cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Design, fabrication and control of origami robots

Origami robots are created using folding processes, which provide a simple approach to fabricating a wide range of robot morphologies. Inspired by biological systems, engineers have started to explore origami folding in combination with smart material actuators to enable intrinsic actuation as a means to decouple design from fabrication complexity. The built-in crease structure of origami bodies has the potential to yield compliance and exhibit many soft body properties. Conventional fabrication of robots is generally a bottom-up assembly process with multiple low-level steps for creating subsystems that include manual operations and often multiple iterations. By contrast, natural systems achieve elegant designs and complex functionalities using top-down parallel transformation approaches such as folding. Folding in nature creates a wide spectrum of complex morpho-functional structures such as proteins and intestines and enables the development of structures such as flowers, leaves and insect wings. Inspired by nature, engineers have started to explore folding powered by embedded smart material actuators to create origami robots. The design and fabrication of origami robots exploits top-down, parallel transformation approaches to achieve elegant designs and complex functionalities. In this Review, we first introduce the concept of origami robotics and then highlight advances in design principles, fabrication methods, actuation, smart materials and control algorithms. Applications of origami robots for a variety of devices are investigated, and future directions of the field are discussed, examining both challenges and opportunities. Inspired by biological systems, engineers are exploring origami folding with smart material actuation to enable intrinsically actuated designs with complex functionalities and easy fabrication. This Review highlights recent advances in the design, fabrication and control of these origami robots.
Guns Yield Butter? An Exploration of Defense Spending Preferences:

The popular notion of a trade-off between social and defense spending—or guns versus butter—appears often in elite discourse, popular media, and empirical studies of budgetary politics. Yet, there ...
Problems due to medication costs among VA and non-VA patients with chronic illnesses.

OBJECTIVE To compare rates of cost-related medication underuse and other problems due to medication costs among Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) patients with rates among patients with Medicaid, private health insurance, Medicare, and no insurance coverage. STUDY DESIGN Nationwide survey. METHODS A total of 4055 chronically ill patients completed an online questionnaire regarding cost-related adherence problems for medications used to treat 16 chronic illnesses. Respondents also reported whether they cut back on necessities due to medication costs, increased their debt burden to pay for prescriptions, and worried about how they would pay for their medications. RESULTS Rates of cost-related medication underuse were lower among VA patients (12%) than among patients with Medicaid (25%; P =.0004), Medicare (22%; P =.001), or no insurance (35%; P < .0001). In multivariate analyses, patients with Medicare or no insurance coverage were more likely than VA patients to forego medication at least once per month due to cost (adjusted odds ratios of 3.4 and 3.9; both P < or = .001). Patients with Medicare or no insurance coverage also were more likely than VA patients to forego basic needs to pay medication costs, borrow money to pay for their treatments, and worry frequently about how they would pay for their medication. CONCLUSION The VA's prescription benefits may prevent problems due to medication costs. Studies assessing the impact of VA prescription coverage on health outcomes and service use will be needed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of VA drug benefit policies.
SYSTEMIC ACTIVITY OF OXAMYL TO MELOIDOGYNE JAVANICA AT THE ROOT SURFACE OF TOMATO PLANTS

Summary The systemic activity of oxamyl was tested by applying it as a soil drench or to living leaves for downward translocation. The test plant was tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum and the test organism the root knot nematode, Meloidogyne javanica. Applied to one part of the root system at a concentration of 10 ppm, oxamyl did not affect nematodes in another, separate part of the root system, but at 300 ppm the number of larvae entering the separate root system decreased, and fewer root tips were penetrated. At 300 ppm oxamyl also reduced nematode growth, development and egg production for up to 30 days. Observations of nematodes on agar plates suggested that the chemical was retained at the root surface, where it deterred feeding and penetration by the nematodes. The numbers of Meloidogyne males and larvae recovered from soil were unaffected but microbial feeding nematodes around roots of oxamyl-treated plants were significantly reduced. The protective effect of oxamyl appeared to be strongest two days after application after which it declined, but was still discernible up to 30 days after application of 300 ppm to roots. Hatching of eggs of M. javanica , and extraction of microbial feeders on the root surface was inhibited for up to four days in a mist extraction chamber, but thereafter the effect was lost suggesting loss of biological activity by leaching or by inactivation.
Arterial Spin Labeling MR Imaging Reproducibly Measures Peak-Exercise Calf Muscle Perfusion: A Study in Patients With Peripheral Arterial Disease and Healthy Volunteers

