cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pharmacologic Therapy is Not Associated with Stroke Prevention in Patients with Isolated Blunt Vertebral Artery Injury.

Background Vertebral artery injury (VAI) is often grouped with carotid artery injury into a broader classification of blunt cerebrovascular injury, despite fundamental differences in mechanism of injury and outcome. This study seeks to evaluate the efficacy of medical therapy in preventing strokes for isolated VAI. Methods Patients with isolated blunt VAI (2011–2018) were identified from the trauma registry of a level I trauma center. A retrospective chart review was conducted excluding patients with concomitant carotid artery injury. Factors examined included demographics, injury characteristics, anatomic classification, and management strategy. Patients were stratified by whether they received pharmacological (antiplatelet or anticoagulation) therapy. The primary outcome was new posterior circulation stroke within 30 days of injury as confirmed by imaging studies. Results A total of 206 patients with blunt VAI were included. Median Injury Severity Score was 17 and 33 (16.0%) patients presented with Glasgow Coma Scale Conclusions Isolated VAI is associated with a very low risk of stroke and treatment with medical therapies including antiplatelet or anticoagulation does not improve risk of stroke.
Hadronic Wavefunctions and High Momentum Transfer Interactions in Quantum Chromodynamics

Quantum Chromodynamics is a renormalizable non-Abelian gauge field theory of quarks and gluons, based on the principle of exact local SU(3)-color symmetry.1 From the experimental standpoint, there is now impressive evidence2 that QCD is a viable theory of hadronic phenomena. The most important phenomenological evidence for QCD comes from inelastic lepton scattering, e+e− annihilation processes, and those high momentum transfer exclusive and inclusive reactions where the structure of perturbative quark and gluon sub-processes can be studied in relative isolation from the bound state dyniamics of the hadrons. From the theoretical standpoint, the elegant structure of QCD makes it appear almost compelling as a fundamental theory of hadronic phenomena, even though many crucial questions concerning quark and gluon confinement, and the effects of non-perturbative phenomena remain unanswered.3
Catastrophic and slow violence: thinking about the impacts of the Xe Pian Xe Namnoy dam in southern Laos

On 23 July 2018, up to five million cubic meters of water plummeted from the reservoir of the Xe Pian Xe Namnoy dam, causing the biggest catastrophic event ever to occur in Laos related to a hydrop...
Effect of Environmental Weathering on Biodegradation of Biodegradable Plastic Mulch Films under Ambient Soil and Composting Conditions

Plastic mulch films contribute to better crop production. Concerns for lack of sustainable disposal methods for conventional polyethylene (PE) mulch led to development of biodegradable plastic mulches (BDMs) that can be soil-incorporated or composted after use. Environmental weathering of BDMs during crop growth reduces their mechanical strength and alters the molecular structure of their polymeric components. However, the impact of weathering on BDMs’ biodegradability is not fully understood. The biodegradability of agriculturally weathered and unweathered BDMs in soil and compost was compared using standardized laboratory tests (ASTM D5988 and D5338) using four BDMs (experimental polylactic acid and polyhydroxyalkanoate-based film [PLA/PHA] and three commercially available polybutyrate [PBAT]-based BDMs). In soil, biodegradation of weathered PLA/PHA was greater than its unweathered counterpart. For PBAT-based BDMs, the extent of biodegradation varied. A decrease of the weight-averaged molecular weight (Mw) of PBAT and PLA and thermostability of PLA, PHA, PBAT, and starch components was observed during biodegradation in the soil. The proportion of the minor components PHA and starch decreased during biodegradation, indicating preferential utilization of PHA over PLA and starch over PBAT by microbes. Bacterial abundance was significantly higher than fungal abundance in soil and was more prominent in soil adjacent to weathered than unweathered BDM treatments. Under composting conditions, unweathered PBAT-enriched mulches yielded higher CO2 evolution than their weathered counterpart. Together, these results suggest that environmental weathering enhances biodegradation of BDMs and mulch’s polymeric constituents also influence the microbial degradation, more so for bacterial than fungal communities.
Domain Ontology for Utility Infrastructure: Coupling the Semantics of CityGML Utility Network ADE and Domain Glossaries

AbstractWith the utility infrastructure domain becoming more technologically advanced with the modeling of all types of information across varying sectors, it is imperative to develop a domain onto...
Concordance between patient-reported (PR) and physician-documented (PD) comorbidities and symptoms among Stage 4 breast cancer patients (pts).

e24089Background: Comorbidities (Co) and symptoms (Sx) in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) pts impact treatment decisions, eligibility for clinical trials, and influence prognosis and quality of life...
A Theological Method for Legal Education

Is it possible to engraft theology into legal education? Does the law school seeking to inculcate any particular theology into its curriculum jeopardize the fabric of legal education? Are theology and law irretrievably broken, one to speak only of the things of God and the other to speak of Caesar? Finally, if there is to be interaction between law and theology within the context of legal education, is there a methodology that can offer significant and fruitful dialogue? This is the real issue.
Philosophy in Schools: Then and Now

