cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Preventive oral health care in early childhood: knowledge, confidence, and practices of pediatricians and family physicians in Florida.

Objective To examine the relationships among pediatricians' and family physicians' oral health training, knowledge, confidence, and practice patterns. Study design A survey of physicians identified through the membership databases of the Florida Academy of Family Physicians and the Florida Pediatric Society was conducted in 2008. Responses of pediatricians and family physicians were compared through bivariate and multivariate analyses. Results Although training was not directly associated with performing recommended practices, there were positive associations between training and confidence and between confidence and performing recommended practices ( P P Conclusions Oral health training appears to promote confidence in performing recommended oral health practices. Differences in fluoride knowledge by provider type suggest that fluoride guidance has been disseminated more effectively among pediatricians than among family physicians. Educational content of oral health training programs should place increased emphasis on current fluoride guidance, early dental visits, and assessing parents' oral health. Instructional methods should address physicians' confidence, particularly among family physicians.
Bipolar Tribocharging Signal During Friction Force Fluctuations at Metal–Insulator Interfaces†

Friction and triboelectrification of materials show a strong correlation during sliding contacts. Friction force fluctuations are always accompanied by two tribocharging events at metal-insulator (e.g., polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)) interfaces: injection of charged species from the metal into PTFE followed by the flow of charges from PTFE to the metal surface. Adhesion maps that were obtained by atomic force microscopy (AFM) show that the region of contact increases the pull-off force from 10 to 150 nN, reflecting on a resilient electrostatic adhesion between PTFE and the metallic surface. The reported results suggest that friction and triboelectrification have a common origin that must be associated with the occurrence of strong electrostatic interactions at the interface. Friction and triboelectrification of materials are well-known phenomena and have been thoroughly studied for many years. (1, 2) Despite the great technological advances, their mechanisms at the atomic/molecular level are not fully understood and still a subject of debate. (3) Specifically, the macroscopic friction force is rarely correlated with the electronic properties of materials, (4a) and triboelectrification,
Micropatterning of Organic Electronic Devices by Cold-Welding

A simple and general postdeposition electrode patterning technique for active organic electronic devices is demonstrated and is applied to patterning the metal cathodes of organic light-emitting devices. Selective lift-off of the metal cathode layer is achieved by pressing a prepatterned, metal-coated silicon stamp on the unpatterned device layers. Under pressure, the metal coating on the stamp cold-welds to the metal cathode coating the underlying organic films. Subsequent separation of the stamp from the substrate results in removal of the cathode metal in the regions contacted by the stamp, resulting in submicrometer feature definition. A 17x17 passive matrix display, with a pixel size of 440 micrometers by 320 micrometers, was fabricated with this process. Cold-welding followed by lift-off of the cathode metal allows simple, cost-effective, and high-throughput large-area fabrication of organic electronic devices.
Phase and amplitude uncertainties in multimode heterodyning

Abstract Operator representations are developed for simultaneous phase and squared amplitude measurements made via optical heterodyne detection on a multimode radiation field. A high mean field uncertainty principle is proven for these measurements under the condition that the signal and image band states are independent, and the image band has zero mean. No such limitation applies when arbitrary signal/image band dependence is permitted, as is illustrated with appropriate multimode squeezed-state radiation. This work generalizes an earlier single-mode study.
Atrial fibrillation prophylaxis, disparity in MTM services eligibility, and point-of-care risk screening

Atrial fibrillation prophylaxis The incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) after transthoracic esophagectomy was significantly reduced by amiodarone prophylaxis, according to Tisdale et al.1 Patients with similar baseline characteristics who required transthoracic esophagectomy were assigned to prophylaxis or no prophylaxis groups (n = 40 each). Prophylaxis group patients received amiodarone by continuous infusion for 96 hours after induction of anesthesia. The incidence of AF requiring treatment was lower in the amiodarone group (15%) compared with the control group (40%; P = 0.02). The median intensive care unit (ICU) stay was 144 hours in patients who developed AF and 67 hours in those who did not develop AF (P = 0.006). However, the amiodarone and control groups were similar regarding median hospital (11 vs. 12 days; P = 0.31) and median ICU (68 vs. 77 hours, P = 0.10) stays. The incidences of adverse effects and procedure costs were similar between the two groups, although the study was not sufficiently powered to test these secondary endpoints. Implications. The authors stated that “no study has evaluated the efficacy of pharmacologic prophylaxis of AF in a noncardiac thoracic surgical population consisting solely of patients undergoing esophagectomy.” Amiodarone appears to provide a safe and effective treatment for this procedure.
The economics of corruption

Abstract This paper considers the relationship between market structure and the incidence of corrupt dealings in the government contracting process. Three cases are analyzed. We first deal with a situation in which government preferences are well-defined and many firms compete for the contract; we then contrast this case with one in which government preferences are ‘vague’ and finally eliminate the competitive assumption to consider the case of bilateral monopoly. It is then possible to consider the extent to which various criminal sanctions will deter corruption and the degree to which criminal incentives can be reduced by revising contracting procedures and reorganizing market structures.
A new method for linkage learning in the ECGA

The ECGA is a competent Genetic Algorithm that uses a probabilistic model to learn the linkage among variables and then uses this information to solve hard problems using polynomial resources. However, in order to detect the linkage, the ECGA needs to perform a quadratic number of evaluations of a metric called CCC, a time consuming process. This paper presents ClusterMI, a new method for linkage detection in the ECGA. ClusterMI requires only a linear number of evaluations of the CCC reducing the overall running time of the algorithm. Experiments show that ClusterMI retains ECGA's scalability concerning population size while reducing the running time by $O(m^{0.7})$, resulting in speedups of potentially thousands of times (estimated speedup for a problem with $2^{20}$ bits is 1515).
On rings with low dimensional formal fibres

can possibly be 0, IE - 2 and IZ - 1. Moreover, he asked if any number in between 0 and n - 2 can occur as dimension of the generic formal fibre of some local noetherian ring of dimension 12. The purpose of this paper is to construct for any pair of numbers n,t with 0 <
Ultrasound driven synthesis of reversed-phase stationary phases for liquid chromatography using 4-dimethylaminopyridine as acid-acceptor

A reproducible new method for synthesizing high density monomeric reversed-phase chromatographic packings based on the use of ultrasonic waves as the driving force for the bonding reaction is presented. The use of ultrasound has two distinct advantages over traditional reflux methods. It provides a reaction driving force that is independent of temperature; in addition, the power of the ultrasonic driving force can be varied using a variable-power ultrasonic probe. The use of a novel acid-acceptor, 4-dimethylaminopyridine, is also recommended in the bonding reaction due to its ease of use and the resulting high bonding densities.
The Priority of Morality: The Emergency Constitution's Blind Spot

In the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, Attorney General John Ashcroft announced a campaign of aggressive preventive detention. Prior mass preventive detention campaigns have been similarly unsuccessful and constitutionally suspect. In 1919, after terrorist bombs exploded virtually simultaneously in eight different cities across the United States, the Justice Department rounded up several thousand foreign nationals in what are now known as the Palmer Raids. Ackerman's thesis rests on a chilling description of the threat posed to civil liberties in the post-September 11 world. The basic tradeoff Ackerman proposes is to eliminate contemporaneous judicial review of the legality of detention in exchange for a supermajoritarian escalator. The escalator addresses only one problem with emergency powers - their tendency to last beyond the period of the actual emergency. Ackerman's supermajoritarian escalator rests on an unproven and unprovable premise that emergencies are likely to be short-lived.
Measuring substrate-independent modulus of dielectric films by instrumented indentation

Substrate influence is a common problem when using instrumented indentation (also known as nanoindentation) to evaluate the mechanical properties of thin films. In this work, finite element analysis was used to develop an ad hoc model that predicts the substrate influence when testing thin dielectric films on silicon. The model was evaluated experimentally using three sets of films that were nominally the same except for thickness. Using the model significantly reduced the measurement error for the thinnest films (>250 nm) by accurately accounting for the influence of the substrate. The model also significantly reduced the measurement uncertainty, because properties were evaluated using larger indents that would normally be unduly affected by the substrate. The process for developing this model may be useful in developing other ad hoc models for analyzing film-substrate systems.
Associations of psychosocial factors with fruit and vegetable intake among African-Americans

Objective To examine associations of various psychosocial factors with fruit and vegetable intake in African-American adults. Methods A cross-sectional survey of a population-based sample of 658 African-Americans, aged 18-70 years, in North Carolina. Information was collected on diet-related psychosocial (predisposing, reinforcing and enabling) factors based on the PRECEDE (Predisposing, Reinforcing, and Enabling Constructs in Educational Diagnosis and Evaluation) planning framework; demographic, lifestyle and behavioural characteristics, and fruit and vegetable intake. Results The mean participant age was 43.9 years (standard deviation 11.6), 57% were female and 76% were overweight/obese. Participants expressed healthy beliefs regarding many of, but not all, the psychosocial factors. For example, although half of the respondents believed it is important to eat a diet high in fruits/vegetables, only 26% knew that >or=5 daily servings are recommended. The strongest associations of the psychosocial factors with fruit/vegetable intake were for predisposing factors (e.g. belief in the importance of a high fruit/vegetable diet and knowledge of fruit/vegetable recommendations) and one reinforcing factor (social support), with differences between the healthiest and least healthy responses of 0.5-1.0 servings per day. There was evidence of effect modification by gender in associations between psychosocial factors and fruit/vegetable consumption (e.g. self-efficacy was only significant in women), with higher intakes and generally healthier responses to the psychosocial variables in women than men. Conclusions Interventions to increase fruit/vegetable intake in African-Americans may be more effective if they focus primarily on predisposing factors, such as knowledge, self-efficacy and attitudes, but not to the exclusion of reinforcing and enabling factors. The psychosocial factors that are targeted may also need to be somewhat different for African-American men and women.
Miniaturized folded-slot: an approach to increase the bandwidth and efficiency of miniaturized slot antennas

A new miniaturized folded slot antenna is presented as an improved design for miniaturized slot antennas. It demonstrates wider bandwidth and higher radiation efficiency than our previous design (see Sarabandi, K. and Azadegan, R., Antennas and Propagation Society, 2001 IEEE Int. Symp., vol.4, p.446-9, 2001). By fixing the size of the new design to 0.06/spl lambda//sub 0//spl times/0.06/spl lambda//sub 0/, which is almost the same as dimensions as the previous design, the bandwidth of the antenna is increased by 100% with a slight increase in the gain of the antenna.
Neutrino masses, mixings, and oscillations in SU(2)×U(1) models of electroweak interactions

We make a systematic investigation of all simple possibilities of having massive neutrinos in SU(2)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}U(1) models of electroweak interactions, without the ad hoc imposition of lepton-number conservation. The minimal standard model is enlarged with triplet or singly or doubly charged singlet scalars as well as fermions in singlet and doublet representations. We find that in all cases the neutrino mass eigenstates are Majorana fields. This is so even though right-handed neutrino fields are added to the model. When mass terms of the Dirac type are also present (and if ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{R}'\mathrm{s}$ also have small masses) neutrinos will oscillate into antineutrinos (which, we argue, are most likely "sterile"). General fermion mass terms of both Dirac and Majorana types are studied and the results are included in the Appendix.
Wrinkling of a bilayer membrane

The buckling of elastic bodies is a common phenomenon in the mechanics of solids. Wrinkling of membranes can often be interpreted as buckling under constraints that prohibit large-amplitude deformation. We present a combination of analytic calculations, experiments, and simulations to understand wrinkling patterns generated in a bilayer membrane. The model membrane is composed of a flexible spherical shell that is under tension and that is circumscribed by a stiff, essentially incompressible strip with bending modulus B. When the tension is reduced sufficiently to a value , the strip forms wrinkles with a uniform wavelength found theoretically and experimentally to be =2B/ 1/3 . Defects in this pattern appear for rapid changes in tension. Comparison between experiment and simulation further shows that, with larger reduction of tension, a second generation of wrinkles with longer wavelength appears only when B is sufficiently small.
The Problem of `American Exceptionalism' Revisited

In this paper, I address the problem of the usefulness of the notion of American exceptionalism by examining the views of a number of classical theorists concerning the peculiarities of American hi...
Non-uniform decay of predictability and return of skill in stochastic oscillatory models

We examine the dynamical mechanisms that lead to the loss of predictability in low-dimensional stochastic models that exhibit three main types of oscillatory behavior: damped, self-sustained, and heteroclinic. We show that the information that an initial ensemble provides about the state of the system decays non-uniformly with time. Long intervals during which the forecast provided by the ensemble does not loose any of its power are typical in all the three cases. Moreover, the information that the forecast provides about the individual variables in the model may increase, despite the fact that information about the entire system always decreases. We analyze the fully solvable case of the linear oscillator, and use it to provide a general heuristic explanation for the phenomenon. We also show that during the intervals during which the forecast loses little of its power, there is a flow of information between the marginal and conditional distributions.
Adaptive transmission of variable-rate data over a fading channel for energy-efficiency

The paper explores the adaptation of transmission rate and power jointly to the data generation rate and channel fading, for minimizing transmission energy. The optimal offline adaptation problem is solved, which provides a lower-bound on the transmission energy consumed by any practical, that is, online, scheme. A heuristic online algorithm, look-ahead water-filling, is developed for adapting to the queue state as well as the channel state, and is shown through simulations to achieve transmission energy per packet close to optimal. As the packet arrival rate is varied within known limits, the average energy per packet used by look-ahead water-filling is significantly lower than that achieved by optimal adaptation to the channel only (water-filling in time). The delay per packet is larger, but is almost constant for all data arrival rates. The results can be generalized to multi-access and broadcast fading channels.
The future of CMOS technology

The performance of integrated circuits has been improving exponentially for more than thirty years. During the next decade, the industry must overcome several technological challenges to sustain this remarkable pace of improvement. Challenges in lithography, transistor scaling, interconnections, circuit families, computer memory, and circuit design are outlined. Possible solutions are briefly discussed. The ways in which these challenges will affect future growth in the industry are considered.
Visualization of the Two-Step Fusion Process of the Retrovirus Avian Sarcoma/Leukosis Virus by Cryo-Electron Tomography

Retrovirus infection starts with the binding of envelope glycoproteins to host cell receptors. Subsequently, conformational changes in the glycoproteins trigger fusion of the viral and cellular membranes. Some retroviruses, such as avian sarcoma/leukosis virus (ASLV), employ a two-step mechanism in which receptor binding precedes low-pH activation and fusion. We used cryo-electron tomography to study virion/receptor/liposome complexes that simulate the interactions of ASLV virions with cells. Binding the soluble receptor at neutral pH resulted in virions capable of binding liposomes tightly enough to alter their curvature. At virion-liposome interfaces, the glycoproteins are ∼3-fold more concentrated than elsewhere in the viral envelope, indicating specific recruitment to these sites. Subtomogram averaging showed that the oblate globular domain in the prehairpin intermediate (presumably the receptor-binding domain) is connected to both the target and the viral membrane by 2.5-nm-long stalks and is partially disordered, compared with its native conformation. Upon lowering the pH, fusion took place. Fusion is a stochastic process that, once initiated, must be rapid, as only final (postfusion) products were observed. These fusion products showed glycoprotein spikes on their surface, with their interiors occupied by patches of dense material but without capsids, implying their disassembly. In addition, some of the products presented a density layer underlying and resolved from the viral membrane, which may represent detachment of the matrix protein to facilitate the fusion process.
Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase Activates ERK in Primary Sensory Neurons and Mediates Inflammatory Heat Hyperalgesia through TRPV1 Sensitization

Although the PI3K (phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase) pathway typically regulates cell growth and survival, increasing evidence indicates the involvement of this pathway in neural plasticity. It is unknown whether the PI3K pathway can mediate pain hypersensitivity. Intradermal injection of capsaicin and NGF produce heat hyperalgesia by activating their respective TRPV1 (transient receptor potential vanilloid receptor-1) and TrkA receptors on nociceptor sensory nerve terminals. We examined the activation of PI3K in primary sensory DRG neurons by these inflammatory agents and the contribution of PI3K activation to inflammatory pain. We further investigated the correlation between the PI3K and the ERK (extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase) pathway. Capsaicin and NGF induce phosphorylation of the PI3K downstream target AKT (protein kinase B), which is blocked by the PI3K inhibitors LY294002 and wortmannin, indicative of the activation of PI3K by both agents. ERK activation by capsaicin and NGF was also blocked by PI3K inhibitors. Similarly, intradermal capsaicin in rats activated PI3K and ERK in C-fiber DRG neurons and epidermal nerve fibers. Injection of PI3K or MEK (ERK kinase) inhibitors into the hindpaw attenuated capsaicin- and NGF-evoked heat hyperalgesia but did not change basal heat sensitivity. Furthermore, PI3K, but not ERK, inhibition blocked early induction of hyperalgesia. In acutely dissociated DRG neurons, the capsaicin-induced TRPV1 current was strikingly potentiated by NGF, and this potentiation was completely blocked by PI3K inhibitors and primarily suppressed by MEK inhibitors. Therefore, PI3K induces heat hyperalgesia, possibly by regulating TRPV1 activity, in an ERK-dependent manner. The PI3K pathway also appears to play a role that is distinct from ERK by regulating the early onset of inflammatory pain.
Breastfeeding Among Minority Women: Moving From Risk Factors to Interventions

The gap between current breastfeeding practices and the Healthy People 2020 breastfeeding goals is widest for black women compared with all other ethnic groups. Also of concern, Hispanic and black women have the highest rates of formula supplementation of breast-fed infants before 2 d of life. These disparities must be addressed through the scale-up of effective interventions. The objective of this critical review is to identify and evaluate U.S.-based randomized trials evaluating breastfeeding interventions targeting minorities and highlight promising public health approaches for minimizing breastfeeding disparities. Through PubMed searches, we identified 22 relevant publications evaluating 18 interventions targeting minorities (peer counseling [n = 4], professional support [n = 4], a breastfeeding team [peer + professional support, n = 3], breastfeeding-specific clinic appointments [n = 2], group prenatal education [n = 3], and enhanced breastfeeding programs [n = 2]). Peer counseling interventions (alone or in combination with a health professional), breastfeeding-specific clinic appointments, group prenatal education, and hospital/Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children enhancements were all found to greatly improve breastfeeding initiation, duration, or exclusivity. Postpartum professional support delivered by nurses was found to be the least effective intervention type. Beyond improving breastfeeding outcomes, 6 interventions resulted in reductions in infant morbidity or health care use. Future research should include further evaluations of successful interventions, with an emphasis on determining the optimal timeframe for the provision of support, the effect of educating women's family members, and the impact on infant health care use and cost-effectiveness.
Particle response and turbulence modification in fully developed channel flow

The interactions between small dense particles and fluid turbulence have been investigated in a downflow fully developed channel in air. Particle velocities of, and fluid velocities in the presence of, 50 μm glass, 90 μm glass and 70 μm copper spherical beads were measured by laser Doppler anemometry, at particle mass loadings up to 80%. These particles were smaller than the Kolmogorov lengthscale of the flow and could respond to some but not all of the scales of turbulent motion. Streamwise mean particle velocity profiles were flatter than the mean fluid velocity profile, which was unmodified by particle loading. Particle velocity fluctuation intensities were larger than the unladen-fluid turbulence intensity in the streamwise direction but were smaller in the transverse direction. Fluid turbulence was attenuated by the addition of particles; the degree of attenuation increased with particle Stokes number, particle mass loading and distance from the wall. Turbulence was more strongly attenuated in the transverse than in the streamwise direction, because the turbulence energy is at higher frequencies in the transverse direction. Streamwise turbulence attenuation displayed a range of preferred frequencies where attenuation was strongest.
Identification of the prokaryotic ligand-gated ion channels and their implications for the mechanisms and origins of animal Cys-loop ion channels.

Background Acetylcholine receptor type ligand-gated ion channels (ART-LGIC; also known as Cys-loop receptors) are a superfamily of proteins that include the receptors for major neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine, serotonin, glycine, GABA, glutamate and histamine, and for Zn2+ ions. They play a central role in fast synaptic signaling in animal nervous systems and so far have not been found outside of the Metazoa.
World Society, Institutional Theories, and the Actor

Much modern social theory depicts society as made up of autonomous and purposive individual and organized actors. In reaction, the new institutional theories build arguments about the wider social conditions supporting stable systems of such agentic actors. Phenomenological versions, which are especially relevant to analyses of modern integrating but stateless world society, treat actor identities as themselves constructed in the wider and now global cultural context. These ideas call attention to the modern collective construction of expansive models of actors, the rapid diffusion and adoption of elaborated models of actor agency and rights, the consequently decoupled character of actor identities and activities in the modern system, and the extraordinary mobilizing potential built into the elaborated models of individual and organizational actors in world society and into the inconsistencies between these models and activity.
How Close Are We to Understanding V1

A wide variety of papers have reviewed what is known about the function of primary visual cortex. In this review, rather than stating what is known, we attempt to estimate how much is still unknown about V1 function. In particular, we identify five problems with the current view of V1 that stem largely from experimental and theoretical biases, in addition to the contributions of nonlinearities in the cortex that are not well understood. Our purpose is to open the door to new theories, a number of which we describe, along with some proposals for testing them.
Propofol versus isoflurane for endoscopic sinus surgery.

Abstract Purpose: A previous retrospective study reported that propofol anesthesia decreased bleeding during endoscopic sinus surgery compared with isoflurane. We performed a prospective study to compare the effects of propofol versus isoflurane on measured blood loss and the surgeon's subjective assessment of operating conditions during endoscopic sinus surgery. Patients and Methods: After receiving institutional review board approval and written informed consent, 56 patients undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery were randomly assigned to receive propofol (n = 30) or isoflurane (n = 26) supplemented with nitrous oxide-oxygen and alfentanil. Blood loss was calculated from the hemoglobin concentration in suction canisters. One surgeon, who was blinded to the anesthetic agent, performed every procedure and assessed bleeding as follows: 1, no bleeding; 2, modest bleeding; 3, bleeding interfering with operating conditions and cause for an agent switch; and 4, intolerable bleeding requiring a change in surgical plan. Results were compared in the two anesthetic groups using chi-squared test, unpaired t-test, Mann-Whitney Utest, and a permutation test. A Pof .05 was considered significant. Results: Mean bleeding scores were less over time (P = .02) with propofol anesthesia, particularly in surgery in the ethmoid and sphenoid sinuses (P = .03), and the proportion of patients with a mean score >2 was less in the propofol group (30% v 54%; P = .033). Time until discharge to home or to a limited stay in a hospital bed was also less in the propofol group (183 v243 minutes; P = .019). Conclusion: In our study, surgical blood loss was the same for both anesthetic agents overall, but propofol appeared to offer an advantage in terms of subjective improvement in operating conditions, particularly in the ethmoid and sphenoid sinuses.
Phase aberration correction and motion compensation for ultrasonic hyperthermia phased arrays: experimental results

In ultrasound hyperthermia, focal patterns generated by phased arrays can be degraded by phase errors due to tissue inhomogeneities, digitization of the driving signals, and imperfect fabrication of the transducers. The degree of degradation depends on the severity of phase aberrations. As predicted by simulation and verified by experimental results, focal degradation scales with the circular variance of phase errors. However, degraded power deposition patterns can be significantly improved after phase aberration correction, especially where patterns are complicated and the aberrations are severe. Also, as shown in motion compensation experiments, an aberration corrected pattern can be particularly sensitive to aberrator movement greater than the correlation length of the aberrator. After motion compensation, new sharply focused patterns can be accomplished, thus reducing the unwanted influence of "body" movement by stabilizing the positions of foci with respect to patient anatomy. >
Binary mixtures of fatty acid methyl esters as phase change materials for low temperature applications

Abstract Incorporating phase change materials (PCMs) into concrete pavements has been suggested as a means to improve anti-icing practices by reducing the accumulation of snow and ice. This paper reports on the development of two PCMs composed of a binary mixture of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) at their eutectic composition, which provide a solid–liquid phase transformation with thermal transition temperature slightly above 0 °C and with a high enthalpy of fusion. The phase behavior of binary mixtures of medium length saturated FAME at their eutectic composition demonstrated ideal properties for PCMs. The eutectic binary mixtures and corresponding thermal properties are: (1) methyl laurate (C12) + methyl myristate, x C 12 = 0.77 , and (2) methyl laurate + methyl palmitate, x C 12 = 0.86 with eutectic melting temperatures and latent heats of fusion of 0.21 °C and 2.4 °C, and 174.3 J⋅g−1 and 166.5 J⋅g−1, respectively. Using differential scanning calorimetry, solid–liquid phase diagrams were created, indicating that the phase behavior of these binary mixtures at their eutectic compositions demonstrated useful thermal properties for PCMs. Current findings of this study indicate that these binary mixtures have the necessary properties to be a high performance PCM with the potential to reduce the levels of icing on concrete pavements.
The association between body mass index and outcome after coronary artery bypass grafting operations.

OBJECTIVES This investigation was undertaken to analyse the association between body mass index (BMI) and morbidity after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) operations. METHODS The setting was a cardiovascular intensive care unit (ICU) of a tertiary medical referral centre. This was a retrospective review; patients were classified according to their BMI into five groups: underweight 35 kg/m(2). We included patients who underwent isolated CABG between January 3, 2006 and March 8, 2011. After including only the initial operation or admission in patients with more than one operation or hospital admission and excluding patients with any missing variable, 3470 patients remained in the analyses. The primary outcomes analysed were hospital mortality and pulmonary and infection morbidities. We secondarily assessed the association between BMI category and each of the three outcomes. RESULTS Respective mortality, and pulmonary and infection morbidity occurrence rates were: 8.7, 13.0 and 13.0% for the underweight; 2.4, 8.0 and 4.8% for the overweight; 1.8, 10.9 and 5.6% for the Class I obesity group; and 2.7, 11.1 and 5.7% for the Class II/III obesity group, vs 2.3, 7.0 and 6.2% for the normal weight group. Class I and II/III obesity patients were more likely to have pulmonary morbidity compared with the normal weight group, after adjusting for the potential confounding variables. CONCLUSIONS Class I and Class II/III obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m(2)) was associated with increased pulmonary morbidity after CABG operations. There was no difference in mortality or infection morbidity in any BMI group compared with the normal group.
A Smarter Charter: Finding What Works for Charter Schools and Public Education by Richard D. Kahlenberg and Halley Potter

The Century Foundation’s Richard Kahlenberg is an influential intellectual in education circles; rightly so, as he has helped liberals shift to the center and forced conservatives to rethink their ...
Ultralow-Power 160-Gb/s All-Optical Demultiplexing in Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon Waveguides

We demonstrate demultiplexing of 160-Gb/s OTDM data signals to 10 Gb/s using four-wave mixing in hydrogenated amorphous silicon nanowaveguides. We observe error-free (BER < 10-9) operation with record-low switching powers for an integrated device.
Effects of Annealing Conditions on Catalytic Activities of Pt-Cu Nanoparticle Electrocatalysts for PEM Fuel Cells

Dealloyed Pt25Cu75 bimetallic nanoparticle electrocatalysts exhibit up to 6 times higher oxygen reduction reaction activities than Pt-C catalysts. The effects of annealing temperature and duration on the catalyst activity are studied, with annealing temperature varied from 600 {degree sign}C to 950 {degree sign}C and for 7h and 14 h. XRD and electrochemical analyses is used to obtain insight to the structural details of the catalyst samples. Information regarding extend of alloying, Pt and Cu compositions and distributions on the nanoparticles and particle (crystallite) sizes is correlated with the trends observed from mass and specific activities of the catalysts. It is found that annealing duration of 14 h offers little or no benefit to catalytic activities compared to 7 h. Pt25Cu75 annealed for 7 h, at 800 {degree sign}C was found as an optimal compromise between the extend of alloying and particle size growth to give the highest catalytic activity.
Refrigeration Heat Exchanger Systems for Server Rack Cooling in Data Centers

In 2005, IBM released a water cooled heat exchanger product that significantly enhanced data center cooling capability while also demonstrating substantial energy savings. In 2008, IBM released an enhanced water less solution to cool the electronic racks via a R410A refrigerant based vapor compression system, which is the focus of this paper. The paper provides a detailed description of device and coolant loop construction, the experimental thermal data collected, as well as a discussion of its’ cooling energy efficiency relative to both typical air cooled facilities and water cooled heat exchangers, respectively. A data center level case study was performed with experimental measurements collected and discussed herein. Significant energy savings were realized even when the heat exchanger devices were implemented on a small part of the data center. Based on the test data and the experimental data center study, the CRAC units based loops have a COP of 1.95, while the refrigerant refrigerant heat exchanger loop has a COP of 5.0.© 2009 ASME
KINETICS OF THE CH2CH2CL C2H4 + CL REACTION

The kinetics of the unimolecular decomposition of the CH2CH2Cl radical has been studied experimentally in a heated tubular flow reactor coupled to a photoionization mass spectrometer. Rate constants for the decomposition were determined in time-resolved experiments as a function of temperature (400−480 K) and bath gas density ([He] = (3−24) × 1016 atoms cm-3). The rate constants are close to the low-pressure limit under the conditions of the experiments. Ab initio and master equation modeling are applied to analyze both the experimental data and literature data on the reverse reaction: the addition of Cl atom to ethylene. On the basis of the results of this modeling, parametrized expressions for the temperature and pressure dependencies of the rate constants for both the direct and the reverse reactions are provided.
Sunburn and sun-protective behaviors among adults with and without previous nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC): A population-based study.

Background Individuals with previous nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) are at increased risk for subsequent skin cancer, and should therefore limit ultraviolet exposure. Objective We sought to determine whether individuals with previous NMSC engage in better sun protection than those with no skin cancer history. Methods We pooled self-reported data (2005 and 2010 National Health Interview Surveys) from US non-Hispanic white adults (758 with and 34,161 without previous NMSC). We calculated adjusted prevalence odds ratios (aPOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), taking into account the complex survey design. Results Individuals with previous NMSC versus no history of NMSC had higher rates of frequent use of shade (44.3% vs 27.0%; aPOR 1.41; 95% CI 1.16-1.71), long sleeves (20.5% vs 7.7%; aPOR 1.55; 95% CI 1.21-1.98), a wide-brimmed hat (26.1% vs 10.5%; aPOR 1.52; 95% CI 1.24-1.87), and sunscreen (53.7% vs 33.1%; aPOR 2.11; 95% CI 1.73-2.59), but did not have significantly lower odds of recent sunburn (29.7% vs 40.7%; aPOR 0.95; 95% CI 0.77-1.17). Among those with previous NMSC, recent sunburn was inversely associated with age, sun avoidance, and shade but not sunscreen. Limitations Self-reported cross-sectional data and unavailable information quantifying regular sun exposure are limitations. Conclusion Physicians should emphasize sunburn prevention when counseling patients with previous NMSC, especially younger adults, focusing on shade and sun avoidance over sunscreen.
Sterol synthesis. A timely look at the capabilities of conventional and silver ion high performance liquid chromatography for the separation of C27 sterols related to cholesterol biosynthesis

Sterol intermediates in the biosynthesis of cholesterol have recently assumed a very prominent position in a number of important problems in medicine and biology. In studies of these matters, the separation and identification of the sterol intermediates present formidable challenges, a situation which does not appear to be generally appreciated. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is a simple and rapid approach for the separation of the concerned compounds. Reversed phase HPLC is very commonly used for this purpose. In the present studies, we have evaluated the capabilities of reversed phase, normal phase, and silver ion HPLC for the separation of sterols. Using an extensive collection of authentic sterols, our studies indicate very limited capabilities of reversed phase and normal phase HPLC for the separation of C27 sterols differing in the number and location of olefinic double bonds. In contrast, silver ion HPLC provided remarkable separations of the same compounds, either as the free sterols or their acetate derivatives. These findings, coupled with the results of recent studies of the properties of the same compounds by gas chromatography and by nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectroscopy, have important implications regarding current application of methodologies for the separation, identification, and quantitation of sterol intermediates in cholesterol biosynthesis as critical portions of investigations on a number of current and emerging problems in biology and medicine.
Artificial Language Comprehension in Dolphins and Sea Lions: The Essential Cognitive Skills

First, we review recent efforts to demonstrate language competence in apes and dolphins. Then, with techniques originally devised by Herman in his artificial language studies with dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), we show that smaller brained sea lions (Zalophus californianus), like larger brained dolphins, are capable of comprehending signals about a relationship between two designated objects. The language we used consisted of signs designating properties of size, brightness, or location (modifiers), types of objects, and actions. The results of our experiments with two sea lions support Premack’s notion that Herman’s dolphins (as well as our sea lions) relied principally on two phrase structure rules to comprehend thousands of novel, unique messages that could be transmitted gesturally by a “blind” human signaler. One rule instructs the animal to perform an action directly on an object designated by an object signal and one or two optional modifiers. The instruction takes the form (Modifier) + Object + Action. The second rule instructs the animal to perform an action relative to two designated objects. The object to be transported and the goal object were assigned their particular roles by their position in the sign sequence. The relational instruction takes the form (Modifier) + Object A + (Modifier) + Object B + Action. Reversing the order of the two object signals in the string reversed the meaning of the message. For both sea mammals we found support for Herman’s notion that the critical constraint on the application of the second rule is memory for Object A (the goal item). The variables influencing memory for the goal item were: (a) the number of objects available, (b) bias for certain goal items, (c) whether the goal item was fixed in space, that is whether it was a transportable or nontransportable object, and (d) whether the goal item (Object A) and the transported item were reversed on successive trials. We conclude that both dolphins and sea lions can be taught to comprehend sentence-like instructions. The simplified language learned by these marine mammals depends on the following learned cognitive skills: (a) acquiring a repertoire of arbitrary conditional relations between signals and objects, (b) perceiving and conceptualizing objects and events within class and relational categories, and (c) acquiring a conditional sequential discrimination.
SU‐G‐TeP1‐10: Predicting Photon Percentage Depth Dose From Profile Due to Changes in Beam Quality

Purpose: To predict photon percentage depth dose (PDD) from profile due to a change in flattened (FF) and flattening-filter-free (FFF) beam quality. Methods: 6MV photon beam PDDs and profiles in a 3D water tank (3DW) and profiles in an ionization chamber array (ICP) were collected for different field sizes and depths with FF and FFF beams in a Versa HD (Elekta Ltd.). The energy was adjusted by changing the bending magnet current (BMC) ±15% from the clinical beam (6MV) in 5% increments. For baseline establishment, PDDs(depth≥3cm) were parameterized with bi-exponential functions and the PDD 20 to 10cm ratios (PDD20,10) were calculated. Then, the FF profile at 10cm from the central axis (Pr10) and the slope of the FFF central linear region (SFFF) were calculated. Calibration curves were established: (1) change in Pr10 and SFFF as functions of the change in PDD20,10 and (2) change in PDD(depth=3, 15 and 30cm) as function of the change in PDD20,10. The differences between Pr10 and SFFF from baseline were calculated and, from calibration curves, changes in PDD20,10 and PDD(depth=3, 15 and 30cm) were obtained. Then, absolute PDD(depth=3, 15 and 30cm) values were input into a least-square-optimization algorithm to calculate the bi-exponential function's optimal coefficients and generate the PDD(depths≥3cm). Results: The change in PDD20,10 relative to baseline increased (<±4%) with BMC. Pr10 increased (±6%) and SFFF decreased (±11%) with BMC. Relative differences between measured and calculated (i.e. PDD calculation from Pr10 and SFFF) PDDs were less than 1%. Results apply to FF and FFF beams measured in 3DW and ICP. Conclusion: Pr10 and SFFF are more sensitive than PDD to changes in beam energy and PDD information can be accurately generated from them. With known 3DW and ICP profile relationship, ICP can be used to obtain PDD for current photon beam.
Genealogy and Family History

Family historians, genealogists, and historical population and cultural geographers have much in common. Genealogy and family history research have a natural overlap with historical geography because they all deal with people who lived and died in the places of preceding eras. Genealogists are usually most concerned with finding related individuals using clues that include possible locations of life events, while historical geographers are more often focused on how larger social processes shaped bygone physical and cultural landscapes. Successful genealogists often see the need to understand historical regional and international events that influenced migration patterns, and to recognize the effects of changing political boundaries on their research techniques. Similarly, historical geographers have noticed that family histories and genealogies have great potential to help answer crucial questions regarding past places. Advances in computer and Internet technology have resulted in the accelerating availability of easily accessible and searchable genealogical records that can be used by genealogists and historical geographers alike. As the popularity of genealogy grows and as digital resources and search technologies multiply, the commonalities between historical geography and family history will most likely inspire greater success in both arenas of endeavor.
Reliable engineering computations of large infrastructures

Engineering computational power and improved mathematical platforms have advanced exponentially in recent years. The presence of uncertainty must also be considered in such formulation. Simulation-based algorithms have been routinely used to address uncertainty-related problems. However, they have limited application to study the realistic behaviour of large infrastructure, and the computations could be very tedious. Incorporation of uncertainties in the context of reliable computations, applied to three different classes of problems, is discussed in this paper. The first part of the paper presents the incorporation of uncertainty in a finite element based computational formulation, denoted as the stochastic finite element method. However, it becomes very inefficient when applied to time-domain dynamic problems. The concept can be improved further by different mathematical schemes. They are discussed in the second part. In the third part, sophisticated computational schemes are integrated with noise-contaminated measured response information to extract features of practical interest in the context of structural health assessment.
Implementation of enhanced services provided by digital video broadcasting

The digital video broadcast (DVB) transport stream, consisting of multiplexed audio, video and data, also provides important program and system information. We aim to use this data to develop an application that can demultiplex, decode and record particular television programs specified by the user. This application, content sensitive digital video recorder (DVR), records a particular program whenever it is broadcasted despite the time of the broadcast. Therefore, even if the time of broadcast changes, the set-top-box can be programmed to use program specific information provided in the transport stream and provides a means of recording based on content rather than time. Our application is based on the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) standards, which help to uniquely identify a TV program and its source within the MPEG-2 syntax [(2000), (1996), (2001)].