cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Community Context, Personal Contact, and Support for an Anti—Gay Rights Referendum

Using data from an unusual survey, we gauge factors influencing support for a state anti–gay rights referendum. After controlling for other powerful predictors of attitudes, we find personal contact (especially relevant and voluntary contact) has an important impact on public support, although community context does not. These findings support an integrated notion of interactions with “out” groups, grounded in social categorization theory, that sees community context and interpersonal contact as concentric circles, moving from abstract, detached forms of contact to more pronounced, personal forms. However, even among those with substantial interpersonal contact, support for the referendum was still widespread.
Theory of selective reflection spectroscopy

Abstract We present a calculation of selective reflection spectroscopy, in which the reflection coefficient of a light beam from the interface of a dielectric and an atomic vapor is evaluated as a function of the light frequency. It is shown that the reflection signal depends critically on the spatial attenuation pattern of the refracted field inside the vapor. In the linear case, where the incident laser power is below the saturation limit, we show the dependence of the peak- and center-frequencies of the reflectivity line shapes on the atomic number density. In particular, we show that our self-consistent solution leads to a previously unrecognized line shift. The effects related to saturation and velocity-changing collisions between vapor atoms are also analyzed.
Cure of hypogonadism after removal of prolactin-secreting adenomas in men.

Two men with PRL-secreting pituitary adenomas and hypogonadism were studied before and repeatedly after transsphenoidal adenomectomy. Serum PRL levels were elevated (220 and 300 ng/ml), with no rise after perphenazine or TRH administration. Serum testosterone levels were low (180 and 155 ng/dl) but increased to 800 and 520 after hCG administration. Serum gonadotropin levels were low normal. Clomiphene treatment in patient 2 was not associated with an appreciable increase in FSH, LH, or testosterone. One patient had a normal sperm count, while the other was azospermic. One week after surgery, serum PRL levels were normal, yet serum testosterone remained low. A gradual and steady rise in the serum testosterone level was noted during the postoperative period, reaching normal levels in 8 and 10 weeks. Clinical improvement paralleled the steady rise in the serum testosterone level. Repeat clomiphene administration in patient 2 resulted in a normal rise in serum FSH, LH, and testosterone 13 weeks after surgery....
Expression arrays for macaque monkeys

Non-human primates (NHPs) serve as excellent models for transplantation research. Gene expression profiling has been shown to be an important tool in understanding many aspects of transplantation. The many advantages of using expression arrays, and the unavailability of monkey specific arrays (until recently), has prompted some investigators to use human expression arrays with samples from rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). This review examines attempts to use human expression arrays with monkey samples and the recent development of monkey-specific expression arrays.
Quantum Requirement for Acetate Assimilation and Its Significance for Quantum Measurements in Photophosphorylation

Quantum Requirement for Acetate Assimilation and Its Significance for Quantum Measurements in Photophosphorylation
Small Intestinal Submucosa Intracardiac Patch: An Experimental Study

In this experimental study, small intestinal submucosa was implanted as an atrial prosthesis in calves. Echocardiography and histology showed this to be an impermeable prosthesis that develops a neointimal nonthrombogenic surface making it safe for repair of defects in a low-pressure system. Further study with small intestinal submucosa in an intracardiac position is warranted.
Can Increased Muscle ROS Scavenging Keep Older Animals Young and Metabolically Fit

Insulin resistance and lipid accumulation occur with aging, perhaps due to mitochondrial dysfunction. In this issue of Cell Metabolism (Lee et al., 2010), older mice overexpressing mitochondrial targeted catalase had reduced muscle mitochondrial oxidative damage, lower intramuscular lipid, and improved insulin sensitivity, suggesting that enhanced ROS scavenging prevents age-associated mitochondrial impairments and insulin resistance.
Firewall Policy Reconnaissance: Techniques and Analysis

In the past decade, scanning has been widely used as a reconnaissance technique to gather critical network information to launch a follow up attack. To combat, numerous intrusion detectors have been proposed. However, scanning methodologies have shifted to the next-generation paradigm to be evasive. The next-generation reconnaissance techniques are intelligent and stealthy. These techniques use a low volume packet sequence and intelligent calculation for the victim selection to be more evasive. Previously, we proposed models for firewall policy reconnaissance that are used to set bound for learning accuracy as well as to put minimum requirements on the number of probes. We presented techniques for reconstructing the firewall policy by intelligently choosing the probing packets based on the responses of previous probes. In this paper, we show the statistical analysis of these techniques and discuss their evasiveness along with the improvement. First, we present the previously proposed two techniques followed by the statistical analysis and their evasiveness to current detectors. Based on the statistical analysis, we show that these techniques still exhibit a pattern and thus can be detected. We then develop a hybrid approach to maximize the benefit by combining the two heuristics.
Sajmiste as a European site of Holocaust remembrance

