cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Judging Immigration Equity: Deportation and Proportionality in the Supreme Court

Though it has not directly said so, the United States Supreme Court cares about proportionality in the deportation system. Or at least it thinks someone in the system should be considering the justifiability of removal decisions. As this Article demonstrates, the Court’s jurisprudence across a range of substantive and procedural challenges over the last fifteen years increases or preserves structural opportunities for equitable balancing at multiple levels in the deportation process. Notably, the Court has endorsed decision makers’ consideration of the normative justifiability of deportation even where noncitizens have a criminal history or lack a formal path to lawful status. This proportionality-based lens helps unify the Court’s seemingly disparate decisions regulating the immigration enforcement system in recent years. It also has implications for deferred action enforcement programs such as the DACA program implemented by President Obama in 2012. The Court’s general gravitation toward proportionality analysis in this field is sound. Nevertheless, there are drawbacks to the Court’s approach, and the cases are probably best seen as signals to the political branches that the deportation system remains in dire need of wide-ranging reform.
Investigating Redundant Multimodal Speedometer Displays for Supporting Concurrent Lane and Speed Tracking

Driving heavily requires visual processing resources. This study seeks to investigate the effectiveness of novel speedometer displays that offload the visual channel by encoding speed data in audit...
Evaluation of a Traumatic Vertebral Artery Occlusion.

Background Penetrating neck injury occurs in 5%–10% of all trauma cases and carries a significant burden of morbidity and mortality (15%). We describe the evaluation and management of a 25-year-old man shot in the neck with occlusion of the left vertebral artery from its origin to C6. This is a case report in which medical data were analyzed retrospectively with institutional review board approval. Case Description Neurologic examination revealed paresthesias and dysesthesias in a left C8 dermatomal distribution. Computed tomography angiography of the neck demonstrated no opacification of the left vertebral artery from its origin to C6. Magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine revealed an acute infarct in the left cerebellum. A cerebral angiogram highlighted hemodynamic compromise, and the patient was felt to be at significant risk of further cerebral infarction. Augmenting flow to the posterior circulation would mitigate that risk. The patient was taken to the operating room for a transposition of the vertebral artery to the common carotid artery. Conclusions The patient presented with silent cerebellar infarction due to a vertebral artery injury and impending vertebrobasilar insufficiency. This case demonstrates clinical evaluation of the posterior circulation and treatment with a bypass technique through mobilization of the vertebral artery from the boney vertebral foramen with anastomosis to the common carotid.
Virtual reality for education and workforce training

The advent of inexpensive consumer virtual reality display technology has made new possibilities for delivering education and training in immersive and engaging ways widely available. In the past, technical challenges and prohibitive cost have impeded progress of virtual reality in education. Educational institutions and industries are now moving rapidly to adopt virtual reality as a key training tool. Virtual learning environments have been very successful in generating positive learning outcomes in a variety of domains. The powerful sense of presence and effective immersion created by virtual reality applications promise to provide on-site training in a safe and controlled environment. Virtual learning environments can provide trainees with access to cost-prohibitive equipment in impossible locations. It can provide a space for students to explore problem spaces and test solutions without risk. Despite these successes, questions remain regarding the capabilities and limitations of current technology, particularly regarding the effectiveness of knowledge and skill acquisition in virtual reality. The process for developing effective educational training virtual environments begins with understanding the learning objectives, re-creation of the real-world task(s), and assessing user performance and learning. Each stage of the process presents unique challenges and opportunities.
While Kindergarten Has Changed, Some Beliefs Stay the Same: Kindergarten Teachers’ Beliefs About Readiness

ABSTRACTKindergarten has become increasingly academically oriented, and U.S. kindergarten teachers are increasingly called upon to implement policies that require assessment and promote accountability. However, little recent research has focused on kindergarten teachers’ beliefs about kindergarten readiness. The authors examined teachers’ beliefs related to what entering kindergartners should be able to do, and beliefs about using assessment data, based on results from statewide surveys of Delaware kindergarten teachers conducted in 2000 (N = 171), in 2011 (N = 185), and again in 2013 (N = 257). Chi-squared tests were employed to investigate potential changes in teacher beliefs over time. Results show that kindergarten teachers increasingly prioritize assessment information across all broad domains of development at kindergarten entry. However, when ranking specific readiness skills, they continue to believe that nonacademic skills are most important. These findings suggest that though policies promote an...
Time Delays are Not Enough; Media Must Call Out Lies

