cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interurban Railways and Urban America

Electric interurban railways emerged as a new transportation alternative for a brief period in the early decades of the twentieth century. The extent of this development varied widely, with some states getting extensive networks and others having little or nothing. Where present, interurbans shaped urban growth. Larger cites grew more rapidly in states with more interurbans. In Indiana, populations of cities and towns served by more interurban lines increased faster. Interurbans appear to have been associated with more suburban development in large metropolitan areas. The growth of the greater Los Angeles area was shaped by the vast Pacific Electric interurban system. Those cities that had interurban service grew at a faster pace than the rest of the area in the early decades of the twentieth century.
Prenatal exposure to a mixture of elements and neurobehavioral outcomes in mid-childhood: Results from Project Viva.

Abstract Background Lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), selenium (Se) and methylmercury (MeHg) can be neurotoxic individually, despite Mn and Se also being essential elements. Little is known about the joint effects of essential and non-essential elements on neurobehavior, particularly for prenatal exposures. Objectives To evaluate associations of prenatal exposure to multiple elements with executive function and neurobehavior in children. Methods Participants included 1009 mother-child pairs from the Project Viva pre-birth cohort. We estimated maternal erythrocyte Pb, Mn, Se, and Hg concentrations prenatally. In 6-11-year old children (median 7.6 years), parents and teachers rated children's executive function-related behaviors using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) Global Executive Composite score and behavioral difficulties using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) total difficulties score. We evaluated associations of element mixtures with neurobehavior using Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR), multivariable linear regression, and quantile g-computation. Results Median erythrocyte Pb, Mn, Se, and Hg concentrations were 1.1 μg/dL, 33.1 μg/L, 204.5 ng/mL, and 3.1 ng/g, respectively. Findings from BKMR and quantile g-computation models both showed worse (higher) parent-rated BRIEF and SDQ z-scores with higher concentrations of the mixture, although estimates were imprecise. When remaining elements were set at their median within BKMR models, increases in Pb and Se from the 25th to 75th percentile of exposure distributions were associated with 0.08 (95% CI: 0.02, 0.19) and 0.07 (95% CI: 0.03, 0.16) standard deviation increases in parent-rated BRIEF scores, and 0.08 (95% CI: 0.02, 0.17) and 0.05 (95% CI: 0.03, 0.13) standard deviation increases in SDQ scores, respectively. There was no evidence of element interactions. Discussion Although associations were small in magnitude, we found a trend of worsening neurobehavioral ratings with increasing prenatal exposure to an element mixture. However, we may be observing a limited range of dose-dependent impacts given the levels of exposure within our population.
Does ERAS implementation in gynecologic oncology result in acute kidney injury

Objectives: Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols involve judicious intravenous fluid resuscitation and routine administration of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Potential consequences could include a rise in incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI). A perioperative AKI can further result in increased short-term complications and in-hospital mortality for the patient. A recent study in patients undergoing colorectal surgery showed an increase in postoperative kidney injury from 2.27% to 11.36% after ERAS implementation. There have been no studies to date investigating development of AKI with ERAS in Gynecologic Oncology. Therefore, the primary aim of the current study is to measure the trend of postoperative renal function and the incidence of clinically significant acute kidney injury after ERAS implementation. The secondary outcomes are to identify independent predictors that may increase risk for development of a perioperative AKI. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed at Abington-Jefferson Hospital in gynecologic oncology, where ERAS was established in 2014. All women who underwent an exploratory laparotomy for benign and malignant etiologies prior to and after implementation of an ERAS protocol were included. Demographic, perioperative and surgical characteristics were collected. All patients above age 18, regardless of comorbid conditions, BMI or baseline kidney function were included. Stage 1 AKI was defined by KDIGO criteria of > 0.3 mg/dl increase within 48 hours. A p-value Results: A total of 274 patients were included in this study: 143 in the non-ERAS cohort and 131 patients in the ERAS group. No significant difference was seen in creatinine levels or glomerular filtration rate after surgical intervention between the two cohorts (p=0.054 and p=0.588, respectively). Similarly, there was no difference in rate of AKI among patients after ERAS within the first 72 hours of surgery (0.021 vs 0.023, p=0.869). Clinically significant kidney injury occurred in six patients. AKI was associated with receipt of a postoperative blood transfusion (p=0.002). However on multivariate analysis, no patient or surgical characteristics including hypertension, blood transfusions, diabetes, intraoperative mean arterial blood pressure, complexity of procedure, age, and length of surgery were predictive of development of AKI. Conclusions: No difference in rates of acute kidney injury was detected before and after ERAS implementation in gynecologic oncology. Acute kidney injury seemed to be associated with receipt of postoperative blood products. No other independent predictors of kidney injury were identified. Nonetheless, attention should be paid to patients that may be at an increased of AKI. Further studies are required to determine to whether modification of ERAS protocols for select groups of patients could decrease rates of AKI in the perioperative setting.
Geometry compression of tetrahedral meshes using optimized prediction