The article analyzes the peculiarities of the destruction of Serbian Jews during Second Wolrd War in the local and European context. Of all the sites in Serbia relevant to the destruction of the Serbian Jews, Sajmiste is the most important. After the consideration of the attitude of Germans and Nedic’s regime toward Jews and “Gypsies” in the context of the Final Solution, the author highlights that the Sajmiste internment camp was transformed into a local death camp-the only such site outside the territories of Poland and the Soviet Union. Serbia was the one country outside Poland and the Soviet Union where all Jewish victims were killed on the spot without deportation. It was the first country after Estonia to be declared “judenfrei.” Moreover, in Serbia the German army was not only complicit in the Holocaust but was in fact the main instigator and executioner in the killing of the Jewish men. For this reason, in particular, Sajmiste is a unique site for Holocaust remembrance not only in the Serbian but also in the European context.
Physical‐Chemical Characteristics of Partially Clarified Guava Juice and Concentrate

Partially clarified guava juice concentrate was prepared from single strength guava puree (5.5°Brix) by treatment with pectinase (2 hr at 50°C), extraction of juice with a rack-and-cloth press, and vacuum concentration to 23°Brix. The concentrate had the following characteristics: density, 1.10; pH, 3.16; total acids, 4.67%; ash, 1.51%; moisture, 72.4%; ascorbic acid, 867 mg%; viscosity, 4.4 cp; and CIE L* 39.2, CIE a* 10.33, CIE b* 27.11.
Direct in-gel fluorescence detection and cellular imaging of O-GlcNAc-modified proteins.

We report an advanced chemoenzymatic strategy for the direct fluorescence detection, proteomic analysis, and cellular imaging of O-GlcNAc-modified proteins. O-GlcNAc residues are selectively labeled with fluorescent or biotin tags using an engineered galactosyltransferase enzyme and [3 + 2] azide−alkyne cycloaddition chemistry. We demonstrate that this approach can be used for direct in-gel detection and mass spectrometric identification of O-GlcNAc proteins, identifying 146 novel glycoproteins from the mammalian brain. Furthermore, we show that the method can be exploited to quantify dynamic changes in cellular O-GlcNAc levels and to image O-GlcNAc-glycosylated proteins within cells. As such, this strategy enables studies of O-GlcNAc glycosylation that were previously inaccessible and provides a new tool for uncovering the physiological functions of O-GlcNAc.
Breakdown of Self-Similar Hardening Behavior in Au Nanopillar Microplasticity

This article is concerned with the study of scale effects in Au nanopillars under compression. We propose that plastic yielding in these nanostructures is characterized by a critical length scale at which a transition from volumetric to surface-dominated plasticity takes place. This transition effectively sets a lower bound on the self-similar behavior commonly assumed in nanostrength models. Using quasi-continuum simulations, we study the subcritical regime and find that plasticity at these scales is governed by dislocation emission at surface irregularities.
Moved, left no address: dam construction, displacement and issue salience

Dams have displaced millions of people in many countries of the world but such social costs of dam construction constitute a relatively new international issue. The emergence of displacement as a salient issue is explained with reference to three factors: historical circumstances political leaders ability to mobilize support for their priority concerns and to public participation. Participation refers to both the publics action to influence critical policy decisions and to its sense of efficacy. Cases are considered in three major dam-building countries: the United States India and China. In the United States social displacement never became a public or political issue. Instead dams have been challenged on environmental grounds. In India by contrast dams have stirred enormous controversy due to their social costs. The article also considers experience in China site of the worlds largest dam project and the recent report of an international commission the World Commission on Dams. The reports release in November 2000 marks the emergence of social displacement as a global concern. (authors)
Sorbent coatings for solid‐phase microextraction based on mixtures of polymeric ionic liquids

Four polymeric ionic liquids based on two different cations, poly(1-vinyl-3-hexylimidazolium) and poly(1-vinyl-3-hexadecylimidazolium), combined with two different anions, bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide (NTf 2-) and chloride (Cl(-)), were combined in various weight percentages and used as sorbent coatings for solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography (SPME-GC). The selectivity of the fiber coatings for 12 test analytes was examined. The extraction efficiency of n-alcohols increased with an increase in the weight percentage of chloride ion in the sorbent coating. The ability to tune the interactions between the coating material and the analytes was exploited and resulted in distinct changes in the limits of detection for hydrogen-bonding analytes with varying chloride ion content in the sorbent coating.
Ordinary field‐theoretic methods for self‐consistent wave functions which describe bond formation and dissociation. III. The commutative coupling approximation

The commutative coupling approximation of Hartree–Bogoliubov–Valatin theory is realized when the number-conserving renormalized one-body and number-nonconserving pairing operators are assumed to commute. In this case, a set of self-consistent one-particle equations which involves a single operator may be solved. The commutative coupling approximations and the exact solutions are compared here for the fragmentation of LiH and FH. The results suggest that the commutative coupling approximation provides a useful zeroth-order representation of fragmentation, and hence will induce suitable vacuua for applications' of Nambu's spinor representation of Feynman–Dyson–Goldstone diagrammatic perturbation theory to the problem of bond formation and dissociation.
Decoupled Control/Error Weighting for Predictive Control

This paper presents a basic review and explanation of the predictive control, discusses the inherent inadequacies with the control/error weighting scheme employed by the predictive control, and recommends some modifications to greatly improve its performance. Some simple examples are presented at the end of the paper to verify that the enhanced weighted scheme does, indeed, improve the predictive controller's performance. Recommendations are also made on the implementation of the new controller
Protecting Young Children: Identifying Family Substance Use and Risks in the Home.

