cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Image-guidance in endoscopic sinus surgery: is it associated with decreased medicolegal liability?

Background The use of image-guidance (IG) in endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) has escalated over the last decade despite a lack of consensus that its use improves outcomes or decreases complications. One theoretical reason for using IG in ESS is its potential to minimize legal liability should an adverse outcome occur. In this study, we aimed to characterize the role of IG in ESS litigation, and further detail other factors in pertinent cases. A secondary objective was to characterize recent malpractice litigation for other relevant factors. Methods Relevant cases from Westlaw were examined to determine whether the use of IG played a role in initiating litigation in ESS malpractice suits. Factors such as patient demographics and alleged cause(s) of malpractice litigation were examined. Results Out of 30 malpractice cases from 2004 to April 2013, 4 (13.3%) mentioned the use of IG during ESS, although this did not appear to be a factor affecting the plaintiff's decision to initiate litigation, nor the case outcomes. In the 26 cases (86.7%) in which IG was not used, its non-use was not specified as an alleged cause of negligence. Eleven (36.7%) cases were resolved in the defendant's favor. Frequently-cited factors included iatrogenic injury (83.3%), permanent deficits (66.7%), needing additional surgery (63.3%), orbital and intracranial injury, and perceived deficits in informed consent (40.0%). Conclusion The use of IG was not found to be a factor in ESS litigation. This suggests that not using IG does not necessarily make one more vulnerable to malpractice litigation.
A Framework of Write Optimization on Read-Optimized Out-of-Core Column-Store Databases

The column-store database features a faster data reading speed and higher data compression efficiency compared with traditional row-based databases. However, optimizing write operations in the column-store database is one of the well-known challenges. Most existing works on write performance optimization focus on main-memory column-store databases. In this work, we investigate optimizing write operation update and deletion on out-of-core OOC, or external memory column-store databases. We propose a general framework to work for both normal OOC storage or big data storage, such as Hadoop Distributed File System HDFS. On normal OOC storage, we propose an innovative data storage format called Timestamped Binary Association Table or TBAT. Based on TBAT, a new update method, called Asynchronous Out-of-Core Update or AOC Update, is designed to replace the traditional update. On big data storage, we further extend TBAT onto HDFS and propose the Asynchronous Map-Only Update or AMO Update to replace the traditional update. Fast selection methods are developed in both contexts to improve data retrieving speed. A significant improvement in speed performance is shown in the extensive experiments when performing write operations on TBAT in normal and Map-Reduce environment.
Communication technologies and maternal interest in health-promotion information about postpartum weight and parenting practices.

ABSTRACT Objective To describe postpartum women's access, perceived skill, confidence, and use of Internet and mobile technologies; their views about receiving health information about postpartum weight and parenting; and whether these factors varied by race/ethnicity or income level. Design Health survey of a stratified random sample. Setting County in central Texas. Participants One hundred forty‐five (145) White/Anglo, African American, or Hispanic women of higher and lower income. Results Overall, 122 (84.1%) of respondents had access to a computer with an Internet connection at home and made daily use of the following: the Internet 77.6%, e‐mail 75.4%, cell phone 97.1%, and text messaging 66.7%. Significant racial/ethnic and income differences occurred in home Internet access, frequency of Internet and e‐mail use, and perceived confidence or skill favoring White/Anglo women over ethnic minority women, and those of higher over lower income. Overall, 35.9% of women expressed "a lot" of interest in an Internet‐based weight loss program, 38.9% in a weight loss program sent by mail, 44.8% in an Internet‐based parenting advice, and 38.6% in parenting advice sent by mail. Women of higher and lower income differed significantly in their interest in three of the four types of health‐promotion information and methods of delivery. Conclusion Generally, women with lower income were more likely to express high interest in receiving health information related to parenting by mail than those of higher incomes, whereas women of higher incomes were more likely to express high interest in receiving weight loss and parenting information through the Internet.
Safety-liveness semantics for UML 2.0 sequence diagrams

We provide an automata-theoretic solution to one of the main open questions about the UML standard, namely how to assign a formal semantics to a set of sequence diagrams without compromising refinement? Our solution relies on a rather obvious idea, but to our knowledge has not been used before in this context: that bad and good sequence diagrams in the UML standard should be regarded as safety and liveness properties, respectively. Proceeding in this manner, we obtain a semantics that essentially complements the set of behaviors associated with the set of sequence diagrams, thereby allowing us to use the standard notion of refinement as language inclusion. We show that refinement in this setting is compositional with respect to sequential composition, alternative composition, parallel composition, and star+ composition.
A technique for the in vivo study of multiple stable isotope-labeled essential fatty acids.