In response to the commentary by Stacey Range Messina, this essay argues that a journalism of verification isn’t sufficient to manage the misinformation coming out of the White House. Instead, in o...
Neighborhood Environment and Disparities in Health Care Access Among Urban Medicare Beneficiaries With Diabetes: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Older adults' health is sensitive to variations in neighborhood environment, yet few studies have examined how neighborhood factors influence their health care access. This study examined whether neighborhood environmental factors help to explain racial and socioeconomic disparities in health care access and outcomes among urban older adults with diabetes. Data from 123 233 diabetic Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years and older in New York City were geocoded to measures of neighborhood walkability, public transit access, and primary care supply. In 2008, 6.4% had no office-based "evaluation and management" (EM 95% confidence interval: 1.22-1.40). Nonwhites and low-income individuals had greater odds of a lapse in E&M visits and of preventable hospitalization. Neighborhood factors did not help to explain these disparities. Further research is needed on the mechanisms underlying these disparities and older adults' ability to navigate health care. Even in an insured population living in a provider-dense city, targeted interventions may be needed to overcome barriers to chronic illness care for older adults in the community.
Inpatient mobilisation programmes targeting older patients are feasible, but further research is required to examine impact on patient outcomes.

Commentary on: Liu B, Moore JE, Almaawiy U, et al . Outcomes of Mobilisation of Vulnerable Elders in Ontario (MOVE ON): a multisite interrupted time series evaluation of an implementation intervention to increase patient mobilisation. Age Ageing 2018;47:112–119. There is a growing yet conflicting body of evidence linking inpatient mobilisation to positive patient and organisation outcomes.1–3 Older patients continue to spend most of their inpatient stay in bed. …
Theory of Filtration

The objective is to describe a fundamental analysis which provides a filtration mechanism that can be used to select filters and filter media.
Arid Land Agriculture in Northeastern Syria

Land use in the Khabur River drainage of northeastern Syria has changed from open rangeland to an intensely cultivated landscape in less than 100 years. In this semi-arid zone successful agriculture usually requires either supplemental or full irrigation. The drivers of the changes have included settlement of refugees, rapid population growth, ambitious plans to develop the water resources for summer cropping, decisions by individual farmers to install wells, and competing needs and programs in the river's headwaters in Turkey. Collectively these have led to fundamental alteration of the natural drainage in favor of ground water extraction, storage reservoirs and irrigation canals. We have monitored the magnitude of recent changes through satellite imagery. The sustainability of the system under current practices is in doubt.
New Rainfall Datasets for the Congo Basin and Surrounding Regions

AbstractThis paper describes three new rainfall datasets that have been developed for equatorial Africa. The development relies on acquisition of recent gauge data from the relevant countries and s...
Knowledge, Skill, and Wisdom: Reflections on Integrating the Social Sciences and Engineering

This paper develops two themes. First, I argue that to improve engineering education we need to think about the nature of engineering practice. I suggest that engineering practice embraces three components: knowledge (facts, theories, and data), skill (knowing how to use knowledge), and wisdom (knowing when to apply different skills). This epistemological framework is useful in determining what we hope to accomplish by including more of the social sciences in engineering curricula. Second, drawing on this framework, I describe how my colleagues and I in the Engineering and Society Department teach concepts from the social sciences and Science, Technology, and Society to undergraduate engineering students in order to develop their potential as leaders, entrepreneurs, and designers. In particular, I offer 3–4 concepts that we develop in our courses about communications in engineering, the interaction of technology and society, and engineering ethics. Overall, I want to describe the ways by which we have made the social sciences integral to the education of engineers at the University of Virginia and how our practices can contribute to reconception of engineering as a profession.
Full Field Strain Measurements Using 3D Laser Vibrometry

Obtaining accurate strain measurements is a critical component of testing when it comes to validating aerospace structures designed for extreme environments. Using a 3D laser vibrometry system it is possible to measure the velocity at a point and from that calculate displacement. From that displacement strain can be calculated across an array of points. With a fine enough grid it is possible to obtain accurate full field dynamic strain measurements of an article under load. One advantage this method has over traditional strain measuring techniques is that there is no need to install additional instrumentation on the test article. This is critical to eliminate mass loading on lightly damped structures. Using 3D laser vibrometry, it is also possible to obtain dynamic strain measurements in extreme thermal environments. In order for this method to be verified it needs to be compared against more traditional, reliable strain measurement techniques. This paper will be comparing the results of the 3D laser vibrometry system’s strain measurements using several different surface treatments at several different temperatures to measurements obtained from traditional foil strain gages.
Application of Bayesian framework for evaluation of streamflow simulations using multiple climate models

