cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Elderly patients with closed head trauma after a fall: mechanisms and outcomes

Falls in the elderly leading to closed head trauma represent a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in that population, but are not well-characterized. The purpose of this study was to determine the mechanism of fall, outcome, and additional risk factors in elderly patients who require cranial computed tomography (CT) scan after a fall. We conducted a retrospective case series of patients age 60 years and older with closed head trauma secondary to falling who underwent CT scan in the emergency department (ED). Data were gathered from ED and hospital records. The setting was an urban Level I trauma center. Our series consisted of 189 patients, of whom 31 (16%) had an abnormal head CT scan and four (2%) required neurosurgery. Cerebral contusions (38%) and subdural hematomas (33%) were the most common lesions seen on CT scan. Falls from standing (76%) were more common than falls on stairs (19%) or from height (5%), but the latter two were more likely to result in an abnormal CT scan (stairs 42%, height 40%). An abnormal neurologic examination was associated with a higher risk of the need for neurosurgery (risk ratio 11.5). We conclude that among elderly patients who fall and present to an ED with evidence of closed head trauma, a significant percentage will have abnormal CT scans but only a small minority will require neurosurgery. While falls from standing are more common, falls on stairs or from height are associated with a higher risk of having an abnormal CT scan. A focal neurologic examination is a strong predictor of the need for neurosurgical intervention.
A Probabilistic Model for Predicting the Resistance of Aggregates in Asphalt Mixes to Fracture

Increased loads on asphalt pavements have lead to the development of asphalt mixes that rely on stone-on-stone contacts in resisting applied loads. These mixtures tend to experience high forces at the contact points that could cause aggregate fracture and make the asphalt pavements more prone to distresses such as cracking and permanent deformation. This paper introduces an approach to express the probability of aggregate fracture in asphalt mixes as a function of the contact bond strength and internal force distribution at the contact points. The internal force distribution was obtained using a discrete element model of the internal structure of asphalt mixtures subjected to loading. The contact bond strength was determined using statistical analysis of the results of a single aggregate crushing test. The developed approach can be used to determine the asphalt mixture design and aggregate properties that minimize fracture and achieve desirable mixture performance.
Transition planning and recidivism among mentally ill juvenile offenders

Objectives: To determine the extent to which transition planning and community service would predict lower levels of recidivism among mentally ill juvenile offenders. Design: Review of legal, medical and social service records including examination of 3-month period following community release. Participants: Juvenile offenders incarcerated for 6 months or more (N = 44) transitioning to community. Measures: Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS), sum of different documented pre- and post-release discharge planning contacts, documented community service contacts. Outcomes: Re-offense during the first year post-release. Results: Documented community service contacts in the 3 months following discharge were rare for mental health (20.5%), substance abuse (38.6%), financial assistance (29.5%), and school placement (34.1%). The average number of different pre-release and post-release discharge planning contacts was also low, M(SD)=1.86(1.68) and M(SD)= 2.34(1.71) respectively. Post-release discharge planning and the receipt of financial assistance and mental health services were all associated with lower levels of reoffending. Conclusions: Community transition planning, including the coordination and provision of community services, is an essential component of community reintegration for juvenile offenders and is associated with lower rates of recidivism during the first year post-discharge. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Combining 2 × 2 tables that contain structural zeros

When one cell or more of a contingency table is necessarily zero, the table is said to contain structural zeros. These structural voids may be inherent to the problem at hand, or, in some applications, they may be introduced intentionally through the experimental design. With data classified by a third stratification variable, one needs a method for analysing a set of independent 2 x 2 tables. We propose Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel type analyses that combine observations across strata. We also propose tests of hypotheses pertaining to the marginal and conditional probabilities.
Using children's developmental psychology to guide augmented-reality design and usability

Augmented reality (AR) designers have great potential to enrich children's lives through AR experiences in education and entertainment. A significant difficulty in designing for children is that tremendous physical and cognitive development occurs across the first 10 years of life, and the changes in children's capabilities and limitations impact how these users respond to AR designs. Currently, little is known about how developmental changes relate to AR designs, or what AR designs are effective for young children. In this work, we focus on children 6–9 years old, presenting several concepts from developmental psychology and discussing how these relate to AR designs. Specifically, we investigate children's skills in the categories of motor abilities, spatial cognition, attention, logic and memory, and we discuss the relationship of these skills to current and hypothetical AR designs. Through this work, we intend to strengthen the field's understanding of AR usability and design, resulting in the generation of effective AR experiences for young users.
Combating terrorist networks: An evolutionary approach