Abstract A novel tracer technique is presented for the simultaneous and independent measurement of multiple stable isotopically labeled essential fatty acids. Gas chromatography/negative chemical ionization mass spectrometry was employed for high sensitivity detection of the following isotopes: deuterium-labeled-linolenate, carbon-13-U-labeled-eicosapentaenoate, carbon-13-U-labeled-linoleate, and deuterium-labeled-dihomo-γ-linolenate. These isotope-labeled fatty acids in vehicle oil were given to rats either singly or together as a single oral dose. Rat blood was collected after dosing and the isotopomers of the precursors and their main metabolites, including those containing both 13 C and 2 H, were detected simultaneously with good resolution and without interference from other isotopes due to differences in mass and chromatographic retention.
The effectiveness of prefrontal theta cordance and early reduction of depressive symptoms in the prediction of antidepressant treatment outcome in patients with resistant depression: analysis of naturalistic data

Current studies suggest that an early improve- ment of depressive symptoms and the reduction of pre- frontal theta cordance value predict the subsequent response to antidepressants. The aim of our study was (1) to compare the predictive abilities of early clinical improvement defined as C20 % reduction in Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) total score at week 1 and 2, and the decrease of prefrontal theta cor- dance at week 1 in resistant depressive patients and (2) to assess whether the combination of individual predictors yields more robust predictive power than either predictor alone. Eighty-seven subjects were treated (C4 weeks) with various antidepressants chosen according to the judgment of attending psychiatrists. Areas under curve (AUC) were calculated to compare predictive effect of defined single predictors (C20 % reduction in MADRS total score at week 1 and 2, and the decrease of cordance at week 1) and combined prediction models. AUCs of all three predictors were not statistically different (pair-wise comparison). The model combining all predictors yielded an AUC value 0.91 that was significantly higher than AUCs of each individual predictor. The results indicate that the combined predictor model may be a useful and clinically meaningful tool for the prediction of antidepressant response in patients with resistant depression.
Arterial ammonia and clinical risk factors for encephalopathy and intracranial hypertension in acute liver failure

High circulating ammonia concentrations are common in patients with acute liver failure (ALF) and are associated with hepatic encephalopathy (HE) and intracranial hypertension (ICH). Other risk factors are poorly characterized. We evaluated the relation of the admission arterial ammonia concentration and other clinical variables with the development of HE and ICH. Arterial ammonia was measured on admission to the intensive care unit in 257 patients; 165 had ALF and severe HE, and there were 3 control groups: acute hepatic dysfunction without severe HE (n = 50), chronic liver disease (n = 33), and elective surgery (n = 9). Variables associated with ICH and HE were investigated with regression analysis. Ammonia was higher in ALF patients than controls. An independent risk factor for the development of severe HE and ICH, a level greater than 100 μmol/L predicted the onset of severe HE with 70% accuracy. The model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score was also independently predictive of HE, and its combination with ammonia increased specificity and accuracy. ICH developed in 55% of ALF patients with a level greater than 200 μmol/L, although this threshold failed to identify most cases. After admission, ammonia levels remained high in those developing ICH and fell in those who did not. Youth, a requirement for vasopressors, and renal replacement therapy were additional independent risk factors. Conclusion: Ammonia is an independent risk factor for the development of both HE and ICH. Additional MELD scoring improved the prediction of HE. Factors other than ammonia also appear important in the pathogenesis of ICH. Ammonia measurements could form part of risk stratification for HE and ICH, identifying patients for ammonia-lowering therapies and invasive monitoring. (HEPATOLOGY 2007.)
Behavioral and physiological characteristics of Indian and Chinese-Indian hybrid rhesus macaque infants.

Strain differences in temperament and physiology have been reported for several animal species, but nonhuman primates have not been well studied in this regard. We assessed behavior and physiology in Chinese–Indian hybrid (n = 13) and Indian-origin (n = 29) nursery-reared rhesus monkey infants. Previous data indicate that Chinese-origin and Chinese–Indian hybrid rhesus exhibit more aggression directed toward humans and conspecifics and are more irritable in response to neonatal assessment procedures than are Indian-derived rhesus. In addition, in rhesus adults, low levels of cerebrospinal fluid 5-HIAA have been correlated with impulsivity, aggressive behavior, and diminished social competence. We therefore hypothesized that hybrid infants would exhibit more behavioral and adrenocortical reactivity in the home cage and during social separations, would be less sociable in their peer groups, and would exhibit lower CSF 5-HIAA levels than Indian-derived monkeys. Blood and cerebrospinal fluid samples were obtained on Days 14, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 of life, and prior to and during social separations at 6 months of age. Behavioral observations were conducted in the home cage and during the separation condition. No differences in behavior were observed between hybrid and Indian-derived animals in the home cage. Indian-derived and hybrid infants exhibited diverging patterns of behavioral reactivity across the 4 weeks of the repetitive social-separation procedure, and during reunion periods. Although plasma cortisol levels were sensitive to the testing conditions, no group differences were observed. CSF 5-HIAA declined over time for all monkeys, and hybrid animals exhibited significantly lower 5-HIAA levels than Indian monkeys beginning at 6 months of age. These findings are consistent with the known behavioral and physiological characteristics of Chinese-origin adult rhesus. ©1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 31: 49–63, 1997
A flexible approach to an Operational Land Observing System

This paper presents a concept for an Operational Land Observing System (OLOS) formulated to satisfy a broad spectrum of perceived user needs for a diverse discipline community. The concept formulated will allow continuous orthographic imaging across multiple spectral bands, near-global stereoscopic imaging, and next-day oblique imaging of any desired spot on earth. Imaging parameters will be adaptable to known phenomena characteristics to facilitate information extraction including optional onboard theme selection. The conceptual system will provide 6- to 12-hour quick-look capability, 48-hour turnaround on all standard imaging products, and a guaranteed data flow schedule reliability for 10 to 20 years. A fleet of successive operational satellites will be used.
CONE AND OVULE DEVELOPMENT IN SCIADOPITYS (TAXODIACEAE-CONIFERALES)

Ontogeny of seed cones of Sciadopitys, with special reference to the ovule-supporting structure, is studied in material collected in Japan and Massachusetts. Cones are initiated as lateral or terminal structures in summer and complete the formation of most organs before winter. Bract development is well advanced before ovule-supporting structures are initiated. Continued cone development involves the formation of a narrow ridge of tissue in the axil of each fertile bract. This ridge develops a series of nine (but up to 12) apical lobes in centrifugal order, each of which is the primordium of a future tooth on the ovuliferous scale. Ovules are initiated as outgrowths of the adaxial surface of each lobe so that there is a one-to-one ratio between lobes and ovules. Intercalary extension of the ovuliferous scale itself (distally) and the common base of the bract and ovuliferous scale (proximally) greatly extends the complex. The ovuliferous scale eventually exceeds the subtending bract and its apex becomes recurved. Bracts each have a single trace, but each ovuliferous scale has a pair of traces that proliferate distally to irrigate ovule and scale lobe. Intercalary growth results in recurvature of the ovule trace. The organization of the cone is directly comparable with certain Permian fossils. Sciadopitys also seems unique within the Taxodiaceae in its centrifugal development of the ovule-supporting complex.
Report: access to land at the northern periphery of Niokolo-Koba National Park, Senegal

Based on research conducted in Senegal in 2004, this field report focuses on the politics of access to land at the northern periphery of the Niokolo-Koba National Park, where a group of villages evicted from the national park were resettled in the 1970s. Conflicts over the allocation of land resurfaced in the 1980s, following the application of laws authorizing rural community councils to allocate use rights in village agricultural lands. The land claims of evicted villages were challenged by the rural council and local state authorities, who sought to define such claims as illegal or ambiguous based on exclusionary discourses of productive use of land, autochthony and citizenship. The politics of access to land at the northern periphery are shaped by land and administrative reforms undertaken since the end of colonial rule in Senegal and the on-going local transformation of authority and property relations under increasing commoditization and insecurity of land use rights.
Biodiversity of Streptomyces of high-mountainous ecosystems of Kyrgyzstan and its biotechnological potential

The prevalence of actinomyces of Streptomyces class in various types of soils of Kyrghyzstan and the variety of its species have been investigated. It is shown that predominant members of Streptomyces complex are in the Cinereus section of Chromogenus series which are basically adapted to chestnut and black soil while species of the section Roseus of the Fuscus series are adapted in gray, brown, and chestnut soils. Their antibiotic and growth-stimulating effect and a great opportunity of use in biotechnological process have been determined.
Low temperature specific heat of cry-con grease

Abstract The specific heat of Cry-Con grease, a copper loaded electrically insulating grease, was measured between 0.5 and 20 K. The low specific heat and high thermal conductivity of Cry-Con grease render it a useful thermal bonding material for calorimetric measurements on samples with low thermal conductivity.
Segregation distortion and differential fitness at the albumin locus in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta).

The observed patterns of segregation of two co-dominant alleles at the macaque albumin locus in 400 rhesus monkey offspring were compared with those expected for five segregating mating phenotypes. Rates of reproductive loss and conception were also compared among females of each albumin phenotype. The common albumin allele in macaques, AlAmac , segregated more frequently than expected when the mother was heterozygous but less frequently than expected when she was homozygous for AlBmac . In both cases, the phenotype identical to that of the mother appeared to be favored. Mothers who were either homozygous for AlAmac or heterozygous were also found to experience higher conception rates than mothers homozygous for AlBmac . It is hypothesized that phenotypic differences in bilirubin binding, and in competitive binding by dietary constituents, by albumin influences both these results and the nonrandom distribution of AlBmac in Asian macaques.
Cervical spinal canal compromise in a 14-year-old girl with hereditary multiple exostoses