Abstract Bayesian averaging of climate models is an important tool in streamflow predictions. Climate models have parametric and structural differences and thus have variable hydrological output. Performance of the individual climate models before they are averaged in a Bayesian framework should be consistent with their respective performance indices in a Bayesian framework to ensure that Bayesian averaging follows the physical process. Priors are required to compute posterior probability distributions in the Bayesian predictions. Robustness of Bayesian predictions therefore depends on use of a suitable prior. In this study, combinations of Bayesian regression model priors and regression parameter priors for streamflow prediction have been evaluated to investigate consistency of streamflow simulation performance of RCMs – individually outside the Bayesian framework, individually inside the Bayesian framework and collectively inside the Bayesian framework – using twelve widely used Bayesian formulations. The performance of RCM streamflow simulations outside the Bayesian framework is evaluated using widely used statistical indices: the Willmott’s index of agreement (d1), root mean square error (RMSE), and percent bias error (PBIAS). The performance inside the Bayesian framework is evaluated using posterior inclusion probability (PIP). Results suggest that performance of climate models inside Bayesian framework may not be the same as that outside Bayesian framework. Therefore, there is need for climate model performance evaluation both inside and outside Bayesian framework as a precursor to Bayesian prior selection. For example, the non-Empirical Bayes g-Local (non-EBL)-based Bayesian priors give consistent climate model performance inside and outside Bayesian framework, and therefore is the best prior for simulating high flows. Based on the participating climate models in low flow modelling, the results suggest that both EBL and non-EBL priors can be used in averaging low flow in the Bayesian framework.
Under the Façade of Benevolence: Psy-Wars, Amnesty and Defectors in America’s Asian Wars

This paper examines American amnesty and defector programs and their connection to larger counter-insurgency operations in the Korean War, Philippines, and Vietnam. In each of the three cases, the ...
Metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy of the quaternary metastable alloy In1–xGaxAs1−yBiy and its kinetics of growth

Abstract The metal–organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) of the quaternary alloy In1-xGaxAs1-yBiy has been explored on InAs and InP substrates to determine the group III and group V incorporation kinetics and their interdependences during low temperature growth. Under the growth conditions investigated, Ga did not incorporate into the epitaxial InAs1-yBiy on the InAs substrate. In1-xGaxAs1-yBiy epilayers could be grown pseudomorphically on the InP substrate with 0.37 ≤ x ≤ 0.59 and y ≤ 0.022. Strong interactions between the Ga and In incorporation processes were observed in the In1-xGaxAs1-yBiy growth, which were attributed to the precursor gas-phase alkyl-exchange reactions and the formation of Ga-CH3 on the growth front. Bi incorporation is independent of the group III composition and the strain state of the In1-xGaxAs1-yBiy epilayers on the InP substrate. Comparisons between the In1-xGaxAs1-yBiy and the GaAs1-yBiy growth also suggest an absence of Bi surface site-blocking on the In-terminated surface. This study demonstrates the successful MOVPE growth of In1-xGaxAs1-yBiy on the InP substrate and reveals the influences of the gas-phase and surface species interactions on the quaternary alloy compositional control during the low temperature MOVPE growth.
Designing for Emotional Well-being: Integrating Persuasion and Customization into Mental Health Technologies

A growing body of work has emphasized the need for customizability and flexibility in mobile health technologies to increase support user autonomy. However, customization may be burdensome for people with motivational and cognitive challenges, such as those with mental illnesses, and the optimal level and type of customizability are unclear. Based on 32 interviews with people who experience symptoms of depression and anxiety, we examine how individuals use and customize mental health apps to manage their symptoms. Our findings suggest that participants’ engagement with the apps is affected by their level of energy and motivation, depending on the severity of symptoms. Customization is deemed desirable when the required user effort does not exceed users’ mental and motivational capacity and when ample resources are available. We discuss how customizable systems can increase autonomy without overburdening users in the context of mental health.
Reducing Refresh Power in Mobile Devices with Morphable ECC

Energy consumption is a primary consideration that determines the usability of emerging mobile computing devices such as smartphones. Refresh operations for main memory account for a significant fraction of the overall energy consumption, especially during idle periods, when processor can be switched off quickly, however, memory contents continue to get refreshed to avoid data loss. Given that mobile devices are idle most of the times, reducing refresh power in idle mode is critical to maximize the duration for which the device remains usable. The frequency of refresh operations in memory can be reduced significantly by using strong multi-bit error correction codes (ECC). Unfortunately, strong ECC codes incur high latency, which causes significant performance degradation (as high as 21%, and on average 10%). To obtain both low refresh power in idle periods and high performance in active periods, this paper proposes Morphable ECC (MECC). During idle periods, MECC keeps the memory protected with 6-bit ECC (ECC-6) and employs a refresh period of 1 second, instead of the typical refresh period of 64ms. During active operation, MECC reduces the refresh interval to 64ms, and converts memory from ECC-6 to weaker ECC (single-bit error correction) on a demand-basis, thus avoiding the high latency of ECC-6, except for the first access during the active mode. Our proposal reduces refresh operations during idle mode by 16x, memory power in idle mode by 2X, while retaining performance within 2% of a system that does not use any ECC.
Improving OSPF dynamics on a broadcast LAN

