cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Camouflaged Deconvolution with Application to Blood Curve Modeling in FDG PET Studies

Abstract Camouflaged deconvolution arises when the kernel in a simple convolution model is not completely specified. We consider a situation in which the same fixed signal is repeatedly measured by separate convolutions with imprecisely known kernels. We develop a regularization methodology for application to these problems. The method involves simultaneous estimation of the target signal and the unknown parameters of the convolution kernels. Cross-validation is used to determine the degree of smoothness of the solution. We use simulation studies matched to the application to evaluate statistical performance. These simulations find that the convergence of the regularization estimator is largely unaffected by the lack of information about the convolution kernels. We illustrate the methodology by application to a blood curve modeling problem arising in the context of positron emission tomography (PET) studies with flurodeoxyglucose (FDG), a commonly used glucose tracer. The results show promise towards the ...
Statistical inferences for isoform expression in RNA-Seq

Summary: The development of RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) makes it possible for us to measure transcription at an unprecedented precision and throughput. However, challenges remain in understanding the source and distribution of the reads, modeling the transcript abundance and developing efficient computational methods. In this article, we develop a method to deal with the isoform expression estimation problem. The count of reads falling into a locus on the genome annotated with multiple isoforms is modeled as a Poisson variable. The expression of each individual isoform is estimated by solving a convex optimization problem and statistical inferences about the parameters are obtained from the posterior distribution by importance sampling. Our results show that isoform expression inference in RNA-Seq is possible by employing appropriate statistical methods. Contact: whwong@stanford.edu Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Family planning in Lae urban area of Papua New Guinea 1981.

Lae is the 2nd largest city in Papua New Guinea (PNG). With a population of 50000 inhabitants (1980 census) it is PNGs idustrial center and the seat of government of Morabe Province. There are 145 family planning clinics in PNG offerring a wide range of contraceptives and services. The services are restricted to married women and the husband must sign a consent form for the wife to be issued contraceptives. The present study was conducted to provide data on fertility infant and child mortality family planning awareness knowledge attitudes and practice in PNG. The sample surveyed includes 298 female respondents of child bearing age (15-49 years). Males and females were interviewed in different households in order to avoid the influence of male opinions on the women and vice versa. The male respondents were in general better educated than the females. There was a similar advantage in occupation with 68% of the males and only 35% of the females engaged in professional commercial and clerical activities. The results indicate that the majority of all respondents admit to being aware of contraception. However this level of awareness is accompanied by a very low level of contraceptive use. The modern contraceptive most commonly ever or currently used is the pill followed by the injectable depo-provera and ovulation/rhythm method. Among the traditional methods breastfeeding and abstinence are the most widespread. It is evident that the female respondents are more aware of contraceptive methods than the males except in the matter of abstention. The overall current usage of non-traditional methods for the wives of interviewed males and for other female respondents are 34.2% and 37% respectively. The main sources of contraceptive knowledge for males and females aware of contraception are health services and relatives. The majority of respondents said that both husband and wife should obtain family planning information together. This is however in conflict with actual practice as most of the respondants who are aware of contraception but are not using it indicated that their husbands are unwilling to practice family planning. Male and female respondants shared the same views on the ideal family size around 3 children. Given the survey results and the sources of contraceptive knowledge it seems preferable for the Family Planning Project to concentrate its educational efforts in the clinic and hospitals rather than use the mass media as channels of information about family planning methods.
Teacher—Student Relationships Among Behaviorally At-Risk African American Youth From Low-Income Backgrounds: Student Perceptions, Teacher Perceptions, and Socioemotional Adjustment Correlates

This investigation examines teacher—student relationships among African American youth from low-income backgrounds (N = 193). Students and their teachers completed measures of teacher—student relationship quality and measures pertaining to emotional, behavioral, and school-related adjustment. Results indicated that African American youth who fell above the clinical cut point on the externalizing scale of the Child Behavior Checklist (n = 64) reported lower trust in relationships with teachers than did similarly matched students who did not have clinically significant externalizing symptomology. In addition, teachers rated students in the externalizing subgroup as lower in relational closeness and greater in relational conflict. Multiple regression analyses applied to data obtained from the behavioral risk group indicated that both student and teacher perceptions of teacher—student relationship quality were associated with student- and teacher-rated emotional, behavioral, and school-related adjustment. The...
Apoptosis in Parthenogenetic Preimplantation Porcine Embryos

