cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Direct aqueous injection of the fluoroacetate anion in potable water for analysis by liquid chromatography tandem mass-spectrometry.

Sodium fluoroacetate or Compound 1080 is a rodenticide registered in the United States for use in livestock protection collars. The collars are employed to control predation on herd animals (i.e., killing of cattle by wolves or coyotes). Sodium fluoroacetate is acutely toxic to humans and has potential to cause mass casualties if used to intentionally contaminate water systems. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for characterization and remediation if such an incident occurs in the civilian sector. In support of that goal, EPA has published the Selected Analytical Methods for Remediation and Recovery (SAM) document that provides sampling and analysis methods for many hazardous chemicals such as sodium fluoroacetate. Ideal SAM methods require limited sample preparation steps and utilize widely available equipment to ensure the ability for maximum laboratory participation in a large-scale response. The present paper describes a direct aqueous injection (DAI) method for liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis of the fluoroacetate anion (FAA) in potable water. Sample preservation and filtration are the only pre-processing steps required. FAA is chromatographically separated on an octylsilane (C8) reversed phase column. Separation is attributed to ion-exchange interactions. Electrospray ionization (ESI) in negative mode and detection by tandem mass spectrometry follow. FAA presence was confirmed by two fragment ions in the correct ratio, and use of a labeled standard allowed for quantitation by isotope dilution. FAA detection and quantitation limits were 0.4 μg L−1 and 2 μg L−1, respectively. Four different drinking water utilities provided water samples from varying locations across the U.S. All the water samples were fortified with FAA and tested to evaluate analyte stability and the robustness of the method.
Does Nursing Home Compare Reflect Patient Safety In Nursing Homes

The past several decades have seen significant policy efforts to improve the quality of care in nursing homes, but the patient safety movement has largely ignored this setting. In this study we com...
Economic Impact of Hospitalization Past Maximal Neurosurgical Inpatient Benefit.

Background The unsustainable cost of healthcare in the United States has made it important for all healthcare professionals to examine their practices for wasteful spending and work to mitigate these costs. When neurosurgical patients remain hospitalized beyond the point of maximum inpatient benefit, this represents a potential source of healthcare economic waste. Objective The objective of this study was to determine the direct and indirect costs to a hospital system when neurosurgical patients remain hospitalized past the maximum inpatient benefit and identify targets to improve this potential wasteful spending. Methods We performed an extensive chart review of all patients admitted to our neurosurgical service from the months of July to October 2016, who had been deemed medically stable for discharge but remained in the hospital past their ideal date of discharge. We analyzed for significant trends in patient factors, procedural acuity, disposition, funding, and other factors that contributed to the delays in discharge. Results A total of 334 patients were admitted to the Carilion Clinic-Virginia Tech Carilion (CC-VTC) inpatient neurosurgery service, and 50 of these admissions (15%) resulted in medically unnecessary prolonged hospitalizations. These patients were hospitalized for a total of 324 days past the dates of ideal discharge. Elective cases had the maximum number of prolonged hospitalizations, while the emergent cases had the maximum number of prolonged hospitalization days. Patients with private insurance had the shortest number of prolonged hospitalization days, and uninsured patients had the longest. Patients requiring disposition to a rehabilitation or a nursing facility remained in the inpatient setting for longer periods than those destined for home. The most common factors limiting appropriate discharge were related to bed availability at outside facilities, funding issues, and differing opinions on appropriate disposition. The medically unnecessary days accounted for 41% of the total hospitalization but accounted for only 12.9% of the billable charges. The billable cost per medically necessary day was $17,326 in comparison to a medically unnecessary day of $2,070. Indirect costs were inferred from these patients utilizing beds and resources that could have been allocated to others with acute needs, given that our hospital is at capacity and on diversion, a significant percentage of the time. Conclusion Neurosurgical patients remaining hospitalized past their maximal inpatient benefit have a significant economic impact on a hospital system. Identifying patients who are at risk for prolonged hospitalizations may provide us with the targets for improvement to mitigate this healthcare economic waste.
Securing private housing with a criminal record

The objective of this analysis is to identify factors that Columbus, Ohio private property owners and managers consider when screening potential tenants with criminal records. This objective is ach...
Anesthetic management during bronchoscopy of patients with pulmonary hypertension

This article is intended to provide an overview of the anesthetic management for bronchoscopic procedures in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH). This includes the classifications of PH, diagnosis with severity, and treatment modalities as detailed knowledge of this condition is imperative for proper anesthetic management. Preoperative evaluation and optimization of the patient is discussed as well. Bronchoscopic procedures require airway manipulation and compromise ventilation for lengths of time. As hypoxemia and hypercarbia trigger decompensation in PH, this may lead to a downward spiral if control is lost. Therefore a discussion of the intraoperative anesthetic management and the critical concerns are detailed in this article, as well as treatment modalities and management for said concerns.
Neutron transmission simulation of texture in polycrystalline materials