This report highlights the importance of advanced imagingin the case of a 14-year-old-girl with multiple hereditaryexostoses who presented with painful restriction of neckmotion. CTscans show an osteochondroma arising from theposterior elements of C2 causing cord compression (Fig. 1).Multiple hereditary exostoses is an autosomal-dominantdisorder characterized by the development of multiplecartilage-capped lesions in rapidly growing bone. Thecervical spine represents 80% of spine involvement withC2 being the most commonly affected vertebra [1]. Mostosteochondromas arise from the posterior elements of thevertebra and do not encroach on the spinal canal. A recentstudy reported a 68% prevalence of spinal involvementwith 27% having lesions encroaching on the spinal canal in44 patients with multiple hereditary exostoses [2]. Somepatients may develop acute neurological deficits. A treatingphysician’s awareness of this high prevalence is essential.References
Evaluating the Reliability of Oral Examinations for Licensure of Clinical Social Workers in Virginia

The oral examination used in licensing clinical social workers in Virginia was revised by the Board of Social Work in 1991. This article describes the process used to evaluate the oral examination ...
Beyond the schools: strategies for implementing successful drug prevention programs in community youth-serving organizations.

This article discusses why community-based youth-serving organizations are natural settings for drug prevention programming. Based on a three-year study of a school-based drug prevention program adapted to the Boys & Girls Club setting and serving high-risk youths, we identify organizational impediments to implementing a structured prevention program in youth organizations. We also present some strategies the clubs used to achieve success in a nonschool setting where program participation is voluntary. Strategies include: 1) employing a team approach and making program institutionalization a goal; 2) choosing the “right” prevention program leader; 3) creating a special prosocial bonding group for program youths; 4) involving program graduates as recruiters and positive role models; and 5) developing community support. Drug prevention programming in youth-serving organizations can reinforce, supplement, and enhance school-based prevention efforts, thus providing communities with important drug prevention a...
An atomic fluorescence transit-time velocimeter

Abstract We report the development of an atomic laser velocimeter capable of measuring moderate gas flow speeds. It is based on recording the burst of resonance fluorescence emitted by a single atom as it passes through one or two resonant laser beams. Thus far speeds up to 13 m/s have been successfully measured using single atoms crossing one laser beam. If an average is taken over many atoms, higher velocities can easily be realized. With two laser beams, a flow velocity of 88 m/s has been measured with an integration time of 0.5 s.
Flat-Ended Tool Swept Sections for Five-Axis NC Machining of Sculptured Surfaces

The concept of swept sections for flat-ended tools is revisited with the goal of improving the accuracy of calculations in five-axis tool path generation. Firstly, the notions of partial and total swept sections (distinct from traditional swept sections) are introduced. It is shown that partial and total swept sections provide a more accurate representation of the geometry of the moving tool compared to traditional swept sections. Next, geometric and numerical methods focused on calculating partial swept sections are presented. These methods are based on calculating plane-circle intersections. Finally, the calculated partial swept sections are compared to the traditional swept sections. Variations from the traditional swept sections are characterized to provide guidelines to the tool path programmer.
Constructing isospectral non-isomorphic digraphs from hypergraphs

We explore the “oriented line graph” construction associated with a hypergraph, leading to a construction of pairs of strongly connected directed graphs whose adjacency operators have the same spectra. We give conditions on a hypergraph so that a hypergraph and its dual give rise to isospectral, but non-isomorphic, directed graphs. The proof of isospectrality comes from an argument centered around hypergraph zeta functions as defined by Storm. To prove non-isomorphism, we establish a Whitney-type result by showing that the oriented line graphs are isomorphic if and only if the hypergraphs are. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 63: 231–242, 2010
Toward Social Reform: Kant's Penal Theory Reinterpreted

Here I set the stage for developing a Kantian account of punishment attuned to social and economic injustice and to the need for prison reform. I argue that we cannot appreciate Kant's own discussion of punishment unless we read it in light of the theory of justice of which it is a part and the fundamental commitments of that theory to freedom, autonomy and equality. As important, we cannot properly evaluate Kant's advocacy of the law of retribution unless we recognize his theory of justice as an ideal theory. Once we understand both Kant's larger account of justice and its relationship to his less basic commitments, we discover grounds to accept that larger theory, but reject components like the law of retribution with their basis in empirical conclusions we may not share with Kant. We also open the way to develop an account of punishment responsive to social circumstances.
Small-angle neutron scattering from polystyrene—DVB networks containing a delta fraction of deuterated polystyrene: Evidence for aggregation during polymerization