In this paper, we analyze OSPF's interface state machine and propose modifications in order to reduce the time/processing requirements of the leader election process in a broadcast LAN environment. The proposed modifications are based on dynamic adjustment of wait time duration rather than using a static value.
Vascular smooth muscle cell cultures

Publisher Summary Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are the predominant cell type in blood vessels of the arterial tree. They are responsible for maintaining vascular tone in response to various hormonal and hemodynamic stimuli and they are the major cell type involved in the process of vascular repair, growth, and response to injury. The development of cell culture systems has greatly aided in this pursuit by providing a controlled environment to study the unique characteristics of these cells in isolation from other influences. When the blood vessel is mechanically injured and its endothelial lining removed, there is significant remodeling of the vessel. Medial VSMCs migrate across the elastic laminae and basement membrane and accumulate in the intima. There they proliferate and secrete increased amounts of interstitial matrix proteins. This new intimal structure is appropriately referred to as the neointima and the cells within it are neointimal VSMCs. This chapter discusses methods for culturing both medial and neointimal VSMCs as well as for culturing VSMCs obtained from atheromatous lesions.
CONGRESSION OF UNLINKED MARKERS AND GENETIC MAPPING IN THE TRANSFORMATION OF BACILLUS SUBTILIS 168

A thorough examination of cotransformation of two unlinked genetic markers in Bacillus subtilis 168 shows that the two recombinational events do not occur randomly. The cotransformation frequency is dependent on the distance between the two markers as well as on the order in which they replicate in the competent cell. These results indicate that uptake and/or integration of DNA molecules bearing these genetic markers is enhanced at the time these markers replicate in the competent cell.
Flame Radiation and Soot Emission From Partially Premixed Methane Counterflow Flames

Motivated by heat transfer and environmental concerns, a study of flame radiation and soot particulate emission is reported for partial premixing in low strain-rate (<20 s -1 ) methane counterflow flames. Temperature, OH concentration, and soot volume fraction distributions were measured along the stagnation streamline for progressive addition of oxygen to methane. These measurements along with an optically thin model for soot and gas radiation were used to study the effect of partial premixing on flame radiation and soot emission. It was found that with progressive partial premixing, the peak soot loading and the thickness of the soot zone first decreased and then increased, and while the gas radiation was enhanced, the gas radiative fraction (gas radiation per unit chemical energy release) showed a systematic decrease. The net radiative fraction (soot+gas), however, first decreased and then increased. A configuration with the soot zone spatially entrapped between the premixed and non-premixed reaction zones was experimentally found. This flame configuration has the potential to enhance radiative heat transfer while simultaneously reducing soot and NO x emissions.
Surgical Correction of Congenital Lower Lip Sinuses in Van der Woude Syndrome

Abstract Objective: To review the clinical outcome for patients with Van der Woude syndrome undergoing surgical excision of congenital lip sinuses. Design: Retrospective chart review. Setting: Multidisciplinary cleft-craniofacial team within a tertiary care hospital. Patients, Participants: Seventeen patients with Van der Woude syndrome were identified from hospital records as having cleft lip and/or palate surgery performed at the University of Iowa, and six of these patients underwent simple surgical excision of lower lip sinuses. Main outcome measures: Incidence of postoperative complications and number of surgeries required per patient for correction of lower lip defect. Results: All six patients undergoing surgical excision of lip sinuses had postoperative mucocele formation. These uniformly required one or two further surgeries for correction. There were no other complications associated with the procedures and no patient had a pre- or postoperative whistling deformity. Cosmetic outcome was thought ...
Estimating the market for periodontal services in the United States

The NHANES I and the Research Triangle institute data sets are used to quantify and compare the need and effective demand for periodontal care at the national level. How much more time could be spent with dental patients who need periodontal care? And why aren’t they coming for treatment? This sampling of national data provides surprising answers.
Selective attention in imprinting

White Leghorn chicks were imprinted to a multidimensional stimulus object at 12–16 h after hatch. At 72–76 h after hatch the Ss were given preference tests between the imprinted object and a test object differing only in color, form, or size. The imprinted Ss showed a significant preference for the imprinted object only when the imprinted and test objects differed in color. A nonimprinted control group showed no systematic object preferences.
Amino Acids Mediate Postprandial Jejunal Proabsorption

