cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cis-regulatory dissection of cone development reveals a broad role for Otx2 and Oc transcription factors

The vertebrate retina is generated by retinal progenitor cells (RPCs), which produce >100 cell types. Although some RPCs produce many cell types, other RPCs produce restricted types of daughter cells, such as a cone photoreceptor and a horizontal cell (HC). We used genome-wide assays of chromatin structure to compare the profiles of a restricted cone/HC RPC and those of other RPCs in chicks. These data nominated regions of regulatory activity, which were tested in tissue, leading to the identification of many cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) active in cone/HC RPCs and developing cones. Two transcription factors, Otx2 and Oc1, were found to bind to many of these CRMs, including those near genes important for cone development and function, and their binding sites were required for activity. We also found that Otx2 has a predicted autoregulatory CRM. These results suggest that Otx2, Oc1 and possibly other Onecut proteins have a broad role in coordinating cone development and function. The many newly discovered CRMs for cones are potentially useful reagents for gene therapy of cone diseases.
Lessons Learned from Using a Web-Based Interactive Landform Simulation Model (WILSIM) in a General Education Physical Geography Course

Luo et al. (2005) reported that careful design of the questions is very important to accurate assessment of the effectiveness of dynamic simulation and visualization on student learning. We followed the lessons learned in that study and improved some of the poorly designed pre-and post-test questions used for assessing the effectiveness of a Web-based Interactive Landform Simulation Model (WILSIM). We tested the new questions in a large section of the same general education physical geography course in the springs of 2006 and 2007 before and after students used WILSIM to simulate 3 different scenarios of landform evolution. We found that the post-test scores were significantly higher than pre-test scores, whereas previous study showed no statistically significant differences.
The Collatz Theorem

The Collatz conjecture is a famous problem in number theory. Given an integer, if it's odd, multiply it by three and add one, or, if it's even, divide it by two. The Collatz conjecture states that any trajectory of iterates of this Collatz transformation on the positive integers will reach one in a finite number of steps. This problem explores the behavior of a complicated discrete dynamical system that has eluded solution for over seventy years. This paper addresses the Collatz conjecture by altering the Collatz transformation into a friendlier format, which tells us what to do with an odd integer given its congruence modulo eight. We then describe how to find the numbers whose first few iterates follow a given pattern, which leads us to a directed graph that every trajectory must eventually enter. This directed graph then shows us that, in a finite number of steps, every iterate of a trajectory must either converge to one or strictly increase thereafter. Since there is no number whose trajectory strictly increases, the Collatz conjecture holds.
Review of Preventing Drug Abuse: Effective Intervention Strategies and Techniques

The key word in this book's title is “effective.” In a logical, step-wise format, the authors argue for the need to measure outcomes and learn from experience. They then collate their findings and suggest alternatives to be tried and measured next. The emphasis is on effectiveness of interventions throughout.
Metal–Support Interaction: Group VIII Metals and Reducible Oxides

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the interaction of small metal particles with reducible oxide supports, and focuses on Group VIII (or Group 8-10) metals supported on TiO 2 . The strong suppression in catalytic activity and chemisorption capacity observed on TiO 2 -supported catalysts after reduction at high temperatures can be, at least partially, explained by a geometric blocking of sites by TiO 2 species. The dominant mechanism of formation of TiO 2 species on metal particles is migration during the high-temperature reduction, but some deposition of metal precursors during preparation may also occur. This picture finds an analog in the structure of the bimetallic clusters observed in Group VIII-Group Ib catalysts, in the sense that the structure sensitive reactions, e.g., alkane hydrogenolysis, are most affected whereas only modest effects are observed for structureinsensitive reactions, e.g., hydrogenation-dehydrogenation. The migration of reduced species from the support is accompanied by the formation of metal-Ti bonds, which provide the thermodynamic driving force for the migration. The metal-support bonding is not identical to that in the intermetallic compounds because of the associated oxygen that imparts cationic character to the Ti and Group VIII metal partner; in other words, it may be analogous to the Group VIII-Ti bonding that persists on intermetallic compounds surfaces after oxygen chemisorption.
Mouse Homologous Recombination Models

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on knockout and transgenic mice with an autonomic phenotype characterized by altered blood pressure, cardiac function, sympathetic nerve activity, or catecholamine levels. Disruption or overexpression of targeted mouse genes has been a boon to understanding the effect of individual genes in mammalian physiology. There has been an avalanche of reports describing historically well-recognized genes as well as a number of seemingly unrelated genes that have a significant impact on autonomic nervous system (ANS) function. Phenotypic analysis has revealed that embryonic knockouts are smaller in size with an enlarged right atrium, myocardial thinning, and overall myocardial hypoplasia. Decreased cardiac ejection was visualized with intravital microscopy in utero, suggesting heart failure as a probable cause of death with underlying ventricular chamber dysfunction and an associated thin myocardium syndrome. Phenotypic evaluation of animal models designed to mimic human behavior and psychiatric disorders have demonstrated that genetic makeup alone does not dictate complex functional changes and developmental adaptation, background strain, and environmental variables must also be considered when assigning phenotype.
Soybean Crush Spread Arbitrage: Trading Strategies and Market Efficiency

