whose caregivers were rewarded 50 cents per session to implement the intervention made significantly greater gains in print knowledge over the treatment period. Further, these effects were fully mediated by effects of the behavior-change technique on caregivers' adherence to the intervention.
Solvent effects in the reactions of free radicals and atoms—VI

Abstract Aromatic solvents have a large effect upon the reactivity of chlorine atoms toward carbon-hydrogen bonds having different bond dissociation energies. When the difference in reactivity of two carbon-hydrogen bonds is determined by polar effects, aromatic solvents have little effect upon the relative reactivities toward chlorine atoms. Two polar effects are important in the reactions of atoms and radicals with carbon-hydrogen bonds. When extensive bond rupture in the transition state occurs, a resonance contribution to the transition state involving charge separation is important (e.g. bromine atoms). For an atom as reactive as chlorine where little bond breaking occurs in the transition state, the polar effect is best considered in terms of a repulsion curve between the chlorine atom and the carbon-hydrogen bonds, repulsion being higher the lower the electron density of the carbon-hydrogen bond.
Taking It to the Street: Disseminating Empirically Based Treatments (EBTs)

During the last decade, the development of effective interventions for abusive and high-risk children and families has received substantial attention. As a result of this increased attention to evidence-based practices, developers have attempted to systematically train mental health providers in these same interventions. This chapter provides a brief overview of the core components of implementation as defined by Dean Fixsen and his colleagues (2005), followed by a description of the way in which the EBTs presented in this volume have incorporated these principles into their training programs.
Regulation of Vitamin D Metabolism: The Kidney as an Endocrine Organ

By biological assay it was learned prior to the isolation and identification of 25-OH-D3 that its production (then termed peak IV) could be increased by increasing to high levels the dosage of vitamin D given to pigs (Blunt et al., 1968a). By increasing the dietary intake of vitamin D from 90 units of antirachitic activity per pound to 250,000 units per pound of feed, the amount of circulating peak IV metabolite could be increased from 1 unit/ml to 12 units/ml. However, it is self-evident that the increase in 25-OH-D3 production was not linearly related to the dose. Following isolation and identification of the vitamin D metabolite, it was learned that the liver is the site of 25-hydroxylation. When 25-hydroxylation was measured in vitro, no activity cduld be found in animals given normal levels of vitamin D whereas those on low vitamin D intakes had demonstrable activity in their liver homogenates (Bhattacharyya and Deluca, 1973). Vitamin D-deficient animals had significant levels of 25-hydroxylase activity whereas those animals predosed with as little as 250 ng of vitamin D3 6–12 h before had their 25-hydroxy-lase suppressed. The suppression and release of 25-hydroxylase activity were related to both dose of vitamin D and time after dose. The larger the dose the longer the period required before the 25-hydroxylase activity became measurable (Bhattacharyya and Deluca, 1973). This led to the suggestion that 25-hydroxylase activity is feedback regulated by the hepatic level of 25-OH-D3 itself. The mechanism of this suppression remains unknown, and it is possible that the suppression is merely product inhibition; on the other hand, it appears as though more is involved, such as allosteric inactivation of the 25-hydroxylase.
Protect or Pay? Promoting Internal Whistleblowing

Employee whistleblowing is responsible for detecting the largest percentage of occupational frauds, making it a critical concern for managers. Anti-retaliation measures and monetary incentives are two ways managers can encourage employees to report suspicions or observations of misconduct to internal channels. Results of a 2x3 experimental survey of 283 working US adults show that anti-retaliation policies significantly positively relate to internal whistleblowing, and that employee trust in the organization mediates and obligation to report partially mediates this relationship. Relatively low monetary awards, framed as compensation or as a reward, do not increase whistleblowing intentions, while relatively high payments, when offered after low payments, do significantly increase reporting likelihood. Results suggest that managers should focus on developing and enforcing anti-retaliation policies and tread lightly when considering the use of monetary incentives to incentivize whistleblowing.
Immunosuppressive therapy in myelodysplastic syndromes: a borrowed therapy in search of the right place.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) encompass a heterogenous collection of clonal hematopoietic stem cell disorders defined by dysregulated hematopoiesis, peripheral cytopenias, a...
National Patterns in Surgical Management of Syndactyly: A Review of 956 Cases.