This paper will briefly examine how Al Qaeda evolved from an insurgency assistance group to a terrorist network of sophistication and global reach. It argues that Al Qaeda filled the needs of Islamist insurgencies and then developed into a complex system of networks by co-opting other groups, hijacking their agendas and transforming their ideologies during the late 1990s to the present. Al Qaeda thus has global and local aspects. Locally-oriented "associate" organizations may have somewhat variant structures and will vary in their goals, targets, and ideology. In some ways, these groups are more vulnerable to discovery by local authorities and disruption. They tend to lack the training, professionalism, education and capacity to ensure strict security measures and discipline within their own ranks. They lack resources such as weaponry and human social capital, such as experience or specific kinds of knowledge that Al Qaeda has been able to provide. Because they are only loosely coupled to the parent organization, both parent and "child" network receive "force multiplier" benefits while minimizing risks and costs.
Influence of texture and test velocity on the dynamic, high-strain, tensile behavior of zirconium

Abstract Experiments were conducted to characterize the influence of texture and impact velocity on the dynamic, high-strain, tensile extrusion of zirconium. Bullet-shaped samples were machined from a clock-rolled, highly textured Zr plate. Specimens in two orthogonal directions were tested: the extrusion direction aligned with either the in-plane (IP) rolling or the through-thickness (TT) direction of the plate. The post-extrusion microstructure and texture evolution were examined using electron backscatter diffraction microscopy and modeled using the viscoplastic self-consistent model. It was found that extrusion deformation was accomplished through a combination of twinning and slip with their relative activity greatly depending on the initial texture. In this regard, higher elongations in the IP samples as compared to the TT samples were observed at similar test velocities. This difference in ductility is discussed in terms of the material’s ability to accommodate plastic deformation. Due to the availability of a larger number of slip systems with relatively high Schmid factors in the IP samples under this configuration, plastic deformation by prismatic slip can be easily achieved, resulting in larger elongations. On the contrary, for TT samples, twinning preceded deformation by slip. This sequential deformation process, driven by the need to reorient the microstructure favorably to slip, led to diminished elongations to failure.
Interaction and Learning

This article introduces a series of book reviews which share a common theme of highlighting the importance of various types of interaction in the learning process.
Interactivity, user-generated content and video game: an ethnographic study of Animal Crossing: Wild World

This article examines interactivity and user-generated content in video games with an ethnographic case study of a life simulation video game Animal Crossing: Wild World. Interactive elements in the video game give players a sense of creation and control as well as facilitate user-generated content. However, equation of interactivity with social democratization is problematic in two ways: players' interactivity is conditioned by pre-given structures in game and it is utilized as consumer loyalty in markets. Exploring how players develop game narratives and collaborate with each other, this paper argues that video games function ideologically. It suggests that the dominant ideologies in Animal Crossing such as a hard work ethic and consumerism are not only given by game creators but also voluntarily emphasized and accepted by players.
Hormonal, Drug, and Dietary Factors Affecting Peptidyl Glycine α-Amidating Monooxygenase Activity in Various Tissues of the Adult Male Rat

The factors controlling levels of peptidyl glycine α-amidating monooxygenase (PAM) activity in its major tissue sources in the adult male rat were investigated by carrying out a variety of endocrine, pharmacological, and dietary manipulations. Levels of PAM activity and αMSH immunoactivity in the heurointermediate lobe of the pituitary gland rose and fell in parallel in rats treated with the dopamine antagonist haloperidol or the dopamine agonist bromocriptine, respectively. PAM activity in the anterior pituitary lobe was increased after adrenalectomy or castration and decreased after thyroidectomy or treatment with haloperidol. PAM activity in the submandibular gland was increased after treatment with the α-adrenergic antagonist phenoxybenzamine and decreased after treatment with the aadrenergic agonist phenylephrine. Serum levels of PAM activity were unaltered after hypophysectomy, adrenalectomy, sialectomy, or castration, but rose after thyroidectomy and declined after treatment with the ganglionic blo...
An integrated product and process development methodology: Concept formulation☆

Abstract Life cycle engineering, or integrated product and process development (IPPD), is a new trend of research and application in industry and academia. In our previous work, a generic framework was proposed to provide a means for an integrated consideration of the performance optimization issues in a product’s lifetime. Based on this generic framework, this paper proposes and presents an integrated product and process development methodology. Important concepts of the methodology are introduced, and an application procedure is provided to illustrate the systematic application of the methodology to real product and process development. Finally, we provide a brief report of our application of the methodology to personal computer development.
Vasectomy: AUA Guideline

Purpose: The purpose of this guideline is to provide guidance to clinicians who offer vasectomy services.Materials and Methods: A systematic review of the literature using the search dates January 1949-August 2011 was conducted to identify peer-reviewed publications relevant to vasectomy. The search identified almost 2,000 titles and abstracts. Application of inclusion/exclusion criteria yielded an evidence base of 275 articles. Evidence-based practices for vasectomy were defined when evidence was available. When evidence was insufficient or absent, expert opinion-based practices were defined by Panel consensus. The Panel sought to define the minimum and necessary concepts for pre-vasectomy counseling; optimum methods for anesthesia, vas isolation, vas occlusion and post-vasectomy follow up; and rates of complications of vasectomy. This guideline was peer reviewed by 55 independent experts during the guideline development process.Results: Vas isolation should be performed using a minimally-invasive vasect...
Regulation of protein synthesis in Y-organs of the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus): involvement of cyclic AMP.