This study examines the usefulness of a screening process implemented in the context of a Head Start home visit and compares families who screened positive for substance abuse with those who did not on an array of child and family indicators important for healthy child development. The sample included 1,105 low-income families with preschool-age children enrolled in Head Start programs. Families were interviewed using the Family Map, an interview tool used to screen on a wide range of areas important for healthy child development. Children identified as having a positive screen for family problems with alcohol and other drugs (9.1%) were more likely to be at risk on 10 of 11 additional areas assessed.
Hydrido(phosphine)ruthenate complexes and their role in the catalytic hydrogenation of arenes

Abstract Starting with the potassium salt of [ RuH 2 (PPh 3 ) 2 (PPh 2 C 6H4)]− (1) the following reactions in THF were identified: (1) 1 + H2 → fac-[RuH3(PPh3)3]− (2); (2) 1 + 1,4-Ph2-1,3-butadiene → [RuH(PPh3)2(1,4-Ph2-1,3-butadiene)]− (3) + PPh3; (3) 3 + 4H2 → [RuH5(PPh3)2]− (4) + 1,4-Ph2-butane; (4) 4 + 1-hexene → [RuH3-(PPh3)2]− (5) + hexane; (5) 4 + L → [RuH3(PPh3)2L]− + H2 (L = CO, PPh3, PMe2Ph); (6) 2 + 1,5-anthracene (A) → [RuH(PPh3)2A]− (7) + 0.5 (1,2,3,4-H4A) + PPh3; (7) 4 + 5 C2H4 → [ Ru(PPh 3 )(PPh 2 C 6H4)(C2H4)2]− (8) + 3C2H6; (8) 4 + 2 → 7 + 1,2,3,4-H4A; (9) 7 + 4H2 → 4 + 1,2,3,4-H4A. Reactions 8 and 9 constitute a catalytic cycle for the hydrogenation of anthracene to 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroanthracene.
Zur Fraktionierung von Niederdruckpolyäthylen

Es wurde das Trennvermogen einer einfachen Kolonnenfraktionierung ohne Temperaturgradienten untersucht. Polyathylen (Marlex 6002) mit einemMw/Mn-Verhaltnis von 11,3 wurde in sechs Fraktionen aufgetrennt, deren Verteilungsbreiten durch Refraktionierung bestimmt wurden. Fur die mittleren Fraktionen wurdenMw/Mn-Werte unterhalb 1,2 erhalten, wogegen die erste und die beiden letzten Fraktionen etwas breitere Verteilungen aufwiesen.
Culture or Teacher Bias? Racial and Ethnic Variation in Student–Teacher Effort Assessment Match/Mismatch

Three leading theories of racial achievement gaps in education include cultural capital match/mismatch, oppositional culture, and teacher bias. Cultural capital match/mismatch theory suggests that students and teachers do not share the same understanding of the standards, norms, and expectations required for achievement. Oppositional culture theory suggests that students may resist the standards, norms, and expectations of achievement, and teacher bias theory suggests that teachers have standards, norms, and expectations that privilege some students, but not others. The unifying thread in all three of these theories is how teachers and students perceive and execute the standards, norms, and expectations of schooling. This study offers a unique way of operationalizing whether and how cultural capital, oppositional culture, and/or teacher bias occur in everyday classroom practice and behavior by examining racialized patterns of student–teacher effort assessment match/mismatch. Using data from the Educational Longitudinal Study (Base Year 2002), I find no evidence for oppositional culture; net of other background characteristics, black students are less, and Hispanic students are no more likely than white students to agree with their teachers that they have low effort. Black and Hispanic students are more likely than white students to believe they are working hard when their teacher disagrees, but, consistent with cultural capital theory, socioeconomic background and academic skills account for all of their effort misalignment. Lastly, white and Asian students seem to benefit from positive teacher bias; net of background and skill, black and Hispanic students are less likely than white and Asian students to receive positive teacher effort assessment when they admit to not working hard.
A Study of Pb-Rich Dendrites in a Near-Eutectic 63Sn-37Pb Solder Microstructure via Laboratory-Scale Micro X-ray Computed Tomography (μXCT)

A key challenge in the application of laboratory-scale x-ray computed tomography to the study of metallic alloys is achieving sufficient feature contrast and resolution for the segmentation between solid phases of similar composition and density at spatial length scales suitable for microstructure quantification. In the microelectronic packaging, value exists in the nondestructive evaluation of solder system microstructures resulting from varying compositional and processing factors. A near-eutectic 63Sn-37Pb butt-joint on copper was studied with a custom laboratory-scale microresolved x-ray computed tomography scanner with the goal of quantifying three-dimensional (3D) microstructural constituents resulting from a reproducible reflow process. The 3D character of lead-rich dendrites resulting from non-equilibrium solidification was revealed. The quantification of the dendrite microstructure was made possible through a combination of data acquisition, data processing, and data segmentation techniques. The scanning parameter selection, with respect to the characterization task, is discussed. Data acquisition and processing methods which were determined to be beneficial for 3D microstructure characterization are detailed. A beam-hardening artifact reduction algorithm is provided, without which microstructure quantification would not have been possible. The segmentation of the dendrite features, performed using a semi-automatic 3D region growth method, is described. The segmented solder volume enabled quantitative description of the 3D dendrite microstructure and void content.
An affordable computer-aided method for conducting Morris water maze testing

A relatively inexpensive and reliable computer-aided method for assessing Morris water maze performance is described. The procedure uses SigmaScan digitizing software (Jandel Scientific, San Rafael, CA) to collect distance swum data, while escape latencies are measured with a hand-held stopwatch. Swim paths are videotaped for subsequent viewing and saved on disk as data sets ofx,y coordinates. At a later time,x,y data files are printed and analyzed to obtain additional performance measures (e.g., distance swum in previous reinforced quadrant, heading angle, etc.). Intra- and interrater reliabilities associated with this method are presented. Correlation coefficients in ther = .85−.90 and above range are reported for both reliability types. Given its approximate cost of $1,500 (excluding the price of an IBM-compatible computer), the present procedure potentially can aid in performing instructional and research activities at small colleges which typically lack extensive equipment budgets.
Board Risk Committees and Audit Pricing

SUMMARY: Conditions leading up to and surrounding the global financial crisis prompted an increasing number of firms to create board-level risk oversight committees (RCs). The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (U.S. House of Representatives 2010) even legislates RCs for certain large banks. Distinct from audit committees, RCs present a unique setting to extend our understanding of the relation between emerging governance mechanisms and auditing. Using a sample of 3,980 U.S.-listed banks from 2003–2011, we find that on average, the presence of RCs is associated with higher audit fees. Our results are robust to multiple specifications, including self-selection and propensity score matched samples. For a reduced sample of 458 firms that employ an RC we also examine RC characteristics. We find RC independence and audit committee overlaps are associated with lower audit fees and RC size, relative to board size, is associated with higher audit fees. Supplemental analysis provides discus...
The teaching commons: is student loan debt good or bad debt?

There is a dearth of pre-loan and post-loan counselling for undergraduate students using student loans to help finance their higher education. An assignment on student loan debt for undergraduate students, adaptable to a variety of courses, is designed to close the feedback loop between how much a specific higher education degree programme costs, projected salary upon graduation, and how much student loan debt is affordable given those two inputs and financial planning guidelines.
Rotational Analysis of Ultraviolet Bands of Silicon Monoxide

From measurements on silicon arc spectrograms a rotational analysis has been made of the (0,1), (0,2), (0,3), (0,4) and (1,4) bands of the ultraviolet band system of silicon monoxide (SiO). The bands were found to be due to a $^{1}\ensuremath{\Pi}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}^{1}\ensuremath{\Sigma}$ transition as was expected by analogy with the fourth positive bands of CO. Among the constants obtained from the analysis are A number of perturbations of the $Q$ branch lines were observed. Some conclusions were reached as to the nature of the perturbing levels. From measurements of band heads of this system made by Jevons and the results of the present analysis the following equation was obtained for the band origins: ${{\ensuremath{\nu}}_{0}=,42835.3+851.51({v}^{\ensuremath{'}}+\frac{1}{2})\ensuremath{-}6.143{({v}^{\ensuremath{'}}+\frac{1}{2})}^{2}+}{0.0437{({v}^{\ensuremath{'}}+\frac{1}{2})}^{3}\ensuremath{-}1242.03({v}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}+\frac{1}{2})+}{6.047{({v}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}+\frac{1}{2})}^{2}\ensuremath{-}0.00329{({v}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}+\frac{1}{2})}^{3}.}$
Areal structure and rates of childlessness among American wives in 1970.

Abstract After merging data on counties from the 1970 census and data from 1969 family planning programs, we aggregated smaller counties as necessary into statistical areal units (SAU's) of at least 20,000 white or 10,000 Black women aged 15–44. We used multiple regression analysis of 12 white and 12 Black subgroups of wives (divided by age and 1969 family income) to test an explanatory model, based on cost‐reward theory, of areal variation in rates of childlessness. Our prediction that childlessness is related to areal differences in alternative roles and other factors that delay childbearing was strongly supported for white wives and generally confirmed for Black wives.
Increased acceptance bandwidth for quasi-phasematched second harmonic generation in LiNbO3 waveguides

The authors demonstrate waveguide second harmonic generation using a variable-spaced phase-reversed quasi-phasematched grating that has an acceptance bandwidth 15 times greater than a uniformly quasi-phasematched interaction of the same length.
StopFinder: improving the experience of blind public transit riders with crowdsourcing