It is twelve years since the article you are about to read was published. During that time, the philosophy in schools movement has expanded and diversified in response to curriculum developments (see Cam 1993, 1997, 1998; Kennedy 2013; Sprod 2001; Wartenberg 2009, 2013; Worley 2011), teaching guides (see Cam 1994, 2006; Freakley, Burgh & MacSporran 2008; Goering, Shudak aamp; Wartenberg 2013; McCall 2009; Wilks 1996), web-based resources, dissertations, empirical research (Daniel & Michel 2000; Leckey 2001; Garcia-Moryon, Rebollo aamp; Colom 2005; Reznitskaya 2005; Russell 2002) and theoretical scholarship (Davey Chesters 2012; Hand & Winstanley 2008; Haynes & Murris 2012; Kennedy 2006; Kohan 2014a, 2014b; Lone 2012; Lone & Israeloff 2012; Shapiro 2012; Sprod 2001). Philosophy and philosophy of education journals regularly publish articles and special issues on pre-college philosophy. There are more opportunities for undergraduate and graduate philosophy students to practice and research philosophy for/with children in schools. The Ontario Philosophy Teachers Association (OPTA) (founded in 1999) reports that in English-speaking Canada there are over 28,000 senior high school students studying philosophy in over 440 schools, and philosophy is now a Teachable Qualification (for an overview see Pinto, McDonough aamp; Boyd 2006). In the USA, the Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization (PLATO) was founded in 2009 to create a network of pre-college philosophy teachers. With the loss of its founders—Matthew Lipman (1922-2010), Ann Margaret Sharp (1942-2010) and Gareth Matthews (1929-2011)—the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children (IAPC) is developing a digital archive in P4C. My original article was inspired by the design (1999) and pilot (2000) of a new philosophy elective for the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE). This initiative garnered considerable interest from the P4C community because many believed that (a) the decision to offer a VCE philosophy elective reflected the effectiveness and popularity of P4C in elementary schools, and (b) the new philosophy elective would establish P4C as an essential prerequisite for the study of philosophy in senior secondary school and at university. In my view, enthusiasts overlooked an important difference in the conception of philosophy informing the new philosophy elective: it introduced students to the theoretical or academic discipline of philosophy, whereas P4C conceived of philosophy as a wisdom tradition—otherwise known as the art of living.
Domesticity and Dissent in the Seventeenth Century: English Women Writers and the Public Sphere

Introduction: Sabrina versus the state 1. 'Born of the Mother's seed': Liberalism, feminism, and religious separatism 2. A hammer in her hand: Katherine Chidley and Anna Trapnel separate church from state 3. Cure for a diseased head: divorce and contract in the prophesies of Elizabeth Poole 4. The unquenchable smoking flax: Sarah Wight, Anne Wentworth, and the 'rise' of the sovereign individual 5. Improving God's estate: preaching and the possessive economy in the writings of Mary Cary.
Modeling phase spectra using gaussian mixture models for human face identification

It has been established that information distinguishing one human face from another is contained to a large extent in the Fourier domain phase component of the facial image. However, to date, formal statistical models for this component have not been deployed in face recognition tasks. In this paper we introduce a model-based approach using Gaussian mixture models (GMM) for the phase component for performing human identification. Classification and verification are performed using a MAP estimate and we show that we are able to achieve identification error rates as low as 2% and verification error rates as low as 0.3% on a database with 65 individuals with extreme illumination variations. The proposed method is easily able to deal with other distortions such as expressions and poses, and hence this establishes its robustness to intra-personal variations. A potential use of the method in illumination normalization is also discussed.
Identification of intact lipid peroxides by Ag+ coordination ion-spray mass spectrometry (CIS-MS).

Abstract Free radical–induced autoxidation of lipids containing polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) has been implicated in numerous human diseases including atherosclerosis, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer. Autoxidation of PUFAs generates hydroperoxides as primary oxidation products and further oxidation leads to cyclic peroxides as secondary oxidation products. It is challenging to identify these peroxides by conventional electro‐spray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry (MS) method because of their thermal and chemical instability under most analytical conditions. Ag + coordination ion‐spray CIS‐MS has proven to be a powerful tool to analyze these intact lipid peroxides. Ag + preferentially complexes with the double bonds and induces characteristic fragmentation in the gas phase. Monocyclic peroxides, bicyclic endoperoxides, serial cyclic peroxides, and dioxolane‐isoprostane peroxides have been identified from the oxidation of cholesteryl arachidonate and phospholipids containing arachidonate. This technique has been widely used for structural identification but it is difficult to make it a quantitative tool because of the formation of multiple silver adducts.
Towards Automating Inter-organizational Workflow Semantic Resolution