Paired Y-organs secrete ecdysteroid hormones that control cycles of growth and molting in crustaceans. Y-Organs are regulated, at least in part, by molt-inhibiting hormone (MIH), a polypeptide produced and released by the X-organ/sinus gland complex of the eyestalks. In the present studies, crab (Callinectes sapidus) Y-organs were incubated in vitro in the presence of [35S]methionine, and cyclic nucleotide analogs or experimental agents that influence the cAMP signaling pathway. In 4-hr incubations, 8-Br-cAMP and db-cAMP (but not 8-Br-cGMP) suppressed incorporation of [35S]methionine into Y-organ proteins; the effect of 8-Br-cAMP was concentration-dependent. Autoradiograms of radiolabeled Y-organ proteins separated on SDS-PAGE gels indicated the effect of 8-Br-cAMP was general (as opposed to selective) suppression of protein synthesis. Addition of both forskolin (an adenylyl cyclase activator) and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (a phosphodiesterase inhibitor) likewise suppressed incorporation of [35S]methionine into Y-organ proteins. Cycloheximide (a protein synthesis inhibitor) suppressed incorporation of [35S]methionine into Y-organ proteins and secretion of ecdysteroids. The combined results suggest that cAMP is involved in regulation of protein synthesis in C. sapidus Y-organs. We are currently investigating the link of protein synthesis to ecdysteroid production, and the possibility of cross-talk between cAMP and other cellular signaling pathways in Y-organs. J. Exp. Zool. 305A:328–334, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Strategies for Scatter Removal in Two-Dimensional Electronic Spectroscopy in the Pump-Probe Geometry

We present experimental strategies for removing scatter from multiple sources in two dimensional electronic spectroscopy in the pump-probe geometry. Uncorrected, pump-pump scatter and phase-matched pump-probe signals can distort 2-D peak shapes, complicating their interpretation.
The importance of antimicrobial resistance in hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia

Summary Hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) represents the most common nosocomial infection occurring among mechanically ventilated patients in the intensive care unit setting. Increasingly, HAP is associated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Antimicrobial resistance has emerged as an important determinant of mortality for patients with HAP and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). This is largely due to the increasing presence of pathogenic micro-organisms with resistance to existing antimicrobial agents resulting in the administration of inappropriate treatment. Escalating antimicrobial resistance has also been associated with greater overall healthcare costs as a result of prolonged hospitalizations and convalescence associated with antibiotic treatment failures, the need to develop new antimicrobial agents, and the implementation of broader infection control and public health interventions aimed at curbing the spread of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Effective strategies for the prevention and treatment of HAP and VAP attributed to antibiotic-resistant bacteria are available and should be aggressively implemented. This is especially important given the limited availability of new antimicrobial drug classes for the foreseeable future.
Calibrating pollen data in climatic terms: Improving the methods

Abstract When properly calibrated, Holocene pollen data provide an important source of quantitative information about Holocene climates. Multiple linear regression of modern climate and pollen data allows the development of statistical calibration functions that transform percentages of certain pollen types into quantitative estimates of climatic variables, and these functions, when applied to Holocene pollen data, yield estimates of climatic variables for past times. Confidence intervals for the climatic variables provide estimates of the statistical errors. These interval estimates are based upon the following statistical assumptions: (1) the regression model is appropriate; (2) the errors in measuring the climate variables are independent, normally distributed and have constant variance; and (3) no outliers are present. We outline the steps to be followed in calculating calibration functions, including (1) selecting the calibration region; (2) selecting a pollen sum; (3) analyzing scatter diagrams of a given climate variable against each pollen type; (4) deleting outliers and transforming pollen data; (5) performing the regression; and (6) testing the appropriateness of the statistical assumptions. We used available computer programs for most of this study. In addition, we developed new software to compute the Moran statistic to test for spatial autocorrelation among the regression residuals, using the dual of the Voronoi diagram to describe the spatial relationships among the sites. In order to illustrate the sequence of procedures, we used data from the lower peninsula of Michigan to develop a calibration function for July mean temperature and then used Holocene pollen data from central lower Michigan to estimate past temperatures.
Prenatal detection of structural abnormalities of chromosome 18: associations with interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and maternal serum screening

We describe two cases of prenatally ascertained isochromosome 18. Case 1 included both an isochromosome 18p and an isochromosome 18q, while Case 2 involved only an isochromosome 18q. Both of these cases were associated with a positive maternal serum triple screen trisomy 18 risk (greater than 1 in 100 risk). In addition, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was performed on uncultured amniotic fluid interphase cells in both cases looking for aneuploidy for chromosomes 13, 18, 21, X and Y. The results of the interphase analyses support the common knowledge that careful interpretation of interphase FISH analysis is necessary and that results should be followed by full cytogenetic analysis. To our knowledge these are the first reported cases of structurally abnormal chromosomes 18 being associated with a positive maternal serum triple screen for trisomy 18. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fostering Hope in Youth: A Model for Explaining Learned Helplessness in Physical Activity

(1996). Fostering Hope in Youth: A Model for Explaining Learned Helplessness in Physical Activity. Quest: Vol. 48, No. 3, pp. 409-421.
Electron microscopic visualization of telomerase from Euplotes aediculatus bound to a model telomere DNA.

Binding of the telomerase ribonucleoprotein from the ciliate Euplotes aediculatus to telomeric DNA in vitro has been examined by electron microscopy (EM). Visualization of the structures that formed revealed a globular protein complex that localized to the DNA end containing the E. aediculatus telomere consensus 3‘-single-strand T4G4T4G4T4G2 overhang. Gel filtration confirmed that purified E. aediculatus telomerase is an active dimer in solution, and comparison of the size of the DNA-associated complex with apoferritin suggests that E. aediculatus telomerase binds to a single telomeric 3‘-end as a dimer. Up to 43% of the telomerase−DNA complexes appeared by EM to involve tetramers or larger multimers of telomerase in association with two or more DNA ends. These data provide the first direct evidence that telomerase is a functional dimer and suggest that two telomerase ribonucleoprotein particles cooperate to elongate each Euplotes telomere in vivo.
Determination of sample sizes for setting β-content tolerance limits controlling both tails of the normal distribution

Abstract The problem of determining sample size for two-sided-β-content tolerance intervals which control both tails of the normal distribution is investigated. The tolerance limits are defined to assure that the tail proportions do not exceed specified values p 1 and p 2 . We determine the minimum sample size so that, at a given confidence level, the tail proportions will not be too small, i.e., so that the tolerance interval will not be overly conservative. Tables of the sample size n and the corresponding factors are provided.
POVERTY AND ECONOMIC GROWTH: TRICKLE DOWN PETERS OUT

Previous studies have found that economic growth tends to “trickle down” to poor families. This study investigates whether use of a relative definition of poverty eliminates the impact of economic growth on the incidence of poverty of various demographic groups and whether a decrease in the impact of growth has occurred since 1964. With the exception of families with male heads, economic growth no longer affects poverty irrespective of whether a relative or absolute definition of poverty is used. Our findings indicate that the contribution of growth has been overstated, that much of the past success has been illusory, and that poverty will be more intractable in the future.
Adoption and Kinship in Oceania

The frequency and form of adoption practices in Oceania recently have been cited as evidence that human behavior is inconsistent with predictions derived from sociobiological theory (Sahlins 1976). Ethnographic data reviewed here, however, suggest otherwise. In Oceania kinship is an important factor in the selection and treatment of adopted children as adoption occurs almost exclusively among close relatives. Natal children often ally against their adopted siblings over the division of their common parents' estate while adoptive parents themselves frequently apportion their land unequally among their natal and adopted children. These patterns and other data are consistent with predictions generated by a socio biological model of adoptive decisions. The model illustrates how kinship facilitates adoption as a means of modifying extreme family sizes, and how asymmetries in the degrees of relatedness between parents and their adopted and natal children provide the basis of differential treatment of them. Adoption in Oceania provides an example of a clearly cultural behavior which is consistent with socio biological predictions, and suggests that both culture and biology are relevant to an understanding of human behavior. [sociobiology, kinship, adoption, Oceania]
Decay of 89Sr and the emission probability of the 909.12 keV gamma-ray transition

Abstract Gamma-ray emission rates have been measured for highly pure sources of 89 Sr. These sources were prepared with relative 85 Sr activity ratios that ranged from less than 0.006% to undetectable, and had been previously standardized for radioactive concentration. Three such source materials were measured using Ge spectrometers, and the probability per decay of the 909.12 keV gamma ray was found to be 9.555×10 −5 with a relative expanded uncertainty of 1.26%. This result and other reported probabilities per decay have been evaluated according to the protocol of the International Atomic Energy Agency Coordinated Research Program on the Measurement and Evaluation of X-ray and Gamma-ray Standards for Detector Efficiency Calibration. This evaluation yielded a recommended value of 9.559×10 −5 with a relative standard uncertainty 0.47% for the probability per decay of the 909.12 keV gamma ray.
Kuiper's P-value as a measuring tool and decision procedure for the goodness-of-fit test