Abstract The application Sinpol, a novel tool for neutron transmission data analysis, is used to simulate the effect of deformation and recrystallization crystallographic textures in fcc materials. The texture is characterized using an orientation distribution function (ODF), which describes the distribution of crystal orientations over the three-dimensional orientation space. The Sinpol code combines the transmission contribution of each single crystal grain in the ODF to generate neutron transmission patterns through a polycrystalline aggregate. A series of texture components, commonly found in fcc materials, are considered and their neutron transmission calculated for further analysis of experimental data. The effect of grain statistics is investigated and the simulation results on more complex ODF textures are also presented. Finally, the neutron transmission simulations are successfully benchmarked on experimental data recorded on an additive manufactured Inconel 718 specimen.
Hazardous drinking and clinical correlates among suicidal patients receiving psychiatric inpatient care at military medical settings

Abstract Background To describe prevalence and identify clinical correlates of hazardous drinking among suicidal inpatients at military medical settings. Method Data were drawn from the baseline assessment of a multisite randomized controlled trial of Post-Admission Cognitive Therapy (PACT). Participants were military Service members or adult beneficiaries (N = 218) who were admitted to inpatient care following a suicide-related crisis. Hazardous alcohol use in the past year was assessed using the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT). Results The average AUDIT score was 6.78 (SD = 7.87), with 28.9% reporting hazardous drinking (scored ≥8 on the AUDIT). Hazardous drinkers were more likely than nonhazardous drinkers to meet diagnosis of Substance Use Disorder (SUD; Odds Ratio [OR] = 5.96, 95% confidence intervals [CI] = 2.13, 16.71). Hazardous drinking was neither associated with measures of suicide ideation nor aborted or interrupted suicide attempt. However, hazardous drinkers had greater risk of having both single (RRR [Relative Risk Ratio] = 2.55, 95% CI = 1.18, 5.50) and multiple actual suicide attempts (RRR = 2.38, 95% CI = 1.06, 5.32) than nonhazardous drinkers. The association between hazardous drinking and single (but not multiple) actual suicide attempt remained significant after controlling for gender, depressive symptoms, hopelessness, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and SUD (adjusted RRR = 2.48, 95% CI = 1.09, 5.65). Conclusions A history of actual suicide attempt is associated with hazardous alcohol use among suicidal psychiatric inpatients. Assessment of drinking and drug use may inform case conceptualization and treatment of suicide-related behaviors in psychiatric inpatient settings.
Transforming the Culture of Academia One Classroom at a Time: Testimonio of a Latina Junior Faculty Member Engaging in Latina Critical Pedagogical Activism

Inspired by the work of Chicana feminist scholars, the author narrates her process of academic awakening and survival by illustrating how testimonio can be utilized as a pedagogical tool within the classroom. She introduces the concept of Latina Critical Pedagocial Activism (LCPA) and its’ four tenets—centralizacion, epistemological engagement, educonfianza, and lengua resistencia—as a tool to be utilized by Latina faculty. LCPA serves a pedagogical framework faculty could utilize to validate their experiences in the classroom, while simultaneously communicating to Latinx students that their culture matters; that they belong and deserve to be in academia. Together, students and faculty disrupt hegemonic schooling practices by centering non-white ways of knowing, learning, and teaching.
Food-Safe Chitosan–Zein Dual-Layer Coating for Water- and Oil-Repellent Paper Substrates

Coated paper substrates are used for a wide range of applications. The biggest challenge that remains unsolved with regard to coated paper is its recyclability. Herein, we report a unique approach ...
What is the meaning of educational leadership in a time of policy engineering

This philosophical essay explores the purpose of educational leadership with a particular focus on where and how leaders interact with education policy. Building on the idea that the purpose of edu...
Family Environment Characteristics and Mental Health Outcomes for Youth in Foster Care: Traditional and Group-Care Placements

Foster care is meant to provide a safe, temporary out-of-home placement for children exposed to maltreatment, yet little is known about how youth and foster caregivers perceive these new foster care environments and how cohesion and conflict within the foster care setting (i.e., traditional or group-care) may be impacting youths’ mental health. It was expected that cohesion would be negatively associated and conflict would be positively associated with youth internalizing and externalizing problems and that placement type (i.e., traditional foster home vs. group-care setting) would moderate the associations. The sample included 481 youth in foster care (Mage = 13.13, SD = 3.10) and their caregivers. Youth completed self-report measures about family conflict, family cohesion, maltreatment exposure, and youth internalizing symptoms. Foster caregivers completed measures on family cohesion, family conflict, and youths’ externalizing symptoms. Results suggested that youth report of family conflict was positively associated with internalizing problems, while caregiver report of family conflict was not associated with youth internalizing or externalizing symptoms. A significant interaction was found between placement type and youth report of family cohesion, indicating that higher family cohesion was associated with lower levels of internalizing symptoms for youth living in traditional foster care homes, but not for those in group-care settings. This study highlights the importance of utilizing multiple reporters, particularly when examining foster care environments. Results showed that family characteristics were differentially associated with mental health outcomes. Findings suggest that family cohesion is particularly salient for internalizing symptoms of youth living in traditional foster homes.
Probing of Oleic Acid Capped CdSe Quantum Dot Surface Using Visible-Infrared Sum Frequency Generation Spectroscopy: Polarization Dependence, Coupling Effects and Orientational Analysis