I developed a system for mobile devices for crowdsourcing landmarks around bus stops for blind transit riders. The main focus of my research is to develop a method to provide reliable and accurate information about landmarks around bus stops to blind transit riders. In addition to that, my research focuses on understanding how access to such information affects their use of public transportation.
Quantum confinement in controlled-pore films

Nanosized ZnS and PbS crystallites were grown within the pores of amorphous multicomponent silicate films deposited by sol-gel processing. Variation of the pore size (<EQ 2 - 4 nm) and porosity (5 - 33%) of the film caused a corresponding variation in semiconductor crystallite size (<EQ 1 - 4.5 nm) and thin film optical absorbance. These results are consistent with crystal growth constrained within the porous thin film host. Due to the small crystallite sizes, the absorbance spectra of the semiconductors were blue shifted relative to the bulk crystals. Crystallite sizes based on the positions of the absorption edges either underpredicted or overpredicted particles sizes measured by TEM indicating possible inadequacies of the models for such small particle sizes. Constrained growth within controlled pore size films appears to be a general route to composites with tailored properties.
Physicochemical and biological characterizations of pregnant mare serum gonadotropin and its subunits

Abstract Pregnant mare serum gonadotropin and its subunits have been further characterized. Ultracentrifugation of the gonadotropin at pH 1.3 and 11.5 showed little evidence of dissociation compared to pH 8.2. Highly purified subunits are obtained by urea dissociation and ion-exchange chromatography followed by gel-filtration. Circular dichroism spectra of the gonadotropin and its subunits are much like those of ovine lutropin and its subunits in that there is little evidence for secondary structure and one or more tyrosine residues are inaccessible in the intact gonadotropin compared to the subunits. The α-subunit possesses almost 3 times as much total carbohydrate as the β-subunit; the individual sugar composition of each was determined as well as the amino acid composition. The α-subunit begins with the sequence NH2-Phe-Pro (Gly or Pro) … and terminates with isoleucine. The β-subunit has the sequence NH2-Ser-Pro-Gly …; no C-terminal residue is detectable by either carboxypeptidase or hydrazinolysis. Biological studies show the gonadotropin to be active in assays specific for both lutropin and follitropin. Precipitin test in agar with rabbit antiserum against the gonadotropin show that the beta subunit cross-reacts whereas the alpha subunit does not.
Skeletal Muscle Involvement by Limited Gleason Score 6 Adenocarcinoma of the Prostate on Needle Biopsy is Not Associated With Adverse Findings at Radical Prostatectomy

Purpose: Skeletal muscle involvement by prostate cancer is considered to be ambiguous for extraprostatic extension when it is found at the apex, where benign prostatic glands naturally blend with the skeletal muscle of the rhabdosphincter. We investigated the significance of skeletal muscle involvement by cancer in needle biopsies in predicting adverse outcomes at radical prostatectomy.Materials and Methods: From 2000 to 2009, we retrospectively identified 40 cases with Gleason score 6 adenocarcinoma involving up to 20% of 1 core, with skeletal muscle involvement. Outcomes of radical prostatectomy were compared with a control group of 82 cases with the same parameters without skeletal muscle involvement from the same period.Results: In radical prostatectomy specimens Gleason score greater than 6, extraprostatic extension and positive margins were found in 15.0%, 7.5% and 12.5% of patients in the study group, compared to 20.7%, 11.0% and 4.9% of patients in the control group, respectively. No statistically...
Nonconvex electricity market design

The ISO market design has evolved over time from traditions, economic theory and power system operations heuristics. Early market designs made simplifying assumptions and analyzed a convex market. With these assumptions, the tendency has been to analyze the markets under the neoclassical market paradigm. Complicating features in market design such as reactive power, unit commitment, pricing and switching of transmission assets and demand participation make the market non-convex and possibly without a core. Market power and lumpy investments present additional complicating factors. ISO market design should be analyzed as a whole before examining the pieces. We examine several methods for analyzing and settling the markets. Also we address the value and role of price signals.
Nail shedding following hand, foot and mouth disease

A previously well 5-year-old Chinese girl presented to the children's emergency with nail discolouration of 5 days duration. There was no associated pain or history of trauma. She had otherwise just recovered from hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) 3 weeks ago. On examination, there was separation of the nail plate from the nail bed, beginning at the proximal nail fold, …
Relation of emotional reactivity and regulation to childhood stuttering

Abstract The purpose of the present study was to examine relations between children's emotional reactivity, emotion regulation and stuttering. Participants were 65 preschool children who stutter (CWS) and 56 preschool children who do not stutter (CWNS). Parents completed the Behavior Style Questionnaire (BSQ) [McDevitt S. C., & Carey, W. B. (1978). A measure of temperament in 3–7 year old children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 19, 245–253]. Three groups of BSQ items measuring emotional reactivity, emotion regulation, and attention regulation were identified by experts in children's emotions. Findings indicated that when compared to their normally fluent peers, CWS were significantly more reactive, significantly less able to regulate their emotions, and had significantly poorer attention regulation, even after controlling for gender, age, and language abilities. Findings suggest that the relatively greater emotional reactivity experienced by preschool children who stutter, together with their relative inability to flexibly control their attention and regulate the emotions they experience, may contribute to the difficulties these children have establishing reasonably fluent speech and language. Learning outcomes: The reader should be able to (1) define emotional reactivity and emotion regulation, (2) explain how emotional reactivity and emotion regulation relate to preschool stuttering, and (3) understand recent empirical evidence linking reactivity and regulation to preschool stuttering.
A knowledge-based approach to solving hedge design problems

Problems such as the explosive number of hedging alternatives that is constantly growing, the quick decisions risk managers need to make in response to the speed in which information flows, and the lack of appropriate computerized support in the early phases of the hedge design process, suggest that there is ample scope for risk managers to make suboptimal decisions. The authors formulate hedge design as a multi-objective optimization problem. This optimization problem involves several complexities with which existing quantitative solution techniques cannot deal. They also present a knowledge-based system called INTELLIGENT-HEDGER, developed to solve the hedge design problem. This system uses an object-centered representation that captures risk managers' deep domain knowledge, and facilitates emulation of first-principles reasoning processes risk managers use to make decisions and explain them. >
The Oregon experiment: the role of cost-benefit analysis in the allocation of Medicaid funds.

The state of Oregon decided to cover all potentially eligible Medicaid citizens to 100% of poverty. Previously, Oregon had covered persons up to 67% of poverty. In order to keep overall program costs in check, Oregon decided to limit the number of services that its Medicaid program would cover. Oregon's normative choice was to contain program costs by covering all eligible persons up to 100% of poverty, while at the same time uniformly limiting access to certain services for everyone in the overall group of eligible persons. The state developed a prioritization list of medical services and priced the components on the list. The amount of money ultimately available for the Medicaid program was a political decision informed by data about the cost of different services and influenced by the priorities set through an independent process of priority-setting. Physicians were asked to determine what works medically, how well it works, and what benefits accrue to patients. Recognizing that physician perspectives on efficacy might vary from patients' perspectives on valuation of benefits, Oregon's planners developed a method for valuing medical outcomes that stemmed from particular medical interventions. This blend of medical fact and value to patients allowed for comparing valuations by introducing cost considerations. Condition-treatment (CT) pairs linked a medical condition with one or more courses of treatment. The goal was to determine the likely incremental medical benefit from a given treatment. In addition, Oregon developed a Quality-of-Well-Being scale to determine the net patient benefit from medical intervention and used a telephone survey to value that net benefit. A cost-benefit ratio was derived, and a prioritization of CT pairs was developed. The article analyzes and evaluates Oregon's use of cost-benefit calculations in the allocation of Medicaid funds, noting that Oregon itself backed away from many of the implications of its cost-benefit analysis and that the Americans with Disabilities Act has constrained use of quality-of-life judgments in Medicaid resource allocation decision-making.
A Century in Print: Arabic Journalism and Nationalism in Sudan, 1899–1999

In 1999, Sudan's Arabic periodical press observes its hundredth anniversary. A century before, and one year after the collapse of the Mahdist state (1881–98), the Britishdominated “Anglo-Egyptian“ regime (1898–1956) launched an official Arabic-English gazette. Four years later, Lebanese journalists founded the region's first independent Arabic newspaper, catering to an audience of Egyptians and Lebanese employed by the new government. These expatriates sparked an interest in journalism among educated Northern Sudanese men, who within a few years of the newspaper's debut were avidly subscribing and contributing to journals.
Chronic respiratory symptoms in children following in utero and early life exposure to arsenic in drinking water in Bangladesh

Background Arsenic exposure via drinking water increases the risk of chronic respiratory disease in adults. However, information on pulmonary health effects in children after early life exposure is limited. Methods This population-based cohort study set in rural Matlab, Bangladesh, assessed lung function and respiratory symptoms of 650 children aged 7–17 years. Children with in utero and early life arsenic exposure were compared with children exposed to less than 10 µg/l in utero and throughout childhood. Because most children drank the same water as their mother had drunk during pregnancy, we could not assess only in utero or only childhood exposure. Results Children exposed in utero to more than 500 µg/l of arsenic were more than eight times more likely to report wheezing when not having a cold [odds ratio (OR) = 8.41, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.66–42.6, P < 0.01] and more than three times more likely to report shortness of breath when walking on level ground (OR = 3.86, 95% CI: 1.09–13.7, P = 0.02) and when walking fast or climbing (OR = 3.19, 95% CI: 1.22–8.32, P < 0.01]. However, there was little evidence of reduced lung function in either exposure category. Conclusions Children with high in utero and early life arsenic exposure had marked increases in several chronic respiratory symptoms, which could be due to in utero exposure or to early life exposure, or to both. Our findings suggest that arsenic in water has early pulmonary effects and that respiratory symptoms are a better marker of early life arsenic toxicity than changes in lung function measured by spirometry.
ON THE EFFICACY OF THE RANK TRANSFORMATION IN STEPWISE LOGISTIC AND DISCRIMINANT ANALYSIS