Ingestion of a meal stimulates small intestinal ion and water transport. Current evidence suggests that this response, termed proabsorption, is primarily mediated by the apical Na + /glucose cotransporter. Like glucose, the majority of amino acid absorption occurs by Na + -dependent, secondary active transport. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of amino acid transport in meal-induced jejunal ion and water absorption in vivo. Exteriorized, neurovascularly intact jejunal loops measuring 2d cm were created in six female mongrel dogs, and the dogs were allowed to recover for 2 weeks. After an overnight fast, the loops were perfused with a standard buffer containing 10 mM aspartate, leucine, glycine, or lysine. Net water and electrolyte absorption before and after a mixed meal was calculated using [ 14 C]polyethylene glycol as a volume marker. Aspartic acid, leucine, glycine, and lysine are each transported by a separate transporter system. Except for lysine, each amino acid significantly (P<0.05) potentiated sodium and water absorption after a meal. In addition, this effect was at least as great as that seen with 10 mM glucose. These results demonstrate that amino acid transporter, like the Na + /glucose cotransporter, mediates meal-induced jejunal sodium and water absorption and may be as important in the proabsorptive response
The linearity of Golay detectors

Abstract Linearity was measured on four Unicam Golay detectors. The possible causes of error were discussed and eliminated. Linearity deviation with a radiant flux ranging from 0 to 10 −6 W may amount up to 10 per cent. With all tested detectors, deviation remains below 1 per cent, if a radiant flux of 3 × 10 −6 is not exceeded.
The Distracting Effects of a Ringing Cell Phone: An Investigation of the Laboratory and the Classroom Setting

The detrimental effects of a ringing phone on cognitive performance were investigated in four experiments. In Experiments 1 and 2, the effects of different types of sounds (a standard cell phone ring, irrelevant tones and an instrumental song commonly encountered by participants) on performance were examined. In Experiment 1, slower responses were observed in all auditory groups relative to a silence condition, but participants in the ring and song conditions recovered more slowly. In Experiment 2, participants who were warned about the potential for distraction recovered more quickly, suggesting a benefit of this prior knowledge. This investigation continued in a college classroom setting (Experiments 3a and 3b); students were exposed to a ringing cell phone during the lecture. Performance on a surprise quiz revealed low accuracy rates on material presented while the phone was ringing. These findings offer insight into top-down cognitive processes that moderate involuntary orienting responses associated with a common stimulus encountered in the environment.
Choline uptake in myocardial cell cultures.

Abstract The uptake of [ 14 C]choline by myocardial cell cultures prepared from 7-day old embryonic chick hearts has been investigated. Choline uptake was blocked at 4°C, and at 37°C it was antagonized by hemicholinium-3 in a concentration-dependent manner. Over 90% of the accumulated radioactivity was soluble in acid or insoluble in chloroform, the remainder being primarily associated with lipid cellular constituents. Thin layer chromatography revealed the intracellular presence of unchanged choline and also indicated a considerable amount of metabolites. These observations resemble those reported for the accumulation of choline by cholinergic nerve elements, the kidney cortex and erythrocytes and suggest that cultured chick heart cells exhibit a similar transport process for the intracellular accumulation of choline.
Explaining Public Confidence in the Branches of State Government

What explains public confidence in the leadership of government institutions at the state level? The authors explore how political processes, the nature of representation, and economic and policy p...
The kendrick extrication device used for pediatric spinal immobilization

Immobilizing a child presents a unique challenge for emergency medical services (EMS) personnel in addition to those challenges faced when immobilizing an adult. Most equipment commonly carried by EMS personnel is sized for adult use and as a result does not routinely provide adequate static or dynamic immobilization of a child. In addition, children often resist immobilization and can free themselves from standard strapping techniques. These problems have led to the modification of existing equipment and the development of several pediatric-specific devices. An ideal pediatric immobilization device would be one that uses an existing piece of equipment, is of limited additional cost, is routinely used by EMS providers, could be easily modified to immobilize a child, could easily be taught to EMS providers, and provides excellent static and dynamic immobilization. The Kendrick extrication device (KED) used as the authors describe meets these goals of an ideal pediatric immobilization device.
Changing Patterns of Obligation and the Emergence of Individualism in American Political Thought

Students of American political thought have long noted changes in the goals pursued by colonial American communities. Relations between Americans and their communities, previously characterized by security and peaceful existence were transformed into relations grounded in economic well-being. This shift in focus had the effect of altering the relationship between individuals and their community. Obligating members to behave industriously has the effect of weakening the social, familial, religious, and political controls originally used to keep the “sinful” individual in check. These weakening ties were exacerbated by colonial developments in constitutional theory that contribute to the movement away from the religious origins of American political thought. This secularizing process paves the way for the introduction of individualism into American thinking prior to 1776.
Frostbite of the face after recreational misuse of nitrous oxide