In this paper we propose a novel geometry compression technique for volumetric datasets represented as tetrahedral meshes. We focus on a commonly used technique for predicting vertex geometries via a flipping operation using an extension of the parallelogram rule. We demonstrate that the efficiency of the flipping operation is dependent on the order in which tetrahedra are traversed and vertices are predicted accordingly. We formulate the problem of optimally (traversing tetrahedra and) predicting the vertices via flippings as a combinatorial optimization problem of constructing a constrained minimum spanning tree. We give heuristic solutions for this problem and show that we can achieve prediction efficiency very close to that of the unconstrained minimum spanning tree which is an unachievable lower bound. We also show significant improvements of our new geometry compression over the state-of-the-art flipping approach, whose traversal order does not take into account the geometry of the mesh.
Dynamic-mechanical losses in elastin networks swollen with glycols of various lengths

A Rheovibron DDV-II-C viscoelastometer was used to carry out loss tangent measurements on purified, swollen elastin networks. The diluents employed were HO(CH2CH2O)mH with m = 0–4, i.e. water, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol (2,2′-oxydiethanol), triethylene glycol (3,6-dioxa-1,8-octanediol) and tetraethylene glycol (3,6,9-trioxa-1,11-undecanediol) and the temperature range was −120 to 40°C. The results, in particular the effects of the various diluents on the α- and β-transitions, are in support of the random-network model rather than the twophase liquid-drop model, for elastin in the rubberlike state.
Scanning Electron Microscopy of Hydrogen-Exposed 304 Stainless Steel Bending Fatigue Samples

Bending fatigue samples were plasma cut and water jet cut from sheets of 304 stainless. Samples were exposed to high pressure hydrogen (138 MPa at 300C for three weeks) or 1 atm hydrogen at room temperature for one week, or were unexposed. Preliminary results from bending fatigue testing show a decrease in fatigue life for hydrogen supersaturated samples. The present investigation shows SEM fractographic imaging from fatigue samples for each of the hydrogen exposure populations. Samples that were not exposed to hydrogen preliminarily appear to show fatigue striations on fractographic images. The ongoing research seeks to discern a difference in failure surfaces between hydrogen-exposed and unexposed samples.
E-SPART analyzer for Mars mission

This paper introduces a novel E-SPART analyzer for the dust particle analysis for Mars mission. The new E-SPART analyzer is based on a stationary-fringe LDV which can simplify the system hardware composition and reduce both the physical size and weight of the system. The paper presents the new operational principle, the signal processing method and the algorithm. It also discusses the requirement of the size of sensing volume. Experimental results are given for the verification of the principle and algorithms.
Gamow-Teller and M1 strength in the 32S(p,n)32Cl reaction at 135 MeV.

The $^{32}\mathrm{S}$(p,n${)}^{32}$Cl reaction was studied at 135 MeV by the time-of-flight technique. The overall energy resolution obtained was about 270 keV. The forward-angle spectra are dominated by the excitation of ${1}^{+}$ states with characteristic \ensuremath{\Delta}L=0 angular distributions peaked at 0\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}. The ${1}^{+}$ spectrum is described well by distorted-wave Born approximation calculations with full S-D shell-model wave functions and a normalization factor of 0.60. The strengths of the ${1}^{+}$ excitations are interpreted as being equivalent to Gamow-Teller strengths excited in beta decay. The (p,n) cross sections are converted to reduced transition probabilities, B(GT), by means of a ``universal'' relationship obtained from other nuclei where analog beta decay measurements are available. The general distribution and total strength so obtained are represented well by full S-D shell-model calculations with Gamow-Teller matrix elements adjusted to reproduce the strengths of Gamow-Teller beta decays of S-D shell nuclei. The ${1}^{+}$ (p,n) cross sections are interpreted also in terms of magnetic-dipole (M1) strength and compared with inelastic-electron scattering measurements of such strength in $^{32}\mathrm{S}$. The strength observed in individual states is seen to vary considerably between the two reactions; these differences are ascribed to orbital-current contributions in the electron-scattering reaction not present in the (p,n) reaction. The (p,n) measurements extend to higher excitation energies than the electron-scattering measurements.
A Historical Perspective on the Identification of Cell Types in Pancreatic Islets of Langerhans by Staining and Histochemical Techniques

Before the middle of the previous century, cell types of the pancreatic islets of Langerhans were identified primarily on the basis of their color reactions with histological dyes. At that time, the chemical basis for the staining properties of islet cells in relation to the identity, chemistry and structure of their hormones was not fully understood. Nevertheless, the definitive islet cell types that secrete glucagon, insulin, and somatostatin (A, B, and D cells, respectively) could reliably be differentiated from each other with staining protocols that involved variations of one or more tinctorial techniques, such as the Mallory-Heidenhain azan trichrome, chromium hematoxylin and phloxine, aldehyde fuchsin, and silver impregnation methods, which were popularly used until supplanted by immunohistochemical techniques. Before antibody-based staining methods, the most bona fide histochemical techniques for the identification of islet B cells were based on the detection of sulfhydryl and disulfide groups of insulin. The application of the classical islet tinctorial staining methods for pathophysiological studies and physiological experiments was fundamental to our understanding of islet architecture and the physiological roles of A and B cells in glucose regulation and diabetes.
Multiphase 48 volt conversion for low noise applications in an instrument grade power supply