Interoperability in sharing work through services between organizations requires understanding the perspective of each partner. Available resources and requirements are widely distributed with heterogeneous descriptions and enactments. No centralized registration and discovery process exists, nor automated means to map the variety of formal organizations within various overlapping domains, some defined and many not. While drawing from a common language, the mission and culture of each organization shapes their particular collection and definition of symbols, vocabulary and signals. Mining execution logs of historical inter-organizational workflows and tapping into explicitly specified domain and organizational knowledge ontologies provides a corpus of information useful to identify emergent patterns. This paper proposes a novel mediator approach using feature alignment demonstrated in previous partnerships, identified through the employment of topic modeling and word sense disambiguation methods, to infer semantic matches between parties without a priori relationships. This model demonstrates an inter-organizational workflow middleware proof of concept coupling workflow management systems interoperating between a set of organizations to automatically resolve meaning, providing the right services for requirements.
Hybrid PET/CT is greater than the sum of its parts.

Innovation in noninvasive cardiovascular imaging is rapidly advancing our ability to image in great detail the structure and function of the heart and vasculature, and hybrid PET-CT represents a clear example of this innovation. By providing concurrent quantitative information about myocardial perfusion and metabolism with coronary and cardiac anatomy, hybrid imaging offers the opportunity for a comprehensive noninvasive evaluation of the burden of atherosclerosis and its physiologic consequences in the coronary arteries and myocardium. This integrated platform for assessing anatomy and biology offers great potential for translating advances in molecularly targeted imaging into humans. Future investigations will refine these technologies, establish standard protocols for image acquisition and interpretation, address the issue of cost-effectiveness, and validate a range of clinical applications in large-scale clinical trials.
College student views of computer science: opinion survey

A group of college students has been surveyed for their perception and knowledge of computer science. Ignorance of the field was observed. The data obtained suggest inadequate instruction and career counseling, particularly at the high school level. The survey results imply that high schools could do a better job educating the students about career opportunities in computer science fields.
Home Insulation: The User's View

Residential insulation in Michigan is studied from the user's point of view. From surveys and from open-ended ethnographic interviews, who is adding insulation, how they decided to do so, and what financial savings they expected are analyzed. Also test the accuracy of family knowledge is tested by asking about their own existing insulation, their ranking of savings from various energy actions, and their methods for computing savings of recently installed insulation. A steady rate of retrofitting is found in Michigan, prompted by higher energy prices and by desire for greater comfort. However, it is also found that insulation may not be installed, or may be installed in suboptimal quantities, due to families' overestimation of current insulation or underestimation of economic savings. It is found that families measure their energy consumption in dollars. Therefore their calculated savings are underestimated because of failure to control for fuel price escalation. It is concluded that more comprehensive, dwelling-specific, information services could greatly increase the efficiency of energy use in residences.
Organ culture of midfacial tissue and secondary palate.

Palatal organ culture provides an in vitro model for the study of the formation of the secondary palate, which forms the roof of the mouth in the developing fetus. The protocol describes the steps for culture of the mid-facial region of the fetal mouse or rat. In culture the secondary palatal shelves proceed through stages of growth, elevation and fusion in a manner analogous to that occurring in utero. This model provides a tool for studies of mechanisms of normal and abnormal palatogenesis and has applications for developmental biology and toxicology. Keywords: cleft palate; palatogenesis; palate organ culture
Genetic Control of Developmental Changes Induced by Disruption of Arabidopsis Histone Deacetylase 1 (AtHD1) Expression

Little is known about the role of genetic and epigenetic control in the spatial and temporal regulation of plant development. Overexpressing antisense Arabidopsis thaliana HD1 (AtHD1) encoding a putative major histone deacetylase induces pleiotropic effects on plant growth and development. It is unclear whether the developmental abnormalities are caused by a defective AtHD1 or related homologs and are heritable in selfing progeny. We isolated a stable antisense AtHD1 (CASH) transgenic line and a T-DNA insertion line in exon 2 of AtHD1, resulting in a null allele (athd1-t1). Both athd1-t1 and CASH lines display increased levels of histone acetylation and similar developmental abnormalities, which are heritable in the presence of antisense AtHD1 or in the progeny of homozygous (athd1-t1/athd1-t1) plants. Furthermore, when the athd1-t1/athd1-t1 plants are crossed to wild-type plants, the pleiotropic developmental abnormalities are immediately restored in the F(1) hybrids, which correlates with AtHD1 expression and reduction of histone H4 Lys12 acetylation. Unlike the situation with the stable code of DNA and histone methylation, developmental changes induced by histone deacetylase defects are immediately reversible, probably through the restoration of a reversible histone acetylation code needed for the normal control of gene regulation and development.
Independent vector analysis using densities represented by chain-like overlapped cliques in graphical models for separation of convolutedly mixed signals

Independent vector analysis (IVA), a multivariate extension of independent component analysis, tackles the convolutedly mixed blind source separation (BSS) problem in a way to avoid the permutation problem by employing a multivariate source prior of the short-time Fourier transform (STFT) components. As the source prior in IVA, overall hyperspherical joint densities have been used, which imply that the dependence between the STFT components is invariant over bin difference. As a more effective source prior in the IVA framework, a dependence model is proposed that can be represented by chain-like overlaps of local cliques in graphical models. For convolutive BSS, the proposed method demonstrates consistently improved performance over using the overall hyperspherical joint density representation.
Azimuthal ambiguities in synthetic aperture sonar and synthetic aperture radar imagery

It is shown that azimuthal ambiguities are not eliminated by the nulls of a sonar (or radar) beam pattern and have a definite influence on image quality. In synthetic aperture systems that are strongly limited in spatial sampling, particularly in ocean borne synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) and spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR), azimuthal ambiguities will corrupt the images unless special measures are taken. These azimuthal aliases may be reduced by emphasizing the centermost portion of the available synthetic aperture length, and deemphasizing the endmost portions. This minimizes the effects from synthetic array elements that most strongly contribute to aliases. >
H∞ control via output feedback for linear systems with time-varying delays in state and control input

Abstract In this paper, an observer-based H∞ controller for systems with time-varying delays in state and control input is proposed. Using the solution of proposed modified algebraic Riccati equation, we can construct a controller which depends on the maximum value of the time derivative of time-varying delay and guarantees a prescribed H∞ norm bound of the closed-loop transfer matrix from the disturbance to the controlled output. A given example illustrates the availability of the proposed design method.
Microstructure and Wear Behaviour of Laser Induced In-Situ Formation of TiBx and TiC Titanium Composite Coatings

Two kinds of mixed powders:Ti-6Al-4V/B/C and Ti-6Al-4V/B4C which are pre-pasted on Ti-6Al-4V substrates separately were scanned by a 500W pulsed YAG laser to induce in situ formation of titanium composite coatings contained TiBx and TiC ceramic reinforced phases. The influences of laser processing parameters including Pulse Frequency (PF), Pulse Width (PW), Laser Power (P) and Scanning Speed (V) together with the powder proportions on the microstructure and properties of the coatings were investigated. Microstructure, phase components and micro-hardness of the coating were analyzed by OM, SEM, TEM, XRD and micro-hardness tester respectively. The optimized processing parameters of a single path laser scanned specimen in this case are as follows: PF: 15Hz, PW: 3ms, for the Ti-6Al-4V/B4C specimens the laser line energy ~12.5J/mm, for the Ti-6Al-4V/B/C specimens the laser line energy ~11J/mm. TiB and TiC ceramic were formed evenly reinforced in the matrix of Ti-6Al-4V with the morphology of needle, tiny dendrites and disperse spherical particles. The maximum micro-hardness of single-path layers is up to 750 Hv, which is over twice of that of the substrate (367Hv).The wear weight loss decreased nearly 3 times that of the substrate.
Emotional experience predicts social adjustment independent of neurocognition and social cognition in schizophrenia

Abstract Background Emotional abnormalities are prominent features of schizophrenia. While the capacity for emotions is essential to social adaptation, little is known about the role of emotional experience in the social dysfunction observed in schizophrenia. Objective This study examined the contribution of emotional experience, neurocognition, and social cognition to functional outcome in schizophrenia. Method Self-reported emotional experience (anhedonia, affect intensity, and emotion frequency) was assessed in 33 stable schizophrenic/schizoaffective patients and 33 healthy controls. Symptoms, neurocognition, social cognition, and functional outcome were also assessed. Results Patients and controls exhibited good internal reliability on all self-report scales, except for negative affect intensity. Patients reported equally intense but less frequent positive emotions, more intense and frequent negative emotions, and more anhedonia. Results of hierarchical regression analyses showed that emotional experience accounted for significant amounts of variance of social adjustment independent of neurocognition and social cognition. Conclusion These data show that emotional experience can be reliably assessed and is an important determinant of functional outcome in schizophrenia.
Singlet-Oxygen-Sensitized Delayed Fluorescence: Direct Detection of Triplet Phthalocyanine as an Intermediate

We have detected an intermediate in the process of singlet-oxygen-sensitized delayed fluorescence (SOSDF) using tetra-tert-butylphthalocyanine (Pc) as the fluorescer and C60 as the sensitizer. The observed intermediate is dependent on the concentrations of Pc, 1O2, and 3O2, as is SOSDF. By modeling the kinetics of the intermediate according to previously proposed mechanisms for SOSDF, we are able to rule out the singlet oxygen dimol as the intermediate. The intermediate kinetics are in agreement with either an exciplex or a triplet Pc mechanism. Since the intermediate has a spectrum identical to that of the triplet Pc, the triplet is the most likely intermediate.
Handle with care! delicate package! CD-ROMs and the acquisitions process

Abstract A survey was conducted to determine how CD-ROM products were being acquired in 25 libraries around the country. The intention of the survey was to determine which department, or departments, within each library has the responsibility for arranging trials of products, selecting and evaluating sources, locating funds, negotiating with the vendors, handling billing and receiving, and resolving equipment needs. Other questions asked were once CD-ROM products were acquired if they were treated as serials or monographs, and what role either serials or monographic acquisitions departments played in the purchase or subscription of the products. Improvements for addressing the special handling this newer technology currently receives were suggested. Because of the rapid growth within the CD-ROM industry and the growing number of titles available to libraries, some of the obstacles confronting librarians and publishers need to be resolved and routines within libraries need to be established as they are for any other format.
IDENTIFICATION OF UNRESPONSIVE KIDNEY-TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS

Abstract Non-presensitised kidney-transplant recipients, defined by the absence of lymphocytotoxic antibodies in their serum before transplantation, were divided according to the length of time they were free of cytotoxins. Recipients of cadaver kidneys who had not developed cytotoxic antibodies during haemodialysis treatment of more than one year before transplantation subsequently had a high kidney-transplant survival-rate at one year of 85% in contrast to a 50% survival-rate for recipients who did not develop cytotoxins during a haemodialysis period of less than one year. The statistical significance of the difference between these two groups, comprising 48 and 214 patients, respectively, was (P
Interferometric weak value deflections: Quantum and classical treatments

We derive the weak value deflection given in an article by Dixon et al. [P. B. Dixon et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 102 173601 (2009)] both quantum mechanically and classically, including diffraction effects. This article is meant to cover some of the mathematical details omitted in that article owing to space constraints.
SOME STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS ABOUT AIDS: AN INFORMAL LOOK '

Summary.-The results of a convenience sampling of 558 undergraduate business students suggests that, while there is widespread knowledge of the existence of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and the fact that one having the disease need not necessarily feel sick and look bad, there appears to be comparatively little awareness of the availability of drug therapies and the relarive safety of the practice of donating blood. There are a number of organizations, such as the National Center for Health Statistics, which publish regularly updated well-validated surveys of public knowledge and opinions regarding AIDS. These findings are frequently discussed and criticized in various publications, such as the Health Letter: Wolfe (1992), for example. There are also reports to be found in the literature of less formal inquiries on the same subject: Hays and Hays (1992) for instance. These latter studies are generally more sharply focused, tending to offer a micro- rather than a macroview of the field. Both approaches are important and collectively contribute to the development of a better understanding of this significant public health problem. Toward providing some limited but additional information to this combined data base on people's perceptions about AIDS, a written survey was conducted in the spring of 1992, among first-year baccalaureate students at a large business school in the northeast. The students mostly came from family environments in which the parents were married, high school graduates, working in blue-collar jobs, and living together. A language other than English is generally spoken in the home; the median family income is less than $20,000 a year; and the value of a college education is seen as a means for a better job and upward socioeconomic mobility. A total of 558 students out of a convenience sample of 593 opted to respond to the voluntary querya response rate of 94%. The composition of the responding group, which approximated the 1600-person universe, was as follows: 63% women and 37% men; 55% US nationals and 45% foreign; and 2% less than 18 years of age, 58% 18 to 20 years, 20% 21 to 23 years, and 20% older than 23 years of age. The students were asked for a "yes" or "no" answer to the following four questions: (a) Have you ever heard of the AIDS virus called HIV?
Correction of sickle cell disease by homologous recombination in embryonic stem cells.

Previous studies have demonstrated that sickle cell disease (SCD) can be corrected in mouse models by transduction of hematopoietic stem cells with lentiviral vectors containing antisickling globin genes followed by transplantation of these cells into syngeneic recipients. Although self-inactivating (SIN) lentiviral vectors with or without insulator elements should provide a safe and effective treatment in humans, some concerns about insertional mutagenesis persist. An ideal correction would involve replacement of the sickle globin gene (βS) with a normal copy of the gene (βA). We recently derived embryonic stem (ES) cells from a novel knock-in mouse model of SCD and tested a protocol for correcting the sickle mutation by homologous recombination. In this paper, we demonstrate the replacement of the human βS-globin gene with a human βA-globin gene and the derivation of mice from these cells. The animals produce high levels of normal human hemoglobin (HbA) and the pathology associated with SCD is corrected. Hematologic values are restored to normal levels and organ pathology is ameliorated. These experiments provide a foundation for similar studies in human ES cells derived from sickle cell patients. Although efficient methods for production of human ES cells by somatic nuclear transfer must be developed, the data in this paper demonstrate that sickle cell disease can be corrected without the risk of insertional mutagenesis.
Nephrogenic Fibrosing Dermopathy: A Review of the Massachusetts General Hospital Experience

We have undertaken a review of the Massachusetts General Hospital experience of nephrogenic fibrosing dermopathy (NFD). Twelve cases were identified, and the dermatopathologic features of lesional skin biopsies were examined. We looked systematically at nine parameters and graded each on a scale of 0 (minimal or none) to 3 (highest or most): 1) extent of fibrocytic proliferation, 2) extent of collagen thickening, 3) extent of vascularity, 4) extent of pannicular involvement, 5) extent of elastolysis, 6) presence of mucin, 7) presence of calcification, 8) presence of giant cells, and 9) presence of inflammation. Results demonstrate that fibrocytic proliferation, collagen thickening, inflammation, and vascularity most commonly were classified as grade 1–2; mucin deposition and elastolysis varied from 0–2; pannicular involvement ranged from 1–3; nearly all had calcification grade of 0, and there were no giant cells detected in any of the twelve cases. Comparing our results to published reports suggests that there are some interesting observations. Our cases tended to be less fibrocellular, have less mucin, and have more vascularity than the initial 14 cases described by Cowper et al (2001). The implications of the dermatopathologic findings for clinical course and prognosis are currently being evaluated.
Growth and movement of rings of chemotactic bacteria.

Abstract Measurements were made of the motion of chemotactic rings of wild type E. coli K12 bacteria. The time rate of change of ring diameter was found to be proportional to the square root of the number density of bacteria in the ring.
Choosing to Cofinance: Analysis of Project-Specific Alliances in the Movie Industry

We use a movie industry project-by-project dataset to analyze the choice of financing a project internally versus financing it through outside alliances. The results indicate that project risk is positively correlated with alliance formation. Movie studios produce a variety of films and tend to develop their safest projects internally. Our findings are consistent with internal capital market explanations. We find mixed evidence regarding resource pooling, i.e., sharing the cost of large projects. Finally, the evidence shows that projects developed internally perform similarly to projects developed through outside alliances.
In-situ micro frequency dependent electric field sensors to verify model predictions of cure and aging

Frequency dependent electric field measurements using in situ micro sensors, FDEMS, is a particularly useful technique for monitoring the changing state of a polymer in a composite (or in an adhesive joint or as a coating) during fabrication and aging during use in the field. Measurements can be made in the laboratory to monitor the polymerization process and to monitor durability and aging in an environmental chamber or other degradative environment. Equally important, the FDEMS in situ micro sensor monitoring technique can be used to monitor cure in production ovens and autoclaves on the plant floor as well as outside, for example, coatings on the surface of a ship in dry dock. Durability and aging can be monitored while the object is in use. Examples are a marine coating on a ship, the protective coating on the liner of an acid containing tank, a rocket propellant, an adhesive in a bond joint, or the polymer in a composite structure.
“Laser cleaning” removes particles from surfaces

Abstract Laser-induced removal of particles from surfaces was demonstrated. Such “laser cleaning” can be performed on the bare contaminated surface or with additional micronthickness liquid film coverage on the surface. With the latter “steam laser cleaning” we achieved removal of epoxy, alumina, silicon, and gold particles of size 0.1 μm to 10 μm from silicon surfaces. The proposed mechanism of particle ejection is described.
Accurate HF carrier estimation

We describe an algorithm to accurately estimate the carrier frequency of a single sideband HF speech signal. The algorithm is based on an outer product applied to a complex-valued time-frequency representation in which instantaneous frequency is encoded as the complex argument and the spectrogram is encoded as magnitude. Simple matrix operations are applied to isolate and estimate the carrier. The algorithm is fast, efficient, easily coded and converges rapidly to a very accurate carrier estimate.
Asynchronous postganglionic firing from the cat superior cervical sympathetic ganglion treated with neostigmine

Neostigmine injected intra-arterially to the superior cervical ganglion of the cat evoked an asynchronous postganglionic nervous discharge in both normal and denervated superior cervical ganglia. This asynchronous firing was enhanced by tubocurarine but blocked by small doses of atropine. In addition, the responses evoked by acetylcholine in ganglia treated with neostigmine were characterized by two components. The first was blocked by tubocurarine and the second by atropine. Asynchronous firing evoked by repetitive preganglionic nerve stimulation of ganglia treated with neostigmine was blocked by atropine but not tubocurarine. It is suggested that neostigmine (1) has actions on ganglia other than those attributable to inactivation of cholinesterase, (2) may possess both pre- and post-synaptic sites of action, and (3) may unmask a cholinoceptive site which can be blocked by atropine.
Avoidable hospitalizations in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objective Avoidable hospitalizations are hospitalizations for indications that could have been prevented by prompt and appropriate outpatient treatment. Avoidable hospitalizations thus serve as an indicator of poor access to, or underutilization of, medical care. This study examined risk factors for avoidable hospitalizations among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods Data were obtained on acute-care hospitalizations in a population-based sample of 8,670 patients with SLE age ≥18 years hospitalized in New York state in 2000, 2001, and 2002. Hospitalizations were classified as avoidable based on the principal indication for hospitalization. Patient demographic and hospital characteristics were examined as risk factors. Results Of 16,751 hospitalizations, 2,123 (12.7%) were for avoidable conditions, most commonly pneumonia, congestive heart failure, and cellulitis. The likelihood of avoidable hospitalizations increased progressively with age, was higher among patients with Medicare than among those with other types of medical insurance, and was higher among those of lower socioeconomic status. Hospitalizations for avoidable conditions were less likely at hospitals that admitted larger numbers of patients with SLE than at hospitals that admitted fewer patients with SLE. Conclusion Avoidable hospitalizations occur more commonly among older and poorer patients, suggesting that these patients have more difficulty accessing care. The lower risk of avoidable hospitalizations at centers that admit large numbers of patients with SLE may be due to patient selection or may represent better outpatient care by physicians at these centers.
Carbon Dioxide Uptake During Anaerobic Metabolism of Bovine Spermatozoa

Abstract Anaerobic CO 2 uptake by bovine spermatozoa has been studied by direct manometric measurements with the Warburg respirometer. This uptake phenomenon requires spermatozoa or their components, pyruvate as substrate, NADH as a co-factor, and a CO 2 containing gas phase. The magnitude of the uptake was directly associated with available NADH in the incubation system since increasing concentrations of NADH between .0–.032M increased the quantity and duration of CO 2 uptake. Maximum dose-response, however, was not obtained. Mild sonification, which disrupted the spermatozoa into head and midpiece-tail components, caused a much more rapid and somewhat greater CO 2 uptake than whole spermatozoa. Separation of sonified spermatozoa into head-rich and midpiece-tail-rich fractions with a sucrose gradient showed that the majority of uptake activity was located in the midpiece-tail portion of the sperm cell. Whole spermatozoa subjected to a sucrose gradient showed marked uptake activity. Fractionations indicated that the responsible cellular materials had leached into the supernatant forming a cell-free extract with uptake activity characteristic of whole cells. Activity of this supernatant could be preserved at low temperatures and was reduced but not completely eliminated by Millipore filtration (.22 μ ). Addition of avidin and malonate as specific enzymatic inhibitors was ineffective in reducing uptake activity of any cell fractions studied.
Acute Respiratory Failure and Intensive Measures

Critical patients presenting with acute respiratory failure (ARF) offer a plentiful, dynamic, and complex picture, which requires a deep understanding of gas exchange, pulmonary dynamics, and mechanical ventilation strategies. The most frequent cause of ARF is chronic disease with exacerbation. Interventions treating acute exacerbation, along with ventilatory support, physical therapy, and evidence-based strategies, may improve immediate outcomes. However, follow-up is essential and for the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patient the goal is to avoid relapse or rehospitalization. This article discusses the evaluation of gas exchange failures, pulmonary mechanics, and the properties of obstructive airway disease as they relate to ARF.
Hypersonic Inviscid and Viscous Flow over a Wedge and Cone

An analysis of hypersonic flow over a wedge and cone is developed that is based on hypersonic smalldisturbance theory in combination with laminar boundary-layer theory. The parameters that determine the flow are the ratio of specific heats ( = 1.4), the freestream Mach number, which ranges from 4 to 10, the wall half-angle, equal to 5, 10, or 15 deg, a wall to freestream temperature ratio, equal to 1 or 3, a Reynolds number (= 106), and a geometric parameter that is zero for a wedge and unity for a cone. All results are nondimensional and in a convenient form for establishing trends or for comparisons with experimental or CFD data. Results are provided for the inviscid surface values of the pressure, temperature, and Mach number; wave and viscous drag coefficients and several heat transfer coefficients; the maximum temperature and its location inside the boundary layer; and a variety of viscous and thermal boundary-layer thicknesses. The independent parameter is the freestream Mach number; the dependence on the wall to freestream temperature ratio and a Reynolds number are explicitly given.
How important is the corpus callosum in resting-state networks?

The human brain appears to have a reproducible set of intrinsic functional networks. Each network consists of several brain regions whose activity patterns are temporally correlated with one another when the individual is not doing any particular task. Most of these networks are bilaterally symmetric, therefore requiring some form of interhemispheric coordination. Evidence from individuals who have had a callosotomy and individuals born with callosal agenesis suggests that although the corpus callosum is heavily involved in the resting networks of healthy human brains, typical bilateral resting-state networks can also emerge in the absence of callosal connections. Understanding how and why this is possible will provide important insights into development and plasticity of brain function.
Fostering counter-narratives of race, language, and identity in an urban English classroom

Abstract This study examines the counter-narratives that were co-constructed during a curricular unit on language, race, and identity in an urban high school English classroom. We examine both the pedagogical and conversational moves that a White teacher, Mrs. Allen, used to foster such counter-narratives and the content of her African American students’ counter-narratives. We draw on critical and interactional perspectives on classroom discourse to understand the type of lessons and knowledge that the students and Mrs. Allen co-constructed and the ways in which students’ counter-narratives complicated essentialized perceptions of race, language, and identity and referenced locally-constructed social categories and geographic spaces. We argue that the students disputed dominant “master narratives” ( Stanley, 2007 , p. 14) of race and language through referencing multiple social identities and instances of racism that shaped, and were shaped by, their experiences with language. This article demonstrates how English Language Arts instruction can foster counter-narratives that challenge racist assumptions about language and essentialized perceptions of students’ racial identities.
Proof of shoe slip-resistance by a walking traction test

Abstract Manning, D.P., Jones, C. and Bruce, M., 1990. Proof of shoe slip-resistance by a walking traction test. Journal of Occupational Accidents , 12: 255–270. There is no universally acceptable or reliable method of measuring shoe and floor friction, and few of the many published methods are capable of measuring coefficient of friction (c.o.f.) of shoes worn on the feet. A new walking traction test is described, in which a test subject walks on slippery floor surfaces, pulling against a set of springs and the maximum c.o.f. attained before the feet slip, is measured. Three soling materials were selected from a large number previously tested by a different method of measuring c.o.f. One had registered higher than average c.o.f. and the other two lower than average c.o.f. The three materials were moulded onto bowling shoes with flat soles and no separate heel or tread pattern. One set of three pairs was reserved for water lubricated surfaces and the other set for oily surfaces. Coefficient of friction of the shoes was measured by the new walking test on three separate floor surfaces lubricated in turn with water and oil. The shoe soles were then abraded or polished in ten stages with an orbital sander. Surface roughness and c.o.f. were measured after each abrasion treatment. With successive abrasion treatments, the soling selected for above average c.o.f. gradually became rougher than the other two materials and it nearly always recorded higher c.o.f. readings when tested by the walking traction method. Its superior grip was demonstrated at roughness readings above 15 microns on water lubricated floors; c.o.f. of 0.43 was achieved on all three floors. The other two solings could not be roughened more than 15 microns. On oily surfaces, soling roughness of 21.5 microns only produced a c.o.f. of 0.2. Permanent roughness of solings is one of the properties needed for safer walking in slippery conditions. This new walking traction test convincingly measures shoe and floor friction up to a maximum of 0.43 and will assist the search for slip-resistant footwear.
Does the brain lead the metabolic decline in aging?: Lessons from animal models and human centenarians

Abstract We hypothesize that age-related metabolic alterations originate in the brain (studies in rodents), and that the functional decline of the brain may be protected by a favorable metabolic profile (studies in human centenarians). The metabolic decline with aging is associated with a progressive increase in fat mass in mammals and caloric restriction enhances life span in rodents. Here we show that a diminished biological response to leptin is a feature of aging. Leptin is a fat derived peptide that decreases body weight, fat mass, improves insulin sensitivity and energy expenditure through its receptors in the hypothalamus. We examined the effects of exogenous leptin on several metabolic parameters as a function of aging in rats. A prolonged elevation in plasma leptin levels in aging rats failed to decrease food intake, total fat mass, and intra-abdominal fat. Furthermore, the effects of leptin on liver triglyceride content, on insulin action and insulin secretion were markedly decreased in these animals compared to young controls. Leptin's failure in this aging model suggests its role in age-associated body fat accumulation, fat distribution and insulin resistance. We propose that a central nervous system resistance to leptin is probably a primary event that leads to the metabolic syndrome of aging, especially when availability of calories is unrestricted. Families of centenarians often have extremely high levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), which may have neurological as well as cardiovascular protective effects during aging. Because HDL level declines with aging, we tested if centenarians with higher HDL levels have greater cognitive protection. HDL levels correlated significantly with mini-mental state score (MMSE) of the centenarian, and each decrease in HDL tertile was associated with significant decrease in MMSE. These data suggests that the appearance of cognitive dysfunction in centenarians is associated with a decline in HDL cholesterol. This underscores the protective effects of increased HDL cholesterol, and its role in longevity. Taken together, these data suggest a determinant role for brain in the metabolic decline of aging, and highlight the advantage of favorable metabolic profile on the protection of brain from age-related cognitive decline.
Development and testing of a miniaturized hydrogen safety sensor prototype

Abstract In this article, the development and testing of an electrochemical hydrogen (H2) sensor prototype based on ‘indium tin oxide (ITO)/yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)/platinum (Pt)’ configuration is detailed. The device fabricated on an alumina substrate integrates a resistive Pt heater to achieve precise control of operating temperature while minimizing heterogeneous catalysis. Targeting fuel cell powered automotive applications, the safety sensor was subjected to interference studies, temperature cycling, operating temperature variations, and long-term testing over 2000 h. The sensor responded in real-time to varying concentrations of H2 (1000–20,000 ppm). Among the interference gases tested such as nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ammonia (NH3), carbon monoxide (CO), and propylene (C3H6), the sensor showed cross-sensitivity to C3H6. Analyzing the overall device performance over 2000 h of testing for 5000 ppm of H2, (a) the sensitivity varied between 0.135 and 0.167 V, (b) the baseline signal ranged from 0 to 0.04 V, and (c) the response rise time fluctuated between 3 and 7 s. The salient features of the H2 sensor prototype developed by Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) are (a) the low power consumption, (b) compactness to fit into critical areas of application, (c) simple operation, (d) fast response, (e) a direct voltage read-out circumventing the need for any additional conditioning circuitry and (f) conducive to commercialization.