cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Improving Breast Cancer Risk Stratification Using Resonance-Frequency Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy Through Fusion of Multiple Classifiers

This study aims to improve breast cancer risk stratification. A seven-probe resonance-frequency-based electrical impedance spectroscopy (REIS) system was designed, assembled, and utilized to establish a data set of examinations from 174 women. Three classifiers, including artificial neural network (ANN), support vector machine (SVM), and Gaussian mixture model (GMM), were independently developed to predict the likelihood of each woman to be recommended for biopsy. The performances of these classifiers were compared, and seven fusion methods for integrating these classifiers were investigated. The results showed that among the three classifiers, the ANN yielded the highest performance with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.81 for the receiver operating characteristic (ROC), while SVM and GMM achieved AUCs of 0.80 and 0.78, respectively. Improvements of up to 3% were obtained using fusion of the three classifiers, with the largest improvement obtained using either a “minimum score” rule or a “weighted sum” rule. Comparing different combinations of two out of the three classifiers, the weighted sum rule provided the most robust and consistent results, with AUCs of 0.81, 0.83, and 0.82 for the different combinations of ANN and SVM, ANN and GMM, and SVM and GMM, respectively. Furthermore, at 90% specificity, the ANN, the weighted sum- and min rule-based classifiers, all detected 67% of the verified cancer cases as compared with 50, 50, and 60% detection of the high risk cases, respectively. The study demonstrated that REIS examinations provide relevant information for developing breast cancer risk stratification tools and that using fusion of several not-fully-correlated classifiers can improve classification performance.
An analysis of acidic nuclear proteins during the development of Xenopus laevis.

Abstract The non-histones or acid-nuclear proteins appear to have a fundamental role in cellular control mechanisms. These proteins were extracted from purified nuclei of developing Xenopus embryos and characterized by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. An increase in the higher molecular weight species was noted as development proceeded. These findings are discussed in relation to possible genetic regulatory mechanisms involved in embryogenesis and carcinogenesis.
The diagnostic impact of prehospital 12-lead electrocardiography

Study hypothesis: It is feasible to apply prehospital 12-lead electrocardiography to most stable prehospital chest pain patients. Prehospital diagnostic accuracy is improved compared with single-lead telemetry. Population: One-hundred sixty-six stable adult patients who sought paramedic evaluation for a chief complaint of nontraumatic chest pain. Methods: One-hundred fifty-one prehospital 12-lead ECGs of diagnostic quality were obtained by paramedics on 166 adult patients presenting with nontraumatic chest pain. Paramedics and base station physicians were blinded to the information on acquired prehospital 12-lead ECGs and treated patients according to current standard of care-clinical diagnosis and single-lead telemetry. Final hospital diagnoses were classified into three groups: acute myocardial infarction (24); suspected angina or ischemia (61); and nonischemic chest pain (66). Paramedics and base station physicians' clinical diagnoses and prehospital and emergency department ECGs were similarly classified and compared. Prehospital and ED 12-lead ECGs were read retrospectively by two cardiologists. Results: Paramedics achieved a high success rate (98.7%) in obtaining diagnostic quality prehospital 12-lead ECGs in 94.6% of eligible prehospital patients. For patients with acute myocardial infarction, prehospital ECG alone had significantly higher specificity than did the paramedic clinical diagnosis (99.2% vs 70.9%; P P P P Conclusion: It is feasible to apply prehospital 12-lead electrocardiography to most stable prehospital chest pain patients. Prehospital 12-lead ECGs have the potential to significantly increase the diagnostic accuracy in chest pain patients, approach congruity with ED 12-lead ECG diagnoses, and may allow for consideration of altering and improving prehospital and hospital-based management in this patient population.
Ligation of Esophageal Varices

Abstract Esophageal varices are present in majority of the patients with hepatic cirrhosis at the time of diagnosis, especially in those with advanced liver disease. Variceal size, red wale marks on varices, and advanced liver disease are risk factors for variceal hemorrhage. Esophageal variceal ligation (EVL) is a standard endoscopic procedure in the management of acute variceal bleeding and is beneficial in the primary and secondary prophylaxis of esophageal variceal bleeding. Multiband devices are commonly used for EVL. Various endoscopic techniques, common clinical scenarios, and procedure-related complications in EVL are described in the video manuscript provided. This article is part of an expert video encyclopedia.
Practice-based continuing education combined with process improvement methods improves delivery of preventive services to children