Objectives This study hypothesized that arterial spin labeling (ASL) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging at 3-T would be a reliable noncontrast technique for measuring peak exercise calf muscle blood flow in both healthy volunteers and patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and will discriminate between these groups. Background Prior work demonstrated the utility of first-pass gadolinium-enhanced calf muscle perfusion MR imaging in patients with PAD. However, patients with PAD often have advanced renal disease and cannot receive gadolinium. Methods PAD patients had claudication and an ankle brachial index of 0.4 to 0.9. Age-matched normal subjects (NL) had no PAD risk factors and were symptom-free with exercise. All performed supine plantar flexion exercise in a 3-T MR imaging scanner using a pedal ergometer until exhaustion or limiting symptoms and were imaged at peak exercise with 15 averaged ASL images. Peak perfusion was measured from ASL blood flow images by placing a region of interest in the calf muscle region with the greatest signal intensity. Perfusion was compared between PAD patients and NL and repeat testing was performed in 12 subjects (5 NL, 7 PAD) for assessment of reproducibility. Results Peak exercise calf perfusion of 15 NL (age: 54 ± 9 years) was higher than in 15 PAD patients (age: 64 ± 5 years, ankle brachial index: 0.70 ± 0.14) (80 ± 23 ml/min – 100 g vs. 49 ± 16 ml/min/100 g, p Conclusions ASL is a reproducible noncontrast technique for quantifying peak exercise blood flow in calf muscle. Independent of exercise time, ASL discriminates between NL and PAD patients. This technique may prove useful for clinical trials of therapies for improving muscle perfusion, especially in patients unable to receive gadolinium.
Developing Mathematical Concepts with Microcomputer Activities

Ten-year-old students are wearing advertising buttons that read MICROS ARE THINKER TOYS. Teachers are bringing microcomputers into their classrooms and using them with students. Teachers are, in fact, investing large amounts of time and energy in learning the capabilities of the microcomputer hardware, in searching for appropriate software, and in experimenting with different computer uses to find out what is most effective. There are other indications of increased microcomputer interest and use. Elementary school administrators are spending larger sums of money for not only the purchase of hardware, software, and print resources, but also consultants' advice, staff training, course development, and curriculum reorganization. Publishers are making large investments to develop microcomputer software and related print resources for elementary school mathematics students and teachers. Professional journals such as the Arithmetic Teacher, and the Mathematics Teacher, and magazines such as Instructor and Learning are devoting more space to computer-related articles. Where will all this interest and ex-
Monastic Preaching to the Laity in Thirteenth-Century England

The accepted narrative concerning monastic preaching to the English laity suggests that it happened occasionally in the twelfth century and then disappeared until the fourteenth century when monks ...
Molecular Dynamics Properties without the Full Trajectory: A Denoising Autoencoder Network for Properties of Simple Liquids.

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation is a popularly used computational tool to compute microscopic and macroscopic properties of a variety of systems including liquids, solids, biological systems, et...
Complexity and Firewalls

Let me come now to the subject of firewalls. A firewall is supposed to be an extremely intense high energy shock wave propagating on or just behind the horizon. There are two paradoxes, both of which were claimed to be solved by firewalls. One is connected with entanglement and the other with “typicality.”
Characterizing the Learning Curve for Anterior Total Hip Arthroplasties Using the Forgotten Joint Score

There are 2 approaches to a total hip arthroplasty (THA) that are commonly used by orthopedic surgeons. While the posterior approach has traditionally been used more frequently, the anterior approach has recently gained popularity because it has been shown to improve patient outcomes. Still, the challenge of learning any new surgical approach during practice can pose its own complications. This study’s aim was to evaluate outcomes of the different approaches, overall and along a chronological timeline, in order to better understand the learning curve for transitioning from a posterior to an anterior approach for THAs. While other studies have examined this learning curve using operating room times and procedural-specific data, this study investigates this topic through the patient’s perspective by using the Forgotten Joint Score (FJS) questionnaire to evaluate patient-perceived pain. A total of 246 patients who underwent a THA procedure performed by a single orthopedic surgeon at MedStar Washington Hospital Center were contacted. FJS questionnaire data from 39 patients (47 THAs) were analyzed. Despite results showing a higher mean FJS for the anterior approach (mean score, 77.55; standard error of the mean \[SEM\], 5.27; n = 29 THAs) than the posterior approach (mean score, 69.42; SEM, 7.19; n = 18 THAs ), there was no significant difference found between groups (P = .38). Furthermore, based on 2-way analysis of variance, neither the surgical approach nor the surgery year were significantly associated with FJS. Overall, while there are still important considerations in surgical practice regarding learning a new procedure, our data did not suggest that the learning curve of transitioning from the posterior to the anterior approach for THAs significantly affected clinical outcomes; however, the data were limited by a small sample size due to poor survey response rate.
Impetus-Like Reasoning as Continuous with Newtonian Physics

Among the student ideas about forces discussed in the literature, perhaps the most commonly reported is the notion of an impetus force, or the “belief that there is a force inside a moving object that keeps it going and causes it to have some speed.” For example, Clement asked university students taking introductory mechanics to draw a free-body diagram for a coin that has been tossed upward. He found that students often drew an arrow in the direction of the coin’s motion, at a point midway between the initial toss and the turnaround point, sometimes providing reasoning that suggested that the arrow corresponds to a “force from your hand” or the “force of the throw.” Clement interpreted these responses as indicating that “student[s] may believe that continuing motion implies the presence of a continuing force in the same direction, as a necessary cause of the motion.” As another example, in a study conducted with undergraduate students at Johns Hopkins University, McCloskey, Caramazza, and Green asked students to draw the path a ball will follow after it exits the curved tubes pictured in Fig. 1. The authors found that students often drew curved trajectories for the ball exiting each tube, and they coined the term “curvilinear impetus principle” to describe students’ reasoning. They write that students reasoned as though “an object constrained to move in a curved path acquires a curvilinear impetus that causes it to continue in a curved trajectory for some time after the constraints on its motion are removed.”
Poly(lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) scaffold promotes equivalent tissue integration and supports skin grafts compared to a predicate collagen scaffold

Dermal scarring from motor vehicle accidents, severe burns, military blasts, etc. is a major problem affecting over 80 million people worldwide annually, many of whom suffer from debilitating hypertrophic scar contractures. These stiff, shrunken scars limit mobility, impact quality of life, and cost millions of dollars each year in surgical treatment and physical therapy. Current tissue engineered scaffolds have mechanical properties akin to unwounded skin, but these collagen-based scaffolds rapidly degrade over 2 months, premature to dampen contracture occurring 6-12 months after injury. This study demonstrates a tissue engineered scaffold can be manufactured from a slow-degrading viscoelastic copolymer, poly(ι-lactide-co-e-caprolactone), with physical and mechanical characteristics to promote tissue ingrowth and support skin-grafts. Copolymers were synthesized via ring-opening polymerization. Solvent casting/particulate leaching was used to manufacture 3D porous scaffolds by mixing copolymers with particles in an organic solvent followed by casting into molds and subsequent particle leaching with water. Scaffolds characterized through SEM, micro-CT, and tensile testing confirmed the required thickness, pore size, porosity, modulus, and strength for promoting skin-graft bioincorporation and dampening fibrosis in vivo. Scaffolds were Oxygen Plasma Treatment and collagen coated to encourage cellular proliferation. Porosity ranging from 70% to 90% was investigated in a subcutaneous murine model and found to have no clinical effect on tissue ingrowth. A swine full-thickness skin wound model confirmed through histology and Computer Planimetry that scaffolds promote skin-graft survival, with or without collagen coating, with equal safety and efficacy as a commercially available tissue engineered scaffold. This study validates a scalable method to create poly(ι-lactide-co-e-caprolactone) scaffolds with appropriate characteristics and confirms in mouse and swine wound models that the scaffolds are safe and effective at supporting skin-grafts. The results of this study have brought us closer towards developing an alternative technology that supports skin grafts with the potential to investigate long-term hypertrophic scar contractures.
In-vitro study of lithium binding by sodium zirconium cyclosilicate (Lokelma®) or patiromer (Veltassa®)

Lithium poisoning remains common. Symptomatic lithium poisonings often require hemodialysis, especially when the patient has impaired renal function. An effective and non-invasive treatment to remo...
At the margins: agriculture, subsidies and the shifting fate of North America’s native grassland

We examined patterns of shifting cropland cultivation in the US Great Plains from the dust bowl to the beginning of the 21st century, by comparing land-cover data from 400 sample sites across the region from the 1930s, 1950s, 1970s and, 1990s and 2000s. We argue that understanding the use of marginal land for cultivation in the Great Plains since the Great Depression requires understanding the interacting dynamics of demography, technology, and policy. The small area land-cover data are nested within 50 target counties across the region. We draw on these dynamics, and their interactions with a range of policy programs aimed at reducing environmental impacts of agriculture, to tell the story of how and when marginal lands have been brought into use. In a multi-level panel design, macro- and micro-level covariates were used to predict levels of encroachment on marginal soils. We conclude that land retirement programs (like the Conservation Reserve Program) have had a generally stabilizing effect on the micro-level patterns of land use in recent decades, but that increased levels of encroachment on marginal soils and native grassland remain a problem in areas with higher or increasing population densities.
Abraham Cowley's “Pindaric Way”: Adapting Athleticism in Interregnum England

AbstractThis essay argues that Abraham Cowley uses his 1656 edition of Pindaric imitations to represent and respond to the institutional failures evident in the ongoing social conflicts of the 1640s and 1650s. Cowley distills Pindar's characteristically difficult epinician odes into an “irrational” and “obscure” public poetry that defies social and poetic conventions with an insistently “enthysiastical” force. The resulting “Dithyrambique tide” of imaginative expression overwhelms all subjects and precedents that are “not strong built and well ballasted,” expressing the incessant social change that had undone the customary authorities in mid‐century England. Cowley turns this tide against the failed “forms” that asserted themselves in his changing society, drowning the authoritative and totalizing philosophies of Royalists, Republicans, Conformists, and Reformists alike. For Cowley, the “Pindaric” is a force of fluid change that unsettles established ways of knowing and reimagines meaning in terms of move...
Analysis of Implementations to Secure Git for Use as an Encrypted Distributed Version Control System

This paper analyzes two existing methods for securing Git repositories, Git-encrypt and Git-crypt, by comparing their performance relative to the default Git implementation. Securing a Git repository is necessary when the repository contains sensitive or restricted data. This allows the repository to be stored on any third-party cloud provider with assurance that even if the repository data is leaked, it will remain secure. The analysis of current Git encryption methods is done through a series of tests that examines the performance trade-offs made for added security. This performance is analyzed in terms of size, time, and functionality using three different Git repositories of varying size. The three experiments include initializing and populating a repository, compressing a repository through garbage collection, and modifying then committing files to the repository. The results show that Git maintains functionality with each of these two encryption implementations at the cost of time and repository size. The time increase is found to be a factor ranging from 14 to 38 times the original time. The size increase over multiple commits of edited files is found to increase linearly proportional to the working set of files.
Spatial analysis for an intermodal terminal to support agricultural logistics

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to address an importance of an intermodal terminal regarding container drayage trips, which have a major concern for agricultural product exporters in the Upper Great Plains. Thus, this study aims to develop a geospatial model considering travel distance and total logistics costs for determining an alternative intermodal terminal location. Design/methodology/approach – This paper develops a spatial model integrating integer linear programming to determine an intermodal facility location that minimizes total logistics costs. This research considers travel distance and total logistics costs including highway, rail and transshipment costs. Findings – The results shows that a Dilworth, Minnesota, terminal reduces vehicle miles of travel on both the highways and rail networks and decreases system-wide total logistics costs compared to the do-nothing scenario while decreasing urban congestion costs in metropolitan areas. Research limitations/implications – The major contri...
Do Lesbians Get AIDS? Women Who Have Sex with Women, HIV/AIDS, and Its Mental Health Impact

The author is a psychiatrist working in a clinic for people who are HIV positive. She discusses issues for lesbians at risk for and affected by HIV. These include the low perceived risk of infection, barriers to getting appropriate health care, and general lack of knowledge about the special needs of lesbians at risk for HIV. The importance of not making assumptions and taking a full sexual history is emphasized.
Determination of St. John's Wort Components in Dietary Supplements and Functional Foods by Liquid Chromatography

St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) preparations, a top-selling botanical dietary supplement used primarily as an antidepressant, has recently been used as an ingredient in some food products sold as functional foods. A rapid extraction technique followed by a liquid chromatographic (LC) method was developed to determine 4 characteristic bioactive compounds (pseudohypericin, hypericin, hyperforin, and adhyperforin) from St. John's wort in dietary supplements and functional foods to which it was added. Solid samples, including dried leaf/flower mixture, dietary supplement capsules, tea bags, puff and snack bar, were extracted with methanol by sonication. Noncarbonated, fruit-flavored drinks were centrifuged and mixed with methanol. Compounds were then determined by isocratic, reversed-phase LC with UV detection at 2 wavelengths and further identified or confirmed by photodiode array spectra and LC/mass spectrometry. Within-laboratory method variations (% RSD) were satisfactory. Very low amounts, if any, of the 4 components were found in drink and puff samples, and none was found in the snack bar. The methods developed provide a useful means for the determination of St. John's wort components in dietary supplements and functional foods.
Law-Fixing: Should Lawyers Agree How to Interpret Statutes?

Section 402 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 prohibits loans from publicly traded corporations to their officers or directors. Although the statute is worded broadly, there are some insider loans, such as travel advances, that Congress probably did not intend to prohibit. The SEC has chosen not to provide an authoritative interpretation of section 402, though, so the section's scope is unclear. Twenty-five prominent law firms have responded to this lack of clarity by issuing a 'position paper' assessing the legality of various types of loans under section 402. The firms conclude that, of the types of loans they consider, none violates the section. For some types of loans, like travel advances, their conclusions seem reasonable. But in other cases the firms' conclusions are questionable. For instance, the firms conclude that although section 402 prohibits material modifications of pre-existing loans, forgiveness of such loans is permissible. This article asks whether the firms' collective interpretative effort might be an antitrust violation. The article asks, first, whether the law firms have agreed on interpretations of section 402, and, second, whether such an agreement would violate the antitrust laws. On the first question, the firms do seem to have agreed on their interpretations. Although it is possible that the firms are not following the interpretations they present in the position paper, the paper itself says that the firms concur in its conclusions. And at least one of the firms had, prior to the issuance of the position paper, advised its clients not to engage in several of the practices described by the paper as permissible. As to whether such an agreement would be a violation, there are no real efficiencies in acting collectively, and doing so may lead the firms to offer more permissive advice. If they agree on such advice, they not only avoid being disadvantaged ex ante by competition from other firms offering permissive advice, but are less subject to ex post second-guessing if their advice turns out to be wrong. And even if permissive advice is what their corporate clients (i.e., their clients' officers) want to hear, that advice might ultimately injure the clients if it turns out to be wrong. Moreover, one might view the injured 'consumers' as the shareholders of the clients, or the public, both of which are entitled to have legislation operate without collective private efforts that impose particular legislative interpretations. Although in some respects this would be a novel antitrust theory, the Supreme Court has on several occasions objected to private agreements of non-lawyers that it has viewed as akin to private legislation.
Hypertension and sodium-lithium countertransport in Utah pedigrees: evidence for major-locus inheritance.

Likelihood analysis was used to test for evidence that an allele at a major locus elevates rates of sodium-lithium countertransport (SLC) in a sample of 1,989 members of 89 Utah pedigrees. The pedigrees were ascertained through two or three sibs who died of stroke before age 74 years (stroke pedigrees), through hypertensive and normotensive probands of the Salt Lake Center of the Hypertension Detection and Followup Program (HDFP pedigrees), or through men who suffered a myocardial infarction before age 55 years (coronary pedigrees). Major-locus inheritance could be rejected in the total sample; transmission probability estimates of tau1 = .972, tau2 = .520, tau3 = .185 differed significantly from Mendelian transmission specified by tau1 = 1, tau2 = 1/2, tau3 = 0. However, heterogeneity between ascertainment groups was significant (chi2(18) = 40.06, P less than .01) and justified analysis within subsets of the sample. In the stroke pedigrees, evidence of major-locus inheritance was not found; polygenic heritability was estimated as .647. In the HDFP pedigrees, estimates of tau1 = .987, tau2 = .430, tau3 = .506 differed significantly from Mendelian transmission; the inferred model consisted of a mixture of two distributions incompatible with both Mendelian and environmental transmission but compatible with polygenic inheritance within distributions. In the coronary pedigrees, the hypothesis of Mendelian transmission could not be rejected. In the coronary pedigrees, the evidence supported an incompletely recessive allele with a frequency of .227 which elevated the level of SLC to a mean of .530 mmol/liter RBC/h.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Decreased Mortality Rates of Inmates With Mental Illness After a Tobacco-Free Prison Policy

Objective:Negative health consequences of smoking have prompted many correctional facilities to become tobacco free, including the New Jersey Department of Corrections, and this study examined the results of implementing tobacco-free policies.Methods:Mortality rates in the total population of inmates and in a subgroup with identified special mental health needs or mental illnesses (referred to in this article as persons with special needs) were measured from January 2005 through June 2014, a period during which tobacco use was significantly reduced and then eliminated.Results:The total mortality rate of all causes of death combined was three times higher for persons with special needs in 2005 compared with those without special needs. The total annual mortality rate decreased by 13%, from 232 to 203 per 100,000 population between 2005 and 2013. The mortality rate for persons identified as having special needs decreased by 48%, from an average of 676 per 100,000 population over the eight-year period before...
Immune complexes and IFN-γ decrease cholesterol 27-hydroxylase in human arterial endothelium and macrophages

The enzyme cholesterol 27-hydroxylase, expressed by arterial endothelium and monocytes/macrophages, is one of the first lines of defense against the development of atherosclerosis. By catalyzing the hydroxylation of cholesterol to 27-hydroxycholesterol, which is more soluble in aqueous medium, the enzyme promotes the removal of cholesterol from the arterial wall. Prior studies have suggested that immune reactants play a role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis; we report here that immune reactants, IFN-gamma and immune complexes bound to C1q, but not interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor, diminish the expression of cholesterol 27-hydroxylase in human aortic endothelial cells, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, monocyte-derived macrophages, and the human monocytoid cell line THP-1. In addition, our studies demonstrate that immune complexes down-regulate cholesterol 27-hydroxylase only after complement fixation via interaction with the 126-kD C1qRp protein on endothelial cells and THP-1 cells. These results are consistent with the prior demonstration that IFN-gamma contributes to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and suggest a role for C1q receptors in the atherogenic process. Moreover, these observations suggest that one mechanism by which immune reactants contribute to the development of atherosclerosis is by down-regulating the expression of the enzymes required to maintain cholesterol homeostasis in the arterial wall.
The ethics of opinion in academe: Questions for an ethical and administrative dilemma

If we accept that all plagiarism is wrong, the issue is black and white. But are there more challenging questions that color the issue with shades of gray that may influence or help clarify the ethical underpinnings of the act? Does intent matter? Does the venue matter? Does the form of writing matter? What about a professor when working as a private citizen, rather than in his/her academic role? Might plagiarism be mitigated when there is no associated financial gain? Is a writer’s history that exhibits impeccable ethical integrity relevant? Should these factors, and/or other factors, even be considered in a university’s administrative response — or non-response? What might employing an ethical approach contribute to wrestling with the dilemma? The authors explore critical issues that might face a senior academic administrator when confronting the need to respond on behalf of a university to a charge of plagiarism leveled by an influential newspaper against a university professor for a social responsibility-focused opinion-editorial published in this newspaper.
Perceptions of Turning Points and Dialectical Interpretations in Organizational Team Development

This study examined perceptions of turning points and six dialectical contradictions for organizational team development. Sixty-three team members were interviewed utilizing a revised version of the Retrospective Interview Technique (RIT). After turning points were identified, a questionnaire was administered to determine the centrality or importance of six dialectical contradictions for each turning point. The six contradictions were autonomy versus connection, predictability versus novelty, openness versus closedness, team versus individual, dominance versus submission, and competence versus incompetence. Turning point types clustered around issues of cohesion, project development, socialization, member change, competence, workload, and conflict. Questionnaire results revealed that team versus individual and competence versus incompetence were rated as significantly more important and dominance versus submission was significantly less important than the other three contradictions.
On the Influence of a Rigid Circular Inclusion on the Twisting and Shearing of a Shallow Spherical Shell

Known results for plates with rigid inclusions are complemented by explicit asymptotic solutions of the corresponding problems for sufficiently thin spherical shells. An important element of the analysis is recognition of the fact that in addition to the distinction between interior and edge zone solution contributions there is a significant distinction between near-field and far-field behavior of the interior solution, with the nature of this distinction depending on the nature of the boundary conditions which are prescribed. In the event that near-field behavior is of the membrane type and far-field behavior of the inextensional bending type, or vice versa, much higher stress concentrations occur than without such change in interior solution behavior.
Functional and Oncological Outcomes of Partial Nephrectomy of Solitary Kidneys

Purpose: We examined outcomes after partial nephrectomy in patients with tumors in a solitary kidney to determine the extent to which patient, surgery and tumor specific variables influenced the glomerular filtration rate and local recurrence postoperatively.Materials and Methods: Demographics, renal function, comorbidities, renal cell carcinoma history, and operative and pathological data were recorded. The effect on changes in early and late postoperative glomerular filtration rate and local recurrence were analyzed.Results: In 84 patients undergoing a total of 89 partial nephrectomies the mean immediate postoperative decrease in the glomerular filtration rate in those with no ischemia, warm ischemia (mean 12 minutes) and cold ischemia (mean 33 minutes) was 29%, 37% and 45%, respectively (p <0.01). Late glomerular filtration rate decreases were 12%, 6% and 16%, respectively (p = 0.17). Cold ischemia and multiple vascular risk factors were associated with immediate glomerular filtration rate decreases (p...
Multimodal behavioral treatment of depression

Multimodal behavior therapy emphasizes the need to pay specific and direct attention to the correction of deviant behaviors, unpleasant feelings, negative sensations, intrusive images, irrational beliefs, stressful relationships, and possible biochemical imbalance. In treating depressed persons, especially those in whom sicide is probable, it is imperative to enjoin the patient to recognize and utilize a variety of positive reinforcers. This often demands special therapeutic time and attention. Durbale results usually call for a new range of interpersonal skills, the elimination of selfdepreciation, time-projected images in which the client sees himself engaging in future rewarding activities, a “sensate focus” of enjoyable events, a repertoire of adaptive affective reactions such as self-assertive and uninhibited responses, and a behavioral pattern characterized by daily sampling of personally reinforcing activities.
The determination of binding constants of micellar-packaged gramicidin A by 13C-and 23Na-NMR

Abstract Based on the malonyl gramicidin A structure of a single-stranded head-to-head hydrogen bonded right-handed, β 6.3 -helix in dodecyl phosphocholine (DPC) lipid micelles (Jing et al. (1994) Biophys. J. 66, A353), the determination of cation binding sites for gramicidin A (GA) in DPC micelles becomes a significant step in the study of ion transport through the model channel. First, the investigation of cation binding sites in DPC micellar packaged gramicidin A was achieved by 13 C-NMR experiments at 30°C using four C-13 labeled GA samples. Then, the analyses based on two different equations, one for single and one for double occupancy, were employed to evaluate the correct occupancy model for GA in DPC micelles. The results clearly indicate double occupancy to be correct for Na + ion as well as for K + , Rb + , Cs + and Tl + ions. Finally, the binding constants for Na + ion were also estimated by the measurement of the longitudinal relaxation time ( T 1 ) using 23 Na-NMR of the same sample at the same temperature as used for the 13 C-NMR study. The binding constants obtained from 23 Na-NMR are essentially equivalent to those determined from the 13 C-chemical shifts.
Somatostatin and somatostatin analogues: pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamic effects.

Somatostatin is a 14 amino acid peptide that inhibits pancreatic exocrine and endocrine secretion. Its clinical application has been limited by its very short half life, necessitating continuous intravenous infusion. Octreotide is an 8 amino acid synthetic analogue of somatostatin that possesses similar pharmacological effects. It has a much longer duration of action, however, and can be given subcutaneously. Both the intravenous and subcutaneous routes of injection of octreotide are well tolerated. Peak serum concentrations occur within 30 minutes after subcutaneous administration and within four minutes of a three minute intravenous infusion. Serum concentration increases linearly with dose. Octreotide is distributed rapidly, mainly in the plasma, where it is 65% protein bound. The elimination half life is about 1.5 hours and about 32% of a subcutaneous dose is excreted in the urine as unchanged octreotide. Octreotide inhibits gastroenteropancreatic secretion, especially of insulin, glucagon, pancreatic polypeptide, gastric inhibitory polypeptide, and gastrin. It also inhibits both release of thyroid stimulating hormone and growth hormone secretion in response to exercise, insulin induced hypoglycaemia, and argenine stimulation. Octreotide reduces splanchnic blood flow in healthy volunteers and hepatic venous pressure in cirrhotic patients. It can accelerate or delay gastric emptying, prolong transit time at moderate to high doses, stimulate motility at low doses, and inhibit gall bladder emptying. Octreotide considerably inhibits pentagastrin stimulated gastric acid secretion and significantly diminishes exocrine pancreatic function (amylase, trypsin, lipase). Octreotide increases intestinal transit time and decreases endogenous fluid secretion in the jejunum and ileum, thus increasing the absorption of water and electrolytes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Patient-reported outcomes in adults with type 2 diabetes using mealtime inhaled technosphere insulin and basal insulin versus premixed insulin.

Abstract Aims: This study assessed patient-reported outcomes in a multicenter study of adults with type 2 diabetes taking mealtime Technosphere® inhaled insulin (MannKind Corp., Valencia, CA) and b...
A model for malignancy-associated humoral hypercalcemia.

Tumor tissue from a patient with squamous cell carcinoma of the lung and hypercalcemia has been serially implanted into athymic mice. Tumor-bearing mice develop cachexia, hypercalcemia without bone metastases, hypophosphatemia, increased urinary cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) to creatinine ratio, and undetectable human immunoreactive parathyroid hormone levels. Radiographs of spines in the tumor-bearing mice demonstrate demineralization, suggesting skeletal resorption as the source of the hypercalcemia. Within 4–8 hours following tumor removal, hypercalcemia is reversed, suggesting that a relatively short-acting humoral substance is responsible for the hypercalcemia. The animals gain weight and become essentially normal within 4 days following tumor removal. The studies demonstrate that this animal model is similar in many aspects to human malignancy-associated humoral hypercalcemia (MAHH) and can provide a useful tool for further investigation of the pathogenesis and treatment of this syndrome.
Strong room-temperature chemiresistive effect of TiO2 nanowires to nitro-aromatic compounds

Nanostructured TiO 2 thin films are found to be highly responsive to trace vapors of common nitro-explosives at room temperature. Thin films of TiO 2 nanowires, made with high yield hydrothermal synthesis, present very reliable sensing characteristics to nitro-aromatic molecules with high sensitivity and fast response at ambient condition. The detection limit of 2, 4-dinitrotoluene (DNT) vapor at room temperature could reach up to 3ppb. The experimental results indicate titania nanowires as a novel chemical sensor to explosive gas have a great commercial potential due to its unique advantages: high sensitivity, rapid response and recovery, small size suitable for intergration with microelectronics and low fabrication cost. Experimental results and a theoretical model are presented.
Real-Time Management of Power Systems With V2G Facility for Smart-Grid Applications

Real-time application in power systems is a key to smart-grid realization. Maintaining accurate security information and monitoring the changing system state are necessary for real-time management of the modern-day power system. Smart-grid applications provide an excellent opportunity to better manage the voltage stability of the power system. Using intelligent electronic devices, it is possible to capture power system data, and give an instantaneous snapshot of the system status. The penetration of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) into the power system may introduce a high-level of volatility due precarious charging/discharging operations, hence emphasizing the need for a real-time management option. In this paper, a real-time monitoring diagnostic of the power system is presented. The system parameters for consideration are voltage profile, voltage stability, step voltage regulators (SVRs) operations, power, and energy loss. Economic studies are also considered. Results show that for a given V2G penetration level, three-phase and system-wide V2G integration results in an improved system performance, and economic operation of the power system than a one-phase V2G integration. Results also indicate that using V2G parking lots to inject reactive power to the grid at an optimal location can promise about 95% power/energy loss reduction (relative to power loss without V2G installed). The results are suitable for further applications of smart grids.
Neuropathic symptoms, quality of life, and clinician perception of patient care in medical oncology outpatients with colorectal, breast, lung, and prostate cancer

Purpose We investigated how treatment-induced neuropathic symptoms are associated with patients’ quality of life (QOL) and clinician-reported difficulty in caring for patients.
Using P2P Networks for Error Recovery in MBMS Applications

The wireless networks are notoriously error prone and all errors cannot be prevented in real-time communications. The problem of error correction becomes even more challenging in mobile multicast/broadcast applications. The mobile devices are being equipped with multiple modems that could work simultaneously; for example, devices with both GSM (WAN) and WLAN networks such as WiFi. These multi-modal devices can use the second network to improve their error resilience. We propose a P2P approach to establish and utilize an error recovery channel on a secondary network for multi-user video applications. The mobile devices within the vicinity can utilize the WLAN network to form a P2P network for error recovery purpose. We developed and evaluated three error recovery models for error recovery over secondary networks. The proposed models balance the response time, bandwidth utilization, fairness, and unnecessary data received.
Integration of an Essential Services Package (ESP) in Child and Reproductive Health and Family Planning with a Micro-credit Program for Poor Women: Experience from a Pilot Project in Rural Bangladesh

Abstract In early 1992, a two-phased pilot project, initially integrating a micro-credit program for poor women with a family planning and expanded program of immunization (EPI) (in the first phase) and subsequently and incrementally with an essential services package (ESP) in reproductive and maternal and child health (in the second phase), was initiated in rural Bangladesh. Data on the project show that there has been a significant increase in contraceptive use and a decline in fertility since the initiation of the first phase of the project. There also has been an increase in the dissemination of information on, and utilization of, ESP medical technologies in the intervention community at large.
X-Ray Microtomography Applications to Heterogeneous Materials

Microtomography is a powerful tool that allows us to image materials at close to micron resolution. In the case of heterogeneous materials such as wood-based and cement-based composite materials were microstructure-property relationships are extremely difficult to quantify, microtomography enables us to make quantitative assessments of internal structure. Through 3D image analysis we can characterize a variety of parameters that affect a range of physical and mechanical properties. This paper provides an overview of synchrotron-based and laboratory-based microtomography applications to heterogeneous materials, along with the 3D image processing required to extract quantitative information.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Dynamic response of plate on viscous Winkler foundation to moving loads of varying amplitude

The dynamic displacement and stress responses of a plate of infinite extent on a viscous Winkler foundation subjected to moving tandem-axle loads with amplitude variation have been investigated. Formulations have been developed in the transformed field domain using a triple Fourier transform in time, space, and moving space for moving loads with arbitrary amplitude variation, and a double Fourier transform in space and moving space for the steady-state response to moving harmonic loads. The rigid and flexible pavement systems have been selected as models of the plate on viscous Winkler foundation. The effects of viscous damping, load velocity, load frequency, and phase between the front- and rear-axle loads on the maximum deflection and stress and on the deflection and stress distributions near the loads have been investigated. The analysis results considering viscosity of foundation show significant differences from those obtained with an elastic system. The variation in the load amplitude caused by the surface roughness and the difference in the phase between the front- and rear-axle loads can make the maximum deflection and stress considerably larger.
Reverse Pupillary Block Slows Iris Contour Recovery From Corneoscleral Indentation

Corneoscleral indentation changes the iris contour and alters the angle between the iris and cornea. Although this effect has long been observed, the mechanism by which it occurs remains poorly understood. Previous theoretical research has shown that corneoscleral indentation can deform the eye globe and consequently rotate the iris root. In this work, we studied the fluid-structure interaction between the iris and aqueous humor, driven by iris root rotation. The iris root rotation obtained from our previous whole-globe model was used as a boundary condition for a fluid-structure interaction finite element model of the anterior eye. We studied the effect of two parameters-rotation angle and indentation speed-on the iris contour and aqueous humor dynamics. We found that posterior rotation of the iris root caused posterior bowing of the iris. After the iris root was returned to its original orientation, the aqueous humor was trapped in the anterior chamber because the iris tip pinned against the lens (reverse pupillary block). After 0.5-2 min of simulation, aqueous humor secretion into the posterior chamber and outflow from the anterior chamber allowed the system to return to its original steady state flow condition. The faster or farther the iris root rotated, the longer it took to return to steady state. Reverse pupillary block following corneoscleral indentation is a possible explanation for the clinical observation that prevention of blinking causes the iris to drift forward.