cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Association Between State Assistance on the Topic of Indoor Air Quality and School District-Level Policies That Promote Indoor Air Quality in Schools.

Nationally representative data from the 2012 School Health Policies and Practices Study examined whether state assistance on indoor air quality (IAQ) was associated with district-level policies and practices related to IAQ and integrated pest management (IPM). Districts in states that provided assistance on IAQ were more likely than districts not in such states to (1) have an IAQ management program (p < .001); (2) require schools to conduct periodic inspections of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system (p < .05); of the building for cracks, leaks, or past water damage (p < .01); for mold (p < .01); for clutter that prevents effective cleaning and maintenance (p < .05); of the plumbing system (p < .01); and for condensation in and around school facilities (p < .001); (3) have an engine idling reduction program ( < .001); (4) have a policy to purchase low-emitting products (p < .05); and (5) require IPM strategies (p < .05). Increasing the number of states that provide IAQ-related assistance ...
Effects of phosphorylation on the structure of the G-protein receptor rhodopsin.

Abstract Upon activation by light, rhodopsin is subject to phosphorylation by rhodopsin kinase at serine and threonine residues in the carboxyl terminal region of the protein. A 19 amino acid peptide that corresponds to the carboxyl terminal end of rhodopsin (residues 330–348) and contains these phosphorylation sites was synthesized. The structure of this peptide was determined using two-dimensional proton NMR. The structure of this peptide was similar to that determined for this region in peptides corresponding to the carboxyl 33 and 43 amino acids of rhodopsin. The effect of phosphorylation on the structure of the carboxyl terminal domain of rhodopsin was determined by solving the solution structures of the peptide containing residues 330–348 with phosphorylation at one (residue 343), three (residues 343, 338, and 334) and seven residues (residues 334, 335, 336, 338, 340, 342, 343). These data indicate that the major structural change occurs upon phosphorylation of the first residue, and that an additional structural change occurs with seven phosphates.
Predictors of wrist function and health status after operative treatment of fractures of the distal radius.

Purpose To identify the most important determinants of physician-based and patient-based scoring systems for the wrist and upper extremity after operative treatment of a fracture of the distal radius, with the hypothesis that pain is the strongest determinant of both types of scores. Methods Eighty-four patients were evaluated a minimum of 6 months after operative fixation of an unstable distal radius fracture using 2 physician-based evaluation instruments (the Mayo Wrist Score and the Gartland and Werley Score) and an upper extremity–specific health status questionnaire (Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand; DASH). Multivariate analysis of variance and multiple linear regression modeling were used to identify the degree to which various factors affect variability in the scores derived with these measures. Results The physician-based scoring systems showed moderate correlation with each other and with DASH scores. The results of multiple linear regression modeling were as follows (percent variability accounted for by the best fit model/model with top factor alone): Mayo: 54% grip and flexion arc/47% grip alone; Gartland and Werley: 70% pain, flexion arc, radiocarpal arthritis, and duration of follow-up/53% pain alone; DASH: 71% pain, forearm arc, and type of fracture/65% pain alone. Conclusions At early follow-up, pain dominates the patient's perception of function after recovery from an operatively treated distal radius fracture as measured by the DASH score and the physician-based rating according to the system of Gartland and Werley. The Mayo Wrist Score is determined primarily by grip strength rather than pain. Because perception of pain and strength of grip have been shown to be influenced by psychosocial factors in some individuals, both patient-based and physician-based measures of wrist function may be vulnerable to illness behavior. Type of study/level of evidence Prognostic III.
25 Years of HIV/AIDS: A Dermatologist Epidemic Watcher's Perspective

Though history will mark June 1981 as the birthday of the AIDS pandemic, the first true case of the syndrome and its cause originated years before in West-Central Africa. History also highlights the irony that the discovery of AIDS, the detection of its cause, and the development of drugs for its treatment, all occurred far from its origin, and now, 25 years later, the greatest burden of this disease is where it is believed to have started.
The interaction between excimer laser energy and vascular tissue

The effects of XeF1 excimer laser on isolated normal and atherosclerotic aorta were studied. Experiments were performed in flowing water at constant temperature, flow rate, water depth, pulse width (10 nsec), wavelength (351 nm), beam size (1 mm2) and focal length (50 cm). The number of pulses, the pulse energy, and the pulse frequency were varied, and the vascular tissue was studied histologically. The following observations were made: tissue ablation required a minimum threshold pulse energy and was nonlinearly proportional to the number of pulses and the pulse energy delivered; precise tissue ablation occurred at low pulse frequencies, but changes resembling a thermal process were seen as pulse frequency increased; calcified plaque was more photoresistant than atheroma or normal vessel; excimer laser energy was markedly attenuated by blood; and the time interval between pulses and high peak power are related to the precision of ablation by pulsed excimer laser. It is concluded that excimer laser can rapidly and precisely ablate vascular tissue by a photothermal process.
Quasi-scaling of electron degradation spectra