Exposure of the skin to nitrous oxide, a liquified gas stored under pressure in a cylinder, can occur in anaesthesiologists and in those involved in recreational misuse of the gas. A case is reported of a man who presented to the emergency department after sniffing nitrous oxide and sustaining frostbite injury to his left cheek. Conservative management of this injury allowed spontaneous separation of the necrotic tissue and healing of the granulating wound by contraction.
Can supplemental food increase winter survival of a threatened cottontail rabbit

Populations of New England cottontails (Sylvilagus transitionalis) have declined substantially in recent decades in response to habitat loss and fragmentation. Among some remnant populations, cottontails occupy small patches of thicket habitat where they experience high mortality rates as a consequence of limited food during winter. This limitation causes rabbits to forage away from cover where they are exposed to predators. Although conservation efforts are emerging to reverse the decline of New England cottontails, most are directed toward improving long-term viability by increasing the abundance of suitable habitats. Such efforts do little to improve the short-term survival of remaining cottontails. To address this immediate need, we evaluated the use of supplemental food as an approach to improve overwinter survival rates. We speculated that by positioning feeders in close proximity to escape cover, rabbits would be less vulnerable to predators. We evaluated this approach using eastern cottontails (Sylvilagus floridanus) as a research surrogate because this species is readily available and has similar habitat requirements to New England cottontails. Transmitter-equipped eastern cottontails were randomly assigned to either a fed or unfed group. Remotely-triggered cameras were also used to gauge use of feeders by cottontails and visits by other species. Winter survival rates were substantially greater for fed rabbits (70%) than for unfed rabbits (32%). Cameras revealed that rabbits were the most frequent consumer and that there was only limited carnivore activity near feeders. We conclude that supplemental feeding may improve survival of remaining New England cottontails as efforts to increase habitat availability continue to develop.
Central cord syndrome presenting as unilateral weakness

Central cord syndrome is the most common incomplete traumatic spinal cord lesion. It is characterized by disproportionately greater upper-extremity motor impairment than lower-extremity motor impairment, bladder dysfunction, and variable degree of sensory loss below the level of the injury. This article reports the case of a patient who presented with unilateral weakness after a fall and later developed the typical central cord syndrome. The variability of central cord syndrome has been discussed by other authors, but this is the first case of a patient that initially presented as unilateral weakness.
Comparison of the interaction of Pd with positively and negatively poled LiNbO3(0 0 0 1)

Abstract To investigate the possibility of manipulating the surface chemical properties of finely dispersed metal films through ferroelectric polarization, the interaction of palladium with oppositely poled LiNbO3(0 0 0 1) substrates was characterized. Low energy ion scattering indicated that the Pd tended to form three-dimensional clusters on both positively and negatively poled substrates even at the lowest coverages. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed an upward shift in the binding energy of the Pd 3d core levels of 0.9 eV at the lowest Pd coverages, which slowly decayed toward the bulk value with increasing Pd coverage. These shifts were independent of the poling direction of the substrate and similar to those attributed to cluster size effects on inert supports. Thus, the spectroscopic data suggested that Pd does not interact strongly with LiNbO3 surfaces. The surface chemical properties of the Pd clusters were investigated using CO temperature programmed desorption. On both positively and negatively poled substrates, CO desorption from freshly deposited Pd showed a splitting of the broad 460 K desorption peak characteristic of bulk Pd into distinct peaks at 270 and 490 K as the Pd coverage was decreased below 1.0 ML; behavior that also resembles that seen on inert supports. It was found that a small fraction of the adsorbed CO may dissociate (
Distance of a Controllable System from the Nearest Uncontrollable One

In several control systems applications, it is important to know how "distant" is the given nominal controllable system from an uncontrollable one. In this note we obtain a simple characterization of the measure of the distance and based on the characterization, obtain the bounds on the perturbations in the state and input matrices that will make a controllable system uncontrollable.
Epistatic interactions between Fc (GM) and FcγR genes and the host control of human immunodeficiency virus replication.