The need for computing P-values for the Kuiper statistic has been emphasised by Batschelet (1981). Some exact P-values, with useful interpretations for making inference about a probability model for circular data, are provided. Computation of the exact values are based on Durbin (1973) boundary crossing probabilities. A numerical example is used to demonstrate the usefulness of the results.
Preaching in thirteenth-century hospitals

This article uses thirteenth-century hospital sermons as a window into the moral and religious environment of these charitable institutions, large numbers of which were founded during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. What emerges from the reportationes of sermons preached in the hotel-dieu of Paris and ad status sermons directed at hospitals' personnel and inmates by Jacques de Vitry, Humbert of Romans and Guibert de Tournai is a spirituality that stressed the penitential (and potentially salvific) power of doing works of mercy (in the case of hospital workers) and bodily suffering (in the case of hospital inmates). The particular social context of hospital preaching is also evident in preachers' anxieties about the quality of hospital administration. The sermons that were preached in thirteenth-century hospitals reflect the heightened value placed on caring for the sick and poor, a historical development more often associated with the later middle ages.
Effect of Induced Molting on the Recurrence of a Previous Salmonella enteritidis Infection

Previous work in the authors' laboratory had shown that hens infected with Salmonella enteritidis (SE) during the feed removal phase of an induced molt shed significantly more SE and more readily transmitted SE to uninfected hens in adjacent cages when compared with unmolted hens. A study was conducted to examine the effect of induced molting on the recurrence and horizontal transmission of a previous SE infection. Hens aged 59 and 69 wk in Trials 1 and 2, respectively, were infected with SE and then molted 21 days later. In Trial 1, more molted hens were SE-culture-positive on Days 38 (P < or = .005) and 45 (P < or = .005) postinfection, and these hens shed more SE on these days (P < or = .05 and P < or = .005, respectively) than unmolted hens. Horizontal transmission of SE to previously uninfected but contact-exposed hens in adjacent cages was also higher in the molted group than the unmolted group on Days 38 (P < or = .05) and 45 (P < or = .001). Molted, contact-exposed hens also shed significantly more SE than unmolted hens. In Trial 2, the molted infected hens shed progressively more SE than the unmolted hens but the differences were not significant. However, more molted contact-exposed hens became SE-positive at Day 31 (P < or = .05) and 38 (P < or = .005) and also shed more SE on these days (P < or = .05 and P < or = .01), respectively) than the unmolted hens. Serum and intestinal antibody titers to SE were also examined in Trial 2. Molting appeared to exert no effect on the serum SE titers, but antibody titers in the alimentary tract were lower in the molted hens than the unmolted hens on Days 45 (P < or = .005) and 52 (P < or = .05). In Trial 1, three of eight molted directly infected hens and two of eight molted contact-exposed hens produced any SE-contaminated eggs. In Trial 2, no SE-contaminated eggs were produced.
Production of liquid hydrocarbons from a geopressured gas well: Migration of dispersed hydrocarbons induced by brine flow

Abstract Several geopressured gas wells have produced small amounts of liquid hydrocarbons. They all produced an unusual gas condensate which differs dramatically from oil, containing predominantly light aromatic hydrocarbons. Two of the wells have also produced paraffinic oil. A series of hydrocarbon liquids produced from the Gladys-McCall No. 1 well (Cameron Parish, La.) is described here. The phase relations of brine, oil and gas in the producing formation and wellbore of this well were calculated using a three-phase, many-component computer program. A single gas-rich, dispersed hydrocarbon phase was present downhole, initially at some distance from the wellbore. The aromatic condensate represents the relatively water soluble hydrocarbons which dissolved in the brine. Prolonged production of brine from the well caused the hydrocarbon phase to move toward the well, ultimately leading to production of oil. Movement of less volatile hydrocarbons was retarded by adsorption, producing chromatographic separation. These data and conclusions were used to test several theories of primary migration of petroleum in nature. Whereas the aromatic condensate is derived from hydrocarbons dissolved in brine, it is very different from common petroleum, indicating a completely different origin for the latter. Expulsion of a dispersed hydrocarbon fluid from shale together with water is indicated, as in the “water flushing” theories of petroleum migration.
A comparison of surface areas derived from mercury penetration and nitrogen adsorption

Abstract When considering surface area results for a variety of materials, the mercury penetration method appears to produce higher areas than the BET method does for the surface area range from 100 to 500 m 2 g −1 . However, when comparing the results from a range of materials for a single metal oxide, the ratio of mercury penetration areas to nitrogen BET areas, r, gradually decreases with increasing BET surface area and, at higher BET areas, the nitrogen BET area may exceed the mercury penetration area by a factor of two. On a volume, rather than on a mass,comparison, both alumina and silica show a common trend in the decrease of r with increasing BET nitrogen area. For practical comparisons it appears that the two methods can be directly compared. Adjustment of the mercury surface tension or the contact angle between mercury and the material does not provide an adequate compensation to make the two methods comparable over the total BET nitrogen area range.
LPS elicits a much larger and broader inflammatory response than Escherichia coli infection within the hippocampus of neonatal rats