Abstract Douthat has found that plots of electron spectra calculated for different initial energies nearly coincide if a suitable choice of scaled variables is adopted for abscissas and ordinates. This paper provides a rationale for this choice of variables, reformulates the degradation equation in terms of the new variables, and shows how the trend of the solution of the transformed equation can be predicted semi-quantitatively by inspection.
Histological, Immunocytochemical, and Morphometrical Analyses of Pancreatic Islets in the BSB Mouse Model of Obesity

This article presents biochemical data on the BSB mouse model of multigenic obesity indicating increased percentage body fat, increased fasting plasma insulin, and increased insulin resistance in male and female obese mice compared with lean controls. Plasma glucose was significantly increased only in male obese mice. Morphological and morphometrical analyses of pancreatic islets showed increased islet size and number in all obese mice compared with lean controls. Immuno-staining results for insulin-positive islet cells showed greater levels of insulin in male and female obese versus lean mice, while the percent or proportion of insulin immuno-staining, as expected, was not significantly different between obese and lean. The percent or proportion of immuno-staining for islet glucagon and somatostatin showed reduced staining in islets from obese compared with lean mice. The significance of these findings shows, for the first time, the morphologic appearance of pancreatic islets and the quantitative distribution of the three major islet cell hormonal populations in BSB obese mice. The correlation between this descriptive information and physiological data might lend insights to the cause of obesity-related diabetes.
Catecholamine-glucocorticoid interactions during surgical stress

The stress response involves activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis and the sympathetic nervous system. To study the relative contributions of glucocorticoids, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine to homeostasis, we examined the effects of cortisol and epinephrine deficiency on the norepinephrine and dopamine responses to surgical stress in nonhuman primates. Adult male cynomolgus monkeys (n = 7-8/group) underwent bilateral or sham adrenalectomy and were maintained for 4 months on physiologic glucocorticoid (hydrocortisone phosphate, 32 mg/M2/day) and mineralocorticoid (DOCA pivalate, 1 mg/day) replacement, or placebo injections, respectively. The adrenalectomized monkeys were then stratified into three groups receiving subphysiologic (X1/10), physiologic (X1), or supraphysiologic (X10) glucocorticoid replacement. A cholecystectomy was performed 4 days later and the pre-, intra-, and postoperative plasma catecholamine levels were measured. Adrenalectomized animals had markedly decreased plasma epinephrine concentrations and accentuated plasma norepinephrine and dopamine responses to cholecystectomy, when compared to sham-adrenalectomized controls. The magnitude of the norepinephrine accentuation was inversely related to the dose of cortisol administered preceding surgery. Norepinephrine and dopamine failed to completely normalize even at the high dose of glucocorticoid replacement which had been calculated to be similar to the cortisol production rate during maximal stress. Thus, surgical stress in the setting of inadequate glucocorticoid (cortisol) replacement and epinephrine deficiency, stimulates additional sympathetic activity, probably as an adaptive mechanism to maintain homeostasis. Both norepinephrine and dopamine are recruited to compensate for the glucocorticoid and epinephrine deficiency. Glucocorticoid administration decreases but does not normalize this compensatory sympathetic activity.
Empirical Investigations of Indirectly Conveyed Meaning: Assertion versus Presupposition in First and Second Language Acquisition.

The theoretical linguistic distinction between assertion and presupposition was empirically tested with two groups of subjects—young children acquiring English as their first language and adults acquiring English as a second language. The distinction was tested via measurement of the frequency of perceptual errors as a function of differences between asserted information and presupposed information in cleft and pseudo-cleft sentence patterns. Subjects heard a cleft or pseudo-cleft sentence prior to presentation of a slide picture in which the asserted or presupposed noun phrase was misrepresented. The task was to decide if the sentence correctly described the picture. Results indicated that, for both groups of subjects, significantly more errors occurred when the misrepresentation involved the presupposed noun phrase than when it involved the asserted noun phrase.
Safe Medical Devices Act: Impact on a hospital-based home infusion agency:

The Safe Medical Devices Act (SMDA) was signed by President George Bush on November 28, 1990, and the Federal Drug Administration's (FDA's) final ruling became effective on August 29, 1993. This ac...
The Dimensions and Consequences of Organizational Politics Perceptions: A Confirmatory Analysis1

The present study, using confirmatory factor analysis, investigated the factorial structure of organizational politics perceptions. A second-order factor model was supported for both supervisor and subordinate samples. In addition, the hypothesis that different dimensions of perceived organizational politics lead to different satisfaction outcomes was also supported. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that subordinates reacted more negatively than did supervisors to politics perceptions. The results of the present study are discussed in light of directions for future research.
Antiadrenergic Therapy of Chronic Heart Failure Surprises and New Opportunities