This paper revisits the soybean crush spread arbitrage work of Simon (JFM, 1999). Major findings are that contrary to the results reported by Simon, the length of winning and losing trades differ systematically. Winning trades are significantly shorter on average than losing trades. This result leads to trading rules designed to prevent lengthy trades. Secondly, the work by Simon employs symmetric entry and exit limits. That approach assumes that the market overshoots equilibrium. This research studies a wide variety of entry and exit limits and the risk-return relationship between the entry and exit limits.
Parametric amplification of 1.6 /spl mu/m signal in anneal- and reverse-proton exchanged waveguides

This paper reports experimental results on optical parametric amplification in anneal-proton exchanged (APE) and reverse-proton exchanged (RPE) waveguides in periodically-poled lithium niobate using 1.064 /spl mu/m pulsed YAG laser as the pump and tunable L-band external cavity diode laser as the signal.
Synthetic eclipse spectra for 31 CYGNI

Theoretical spectra have been compared with IUE spectra for two phases of atmospheric eclipse of 31 Cyg. Chromospheric column densities, excitation temperatures, turbulence, and ionization are derived.
American Identity and the Politics of Multiculturalism

Prologue 1. The challenge of e pluribus unum 2. The political psychology of identity choice 3. Contours of American national identity 4. The ethnic cauldron and group consciousness 5. Public opinion and multiculturalism's guiding norms 6. Do ethnic identities and multiculturalism collide with national identities? 7. Multicultural policies: ethnic consensus and cleavage 8. The dynamics of multicultural-policy preferences 9. Multiculturalism and party politics 10. Conclusion.
Dichroism as a probe for parity-breaking phases of spin-orbit coupled metals

Recently, a general formalism was presented for gyrotropic, ferroelectric, and multipolar order in spin-orbit coupled metals induced by spin-spin interactions. Here, I point out that the resulting order parameters are equivalent to expectation values of operators that determine natural circular dichroic signals in optical and x-ray absorption. Some general properties of these operator equivalents and the resulting dichroisms are mentioned, and I list several material examples in this connection, including Weyl semimetals. The particular case of the tensor order in the pyrochlore superconductor ${\mathrm{Cd}}_{2}{\mathrm{Re}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{7}$ is treated in more detail, including calculations of the x-ray absorption and circular dichroism at the O $K$ edge.
Antifungal susceptibility testing: Recent findings and experience

Abstract The current status of antifungal susceptibility tests is very much in flux. There is ample evidence that current testing of fungi is at this point poorly standardized, and therefore the results from such tests are difficult to apply to patient management. On the other hand, there is now considerable interest in collaborative efforts to change this situation and all evidence to date indicates that standardization is a reasonable and clearly achievable goal. In the NCCLS Subcommittee Report, 29 several steps were proposed to reach that objective. Among others, they include: 1) Establishing a panel of fungal isolates to be used in further studies; 2) Establish performance standards for a single media that might be used to test all known classes of antifungal agents; and 3) Determine and correct the sources of error that result in variability of the broth dilution method. Now that the problem has been more sharply defined, work to eliminate interlaboratory variability and to determine test correlation with treatment results should proceed. Hopefully work during the next few years will result in antifungal tests that are just as useful as today's tests for antibacterial agents.
Enhancement of time of day based traffic signal control

A majority of urban traffic signal systems including coordinated actuated signals deploy multiple signal timing plans to account for traffic demand changes over time during a day (i.e., off peak, morning peak, mid day, evening peak, and night). A recent study proposed a data driven methodology that develops such time of day (TOD) break points using a clustering algorithm. One disadvantage of such statistical approaches was that they often produce clusters with few data points (i.e., infeasible time-of-day interval). This paper presents an enhancement of data driven methodology that determines optimal break points for TOD traffic signal control. In order to overcome such drawback, a genetic algorithm based clustering is proposed and evaluated through the performance of actual timing plan under microscopic simulation program, SIMTRAFFIC. The study results indicate that the proposed method can eliminate infeasible TOD intervals and its TOD-based timing plan produced comparable performances to those existing TOD intervals.
Streamlining local search for spatially balanced Latin squares

Streamlined constrained reasoning powerfully boosts the performance of backtrack search methods for finding hard combinatorial objects. We use so-called spatially balanced Latin squares to show how streamlining can also be very effective for local search: Our approach is much faster and generates considerably larger spatially balanced Latin squares than previously reported approaches (up to order 35; the previous best results could only generate solutions up to order 18). We also provide a detailed characterization of our streamliner and solution topology for small orders. We believe that streamlined local search is a general technique suitable for solving a wide range of hard combinatorial design problems.
Distraction Potential of Speech-Based Driver Interfaces

A common assumption concerning speech-based interaction with an in-vehicle information system is that the speech-based interaction does not distract the driver, because the driver is not required to take his eyes off the road. This assumption does not take into consideration the cognitive demand placed on the driver. This cognitive demand may be highly dependent upon the nature of the interaction and may increase when errors occur in the interchange between the driver and the speech-based system. When the automatic speech recognition system makes an error, the driver must first recognize that an error has been made, determine how to recover from the error, trace back to the previous menu, and repeat the command to get the desired result. These additional steps and the error recovery process may place significant cognitive demands on the driver. Understanding how these errors and the recovery process affects driver attention to the road is a critical design consideration for speech-based interaction with in-vehicle information systems. This paper describes an initial experiment to address this issue and provides a theoretical framework to help identify the requirements of a speech-interface needed to support easy error recovery. Because speech interactions will always be subject to human and system error, understanding how to support the robust interaction is critical in minimizing driver distraction. For the covering abstract see ITRD E113119.
Adaptive control of EARX(1,1) processes

Considers an autoregressive process of order 1 with exponential observation marginals under exogenous input of order 1 (EARX(1,1)). For this process strongly consistent estimators of the unknown parameters are obtained and the minimum variance adaptive tracker is established. Finally the results are illustrated through simulations. >
Genetic determinants of Venezuelan equine encephalitis emergence

Following a period of inactivity from 1973-1991, Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) reemerged during the past decade in South America and Mexico. Experimental studies of VEE virus (VEEV) infection of horses with virus strains isolated during these outbreaks have revealed considerable variation in the ability of equine-virulent, epizootic strains to exploit horses as efficient amplification hosts. Subtype IC strains from recent outbreaks in Venezuela and Colombia amplify efficiently in equines, with a correlation between maximum viremia titers and the extent of the outbreak from which the virus strain was isolated. Studies of enzootic VEEV strains that are believed to represent progenitors of the epizootic subtypes support the hypothesis that adaptation to efficient replication in equines is a major determinant of emergence and the ability of VEEV to spread geographically. Correlations between the ability of enzootic and epizootic VEEV strains to infect abundant, equiphilic mosquitoes, and the location and extent of these outbreaks, also suggest that specific adaptation to Ochlerotatus taeniorhynchus mosquitoes is a determinant of some but not all emergence events. Genetic studies imply that mutations in the E2 envelope glycoprotein gene are major determinants of adaptation to both equines and mosquito vectors.
RapidArc quality assurance through MapCHECK

The purpose is to devise a patient-specific quality assurance procedure for RapidArc radiotherapy using the MapCHECK detector array. We use our existing MapCHECK system and a Solid Water phantom with an embedded ion chamber to develop a quality assurance procedure for RapidArc treatment after commissioning. The ion chamber used to measure the absolute dose is surrounded by 6 cm layers of solid water on the anterior and posterior sides. Partial arcs derived from the treatment planning system were used with MapCHECK to determine the actual shape of the dose and correct for the angular dependence. The ion chamber measurements were within 1% of the absolute doses predicted by the Eclipse treatment system. When using a partial arc from 60° to 300° on the MapCHECK array (gamma index <1: 3%, 3 mm, 10% threshold), we obtain a 97.52% average passing rate. A combination of ion chamber phantoms, partial arcs and the MapCHECK system can be used for quality assurance of RapidArc therapies.
Widowhood, family support, and self-rated health among older adults in China

Li Y, Chi I, Krochalk PC, Xu L. Widowhood, family support, and self-rated health among older adults in China Int J Soc Welfare 2011: 20: S72–S85 © 2011 The Author(s), International Journal of Social Welfare © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and the International Journal of Social Welfare. Although widowhood can be an extended life experience, research generally treats the widowed as one homogenous group, thus masking the variability within this group. Using national representative survey data from China, we examined whether length of widowhood among older adults moderates the effects of family support on self-rated health. Based on bivariate descriptive statistics and logistic regressions and controlling for demographic variables, we found that persons who were widowed longer, had more children, and took care of grandchildren were more likely to report poor self-rated health than their married counterparts. In addition, those widowed were less likely to report negative health if they regarded their children as filial, particularly among those widowed longer, thus suggesting that filial piety may have a buffering effect. Further specified is the complex role family support plays in self-rated health suggesting that length of time widowed should be considered in order to understand its long-term effects on health status.
Neural Sequence Generation Using Spatiotemporal Patterns of Inhibition

Stereotyped sequences of neural activity are thought to underlie reproducible behaviors and cognitive processes ranging from memory recall to arm movement. One of the most prominent theoretical models of neural sequence generation is the synfire chain, in which pulses of synchronized spiking activity propagate robustly along a chain of cells connected by highly redundant feedforward excitation. But recent experimental observations in the avian song production pathway during song generation have shown excitatory activity interacting strongly with the firing patterns of inhibitory neurons, suggesting a process of sequence generation more complex than feedforward excitation. Here we propose a model of sequence generation inspired by these observations in which a pulse travels along a spatially recurrent excitatory chain, passing repeatedly through zones of local feedback inhibition. In this model, synchrony and robust timing are maintained not through redundant excitatory connections, but rather through the interaction between the pulse and the spatiotemporal pattern of inhibition that it creates as it circulates the network. These results suggest that spatially and temporally structured inhibition may play a key role in sequence generation.
Design and performance of an optical measurement system for position measurement and control in a large gap magnetic suspension system

This paper presents the design and performance of an optical measurement system (OMS) which is used to measure the position of a magnetically suspended element as part of the feedback control system for the NASA Langley Large Gap Magnetic Suspension System (LGMSS). A new processing architecture which is to be implemented in the OMS to increase the rate at which position information is made available to the LGMSS controller is also discussed. The OMS consists of multiple linear charge-coupled device cameras which detect small infrared light emitting diode targets embedded in the surface of a magnetically suspended cylinder. The OMS estimates the position and attitude of the cylinder in six- degrees-of-freedom and supplies this information to the LGMSS control computer at a rate of 40 samples per second. Experiments have been run to evaluate the performance of the OMS. The accuracy of the OMS was evaluated using a static test model of the cylinder. Test results show that the one sigma (one standard deviation) in the OMS estimates of cylinder position and attitude are approximately +/- 0.001 inch in x and y, +/- 0.0005 inch in z, +/- 0.005 degree in pitch and yaw, and +/- 0.01 degree in roll.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Demographic change attendance area adjustment and school system impacts.

In the extensive litigation over school board liability for segregated schools, a great deal of attention has been focused on changes in school attendance areas. Evidence presented in several trials suggested that school boards have gerrymandered boundaries to keep some schools “black” and others “white.” Even though both district and appeal courts have found violations in attendance zone changes, there has been little other than anecodotal evidence to support these findings. In many cases the areas with the most changes in attendance boundaries are also the areas of rapid racial transition, but correlation does not necessarily mean causation. This case study examines boundary changes in Topeka and suggests that racial change in schools is more directly attributable to demographic shifts than to attendance boundary changes.
A roughing/cementing robotic cell for custom made shoe manufacture

In the shoe manufacturing process, in order to attach the upper with the corresponding sole, it is necessary to ‘scrape’ a thin layer of material off the upper surface so that glue can penetrate the leather and adhere; an operation called ‘roughing’. This paper describes the design and the implementation of an innovative robotic cell for roughing and cementing of shoe uppers, which operates at the moment in a pilot plant for custom-made shoe production. The small size of the production lots, as required by customization, and the accuracy needed to follow the complex 3D roughing paths, require a considerable degree of flexibility to minimized setup time. In order to meet these severe requirements, the robotic cell, described in this paper, integrates CAD-CAM generated tool paths with the use of a force controlled head, mounted at the manipulator wrist, which allows real-time adaptation of the trajectory in order to ensure continuous and stable contact between the tool and the shoe to be processed, regardle...
A Multilevel Systems Model of Leadership

This study uses a control theory to develop a multilevel systems model of leadership. The model outlines the processes that senior leaders can use to influence others across hierarchical levels of ...
Compatibility of ZrN and HfN with molten LiCl–KCl–NaCl–UCl3

Abstract The reaction kinetics of ZrN and HfN immersed in a quaternary salt of composition of 28.5% LiCl–36.3% KCl–29.4% NaCl–5.8% UCl 3 (in weight percent) were assessed. Coupons of ZrN and HfN were exposed to the quaternary salt at 525–900 °C for 4–485 h. The reaction kinetics of the salt-refractory interactions were assessed through physical and microstructural characterization including scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and mass spectrometry. The results indicated that ZrN and HfN lose weight under all conditions investigated. While multiple mechanisms were evident, it is proposed that dissolution and oxidation were the dominant reactions that influence the weight loss. For the overall reaction, negative apparent activation energy values of −46 and −28 kJ/mol were observed in ZrN and HfN, respectively. These seemingly anomalous activation energies were associated with the simultaneous occurrence of electrochemical dissolution and surface oxide formation.
Age and sex-dependent trends in pulmonary embolism testing and derivation of a clinical decision rule for young patients

Importance Despite low prevalence of pulmonary embolism (PE) in young adults, they are frequently imaged for PE, which involves radiation exposure and substantial financial cost. Objective Determine the use and positive proportions for PE imaging by age, differences in clinical presentation of PE by age and the projected impact of an age-targeted decision rule. Design Analysis of two national population-based datasets: the 2009 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample, a 20% sample of US emergency departments (EDs) and the 2003–2006 Pulmonary Embolism Rule-out Criteria (PERC) dataset, a multisite cohort of ED patients with suspected PE from 12 US EDs. Results Prevalence of PE was 10 times lower in young patients (18–35 years) than in older patients (>65 years) (0.06% vs 0.60%, p Conclusions and relevance Young patients are frequently imaged for PE and have lower positive imaging rates than older patients. After further validation, application of our proposed rule for excluding young patients from PE imaging could reduce imaging, increase the positive rate of imaging and result in a low rate of missed PE among those excluded from imaging.
Enhanced Production of Pancreatic Digestive Enzymes During Aflatoxicosis in Egg-Type Chickens,

Abstract As aflatoxin causes malabsorption and its toxicity is enhanced by a low protein diet, digestive enzymes formed in the pancreas apparently are influenced by aflatoxin. This hypothesis was investigated in a 2 × 2 factorial experiment. Six groups of 10 egg-type chickens per treatment were analyzed for the absence and presence of aflatoxin (0 and 4 p-g/g diet) and for normal (12.75%) and low (10.00%) protein in soy-dextrose diets. The specific activities of pancreatic chymotrypsin, amylase, and lipase, but not trypsin, were increased significantly (P Thus, aflatoxicosis in egg-type chickens is characterized by a surplus of some digestive enzymes and by normal fecal lipids in contrast to the specific deficiency of amylase and lipase and steatorrhea reported earlier in meat-type chickens. Whereas malabsorption caused by aflatoxin in broilers can be accounted for in part by impaired digestion, this mechanism apparently does not occur in egg-type chickens.
Diltiazem potentiates the negative inotropic action of nimodipine in heart.

Abstract In Langendorff perfused rat hearts, nimodipine enhances coronary flow and inhibits contractility. The binding of [ 3 H]nimodipine (160 Ci/mmol) to sarcolemma isolated from dog heart revealed a K D of 0.2 nM. d-cis-Diltiazem, but not l-cis-diltiazem, a less active stereoisomer, stimulated [ 3 H]nimodipine (0.17 nM) binding to sarcolemmal membranes (ED 50 for diltiazem = 1.1 μM). In the presence of 10 μM d-cis-diltiazem, [ 3 H]nimodipine binding sites were doubled, but there was no change in the apparent affinity. Perfused rat hearts were treated with 250 nM d-cis-diltiazem. The negative inotropic response to nimodipine was dramatically potentiated (I 50 , from 1.1 to 0.033 μM). The pharmacological and binding effects were observed only at 37°C. It is possible that diltiazem in some way converts low affinity to high affinity sites.
Modernization, Development and Underdevelopment: Reclamation of Korean tidal flats, 1950s–2000s

Abstract This paper traces South Korea's history of coastal reclamation from the 1950s until today, exploring how it emerged as the state's program for modernization and economic development and how it has played particular roles in the changing political economy of the country. The developmental state scaled up the size of reclamation practices, significantly extending construction periods and leaving enduring impacts on coastal communities and the marine environment. Large-scale coastal reclamation had been primarily and persistently sought to create agricultural land, of which particular rationales emerged and evolved as the country rapidly industrialized and saw increasing urban-rural disparities. While coastal reclamation is said to have contributed to South Korea's post-war development, it also aided the state's highly uneven spatial economic development strategies by reinforcing the conditions of underdevelopment in rural areas. It had the repeated but temporary effect of politically appeasing rural populations marginalized from sharing in the nation's growing wealth. The agricultural rationales, especially those with an emphasis on rice production, continued to be invented by major reclamation institutions to justify further reclamation. Hailed as a territorial expansion project and promoted for agricultural land conversion through the logic of virtual urban-rural land exchange, the focus of reclamation eventually shifted from rice to land production. Recently as South Korea entered into the stage of post-development, the temporal mismatch between planning and completion found in mega-scale reclamation projects has undermined the initial agricultural land rationale. However, now even land turned flexible to accommodate non-agricultural uses is lacking demand as financial investment in reclaimed land has slowed down. Today, the vacancy of the reclaimed land is actively mobilized in local regionalist politics, once again giving false promises of development to rural populations.
Novel functional defect in factor V deficiency

![Figure][1] Molecular defects in factor V deficiency (parahemophilia) have been difficult to study due to the low frequency of this disorder and the expression of 2 mutant alleles in each patient. Of the approximately 20 factor V mutations characterized thus far, several appear to result
A quasi-chemical approach to the thermodynamics of ternary solid solutions containing both substitutional and interstitial solute atoms

Ternary solid solutions with substitutional and interstitial solute atoms, developing statistical mechanical interaction model
Enteral administration of hematopoietic growth factors in the neonatal intensive care unit.

By 20 wk of gestation, the human fetal gastrointestinal (GI) tract morphologically resembles that of the term infant, but functional development is limited before 26 wk. By 30 wk of gestation, the fetus has the capacity for limited digestion and enteral absorption. GI growth and development continue postnatally. Trophic factors, including nutrients, peptides, hormones and growth factors, are recognized as having important influences on the morphology and histology of the developing GI tract. Other trophic factors are important in adaptation and repair following injury. Many such factors are provided in utero via amniotic fluid swallowing and later by human colostrum and milk. Conclusion: This review discusses cytokines with known GI trophic effects, either in vitro or in vivo, and focuses on those cytokines that have been used in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Training in chorionic villus sampling: limited experience for US fellows.

Objective This study was undertaken to assess training availability, methods, and plans for future practice of invasive procedures for maternal fetal medicine (MFM) fellows. Study design A survey was sent to all MFM fellows registered with the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology in March of 2001. Results Of 91 surveys, 55 (60.4%) were returned. All respondents were trained in second-trimester amniocentesis and planned on performing the procedure after fellowship. Of the 55 respondents, 53 (96.4%) were trained on continuing pregnancies. Despite 82% of training institutions performing chorionic villus sampling (CVS), only 24 of 45 (53%) fellows had availability for training. Of those 24, 14 (58%) initiated training on pregnancies that were undergoing termination. Median number of procedures performed by fellows (continuing pregnancies and before termination) was 3 (range 0-120), with 40 procedures (range 0-140) expected to be performed before completing fellowship. Twenty-eight fellows planned on performing CVS after training. Conclusion The number of centers training MFM fellows in CVS and the number of procedures performed in the United States is limited.
Childhood in Sociology and Society The US Perspective

The field of childhood studies in the US is comprised of cross-disciplinary researchers who theorize and conduct research on both children and youth. US sociologists who study childhood largely draw on the childhood literature published in English. This article focuses on American sociological contributions, but notes relevant contributions from non-American scholars published in English that have shaped and fueled American research. This article also profiles the institutional support of childhood research in the US, specifically outlining the activities of the ‘Children and Youth’ Section of the American Sociological Association (ASA), and assesses the contributions of this area of study for sociology as well as the implications for an interdisciplinary field.
Delirium in the emergency department: an independent predictor of death within 6 months.

Study objective Delirium's adverse effect on long-term mortality in older hospitalized patients is well documented, whereas its effect in older emergency department (ED) patients remains unclear. Similarly, the consequences of delirium on nursing home patients treated in the ED are also unknown. As a result, we seek to determine whether delirium in the ED is independently associated with 6-month mortality in older patients and whether this relationship is modified by nursing home status. Methods Our prospective cohort study was conducted at a tertiary care, academic ED, using convenience sampling, and included English-speaking patients who were aged 65 years and older and were in the ED for less than 12 hours at enrollment. Patients were excluded if they refused consent, were previously enrolled, were unable to follow simple commands at baseline, were comatose, or had incomplete data. The Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit was used to determine delirium and was administered by trained research assistants. Cox proportional hazard regression was performed to determine whether delirium in the ED was independently associated with 6-month mortality after adjusting for age, comorbidity burden, severity of illness, dementia, functional dependence, and nursing home residence. To test whether the effect of delirium in the ED on 6-month mortality was modified by nursing home residence, an interaction term (delirium*nursing home) was incorporated into the multivariable model. Hazard ratios with their 95% confidence intervals were reported. Results Of the 628 patients enrolled, 108 (17.2%) were delirious in the ED and 58 (9.2%) were from the nursing home. For the entire cohort, the 6-month mortality rate was higher in the delirious group compared with the nondelirious group (37.0% versus 14.3%). Delirium was an independent predictor of increased 6-month mortality (hazard ratio=1.72; 95% confidence interval 1.04 to 2.86) after adjusting for age, comorbidity burden, severity of illness, dementia, functional dependence, and nursing home residence. The "delirium*nursing home" interaction was nonsignificant (P=.86), indicating that place of residence had no effect on the relationship between delirium in the ED and 6-month mortality. Conclusion Delirium in older ED patients is an independent predictor of increased 6-month mortality, and this relationship appears to be present regardless of nursing home status.
Temperature dependence of sorption parameters near Tg for propane in a miscible blend of polystyrene and poly(vinyl methyl ether)

The sorption of propane by 75:25% (w/w) miscible blends of polystyrene and poly(vinyl methyl ether) with different thermal histories was investigated near Tg. The dual-mode sorption model was used to analyze the results. The evidence indicates that the Henry's law constant for states below Tg cannot be smoothly extrapolated from the rubbery state.
Mice hypomorphic for Atr have increased DNA damage and abnormal checkpoint response.

The ATR checkpoint pathway responds to DNA damage during the S/G2 phases of the cell cycle and is activated early in tumorigenesis. Investigation of ATR’s role in development and tumorigenesis is complicated by the lethality of homozygous knockout mice and the limited effects of heterozygous deficiency. To overcome this limitation, we sought to create mice with a hypomorphic Atr mutation based on the ATR mutation in the human disease Seckel syndrome-1 (SCKL1). Homozygous SCKL1 mice were generated by targeted knock-in of the A → G SCKL1 mutation. Western blot and RT-PCR analysis established that homozygotes have no reduction in Atr protein or increase in missplicing as is seen in humans. Thus, the A → G substitution alone is not sufficient to reproduce in mice the effects that are seen in humans. However, homozygous SCKL1 mice that retain the neo cassette used for targeting have an estimated 66-82% reduction in total Atr protein levels due to missplicing into the neo cassette. Under conditions of APH-induced replication stress, primary fibroblasts from homozygous mice displayed an increase in overall chromosome damage and an increase in gaps and breaks at specific common fragile sites. In addition, mutant cells display a significant delay in checkpoint induction and an increase in DNA damage as assayed by Chk1 phosphorylation and γ-H2ax levels, respectively. These mice provide a novel model system for studies of Atr deficiency and replication stress.
Pi 1–2 magnetic field pulsations on dayside cleft field lines

TYPE Pi 1–2 magnetic field pulsations, T = 1–150 s, have a broad-band, noise-like character and a tendency to occur during active aurorae and magnetospheric substorms1,2. It is well-known that type Pi 1–2 magnetic field pulsations observed in the night–morning sector during magnetospheric substorms maximise in amplitudes along the auroral oval1,2. But the relation of the Pi 1–2 activity to the day sector of the auroral oval has not been clear. This relation is of particular interest because the day sector of the auroral oval seems to coincide approximately with the feet of the dayside cleft field lines; the precise relation between the dayside cleft and the dayside auroral oval, however, has not yet been established (S. I. Akasofu, personal communication). Dayside cleft field lines usually terminate between the geomagnetic latitudes of 75° and 80°. We show here that intense Pi 1–2 activity appeared at College on two occasions when the cleft came down to the College latitude, 64.7° N, at times when College was in the midday sector. Further, it is shown that an intense flux of particle precipitation into the dayside ionosphere occurred on the second occasion, 4 August 1972.
Internal friction study of ion-implantation induced defects in silicon

Abstract Using a sensitive silicon paddle oscillator technique, we measured the internal friction of single-crystalline silicon substrate implanted with As+, Si+, B+, and H+ ions with a dose of ∼ 1 0 19 m−2. A distinct internal friction peak at about 48 K is observed in all cases. The overall internal friction from 0.4 K to room temperature is also similar for the different species of ions used. The peak shifts to lower temperature at a reduced resonance frequency, characteristic of a thermally activated relaxation. The insensitivity of the peak to the ion species indicates that it is caused by a vacancy-type defect. Isochronal annealing study shows that the peak anneals away at a temperature between 200 and 300 ° C, and that is consistent with divacancy defects. By plasma etching the substrate layer by layer, we have identified that the defects are concentrated at a damaged crystalline layer right underneath the top amorphized layer in the Si+ implanted sample. The exact mechanism that caused the relaxation peak is still not clear, although our quantitative analysis points to an electronic origin.
Systematic and Random Disagreement and the Reliability of Nominal Data

Reliability is an important bottleneck for content analysis and similar methods for generating analyzable data. This is because the analysis of complex qualitative phenomena such as texts, social interactions, and media images easily escape physical measurement and call for human coders to describe what they read or observe. Owing to coders inescapable individual differences in background, the data they generate for subsequent analysis are prone to errors not typically found in mechanical measuring devices. However, most agreement measures designed to indicate whether data are sufficiently reliable to warrant subsequent analysis do not differentiate among kinds of disagreement that make data unreliable. This paper distinguishes two kinds of disagreement, systematic disagreement and random disagreement, and suggests measures of them in conjunction with the agreement coefficient α (alpha) (Krippendorff, 2004a, pp. 211–256). These measures, previously proposed for interval data (Krippendorff, 1970), are here...
A general treatment of crack tip contour integrals

Given a general balance statement we derive an expression for the associated crack tip flux integral. The conditions under which the integral is physically meaningful and yields a non-trivial result are outlined. To illustrate the approach a number of well known integrals in use in fracture mechanics are derived. It is demonstrated that complementary analogues to these integrals can be derived in a similar fashion and a result indicating the equality of dual integrals under quite general conditions is presented. We discuss the domain integral method as an alternative means of representing crack tip integrals and we show that the method may be interpreted as a particular form of Signorini's theorem of stress means. A discussion of some associated integral identities is presented.
Precision radiometry using a tunable InAs/InGaAs quantum dot in a well infrared focal plane array

Infrared imaging has typically relied on quantum well and quantum dot focal plane arrays which inherently have a narrow spectral response. In order to detect ‘color’ information within the infrared spectrum, several detectors are used with a filtering scheme to sample different wavelengths and the data is post-processed to yield multi-spectral images. Using the 320 x 256 pixel quantum dot-in-a-well (DWELL) infrared focal plane arrays developed by the University of New Mexico’s Center for High Technology Materials offers numerous advantages including wide spectral response (1 µm to 30 µm +) and response tunability. The latter of these allows multi-spectral imaging without switchable filters. A simple external bias voltage is applied to tune spectral response on a pixel by pixel basis. This presentation outlines the work to date and future work to be accomplished on this project to implement tunable color imaging capabilities in several wavelengths throughout the infrared spectrum using the DWELL structure. Precision radiometry, similar to astronomical photometry using a charge coupled device, will be realized in addition to color imaging capabilities, requiring a full characterization of noise processes and techniques for noise reduction in this novel device.
CFD simulation of a thermoacoustic engine with coiled resonator

Thermoacoustic energy conversion is based on the Stirling cycle. In their most basic forms, thermoacoustic devices are comprised of two heat exchangers, a porous medium, both placed inside a resonator. Work is created through the interaction of strong sound waves with the porous medium that is subject to external heating. This work explores the effect of resonator curvature on the thermoacoustic effect. A CFD analysis of a whole thermoacoustic engine was developed and the influence of a curved resonator on the thermoacoustic effect is discussed. The variation of pressure amplitude and operating frequency serves as metrics in this investigation. It was found that the introduction of curvature affects the pressure amplitude achieved. Severely curved resonators also exhibited a variation in operating frequency.
SU-E-T-591: Optimizing Quality Assurance in a Prospective Phase II Clinical Trial for Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer with Brachytherapy as Monotherapy Using a Paladium-103 Standed-Seed Nomogram

Purpose: Nomograms can be used as quality‐assurance instruments for performing secondary independent checks of total implanted activity per prostate volume when computer based treatment planning has been performed. The goal of this study was to generate a Pd‐103 (Model 200) activity to prostate volume nomogram based on a stranded‐seed modified uniform loading implant technique. Methods: In a Phase II protocol, seventy‐five consecutive patients who had recently undergone prostate brachytherapy were selected for this study. The patients were treated using a modified uniform loading stranded‐seed technique. Plans determining the number of seeds and needle loading were generated using the Variseed treatment‐planning system. Approximately 30 % of the seeds were implanted within the PTV in the periprostatic tissue. The prescribed dose was 125 Gy for all patients. Patients were implanted with Pd‐103 (Model 200) seeds with an activity of either 2.451 U/seed (1.9 mCi/seed) or 1.548 U/seed (1.2 mCi/seed). Results: Over all the implants, the mean prostate volume was 34.1 ± 9.2 cc, the mean number of implanted sources was 89 ± 17 seeds with an average total activity of 165.8 ± 30.7 mCi. For the range of prostate volumes implanted in this study, the activity in mCi could be determined using a best fit power law equation of 15.962 (prostate volume)0.6652 with a correlation coefficient of 0.95. The mean planned and post implant (Day 30) prostate V100 values were 100% and 97% respectively. Conclusions: We have characterized the amount of activity per volume necessary to achieve consistent high quality implants using Pd‐103 stranded‐seeds with a modified uniform loaded technique. The nomogram acts as a secondary dosimetry check to verify the accuracy of the treatment planning system determined dose calculations. The nomogram is also an extremely efficient and effective tool in the prostate implant quality assurance process.
Mechanism of the Chilean Earthquakes of May 21 and 22, 1960

The Chilean earthquake sequence of May 21–22, 1960, was accompanied by linear zones of tectonic warping, including both uplift and subsidence relative to sea level. The region involved is more than 200 km wide and about 1000 km long, and lies along the continental margin between latitude 37° and 48° S. Significant horizontal strains accompanied the vertical movements in parts of the subsided zone for which triangulation data are available. Displacements were initiated near the northern end of the deformed region during the opening earthquake of the sequence (M s ≅ 7.5) on May 21 at 10h 02m 50s GMT and were extended over the remainder of the region during the culminating shock (M s ≅ 8.5) on May 22 at 19h llm 17s GMT. During the latter event, sudden uplift of adjacent portions of the continental shelf and much or all of the continental slope apparently generated the destructive tsunami that immediately followed the main shock. Available data suggest that the primary fault or zone of faulting along which displacement occurred probably is a complex thrust fault roughly 1000 km long and at least 60 km wide; it dips eastward at a moderate angle beneath the continental margin and intersects the surface on the continental slope. Dip slip required to satisfy the surface displacements is at least 20 m and perhaps as large as 40 m. There is some evidence that there was a minor component of right-lateral slip on the fault plane.