Abstract Host genetic factors are thought to contribute to the interindividual differences in the control of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication. The aim of the present investigation was to determine whether genes encoding GM and KM allotypes—genetic markers of immunoglobulin γ and κ chains, respectively—and those encoding Fcγ receptor (FcγR) IIa and IIIa are associated with the host control of HIV replication. A case–control design was employed among HIV-infected subjects, with a group that spontaneously controlled HIV replication (“controllers”) as cases ( n = 73) and those who did not control replication as controls ( n = 100). Genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism, direct DNA sequencing, and TaqMan genotyping assays. In Caucasian Americans, certain combinations of FcγR and GM genotypes were differentially distributed between controllers and noncontrollers. Among the noncarriers of the FcγRIIa arginine allele, GM21 noncarriers had over 7-fold greater odds of being controllers than the carriers of this allele (odds ratio [OR] = 7.47). These GM determinants also interacted with FcγRIIIa alleles. Among the carriers of the FcγRIIIa valine allele, GM21 noncarriers had over 3-fold greater odds of being controllers than the carriers of this allele (OR = 3.26). These results demonstrate epistatic interactions of genes on chromosomes 14 (GM) and 1 (FcγR) in influencing the control of HIV replication.
Primary care diagnosis of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency: Issues and opportunities

Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency--an autosomal codominant condition that predisposes to emphysema and also to liver disease--affects 100,000 Americans, yet in many cases the condition is either not diagnosed or the time between first symptoms and diagnosis is long. Because primary care physicians care for large numbers of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, enhanced suspicion of and testing for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency in the primary care setting would help identify people affected with this condition. The authors discuss impediments to diagnosis and drivers to making the diagnosis of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, and they suggest several measures to enhance clinicians' recognition of the condition.
Pretreatment Swallowing Exercises Improve Swallow Function After Chemoradiation

Objectives/Hypothesis: Swallowing dysfunction is a devastating complication of chemoradiation therapy (CRT) for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. We have previously demonstrated that pretreatment swallowing exercises improve posttreatment swallowing-related quality of life. This study evaluates the effect of pretreatment swallowing exercises on posttreatment swallow function as measured by videofluoroscopy. Study Design: Retrospective case control. Methods: Eighteen patients with advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx, hypopharynx, and larynx treated at University of Alabama at Birmingham with CRT were included in the study. Nine patients received pretreatment swallowing exercises prior to CRT, and nine patients received swallowing exercises during routine posttreatment management. Approximately 3 months after completing treatment, standard videofluoroscopy examinations were conducted. Outcomes measured by the videofluoroscopy examinations included hyoid elevation, epiglottis inversion, tongue base movement, cricopharyngeal opening, and Rosenbeck aspiration score. Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube use was assessed at 12 months after treatment. Results: Epiglottis inversion was better maintained (P = .05) in patients receiving pretreatment swallowing therapy. The position of the tongue base during swallowing was also significantly closer to the posterior pharyngeal wall (P = .025) for patients receiving pretreatment exercises. PEG tube removal rates did not significantly differ between groups. Conclusions: Performing pretreatment swallowing exercises produces measurable improvements in posttreatment swallowing function in patients who undergo organ-preservation CRT for head and neck cancer. This study provides an initial foundation for the development of noninvasive, cost-effective, evidence-based interventions in this group of vulnerable patients.
System-Theoretic Analysis and Least-Squares Design of Microfluidic Channels for Flow-Induced Molecular Communication

Flow-induced Molecular Communication (FMC), where molecular transport is performed via flow, is utilized in microfluidic channels to enhance diffusion-based molecular communication. The incorporation of the microfluidic channel and the transport of molecules by flow, i.e., convection, require a rigorous analysis to develop an end-to-end concentration propagation model and a design for microfluidic channels. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to analyze concentration propagation in microfluidic channels from FMC perspective and devise them specifically to enhance the FMC. In this paper, a system-theoretic analysis of molecular transport is presented first. The system-theoretic model incorporates the solution of flow velocity in microfluidic channels and yields an end-to-end transfer function for concentration propagation based on building blocks of microfluidic channels. Then, the design of microfluidic channels is performed based on the least-squares Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filtering to achieve the desired end-to-end transfer function in FMC. According to the desired pass and stop bands, the required length and aspect-ratio parameters of the microfluidic channels are obtained for FIR filtering. The transfer functions for FMC is elaborated via numerical results. Furthermore, two example designs of microfluidic channels are presented for least-squares FIR band-pass and band-stop filtering in FMC.
TEO-based speaker stress assessment using hybrid classification and tracking schemes

Speaker variability is known to have an adverse impact on speech systems that process linguistic content, such as speech and language recognition. However, speech production changes in individuals due to stress and emotions have similarly detrimental effect also on the task of speaker recognition as they introduce mismatch with the speaker models typically trained on modal speech. The focus of this study is on the analysis of stress-induced variations in speech and design of an automatic stress level assessment scheme that could be used in directing stress-dependent acoustic models or normalization strategies. Current stress detection methods typically employ a binary decision based on whether the speaker is or not under stress. In reality, the amount of stress in individuals varies and can change gradually. Using speech and biometric data collected in a real-world, variable-stress level law enforcement training scenario, this study considers two methods for stress level assessment. The first approach uses a nearest neighbor clustering scheme at the vowel token and sentence levels to classify speech data into three levels of stress. The second approach employs Euclidean distance metrics within the multi-dimensional feature space to provide real-time stress level tracking capability. Evaluations on audio data confirmed by biometric readings show both methods to be effective in assessment of stress level within a speaker (average accuracy of 55.6 % in a 3-way classification task). In addition, an impact of high-level stress on in-set speaker recognition is evaluated and shown to reduce the accuracy from 91.7 % (low/mid stress) to 21.4 % (high level stress).
Development of a flow injection analysis (FIA) immunosensor for the detection of Escherichia coli.