This paper presents a switching power supply design that meets the accuracy, response time, noise level, and current requirements for today's ATE instruments. It focuses on minimizing high frequency parasitic ringing at the switching waveform edges that interferes with the linear regulator output. The noise reduction features include a transformer with flat planar construction of interleaved coils, a full-bridge with zero-volt switching for the primary control of the transformer, multi-phase circuits to enable maximum response time, and ferrite beads on all switches to control ringing.
Dianionic tetraborates do exist as stable entities.

To date, B(6)H(6)(2-) and some of its derivatives are the smallest members of the closo-borates that have been synthesized and analyzed in condensed phases. In contrast, no stable dianionic tetraborate has yet been observed, either in solution or solids or in the gas phase. In this work, the gas-phase stability of dianionic tetraborates B(4)X(4)(2-) (X = H, CN, NC, or BO) is investigated with ab initio methods. For this objective, the geometries of the dianions are optimized, the electronic stability is tested, and various fragmentation channels are studied. In agreement with previous examinations, tetrahedral isomers of all examined tetraborates have been found to represent geometrically stable isomers and to exhibit a triplet electronic ground state. However, these isomers are electronically unstable, i.e., their additional electrons are not bound. Furthermore, new D(2)(d)()-symmetric isomers of B(4)X(4)(2-) (X = H, CN, NC, or BO) have been identified that have a closed-shell singlet ground state and are lower in energy than their tetrahedral counterparts. Moreover, B(4)(CN)(4)(2-) and B(4)(BO)(4)(2-) represent stable gas-phase dianions and are predicted to be observable in suitable experiments. The electronic properties and geometries of these dianions are discussed in detail and explained in terms of the electrostatic repulsion of the excess electrons and the aromaticity of the dianions.
A note on the reduction in the iron content of meat in relation to iron deficiency.

The blood haemoglobin concentration, serum iron levels and muscle iron content of cattle, pigs, lambs and chickens were determined at the time of slaughter. There was a marked reduction in the iron content of pork, beef and chicken when compared with the figures quoted by McCance & widdowson (1960). The possible relationship between a reduction in the iron content of meat and the aetiology of iron deficiency is discussed.
Ethics and professionalism: what does a resident need to learn?

Training in ethics and professionalism is a fundamental component of residency education, yet there is little empirical information to guide curricula. The objective of this study is to describe empirically derived ethics objectives for ethics and professionalism training for multiple specialties. Study design is a thematic analysis of documents, semi-structured interviews, and focus groups conducted in a setting of an academic medical center, Veterans Administration, and community hospital training more than 1000 residents. Participants were 84 informants in 13 specialties including residents, program directors, faculty, practicing physicians, and ethics committees. Thematic analysis identified commonalities across informants and specialties. Resident and nonresident informants identified consent, interprofessional relationships, family interactions, communication skills, and end-of-life care as essential components of training. Nonresidents also emphasized formal ethics instruction, resource allocation,...
Nurses' beliefs about nuclear war avoidance.

A questionnaire survey of 156 nurses from western New England institutions of health care and education was conducted to explore their beliefs regarding the avoidance of nuclear war. Twenty-five questions from the Voter opinion on nuclear arms policy manual were adapted to express the dimension of the health belief model (HBM) and analyzed to determine relationships among these dimensions, nurses' belief in action to avoid nuclear war, and demographic characteristics of the sample. A strong negative correlation existed between the susceptibility and severity dimensions of the model, which characterized two distinct beliefs about action to avoid nuclear war. A high score on the susceptibility dimension reflected a belief that the respondents felt vulnerable to consequences of nuclear war but believed in the efficacy of personal action. A high score on the severity dimension was related to a belief in the potential catastrophic nature of nuclear war and was associated with perceptions of strong barriers to taking action. The demographic characteristics of membership in a professional organization, opinion of the role of professional nursing organizations in opposing nuclear war, and parental status were not predictive of actions taken to avoid nuclear war.
What is the Appropriate Regulatory Response to Wardrobe Malfunctions? Fining Stations for Television Sex and Violence

Although there has been concern about sex and violence on television since the 1950s, little is known about the determinants of public opinion concerning the regulatory response to “inappropriate” television content. Here the Annenberg National Health Communication Survey (ANHCS) is used to predict support for fining television stations for violent and sexual content from a set of precursor demographic, attitudinal, political affiliation, and television exposure variables. The results show that support for fining television stations is primarily a result of the beliefs that sex and violence on television causes sex and violence in teenagers.
Glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes based on frequency of insulin glargine administration

Glucose control and predictors of a switch from once to twice daily administration of insulin glargine in patients with type 2 diabetes was investigated. A mean decrease in %A1c of 0.52+/-0.12 (p=0.14) resulted, indicating clinical relevance. Daily dose was the only significant predictor of twice daily therapy.
Brugia pahangi: circulating antibodies to adult worm antigens in uninfected progeny of homologously infected female jirds.