Abstract Homopolymer polystyrene-divinylbenzene, PS-DVB, networks were made by free radical chemistry u.v. photopolymerization techniques, and characterized by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). The networks contained a delta fraction of chains labelled with deuterium. Two different series of samples were made: Method A in which the insertion was made centrally or at the end of the polymerization; Method B in which the delta fraction of deuterated primary chains was inserted at the beginning of the polymerization. Method B samples yielded a molecular weight of about 70,000 g/mole and a radius of gyration of about 120 A, values in the range expected for single primary chains. Method A samples, however, gave molecular weights of 1–2 million and radii of gyration ranging from 350 to 400 A. Intrinsic viscosity and gel permeation chromatography (g.p.c.) studies on parallel fractions yielded weight-average molecular weights near 72,000 g/mole for most of the polymerization. These results strongly suggest the existence of aggregation of primary chains synthesized in the same conversion period within the network. A new method of characterizing crosslinking between network chains is proposed, since these experiments count the probability of a chain crosslinking with a chain polymerized immediately before in time.
Modeling thermal dynamics of active layer soils and near‐surface permafrost using a fully coupled water and heat transport model

[1] Thawing and freezing processes are key components in permafrost dynamics, and these processes play an important role in regulating the hydrological and carbon cycles in the northern high latitudes. In the present study, we apply a well-developed soil thermal model that fully couples heat and water transport, to simulate the thawing and freezing processes at daily time steps across multiple sites that vary with vegetation cover, disturbance history, and climate. The model performance was evaluated by comparing modeled and measured soil temperatures at different depths. We use the model to explore the influence of climate, fire disturbance, and topography (north- and south-facing slopes) on soil thermal dynamics. Modeled soil temperatures agree well with measured values for both boreal forest and tundra ecosystems at the site level. Combustion of organic-soil horizons during wildfire alters the surface energy balance and increases the downward heat flux through the soil profile, resulting in the warming and thawing of near-surface permafrost. A projection of 21st century permafrost dynamics indicates that as the climate warms, active layer thickness will likely increase to more than 3 meters in the boreal forest site and deeper than one meter in the tundra site. Results from this coupled heat-water modeling approach represent faster thaw rates than previously simulated in other studies. We conclude that the discussed soil thermal model is able to well simulate the permafrost dynamics and could be used as a tool to analyze the influence of climate change and wildfire disturbance on permafrost thawing.
Optimal plasmonic focusing with radial polarization

Surface plasmon is collective oscillation of free electrons at metal/dielectric interface. As a wave phenomenon, surface plasmon can be focused using appropriate excitation geometry and metallic structures. The strong spatial confinement and high field enhancement make plasmonic lenses very attractive for near-field optical imaging and sensing in biological applications. In this paper, we show that optimal plasmonic focusing can be achieved through a combination of radially polarized illumination and axially symmetric dielectric/metal plasmonic lens structures. As examples, plasmonic lens with planar interface, conical shape and annular rings under radial polarization illumination are studied. The focusing properties and field enhancement effect of these plasmonic lenses are numerically studied with a finite-element- method model. The numerical simulation results show that the field distribution with a full-width-half-maximum of as small as 10 nm and intensity enhancement factor of five orders of magnitude can be achieved with 632.8 nm optical excitation.
Severe preeclampsia complicating mitral valve stenosis.

Background and Objectives We present a report of a parturient with severe mitral valve stenosis diagnosed during a previous pregnancy who developed severe preeclampsia. Methods Labor and subsequent abdominal delivery were managed with epidural analgesia and anesthesia. The clinical management was guided by invasive hemodynamic monitoring, including a flow-directed pulmonary artery catheter. Conclusions Peripartum maternal and neonatal outcomes were satisfactory. Postpartum complications included pulmonary edema as well as peripartum heart failure and pulmonary thromboembolism 4 weeks postpartum.
Neural control of rhythmic pheromone gland exposure in Utetheisa ornatrix (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae)

Abstract The rhythmic exposure of the sex pheromone gland during calling in female Utetheisa ornatrix (L.) (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae) is under neural control. Two lines of evidence support this conclusion. (1) Bisection of the ventral nerve cord of adult females prevented calling while sham-operations had little effect. (2) Brief electrical stimulation of the ventral nerve cord in isolated abdomens elicited extended trains of regularly spaced gland exposures indistinguishable from normal calling behaviour. The coordination of calling behaviour is localized in the terminal abdominal ganglion and the peripheral structures that it innervates. Removal of the corpora allata and corpora cardiaca, neurohaemal organs previously implicated in calling control, did not affect calling behaviour.
Mass loss from abrasion on ogive-nose steel projectiles that penetrate concrete targets

Abstract We developed an abrasion model that predicts mass loss and change in nose shape for steel projectiles that penetrate concrete targets. Mass loss data from four sets of experiments with two ogive-nose projectile geometries and concrete targets with limestone and quartz aggregates were used to develop the abrasion model. We plotted post-test mass loss versus initial kinetic energy and found a nearly linear dependence for striking velocities to approximately 1000 m/s. With this linear relationship, we derived a mathematical model that was implemented into the Sandia-developed, Eulerian hydrocode CTH. Predictions from CTH agreed well with experimental observations.
A Novel Influenza Virus Hemagglutinin-Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Fusion Protein Subunit Vaccine against Influenza and RSV

Influenza A virus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cause substantial morbidity and mortality afflicting the ends of the age spectrum during the autumn through winter months in the United States. The benefit of vaccination against RSV and influenza using a subunit vaccine to enhance immunity and neutralizing antibody was investigated. Influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) and RSV fusion (F) protein were tested as vaccine components alone and in combination to explore the adjuvant properties of RSV F protein on HA immunity. Mice vaccinated with HA and F exhibited robust immunity that, when challenged, had reduced viral burden for both influenza and RSV. These studies show an enhancing and cross-protective benefit of F protein for anti-HA immunity.
Improved Large-Sample Confidence Intervals for Ratios of Variance Components in Nonnormal Distributions

The confidence level of the usual interval for a ratio of variance components is contingent on normally distributed random variables. In this article we focus on confidence intervals for ratios of variance components in balanced one-way random effects models based on the large-sample properties of restricted maximum likelihood (REML) estimators. While this procedure does not require that the random variables be normally distributed, one must estimate a parameter that is a function of the kurtosis of the underlying distributions. Simulation results indicate that REML-based confidence interval methods outperform other well-known methods in the majority of the cases considered.
Propeller: A Scalable Real-Time File-Search Service in Distributed Systems

File-search service is a valuable facility to accelerate many analytics applications, because it can drastically reduce the scale of the input data. The main challenge facing the design of large-scale and accurate file-search services is how to support real-time indexing in an efficient and scalable way. To address this challenge, we propose a distributed file-search service, called Propeller, which utilizes a special file-access pattern, called access-causality, to partition file-indices in order to expose substantial access locality and parallelism to accelerate the file-indexing process. The extensive evaluations of Propeller show that it is real-time in file-indexing operations, accurate in file-search results, and scalable in large datasets. It achieves significantly better file-indexing and file-search performance (up to 250x) than a centralized solution (MySQL) and much higher accuracy and substantially lower query latency (up to 22x than a state-of-the-art desktop search engine (Spotlight).
Relation between myocardial infarct location and stroke

Objectives. We sought to compare the likelihood of stroke in patients with anterior versus nonanterior myocardial infarction. Background. The association between anterior infarction and left ventricular thrombus has led to the assumption that embolization from thrombi is an important cause of stroke in patients with anterior infarction. We hypothesized that if anterior infarction is a cause of left ventricular thrombi, the number of strokes should be disproportionately higher in patients with anterior than nonanterior infarction. Methods. We performed a retrospective analysis of 2,466 patients randomized from day 3 to day 15 after infarction as part of a multicenter placebo-controlled study of diltiazem to prevent cardiac death or myocardial infarction. Any acute focal cerebral disorder resulting in localizing findings characterized as a stroke or transient ischemic attack was considered an event. Results. Of 91 events during a follow-up period of 12 to 52 months, 23 (3.2%) occurred in 724 patients with an anterior and 68 (3.9%) in 1,742 patients with a nonanterior myocardial infarction (relative risk 0.81; 95% confidence interval 0.51 to 1.30). Power analysis revealed that the negativity of the study was not the result of inadequate sample size. Life table analysis showed no difference in cumulative event rate (p = 0.42) according to site of infarction. Cox regression analysis showed that of 10 clinical covariates, only systolic blood pressure was predictive of stroke (p < 0.001). The use of warfarin did not contribute to the model. Finally, the addition of site of infarction (anterior vs. nonanterior) did not contribute significantly to the Cox model. Conclusions. Although there is a significant incidence of stroke after acute myocardial infarction, there is no relation between the occurrence of stroke and site of infarction. These data do not support the presumed causal relation between anterior myocardial infarction, thrombus and stroke.
Cooperative Multichannel MAC (COMMAC) for Cognitive Radio Networks

Recently, multichannel protocols have been proposed and shown to significantly improve the aggregate throughput compared to single channel protocols. However, some existing proposals still suffer from low channel utilization or unfair bandwidth allocation between different flows in a multihop wireless network. In this paper, we design an asynchronous multichannel MAC called the cooperative multichannel MAC (COMMAC) that allows nodes to identify useful data channels using the channel usage information collected by their neighbors. Channel usage information includes primary users' activities. It also utilizes a new control message to prevent sending nodes from doing unnecessary backoffs. Via simulations, we compare our designed COMMAC with the AMCP scheme and show that our scheme can achieve 35% more throughput in multihop adhoc networks.
The Role of Boundary Control in Enhancing Damage Identification Using Eddy Current Sensors