Purpose: Being one of the most common congenital hand malformations, syndactyly is repaired by orthopedic, plastic, and fellowship-trained general surgeons. Limited multi-institutional outcomes ana...
ALS/SURV: a modification of the CAFS statistic

We present a composite endpoint that can be used in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) trials, which combines functional status (via the ALS functional rating scale) and survival, denoted ALS/SURV. ALS/SURV modifies and extends the combined assessment of function and survival (CAFS) score and assigns rankings to participants that withdraw or are lost to follow up in a way that does not disproportionately lower and skew ranks for those participants that reach study endpoint (either death or study completion). ALS/SURV has properties of: (1) ordering participants that completed the study from the shortest surviving participant to the last observed death followed by worst function to best function; (2) ordering participants withdrawing at time of withdrawal by their decline in functional status relative to all the participants still in the study; and (3) then maintaining this ordering at time of withdrawal relative to participants still in the study. These properties allow ALS/SURV to better account for participant drop out compared to CAFS. We derive and compare the rankings of participants from the ceftriaxone treatment trial for ALS/SURV and CAFS and demonstrate that ALS/SURV does not modify the ordering of participants that complete a study by the results of participants who withdraw. Additionally, ALS/SURV can be summarized as either median functional status or median survival along with interquartile range, thereby adding clinical meaning to the statistic. Finally, by applying normal deviates, confidence intervals can be computed and used to estimate power for future studies. In summary, the above properties support the role for ALS/SURV as a new ALS composite statistic.
Clinical and Molecular Profile Of Hereditary Antithrombin (AT) Deficiency: A Single Institution Cohort

Introduction Hereditary antithrombin (AT) deficiency is an autosomal dominant thrombophilia. It is classified into type 1 (quantitative) or type 2 (qualitative) deficiency based on the AT antigen and activity levels (Haemophilia 2008:14; 1229). The goal of this study was to correlate clinical phenotype with AT molecular defects. Methods After IRB approval, patients with a diagnosis of hereditary AT deficiency established at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, were identified from the clinical database (1997-2012). AT activity was assayed by a chromogenic Factor Xa assay and AT antigen level was assayed by latex immunoassay. Peripheral blood leukocyte genomic DNA was extracted using standard methods. PCR-amplification and ABI BigDye Terminator cycle sequencing kit was performed for all SERPINC1 exons, intronic splicing regions and the 3’UTR. SERPINC1 sequence was analyzed using Mutation Surveyor software (SoftGenetics). Clinical data were obtained from patient interview and medical record review. An event was defined as an episode of venous thromboembolism (VTE), including deep vein thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolism; arterial thrombosis, including cerebrovascular event and/or myocardial infarction, and an obstetric event, including miscarriages and/or spontaneous abortions. Statistical analysis was performed with SAS 9.1.3 (SAS Institute Inc. Cary, NC). Results Of 30 patients with hereditary AT deficiency; sequence data was available on 22. Twenty-nine (97%) patients were white, and 19 (63%) were females. Six patients (20%) were smokers and 9 (30%) had a body mass index of >30. Based on the AT activity and antigen levels, 18 (81%) had type 1 AT deficiency, while the remainder had type 2. Eleven patients were heterozygous for six novel (all type 1) mutations. One patient was also a homozygous carrier for the Factor V Leiden mutation. The median age at first thrombotic event was 24.4 years (range, 16.2-70.7), and the median age at diagnosis of AT deficiency was 40.7 years (range, 17.8-76). Both, the median ages at first thrombotic event and at diagnosis were comparable in type 1 versus type 2 AT deficiency patients (P=0.52 and 0.97 respectively). Thirteen patients (43%) had unprovoked thrombotic events. Majority had VTE (n=21, 70%), which included one patient each with splanchnic venous thrombosis, and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis. At last follow up, twenty-one patients (70%) were on chronic anticoagulation [17 (81%) were on warfarin, 2 (9.5%) on enoxaparin and 2 (9.5%) were on rivaroxaban]. Median number of events was 1 (range 0-7). Four patients (19%) had bleeding complications from anticoagulation. Only one death was noted in the cohort and cause of death could not be determined. Conclusions Type 1 hereditary AT deficiency is the most clinically prevalent subtype in practice. Of the patients who developed thrombosis; clinical characteristics did not differ between type 1 and type 2 AT deficiency. We report 6 novel mutations in patients with hereditary AT deficiency. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Anti-Resilience: A Roadmap for Transformational Justice within the Energy System