Abstract Question Does continuing medical education in combination with process improvement methods to implement office systems, increase rates of delivery of preventive care to children? Study design Cluster randomised controlled trial. Main results Significantly more children enrolled in intervention practices received all four preventive services compared with control practices after 30 months (change in proportion of children receiving all four preventive services: 7% to 34% with intervention vs 9% to 10% with no intervention; 4.6-fold increase with intervention compared with control, 95% CI 1.6 to 13.2, see Table 1). Table 1 Mean percentage of children receiving preventive services at baseline and 30 months follow up. Baseline At 30 months follow-up Significance Preventive service Intervention 22 practices (%) Control 22 practices (%) Intervention 22 practices (%) Control 22 practices (%) Ratio of change in prevalence, intervention v control All 4 services 11 12 34 10 4.6, 95 CI 1.6 to 13.2 Immunisations 66 64 Data presented graphically, no absolute numbers given No significant difference between groups Tuberculosis screening 39 36 54 32 p Anaemia screening 65 64 79 71 p Lead screening 32 29 68 30 p Authors’ conclusions Practice-based continuing medical education in combination with process improvement methods increases the rate of delivery of preventive care services to children.
Research and Education With a Hydraulic Hybrid Vehicle Laboratory

This paper presents the development of a hydraulic hybrid vehicle (HHV) based laboratory course for the Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering Department at the University of Toledo. The objective of the laboratory course is to serve as both an educative tool as well as a tool in advancing the research of HHV technologies. The laboratory consists of a HHV test stand that approximates the workings of a series type HHV and an accompanying simulation model of the system. The course is based on a problem-solving learning approach that will aid students in gaining a fuller understanding of the fundamentals from core mechanical engineering curriculum including: Fluid Dynamics, Energy Systems, Vibrations, Mechatronics and Control. This course is unique in that the instructor serves a guide or manager for the students and does not evaluate the student based on exams rather, the student is evaluated based on his/her ability to apply engineering principles. After learning some basics of research and performing a literature review of the subject, the students will be asked to solve a problem and report their findings in a technical publication format. The students are evaluated based on their performance in applying engineering principles towards the solution of a relevant engineering problem and effectively communicating that via a conference publication candidate. In this way, a better index for evaluating student mastery of engineering principles is achieved and a gaping hole in the Mechanical Engineering curriculum is filled while at the same time offering an efficient means of advancing HHV technology.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
The Catalytic and Kinetic Mechanisms of NADPH-dependent Alkenal/one Oxidoreductase

NADPH-dependent alkenal/one oxidoreductase (AOR) from the rat is a phase 2/antioxidative enzyme that is known to catalyze the reduction of the carbon-carbon double bond of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes and ketones. It is also known for its leukotriene B4 12-hydroxydehydrogenase activity. In order to begin to understand these dual catalytic activities and validate its classification as a reductase of the medium-chain dehydrogenase/reductase family, an investigation of the mechanism of its NADPH-dependent activity was undertaken. Recombinant AOR and a 3-nonen-2-one substrate were used to perform steady-state initial velocity, product inhibition, and dead end inhibition experiments, which elucidated an ordered Theorell-Chance kinetic mechanism with NADPH binding first and NADP+ leaving last. A nearly 20-fold preference for NADPH over NADH was also observed. The dependence of kinetic parameters V and V/K on pH suggests the involvement of a general acid with a pK of 9.2. NADPH isomers stereospecifically labeled with deuterium at the 4-position were used to determine that AOR catalyzes the transfer of the pro-R hydride to the β-carbon of an α,β-unsaturated ketone, illudin M. Two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser effect NMR spectra demonstrate that this atom becomes the R-hydrogen at this position on the metabolite. Using [4R-2H]NADPH, small primary kinetic isotope effects of 1.16 and 1.73 for V and V/K, respectively, were observed and suggest that hydride transfer is not rate-limiting. Atomic absorption spectroscopy indicated an absence of Zn2+ from active preparations of AOR. Thus, AOR fits predictions made for medium-chain reductases and bears similar characteristics to well known medium-chain alcohol dehydrogenases.
A controlled trial of team-based learning in an ambulatory medicine clerkship for medical students.

Background: Team-based learning (TBL) has been studied in several preclinical settings, but there is less evidence for its effectiveness in clinical curricula. Purpose: We compared the impact of TBL versus usual small group lecture (SGL) on knowledge objectives in a clinical clerkship. Methods: We used an unblinded crossover design with 112 students rotating through the Ambulatory Medicine clerkship. In each rotation of the clerkship, 3 clinical topics were taught as SGL and 3 as TBL. We compared performance on the knowledge examination for those items taught with TBL and those with SGL. Results: Performance by students taught by TBL was higher than those taught by SGL in each topic, except Hypertension. The average effect size of the six measures was 0.51. Conclusions: TBL appears to be a more effective method than the usual small group lecture in achievement of knowledge objectives for clinical clerkship students.
Economic growth and the population explosion: Simulation experiments using a growth model with population endogenous

The purpose of this analysis is to shed some light on the issue of how much economic growth, unaided by population control policies, can bring down fertility and defuse the population explosion in the less developed countries. The paper explores the demographic evolution of an ideal less developed country over a 100 years time span under alternative assumptions concerning capital accumulation, rate of technological progress, and returns to scale. The model used incorporates (a) a population projection matrix with coefficients which are a function of time and of endogenously generated levels of income per capita, and (b) a gross reproduction rate‐GNP per capita function with parameters estimated from a time series of cross sections spanning the period 1860 to 1959. This function was designed to reflect dominant traits of the historical experience concerning the effects of economic growth on fertility in a context characterised by the absence of population control policies.
Convolution and module theory of linear systems

This paper shows that both discrete and continuous time-invariant, linear, dynamic systems can be cast in a module framework The work here is based on convolution theory and employs Mikuainski's convolution quotients, which are more powerful and appropriate for this purpose than the conventional Laplace and Z transform techniques.
Incorporating Exogenous Factors in Adaptive Forecasting of Hospital Census

In this paper, we study the use of a recursive discounted least squares model for forecasting daily hospital census. We show, by means of a case study, how one can incorporate, with a minimum amount of cost and effort, institutional and exogenous factors explicitly into the model so as to enhance its forecast accuracy. These factors include holidays, capacity changes, and other events known to affect occupancies. The forecast modification comprises direct adjustments of model parameters, and judicious control of parameter updatings.
Integrated Micro/Nanoengineered Functional Biomaterials for Cell Mechanics and Mechanobiology: A Materials Perspective

The rapid development of micro/nanoengineered functional biomaterials in the last two decades has empowered materials scientists and bioengineers to precisely control different aspects of the in vitro cell microenvironment. Following a philosophy of reductionism, many studies using synthetic functional biomaterials have revealed instructive roles of individual extracellular biophysical and biochemical cues in regulating cellular behaviors. Development of integrated micro/nanoengineered functional biomaterials to study complex and emergent biological phenomena has also thrived rapidly in recent years, revealing adaptive and integrated cellular behaviors closely relevant to human physiological and pathological conditions. Working at the interface between materials science and engineering, biology, and medicine, we are now at the beginning of a great exploration using micro/nanoengineered functional biomaterials for both fundamental biology study and clinical and biomedical applications such as regenerative medicine and drug screening. In this review, an overview of state of the art micro/nanoengineered functional biomaterials that can control precisely individual aspects of cell-microenvironment interactions is presented and they are highlighted them as well-controlled platforms for mechanistic studies of mechano-sensitive and -responsive cellular behaviors and integrative biology research. The recent exciting trend where micro/nanoengineered biomaterials are integrated into miniaturized biological and biomimetic systems for dynamic multiparametric microenvironmental control of emergent and integrated cellular behaviors is also discussed. The impact of integrated micro/nanoengineered functional biomaterials for future in vitro studies of regenerative medicine, cell biology, as well as human development and disease models are discussed.
Methods for Distinguishing Nulliparous from Parous Flies and for Estimating the Ages of Fannia canicularis and Some Other Cyclorraphous Diptera

Methods reported by Russian workers for separating parous from nulliparous muscoid flies and for distinguishing old from young were confirmed and extended to several previously unstudied species; and it is suggested that the characteristics used in this study may possibly be applicable for most Anthomyiidae, Calliphoridae, Muscidae, and related families. The presence of follicular relics in the ovariole pedicels and lateral oviducts of parous flies was the character primarily used to distinguish them from nulliparous; other characteristics used were the presence or absence of pupal fat body, the number of tracheal skeins in the ovaries, the number of functional ovarioles, and the compactness of the ovarioles. Tracheal skeins were considerably less numerous in parous than in nulliparous flies, and in both categories flies could often be separated into young and old age groups. Uniparous, gravid females were the most difficult to identify as being parous because of the small amounts of follicular remnants at the bases of the fully developed eggs. As the number of ovipositions per female increased, so did the quantity of relics accumulated. The number of functional ovarioles decreased as the number of gonotrophic cycles increased. From these changes it was possible to estimate the ages of wild flies. In test series of laboratory-reared flies all misidentifications involved uniparous, gravid females which were identified as nulliparous; nulliparous flies were never misidentified as parous. Fannia canicularis (L.) matured its eggs only when provided with a protein diet; the eggs of gravid females were not resorbed when the flies were starved or provided with a water or sugar-and-water diet. Other miscellaneous observations on gonotrophic phenomena and oviposition are presented. Other species studied in the laboratory, using females of known ages, were Musca domestica L., Muscina stabulans (Fallen), Myospila meditabunda F., and Orthellia caesarion (Meigen). Wild specimens of all these species, as well as of Calliphora terraenovae Meigen, Ophyra leucostoma (Wiedemann), and Stomoxys calcitrans (L.), also were examined.
Rabies virus entry into endosomes in IMR-32 human neuroblastoma cells

Early events in rabies virus entry into cultured IMR-32 human neuroblastoma cells were investigated. After adsorption of rabies virus to the cell surface in the cold and warming to 37°C in the presence of tracers for early endosomes, rabies virus and tracers were localized by immunofluorescence microscopy. After 5 min, rabies virus colocalized with Lucifer Yellow, Texas Red-dextran, rhodamine-wheat germ agglutinin, and transferrin receptor in puncta in the cell body, neurites, and nerve terminals. