cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Computer-administration of questionnaires: A Health Screening System (HSS) developed for veterans

Abstract The introduction of microcomputers in psychological research has spawned a burgeoning number of tests of psychological or behavioral function, but few computerized systems for administering questionnaires have been developed. A Health Screening System (HSS) is described that combines the benefits of the paper-and-pencil format (e.g.. convenient navigation within test questions) and the added benefits of computer-implementation (e.g., efficiency, automated scoring). The HSS features: a) appealing test appearance (e.g., text in large-size fonts, color backgrounds); b) clear wording of tests and instructions (identical wording as original tests except when clarity is served by changes): c) limiting need for Examiner-Subject interaction (e.g., continuously available on-line training, navigation within test questions, answer review capability, durable 9-button response unit); d) options (e.g., question skipping, spoken instructions, test questions, and answers on command); e) modification capabilities (e.g., color, text, test layout editing, control of test order, automated breaks, addition of tests to system); and f) extras (e.g., kernel of main instruction on each test screen, digitized video, audio message from Examiner in training, copyright notification on each screen, raw and summary data outputs in spreadsheet format). Ten HSS tests were administered to 22 US military veterans, who took slightly longer to complete them than did 10 veterans who were administered the same tests in their original paper-and-pencil format. User reaction to the computerized HSS was positive.
Drunk-Driving Research and Innovation: A Factorial Survey Study of Decisions To Drink and Drive

Drunk driving continues to be a heavily studied research topic. However, despite much emphasis on the study of individual behavior using conventional survey techniques, new insight into the problem of drunk driving has been slow to develop. The study described below uses factorial surveys to examine the drunk-driving judgments of a national probability sample of 528 nonabstaining adults. These data suggest that key components in decisions to drink and drive include the extent of the driver′s behavioral impairment, the availability of drunk-driving alternatives, weather conditions, the number of miles that have to be driven after drinking, the legal consequences of drunk driving (in terms of jail sentences and license revocations), the community response to drunk driving, where drinking occurs, fines that might be issued, the use of traffic roadblocks, and the driver′s familiarity with roads that must be driven after a drinking event. The analysis undertaken also shows that the influence of these same factors varies across levels of drunk driving experience, suggesting that those persons most experienced with drunk driving tend to rate legal sanctions as more important in judgments to drink and drive than those persons who typically refrain from drunk driving.
Is bevacizumab effective and safe in combination with chemotherapy in patients with colorectal cancer

Is bevacizumab effective and safe in combination with chemotherapy in patients with colorectal cancer?
Comparison of Two Model Based Automated Fault Detection and Diagnosis Methods for Centrifugal Chillers

Research has been ongoing during the last several years on developing robust automated fault detecting and diagnosing (FDD) methods applicable for process faults in chillers used in commercial buildings. These FDD methods involve using sensor data from available thermal, pressure and electrical measurements from commercial chillers to compute characteristic features (CF) which allow more robust and sensitive fault detection than using the basic sensor data itself. One of the proposed methods is based on the analytical redundancy approach using polynomial black-box multiple linear regression models for each CF that are identified from fault-free data in conjunction with a diagnosis table. The second method is based on a classification approach involving linear discriminant analysis to identify the classification models whereby both the detection and diagnosis can be done simultaneously. This paper describes the mathematical basis of both methods, illustrates how they are to be tuned using the same fault-free data set in conjunction with limited faulty data, and then compares their performance when applied to different fault severity levels. The relative advantages and disadvantages of each method are highlighted and future development needs are pointed out.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Laparoscopic resection of type 1 choledochal cysts in pediatric patients

Background Choledochal cyst resection and hepaticojejunostomy have historically been performed using an open technique. We describe here the largest single experience with this procedure using laparoscopic techniques in eight consecutive pediatric patients.
Keeping Kosher: The Epistemology of Tax Expenditures

Not long ago, I found myself at an athletic breakfast. Having long supported a broader-based, lower-rate income tax, with fewer tax preferences, I was dismayed to discover a letter from an administrator requesting all present to protest against the new reform on the grounds that by weakening tax preferences it would reduce contributions to the University in general and sports in particular. To this special interest all interests are special to those who care about them one can add, among numerous others, museums, opera companies, and sports franchises. Indeed, until I started writing this review, I was unaware of how tax preferences help increase the salaries of athletes. These franchises make substantial income from box seats bought by corporations that can write them off as business expenses. Absent this subsidy, franchise income, hence allowable salaries, would be less. Do we want to subsidize athletes? Or owners? How is this to be avoided while protecting the busboys,
Organizational Issues in Conducting Tuberculosis Screening at a Syringe Exchange Program

There has been a rise in tuberculosis (TB) cases in the United States and there is a potent link between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and tuberculosis. In New York City it is estimated that 40% of the 200,000 injecting drug users are infected with HIV. In addition, the tuberculosis case rate is approximately four times the national average, and one third of these cases occurred in those persons infected with HIV. Drug users have a high prevalence of latent tuberculous infection and are at high risk for progression to active tuberculosis. Drug users are at high risk for both HIV and TB. Although studies have shown the value of incorporating TB services into drug treatment programs, the majority of drug users in the United States are not in drug treatment. We have been evaluating the feasibility of conducting TB screening and directly observed TB preventive therapy for active injecting drug users at a syringe exchange program in New York City. This paper describes issues relating to the implementation of the TB screening program and discusses general and operational issues relevant to integrating medical and public health programs into existing programs serving drug using individuals.
Paleoproductivity of the Indian Ocean during the Tertiary Period

Abstract Studies of oceanic paleoproductivity have lagged in part because of the absence of a suitable proxy for measuring paleoproductivity. A transfer function has recently been proposed which directly translates carbonate mass accumulation rates into a quantitative measure of productivity. This transfer function ha been applied at six ODP sites in the Indian Ocean in order to investigate temporal and spatial changes in Indian Ocean productivity during the Tertiary Period. Early Paleogene productivity in the Indian Ocean was considerably higher than in the late Paleogene and Neogene. A warmer, more confined sea, with large riverine nutrient input from close lying land masses may account for the generally higher early Paleogene productivity. Productivity increased dramatically at two times during the Paleogene: during early Paleocene calcareous nannofossil Zone NP5 and during early Eocene Zone NP11. These productivity increases may be related to abrupt climatic changes which reorganized oceanic circulation and stimulated major changes in productivity. Productivity began to fall in the Oligocene as a result of global cooling and the initiation of the modern Indian Ocean circulation system. This trend continued into the Neogene, which was characterized by generally low productivity, interspersed with occasionally higher levels, especially at the more northern sites in the Indian Ocean.
Intelligibility assessment in developmental phonological disorders: accuracy of caregiver gloss.

Fifteen caregivers each glossed a simultaneously videotaped and audiotaped sample of their child with speech delay engaged in conversation with a clinician. One of the authors generated a reference gloss for each sample, aided by (a) prior knowledge of the child’s speech-language status and error patterns, (b) glosses from the child’s clinician and the child’s caregiver, (c) unlimited replays of the taped sample, and (d) the information gained from completing a narrow phonetic transcription of the sample. Caregivers glossed an average of 78 of the utterances and 81 of the words. A comparison of their glosses to the reference glosses suggested that they accurately understood an average of 58 of the utterances and 73 of the words. Discussion considers the implications of such findings for methodological and theoretical issues underlying children’s moment-to-moment intelligibility breakdowns during speech-language processing.
Effort underway to bridge “information divide” in climate sciences

It is increasingly clear that there exists an “information divide” in the climate sciences. Researchers and planners in developing countries do not have the same timely access to climate information that is often taken for granted in developed countries that have a strong geoscience base. A project is underway to assess this information divide and identify possible remedies.To bridge the divide, the assistance of the global geoscience community is requested. Here we present some preliminary results and encourage participation in a year-long survey of the information divide.
On Hart's Way Out

It is hard to think of a more banal statement one could make about the law than to say that it necessarily claims legal authority to govern conduct. What, after all, is a legal institution if not an entity that purports to have the legal power to create rules, confer rights, and impose obligations? Whether legal institutions necessarily claim the moral authority to exercise their legal powers is another question entirely. Some legal theorists have thought that they do—others have not been so sure. But no one has ever denied (how could they?) that the law holds itself out as having the legal authority to tell us what we may or may not do.
White House and agencies focus on space weather concerns

“Space weather is a serious matter that can affect human economies around the world,” Tamara Dickinson, a senior policy analyst with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), told attendees at the 2012 Space Weather Enterprise Forum, held 5 June in Washington, D. C. With the 2013 solar maximum nearing, researchers and government agencies are focusing on how the greater solar activity could affect our increasingly technological society and what measures can be taken to help prevent or mitigate any threats to the electricity grid, GPS, and other potentially vulnerable technologies. Dickenson said that there has been an increased awareness about space weather in the White House and that President Barack Obama recently has requested briefing memos on the topic. She highlighted several efforts the administration is taking related to space weather, including a forthcoming national Earth observation strategy, which could be released in July and will include an assessment of space weather. She explained that the strategy document will be part of the fiscal year 2014 presidential budget request and that it will be updated every 3 years.
Speeding, Terrorism, and Teaching to the Test

Educators worry that high-stakes testing will induce teachers and their students to focus only on the test and ignore other, untested aspects of knowledge. Some counter that although this may be true, knowing something is better than knowing nothing and many students would benefit even by learning the material that is to be tested. Using the metaphor of deterring drivers from speeding, it is shown that the optimal rules for high-stakes testing depend on the costs of learning and of monitoring. Incentives need to be concentrated for those whose costs of action are high.
Static non-abelian forces and the permutation group

Abstract It is shown that the classical static interaction energy of two non-abelian point sources is ambiguous. The ambiguity is discrete and corresponds to the elements of the permutation group on n symbols, if the gauge group is U( n ).
Gerald Odonis’ Tractatus De Suppositionibus: What Is Suppositio Communicabilis?

The Tractatus de suppositionibus , which is cited by Gerald Odonis in his commentary on the Sentences. In the Sentences commentary he refers to his treatment of 'suppositio communicabilis' and its species, indicating a type of supposition whose language seems new. This article attempts to find a source for it in contemporary authors and arrives at the conclusion that 'communicabilis' is simply a synonym for 'personalis', the most common form of supposition according to Odonis. St Augustine is a pivotal source for medieval discussions of the supposition of terms. Not only did he indicate the extensive imprecision of much of our language and the need to interpret it, as he does in the above text taken from his Confessions , but he also provided in the opening chapter of book I of his De Trinitate a caution against predicating of God attributes that can only belong to limited creatures. Keywords: De Trinitate ; Gerald Odonis; St Augustine; Tractatus de suppositionibus
Waveguide-Integrated Photodiode in Deposited Silicon

We demonstrate photodiodes in deposited polycrystalline silicon at 1550nm with 0.15 A/W responsivity, 40 nA dark current, and GHz response time. We propose an interconnect scheme with modulators and photodetectors in the same deposited material.
Modeling the interfacial effect on the yield strength and flow stress of thin metal films on substrates

Abstract It is shown in this paper that interfacial effects have a profound impact on the scale-dependent yield strength and strain hardening rates (flow stress) of metallic thin films on elastic substrates. This is achieved by developing a higher-order strain gradient plasticity theory based on the principle of virtual power and the laws of thermodynamics. This theory enforces microscopic boundary conditions at interfaces which relate a microtraction stress to the interfacial energy at the interface. It is shown that the film bulk length scale controls the size effect if a rigid interface is assumed whereas the interfacial length scale dominates if a compliant interface is assumed.
A Comparison of Educational Methods to Improve NSAID Knowledge and Use of a Medication List in an Elderly Population

The objective of this study is to compare the effectiveness of pharmacist-provided individualized education with standardized video education for(a) improving patient understanding of gastropathy caused by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and (b) stimulating the use of a medication list. Home care patients were assessed and then randomized to receive either video education or a tailored intervention from a home care pharmacist. Patients in the tailored group were more likely to keep an updated list (p = .033) and utilize it before purchasing over-the-counter medications (p = .043). Tailored education may be more effective than standardized video education for changing behaviors related to NSAID-induced gastropathy.
“All Kids Can Learn”: Masking Diversity in Middle School

(1995). “All Kids Can Learn”: Masking Diversity in Middle School. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas: Vol. 68, No. 3, pp. 163-166.
Effects of serotonin depletion on the volitional alcohol intake of rats during a condition of psychological stress.

Non-preferred solutions of ethyl alcohol, that were slightly above preference threshold, were offered together with water to rats which were trained to avoid foot shock by pressing a lever. Intake of alcohol increased significantly when the rats were stressed by intermittent, random unavoidable shock. When levels of brain serotonin were lowered by p-chlorophenylalanine (pCPA), a potent inhibitor of tryptophan hydroxylase, the selection of alcohol declined during the period of random punishment to the pre-stress baseline intakes. The depletion of serotonin during the stress period reduced alcohol preference particularly in those rats which drank the largest amounts of alcohol. These findings extend those of an earlier report that pCPA lowers alcohol intake in non-stressed rats which drank alcohol solutions within the normal range of preference.
PORCELAIN ESTHETICS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

ABSTRACT Background Dental procedures play a vital role in the modern dental practice. Considerable research has addressed improvements in the properties of dental porcelains. Clinical Implications This article examines the trends in the scientific advances in dental porcelains. It highlights properties of the new low-fusing porcelains and describes indications for their use. New luting cements also are addressed.
Asymmetrical core structure in phycobilisomes of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis 6701

Abstract The light-harvesting complex of cyanobacteria and red algae, the phycobilisome, has two structural domains, the core and the rods. Both contain biliproteins and linker peptides. The core contains the site of attachment to the thylakoid membrane and the energy transfer link between the phycobilisome and chlorophyll. There are also six rod-binding sites in the membrane-distal periphery of the core. The structure of phycobilisomes in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus 6301 was studied by Glazer, who proposed a model for the internal organization of the bicylindrical core. In the construction of that model, it was necessary to make arbitrary decisions between two possible locations for one of the trimeric protein complexes within a core cylinder and between two possible orientations of the basal core cylinders relative to one another. We isolated the tricylindrical cores from an ultraviolet-light-induced mutant of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis 6701 and obtained, by partial dissociation, a unique core substructure that maintained some contacts between the two basal cylinders. From its structure and spectral properties, we conclude that this particle is a central core substructure that resulted from dissociation of the two layers of peripheral trimers in the intact core. The compositions of this particle and the dissociated trimers were inconsistent with the proposed location of one of the trimers in the 6301 core model, but supported the placement of that trimer in the alternative position within the basal core cylinder. Rod-binding sites within the central core substructure were studied by partial dissociation of the short-rod phycobilisomes from another mutant of 6701. This dissociation generated particles that were interpreted as being central core substructures with the two basal rods attached. The appearance of these particles in the electron microscope suggested that both basal rods would be localized towards the same side of the intact core. Such an asymmetrical arrangement of basal rods is supported by previously published edge-views of intact cores with basal rods from strain 6701. These observations suggest a parallel arrangement of the basal cylinders with respect to each other, creating an asymmetrical core. A phycobilisome model was constructed that incorporated core asymmetry. This model predicts the energy transfer pathways from the basal and upper rods to specific trimers in the core.
Numerical comparison of system reliability bounds

Abstract Four theoretical methods providing total system reliability bounds from sub-system test data are numerically compared through a simulation study. The methods in question, Kramer, El Bawazini-Buehler, Grubts and Mann-Grubbs, are compared with respect to the observed coverage of the true reliability as well as to the (empirical) form of their statistical distribution. The effects of several factors (pre-specified confidence level, system structure, truncation procedure) on the performance of these bounds are also studied. Finally, based upon the experimental results, recommendations are given as to which bound to use.
Minnesota extension agents' knowledge and views of alternative agriculture

I interviewed 19 county agricultural extension agents about their views of alternative agriculture as it is being promoted by sustainable agriculture groups in Minnesota. They varied considerably in how much they knew about it, their openness to it, and how heavily they were involved in it County extension agents share broad economic and environmental goals with sustainable farming advocacy groups, but many believe that agriculture is already working to meet those goals and are skeptical of the feasibility of alternative agriculture. Extension agents generally did not accept as realistic a primary social goal of sustainable agriculture advocates: maintaining the number of family farms. If county extension agents and sustainable agriculture groups in Minnesota are to work together for more sustainable agriculture, open discussion is needed on the goals of agriculture and visions for its future.
The post‐soviet nations without Gorbachev: Common challenges

Alexander Motyl (Chair): Introductory Remarks This is the fourth and final Conference sponsored by the Program on Nationality and Siberian Studies. While you are witnessing the final act of this particular institution, the traditions of this program—that is, the study of the former Soviet republics and their nationalities—will be carried on by the Harriman Institute.
Latent lifestyle preferences and household location decisions

Lifestyle, indicating preferences towards a particular way of living, is a key driver of the decision of where to live. We employ latent class choice models to represent this behavior, where the latent classes are the lifestyles and the choice model is the choice of residential location. Thus, we simultaneously estimate lifestyle groups and how lifestyle impacts location decisions. Empirical results indicate three latent lifestyle segments: suburban dwellers, urban dwellers, and transit-riders. The suggested lifestyle segments have intriguing policy implications. Lifecycle characteristics are used to predict lifestyle preferences, although there remain significant aspects that cannot be explained by observable variables.
Bidding on the Future: Evidence Against Normative Discounting of Delayed Rewards

Normative economic models assume that delay-discounting rates for future rewards are independent of the amount of, and delay to, a reward. These assumptions were tested in 3 experiments in which participants were asked to bid their own money on delayed monetary rewards in a sealed, second-bid auction. In Experiments 1 and 2, participants made their bids without feedback about the bids of other participants. In Experiment 3, half of the participants received such feedback. In Experiments 2 and 3, participants adjusted their bids until they were indifferent between the bid and the delayed reward. Participants' bids violated both normative assumptions: Discounting rates decreased with increases in amount for 62 of 67 participants, and a function in which the rate decreases with increases in delay (hyperbolic) fit the bids better than did a normative function (exponential) for 59 of 67 participants. A future reward is typically worth less to us than the same
Effects of THC and lofexidine in a human laboratory model of marijuana withdrawal and relapse

Individuals seeking treatment for their marijuana use rarely achieve sustained abstinence. The objectives of the study are to determine if THC, a cannabinoid agonist, and lofexidine, an α2-adrenergic receptor agonist, given alone and in combination, decreased symptoms of marijuana withdrawal and relapse, defined as a return to marijuana use after a period of abstinence. Nontreatment-seeking, male volunteers (n = 8), averaging 12 marijuana cigarettes/day, were maintained on each of four medication conditions for 7 days: placebo, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) (60 mg/day), lofexidine (2.4 mg/day), and THC (60 mg/day) combined with lofexidine (2.4 mg/day); each inpatient phase was separated by an outpatient washout phase. During the first three inpatient days, placebo marijuana was available for self-administration (withdrawal). For the next 4 days, active marijuana was available for self-administration (relapse). Participants paid for self-administered marijuana using study earnings. Self-administration, mood, task performance, food intake, and sleep were measured. THC reversed the anorexia and weight loss associated with marijuana withdrawal, and decreased a subset of withdrawal symptoms, but increased sleep onset latency, and did not decrease marijuana relapse. Lofexidine was sedating, worsened abstinence-related anorexia, and did not robustly attenuate withdrawal, but improved sleep and decreased marijuana relapse. The combination of lofexidine and THC produced the most robust improvements in sleep and decreased marijuana withdrawal, craving, and relapse in daily marijuana smokers relative to either medication alone. These data suggest the combination of lofexidine and THC warrant further testing as a potential treatment for marijuana dependence.
Measurement of neon 3.39 μm transition decay rates using laser Faraday rotation

Abstract A HeNe laser dispersion technique has been used to determine pressure dependence of the related neon level and dipole moment decay rates. Extrapolations to the zero-pressure limit have been made, and 3s 2 , 3p 2 , 3p 4 level lifetimes are given.
Emitter turn-off (ETO) thyristor, ETO light converter and their grid applications

In today's electric power system, solid state power electronics technology plays more and more important roles and the demand for mega-watt level power ratings is increasing. The development of mega-watt power converters strongly depends on the state-of-the-art of power semiconductor technology, cooling technology and digital controller. The authors have been involved in the development of the Emitter Turn-Off (ETO) thyristor, an emerging power semiconductor switch for high power applications. Packed with advanced features as well as superior performance, ETO based power electronics systems are very attractive for various grid applications. In this paper, the authors will present the ETO device, ETO Light converter that are under development at the NSF FREEDM Systems Center. Moreover, the authors will explain how these developments will facilitate grid applications: static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) without/with energy storage, direct connection of wind turbine, High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) application, power flow control and solid-state circuit breaker and current limiter.
The canonical functional design based on the domination-relationship among data

We study the problem of creating a functional design from a dataflow diagram D. We use the domination-relationship on data-items in D to obtain a canonical function calling-scheme S(D) which is optimal in that it uses the minimum number of global variables for the interface among functions, while keeping the function parameters to a minimum. The difficulty of determining a function calling-scheme that is both valid and optimal is because the number of valid calling-schemes is exponentially large in the size of D. We also use S(D) to obtain a decomposition of D into larger single-output function-blocks. In previous work we give an algorithm to generate the basic pseudocode for each function, including its interface, for the calling-scheme S(D).
Family Environment Factors and Substance Abuse Severity in an HMO Adolescent Treatment Population

To examine how parental limit setting, family conflict, and perception of family experience influence severity of alcohol and drug problems, and important gender differences in these relationships, we interviewed consecutive intakes, aged 12 to 18 years, at 4 chemical dependency programs of a large group-model nonprofit health maintenance organization (HMO) (n=419). The Family Conflict, Limit Setting, and Positive Family Experience scales correlated with substance dependence (p<0.01, p<0.01, p<0.05, respectively). Depression also correlated with family conflict (p<0.01), absence of limit setting (p<0.01), poor family experience (p<0.01) and dependence symptoms (p<0.01). Number of substance-using friends correlated with number of dependence symptoms (p<0.01). Gender differences included the following: (1) girls scoring higher in family conflict (p=0.0002), negative perceptions of family experience (p<0.0017), and lower in absence of limit setting (p<0.0001); (2) how family environment predicted problem sev...
Damage detection via electrical resistance in CFRP composites under cyclic loading

Analytical and numerical electro-mechanical models are developed to predict the electrical resistance change due to fatigue damage in unidirectional fiber reinforced composite materials. Fatigue is attributed to underlying fatigue crack growth of pre-existing fiber flaws, and the fiber fatigue model is validated and calibrated by comparison to experimental data on fatigue of dry bundles of T700S carbon fibers. Predictions of fiber damage and resistance change in a carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites (CFRP) during cyclic loading are then made, analytical and numerical models in quantitative agreement over most of the life. The models predict a direct correlation between resistance and stiffness changes, and quantitatively agree with the experimental results for T300/Hexcel 914 system. The effects of single-cycle overloads on the electrical resistance during otherwise fixed-amplitude cyclic loading are studied, showing an influence on life dependent upon both overload amplitude and cycle number. The resistance change is also shown to increase substantially prior to any noticeable change in remaining strength, and to accelerate as the remaining strength decreases. Collectively, the results suggest that electrical resistance can provide insight into the underlying damage evolution and fatigue life of composite systems and serve as the basis for system prognosis or health monitoring.
Minimum complexity uninhabited air vehicle guidance and flight control system

The availability of commercial single antenna GPS units at low cost and discontinuation of selective availability of the system has caused increased interest in flying a stable fixed-wing aircraft using GPS alone. Utilizing such an inexpensive sensor, along with a relatively simple processor, a flight control and guidance system could be developed that would be so inexpensive as to be practically disposable even for some commercial applications. A flight control and guidance system that can operate on single antenna GPS measurements is also a candidate as an ultimate backup mode for any uninhabited air vehicle or piloted airplane given failure of sensors. In this paper, necessary hardware and software developments are described, as well as particular solutions explored in a flight test program.
Assessing the status and trend of bat populations across broad geographic regions with dynamic distribution models

Bats face unprecedented threats from habitat loss, climate change, disease, and wind power development, and populations of many species are in decline. A better ability to quantify bat population status and trend is urgently needed in order to develop effective conservation strategies. We used a Bayesian autoregressive approach to develop dynamic distribution models for Myotis lucifugus, the little brown bat, across a large portion of northwestern USA, using a four-year detection history matrix obtained from a regional monitoring program. This widespread and abundant species has experienced precipitous local population declines in northeastern USA resulting from the novel disease white-nose syndrome, and is facing likely range-wide declines. Our models were temporally dynamic and accounted for imperfect detection. Drawing on species-energy theory, we included measures of net primary productivity (NPP) and forest cover in models, predicting that M. lucifugus occurrence probabilities would covary positively along those gradients. Despite its common status, M. lucifugus was only detected during -50% of the surveys in occupied sample units. The overall naive estimate for the proportion of the study region occupied by the species was 0.69, but after accounting for imperfect detection, this increased to -0.90. Our models provide evidence of an association between NPP and forest cover and M. lucifugus distribution, with implications for the projected effects of accelerated climate change in the region, which include net aridification as snowpack and stream flows decline. Annual turnover, the probability that an occupied sample unit was a newly occupied one, was estimated to be low (-0.04-0.14), resulting in flat trend estimated with relatively high precision (SD = 0.04). We mapped the variation in predicted occurrence probabilities and corresponding prediction uncertainty along the productivity gradient. Our results provide a much needed baseline against which future anticipated declines in M. lucifugus occurrence can be measured. The dynamic distribution modeling approach has broad applicability to regional bat monitoring efforts now underway in several countries and we suggest ways to improve and expand our grid-based monitoring program to gain robust insights into bat population status and trend across large portions of North America.
RNA aptamers that functionally interact with green fluorescent protein and its derivatives

Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) and related fluorescent proteins (FPs) have been widely used to tag proteins, allowing their expression and subcellular localization to be examined in real time in living cells and animals. Similar fluorescent methods are highly desirable to detect and track RNA and other biological molecules in living cells. For this purpose, we have developed a group of RNA aptamers that bind GFP and related proteins, which we term Fluorescent Protein-Binding Aptamers (FPBA). These aptamers bind GFP, YFP and CFP with low nanomolar affinity and binding decreases GFP fluorescence, whereas slightly augmenting YFP and CFP brightness. Aptamer binding results in an increase in the pKa of EGFP, decreasing the 475 nm excited green fluorescence at a given pH. We report the secondary structure of FPBA and the ability to synthesize functional multivalent dendrimers. FPBA expressed in live cells decreased GFP fluorescence in a valency-dependent manner, indicating that the RNA aptamers function within cells. The development of aptamers that bind fluorescent proteins with high affinity and alter their function, markedly expands their use in the study of biological pathways.
Therapeutic and safety evaluation of 200 mg/day itraconazole for 7 days in the treatment of recalcitrant superficial mycoses — a preliminary report

Background/Aims: Itraconazole is active against most human fungal pathogens and has been conventionally used in the treatment of tinea corporis/ cruris at a dosage of 100 mg once daily for 15 days. Recently, a new regimen of 200 mg daily for 7 days has been shown to be equally effective, but there are no reports of the use of this new regimen in the Taiwanese population.Methods: In this open study, 17 patients with recalcitrant superficial mycoses were given 200 mg/day itraconazole for 7 days. All of them completed the treatment and 11 patients returned for follow-up 4 weeks after the treatment.Results: Cure or marked improvement at the end of the 7-day treatment period was noted in 10 of 17 patients (59%) while partial improvement was noted in 7 of 17 (41%). Four weeks after completion of the treatment, 9 of 11 (82%) remained cured or markedly improved, 1 of 11 (9%) was partially improved, and 1 of 11 (9%) had relapsed. These findings were consistent with the grading of each clinical symptom of infection...
Large-signal 2T, 1C DRAM cell: signal and layout analysis

This paper presents a general signal and layout analysis for the two-transistor, one-capacitor DRAM cell. The 2T, 1C configuration enables significantly larger, typically /spl gsim/3x, raw sense-signal than is achievable in conventional 1T, 1C cells. In general, stray capacitances at the capacitor nodes further increase the signal level; an exact analytic formula is derived in this case, including the dependence upon bitline precharge level. With trench technology, the 2T, 1C cell occupies 25-30% more area than a corresponding folded-bitline 1T, 1C cell; an implementation employing a buried strap is proposed. Maximization of array density requires multiplexing bitlines to sense amps. >
Pediatric Research. National Institutes of Health support in the 'steady-state' decade, 1983-1993.

Objective: To examine the trend in the US Public Health Service's National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for pediatric research over the last 10 years in terms of dollars expended, grants awarded to pediatrics departments vs other medical school departments, NIH Clinical Research Center support, and the distribution of NIH grants to all medical schools and children's hospitals in the United States. Methods: Statistical information from the Division of Research Resources of the NIH, the NIH Clinical Research Center office, and the Society for Pediatric Research for the fiscal year 1982-1983 was compared with fiscal year 1992-1993. Inflation-adjusted dollar calculations were used. All numbers reflect total costs (direct plus indirect costs). Results: Research grant support to medical school departments has been stable, increasing only 1% per year in inflation-adjusted dollars to a total of $3.051 billion; while the total number of grants has decreased 12% to 12 785 awards. Support for pediatric research increased 91% in inflation-adjusted dollars (to $164 million) during this period, and the number of pediatric research grants increased from 390 to 608 (up 56%). However, the nation's 76 clinical research centers (CRCs) show pediatric clinical research is diminishing. Support for such research has fallen a dramatic 55% in 10 years, despite $5.4 million for pediatric acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) clinical trials. There are more pediatric researchers since 1983 (1327-1857), increasing dramatically the number of unfunded pediatric scientists. Disparity of research funding continues between the top research-oriented medical schools (15 of the 126 departments receive 51% of the awards), compared with 72 medical school departments that have 0, 1, or 2 pediatric research grants. Most medical students in the United States will never encounter an NIH-funded pediatric researcher during their medical school training. Conclusions: Pediatric research has increased its absolute and relative NIH grant support in the last 10 years to a greater degree than all other clinical departments except for psychiatry, neurology, and anesthesiology. The distribution of grants favors a small number of departments and children's hospitals. Clinical pediatric research supported by the NIH has fallen dramatically. In the era of stable NIH funding, pediatric investigators must develop other sources (private funding and industry) for expanding their research activities. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1996;150:971-974
Limitations of Nuclear Power as a Sustainable Energy Source

This paper provides a review and analysis of the challenges that nuclear power must overcome in order to be considered sustainable. The results make it clear that not only do innovative technical solutions need to be generated for the fundamental inherent environmental burdens of nuclear energy technology, but the nuclear industry must also address difficult issues of equity both in the present and for future generations. The results show that if the concept of just sustainability is applied to the nuclear energy sector a global large-scale sustainable nuclear energy system to replace fossil fuel combustion requires the following: (i) a radical improvement in greenhouse gas emissions intensity by improved technology and efficiency through the entire life cycle to prevent energy cannibalism during rapid growth; (ii) the elimination of nuclear insecurity to reduce the risks associated with nuclear power so that the free market can indemnify it without substantial public nuclear energy insurance subsidies; (iii) the elimination of radioactive waste at the end of life and minimization of environmental impact during mining and operations; and (iv) the nuclear industry must regain public trust or face obsolescence as a swarm of renewable energy technologies quickly improve both technical and economic performance.
Attracting Talent to the Frontiers of Finance

A growing number of public pensions and sovereign funds located in regions without a history of financial services are making direct investments that bypass traditional financial intermediaries. It seems the world’s financial center of gravity is shifting away from the traditional financial hubs, such as London, New York and Tokyo, to cities at the frontiers of financial markets. Significantly, this new geography of finance and investment offers some unique opportunities for these investors to leverage their organizational endowments (e.g., scale, time horizon, certainty of capital, etc.) through creative capital deployments (e.g., in-house management, seeding new managers, etc.). However, it also creates a variety of new challenges. For example, how do public pension and sovereign funds set up world-class investment organizations out on the frontiers of finance? More specifically, how do these funds attract the talented investment staff they require to implement a sophisticated investment strategy that combines both in-house and external mandates? In this brief white paper, we highlight how certain public pension and sovereign funds are attracting the necessary human resources. We focus, in particular, on the recruitment of the organization’s leaders, both current and future, within the investment departments.
Using time-dependent reliability fallout as a function of yield to optimize burn-in time for a 130 nm SRAM device

Statistical model is presented to predict the burn-in necessary to ensure a specified reliability target over the product lifetime. Parameters for this model are estimated from interval lifetest data. A relationship between yield and reliability was incorporated with thermal and voltage acceleration of time-to-failure. Parameters are fitted simultaneously using the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) methodology. The confidence interval necessary to asses customer risks are constructed using assymptotic theory.
Causes of low scanning angle issues in phased array antennas

This paper analyzes the causes of issues encountered by phased arrays when attempting to scan to low angles. These issues include beam-width widening, gain reduction, increased power return to systems, and pattern degradation. Understanding the causes of these issues can lead to better phased array designs achieving beam steering to lower elevation angles.
Prediction of protein--protein interactions using random decision forest framework

Motivation: Protein interactions are of biological interest because they orchestrate a number of cellular processes such as metabolic pathways and immunological recognition. Domains are the building blocks of proteins; therefore, proteins are assumed to interact as a result of their interacting domains. Many domain-based models for protein interaction prediction have been developed, and preliminary results have demonstrated their feasibility. Most of the existing domain-based methods, however, consider only single-domain pairs (one domain from one protein) and assume independence between domain--domain interactions. Results: In this paper, we introduce a domain-based random forest of decision trees to infer protein interactions. Our proposed method is capable of exploring all possible domain interactions and making predictions based on all the protein domains. Experimental results on Saccharomyces cerevisiae dataset demonstrate that our approach can predict protein--protein interactions with higher sensitivity (79.78%) and specificity (64.38%) compared with that of the maximum likelihood approach. Furthermore, our model can be used to infer interactions not only for single-domain pairs but also for multiple domain pairs. Contact: xwchen@ku.edu Availability: Source code is written in Java and is available upon request from the authors. Supplementary information: http://www.ittc.ku.edu/~xwchen/PPI/random_forest_PPI
Review of occupational lung carcinogens

Lung cancer is the most common malignancy in the United States and is ranked second only to bladder cancer in the proportion of cases thought to be due to occupational exposures. We review the epidemiology of occupational lung cancer, focusing on agents identified as pulmonary carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. We derive estimates of overall relative risks from the major studies of these lung carcinogens, and we also provide estimates of the number of exposed workers. Using our data as well as estimates from other authors, we estimate that approximately 9,000-10,000 men and 900-1,900 women develop lung cancer annually in the United States due to past exposure to occupational carcinogens. More than half of these lung cancers are due to asbestos. This estimate is likely conservative, in that we have restricted our analysis to confirmed lung carcinogens and have ignored occupations with documented excess risk but for which the specific agents are unknown. Also, our estimate of the proportion of workers exposed in the past is probably too low. Our estimate should be viewed only as broad approximation. Nevertheless, it is in line with other estimates by authors using different methods. The current number of cases estimated to be due to occupational exposure reflects past high exposures and is likely to drop in the future, unless other occupational lung carcinogens are confirmed or new carcinogens are introduced into the workplace.
Location information services in mobile ad hoc networks

In previous years, many location based routing protocols have been developed for ad hoc networks. Some of these protocols assume a location service exists which provides location information on all the mobile nodes in the network. We evaluate three location service alternatives. One is a reactive protocol; the other two are proactive protocols. Of the proactive protocols, one sends location tables to neighbors and the other sends location information to all nodes. In our evaluation, one proactive protocol proved to have the best performance overall. Thus, we also evaluate the main input parameter associated with this protocol for optimal performance.