The great British-American scientist-philosopher Alfred North Whitehead divided progress into three stages, the second of which was termed precision, in which the “right ways and wrong ways” of an original idea are elucidated.1 During this period, reinterpretation of the basic idea occurs and is essential to progress. Whitehead’s message is that important ideas are dynamic instruments that are constantly changing as new and usually unexpected information becomes available. This is why tests of particular hypotheses, including those tested in Phase III clinical trials, are often unsupportive, and why therapeutic paradigms constantly change. Within such an ephemeral milieu, the key to ultimate success is to view each unexpected or negative result as an opportunity for constructing and testing even more novel and valuable hypotheses within the framework of the general idea, to ascend to the final stage where progress can be “generalized.”1 Whitehead’s philosophical legacy is impressively in play in the area of antiadrenergic therapy of chronic heart failure (CHF). The unarguable basic idea is that the biologically powerful adrenergic compensatory mechanism plays a critical role in the natural history of CHF. It is the details or nuances within the general paradigm that continue to change, and lately, surprisingly so. As recently reviewed,2 the importance of dysfunctional adrenergic activation in CHF was first elucidated by work performed by Braunwald’s group at the National Institutes of Health in the 1960s. Among other things, this early work provided the first evidence of marked adrenergic activation in CHF. However, on the basis of reduction in myocardial tissue norepinephrine, and the short-term effects of large doses of antiadrenergic agents,3 the overall interpretation was that adrenergic support was deficient in CHF. This view prevailed for 10 to 15 years, and it contributed to the original logic behind developing Type III phosphodiesterase inhibitors …
Reactivity and aging in hydroxy-iron(III) polymers, analogs of ferritin cores

Abstract The aging of hydrolytic polymers of ferric iron, analogs of the hydroxy-iron cores of ferritin, has been monitored via increases in light absorption, sedimentation velocity, and resistance to attack by acid. Two concurrent, yet distinct aging processes are observed, which can be associated with structural change and with growth via particle accretion. The acid decomposition kinetics are first order in the number of polymerized iron(III) ions in solution and first order in nitric acid concentration. Moreover the polymer particles shrink in proportion to the amount of acid consumed. The kinetic evidence suggests that either the particles harden outward from the center, or that they are accessible to the solvent over much of their interior. The polymers can be annealed in solution, rapidly decreasing their reactivity.
Immunogenicity of Ribosomal Preparations from Yeast Cells of Histoplasma capsulatum.

Protective immunity was elicited by immunization of mice with ribosomal preparations from yeast cells of Histoplasma capsulatum. Ribosomes from disrupted cells were isolated by differential centrifugation using sodium dodecyl sulfate. These preparations contained 55% protein and 45% ribonucleic acid and sedimented as a single peak with a sedimentation coefficient of 77S on sucrose density gradient analysis. Mice immunized subcutaneously with ribosomes, with or without adjuvant, were challenged intravenously with 8 × 106 yeast cells of H. capsulatum. Significant protection was induced by ribosomes and was greatly enhanced by adjuvants. Protection measured by 30-day survival compared favorably with the immunoprotection assessed by absence of lung lesions and negative spleen cultures. Treatment of ribosomes with ribonuclease before immunization reduced protection by 85%, whereas trypsin and Pronase reduced the protection by 50 to 55%. These findings indicate that both intact ribosomal ribonucleic acid and protein are necessary for maximal immunogenicity of Histoplasma ribosomes.
Linear and Circular Polarization from

We describe recent results for Sgr A*, M81* and other low luminosity active galactic nuclei. We have conducted linear and circular polarimetry over a frequency range of 1.4 to 230 GHz and detected a variety of phenomena. The polarization properties of the studied sources are substantially different from higher powered AGN. In the case of Sgr A*, we are able to eliminate ADAFs and Bondi-Hoyle flows as possible models based on mmλ polarimetry. The detection of linear polarization at 230 GHz with the BIMA array indicates that the accretion rate onto the black hole is <10–7 M⊙ y–1 consistent with jet and CDAF models. Our success with Sgr A* demonstrates that we can learn about the nature of accretion and outflow in these sources with unprecedented detail. Ultimately, we may develop probes of general relativity in the strong-field limit through polarization imaging.
Evidence for an Unidentified Mineral Required by the Chick