Abstract Serum IgG antibody levels to adult Brugia pahangi antigens were measured in uninfected offspring from uninfected and B. pahangi-infected female jirds. Antibody titers to B. pahangi antigens in sera of offspring from infected females mimicked the maternal titer during the suckling period. Neonate titers peaked at 2 weeks of age at levels as high as 1:4100, then decreased to levels well below maternal titers by 8–12 weeks of age. Concurrent maternal and 2-week-old neonate sera recognized identical B. pahangi antigens in Western blots. Spleen cells from 2-week-old filariae-exposed and unexposed offspring failed to produce measurable antibody to B. pahangi in vitro. Progeny of uninfected mothers nursed by B. pahangi-infected females showed circulating IgG antibody titers to adult worm antigens similar to those of homologously reared offspring. Conversely, offspring born to B. pahangi-infected females and nursed by an uninfected female had no serum antibodies to B. pahangi antigens. Blastogenic responses of spleen cells to the mitogens photohemagglutinin and pokeweed mitogen, and adult B. pahangi antigens, were not different between offspring groups. Mean areas of pulmonary granulomas induced by the intravenous inoculation of B. pahangi antigen-coated beads also did not differ between 4- and 8-week-old progeny of uninfected or infected females. These results suggest that the circulating IgG antibodies to adult B. pahangi antigens demonstrated in offspring of infected female jirds are maternally derived via the milk and do not alter the cellular responses of uninfected offspring to B. pahangi antigens as measured by antigen-stimulated blastogenesis or pulmonary granulomatous inflammatory response.
User-preference-based service selection using fuzzy logic

Web services provide a standard interaction interface for network-based services. With so many diverse web services available over the Internet, services can be composed together and delivered to users as a package. The way to combine services is still an open problem, especially considering users' preferences. Users always have vague opinions on these preferences when they choose component services. In this paper, we propose a user-preference-based selection engine to compose services, which allows users to define non-quantifiable factors and policies to represent their preferences. Then, the engine automatically composes web services into a package following these policies by use fuzzy logic. The engine ensures the whole package has the most satisfaction.
Dynamical elements of predicting boreal spring tropical Atlantic sea-surface temperatures

The dynamical processes that contribute to the seasonal prediction of the tropical Atlantic sea-surface temperature (SST) anomalies from boreal winter into spring are explored with an atmospheric general circulation model coupled to a slab ocean. Taking advantage of the reduced-physics model that effectively isolates thermodynamic feedbacks from dynamic feedbacks, we examine the joint effect of local thermodynamic feedback and the remote influence of El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on the prediction of SST anomalies by conducting large ensembles of prediction runs. These prediction experiments yield the following findings: (1) in the northwestern part of the tropical Atlantic, the positive feedback between the surface heat flux and SST can play an important role in enhancing the predictability of the SST; (2) the remote influence from Pacific ENSO can enhance the SST predictability through a constructive interference with the local thermodynamic feedback, but can also make the SST prediction more difficult when the interference is destructive; (3) ocean dynamics plays a fundamental role for prediction of SST anomalies in the equatorial and south tropical Atlantic. To shed further light on the importance of the ocean dynamics, a statistical procedure of parameterizing the important ocean dynamics is developed within a linear dynamical framework. Prediction experiments with the parameterized ocean dynamics included in the simple coupled model result in an improved forecast skill in predicting the cross-equatorial SST gradient, which subsequently lead to a high skill of the model in predicting seasonal rainfall anomalies associated with variations in the Intertropical Convergence Zone during boreal spring. A diagnostic study suggests that the vertical advection of heat due to anomalous Ekman pumping/suction is a dominant contributing factor for causing equatorial SST anomalies, thereby, a major element of predictable dynamics in this region.
Investigation of the locus near MC4R with childhood obesity in Americans of European and African ancestry.

Recently a modest, but consistently, replicated association was demonstrated between obesity and the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs17782313, 3’ of the MC4R locus as a consequence of a meta-analysis of genome wide association (GWA) studies of the disease in Caucasian populations. We investigated the association in the context of the childhood form of the disease utilizing data from our ongoing GWA study in a cohort of 728 European American (EA) obese children (BMI ≥ 95th percentile) and 3,960 EA controls (BMI < 95th percentile), as well as 1,008 African American (AA) obese children and 2,715 AA controls. rs571312, rs10871777 and rs476828 (perfect surrogates for rs17782313) yielded odds ratios in the EA cohort of 1.142 (P = 0.045), 1.137 (P = 0.054) and 1.145 (P = 0.042); however, there was no significant association with these SNPs in the AA cohort. When investigating all thirty SNPs present on the Illumina BeadChip at this locus, again there was no evidence for association in AA cases when correcting for the number of tests employed. As such, variants 3’ to the MC4R locus present on the genotyping platform utilized confer a similar magnitude of risk of obesity in Caucasian children as to their adult Caucasian counterparts but this observation did not extend to African Americans.
Intensity-modulated radiation therapy for prostate cancer.