Polarization dependence and orientational analysis studies on surface of QDs are carried out as original work here. Selective enhancement of CH3 stretching vibration modes is observed at resonance wavelengths based on coupling effects.
Delayed Tracheal Perforation After Partial Thyroidectomy: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Tracheal perforation is an extremely rare and potentially dangerous complication of a partial thyroidectomy. The current case represents a unique presentation of delayed tracheal perforation follow...
Treating the Digital Disease: The Role of Digital and Physical Primary Sources in Undergraduate Teaching

In early 2019, a Yale University research team composed of librarians and staff from the Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning engaged in an Ithaka S+R study investigating the teaching needs of instructors using primary sources at the undergraduate level in the humanities and social sciences. After interviewing instructors and analyzing the results, the Yale team issued a report describing motivations for teaching with primary sources, how such sources are incorporated into classroom pedagogy, and challenges identified by the interviewees. In this article, I examine the particular meanings assigned to physical and digital primary sources by the instructors interviewed, and why physical primary sources continue to resonate with faculty in an overwhelmingly digital world. The COVID-19 pandemic has radically altered the primary source landscape, unsurprisingly accelerating the use of digital primary sources while leaving the role of physical collections in teaching in an uncertain territory.
Metabolic engineering in woody plants: challenges, advances, and opportunities

Woody plant species represent an invaluable reserve of biochemical diversity to which metabolic engineering can be applied to satisfy the need for commodity and specialty chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and renewable energy. Woody plants are particularly promising for this application due to their low input needs, high biomass, and immeasurable ecosystem services. However, existing challenges have hindered their widespread adoption in metabolic engineering efforts, such as long generation times, large and highly heterozygous genomes, and difficulties in transformation and regeneration. Recent advances in omics approaches, systems biology modeling, and plant transformation and regeneration methods provide effective approaches in overcoming these outstanding challenges. Promises brought by developments in this space are steadily opening the door to widespread metabolic engineering of woody plants to meet the global need for a wide range of sustainably sourced chemicals and materials.
The Housing Market in Russia’s Cities in 2019

In 2019, the macroeconomic indicators directly affecting the housing market were the following. The consumer price index stood at 3 percent, households’ income movement which is important for the housing market in the course of the major part of the year (after a plunge in Q1) posted positive. Over 2019 as a whole, the real disposable cash income of the population gained less than 1percent. The RF Central Bank repeatedly reduced its key rate over the course of last year hitting 6.25 percent in December 2019. Nevertheless, borrowers’ activity and the amount of housing mortgage lending (HML) was below that seen last year. According to the Bank of Russia, in 2019 Russia saw a total of 1.27 million extended mortgages to the tune of RUB 2.85 trillion against 1.47 million totaling RUB 3.01 trillion in 2018, in other words the decline came to 13.6 percent in loans-terms and 5.3 percent in volume-terms. The share of mortgage loans originated for shared-equity construction in the total volume of extended loans of all types constituted in 2019 6.6 percent against 7 percent in 2018. That said, the share of mortgages issued for shared-equity construction in the aggregate volume of solely mortgage loans went up from 28.8 to 32.4 percent.
PrfA and the Listeria monocytogenes Switch from Environmental Bacterium to Intracellular Pathogen

The facultative intracellular bacterium Listeria monocytogenes has been used for decades as a model infectious agent for the study of host innate and adaptive immunity. This chapter focuses on describing what is currently known about how L. monocytogenes mediates the transition from saprophyte to mammalian pathogen and explores the regulatory circuit governed by a transcriptional activator known as PrfA that allows the bacterium to flourish in both soil and cytosol. In healthy individuals, disease caused by L. monocytogenes is usually self-limiting and presents as a form of mild gastroenteritis. The primary route of L. monocytogenes infection is translocation across the intestinal epithelium following the consumption of contaminated food products. The correct compartmentalization of broad range phospholipase C (PC-PLC) activity is important for avoiding damage to host cell membranes and is a critical aspect of L. monocytogenes virulence. L. monocytogenes strains containing prfA* mutations are hyperinvasive, are quicker to mediate phagosome escape, and initiate bacterial actin-based motility more rapidly to promote cell-to-cell spread. Microarray analyses of L. monocytogenes wild-type and prfA* mutants grown in brain heart infusion broth suggest the possibility of at least 145 or more additional genes associated with PrfA regulation. PrfA activation appears to function as the switch that enables L. monocytogenes to transition from saprophyte to pathogen. In contrast to carbon sources encountered within the host, PrfA-dependent gene expression is dramatically repressed in the presence of cellobiose and other readily metabolized sugars that are likely to be more prevalent in environments located outside of host cells.
Between Past and Future: Urban Identity in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor

To balance radical changes in the built environment that accompany urban renewal, many cities deploy historical design elements to provoke a sense of physical and historical continuity. By examining the theory and practice of nostalgia in renewal projects, I argue that this strategic deployment of historical signifiers is more complex and normatively problematic than it first appears. Analyzing the design and construction of Baltimore’s Oriole Park at Camden Yards through Walter Benjamin’s theories of cultural production and historical succession, I show the problematic political effect of such image-led regeneration projects. The stadium exemplifies a system of urban and historical design and construction that uses material artifice to make claims about urban identity, deploying specific historical signifiers as a means to silence others. Drawing from Benjamin’s materialist historiography, I conclude with a survey of the resources that remain for the practice of an architecture of memory in light of my critique.
Propositional non-monotonic reasoning and inconsistency in symmetric neural networks

We define a model-theoretic reasoning formalism that is naturally implemented on symmetric neural networks (like Hopfield networks or Boltzman machines). We show that every symmetric neural network, can be seen as performing a search for a satisfying model of some knowledge that is wired into the network's weights. Several equivalent languages are then shown to describe the knowledge embedded in these networks. Among them is propositional calculus extended by augmenting propositional assumptions with penalties. The extended calculus is useful in expressing default knowledge, preference between arguments, and reliability of assumptions in an inconsistent knowledge base. Every symmetric network can be described by this language and any sentence in the language is translatable into such a network, A sound and complete proof procedure supplements the model-theoretic definition and gives an intuitive understanding of the nonmonotonic behavior of the reasoning mechanism. Finally, we sketch a connectionist inference engine that implements this reasoning paradigm.
Intensive management of high-utilizing adults with sickle cell disease lowers admissions.

A minority of super-utilizing adults with sickle cell disease (SCD) account for a disproportionate number of emergency department (ED) and hospital admissions. We performed a retrospective cohort study comparing the rate of admission before and after the opening of a clinic for adults with SCD. Unique to this clinic was an intensive management strategy, focusing on super-utilizing adults with 12 or more admissions per year. ED/hospital and 30 days re-admission rates were compared, 1 year pre- and post-intervention, for those adults who established in the clinic. Prior to the intervention, 17 super-utilizers, comprising 15% of the pre-intervention cohort (n = 115), accounted for 58% of the total admissions and had an admission rate of 28 per patient-year. When pre- and post-intervention years were compared, rate of ED/hospital admission per patient-year for super-utilizers decreased from 27.9 to 13.5 (P < 0.001), while there was not a significant reduction for the entire cohort (7.1 vs. 6.1, P = 0.84). Similarly, the decrease in rate of 30 day re-admission was larger for the super-utilizers (13.5 per patient-year to 1.8, P < 0.001), than the whole cohort (2.6 per patient-year to 0.7, P = 0.006). Among the super-utilizers, the reduced rate of admission from the pre- to post-clinic intervention year equated to 252 fewer ED/hospital admissions and 227 fewer 30 day re-admissions. This management strategy focusing on super-utilizing adults with SCD lowered admission and 30 day re-admission rate. Am. J. Hematol. 90:215–219, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Family Ethic and the Female Pauper: A New Perspective on Public Aid and Social Security Programs

Abstract Developing new scholarship on women is a recognized need in social work education. It can be furthered by applying a “gender lens” to the knowledge of the relationship between women and the welfare state. Reflecting historical concerns about providing public aid to the able-bodied male pauper and the impact of relief on the work ethic, social welfare literature has focused on male recipients while generalizing its findings to women. As a result, the story of the female pauper remains largely untold. This paper suggests that the relationship between women and the welfare state is shaped by a “family ethic” that in many ways parallels the work ethic known to shape the relationship between the welfare state and men. The family ethic is defined and applied to major income maintenance programs: public aid and social security. This article suggests foci for change.
Books Recevied for Review

Open Mind, Discriminating Mind: Reflections on Human Possibilities, by Charles T. Tart. (San Francisco: Harper & Row), 1990.
The Epistemic Norm of Blame

In this paper I argue that it is inappropriate for us to blame others if it is not reasonable for us to believe that they are morally responsible for their actions. The argument for this claim relies on two controversial claims: first, that assertion is governed by the epistemic norm of reasonable belief, and second, that the epistemic norm of implicatures is relevantly similar to the norm of assertion. I defend these claims, and I conclude by briefly suggesting how this putative norm of blame can serve as the basis for general norms of interpersonal generosity.
Warranties, Durability, and Maintenance: Two-sided Moral Hazard in a Continuous-Time Model

Double moral hazard in continuous time generates the familiar warranty pattern with full coverage for an initial block of time. The more complete the warranty, the better the producer's durability incentives and the worse the consumer's maintenance incentives. Using continuous time highlights the need for some warranty bound to avoid reaching the first-best as an unreasonable limit. Early in the paper, an exogenous bound is used, while later the bound arises endogenously from the possibility of abuse and repair. A quadratic example shows that the warranty's duration depends on the relative severity of the two moral hazard problems.
Postoperative Hyperthermia Is Associated With Cognitive Dysfunction After Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