Eddy current sensors provide an inexpensive means of detecting surface and embedded flaws in metallic structures due to fatigue, corrosion, and manufacturing defects. However, use of eddy current sensors for imaging flaws to determine their geometry is limited by sensitivity and mathematical uniqueness issues, as the magnetic flux distribution sensed at the boundary of a structure can be similar for dissimilar flaw geometries or flaw depths. This paper investigates the use of feedback control based on measured magnetic flux at a point on the boundary of the structure in order to address sensitivity and uniqueness issues for eddy current sensors and thus to enhance the ability to use these simple inexpensive sensors to determine flaw geometry. Using a parametrized two-dimensional flaw in which width and depth of the flaw are to be determined, scalar metrics are developed to relate the forward solution of the electromagnetic dynamics to the inverse problem of damage geometry reconstruction. Geometry is determined by interpolating metrics on a mesh and employing a systematic ranking process that is robust to weakly unique inverse problems. Finally, the concept of sensitivity enhancing feedback control (SEC) is applied to enrich the data set in order to improve damage geometry reconstruction. SEC feeds back measured magnetic flux at a single point along a scan line to affect the current density. Closed-loop compensation of eddy current dynamics is shown to improve uniqueness of scalar damage metrics to damage geometry parameters. Performance is demonstrated by simulation of geometry construction using finite-element models of two-dimensional flaws embedded in a material, both with and without feedback control and for noisy and noiseless simulated magnetic flux density measurement. For noiseless data, flaw depth and width are reconstructed within the resolution of the mesh (0.01 mm) using feedback control, while the relative accuracy of damage geometry identification for open-loop data is on the order of 0.1 mm in each dimension. Simulation of damage geometry identification with noisy data demonstrates lower relative error using closed-loop data, as measured by the mean and standard deviation in identified depth and width.
LXIV. The characteristics of gasfilled photoelectric cells.—II

Summary The theory offered in a previous paper for the “unstable characteristic” of a gasfilled photoelectric cell was false. A new theory is outlined based on the well-studied intermittent “flashing” of neon lamps and similar discharge-tubes. It is shown that the main features of the “characteristic” accord with the ideas derived from this study, and that the complicating factors to which Taylor (with his associates) and Penning have directed attention are more important in the photoelectric cell than in the neon lamp.
Performance Characteristics of a Concentric Annular Heat Pipe: Part II—Vapor Flow Analysis

The solutions of the equations of fluid motion for compressible and incompressible flow in a concentric annular heat pipe have been analyzed. In addition, a similarity solution is presented that can predict the pressure losses in all the segments of the concentric annular heat pipe as well as conventional heat pipes. A theoretical analysis to predict the sonic limit for this new pipe is also presented.
2,5-Dichloro-4′-methoxy­biphen­yl

The dihedral angle between the benzene rings in the title compound, C13H10Cl2O1, is 59.92 (9)°.
Electrophoretic separation of viral nucleic acids on polyacrylamide gels

Abstract A method for separating high molecular weight RNA or DNA by electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gels has been described. Ten viral nucleic acid species and four Escherichia coli RNA species have been used to calibrate the system and demonstrate a general relationship between the logarithm of the molecular weight and the relative electrophoretic mobility. The elution of viral RNA from gel slices and the demonstration of infectivity after electrophoresis are described.
Anodic and cathodic models for interpreting polarisation behaviour of ceramic-coated substrates containing pre-existing coating breaches

AbstractModels have been developed to help in the interpretation of polarisation diagrams for ceramic-coated substrates. The models assumed that the coatings contained pre-existing coating breaches from which anodic or cathodic currents of the substrate emanate. The anodic models for non-passivating metals indicated that the slope of the polarisation diagrams should be either equal to that of the bare substrate if coating breaches are relatively large, or equal to one third of the bare substrate value if coating breaches are relatively small and low in density. Pseudopitting potentials usually develop if the ceramic coatings support only very low anodic currents. The cathodic models indicated that the area fraction of coating breaches can only be easily obtained in deaerated solutions if the coatings do not support hydrogen evolution. In aerated solutions, it is more difficult to obtain information such as coating breach area fraction because the cathodic currents are dependent on breach size, breach dens...
Megakaryocyte and platelet biology: getting your FAKs straight

In this issue of Blood , Hitchcock and colleagues show that the nonreceptor tyrosine kinase FAK plays a critical role in regulating megakaryocyte maturation and platelet function in vivo. Nearly a trillion platelets circulate in an adult human. To maintain this level of circulating platelets, each
Prospective study of nephritis associated with a new nephritogenic type at red lake

In July 1969 a study of the pathogenesis of impetigo was initiated at the Red Lake Indian Reservation. Serial (3 × weekly) cultures of nose, throat, normal skin (wrist, ankle, back) and lesions and weekly urinalyses were done on 38 children in 6 families. One month later a 43-year-old mother, her 5-year-old twins, and an unrelated child, not in the study, had onset of acute nephritis (AGN) within a 14-day period. Findings included hematuria (4/4), proteinuria (3/4), hypertension (3/4), low serum complement and C3 (4/4), and elevated streptococcal antibodies (4/4). All exhibited impetigo, and lession in 3 of 3 patients cultured before treatment yielded type 57 streptococci. Throat cultures were negative and no pharyngitis preceded onset. Latent periods for the twins were 19 and 22 days. type 57 streptococci reappeared on the normal skin of both twins after penicillin theraphy, resulting in recurrence of lesions in one. Over a 10-week period 704 cultures from the twins and 4 siblings yielded 297 (42%) positive for group A streptococcus, of which 294 were M-57. Lessions accounted for 42%, normal skin sites for 47% and nose and throat for 11%. Normal skin sites were positive for the M-57 strain in 4 of 6 children before development of lessions (mean 8 days). This strain was found in the respiratory tract (5 of 6) only after its recovery from normal skin and/or lessions. Impetigo with type 57 but no AGN occurred in 16 other children. This is the first report of the occurrence of type 57 nephritis in this country. Prospective studies document the skin as the initial site of infection in these patients with AGN. The nephritogenic strain was found on normal skin prior to the development of impetigo and reappeared after treatment.
Effect of Carbon Dioxide on the Interfacial Tension of Polymer Melts

Supercritical CO2 is a promising solvent for application in polymer blending and foaming. Interfacial tension is a key parameter in determining the bubble nucleation and growth rates, as well as droplet breakup in blending. However, very limited data are available in the literature for CO2−polymer systems. In this work, pendant drops were imaged in a high-pressure, high-temperature view cell for determining the interfacial tension between polystyrene (PS) and CO2 (210−230 °C and pressure up to 140 atm), and between polystyrene and two different molecular weight polypropylenes (PP) (both saturated with CO2 at 220 °C and pressures up to 165 atm). The interfacial tensions in polymer/CO2 and polymer/polymer systems decrease significantly with increasing CO2 pressure and then level off at higher CO2 pressures. Density gradient theory combined with an equation of state was applied in predicting the interfacial tension between PS and CO2 starting from only the surface tension data of pure PS at the temperature o...
Gray and Hotelling: A comment

Abstract In a recent article in this journal Philippe J. Crabbe suggests that a study of mine “misinterprets both Gray and Hotelling on some fundamental issue” [1, p. 213, footnote 52]. Professor Crabbe appears to have misunderstood what my study attempted to show about Gray and Hotelling. A brief synopsis of my views on Gray and Hotelling concludes the comment.
Consequential Validity of Accountability Policy: Public Understanding of Assessments.

Educational accountability policy rests heavily on the assessments used to influence teaching, learning, and school improvement. A long-debated aspect of assessment use, consequential validity, plays an important role in public interpretation of assessment use whether for individual students or for state policy. The purpose of this survey study was to explore stakeholders’ perceptions of the variety of tests used in classrooms and schools, especially how testing is used to improve teaching and learning. Results indicated that the majority of stakeholders do not value state assessments and do not see the assessments as useful in the teaching and learning process. However, a proportion of minority respondents were optimistic that state assessments have potential for school improvement.
Packaging-specific influence of chitosan on color stability and lipid oxidation in refrigerated ground beef

We examined the influence of chitosan on lipid oxidation and color stability of ground beef stored in different modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) systems. Ground beef patties with chitosan (1%) or without chitosan (control) were packaged either in high-oxygen MAP (HIOX; 80% O(2)+20% CO(2)), carbon monoxide MAP (CO; 0.4% CO+19.6% CO(2)+80% N(2)), vacuum (VP), or aerobic packaging (PVC) and stored at 1 °C. Chitosan increased (P 0.05) in HIOX. Chitosan patties demonstrated lower (P 0.05) from each other. Our findings suggested that antioxidant effects of chitosan on ground beef are packaging-specific.
Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of indolequinone phosphoramidate prodrugs targeted to DT-diaphorase.

A series of 2- and 3-substituted indolequinone phosphoramidate prodrugs targeted to DT-diaphorase (DTD) have been synthesized and evaluated. These compounds are designed to undergo activation via quinone reduction by DTD followed by expulsion of the phosphoramide mustard substituent from the hydroquinone. Chemical reduction of the phosphoramidate prodrugs led to rapid expulsion of the corresponding phosphoramidate anions in both series of compounds. Compounds substituted at the 2-position are excellent substrates for human DTD (kcat/KM = (2−5) × 106 M-1 s-1); however, compounds substituted at the 3-position are potent inhibitors of the target enzyme. Both series of compounds are toxic in HT-29 and BE human colon cancer cell lines in a clonogenic assay. There was a correlation found between cytotoxicity and DTD activity for the 2-series of phosphoramidates; however, there was no correlation between cytotoxicity and DTD activity in the 3-series of compounds. This finding suggests the presence of an alternat...