Climate change mitigation and adaptation require a transition of the energy system from one that relies on fossil fuels and is vulnerable to major climate events to one that is dependent on renewable energy resources and able to withstand climate extremes. Resilience has emerged as a conceptual frame to drive both climate and energy policy in this transitional moment. For example, in the wake of major storms such as Hurricanes Harvey and Maria, policymakers have frequently called for greater resilience of the energy system and resilience of vulnerable communities impacted by the storms. This Article focuses on resilience at the system level. It argues that, in many cases, resilience of the energy system may actually reify structural inequality and exacerbate vulnerability. A hardening of existing energy infrastructure may also operate to harden existing social, economic, and environmental injustices that disproportionately burden the poor and people of color. Such situations call for new framings beyond resilience and transition toward liberation and transformation. This Article argues that, to facilitate the liberation of low-income communities and communities of color from the disproportionate impacts they face under the current energy system—and to foster a just transformation of the energy system—activists, policy-makers, and scholars engaged in the work of climate and energy justice must adopt a framework of anti-resilience: An antiracist and anti-oppression policy approach focused on the greater social and economic inclusion of people of color and low-income communities in the renewable energy transition.
The effect of β-ecdysone on protein synthesis in imaginal discs of Drosophila melanogaster cultured in vitro: II. Effects on synthesis in specific cell fractions☆

The effect of β-ecdysone on the synthesis of different proteins in imaginal discs of Drosophila melanogaster was investigated using double-label experiments and SDS acrylamide gel electrophoresis. Four different cellular fractions were analyzed (12K pellet, cytosol, core ribosomes, and KCl-soluble ribosomal proteins). β-Ecdysone alters the net synthesis of proteins in all of these fractions, with the most dramatic effects occurring in the ribosomal protein fractions. The maintenance of the altered pattern of synthesis of proteins in these fractions depends on the continued presence of β-ecdysone in the culture medium. The data suggest that β-ecdysone alters the synthesis of different proteins by acting on the genome. The apparent mechanisms by which β-ecdysone increases total protein synthesis and alters the net synthesis of different proteins in discs are discussed.
Chapter 28 – Class Branchiopoda

The branchiopods found in inland aquatic habitats are a heterogeneous group of crustaceans. There are more than 2,000 described species, and new taxa are still being discovered. Included in this group are fairy shrimps (Anostraca), tadpole shrimps (Notostraca), smooth clam shrimps (Laevicaudata), spiny clam shrimps (Spinicaudata), tropical clam shrimps (Cyclestherida), (the so called “large branchiopods”) and the various species of “water-fleas” (Cladocera). In this chapter, we review the similarities and differences among the groups in their morphology, physiology, reproduction, behavior and ecology. We also provide methods for field collections, sample preparation and culturing.
The Search for Exoplanets: A Capstone Project in Service Learning and Outreach

The Search for Exoplanets is an interactive computer simulation, the product of a collaboration between the Departments of Physics and Astronomy and Computer Science at Purdue University. Our goal was to create a computer simulation that would introduce students to scientific principles, research methodology, and analysis of data with which planets in another solar systems are discovered and characterized. We sought to create a simulation that would be engaging, realistic, an accurate model of research, and appropriate to the level of knowledge and abilities for a monthly outreach program, Saturday Morning Astrophysics at Purdue.
Complications and Consequences of the Decision to Delay Extubation Post-operatively in Surgical Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Patients

Purpose: Management of respiratory status of newborns is a point of focus for quality of care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Long periods of intubation in neonatal patients is associated with adverse events such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), ventilation associated pneumonia, and consequent neurodevelopmental delay. This has led to a greater movement in promoting expedited extubation in the NICU. However, it is often assumed that NICU patients require prolonged intubation following a surgical intervention, and most institutions lack a clear post-operative extubation protocol for NICU patients. It is …
Electron Beam Processing

Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of electron beam processing. Particle beams, such as photon, electron, and ion beams, are frequently used in microfabrication for the production of integrated circuits (ICs) and for testing. Electron beams play an important role in submicrometer lithography, electron beam-assisted processes, such as deposition and annealing, and IC testing. This chapter reviews lithography and beam-assisted applications and discusses the nonconventional approaches to lithography, such as low-energy, high-energy, and multibeam lithographies and e-beam machine components, for example, cathodes, electro-optical components, and resists. The minimum electron energy used in beam processing is dictated by the physical and chemical reactions caused by electron interactions. These interactions range from target heating using the beam power to individual interactions causing primary scattering, secondary production, atomic excitation, and ionization. Chemical reactions, for instance, bond breaking, and polymerization initiated by the electron beam are important both in lithography and in general beam processing. The minimum electron energy that can produce the physical and chemical effects important in beam processing is approximately 5 eV and the maximum energy to minimize lateral scattering that limits the spatial resolution of e-beam patterning is several hundred kilo-electron volts.
Predictive Power at What Cost? Economic and Racial Justice of Data-Driven Algorithms

This paper studies how algorithms use variables to maximize predictive power at the cost of group equity. Group inequity arises if variables enlarge disparities in risk scores across groups. I develop a framework to examine a recidivism risk assessment tool using risk score and novel pretrial defendant case data from 2013-2016 in Broward County, Florida. I find that defendants' neighborhood data only negligibly improve predictive power, but substantially widen disparities in defendant risk scores and false positive rates across race and economic status. Higher risk scores may lead to longer pretrial incarceration and downstream consequences, by impacting labor market outcomes. These findings underscore that machine learning objectives tuned to maximize predictive power can be in conflict with racial and economic justice.
Ensemble effects in Cu/Au ultrasmall nanoparticles control the branching point for C1 selectivity during CO2 electroreduction

Bimetallic catalysts provide opportunities to overcome scaling laws governing selectivity of CO2 reduction (CO2R). Cu/Au nanoparticles show promise for CO2R, but Au surface segregation on particles with sizes ≥7 nm prevent investigation of surface atom ensembles. Here we employ ultrasmall (2 nm) Cu/Au nanoparticles as catalysts for CO2R. The high surface to volume ratio of ultrasmall particles inhibits formation of a Au shell, enabling the study of ensemble effects in Cu/Au nanoparticles with controllable composition and uniform size and shape. Electrokinetics show a nonmonotonic dependence of C1 selectivity between CO and HCOOH, with the 3Au:1Cu composition showing the highest HCOOH selectivity. Density functional theory identifies Cu2/Au(211) ensembles as unique in their ability to synthesize HCOOH by stabilizing CHOO* while preventing H2 evolution, making C1 product selectivity a sensitive function of Cu/Au surface ensemble distribution, consistent with experimental findings. These results yield important insights into C1 branching pathways and demonstrate how ultrasmall nanoparticles can circumvent traditional scaling laws to improve the selectivity of CO2R.
Primary hyperparathyroidism

Treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism depends on a clear diagnosis based on biochemical confirmation. Most patients have an elevated serum total or ionized calcium level in association with an elevated or inappropriate serum intact parathyroid hormone level. The serum calcium level can be lowered by hydration and by a variety of pharmacologic agents. However, none of these agents is effective in the long-term management of primary hyperparathyroidism. The extraordinarily high success rate of surgery, combined with its low morbidity and the ever-increasing acceptance of minimally invasive techniques, makes surgical resection the recommended treatment for virtually all patients.
Understanding Perturbations of the Intertropical Convergence Zone Over Tropical Continents

Repeated integrations of GCMs with simple boundary conditions and the diagnostic application of a linear primitive equation model are used to understand the physical mechanisms that lead to the observed perturbation of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) in summer.
The Modern Philosophical Revolution: The Luminosity of Existence

1. Kant's 'Copernican Revolution' as existential 2. Hegel's inauguration of the language of existence 3. Schelling on the beyond of existence 4. Nietzsche: philosophy as existence 5. Heidegger's achievement despite the betrayal of philosophic existence 6. Existence without refuge as the response of Levinas 7. Derrida's dissemination of existence as difference 8. Kierkegaard: the prioritization of existence over philosophy.
The Legacy of the Nuremberg Doctors’ Trial to American Bioethics and Human Rights

In this chapter, I will argue that modern bioethics was born at the Nuremberg Doctors’ Trial, a health law trial that produced one of the first major human rights documents: the Nuremberg Code. Accepting this conclusion has significant con- sequences for contemporary American bioethics generally, and specifically in the context of the global war on terror in which the United States has used physicians to acilitate in interrogations, torture, and force-feeding hunger strikers.
Online distributed object migration

We study Distributed Object Migration using competitive analysis. The problem is motivated by distributed object-oriented computing, for which intelligent dynamic migration of (Java or other object-oriented) objects during runtime is important for efficient implementation on multiprocessor systems. In the online version of the problem, k mobile objects reside at n nodes of a network and they respond to a sequence of requests. Each request specifies two objects which have to communicate, and the algorithm has to decide whether to bring the objects together or not. We focus on the case of uniform networks with relatively large communication costs and show tight upper and lower bounds of k, for any network size n≥2. Our algorithm Timestamp uses a timestamp for each object, and we analyze it using an implicit potential function argument; the analysis is interesting in its own right, and may be applicable to a wider class of problems, but it doesn't seem to be widely used. This implicit potential function argument gives a simple and intuitive proof of the (suboptimal) competitive ratio of 2k−1, within a factor of 2 of the optimal deterministic competitive ratio. To show the optimal competitive ratio of k, we use an explicit, yet less intuitive, potential function.
Evaluation of Long-Term Oven Aging of Asphalt Mixtures (AASHTO PP2-95) on Superpave Thermal Cracking Performance Predictions

A study was conducted to determine the effects of long-term oven aging of asphalt mixtures (AASHTO PP2-95) on the thermal cracking performance evaluation of mixtures using the Superpave Indirect Tensile Test (IDT). Asphalt mixtures were aged according to the procedures developed by the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) and tested using the Superpave Indirect Tensile Test after short- and long-term oven aging. The results were used to make thermal performance predictions using the Penn State Thermal Cracking Model, which is a part of the Superpave mixture analysis system. The analyses indicated that: 1)long-term oven aging of mixtures produced changes in mixture compliance that led to differences in thermal cracking performance predictions, (2) long-term oven aging can produce excessive aging which results in erroneous (unconservative) performance predictions and (3) the relative ranking of thermal cracking performance of short-term oven-aged mixtures is, for most cases, the same as that of long-term oven aged mixtures. In other words, the system distinguished between mixtures with significantly different performance levels regardless of whether the mixtures were tested after short-term oven aging or long-term oven aging. This finding implies that long-term oven aging may not be justified for mixture specification purposes when the Superpave low temperature performance evaluations are used.
Diabetes mellitus is an independent risk for gastroesophageal reflux disease among urban African Americans

Summary An association between gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and diabetes mellitus (DM) has been reported. Studies have not been population-based and have failed to include a representative sample of African American subjects. The aim of the study was to determine if DM is independently associated with GERD among urban African Americans. Single-center, population-based survey utilizing a complex, stratified sampling design. To obtain a simple random sample of the entire African American community, targeted survey zones and hand-delivered invitations were identified. Participating subjects had to be self-described African American, age ≥18. Surveys were completed at a computer terminal assisted by a research coordinator. Four hundred nineteen subjects (weighted sample size of 21 264 [20 888–23 930]). GERD prevalence was 23.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] 23.2–23.9). GERD prevalence was 41.5 % in those with DM versus 20.6 % for those without (P 40, DM, increasing body mass index, harmful drinking, and increasing smoking dependence were independently associated with GERD. For DM, there was significant effect modification by gender. In males, the risk was (OR = 4.63; 95% CI 3.96–5.40), while in females, the risk was markedly attenuated (OR = 1.79; 95% CI 1.61–2.00). Among urban African Americans, there is an independent association between DM and GERD that appears to be stronger in men. More information is needed to understand this association.
B: Disk Array Data Layout Tolerating Multiple Failures

We present B a novel data layout method for tolerating multiple disk failures within disk arrays. In a disk array with 2n disks, B tolerates at most 2(n - 1) simultaneous failures; reconstruction work is spread over the surviving disks using only exclusive-or operations. The data layout is based upon B array-codes; our approach provides an efficient software implementation. B utilizes the minimal amount of redundant storage space. Our detailed performance comparison with RAID-5 and EVENODD shows B read operations to be very competitive especially in the presence of failures; B write operations are more expensive than RAID-5 and EVENODD write operations. In the presence of failures, the performance gradually degrades as the number of failures increases.
Formation of a Photosphere Around Microscopic Black Holes

As first shown by Hawking in 1975 [1], quantum theory predicts that a black hole emits thermal radiation. The possibility of observing this thermal or “Hawking” radiation from, say, a solar mass black hole is impractically small: the entire black hole would emit only a few hundred quanta per second, and this is much too small of a flux to possibly be observed at astronomical distances.
Assessment of Couples

The field of couple assessment, like so many other areas of clinical assessment, is in the midst of substantial theoretical and practical self-analysis and revision. Different theoretical orientations in this field have co-existed mostly in isolation from one another, and advocates of each orientation have maintained their own more-or-less standard approach to assessment. These standard approaches generally have involved following a rather detailed recipe of procedures. Thus, each theoretical approach to couple assessment has been quite specific in terms of goals and methods, albeit of a different flavor.
Investigation of the Gas-Phase Structure of Electrosprayed Proteins Using Ion-Molecule Reactions

Proton transfer reactions of ammonia, dimemylamine, diethylamine, and trimethylarnine with multiply protonated proteins generated by electrospray ionization (ESI) were examined to probe the relationship between solution and gas-phase protein structure and the relationship with ion-molecule reactivity. The ion-molecule reactions were carried out in an atmospheric pressure capillary inlet/reactor based upon an ESI interface to a quadrupole mass spectrometer. Two types of systems were explored: (1) proteins possessing cysteine-cysteine disulfide bonds and the analogous disulfide-reduced proteins, and (2) proteins sprayed from solution compositions where the protein has different conformations. While the cysteine-cysteine disulfide-bound proteins were more reactive than equally charged disulfide-reduced proteins under these conditions, no significant reactivity differences were noted for ions arising from different solution conformations. The effect of inlet/reactor temperature on charge distributions with and without amine reagent was also explored, demonstrating that thermal denaturation of proteins can occur in heated capillary inlets. The results are discussed in the context of recent results indicating the persistence of at least some higher order protein structure in the gas phase.
Comparison of the low-cycle fatigue properties of heavily cold-drawn copper and Cu-20%Nb

Abstract The low-cycle fatigue characteristics of heavily cold-drawn (99% reduction of area) copper and Cu-20%Nb were evaluated for various plastic strain amplitudes. Softening occurred during fatigue cycling of both materials but neither showed steady state behavior. Plots of the fatigue life as a function of platic, elastic or total strain show that Cu-20%Nb is superior to copper in both low-cycle (plastic) and high-cycle (elastic) fatigue. The fatigue ductility exponent, fatigue stregth coefficient and cyclic strain hardening exponent in the heavily drawn copper were similar in magnitude to those observed for annealed copper and most other metals. It appears that copper shows unique cyclic stress-strain behavior regardless of its initial condition or strain history.
Switchable conductance in functionalized carbon nanotubes via reversible sidewall bond cleavage.

We propose several covalent functionalizations for carbon nanotubes that display switchable on/off conductance in metallic tubes. The switching action is achieved by reversible control of bond-cleavage chemistry in [1 + 2] cycloadditions via the sp(3) reversible arrow sp(2) rehybridization that it Induces; this leads to remarkable changes of conductance even at very low degrees of functionalization. Reversible bond-cleavage chemistry is achieved by Identifying addends that provide optimal compensation between the bond-preserving through-space pi orbital interactions with the tube against the bond-breaking strain energy of the cyclopropane moiety. Several strategies for real-time control, based on redox or hydrolysis reactions, cis-trans isomerization or excited-state proton transfer are proposed. Such designer functional groups would allow for the first time direct control of the electrical properties of metallic carbon nanotubes, with extensive applications in nanoscale devices.
Acid–base cooperativity in condensation reactions with functionalized mesoporous silica catalysts

Abstract The Knoevenagel condensation of benzaldehyde and ethyl cyanoacetate was used to test the acid–base cooperativity of SBA-15 mesoporous silica co-condensed with aminopropyl groups as well as silica co-condensed with dihydroimidazole groups. Surface silanols were capped with trimethylsilyl groups using hexamethyldisilazane to determine the effects of the silanol groups on catalytic activity. The activities of the mesoporous silicas with or without capped silanols were compared to the activity of propylamine free in solution. Silylation resulted in a significant loss of activity, where turnover frequencies dropped nearly to those of the homogeneous base. The same behavior was also observed with dihydroimidazole-functionalized SBA-15, which catalyzes the Knoevenagel condensation by a different mechanism. Not only did these results indicate cooperative effects in heterogeneous systems, but cooperativity between a homogeneous base and silanols on unfunctionalized SBA-15 was also observed to a lesser extent. These results demonstrated that acid–base cooperativity seen in well-defined single sites can also be demonstrated on an extended catalytic domain on the surface of mesoporous silica where the active sites are not rigorously isolated.
Measuring the configurational heat capacity of liquids.

A high electric field impedance experiment on supercooled molecular liquids is employed to transfer energy to the slow modes by absorption from the field and detect the increase of their ``configurational temperature'', ${T}_{\mathrm{cfg}}$, via the change of the relaxation times. This allows us to determine the configurational heat capacity, which accounts for most of the excess heat capacity for stronger liquids, but for only half of the heat capacity step in the case of more fragile systems. It is also observed that ${T}_{\mathrm{cfg}}$ gradually approaches the phonon temperature on the structural relaxation time scale.
Rod, cone and melanopsin contributions to the pupil light reflex

Purpose To define the relative contributions of rod, cone, and melanopsin to the human pupillary light reflex (PLR) and to determine the optimal conditions for assessing their status in patients with retinal and optic nerve disorders. Methods The pupil light reflex was measured with an eye tracker, and stimuli were precisely controlled with a Ganzfeld ERG computerized system. For rod mediated transient pupil responses, a low intensity 1-second duration blue light was given under dark adaptation. For cone mediated transient pupil responses, a red, high intensity 1-second duration light was given on a blue background to suppress rod contributions. For melanopsin mediated sustained pupil responses, a bright 1-second bright blue light was given without background. Results Rod mediated transient pupil responses were present in normal eyes but not in patients with moderate to advanced retinitis pigmentosa. A blue background suppressed rod and melanopsin responses, enabling assessment of cone contributions with a red flash. Robust melanopsin sustained pupil responses could be seen in patients with lack of contributions from the rods and cones. Conclusion The rod, cone, and melanopsin contributions to the PLR can be assessed with a simple clinical protocol with blue flashes at two or three intensity levels in the dark and one red flash on a blue background, allowing for diagnosis and differentiation of retinal and optic nerve diseases.
Live Supervision: A Review of the Research:

This article reviews research on live supervision published within the past 12 years. The focus of the research on live supervision can be conceptualized as addressing its prevalence and use, the impact of live supervision interventions, and perceptions of live supervision by supervisors, trainees, and clients. Implications for supervisors, practitioners, and future research are discussed.
At Law: Siamese Twins: Killing One to Save the Other

KIE: The birth of Siamese twins joined at the chest (thoracopagus twins) and sharing a heart creates an ethical dilemma. Infants with conjoined hearts survive no more than a few months, and physicians must decide whether to give one child a chance at life by separating the twins and sacrificing one to give the other an intact heart. Annas reviews the ethical and legal discussions generated by the birth and treatment of thoracopagus twins at Philadelphia's Children's Hospital in 1977 and 1987. He considers most of the analogies used to justify the death of one twin to be strained. The situation becomes more complicated when there is no medical indication as to which twin has a better chance of surviving. Nevertheless, Annas concludes that the bleakness of the twins' prognosis if they remain joined justifies separation and the death of one child, despite the difficulty of developing a rationale for the act.
Temperature Dependence of the NCl(a1Δ) + I (2P3/2) Reaction from 300 to 482 K

The total quenching rate of NCl(a1Δ) metastables by ground-state I(2P3/2) atoms over the temperature range 297−473 K has been studied in a flow reactor. The room-temperature rate coefficient is (2.1 ± 0.4) × 10-11 cm3/(molecule s). In this temperature range, the temperature dependence for the total quenching rate is described by an Arrhenius expression of k(T) = 1.1 × 10-10 exp(−519 ± 143 K/T) cm3/(molecule s). The rate coefficient for the energy transfer of NCl(a1Δ) to I*(2P1/2) at 300 K is (1.5 ± 0.7) × 10-11 cm3/(molecule s), which is in good agreement with a previous measurement. The magnitude of the energy transfer rate implies a large fraction of the I(2P3/2) is converted to I*(2P1/2), and the NCl(a1Δ) + I(2P3/2) reaction is an efficient source of I*(2P1/2). Under the current experimental conditions, a simple kinetic model that simulated the experimental time histories of NF(a1Δ) and NCl(a1Δ) infers the Cl + N3 rate coefficient of (1.6 ± 0.4) × 10-11 cm3/(molecules s) and is slower than previously m...
Compact overtone band carbon monoxide laser

Abstract An electric-discharge carbon monoxide broadband overtone laser has been developed. The laser is capable of lasing on CO first overtone bands only (Δ v = 2) and delivering up to 12 W cw power at efficiencies of up to 5%. The laser output consists of vibrational–rotational lines of the v = 9 → 7 to v = 35 → 33 overtone bands and covers the spectral range between 2.6 and 3.9 μm. Totally about 40–45 lines could be observed in the laser spectrum simultaneously. A kinetic modeling code has been developed to predict the power, efficiency, and the output spectrum of the CO overtone laser.
NEAR-IR VERSUS MID-IR : SEPARABILITY OF THREE CLASSES OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS

Recently there has been a surge of interest in spectroscopic sensors operating in the near-IR, although it is recognized that the mid-IR contains more spectral information. The general question addressed in this paper is, How much specificity is lost in choosing the near-IR over the mid-IR for sensor applications? The example considered is the separability among three classes of organic compounds: alkanes, alcohols, and ketones/aldehydes. We use spectra from two sources: the Hummel polymer library (mid-IR) and the library of Buback and Vogele (near-IR). This is the first paper on class separability to make use of this new near-IR library, available in digital form only since July 1995. Five spectral regions are considered: region 5, 10,500 to 6300 cm-1; region 4, 7200 to 5200 cm-1; region 3, 5500 to 3800 cm-1; region 2, 3900 to 2500 cm-1; and region 1, 2500 to 500 cm-1.Class separability is explored both qualitatively and quantitatively with the use of principal component scatter plots, linear discriminant analysis, Bhattacharyya distances, and other methods. We find that the separability is greatest in region 1 and least in region 2, with the three near-IR regions being intermediate. Furthermore, we find that, in the near-IR, there is sufficient class separability to ensure that organic compounds of one class can be determined in the midst of interference from the other classes.
Nanolithographically defined magnetic structures and quantum magnetic disk (invited)

Isolated and interactive arrays of magnetic nanostructures as small as 15 nm are fabricated using nanolithography and related technologies, and are characterized using magnetic force microscopy. It has been demonstrated that manipulating the size, aspect ratio, and spacing of these nanostructures can lead to unique control of their magnetic properties. A quantum magnetic disk based on discrete single‐domain nanomagnetic structures with storage density of 65 Gbits/in.2 is demonstrated along with a low‐cost method for mass producing such disks. Other impacts that nanofabrication can bring to the development of future magnetic storage are discussed.