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) represents a new paradigm in radiation treatment planning and delivery for treatment of prostate cancer with enormous potential. Preliminary data indicate that this highly conformal treatment technique can effectively reduce acute and late-occurring toxicities, improving the quality of life of the treated patient and serving as the optimal dose escalation tool. IMRT produces radiation distributions capable of delivering different dose prescriptions to multiple target sites, providing a new opportunity for differential dose painting to increase the dose selectively to specific, image-defined regions within the prostate. Clinical trials will be necessary to define more clearly the true extent of improved tumor control and reduction in normal tissue complications with IMRT in the treatment of prostate cancer.
Reflections on Discussing "Hot Topics" on Campus and Antioch College's Legacy of Open Community Dialogue

Nash, Bradley, and Chickering’s book How to Talk about Hot Topics on Campus: From Polarization to Moral Conversation (Jossey-Bass, 2008) calls educators to the possibilities for more constructive dialogue in student life settings, in classrooms, and at their intersections. Responding to the book’s support for whole campus environments that can systemically support moral conversations, the article ends with a reflection on Antioch College’s legacy of open community dialogue. Guidelines for discussion in Antioch’s weekly Community Meeting emerged from collaboration between an academic class and the community governance leadership.
Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and human malignant tumor nucleolar antigens (HMTNA) in nucleoli of human hematological malignancies.

Lymphoma (Lymphocytic non-Hodgkin's malignant lymphoma) and leukemic (chronic lymphocytic, acute and chronic myeloid, myelomonocytic leukemia) cells were studied by indirect immunofluorescence to evaluate the presence of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and human malignant tumor nuclear antigen (HMTNA) in their nucleoli. Most cells in lymph node smears of lymphocytic non-Hodgkin's malignant lymphoma (NHML) developed a bright nucleolar fluorescence with HMTNA antibodies. PCNA was detected in nucleoli of a limited number of cells which apparently represent the proliferating cell population in these lymphomas. Similarly, in the bone marrow smears of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia most cells possessed a nucleolar fluorescence for HMTNA and PCNA was present in nucleoli of a limited number of cells. In the bone marrow smears of patients with myeloid or myelomonocytic leukemias most blastic or monocytoid cells also developed a bright nucleolar flurescence with HMTNA antibodies and PCNA was present only in a small percentage of these cells. Leukemic cells with PCNA in their nucleoli like thekhuntigen might represent a proliferating cell population in late G1 — early S phase.
Variational Properties of Unbounded Order Parameters

Order parameters in physical and biological systems can sometimes become unbounded as the size of an underlying system increases. It is proposed that such a quantity be modeled as a minimizer of the energy functional \[ I_\varepsilon(u) = \dashint \left[ \frac{\varepsilon^2}{2} |\nabla u|^2 - \frac12 \log (1 + |u|^2 )\right]dx, \] where u is constrained by a side condition, and $\varepsilon > 0$ is a parameter that is inversely proportional to the linear size of the system. It is shown that a minimizer of $I_\varepsilon $ exists; the minimum value of $I_\varepsilon $ scales as $\log \varepsilon$; and both the $L^2$ and $H^1$ norms of any minimizer of $I_\varepsilon $ are of the order $O(1/\varepsilon)$, indicating the unboundedness of the order parameter. It is also shown that the renormalized energy functionals \[ J_\varepsilon(v) = I_\varepsilon \left( \frac{v}{ \varepsilon} \right) - \log \varepsilon \] $\Gamma$-converge to the functional \[ J(v) = \dashint \left( \frac12 |\nabla v|^2 - \log |v|\right)...
Hyperspectral Imaging: Wide‐Area Spectrophotometry Using a Liquid‐Crystal Tunable Filter

This paper reports on the use of a tunable, liquid‐crystal filter to obtain simultaneous, low‐resolution spectrophotometry of multiple stars within a moderately crowded field. The filter is electronically tunable to any wavelength in the range from 400 to 720 nm with a nominal passband of 10 nm FWHM. In order to evaluate the performance of this filter, the central region of the Jewel Box cluster, NGC 4755, was repeatedly imaged as the filter's central wavelength was stepped from 435 to 720 nm in successive exposures. A spectrum for each of five brighter stars in the cluster field was then reconstructed from the stack of images. Differential corrections for each frame were determined by using a standard spectral scan for one of the stars in the field with a known spectral type (the "reference star"). Dereddened spectra of the other stars in the field were then constructed with accuracy only limited by the match between the reference and standard star spectra, and uncertainties in variable reddening across the cluster. This technique allows multiobject spectroscopy to be obtained in potentially very crowded stellar fields using common photometric reduction techniques—namely, PSF fitting.
A Web-Based Design Tool for Snap-Fit Features

This paper describes an interactive web-based design tool, developed by using a web-based server application, for the three most common snap-fit features that are the cantilever hook, post & dome and bayonet & finger. Response surface equations that predict each snap-fit feature’s performance were applied in this web-based design tool. This web-based design tool also applied constraint management (CM), which helps the designers switch the input and output on the fly and prevent over-constraint. Two other constraint management modules were applied. The first one is sensitivity analysis module used to determine the input’s dependency to a specified output also applied in the design tool. The second one is correction advisor module used to see how much each dependent input’s value should change if one output changes to a new value. Two optimization modules, single-objective optimization and multiple-objective optimization, are applied to optimize the performance of snap-fit features. Finally a real design case for cantilever hook was conducted and the results were compared to experiment results.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Internationalization of General Education Curricula in Community Colleges: A Faculty Perspective

Providing global educational experiences for students in higher education has been viewed as a desirable educational objective for decades. Although there is a common appreciation that students should be exposed to, and gain awareness of, other peoples and cultures, the majority of community colleges in the United States have done little to provide such opportunities. To better accommodate this need, some are now striving to internationalize both the curriculum and the culture of the institution. This study examined factors that might contribute to, or impede, the development of internationalized general education curricula in Missouri community colleges. Data were collected from 243 general education faculty members who responded to an online questionnaire from each of the 18 community college campuses in Missouri. The paper applies Human Capital Theory and the Developmental Model for Intercultural Sensitivity as theoretical constructs for explaining why colleges should be more actively engaged in global...
Hypothesis tests using data envelopment analysis

A substantial body of recent work has opened the way to exploring the statistical properties of DEA estimators of production frontiers and related efficiency measures. The purpose of this paper is to survey several possibilities that have been pursued, and to present them in a unified framework. These include the development of statistics to test hypotheses about the characteristics of the production frontier, such as returns to scale, input substitutability, and model specification, and also about variation in efficiencies relative to the production frontier.
Modulating numbers and phenotype of CD8+ T cells in secondary immune responses.

Prime-boost regimens are frequently used to increase the number of memory CD8+ T cells and thus the protective capacity of experimental vaccinations; however, it is currently unknown how the frequency and phenotype of primary (1°) memory CD8+ T cells impact the quantity and phenotype of secondary (2°) memory CD8+ T-cell populations. Here, we show that 2° infections of mice that received different 1° infections and/or immunizations generated similar numbers of 2° effector and memory CD8+ T cells. Remarkably, this result was independent of the numbers and phenotype of 1° memory CD8+ T cells present at the time of rechallenge. However, after adoptive transfer of low numbers of 1° memory CD8+ T cells, a linear correlation between 1° memory CD8+ T-cell input and 2° memory CD8+ T-cell numbers was observed. These data suggest that, above a very low threshold, boosting of 1° memory CD8+ T-cell populations elicits 2° immune responses of similar magnitude. Therefore, our study has important implications for the design of prime-boost regimens that aim to generate protective CD8+ T-cell-mediated immunity.
Electrocutaneous stimulation: Psychometric functions and temporal integration

Psychometric functions and psychophysical strength-duration curves were obtained with rectangular electro-cutaneous pulses. The slopes of the psychometric functions were much steeper than corresponding functions in other modalities, with the standard deviation of the distribution only about 0.08 times the threshold. Precise monitoring of stimulus current showed that physiological rather than physical variability was involved. Psychophysical strength-duration curves support the contention that large A-fibers are directly stimulated. Data from this study. as well as from comparable I × t experiments in other senses, are well-fit throughout the range of durations by rectangular hyperbolas. The period over which complete temporal summation occurs is only about 0.5 msec.
Standard vs. radical pancreaticoduodenectomy for periampullary adenocarcinoma: A prospective, randomized trial evaluating quality of life in pancreaticoduodenectomy survivors