Parthenogenesis (PA) of the oocyte is essential to a number of oocyte- or embryo-related technologies such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection and cloning by nuclear transfer. This study investigated the onset and frequency of apoptosis in PA- porcine embryos and the morphological changes that conform to the general criteria of apoptotic cell death by using a terminal deoxynucleatidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine 5-triphosphate nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay. PA embryos had a higher degree of apoptotic cell death during in vitro culture, a lower cleavage rate (45% vs. 71%), and a lower development rate to the blastocyst stage (16% vs. 29%), relative to in vitro fertilization (IVF). The earliest positive TUNEL signal in the PA embryos was detected on Day 6, 1 day later than that in IVF embryos. Apoptosis in PA embryos increased from 15% of the embryos on Day 6 to 29% on Day 8. The mean level of apoptosis of the PA embryos was statistically higher than that of IVF embryos, except on Day 5. In particular, apoptosis in PA embryos was twice that of IVF embryos on Day 6 (15% vs. 6.7%) and Day 8 (29% vs. 13%). The mean cell number in PA blastocysts was significantly lower than that of IVF blastocysts, whereas the percentage of apoptosis in PA blastocysts was significantly higher than that of IVF blastocysts. There was a high percentage of haploid (62.5%) PA blastocysts. The ploidy may contribute to a high level of apoptosis. These results may help to explain the mechanism of parthenogenetic developmental failure and may lead to methods that will improve parthenogenetic development.
Progesterone Regulation of the Production and Release of Pituitary Gonadotrophins in the Gonadectomized Sheep

One preliminary study and 3 experiments were conducted with gonadectomized male sheep to obtain information on the influence of progesterone administration on the pituitary production and release of gonadotrophic principles. Sequential collections of pituitaries and cavernous sinus blood (pituitary venous blood) were made from progesterone-treated animals, and aliquots of both were bio-assayed in immature, hypophysectomized female rats. The results showed that increased amounts of gonadotrophic hormones were released into the blood stream on the 5th and 6th days of treatment with 20 mg of progesterone daily and again at approximately the same time interval following withdrawal of treatment. Similar increases in the plasma titer were observed on the 6th and 10th day following a single 500 mg injection of progesterone. In some of the experiments in which progesterone was administered daily, smaller increases in the plasma titer were apparent on other days during and following the administration of progester...
Refractory Periods Observed by Intrinsic Signal and Fluorescent Dye Imaging

Cannestra, Andrew F., Nader Pouratian, Marc H. Shomer, and Arthur W. Toga. Refractory periods observed by intrinsic signal and fluorescent dye imaging. J. Neurophysiol. 80: 1522–1532, 1998. All per...
Free radical cyclizations leading to four-membered rings. I. Beta-lactam production using tributyltin hydride

Abstract Use of HSnBu3 for the reductive cyclization of suitable enamides having a bromide substituent alpha to the carbonyl group affords beta-lactams in good yields.
Spinal Epidural Abscess in Children Early Diagnosis and Immediate Surgical Drainage Is Essential To Forestall Paralysis

Spinal epidural abscess represents a surgical emergency because it rapidly leads to complete paralysis below the lesion. Early surgical drainage is essential to complete recovery. A review of the 46 cases in children reported in the English literature indicates that the sequence of first symptoms (fever, localized back pain, and radicular pain) should afford early diagnosis in most cases. Staphylococci are the most frequent bacteriologic invaders.
Optimal power and retransmission control policies for random access systems

We consider in this study dynamic control policies for slotted Aloha random access systems. New performance bounds are derived when random access is combined with power control for system optimization, and we establish the existence of optimal control approaches for such systems. We analyze throughput and delay when the number of backlogged users is known, where we can explicitly obtain optimal policies and analyze their corresponding performance using Markov Decision Process (MDP) theory with average cost criterion. For the realistic unknown-backlog case, we establish the existence of optimal backlog-minimizing policies for the same range of arrival rates as the ideal known-backlog case by using the theory of MDPs with Borel state space and unbounded costs. We also propose suboptimal control policies with performance close to the optimal without sacrificing stability. These policies perform substantially better than existing "Certainty Equivalence" controllers.
POSTTRANSCRIPTIONAL ELEVATION OF CYTOCHROME P450 3A EXPRESSION

Abstract Human CYP3A, the most abundant hepatic and intestinal cytochrome P450, catalyzes the metabolism of a diverse array of xenobiotics. Dimethyl sulfoxide is a commonly used solvent which has been used therapeutically. Dimethyl sulfoxide effects on CYP3A, CYP2E1, CYP2B and NADPH cytochrome P450 reductase expression in rat liver and in primary cultured rat hepatocytes were examined. Dimethyl sulfoxide increased immunodetectable hepatic CYP3A and CYP2E1 levels ∼2.5 to 3-fold in the absence of any change in the respective mRNA levels. No change in CYP2B or P450 reductase expression was observed, indicating that dimethyl sulfoxide effects were selective. Dimethyl sulfoxide also increased CYP3A protein in rats pretreated with dexamethasone. In primary cultured rat hepatocytes, dimethyl sulfoxide increased CYP3A and CYP2E1 protein without increasing the respective mRNA levels. These results show that dimethyl sulfoxide, at levels relevant to human exposure, enhances CYP3A and CYP2E1 expression by posttranscriptional mechanisms.
Dissociation of Cortisol and Adrenal Androgen Secretion in the Hypophysectomized, Adrenocorticotropin-Replaced Chimpanzee