An immune challenge during the neonatal period can significantly affect the development of the nervous and immune systems, such that long-term abnormalities in immune function and behavior persist into adulthood. Given that immune activation and individual cytokines have been linked to the etiology of many developmental neuropsychiatric disorders, a complete characterization of the neonatal immune response within the brain is warranted. In this study, rats were treated peripherally on postnatal day (P) 4 with either a live Escherichia coli (E. coli) infection or lipopolysaccharide (LPS), two common models of neonatal immune activation. Inflammatory gene expression was measured within the hippocampus 2 and 24 h later. We determined that E. coli and LPS produce very distinct inflammatory profiles within the brain. Infection with E. coli produced a robust, yet relatively IL-1 pathway focused activation of the neonatal immune system within the brain, while LPS produced a very broad and robust immune response within the brain. This analysis also identified common inflammatory genes up-regulated by both E. coli and LPS treatment.
SU-GG-T-298: Dose Verification of Mammosite Treatments with MOSFET Dosimeters

Purpose: In recent years, accelerated partial breast irradiation using the MammoSite balloon has proven an effective and popular treatment. The selection criteria for patients, based on medical and physical ( minimum skin distance) considerations have been well established. Our checklist addresses these criteria, confirms that the selected dwell position is at the center of the balloon and is used to assess its integrity prior to treatment. Recently, we have implemented in‐vivo dosimetry using MOSFETdosimeters to validate our brachytherapy calculations. Method and Materials: Five MOSFETs were calibrated for the 192 Ir HDR source by taping them on the surface of a 4 cm diameter cylinder. Our calibration geometry assured minimum dose gradient, less than 1.5%, within +/− 2 cm from their location. To calculate the dose at selected skin points, five radio‐opaque marks are placed on each patient's skin prior to CT. Before treatment, the five MOSFETs are taped on these skin points of the ipsilateral, contralateral breast and neck. For one patient, the 5thMOSFET was placed at the pacemaker situated 9 cm from the balloon center. At the completion of the treatment the readings are compared to the calculations. Results: There is generally good agreement between calculated versus measured dose for all five dosimeters. The average of the absolute discrepancy between calculation and measurement for the skindose at the lateral aspect of the treated breast is 5.7+/−4.2 cGy for the 9 patients. Both measurement and calculation yield an average dose of 4 cGy to the contralateral breast. Conclusion: The use of MOSFETs is a convenient and accurate way to obtain skindose measurements for mammosite cases. In addition to validating the calculations, the readings can provide dosimetry information for clinically significant areas like the thyroid or the pacemaker.
A methodology for improving the design of a supply chain

A supply chain comprises an interlinked network of suppliers, manufacturers, distributors and customers, whereby material flows from the suppliers through manufacturers and distributors to the customers. This paper is concerned with the central research issue of developing a methodology to improve the design of a supply chain. In practice, the complexity of real-world supply chains makes the development of a suitable methodology for supply chain design improvement a challenging research task. In this paper, a network-based approach, called Extended Trans-Nets, is presented that represents the design of the supply chain as an abstract network with ‘AND’ and ‘OR’ nodes. A constraint-based genetic algorithm is used as part of the Extended Trans-Net approach to search for improvements in the design that satisfy the constraints imposed on the system. The basis and operation of Extended Trans-Nets are described and this is followed by an example, together with a description of the initial computer implementatio...
Antenna-Guided Light

The bent appearance of a stick half-submerged in water is caused by the difference in refractive indices of air and water—light travels more slowly in water than in air (see the figure, panel A) and refracts and reflects off the air-water interface. Snell's law ( 1 ) lets us calculate the bending angle if we know the geometry and the refractive indices. In complex optical instruments, where several lenses, mirrors, and other components may be present, designers control the bending by keeping track of the phase shifts imposed along the wavefront of the light; for example, a light beam can be focused by different phase shifts that occur along a curved lens. These optical components are much larger than the wavelength of light, which limits the minimum size of devices. On page 333 of this issue, Yu et al. ( 2 ) show how arrays of structures smaller than the wavelength of light, V-shaped nanoantennas made of gold, bend light by creating abrupt phase shifts through the excitation of resonances. The authors show that these compact “metasurfaces” follow a more general version of Snell's law that accounts for the bending of a light beam in unconventional but potentially useful ways.
Preparation and surface characterization of zincated aluminium memory-disc substrates