Abstract A flow injection immunoanalysis (FIA) system has been developed for the detection of Escherichia coli in artificially contaminated food samples. Anti-E. coli antibodies were covalently immobilized onto porous aminopropyl glass beads via glutaraldehyde activation to form an immunoreactor. After adsorption of the cells onto anti-E. coli antibody bound glass beads, 4-methylumbelliferyl-β- d -glucuronide was injected into the system which was then hydrolyzed by the adsorbed E. coli cells containing β- d -glucuronidase, an enzyme which is very specific to E. coli and to a few other strains of Shigella. Fluorescent 4-methylumbelliferone released from the enzymatic reaction was then detected by a fluorometer. Owing to the specificity of the antibody towards E. coli, the FIA system was very selective for detection of E. coli whereas Shigella boydii, another GUD-positive bacterium, did not give any response. The FIA system was successfully used for detecting as low as 5 × 107 CFU/ml E. coli in less than 30 min and was reusable for at least 300 repeated assays. The immunoreactor yielded reproducible results during 3 months of experimentation if stored overnight at 4 °C in carrier buffer containing 0.05 to 0.25% Tween 20.
The onset of plasticity of NiAl single crystals: Changes in the electrical resistance

This note reports experiments in which in situ electrical resistance measurement was used to monitor the onset of plastic deformation in NiAl single crystals during tensile tests. The aim of this research was to probe the formation and evolution of dislocations in single crystals undergoing plastic deformation. The electrical resistance allows the probing of dislocations in crystals based on the scattering of the conduction electrons by dislocations. While the electrical resistivity has been used for a long time for the study of crystal defects, most past researches consisted of post mortem measurements of deformed specimens. Where the resistance was measured in situ, the specimens studied were polycrystalline. In this research the electrical resistance was measured in situ in the sense that changes in the specimens resistance caused deformation were recorded with load and displacement while the single crystal specimens were being deformed in tension at a constant strain rate. Another feature of this research is the use of NiAl single crystals in the special orientation [001]. In NiAl both the grown-in dislocations and those introduced by slip under usual test conditions have as the Burgers vector.
Does Corruption Information Inspire the Fight or Quash the Hope? A Field Experiment in Mexico on Voter Turnout, Choice, and Party Identification

Retrospective voting models assume that offering more information to voters about their incumbents’ performance strengthens electoral accountability. However, it is unclear whether incumbent corruption information translates into higher political participation and increased support for challengers. We provide experimental evidence that such information not only decreases incumbent party support in local elections in Mexico, but also decreases voter turnout and support for the challenger party, as well as erodes partisan attachments. While information clearly is necessary to improve accountability, corruption information is not sufficient because voters may respond to it by withdrawing from the political process. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of our findings for studies of voting behavior.
In Situ Probing by Fluorescence Spectroscopy of the Formation of Continuous Highly-Ordered Lamellar-Phase Mesostructured Thin Films

Continuous highly-ordered mesostructured lamellar-phase thin films are formed by a rapid dip-coating method. The films are made by a dip-coating process from a sol consisting of tetraethoxysilane and the surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). XRD patterns give sharp peaks extending to 14 orders, indicative of a highly-ordered structure. Film thickness is measured in real time by using interferometry; interference fringes remain constant in height above the sol on the continuously-moving silicon substrate. In situ fluorescence spectra of probe molecules were recorded to trace both the formation of the micelles and the solvent composition of the films as they are pulled in real time. Micelles are formed, break up, and re-form to produce the final structure in 12 s, and the water content smoothly increases from 2% to 60% in the same amount of time.
Social and Organizational Impact of Local and Telecommunications Systems: Open Questions

Local and telecommunications systems LTS constitute an important new technology which is being increasingly deployed in modern organizations. Common applications include factory and office automation, laboratory research, and academic instruction. LTS figure prominently in electronic messaging systems, decision support systems, and, to a lesser but increasingly important extent, expert systems. This paper devotes particular attention to the behavioral and organizational implications of LTS technology. Relevant research issues which especially warrant empirical attention are identified and discussed.