This study was designed to assess the health-related quality of life (QOL) of patients who had been randomly assigned to either standard or radical pancreaticoduodenectomy for periampullary adenocarcinoma. Pancreaticoduodenectomy has been performed in increasing numbers for periampullary adenocarcinoma. The appropriate extent of resection (standard vs. radical [extended]) remains controversial, particularly as concerns survival benefit. Past reports comparing standard vs. radical resection have suggested that the more extensive resection is attended by negative functional outcomes (diarrhea and weight loss) and poorer QOL, diminishing the impact of any possible survival advantage of the radical resection. A prospective, randomized single-institution trial comparing standard pancreaticoduodenectomy (pylorus preservation preferred) to radical pancreaticoduodenectomy (including distal gastrectomy and ret-roperitoneal lymphadenectomy) evaluated 299 patients with periampullary adenocarcinoma between April 1996 and June 2001. A standard Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Hepatobiliary (FACT-Hep) QOL survey designed for hepatobiliary cancer was sent to 150 of these patients surviving pancreaticoduodenectomy. QOL and functional status were assessed via a series of subscale scores for physical, social, emotional, and functional well-being. A total of 105 QOL surveys (70%) were returned and analyzed, with 55 of the patients having been randomized to the standard group and 50 to the radical group. The patients were evaluated at a mean of 2.2 years after pancreaticoduodenectomy. The two groups were statistically similar with regard to multiple parameters including age at operation (64.6 years), race, intraoperative blood transfusions, pathologic diagnosis and staging, and perioperative complications. The radical group had a significantly higher percentage of men 66% vs. 44%; P = 0.02), a longer operative time (369 minutes vs. 327 minutes; P 2 years’ follow-up) and age (≤65 years vs. >65 years). This is the largest report comparing QOL assessment in survivors of pancreaticoduodenectomy randomized between standard and radical resection. These data demonstrate no differences in long-term QOL between standard and radical resection. These results imply that no negative long-term QOL measures are associated with radical pancreaticoduodenectomy (as performed in this study) for periampullary adenocarcinoma.
Continuous regional blood flow determinations with radioactive krypton85

Summary 1. Krypton 85 dissolved in saline was continuously infused for 30 to 90 minutes into the distal aortas of seven dogs, whose aortic blood flows were maintained at a constant measured level by means of a reservoir and pump. 2. From determinations of the Kr 85 concentration of blood samples drawn distal to the infusion, the blood flow could be calculated by the simple dilution principle. 3. The 122 Kr 85 blood flow determinations averaged 105 per cent ± 7.6 per cent of the measured pump flows. 4. Blood samples, proximal to the infusion, demonstrated that recirculation of the Kr 85 did not exceed 5 per cent after 90 minutes of infusion. 5. The method is a simple and practical one, applicable to a variety of situations.
The vibrational spectrum of CH2DNO2

Abstract The vibrational spectrum (Raman and IR) of the CH 2 DNO 2 isotopomer of nitromethane has been calculated and measured. The CH 2 DNO 2 experimental spectra were obtained by: (1) production of full hydrogen/deuterium isotope exchange in 50/50 vol% CH 3 NO 2 /CD 3 NO 2 mixtures by addition of an organic base and (2) observations on the fully exchanged material. The known vibrational spectra of CH 3 NO 2 , CHD 2 NO 2 , and CD 3 NO 2 were used to help identify the CH 2 DNO 2 vibrations. The theoretical spectra also aided in the identification process. The theoretical spectra were calculated at three ab-initio levels, MP2/4-31G, RHF/4-31G*, and RHF/4-31G after structural optimization calculations. The CH 2 DNO 2 theoretical spectrum was calibrated by tracking vibrational eigenvector “types” from one isotopomer to another and then correcting the theory by using the three known experimental isotopomer spectra. This procedure allows one to make a quite accurate prediction of the unknown spectrum; for many vibrational modes, the predicted values are accurate to a few cm −1 . Assignment of mode types is made in terms of the theoretical potential energy partitioning amongst the nuclei for each normal mode.
Frechet-valued martingales and stochastic integrals

Stochastic processes with values in a separable Frechet space whose a itinuous linear functional are real-valued square integrable martingales are investigated. The coordinate measures on the Frechet space are obtained from cylinder set measures on a Hilbert space that is dense in the Frechet space. Real-valued stochastic integrals are defined from the Frechet-valued martingales using integrands from the topological dual of the aforementioned Hilbert space. An increasing process with values in the self adjoint operators on the Hilbert space plays a fundamental role in the definition of stochastic integrals. For Banach-valued Brownian motion the change of variables formula of K. Ito is generalized. A converse to the construction of the measures on the Frechet space from cylinder set measures on a Hilbert space is also obtained.
A CAI approach to a user oriented interactive plotting system: SURIPS (southern's user interactive plotting system)

This paper describes an interactive, FORTRAN based graphics system which enables a researcher or student, unfamiliar with programming languages or specialized graphics routines, to rapidly develop the skills necessary for graphic analysis by letting the user "bootstrap" himself on the system. SURIPS utilizes a modular design in both its program structure and its approach to establishing the level of expertise of the current user.The command language of SURIPS is an English like structure and has been used successfully in several numerical analysis and statistics classes at the University of Southern Mississippi. As the users understanding of the techniques involved improves, he is able to utilize the more advanced features of SURIPS while retaining the error detection capabilities of the system.
Simultaneous dose and focus monitoring on product wafers

As the design rules shrink below 130nm it will become increasingly important to monitor and control focus and dose in-line, on product wafers to maintain the ever-decreasing process window. On process layers today, it is not uncommon to see focus related errors equaling between 50-100nm in magnitude. Today these errors go undetected and CD changes are typically corrected by making a dose correction to the exposure tool. However, corrections using dose can lead to significantly smaller process latitude and therefore, products out of spec. Using a technique that was first developed by Christopher Ausschnitt at IBM Microelectronics it is possible to monitor focus and dose on production layers with a single compact target. Extending this technology on an advanced optical tool allows for precise measurements of focus and dose errors. This paper will describe the methodology of inline focus and dose monitoring using this technique on 130nm process technology with an outlook on the expectations for future nodes. Results, including focus and dose sensitivity from multiple process steps on production wafers will be shown.
Automatic social group organization and privacy management

With the dramatic increase of users on social network websites, the needs to assist users to manage their large number of contacts as well as providing privacy protection become more and more evident. Unfortunately, limited tools are available to address such needs and reduce users' workload on managing their social relationships. To tackle this issue, we propose an approach to facilitate online social network users to group their contacts into social circles with common interests. Further, we leverage the social group practice to automate the privacy setting process for users who add new contacts or upload new data items. We conducted a user study to evaluate the effectiveness of our solution.
Phrase versus base structure effects on short-term retention

The effects of grammatical structure on short-term memory were investigated in two experiments. In both experiments, active, passive, and manner adverbial sentences were used. These sentence types allowed an independent analysis of the effects of phrase and base structure on recall. The three sentence types were varied factorially with three retention intervals. Differences in response time scores in Experiment I and correct response scores in Experiment II were a function of phrase structure differences. There was no evidence of base structure effects on retention.
Maternal Healthcare in Tajikistan: A Bargaining Framework

Abstract This study examines women's declining use of maternal healthcare services in post-socialist Tajikistan. Using data from the 2003 and 2007 Tajikistan Living Standards Surveys (TLSS), the findings support previous evidence that a woman's use of prenatal and delivery care depends on her education, household income, and proximity to services. However, previous models have not specified who makes the decision to use maternal healthcare services. This study finds that in Tajikistan a woman shares decision making with her spouse and the eldest woman in the household. There is limited evidence that traditional proxies for bargaining power, such as relative earnings level, affect outcomes. The authors conclude that where women's exit options are limited, surveys evaluating the value of women's assets and their services in the home, as well as questions about decision making, will allow more refined measures of women's bargaining power.
A holistic approach for energy efficient proximity alert on Android

The proximity alert service on Android is important as an enabler of smart cities, however, it is also limited in this role due to its excessive energy expenditure. In this paper, we present the design and implementation of an energy-efficient proximity alert service for both high-precision and low-precision applications. Our methods utilize the distance to the point of interest and the user's transportation mode in order to dynamically determine the location-sensing interval and the location providers (GPS or Network) to be used. We implement our methods as a middleware service in the Android open source project. Our service for realistic scenarios, on average, increases the battery life time of baseline proximity alert in Android by 62% for high-precision and 71% for low-precision applications.
Does H− truly cool the solar chromosphere?

The controversial problem of H(-) radiative cooling in the solar chromosphere is examined. It is found, in agreement with Praderie and Thomas (1972, 1976), that H(-) is a substantial source of radiative heating in the outer atmosphere, especially when departures from LTE are important. The role of H(-) as a chromospheric heating agent must be considered carefully before net radiative cooling rates can be assessed from empirical chromospheric models, or calculations of nonradiative heating, for example by acoustic waves, can be pursued meaningfully.
Environmental Nursing Diagnoses for Aggregates and Community

PURPOSE.To describe the application of group-appropriate methods to derive actual nursing diagnoses for a community. METHODS.A triangulation method using multiple sources of data, including an environmental survey, fish consumption survey, government reports, publications, and community assessments FINDINGS.Three priority community environmental nursing diagnoses for aggregates within the community: Knowledge deficit among community residents related to lack of awareness of contaminants in the Anacostia River; “risk for adverse human health effects” among pregnant and nursing women and preschoolers related to consumption of chemically contaminated fish; and knowledge deficit among community residents related to lack of awareness of health effects of consuming chemically contaminated fish. CONCLUSIONS. The diagnoses serve as the basis for community education and other interventions. The methods are practical and useful for this type of research. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS. The nursing profession is experiencing a growing awareness of the close relationship between environmental health and the health of individuals and communities. There is a need for diagnostic labels to describe the responses of aggregates and communities to environmental hazards and conditions.
The effect of quipazine, a serotonin receptor agonist, on serum corticosterone concentration in rats.

Quipazine, a serotonin receptor agonist, increased serum corticosterone within 30 min after its i.p. injection (at 10 mg/kg) into rats; the effect persisted at 1 and 2 hrs, but not at 4 hrs. Elevation of serum corticosterone did not occur with a 1.25 mg/kg dose of quipazine but was dose-related over a 2.5-20 mg/kg dose range. The effect of quipazine was completely prevented by methergoline, a serotonin receptor antagonist. The effect of quipazine was present in rats pretreated with 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine to destroy serotonin nerves and was not enhanced (as was the effect of L-5-hydroxytryptophan) by fluoxetine pretreatment. These data are compatible with the idea that quipazine increases serum corticosterone as a consequence of direct stimulation of serotonin receptors in brain.