Background and Purpose— Temperature is a well-known modulator of experimental cerebral injury. We hypothesized that hyperthermia would be associated with a worsened cognitive outcome after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). Methods— Three hundred consenting patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass for CABG had hourly postoperative temperatures recorded. The degree of postoperative hyperthermia was determined by using the maximum temperature within the first 24 hours as well as by calculating the area under the curve for temperatures >37°C. Patients underwent a battery of cognitive testing both before surgery and 6 weeks after surgery. By use of factor analysis, 4 cognitive domains (scores) were identified, and the mean of the 4 scores was used to calculate the cognitive index (CI). Cognitive change was calculated as the 6-week CI minus the baseline CI. Multivariable linear regression (controlling for age, baseline cognitive function, and temperature during cardiopulmonary bypass) was used to c...
Sensitivity of piezoresistive readout device for microfabricated acoustic spectrum analyzer

A readout mechanism has been developed for measuring the response of mechanical microresonators to be used in an array for a microfabricated acoustic spectrum analyzer. It is based on the piezo-resistive property of polysilicon. The piezo-resistive readout mechanism is constructed in a quarter Wheatstone bridge fashion in which four equal serpentine polysilicon patterns are fabricated on top of a dielectric layer of silicon nitride. Microresonator devices using cantilever and clamped-clamped beam types with piezo-resistive readout mechanisms are fabricated using the surface micromachining technology of SUMMiT TM . The sensitivity of the piezo-resistive mechanism is characterized using 10 volts as supply on the Wheatstone bridge and no amplification of signal. The testing is conducted with electrostatic drive potentials 0-75 volts. Sensitivity of 1-5 millivolts per micron of beam deflection was observed by the characterization.
Fibronectin-mediated cellular adhesion to vascular subendothelial matrices.

Abstract Although fibronectin has been well established as a mediator of cell adherence in vitro and has therefore been presumed to play a role as such in vivo, the ability of fibronectin, laid down in vivo, to mediate cell attachment, has not been demonstrated. We have therefore developed a method for quantitating the attachment of cells to vascular endothelium and subendothelial matrix and have used it to assess the role of fibronectin in promoting the attachment of a fibronectin-deficient transformed cell to this site. Whereas only 10% of cells adhered to intact endothelial linings, this attachment increased 8–10-fold when the lining cells were removed by procedures which permitted the retention of subendothelial fibronectin. When lining cells were removed by more drastic procedures which also removed subendothelial fibronectin, adherence of transformed cells was decreased to 6%. Adherence of transformed cells to the basal lamina was not, however, exclusively dependent upon fibronectin. Treatment with antifibronectin antiserum which completely inhibited adherence of these cells to the extracellular matrices of endothelial cells or fibroblasts grown in vitro could inhibit attachment to basal lamina by only 60%. The data suggest that cellular adhesion to microexudates produced by cells in culture may not be an adequate model with which to study cell adhesion in vivo. The method we describe here may provide a more realistic model and could be used to study a variety of cell-substrate interactions.
Development of hyperphagia in male rats following placement of ventromedial hypothalamic lesions at four different ages.

Im Gegensatz zu weiblichen Ratten zeigen mannliche Tiere mit Lasionen des N. ventromedialis hypothalami im Alter von 26, 59, 75 und 140 Tagen kurz nach der Ablaktation keinen unmittelbaren Einfluss auf die Futteraufnahme, Erwachsene nie die in den gleichaltrigen weiblichen Ratten beobachtete Hyperphagie. Mannliche Ratten erreichen das Kontrollniveau schon nach 5 Wochen, wahrend die weiblichen Tiere noch ausgepragte Hyperphagic zeigen.
EEG data acquisition and preprocessing by microcomputer satellite system

Abstract Recent development in computer technology allows already medium scale EEG data processing to be performed within the clinical neurophysiology department, if a fast minicomputer with adequate mass storage and graphical output facilities is used. Data acquisition, however, should be delegated to a microcomputer which also should take over as much preprocessing as possible. A system is presented, where one or several microcomputer-based satellite units perform analog-digital conversion, Fourier transformation (FFT), calculation of power spectra and crossproducts, as well as event-related averaging or other preprocessing procedures. The units are connected to a fast central minicomputer, where a supervisor program loads the microprocessors with their programs, supervises their activity, receives preprocessed data and activates appropriate postprocessing programs to produce the final results.
Application of intelligent agent technology for managerial data analysis and mining