Abstract Several reports from this laboratory (Norris, 1954a, b; Scott et al., 1954) have indicated the existence of at least three unidentified growth factors required by the chick. The results presented in these reports demonstrated that a mixture of unidentified growth factor supplements consisting of 6% corn distillers’ dried solubles, 3% fish solubles, 3% grass juice, 3% dried whey product and 3% penicillin mycelium meal produced maximum growth in chicks when added to the purified basal diets used. It is the purpose of this report to show that a portion of the growth response obtained when this mixture is fed to chicks is due to an unknown mineral constituent(s) in the mixture. Although several experiments have been conducted, only the results of the first two experiments, in which the chicks used were the offspring of hens fed diets designed to produce progeny depleted in unidentified growth factors (Waibel, Morrison and Norris, …
Effects of local geological conditions in the San Francisco Bay region on ground motions and the intensities of the 1906 earthquake

abstract Measurements of ground motion generated by nuclear explosions in Nevada have been completed for 99 locations in the San Francisco Bay region, California. The recordings show marked amplitude variations in the frequency band 0.25 to 3.0 Hz that are consistently related to the local geological conditions of the recording site. The average spectral amplifications observed for vertical and horizontal ground motions are, respectively: (1, 1) for granite, (1.5, 1.6) for the Franciscan Formation, (3.0, 2.7) for the Santa Clara Formation, (3.3, 4.4) for alluvium, and (3.7, 11.3) for bay mud. Spectral amplification curves define predominant ground frequencies in the band 0.25 to 3.0 E for bay mud sites and for some alluvial sites. Amplitude spectra computed from recordings of seismic background noise at 50 sites do not generally define predominant ground frequencies. The intensities ascribed to various sites in the San Francisco Bay region for the California earthquake of April 18, 1906, are strongly dependent on distance from the zone of surface faulting and the geological character of the ground. Considering only those sites (approximately one square city block in size) for which there is good evidence for the degree of ascribed intensity, the intensities for 917 sites on Franciscan rocks generally decrease with the logarithm of distance as Intensity = 2 . 6 9 - 1 . 9 0 log ( Distance in kilometers ) . ( 1 ) For sites on other geological units, intensity increments, derived from this empirical relation, correlate strongly with the Average Horizontal Spectral Amplifications (AHSA) according to the empirical relation Intensity Increment = 0 . 2 7 + 2 . 7 0 log ( AHSA ) . ( 2 ) Average intensity increments predicted for the various geological units are −0.3 for granite, 0.2 for the Franciscan Formation, 0.6 for the Great Valley sequence, 0.8 for the Santa Clara Formation, 1.3 for alluvium, and 2.4 for bay mud. The maximum intensity map predicted on the basis of these data delineates areas in the San Francisco Bay region of potentially high intensity for large earthquakes on either the San Andreas fault or the Hayward fault. The map provides a crude form of seismic zonation for the region and may be useful for certain general types of land-use zonation.
The use of message framing to promote sexual risk reduction in young adolescents: a pilot exploratory study

Few studies have explored the application of message framing to promote health behaviors in adolescents. In this exploratory study, we examined young adolescents' selection of gain- versus loss-framed images and messages when designing an HIV-prevention intervention to promote delayed sexual initiation. Twenty-six adolescents (aged 10-14 years) participated in six focus groups and created and discussed posters to persuade their peers to delay the initiation of sexual activity. Focus groups were audio-recorded and transcribed. A five-person multidisciplinary team analyzed the posters and focus group transcripts using thematic analysis. The majority of the posters (18/26, 69%) contained both gain- and loss-framed content. Of the 93/170 (56%) images and messages with framing, similar proportions were gain- (48/93, 52%) and loss-framed (45/93, 48%). Most gain-framed content (23/48, 48%) focused on academic achievement, whereas loss-framed content focused on pregnancy (20/45, 44%) and HIV/AIDS (14/45, 31%). These preliminary data suggest that young adolescents may prefer a combination of gain- and loss-framing in health materials to promote reduction in sexual risk behaviors.
The Variable Coloration of the Acridoid Grasshoppers

Publisher Summary Coloration includes both color, which describes the reflectance of the pigments of a given area, and pattern, which describes the distribution of pigments. Variable coloration in this chapter is understood to describe the possibility of different colorations existing in different individuals of the species who are otherwise similar in age, sex, and maturational state. In other words, only simultaneous polymorphism is considered here. The polymorphism may be due to differences in the genotype or to phenotypic differences derived by the interaction of a given genotype with varying environments. Despite a considerable body of work, the available information on the pigment chemistry of variable coloration is not easy to reconcile, and it is clear that further data are required. Most of the experiments so far have been performed in vitro on extracted material; it seems that some of the ambiguities will only be settled by microhistochemistry, which will give information both on the unextracted pigment and also on its distribution in the cells. There is broad agreement on the range of pigment types found, though it should be noted that the analytic work has been virtually confined to Schistocerca gregaria and to Locusta migratoria and other Oedipodine species.
Cardiac Rehabilitation/Secondary Prevention Programs A Raft for the Rapids: Why Have We Missed the Boat?

“There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.” — John Fitzgerald Kennedy 1 Every year, hundreds of thousands of patients experience a coronary heart disease (CHD) event and enter a period of time that is high risk, life threatening, and life altering—the medical equivalent of a ride down the turbulent and dangerous whitewater-rapids portion of a river.2 Fortunately, most patients survive these events, thanks in part to the prompt application of life-saving therapies in the home, ambulance, and hospital settings. However, for those patients who leave the hospital after a CHD event, the ride in the whitewater rapids has not ended. They remain at increased risk for future CHD events. Effective secondary prevention therapies are available in the posthospital setting, but unfortunately, some of those therapies, including cardiac rehabilitation/secondary prevention (CRSP) services, are underused.3 In fact, most patients who survive a CHD event do not receive CRSP services and can be compared with a group of people who are crossing the whitewater rapids of a river without a raft. Article p 1653 In this issue of Circulation , Suaya and colleagues4 present a landmark study that helps increase our understanding of the underuse of CRSP services: its severity, causes, and potential solutions. In their study, the authors report that only 50 000 (18.7%) of 267 427 Medicare-eligible patients >65 years of age who experienced a CHD event (myocardial infarction or coronary artery bypass graft surgery in this case) in 1997 actually participated in a CRSP program, a number that probably has not improved much over the past 15 years.5,6 Using Medicare billing data, the authors identified the percentage of patients who participated in a CRSP program from among all eligible …
Controlled high meat diets do not affect calcium retention or indices of bone status in healthy postmenopausal women

Calcium balance is decreased by an increased intake of purified proteins, although the effects of common dietary sources of protein (like meat) on calcium economy remain controversial. We compared the effects of several weeks of controlled high and low meat diets on body calcium retention, using sensitive radiotracer and whole body scintillation counting methodology. Healthy postmenopausal women (n = 15) consumed diets with similar calcium content (approximately 600 mg), but either low or high in meat (12 vs. 20% of energy as protein) for 8 wk each, in a randomized crossover design. After 4 wk of equilibration of each diet, calcium retention was measured by extrinsically labeling the 2-d menu with (47)Ca, followed by whole body scintillation counting for 28 d. Urinary and blood indicators of bone metabolism were also determined for each diet. Calcium retention was not different during the high and low meat dietary periods (d 28, mean +/- pooled SD: 17.1 and 15.6%, +/-0.6%, respectively; P = 0.09). An initially higher renal acid excretion in subjects consuming the high meat compared with the low meat diet decreased significantly with time. The diets did not affect urinary calcium loss or indicators of bone metabolism. In conclusion, under controlled conditions, a high meat compared with a low meat diet for 8 wk did not affect calcium retention or biomarkers of bone metabolism in healthy postmenopausal women. Calcium retention is not reduced when subjects consume a high protein diet from common dietary sources such as meat.
Contouring Guidelines for the Axillary Lymph Nodes for the Delivery of Radiation Therapy in Breast Cancer: Evaluation of the RTOG Breast Cancer Atlas

Purpose The purpose of this study was to identify the axillary lymph nodes on pretreatment diagnostic computed tomography (CT) of the chest to determine their position relative to the anatomic axillary borders as defined by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) breast cancer atlas for radiation therapy planning. Methods and Materials Pretreatment diagnostic CT chest scans available for 30 breast cancer patients with clinically involved lymph nodes were fused with simulation CT. Contouring of axillary levels I, II, and III according to the RTOG guidelines was performed. Measurements were made from the area of distal tumor to the anatomic borders in 6 dimensions for each level. Results Of the 30 patients, 100%, 93%, and 37% had clinical involvement of levels I, II, and III, respectively. The mean number of lymph nodes dissected was 13.6. The mean size of the largest lymph node was 2.4 cm. Extracapsular extension was seen in 23% of patients. In 97% of patients, an aspect of the involved lymph node lay outside of the anatomic border of a level. In 80% and 83% of patients, tumor extension was seen outside the cranial (1.78 ± 1.0 cm; range, 0.28-3.58 cm) and anterior (1.27 ± 0.92 cm; range, 0.24-3.58 cm) borders of level I, respectively. In 80% of patients, tumor extension was seen outside the caudal border of level II (1.36 ± 1.0 cm, range, 0.27-3.86 cm), and 0% to 33% of patients had tumor extension outside the remaining borders of all levels. Conclusions To cover 95% of lymph nodes at the cranial and anterior borders of level I, an additional clinical target volume margin of 3.78 cm and 3.11 cm, respectively, is necessary. The RTOG guidelines may be insufficient for coverage of axillary disease in patients with clinical nodal involvement who are undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy, incomplete axillary dissection, or treatment with intensity modulated radiation therapy. In patients with pretreatment diagnostic CT chest scans, fusion with simulation CT should be considered for tumor delineation.
A Clique-Based Approach to the Identification of Common Gene Association Sub-Networks

We developed a computational framework to identify common gene association sub-network. This framework combines graphical lasso model, graph product and a replicator equation based clique solver. We applied this method to find common stress responsive sub-networks from two related Deinococcus-Thermus bacterial species.
The Effect of a Child's Sex on Support for Traditional Gender Roles

We examine whether sex of child affects parents' beliefs about traditional gender roles. Using an improved methodological approach that explicitly analyzes the natural experiment via differences in differences, we find that having a daughter (vs. having a son) causes men to reduce their support for traditional gender roles, but a female child has no such effect among women, representing less than 4 percent of the size of the standard deviation of the attitude scale.
What Makes the Political Personal? Openness, Personal Political Salience, and Activism

People who attach personal meaning to social and political events or are high in Personal Political Salience (PPS) are more likely to engage in political activism (Duncan & Stewart, 2007). Although research suggests that PPS is consequential for activism, we know little about its origins or, more generally, about indirect effects of personality on activism. In this study we examined the possibility that the personality trait of Openness to Experience may be one source of PPS and an indirect predictor of activism. In addition, we proposed that Openness would also be directly related to political activism in young adults but not in middle-aged and older adults. Analyses confirmed these predictions in cross-sectional and over-time data from six samples. We argue that Openness may predispose some individuals both to find personal meaning in distant political events and to engage in social activism in their youth.
Collective computing based on swarm intelligence

We present a novel computing framework consisting of multiple processing cores that exhibits swarm-like behavior. Conventional parallel processing paradigm typically requires a central controller for job assignment, inter-core communications and defect-tolerance. The proposed system leverages on the collective intelligence of a swarm of processing elements to avoid the bottleneck imposed by a central scheduler. Preliminary simulations show promising results for common signal processing applications.
Drinking location and risk of alcohol-impaired driving among high school seniors

This study investigated environmental predictors of teenagers' alcohol-impaired driving, such as drinking location and alcohol source. Data for this study were part of the 15 Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol Project. Relationships between drinking-driver status, alcohol source, drinking location, alcohol consumption, and individual demographics were determined for the full sample as well as for males and females separately, using mixed-model, logistic regression. Analyses were restricted to high school seniors who were drivers and who consumed alcohol within the last 30 days (N = 1,914). For males and females, the risk of alcohol-impaired driving rose significantly with increases in both the number of binge-drinking events and estimates of the number of drinks required to impair their driving. Drinking location was important in that students who drank outdoors or in a moving car or truck were at significant risk for drinking-driving. Drinking-driving risks specific to females were number of drinking occasions and drinking at someone else's house. Strategies to prevent drinking-driving among teenagers need to consider drinking patterns as well as drinking locations for both males and females.
Novel Approach to a Type I Endoleak Following a Hybrid Repair of an Arch Aortic Aneurysm

Hybrid surgical and endovascular approaches such as open visceral vessel debranching and subsequent endovascular exclusion of thoracic abdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAA) represents a significant development in treatment of TAAAs. As compared to traditional endovascular aneurysm repair, hybrid repairs commonly have a higher rate of endoleak and other endograft-related complications. In this report, we present a 71 year-old man with significant comorbidities including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension and prostate cancer. The patient after undergoing debranching of the thoracic arch followed by endograft repair of an arch aneurysm developed a proximal type I and type II endoleak fed by the previously ligated left subclavian artery. Despite coiling of the left subclavian artery and proximal extension of the endograft, a type I endoleak persisted. Several months after the left subclavian artery was coiled, a catheter was advanced through the coils and beyond the site of ligation directly into the aneurysmal sac. Once in the aneurysmal sac, multiple coils were deployed resulting in successful treatment of the type I endoleak. This report highlights the unique challenges in treating proximal descending thoracic aneurysms and represents the first report of the treatment of a type I endoleak with reaccess through a previously coiled vessel for deployment of embolics directly into the aneurysmal sac.
Evaluation and Management of Temporal Bone Arachnoid Granulations

• The diagnosis and evaluation of temporal bone arachnoid granulations (AGs) is based on characteristic bone defects in the posterior or middle fossa surfaces of the temporal bone in adult patients with persistent serous otitis media or septic meningitis following acute otitis media. The cerebrospinal communication caused by AGs should be repaired by a middle fossa craniotomy (middle fossa AGs) or an intact canal wall mastoidectomy (posterior fossa AGs) to preserve normal sound transmission. In adult patients with chronic mastoiditis, the dural defect of an AG may permit intracranial extension of the chronic inflammatory process. This rare extension of disease should be considered in patients who have chronic ear inflammation and severe pain or signs of intracranial disease. ( Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1992;118:327-332)
Design and evaluation of a vibrotactile seat to improve spatial awareness while driving

In this paper, we describe the design and evaluation of a vibrotactile driver's seat that is used to display spatial information during two driving tasks. Many studies have recently shown the effectiveness of haptic and vibrotactile feedback to augment collision warning systems in automobiles. Simultaneously, driver distraction and situational awareness have been identified as significant safety issues in all areas of transportation. We hypothesize that vibrotactile feedback may be used to enhance and improve spatial awareness while driving if it is used continuously and naturally so that it is part of the normal operation of the automobile.
Phenylketonuria : contemporary screening and diagnosis

Screening newborns for phenylketonuria (PKU) is a mandatory practice based on measuring a raised blood phenylalanine level. Many factors influence the rate of blood phenylalanine rise so that there are many pitfalls in detecting the 1:10,000 affected infant. About one percent of all babies tested proves to be "false positives." Two-thirds of those with persistent hyperphenylalaninemia prove to have classic PKU. Non-classic PKU with less intense, persistent hyperphenylalaninemia is due to different alterations in the enzyme, phenylalanine hydroxylase. Additionally, about one percent of the confirmed positive patients is due to either a defect in the synthesis or regeneration of the cofactor, tetrahydrobiopterin; these latter forms are not amenable to treatment with the low phenylalanine diet. Screening programs have developed directives regarding the timing and conditions for obtaining the specimens for testing. Specific confirmatory tests of those with positive results must be performed. Even so, about one in 70 affected babies is "missed," resulting in mental retardation, seizures, and neurologic deficits.
Coping with uncertainty in wireless mobile networks: an information theoretic framework

Recent years have witnessed an explosion in public demand for wireless access to the Internet. Furthermore, with greater integration of components, large scale deployment of inexpensive wireless sensor networks is also on the horizon. Unfortunately, the unpredictability of wireless channels and node mobility results in unique challenges to achieving seamless integration with the Internet while provisioning end-to-end quality of service (QoS). That is, the uncertainty associated with channels as well as node mobility, and hence network topology, can bedevil protocols more suited to a classical Internet structure. Therefore, new protocols which take into account such uncertainty are necessary. Clearly, the protocols to be deployed must be (i) robust against the variability in traffic load, host mobility, resource availability and wireless link characteristics; (ii) adaptive to the network dynamics, thus making learning and prediction integral components in the design methodology; and (iii) intrinsically on-line so as to make real-time decisions based on temporal and spatial information.In order to cope with uncertainty in wireless mobile networks, we will propose an overarching theoretical framework by naturally abstracting network parameter uncertainty to such information theoretic measures such as entropies and entropy rates in bits and bits/s, respectively. We will investigate in details the applicability of this framework in designing optimal mobility and resource management protocols. We will also discuss how to tackle several other challenging problems in wireless networks.
Interface reactions in bilayers of aluminum and nickel-chromium alloy

Glancing angle EXAFS and x-ray reflectivity are used to study the interface reaction between nickel-chromium alloys and aluminum. The two metals are found to react independently with Al, with the first reactions taking place at temperatures similar to those found for the pure metals. This means that Ni reacts first with Al to form NiAl{sub 3}, leaving behind a Cr-rich region at the interface. In this Cr-rich region some of the Cr transforms to the bcc structure from the fcc form of the alloy. At higher temperatures Cr reacts to form CrAl{sub 7}, and there is no evidence for ternary compound formation. Samples were also prepared with a controlled O contamination at the interface, and it inhibits the reaction much the same as for the pure metal cases. The Ni reaction is not identical to the pure sample case, since the presence of Cr slows down the reaction, and inhibits the initial reaction in the as-prepared bilayers.
Remote sensing and geochemistry for detecting hydrocarbon microseepages

This work tests the hypothesis that chemical and mineralogical alterations in rocks and soils are related to hydrocarbon microseepages above some of the major oil fields. In this study we used Hyperion hyperspectral imaging sensors to map alterations that appear to be associated with hydrocarbon microseepages in the Patrick Draw area of Wyoming. Our mineralogical, geochemical, and carbon isotope data support the presence of hydrocarbon microseepages. Satellite imagery training classifications defined by areas of hydrocarbon microseepage have resulted in the successful identification of the areal extent of an anomalous area. Geochemical characteristics of samples that define this anomalous area were then compared to the remaining non-anomalous samples using X-ray diffraction (XRD), reflectance spectroscopy, and carbon isotope techniques. XRD analyses demonstrated the increased presence of feldspars in non-anomalous samples compared to anomalous samples. Spectroscopy results demonstrated higher proportions of clays within the anomalous samples compared to non-anomalous samples. The δ 13 C values range from −2.88‰ to as low as −45.32‰, indicating hydrocarbon sources. These methods may provide a foundation upon which further hydrocarbon exploration techniques can develop.
A family of robust control strategies for switched reluctance motors