The surface compositions of CW66 aluminium alloy memory-disc substrates following commercial alkaline and acidic cleaning treatments and a commercial zincating treatment were investigated using the techniques of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, low-energy ionscattering spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectrometry, and scanning electron microscopy. The commercial treatments were performed on the disc substrates following diamond turning, or diamond turning followed by alumina-slurry polishing. Results indicated that alumina-slurry polishing of CW66 memory-disc substrates produces a slightly thicker and more hydrated aluminium oxide film compared to diamond-turned only discs. Commercial alkaline (Alprep 204) and acidic (Alprep 230) cleaners do not significantly affect the aluminium oxide composition nor thickness on CW66 alloy. These cleaning treatments also do not appear to significantly affect the amount of surface carbon contamination, nor the amounts of trace surface contaminants, such as sulphur and chlorine, that are present on the metal. Nitric acid stripping treatments performed between the first and second zincating treatments do not completely remove all of the first zincate film. A small amount of zinc remains on the disc surface. After removal of the first zincate film with nitric acid, SEM results showed that the first zincate treatment significantly roughened the aluminium substrate compared to the cleaned discs. The zincate films prepared in this study were discontinuous and consisted primarily of a Zn(OH)2/ZnO mixture on the surface and zinc metal in the bulk of the film. A variety of trace contaminants (i.e. sodium, silicon, sulphur, chlorine, potassium, calcium and iron) were also present in the zincate films. Some of these contaminants (i.e., sodium, chlorine and iron) most likely resulted from minor components in the zincating solutions. The others most likely resulted from inadvertent sample handling or from the adsorption of airborne contaminants prior to the analyses.
Analysis of Factors Affecting Quantitative Estimates of Organism Abundance: ABSTRACT

Analyses of the distribution of dead organisms in recent sediments is strongly influenced by the method used to established and report abundance counts. Comparison of abundance counts from recent and ancient strata are affected by the composition of the sediment, its history, and the type of sample upon which counts are based. Examination of the physical relation between weight and volume sediment samples, and comparison of estimates of organism abundance obtained from equal-volume and equal-weight samples of recent sediment, show that kinds of minerals forming the sediment have little effect on abundance distribution patterns determined by counting the number of specimens in samples of a given weight End_Page 2516------------------------------ or volume, and that variation in sediment porosity probably is the major factor responsible for differences between organism counts based on equal-weight samples and those based on equal-volume samples. Consideration of the diagenetic processes of compaction and cementation that affect organism abundance shows that, for sediments which have not been materially changed by processes like interstratal solution, replacement, and recrystallization, abundance counts from recent and ancient sediments are more comparable if clays and shales are reported on the basis of equal-weight samples, and unlithified and lithified sands are reported on the basis of equal-volume samples. End_of_Article - Last_Page 2517------------
Analysis of additive risk model with high‐dimensional covariates using partial least squares

In this paper, we construct a partial additive regression (PAR) model to predict the survival times of cancer patients based on microarray gene expression data with right censoring. The area under time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve is used as a model evaluation criterion. We conduct a simulation study to compare the proposed method with other methods, i.e. partial Cox regression and supervised principal component analysis. Two data sets of breast cancer and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma are analyzed to illustrate our procedure. The outcome indicates great predictive performance on both dimension reduction and predictive performance of the proposed PAR model.
Human identity recognition in aerial images

Human identity recognition is an important yet under-addressed problem. Previous methods were strictly limited to high quality photographs, where the principal techniques heavily rely on body details such as face detection. In this paper, we propose an algorithm to address the novel problem of human identity recognition over a set of unordered low quality aerial images. Assuming a user was able to manually locate a target in some images of the set, we find the target in each other query image by implementing a weighted voter-candidate formulation. In the framework, every manually located target is a voter, and the set of humans in a query image are candidates. In order to locate the target, we detect and align blobs of voters and candidates. Consequently, we use PageRank to extract distinguishing regions, and then match multiple regions of a voter to multiple regions of a candidate using Earth Mover Distance (EMD). This generates a robust similarity measure between every voter-candidate pair. Finally, we identify the candidate with the highest weighted vote as the target. We tested our technique over several aerial image sets that we collected, along with publicly available sets, and have obtained promising results.
Drug-Drug Interactions Detection from Online Heterogeneous Healthcare Networks

Drug-drug interactions (DDIs) are a serious drug safety problem for health consumers and how to detect such interactions effectively and efficiently has been of great medical significance. Currently, methods proposed to detect DDIs are mainly based on data sources such as clinical trial data, spontaneous reporting systems, electronic medical records, and chemical/pharmacological databases. However, those data sources are limited either by cohort biases, low reporting ratio, or access issue. In this study, we propose to use online healthcare social media, an informative and publicly available data source, to detect DDI signals. We construct a heterogeneous healthcare network based on consumer contributed contents, develop heterogeneous topological features, and use logistic regression as prediction model for DDI detection. The experiment results show that the proposed heterogeneous topological features substantially outperform the homogenous ones in the training set but only slightly outperform the homogeneous ones in the testing set, and interesting heterogeneous paths with strong predictive power are discovered.
The Green Revolution: Generations of Problems