Data analysis and mining technologies help bring business intelligence into organizational decision support systems (DSS). While a myriad of data analysis and mining technologies are commercially available today, organizations are seeing a growing gap between powerful storage (data warehouse) systems and the business users' ability to analyze and act effectively on the information they contain. We contend that to narrow this gap effectively, a data analysis and mining environment is needed that can bring together and make available for use many of these technologies, that can support business users with different backgrounds, and with which the users can work comfortably.This paper illustrates the design and construction of such an environment, called the Intelligent Data Miner. IDM is Web-based and it is intended to provide an organization-wide decision support capability for business users. Intelligent agent technology is used as the basis for IDM design. IDM provides several types of data access capabilities to access and analyze the data contained in a data warehouse to obtain the critical information needed by business decision-makers. It supports both predefined and ad hoc data access, data analysis, data presentation, and data mining requests from non-technical users.An operational prototype of IDM, implemented using Java and JATLite (Java Agent Template, Lite from Stanford University), allowed us to examine the feasibility of having the "agents" automatically control and coordinate activities and tasks on the business users' behalf. These agents proved to hide the complexity of data analysis and mining activities, techniques, and methods from the business users, for effective use of the warehouse data.
The Effect of Force Magnitude on Extractable Bone Resorptive Activity and Cemental Cratering in Orthodontic Tooth Movement

The delay period in the orthodontic tooth movement cycle was studied with respect to the stimulation of an extractable bone resorptive activity and the degree of tissue damage at sites of greatest pressure. Total area of cemental cratering was used as a measure of tissue damage. Both bone resorptive activity and tissue damage were found to be significantly increased with moderate and high forces, a fact which supports the suggestion that bone resorptive activity is related to tissue damage.
Modes in Random Media

The transmitted speckle pattern of localized microwave radiation is decomposed into the underlying modes. Strong correlation is found between neighboring modes.
Notes on G2, determinants, and equidistribution

We determine the exact shape of the G"2 equidistribution law for the one parameter family of exponential sums over F"p^x,@?xmodp,x 0@g"2(x)exp(2@pi(x^7+tx)/p).Here @g"2(x) denotes the quadratic character (x/p), t in F"p is the parameter, and p is any prime other than 2 or 7. This answers a question raised in Keating et al. (J. Phys. A Math. Gen. 36 (2003) 2943, footnote 3) and in Serre (pers. commun., March 7, 2002). We also analyze the analogous families when 7 is replaced by any odd integer n>=3.
Recovery of developmentally defined gene sets from high-density cDNA macroarrays.

New technologies for isolating differentially expressed genes from large arrayed cDNA libraries are reported. These methods can be used to identify genes that lie downstream of developmentally important transcription factors and genes that are expressed in specific tissues, processes, or stages of embryonic development. Though developed for the study of gene expression during the early embryogenesis of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, these technologies can be applied generally. Hybridization parameters were determined for the reaction of complex cDNA probes to cDNA libraries carried on six nylon filters, each containing duplicate spots from 18,432 bacterial clones (macroarrays). These libraries are of sufficient size to include nearly all genes expressed in the embryo. The screening strategy we have devised is designed to overcome inherent sensitivity limitations of macroarray hybridization and thus to isolate differentially expressed genes that are represented only by low-prevalence mRNAs. To this end, we have developed improved methods for the amplification of cDNA from small amounts of tissue (as little as ∼300 sea urchin embryos, or 2 × 10^5 cells, or about 10 ng of mRNA) and for the differential enhancement of probe sequence concentration by subtractive hybridization. Quantitative analysis of macroarray hybridization shows that these probes now suffice for detection of differentially expressed mRNAs down to a level below five molecules per average embryo cell.
Talking with Teachers, Administrators, and Parents: Preferences for Visual Displays of Education Data.

The purpose of this study was to learn from educational stakeholders what characteristics they like and dislike when viewing graphs of post-school outcomes data. We conducted six, 1-hour focus groups with teachers, administrators, and parents in which we distributed four stimuli graphs—horizontal grouped bars, horizontal stacked bars, vertical stacked columns, and vertical grouped columns – to solicit participants’ preferences for data displayed graphically. Our findings indicate that multiple factors contributed to participants’ stated preferences for one graphic display over another. These factors include ease of understanding information displayed in the graph, familiarity with the display, comfort, as well as speed and habit for administrators. We discuss implications for practitioners, identify areas for further research, and recommend considerations when designing graphs for educational stakeholders.
Multiple scattering calculations in particle transport codes using truncated Rutherford scattering

Abstract Multiple Coulomb scattering is incorporated into numerous particle transport codes using various approximation techniques. We present a new technique that incorporates the Rutherford scattering process directly into the transport code as an additional interaction process. We avoid divergent values of the cross section by introducing a cutoff angle, and examine the effect of its value on the results we obtain.
Estimating carbon budgets for U.S. ecosystems

On a global basis, plants and soils may hold more than twice the amount of carbon present in the atmosphere [Geider et al., 2001]. Under increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations and subsequently warming temperatures, these large biogenic pools may change in size [Cox et al., 2000]. Due to a lack of long-term field studies, there is uncertainty as to whether vegetation and soils will act as a net sink or a source of atmospheric CO2 in coming years. It is certain, however, that no retrospective analysis of the U.S. carbon balance will be possible without a comprehensive historical baseline of the sizes of various ecosystem carbon pools and the variability in their net annual increments.
HD 160538 and HD 185510 - Two active-chromosphere stars with hot companions