This paper concerns systematic, practical and robust SRM control strategies that achieve very low torque and speed ripple and use the simple position feedback structure. Issues of practical concern include the minimization of voltage input slew rate. Robustness aspects include the accommodation of model inaccuracy and the attenuation of disturbances effects. These control design properties complement and enable successful utilization of the structural advantages of SRM drives. The paper also addresses questions of stability and comparisons with existing position control strategies and feedback linearization based design. >
The level of compressive load affects conclusions from statistical analyses to determine whether a lateral meniscal autograft restores tibial contact pressure to normal: a study in human cadaveric knees

This study addressed the question of whether the level of compressive load would affect the conclusions from statistical analyses aimed at determining how well a lateral meniscal autograft restores tibial contact (as indicated by the maximum contact pressure, mean pressure, and contact area) to that of the intact knee. If statistical analyses indicated that normal tibial contact was not restored with a higher, more physiologic load, then a secondary question was whether an autograft surgically implanted with bone plugs would improve tibial contact compared to that in a meniscectomized knee. Nine, fresh-frozen human cadaveric knees were subjected to a low, non-physiologic compressive load of 400 N and a higher, more physiologic compressive load of 1200 N under three conditions (lateral meniscus intact, lateral meniscus removed and reimplanted as an autograft, and lateral meniscus removed). Contact pressure on the lateral plateau was measured with pressure sensitive film at 0 degrees, 15 degrees, 30 degrees, and 45 degrees of flexion. At 400 N, p-values from statistical analyses indicated that both the maximum and mean pressures with the autograft were comparable to those of the intact knee (p> or =0.685). However, at 1200 N, p-values from statistical analyses indicated that both the maximum and mean pressures with the autograft were significantly greater than those of the intact knee (p< or =0.0001). Therefore studies designed to evaluate tibial contact pressure for a meniscal transplant should use a higher, more physiologic compressive load, because lower loads overestimate the transplant's effectiveness. Although none of the contact variables was restored to normal when the compressive load was increased to 1200 N, all of the contact variables were more normal than those of the meniscectomized knee. Thus, lateral meniscal allografts implanted using bone plugs can significantly improve contact pressure relative to a meniscectomized knee at the time of implantation.
Evaluation of Detached Eddy Simulation for Turbulent Wake Applications

resolution. The results for simulations on three grids of increasing resolution for the three-dimensional square cylinder wake are compared with experimental data and to other computational studies. The comparisons of mean flow and global flow quantities to experimental data are favorable, whereas the results for second order statistics in the wake are mixed and do not always improve with increasing spatial resolution. Comparisons to large eddy simulation are also generally favorable, suggesting detached eddy simulation provides an adequate subgrid scale model. Predictions of base drag and centerline wake velocity for the supersonic wake are also good, given sufficient grid refinement. These cases add to the validation library for detached eddy simulation and support its use as an engineering analysis tool for accurate prediction of global flow quantities and mean flow properties.
Emerging Complications from Living Donor Transplantation: Caveat Emptor

There appears to be a disturbing but growing trend among some US transplant candidates to seek organs on the global [black] market. This trend poses a number of practical and ethical challenges to the transplant community. Individual transplant physicians and services may face ethical and professional challenges when called on to care for patients who have acquired their organs through such "transplant tourism." We consider and discuss whether "conscientious objection" can be an appropriate response from physicians and other caregivers with ethical objections, and if so under what conditions. Available data suggest that transplant tourism is a serious human rights issue facing the transplant community. We argue that it should be treated as such by the transplant community. Specifically, we suggest that the transplant community should consider taking steps to create an independent external committee to collect and maintain data about the incidence of organs procured through transplant tourism by US patients and the outcomes of those transplants. It is possible that such data would necessitate the creation of a new organ allocation protocol for those whose undocumented purchased organs fail and who subsequently require retransplant using organs from the UNOS list. The organ shortage crisis must not be solved by helping patients find an organ on the black market, which not only puts them at serious risk, but may involve the exploitation other human beings. If the problem of the organ shortage is to be solved, the solution will need to come from the creation and implementation of a systemic program that fairly and effectively addresses the needs of the community of people in need of transplants as well as those who give their organs for transplantation.
Application of Boundary Element Method in Transient Flow Problems with Moving Boundaries

The problem under consideration is classified as a unsteady state flow with moving boundaries. Due to the complex nature of this type of problem, only very few mathematical solutions are available with simplified assumptions. To obtain a general solution for such problem, numerical methods would be a more practical approach. Among them, one of the earliest is a finite difference method proposed by Kirkham and Gaskell1. They treated the transient condition as a succession of steady state conditions and used a finite difference technique for solving Laplace equation for each successive position of the water table in tile and open ditch. Desai2 and Neuman and Witherspoon3 used finite element techniques to determine the free surface in river banks due to drawdown. More recently, concepts of the boundary element method have been used for solving problems involving free surface (Liggettand Liu4, Chang5).