T HE RECENT FLOOD of literature on the green revolution has a certain similarity to the theologians' writings on God: both are concerned with existence, consequences, and salvation, and both are equally contradictory in their conclusions! I am realistic, therefore, about what one additional paper can add to the green revolution controversy and have chosen to concentrate on two limited objectives: (a) a brief survey of the usage and the impact of the new high-yielding seed varieties, and (b) a more lengthy discussion of the longer-run consequences of rapid technological transfer to the less-developed countries. I have deliberately avoided a quantitative projection of future production and prices and have attempted to focus instead on general problems and mechanisms.' Since the food-population-employment-growth problems with which I am concerned are most severe in Asia, since that is where the new varieties appear to have had most impact, and since that is where my personal experience has been, this essay has a strong Asian focus. It draws heavily on the Pakistan experience and continues, albeit more pessimistically, in much the same vein as recent writings by Barker [3], Cummings [6], Hardin [20], Johnston [24], and Wharton [46].
Optimal stochastic control of discrete linear systems with unknown gain

The optimal, adaptive control of linear discrete systems with constant but imprecisely known gain is considered. It is assumed that a priori, Gaussian distribution functions are available for the unknown gain and for any random disturbances or observation error. The identification and control aspects are separated to the extent that the identification of the system gain is formulated as an optimal estimation problem; while selection of the optimal control policy is accomplished by minimization of the expected value of a quadratic cost functional, conditioned up on the information available at the time of control application and subject to the constraints imposed by the identification techniques. The interaction between identification and control is explicitly shown by the form of these constraints. The effects of this interaction are examined by considering a simple, first order system and the average performance of the optimal adaptive control law is compared to that of the optimal deterministic control.
Extrapleural pneumonectomy in children.

Abstract Background/Purpose Extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) is an en bloc resection of the pleura, lung, diaphragm, and pericardium. EPP in the pediatric population has not been reported in the literature. We report our experience of using EPP in children to treat a variety of malignancies that involve the pleural surface. Methods We performed a retrospective review of all children treated through EPP at our institution. Data were obtained from patient charts and a pediatric database. All patients underwent en bloc resection of the pleura, lung, diaphragm, and pericardium and reconstruction. Results Four patients underwent EPP from 2000 to 2004 for inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor, spindle cell sarcoma, metastatic neuroblastoma, and malignant mesothelioma. The patients' ages were from 6 to 11 years. The patient with metastatic neuroblastoma had recurrent disease in the left chest 1 year after EPP and died of sepsis; the patient with mesothelioma died of disease extension into the abdomen 1.5 years later. The other 2 patients are free of disease. Conclusions EPP can be performed with curative intent in selected pediatric patients with pleural-based malignancies. EPP should be included in the armamentarium of the pediatric thoracic surgeon and evaluated in larger studies.
Effect of Curvature on Near-Field Radiative Transfer: The Modified Proximity Approximation

Near-field radiative transfer between two spheres can be computed using Rytov’s theory of fluctuational electrodynamics in which the strength of electromagnetic sources is related to temperature through the fluctuation-dissipation theorem, and the resultant energy transfer is described using an expansion of the dyadic Green’s function of the vector Helmholtz equation in a series of vector spherical waves. We show that when electromagnetic surface waves are active at a frequency the number of vector spherical waves required for convergence is proportional to Rmax/d when d/Rmax → 0, where Rmax is the radius of the larger sphere, and d is the smallest gap between the two spheres. Using this criterion, we show that the surface polariton mediated near–field thermal radiative conductance between two spheres of equal radii R scales as R/d as d/R → 0. We also propose a modified form of the proximity approximation to predict near–field radiative transfer between curved objects from simulations of radiative transfer between parallel surfaces.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Plant response to chronic exposure of low levels of oxidant type air pollution

Abstract Cultivars of geranium and carnation exhibit a reduction of side branching, a retardation of floral initiation, and a decrease in floral productivity when exposed daily for 5–7 hr to 0·1 ppm ozone for 1–3 months. These plants also exhibit a reduction in leaf size, an increase in internode length, a progressive destruction of leaf tissue and eventual defoliation in the case of geranium. Cultivars of petunia exposed to chronic low levels of oxidant are slower to flower and bear fewer flowers than those same cultivars grown in charcoal-filtered air from the same source. These plant effects are of special interest because they occur in the presence of pollutant levels encountered daily in areas surrounding US metropolitan centres.