Short-wavelength ultraviolet spectra of two active-chromosphere giants, HD 160538 and HD 185510, show hot stellar continua and L-alpha absorption features. The hot companion of HD 160538 is a white dwarf whose ultraviolet spectrum is matched best to the energy distribution of a T(eff) = 30,000 K and log g = 8 model atmosphere. The ultraviolet spectrum of HD 185510 shows numerous absorption features and is identified as a B subdwarf. Since the giant star of each of these binary systems has no known abundance anomalies, these systems appear to be consistent with the mass-transfer scenario of barium-star formation.
Elastic image corrections for double-force displacement fields☆

Abstract The elastic effects of a free surface are found for double-force defects distributed throughout elastically Isotropic spheres and cylinders. This permits separation of the rapidly fluctuating displacement fields found near the defects from the slowly varying image displacements. The spherically asymmetric displacement fields produce zero average volume dilatations both for the cylinder and the sphere.
QUANTITATION OF CORTISOL (F) PRODUCTION AND ELIMINATION RATES IN PREMATURE AND TERM NEONATES: EVIDENCE FOR PULSATILE SECRETION

Pulsatile secretion of cortisol has not been documented in the newborn infant. Using repeated blood sampling and deconvolution analysis, we investigated F secretory and elimination dynamics in a clinically stable group of 5 premature [gestational age (GA) 24-34 wk] and 5 term neonates. Blood samples were obtained through umbilical arterial cannulae at 15-min intervals for a 6-h period. All plasma F determinations were >55 nmol/L (2.0 μg/dL), and pulsatile F secretion was observed in all infants. On average, 4 ± 1 discrete F secretory episodes were detected during the study. No significant differences were noted between the 2 groups of subjects with regard to 6-h mean plasma F, plasma corticosteroid-binding globulin, F secretory burst frequency, mass of F secreted per burst, F production rate (FPR) or plasma F half-life. However, the premature infants had a significantly longer F secretory burst half-duration (p = 0.007) and a lower maximal F secretory rate (p = 0.018) than the term infants. The 2 most premature infants had significantly greater mean plasma F and FPR than the other 3 premature and all the term infants. Extrapolating to 24 h and correcting for distribution volume of F and for body surface area, we estimate FPR to be approximately 17-24 nmol/m2/24 h (6.6-8.8 mg/m2/24 h) for neonates of ≥34-wk GA. These values are consistent with estimates of FPR in older children and adults determined using either deconvolution analysis or stable isotope-dilution methods.
Quantitative interpretation of in vivo buccal absorption of n‐alkanoic acids by the physical model approach

Abstract The human studies of Beckett and Moffat on the buccal absorption of n-alkanoic acids were quantitatively and mechanistically interpreted by the theoretical physical model approach. It is believed that a determination of the incremental partition coefficient for the methylene group in the relevant biophase has been achieved. Exceptionally good agreement of the absorption rate-buffer pH profiles between the experimental results and theory was found. The greater rates of absorption of the higher molecular weight acids in the homologous series at constant buffer pH of the drug solution are attributed entirely to the higher partition coefficients for these acids because their pKa values are essentially identical. However, the rightward shifts of the profiles of the homologous series relative to the dissociation curve are due not only to the increasing lipid solubility but also to the presence of an aqueous diffusion layer on the mucosal side of a biphasic aqueous-lipid barrier. A self-consistent, biophysically meaningful factor of 2.33 for the buccal lipoidal membrane-aqueous incremental partition constant for a methylene group was found. Significantly, this evaluative study probably represents the first example of the rigorous application of the physical model approach to the quantitative and mechanistic interpretation of the in vivo absorption of drugs.
Management by objection? Public policies to protect choice in health plans.

Consumer choice is a watchword of the market reforms now sweeping the U.S. health care system. Policy makers, however, must grapple with an important ambiguity; is the objective to expand choice or protect choosers, and what should be done if the two goals conflict? Concerns about health care market malfunctions trigger a politics of consumer protection that may emphasize regulatory standards over market flexibility. To complicate matters further, hopes that deluging consumers with information can ensure that choices are at once ample and prudent are likely to be disappointed.
Characterization of plasma lipoproteins in swine with different propensities for obesity.

Yorkshire (lean) and Ossabaw (obese) swine ca. one year of age were used to characterize the quantity and composition of plasma lipoproteins in animals with markedly different adiposity. While lean swine weighed more (175 vs 88 kg for obese), they had less backfat than obese swine (2.64 vs 5.97 cm; P<0.05). Fasting plasma triacylglycerol (Tg) and cholesterol (CH) levels were elevated in obese swine. Swine plasma lipoproteins were fractionated into very low density lipoprotein (VLDL; d<1.006), low density lipoprotein1 (LDL1; d=1.019–1.063), low density lipoprotein2 (LDL2; d=1.063–1.09), and high density lipoprotein (HDL; d=1.09–1.21) by density ultracentrifugation. Obese VLDL-Tg, CH and protein (Pr) were elevated more than 2-fold. VLDL from obese swine were 2-fold larger than VLDL from lean swine. No alterations in LDL1 or LDL2 composition were observed. HDL-Tg, CH, Pr and phospholipid levels were significantly higher in obese swine. Plasma and VLDL-Tg levels were highly correlated with backfat thickness (r=0.67 and r=0.73, respectively). These was a positive correlation between adiposity and HDL-CH as well as VLDL-Tg and HDL-CH. These data indicate that (a) there are marked alterations in swine plasma lipoprotein composition between lean and obese swine; (b) that swine plasma lipoprotein levels may be useful parameters in estimating body composition; and (c) that HDL-CH is positively correlated with adiposity in swine.
An Experimental and Analytical Study of Ice Part Fabrication with Rapid Freeze Prototyping

process called Rapid Freeze Prototyping. This process builds a three-dimensional ice part by depositing and rapidly freezing water according to its CAD model in a layer-by-layer manner. It provides a means to build a solid part with the potential of better performance than other rapid prototyping processes, including use of cheap and clean material, potential to build accurate ice parts with excellent surface finish, and ease of building color and transparent parts. An experimental system with a low-temperature building environment, a three-axis positioning mechanism, a water feeding and extruding subsystem, and control hardware and software has been built. Experiments conducted on this system demonstrate the feasibility of making three-dimensional ice parts. A heat transfer analysis helps understand the freezing process and provides useful information to the selection of building parameters.
The quantitation of a native chondroitin sulfate epitope in synovial fluid lavages and articular cartilage from canine experimental osteoarthritis and disuse atrophy

Objective. Previous studies have shown the presence of a native chondroitin sulfate epitope in articular cartilage proteoglycans from canine knee joints with experimental early osteoarthritis (OA), but not in normal cartilage. The objective of this study was to quantitate the native epitope recognized by monoclonal antibody 3-B-3 in synovial fluids and articular cartilage of diseased joints. Methods. An immunoassay with monoclonal antibody 3-B-3, which recognizes a native chondroitin-6-sulfate structure, was developed and used to analyze synovial fluid lavage material and extracts of articular cartilage from canine knee joints with early experimental OA or with mild disuse atrophy, and from control animals. Results. The concentration of epitope in the OA fluids was elevated 33–35-fold, and in the OA articular cartilage extracts it was elevated > 200-fold, compared with samples from the control group. No significant difference was detected in the levels of 3-B-3 epitope in the synovial fluid lavage material or cartilage extracts from the joints of the disuse group versus the control group. Conclusion. The native 3-B-3 epitope in articular cartilage and synovial fluids may be a specific marker of ongoing anabolic events in early degenerative joint disease.
Transverse susceptibility in spin S Ising chains

It is shown that the transverse susceptibility of a one-dimensional spin S Ising system can be calculated by combining linear response theory with the transfer matrix technique. Closed form expressions for infinite chains are obtained for S=1/2 and S=1, and numerical results are displayed for S=1/2 to S=5/2.
Dopant-Controlled Crystallization in Metal–Organic Frameworks: The Role of Copper(II) in Zinc 1,4-Benzenedicarboxylate

A series of Zn–Cu 1,4-benzenedicarboxylate(bdc) metal organic frameworks(MOF) have been synthesized by introducing N,N-dimethylformamide(DMF) solutions of 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid to metal salt solutions with a range of concentrations of Cu(NO3)2 and Zn(NO3)2 across the entire composition range. At the Zn-rich side of the range, the presence of Cu(II) had the effect of changing the polymorph of the solid from the predominantly P21/n structure, associated with MOF-2, to the C2/m structure, shared with Cu(bdc). There was an associated change in crystal morphology that accompanied the addition of a Cu salt impurity. BET surface area measurements of the thermally desolvated product showed that the surface area of the Zn(bdc) increased with the addition of Cu. At the Cu-rich side, magnetic susceptibility measurements indicated that the presence of the Zn impurity increased the fraction of paramagnetic Cu centers, suggesting the formation of a large fraction of heterometallic secondary building units(hSBU) ...
Electronic and resonance effects on the lonization of structural analogues of efavirenz

The solubility of 4 analogues of efavirenz was studied as a function of pH. The study evaluated the ionization behavior and determined the relative contribution of electronegative substituents versus resonance effects on the pKa value of the cyclic carbamate. The most profound lowering effect on the pKa was due to the presence of multiple electronegative substituents and in particular the trifluoromethyl and acetylene groups. The presence of chlorine on the benzoxazinone ring was found to have a slight impact on the pKa, although to a lesser extent. In the absence of any functional groups on the benzoxazinone ring system, the pKa shifted to a value of 13.2, which is 3 pH units above that of efavirenz and more closely correlates with typical literature values for cyclic carbamates.