Abstract We tested the hypothesis that adrenal androgen production is supported by a pituitary factor distinct from ACTH. Six adult male chimpanzees who had completed adrenal maturation (adrenarche) were castrated and either hypophysectomized or sham hypophysectomized. Hypophysectomized animals received synthetic ACTH-(1-24) and T4 to prevent adrenal insufficiency and hypothyroidism. Adrenal function was evaluated with a 3-h ACTH infusion before and 7, 21, 40, 120, and 180 days after hypophysectomy. Plasma cortisol (F), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHA), DHA sulfate (DHAS), and androstenedione (δ4A) were measured at six time points during the ACTH infusions. The mean ratios of DHA to F, DHAS to F and δ4A to F during ACTH infusion were calculated as indices of the relative activity of the androgen pathway compared to that of the cortisol pathway. The DHA to F ratio during ACTH infusion was 31% of the pretreatment level 40 days after hypophysectomy (P < 0.01 compared to the sham-hypophysectomized controls). The ...
Global emergent behaviors in clouds of agents

Networks of biological agents (for example, ants, bees, fish, birds) and complex man-made cyberphysical infrastructures (for example, the power grid, transportation networks) exhibit one thing in common - the emergence of collective global phenomena from apparently random local interactions. This paper proposes a distributed graphical model of interacting agents (a stochastic network type model) and studies its appropriate asymptotics. We show that metastability may occur - i.e., under certain conditions, the agents act in synchrony and may exhibit collectively possibly different stable equilibria - these are the global emergent behaviors of the cloud of interacting agents. We characterize these global behaviors as synchronous fixed points determined from ordinary differential equations that arise as mean field limits of the adopted stochastic model.
Evaluation of conventional nonpulsatile and novel pulsatile extracorporeal life support systems in a simulated pediatric extracorporeal life support model.

The objective of this study is to evaluate two extracorporeal life support (ECLS) circuits and determine the effect of pulsatile flow on pressure drop, flow/pressure waveforms, and hemodynamic energy levels in a pediatric pseudopatient. One ECLS circuit consisted of a Medos Deltastream DP3 diagonal pump and Hilite 2400 LT oxygenator with arterial/venous tubing. The second circuit consisted of a Maquet RotaFlow centrifugal pump and Quadrox-iD Pediatric oxygenator with arterial/venous tubing. A 14Fr Medtronic Bio-Medicus one-piece pediatric arterial cannula was used for both circuits. All trials were conducted at flow rates ranging from 500 to 2800 mL/min using pulsatile or nonpulsatile flow. The post-cannula pressure was maintained at 50 mm Hg. Blood temperature was maintained at 36°C. Real-time pressure and flow data were recorded using a custom-based data acquisition system. The results showed that the Deltastream DP3 circuit produced surplus hemodynamic energy (SHE) in pulsatile mode at all flow rates, with greater SHE delivery at lower flow rates. Neither circuit produced SHE in nonpulsatile mode. The Deltastream DP3 pump also demonstrated consistently higher total hemodynamic energy at the pre-oxygenator site in pulsatile mode and a lesser pressure drop across the oxygenator. The Deltastream DP3 pump generated physiological pulsatility without backflow and provided increased hemodynamic energy. This novel ECLS circuit demonstrates suitable in vitro performance and adaptability to a wide range of pediatric patients.
FREE AND COMPLEXED PROSTATE SPECIFIC ANTIGEN IN THE DIFFERENTIATION OF BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA AND PROSTATE CANCER: STUDIES IN SERUM AND PLASMA SAMPLES

AbstractPurpose: We prospectively evaluated serum and plasma concentrations of total and free prostate specific antigen (PSA), and PSA complexed to alpha 1-antichymotrypsin in 170 patients who underwent biopsy, including 59 with prostate cancer and 111 with benign prostatic hyperplasia. We compared the usefulness of the ratios of free-to-total and complexed-to-total PSA for distinguishing between prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia, and studied the influence of blood clotting on the ratios.Materials and Methods: Blood samples were processed to generate serum and citrated plasma. To calculate complexed-to-total and free-to-total PSA we assayed plasma and serum samples for total and complexed PSA using homemade immunoassays, and total and free PSA using the Immulite* assay. The 2 total PSA assays were compared using the Tandem-E [dagger] PSA assay. Receiver operating characteristics curves were constructed for the total population, and for 2 to 20, 4 to 20, 2 to 10 and 4 to 10 ng./ml. total PSA...
Spatial and temporal patterns in structure, regeneration, and mortality of an old-growth ponderosa pine forest in the Colorado Front Range

Effective management and restoration of ponderosa pine forests requires an understanding of the heterogeneity of contemporary and historical stand structures. We assessed spatial and temporal patterns of tree establishment, mortality and size structure over a 30-year period in an old-growth ponderosa pine stand in the mid-montane zone of the Colorado Front Range. We analyzed spatial patterns and spatial associations using Ripley’s K(t) and K12(t) and then modeled the patterns using point process models. Forest age structure was estimated by aging a sub-sample of trees in the stand. Climate appeared to play a significant role in the coarse-scale temporal pattern of regeneration events. Stand structure (distribution of patches, light availability, and seed trees) influenced the spatial and temporal pattern of more recent regeneration events. Patchy regeneration resulted in spatial independence and some segregation of size classes. Older trees in the stand (40–55 cm dbh) exhibited some regularity in their spatial distribution at short distances indicating that patterns of mortality had been historically patchy. Contemporary patterns of mortality were mostly patchy, and mountain pine beetles caused a significant amount of mortality in the 1970s and 1980s. Both establishment and mortality retained spatial patterns that were somewhat consistent with presettlement forests, despite changes in driving processes. # 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Coherent Spin Transport and Suppression of Spin Relaxation in InSb Nanowires with Single Subband Occupancy at Room Temperature

A longstanding goal of spintronics is to inject, then coherently transport, and finally detect electron spins in a semiconductor nanowire in which a single quantized subband is occupied by the electrons at room temperature. Here, the achieving of this goal in electrochemically self-assembled 50-nm diameter InSb nanowires is reported and substantiated by demonstrating both the spin-valve effect and the Hanle effect. Observing both effects in the same sample allows one to estimate the electron mobility and the spin relaxation time in the nanowires. It is found that despite four orders of magnitude degradation in the mobility compared to bulk or quantum wells and a resulting four orders of magnitude increase in the Elliott-Yafet spin relaxation rate, the spin relaxation time in the nanowires is still about an order of magnitude longer than what has been reported in bulk and quantum wells. This is caused by the elimination or suppression of the D’yakonov-Perel’ spin relaxation through single subband occupancy. These experiments shed light on the nature of spin transport in a true quantum wire and raise hopes for the realization of a room-temperature Datta-Das spin transistor, where single subband occupancy is critical for optimum performance.
Cummingtonite and the evolution of the Mount St. Helens (Washington) magma system: An experimental study

Hydrothermal experiments have been conducted on the ∼3.5 ka cummingtonite-bearing Yn tephra from Mount St. Helens, Washington, to determine the stability field of cummingtonite in volcanic rocks and to gather additional data on the evolutionary history of the Mount St. Helens magmatic system. Cummingtonite is not stable in experiments conducted at or above 810 °C at pressures 2 O analyses of melt inclusions that yield preeruption melt H 2 O contents of 6.4 wt%. The Yn tephra belongs to a series of cummingtonite-bearing dacites that erupted early in the history of Mount St. Helens. These early dacites have relatively homogeneous compositions and are characterized by low temperature (∼800 °C), high water pressure, and high oxygen fugacity (>NNO +1) phenocryst crystallization. Silicic magmas that erupted after eruption of basaltic andesite at Mount St. Helens (∼2.3 ka) are more heterogeneous in composition and last equilibrated under higher temperatures (∼900 °C), lower water pressures, and lower oxygen fugacities than the early dacites. These changes in the magma chamber conditions appear to have been related to the intrusion of mafic magma into an upper crustal dacitic magma chamber.
Booms and Busts: Asset Dynamics, Disaster, and the Politics of Wealth in Rural Mongolia

Asset-based approaches in poverty research argue that trajectories of asset accumulation and decumulation in rural, agricultural livelihoods can be located in the connections between household asset endowments and exposure to shocks. Though these frameworks show that wealth and its “other,” poverty, can be persistent over time, there is a critical lack in understanding the political and historical mechanisms of that persistence including the dynamic interaction between resource access, socioeconomic inequality, and risk management. In this article, I use contemporary and historical livestock data collected from rural pastoralists in Mongolia to demonstrate that asset dynamics are largely an effect of historical processes of dispossession and impoverishment, and the resulting unequal distribution of risks and resources, rather than a cause. As such, I argue that booms and busts in household herds must be seen through a kaleidoscope of emerging and shifting institutions where differences in endowments, entitlements, and risk exposure are filtered through local cultural politics. In conclusion, I argue that by contextualizing rather than eschewing asset-based approaches, researchers can uncover the politics of excess as a politics of access and shed light on the cultural and institutional foundations of wealth, surplus, and their “others.”
Effect of cladding layer thickness on the performance of GaAs-AlGaAs graded index separate confinement heterostructure single quantum-well lasers

The thinning of cladding layers of GaAs-AlGaAs graded index separate confinement heterostructure single quantum-well (GRINSCH-SQW) lasers offers several advantages. These advantages include easier fabrication of surface grating-based lasers and ridge lasers, the reduction of growth time and source-material use, and the more effective removal of heat due to lower thermal resistance. Experimental results from GRINSCH-SQW lasers showing that typical cladding thicknesses of 1.5 to 2 mu m are much thicker than necessary are presented. Lasers with cladding layers as thin as 4500 AA have not shown any increase in threshold current. Theoretical analysis shows good agreement with the experimental results on the minimum cladding thickness necessary to prevent an increase in the threshold current. The differential quantum efficiency is theoretically considered and is found to be more sensitive to cladding-layer thickness. >
Chaos in the simulation of systems with discontinuous derivatives

In this paper, a class of first order difference equations involving the nonlinearity sign[x(k)] is studied. The regions of steady state and chaos are indicated and the dynamical behavior is explained. Furthermore, the Euler simulation of a class of first order differential equations with discontinuous derivatives, involving the nonlinearity sign[x(t)], reduces to the above class of difference equations and displays similar behavior. Observations are made on what to expect in the simulation of discontinuous systems.
Direct and Acute Cardiotoxic Effects of Ultrafine Air Pollutants in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats and Wistar–Kyoto Rats

It is hypothesized that preexisting cardiovascular disease could affect the susceptibility to direct and acute cardiotoxic effects of ultrafine air pollutants. Ultrafine particles (UFP) isolated from 12.5 mg of diesel particulate matter (National Institute of Standards and Technology) were infused into isolated Langendorffperfused hearts obtained from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive control Wistar— Kyoto rats (WKY). Perfusion for 30 minutes with UFP reduced cardiac function in both groups—but to a greater extent in WKY. In SHR, developed pressure was reduced by 24.1 ± 4.4% of baseline and maximal dP/dt was reduced by 19.8 ± 4.9%; in WKY, developed pressure was reduced by 43.5 ± 7.3% and maximal dP/dt by 41.8 ± 8.2% (P < .05 for maximal dP/dt in SHR vs WKY). Coronary flow was decreased by 30.3% versus 53.7% in SHR versus WKY ( P < .05). The results of this study suggest that although UFP depress myocardial contractile response and coronary flow in both SHR and WKY the underlying hype...
Relationships between Carabid Beetle Communities and Forest Stand Parameters: Taxon Congruence or Habitat Association?

Abstract We sampled ground beetles (Coleoptera: Family Carabidae) at the Furman Forest in northeast Greenville County, SC, and compared species richness and community attributes with tree stand richness, diversity, and composition. Beetles were collected by pitfall trap 1 night/week for 9 weeks from June to August 2011 in 24 plots (200 m2) varying in tree abundance (11–131 trees/plot), mean tree size (6.5–26.0 cm DBH), species richness (2–13 species/plot), Simpson's diversity (1.6–9.1/plot), and composition. We collected 286 carabids representing 13 genera and 26 species, including a new state record for South Carolina, Cyclotrachelus hypherpiformis. Carabid abundance, species richness, and diversity were unrelated to tree abundance, richness, or diversity. However, carabid abundance and richness were positively correlated with the abundance of Liriodendron tulipifiera (Tulip Poplar), suggesting a preference for mesic habitats. Total carabid abundance and the abundance and dominance of Carabus goryi (the ...
I Am Error: The Nintendo Family Computer/Entertainment System Platform, by Nathan Altice.

Prior to I Am Error, author Nathan Altice published an article in the online journal Analog Game Studies (2014b), an outlet with a curatorial review process; he also penned a combination videogame ...
THE ASSISTED BIDIRECTIONAL GLENN: AN IN VITRO AND IN SILICO STUDY OF A SURGICAL APPROACH FOR FIRST STAGE SINGLE VENTRICLE HEART PALLIATION

Outcomes following a modified Blalock-Taussig shunt (mBTS) in neonates with single ventricle physiology remain unsatisfactory. However, initial palliation with a superior cavopulmonary connection, such as a bidirectional Glenn, is discouraged due to concerns of inadequate pulmonary blood flow (PBF
Taste and the regulation of food intake: it’s not just about flavor

Body weight is physiologically regulated by a homeostatic sys-tem that tends to maintain remarkably stable levels of adiposityover long time periods, especially resisting volitional weight loss(1). To achieve this, the energy homeostasis system modulatesenergy expenditure and food intake. The latter consists cumula-tively of the number and size of individual meals. Meal frequencyis governed in vertebrates primarily by external environmentalfactors, such as the times of day when food is safely availablein the wild or the habitual schedule of meal times in civil society.Hence, the main biological determinant of food intake in mosthigher-order animals is meal size, which is controlled by satia-tion: the feeling offullness thatinﬂuenceswhen wedecide to stopeating a meal (2).A simpliﬁed model of satiation is that it results primarily from 2categoriesofsignalstransmittedfromthegastrointestinaltracttothebrain (3). The ﬁrst relates to gastric distension, detected by mech-anoreceptors sensitive to tension, stretch, and volume—signals re-layed to the hindbrain via vagal and spinal nerves. The secondarises from intestinal nutrient sensing and metabolism, which trig-ger release from enteroendocrine cells of an array of gut peptides—cholecystokinin (CCK),
Influence of Substrate Temperature During Sputter Deposition on the Subsequent Formation of Titanium Disilicide

We examine how the substrate temperature during Ti film sputter deposition influences the subsequent texture formation in TiSi 2 thin films. Titanium films of 32 nm thickness were sputtered onto Si(001) at elevated substrate temperatures varying between 100 °C and 900 °C. After the depositions, in situ x-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements were performed to study the thin film reactions in real time, as the samples were annealed. The XRD results show that the substrate temperature significantly influences the texture of the initial Ti film as well as the texture of the resulting C54-phase TiSi 2 . The preferred Ti orientation gradually changes from (002) to (101) fiber texture as the deposition temperature increases up to 500 °C. Films deposited at 600 °C transformed into the C49 phase during deposition while films deposited at 700 °C and higher temperatures transformed into the C54 phase during deposition. The series of deposited films was annealed up to 1000 °C in He to complete the C54 phase formation while monitoring the texture evolution in situ using a position sensitive x-ray detector. The XRD results show that the final C54 phase texture changes from a dominant (311) orientation normal to the substrate to a (010) orientation for substrate temperatures between 600 °C and 700 °C. The C49-C54 phase transformation temperature is also lowered for these deposition temperatures. Ex situ pole figure analysis of the film deposited at 700 °C confirms the dominant C54 (010) texture and shows an in-plane orientation with C54 [001] ∥ Si [ 1 10]. For substrate temperatures between 800 °C and 900 °C, the C54 texture changes dramatically. In this case, θ - 2 θ scans do not show a preferred C54 orientation, but pole figure analysis indicates weak inplane orientations.
2010 Hans O. Mauksch Address: Teaching Sociology: Leader of the Pack? An Exploratory Study of Teaching Journals across Disciplines

This research explores key features of the scholarship of teaching and learning presented in nine higher education pedagogical journals. In an effort to better understand the domain in which the journal Teaching Sociology resides, descriptive and comparative analyses indicate that there is notable variation in the type of knowledge offered to teacher-scholars in different disciplines and in the patterns of authorship in terms of solo or multiple authors and gender. Teaching Sociology appears to fare well in comparison with other journals for the criteria examined. The critical issue of determining how this knowledge serves us in practice remains.
Relationship Between Arch Height and Midfoot Joint Pressures During Gait

A foot arch is a multi-segmented curved structure which acts as a spring during locomotion. It is well known that ligaments are important components contributing to this spring-like property of the arch. In addition, intrinsic and extrinsic foot muscles contribute to arch support. According to the windlass foot model, arch height and midfoot joint orientation change during gait. However, it is not known whether altered joint configurations result in increased joint stress during gait. If so, it is possible for there to be a “vicious cycle” in which joint stress increases as the arch height diminishes, which may then lead to further increases in joint stresses and eventual bone destruction. The purpose of this study was to examine joint pressure differences of the midfoot in normal and diabetic feet during walking simulation using a robotic system. This study focused on the relative importance of muscles, ligaments and bony structures. Sixteen cadaver foot specimens were used in this study. Joint pressures were measured dynamically during full stance at four medial locations (the first cuneometatarsal, medial cuneonavicular, middle cuneonavicular, and first intercuneiform). Human gait at 25% typical walking speed and 66.7% body weight was simulated with the Universal Musculoskeletal Simulator.
Determination of Nitrite Residues in Cooked Meat in Shijiazhuang City

[Objective]To understand the nitrite residues in cooked meat produced and sold in Shijiazhuang City.[Methods]A total of 20 samples of 3 kinds of cooked meat with better sales were tested for nitrite residues by 723 visible spectrophotometry.[Results]Nitrite concentration of 20 kinds of meat sausage ranged from 0.0017~0.042 g/kg,that of barbecue meat ranged from 0.0024~0.043 g/kg,that of sauced meat ranged from 0.0021~0.030g/kg. Nitrite concentration of 1 kinds of each sample of sausage and barbecue were over standard,the qualified rate was 96.7%.[Conclusion]The qualified rate of nitrite residues in cooked meat is high in Shijiazhuang City,however,the food hygiene supervision departments are still necessary to develop the control measures to reduce the nitrite residues.
The ethics of Cruzan. Families, not states, should make treatment termination decisions.

Although the U.S. Supreme Court justices frequently alluded to ethical concepts in delivering their opinions in the Cruzan decision, no clear or consistent ethical framework supported this jargon. The decision, in fact, resolves none of the ethical and professional questions that initially brought the case to the courts. The various arguments about whether and when it is ethical to terminate treatment are the first source of ethical confusion in questions about death and dying. Individuals arriving at the same conclusion can begin from significantly different ethical principles. An added complexity arises as a result of differences among medical professionals regarding what constitutes a fatal pathological condition. A resolution of these differences would clarify a number of ethical questions. The biggest problem with the Missouri Supreme Court's decision was that it gave absolute precedence to the state's interest in preserving life, excluding quality-of-life considerations and disregarding personal, familial, and professional values that should have affected the decision. In fact, since a medically well-informed family is in most cases in the best position to make a decision that would conform with a family member's wishes, applying the "clear and convincing" evidence standard in the Cruzan case shifts the burden of proof to the wrong party. Instead, the state should be obliged to give convincing evidence of why it has intervened in a decision for which the patient's family and physician should have authority.
Personalized web search by mapping user queries to categories

Current web search engines are built to serve all users, independent of the needs of any individual user. Personalization of web search is to carry out retrieval for each user incorporating his/her interests. We propose a novel technique to map a user query to a set of categories, which represent the user's search intention. This set of categories can serve as a context to disambiguate the words in the user's query. A user profile and a general profile are learned from the user's search history and a category hierarchy respectively. These two profiles are combined to map a user query into a set of categories. Several learning and combining algorithms are evaluated and found to be effective. Among the algorithms to learn a user profile, we choose the Rocchio-based method for its simplicity, efficiency and its ability to be adaptive. Experimental results indicate that our technique to personalize web search is both effective and efficient.
Spatially invariant embeddings of systems with boundaries

We consider certain spatially distributed optimal control problems where the spatial domains are finite intervals with boundaries. The optimal control design procedures for spatially invariant systems are normally not applicable to such bounded spatial domains. For problems that possess certain symmetries, we show how to apply spatially invariant techniques using embeddings. In this note, we report on such “embeddable” problems. As an application, we consider LQR problems for systems posed as PDEs on finite intervals, where it will turn out that the solution for the finite-extent system equals that of its spatially invariant counterpart plus a term that corrects for the boundary conditions. We also show that this decomposition can be understood as a Toeplitz plus Hankel decomposition of the state feedback gain operator, with the Toeplitz part governing the feedback in the interior domain, while the Hankel part provides the needed corrections near the boundaries.
The Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms Distress Index: A pragmatic exploration of general factors to enhance a multidimensional scale

Objective: The authors attempted to develop and validate a general distress index for a multidimensional psychological symptom/outcome measure used in over 300 college counseling centers with more than 100,000 cases annually: the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms (CCAPS). Method: Four models were compared for fit indices (n = 19,247): the existing first-order factor model (without a general factor), a second-order factor model, a bifactor model, and a single factor or “total score” model. In separate clinical and non-clinical samples, concurrent and divergent validity were examined using several well-established measures of psychological symptoms, as well as two-week test–retest and treatment utilization data. Results: Second-order and bifactor models which captured a single “distress” factor both exhibited good fit to the data relative to the baseline and “total score” model. Validity data indicated that factors adequately measured meaningful clinical onstructs. Conclusion: Both the ...
Ambiguous Accountability: The Challenges of Identifying and Managing Patient-Related Information Problems in Collaborative Patient-Care Teams

Collaborative patient-care teams rely on accurate and complete information in order to make informed decisions about their patients. However, patient-related information problems (PIPs) are a common occurrence in hospital work. These PIPs are any issues related to patient information that impact the patient-care team's ability to perform their work (e.g., wrong, missing, outdated information). To better understand the challenges that patient-care teams face in identifying and collaboratively managing PIPs related to the use of the electronic health record (EHR), we conducted a qualitative study of patient-care teams during morning rounds. In this paper, we describe the types of PIPs that the team members encountered and how they identified who was accountable for fixing the PIP. Through our analysis, we highlight the challenges that arise when team members have an unclear or conflicting assumption about who is responsible for fixing the PIP. We conclude with a discussion on improving organizational policies and EHR design in order to help reduce ambiguous accountability for the management of PIPs within collaborative teams.
Identifying Voxels at Risk for Progression in Glioblastoma Based on Dosimetry, Physiologic and Metabolic MRI

Despite the longstanding role of radiation in cancer treatment and the presence of advanced, high-resolution imaging techniques, delineation of voxels at-risk for progression remains purely a geometric expansion of anatomic images, missing subclinical disease at risk for recurrence while treating potentially uninvolved tissue and increasing toxicity. This remains despite the modern ability to precisely shape radiation fields. A striking example of this is the treatment of glioblastoma, a highly infiltrative tumor that may benefit from accurate identification of subclinical disease. In this study, we hypothesize that parameters from physiologic and metabolic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at diagnosis could predict the likelihood of voxel progression at radiographic recurrence in glioblastoma by identifying voxel characteristics that indicate subclinical disease. Integrating dosimetry can reveal its effect on voxel outcome, enabling risk-adapted voxel dosing. As a system example, 24 patients with gliobla...
Dielectric study of the effect of crystallization upon the glass transition of polychlorotrifluoroethylene

The chemical structure of the repeat unit of polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE) F — C — F — F — C — Cl possesses a molecular asymmetry which gives rise to dipolar relaxation phenomena.
Abstract 15368: Simple Interventions Improve Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Quality Measures During Team-Based Training

Introduction: High-quality CPR is essential to survival from cardiac arrest, yet the skill of resuscitation teams in delivering quality CPR is often poor. The purpose of this study was to evaluate ...
Facility activity inference using networks of radiation detectors based on SPRT

We consider the problem of inferring the operational status of a reactor facility using measurements from a radiation sensor network deployed around the facility's ventilation off-gas stack. The intensity of stack emissions decays with distance, and the sensor counts or measurements are inherently random with parameters determined by the intensity at the sensor's location. We utilize the measurements to estimate the intensity at the stack, and use it in a one-sided Sequential Probability Ratio Test (SPRT) to infer on/off status of the reactor. We demonstrate the superior performance of this method over conventional majority fusers and individual sensors using (i) test measurements from a network of 21 NaI detectors, and (ii) effluence measurements collected at the stack of a reactor facility. We also analytically establish the superior detection performance of the network over individual sensors with fixed and adaptive thresholds by utilizing the Poisson distribution of the counts. We quantify the performance improvements of the network detection over individual sensors using the packing number of the intensity space.
A Middle-School Module for Introducing Data-Mining, Big-Data, Ethics and Privacy Using RapidMiner and a Hollywood Theme

Today's organizations, including online businesses, use the art of data-driven decision-making i.e. business-intelligence (BI) to benefit from all the data out in the open. Given the current market demand for BI skill-sets, including the knowledge of different sources and tools for data-collection plus processing, today's youth need a basic understanding of data-driven intelligence, and an awareness of big-data related ethics and privacy. However, there has been limited research and development work towards designing an effective educational module in this regard at the K-12 level. We intend to address this particular limitation by presenting a uniquely engaging middle-school learning module based upon a combination of useful topics, like data-mining, predictive-analytics, data-visualization, big-data, ethics and privacy, using the free RapidMiner software-tool. The novelty of our module lies in the use of a GUI-based visual hands-on platform (RapidMiner), a Hollywood movie-theme based educational activity, as well as an added focus on big-data ethics and privacy, and its conceptual mapping to the NSA-GenCyber security-first principles. We discuss and analyze the survey data obtained from over hundred participants through several offerings of our module as an educational workshop through our Google-IgniteCS and NSA-GenCyber programs. The collected learning-analytics data indicate that our module can become a simple yet effective means for introducing data-mining, big-data, ethical and privacy issues, and GenCyber security-first principles at the middle-school level. Our results show prospects of motivating middle-school participants towards further learning of topics in data-science, data-ethics and data-security, which is necessary today in a variety of professions.
Simulating Electron Dynamics of Complex Molecules with Time-Dependent Complete Active Space Configuration Interaction

Time-dependent electronic structure methods are growing in popularity as tools for modeling ultrafast and/or nonlinear processes, for computing spectra, and as the electronic structure component of...
The role of systemic treatments for skin lightening

Background Pigmentation of the skin occurs as a result of increased melanin production or deposition due to various reasons including age, hormonal imbalances, endocrine disease, inflammation, and/or exposure to damaging radiation, resulting in dermatologic conditions such as lentigines, melasma, or postinflammatory hyperpigmentation. Although numerous topical therapies exist for skin lightening, they are limited by efficacy and pigmentation recurrence after treatment cessation. New research into systemic therapies for hyperpigmentation has been promising. Objective To summarize the current literature for systemic skin lightening therapies. Methods A review of the literature surrounding systemic skin lightening therapies was completed using PubMed (US National Library of Medicine). Results Multiple systemic therapies for skin lightening exist including oral carotenoids, glutathione, melatonin, Polypodium leucotomos hydrophilic extract, procyanidin, and tranexamic acid. Preliminary data for the treatment of hyperpigmentation are promising, and currently, these oral treatments appear safe. It is not suggested to use intravenous glutathione for skin lightening due to the increased risk of adverse events. Conclusion With the patient population seeking effective systemic treatments for skin pigmentation, it is important for dermatologists to understand the properties, the efficacy, and the adverse events profile of each compound, thus ensuring proper use by patients, and that patients are appropriately counseled regarding treatment expectation and safety.
Imagining Ugliness: Failed Femininities, Shame, and Disgust Written Onto the “Other” Body

While research has measured people’s own attitudes about their bodies and perceptions of beauty, little research has examined women’s feelings about an imagined dreaded or ugly body. Building on an earlier study of women’s imagined “dreaded bodies,” this study utilizes thematic analysis of qualitative data from a community sample of 20 American women to show the ways women imagine ugliness and abjection via the “body they would least want to occupy.” Responses indicate that women funnel ideas about ugliness towards fatness, disability, women of color, and trans bodies most prominently, but also see some “dominant” bodies like thin bodies, men’s bodies, and celebrity bodies as disgusting as well. Implications for including discussions of imagined ugliness—particularly around “failed” femininities—into examinations of body image, and the particular hatred women have for fatness and disability, are discussed. Further, the chapter argues for the importance of imagining ugliness as a gauge for understanding social biases and internalized oppression, particularly around gender roles and gender norms.