We have evaluated the performance of four stepwise variable selection procedures commonly used in medical and epidemiologic research. The four procedures are discriminant and logistic regression and their rank transformed versions, where the independent variables are replaced by their ranks. We generated, by computer, data for two groups from several distributions with a variety of sample sizes and covariance matrices. The two ranking procedures each increased the chance of correctly selecting those variables related to group membership for data generated from log-normal or contaminated distributions. For normally distributed data the ranking procedure had little effect on variable selection. Rank transformed discriminant analysis and rank transformed logistic regression were equally effective in selecting variables when sample sizes exceeded 100. Rank transformed discriminant analysis was superior for smaller data sets. We discuss the implications of the results of this study for clinical and epidemiologic research.
Liberal Democracy and the Social Acceleration of Time

Liberal Democracy and the Social Acceleration of Time. By William Scheuerman. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004. 312p. $42.00.While the political ramifications of social acceleration have preoccupied thinkers in a variety of disciplines at least since the Industrial Revolution, and contemporary works by such thinkers as Paul Virilio, David Harvey, James Der Derian, and William Connolly have highlighted various modes of speed, many in political science have been slow to pay heed. William Scheuerman's book aims to redress this lag in the discipline, taking up the theme of social acceleration from these and other authors and using it to frame a wide-ranging assessment of transformations to liberal democratic legal and political institutions.
Examining Descriptive and Empirically Based Typologies of Toys for Handicapped and Nonhandicapped Children

This article presents two typologies or classifications of play materials. One typology describes play materials by their characteristics and use. From this perspective, toys or play materials are divided into four broad categories: instructional materials, real objects, constructive or creative play objects, and toys. The second typology analyzes toys from an empirically-derived approach. McCune-Nicholich's (1977) and Yawkey's (1983a, 1983b) schemes for examining developmental pretend play are explained. Different play objects are included in each level of play development. Finally, some educational implications are discussed, and the importance of play materials in the development of cognitive, social, physical, and other skills is stressed.
Two sympatric species of Antrodiaetus from southwestern North Carolina (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Antrodiaetidae)

Two sympatric species of Antrodiaetus (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Antrodiaetidae) are recorded from southwestern North Carolina: A. unicolor (Hentz 1841) and A. microunicolor new species. A neotype for A. unicolor is designated from DeSoto State Park in Alabama and a description is provided. A new species of Antrodiaetus is described from the Coweeta Long Term Ecological Research station in southwestern North Carolina. This new species is sympatric (putatively syntopic) with the closely related A. unicolor and can be differentiated from that species on the basis of size, setal characters, coloration, selected morphometric ratios, and non-overlapping breeding seasons. A brief account on the natural history for both species at Coweeta is presented.
Autoimmune thyroid disease and chronic urticaria

We report six cases of autoimmune thyroid disease associated with chronic urticaria and briefly review the literature, including the histopathological nature of such lesions, and their aetiology and pathogenesis. In view of the prevalence of thyroid disease in patients with chronic urticaria, screening measurements of thyrotropin and anti-thyroperoxidase antibodies are recommended, although negative antibodies do not exclude a relationship between urticaria and thyroid autoimmunity. After failure of conventional therapy for urticaria, patients who are apparently clinically euthyroid may be considered for a trial with levothyroxine. Improvement of urticaria was seen with levothyroxine treatment in three of four patients with only marginal abnormalities in thyroid function.
Differentially-Fed Millimeter-Wave Yagi-Uda Antennas With Folded Dipole Feed

Differentially-driven Yagi-Uda antennas have been developed for millimeter-wave applications. The antennas are built on both sides of a Teflon substrate (?r = 2.2). A key design aspect is the use of a folded dipole feed which increases the input impedance from 18 ? (standard dipole case) to 150 ? and is compatible with coplanar strip lines. A 7-element design results in a gain of 8-10 dB at 22-26 GHz and a cross-polarization level of 90% at 22-26 GHz) and is suitable for mm-wave point-to-point links communication systems.
Readability of consumer health information on the internet: a comparison of U.S. government-funded and commercially funded websites.

The Internet has become an extremely prevalent means of communicating health information to consumers. Guidelines for selecting reliable health information websites give preference to U.S. government sites over commercially funded sites. However, these websites are not useful to consumers unless they are able to read and understand them. The authors’ objective was to compare the readability of Internet health information intended for consumers found on U.S. government–funded websites versus that found on commercially funded websites. Consumer health websites were identified through a systematic Internet search. Webpages for 10 common health topics were extracted from each website. Readability of webpages was determined by 3 validated measures: Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kincaid Reading Level, and SMOG Formula. Mean readability of government-funded and commercially funded websites was compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. Commercially funded websites were significantly more difficult to read as measured...
The Relationship Between Preschoolers’ Attitudes and Play Behaviors Toward Classmates With Disabilities

This study was conducted to examine the relationship between 32 typically developing preschoolers’ attitudes and play behaviors toward their classmates with disabilities or developmental delays. Children’s attitudes toward peers with disabilities were assessed using three methods: child interviews, sociometric peer ratings, and a social acceptance scale. Children’s play behaviors (e.g., solitary, onlooker, parallel play, associative/cooperative play) and teachers’ involvement in children’s play were observed during free play over a 10-week period. Results revealed that children’s identification of a classmate with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) as having a disability was negatively related to their associative/cooperative play with the classmate. Typically developing children’s sociometric ratings of classmates with disabilities were positively related to their associative/cooperative play with classmates with disabilities. In addition, children’s sociometric ratings were a stronger indicator o...
Decision tree-based method for integrating gene expression, demographic, and clinical data to determine disease endotypes

Complex diseases are often difficult to diagnose, treat and study due to the multi-factorial nature of the underlying etiology. Large data sets are now widely available that can be used to define novel, mechanistically distinct disease subtypes (endotypes) in a completely data-driven manner. However, significant challenges exist with regard to how to segregate individuals into suitable subtypes of the disease and understand the distinct biological mechanisms of each when the goal is to maximize the discovery potential of these data sets. A multi-step decision tree-based method is described for defining endotypes based on gene expression, clinical covariates, and disease indicators using childhood asthma as a case study. We attempted to use alternative approaches such as the Student’s t-test, single data domain clustering and the Modk-prototypes algorithm, which incorporates multiple data domains into a single analysis and none performed as well as the novel multi-step decision tree method. This new method gave the best segregation of asthmatics and non-asthmatics, and it provides easy access to all genes and clinical covariates that distinguish the groups. The multi-step decision tree method described here will lead to better understanding of complex disease in general by allowing purely data-driven disease endotypes to facilitate the discovery of new mechanisms underlying these diseases. This application should be considered a complement to ongoing efforts to better define and diagnose known endotypes. When coupled with existing methods developed to determine the genetics of gene expression, these methods provide a mechanism for linking genetics and exposomics data and thereby accounting for both major determinants of disease.
Reality Television Programs Are Associated With Illegal Drug Use and Prescription Drug Misuse Among College Students.

ABSTRACTBackground: Reality television watching and social media use are popular activities. Reality television can include mention of illegal drug use and prescription drug misuse. Objectives: To determine if reality television and social media use of Twitter are associated with either illegal drug use or prescription drug misuse. Methods: Survey of 576 college students in 2011. Independent variables included watching reality television (social cognitive theory), parasocial interaction (parasocial interaction theory), television hours watched (cultivation theory), following a reality television character on Twitter, and demographics. Outcome variables were illegal drug use and prescription drug misuse. Results: Watching reality television and also identifying with reality TV program characters were each associated with greater odds for illegal drug use. Also, following a reality TV character on Twitter had greater odds for illegal drug use and also in one analytical model for prescription drug misuse. No...
The effect of ultraviolet radiation on ultrasonic properties of polyurea

Abstract Polyurea is used in military and civilian applications where exposure to the sun is commonly of long duration, which can deteriorate its mechanical performance to suboptimal levels. This study reports on the ultrasonic properties of polyurea as a function of ultraviolet radiation exposure duration and temperature. Six sets of samples were continuously exposed to ultraviolet radiation for different durations up to 15 weeks. Control samples were also tested that did not receive UV exposure. The ultrasonic properties were measured using high-frequency contact ultrasound transducers in pitch-catch configuration. All exposed samples exhibited significant color changes from transparent yellow to opaque light brown. Changes of color were observed as early as 3 weeks of UV exposure. Nonetheless, crazing was only observed in samples of 6, 9, 12, and 15 weeks of continuous exposure. The size of the surface cracks increased as the duration of exposure continued. The effect of extended UV radiation on the acoustic properties was noted to be minimal, where elastic and shear moduli decreased monotonically after an initial increase during the first 3 weeks of exposure. The attenuation properties were measured at 23 °C and 40 °C. The p-wave attenuation did not show any notable change, while the s-wave attenuation monotonically decreased as the temperature and UV exposure duration increased.
And the Heat Goes On

To the Editor: I was disappointed to read the response of Dr. Ernest Henley to the questions I raised in this column (Phys Ther, March 1981) regarding the article by Dr. Henley entitled “Comparison of In Vivo Temperatures Produced by Hydrotherapy, Paraffin Wax Treatment, and Fluidotherapy®” (Phys Ther, October 1980). I believe his response was more a personal attack than a response to my comments. The fact remains that his study did not use water at temperatures high enough (102°F–104°F) to raise skin temperature (and thus joint capsule and muscle temperature) significantly and his method of application of paraffin (the nine-dip method) also does not raise temperatures significantly. His point concerning the use of only one subject to establish statistically valid physical data is well taken. However, the comment that “the only reason we used four subjects rather than one was because 18-gauge hypodermic needles hurt” does not make sense. [ ARTICLE][1] [ ARTICLE][2] [ ARTICLE][3] [1]: /lookup/volpage/61/927?iss=6 [2]: /lookup/volpage/61/391?iss=3 [3]: /lookup/volpage/60/1273?iss=10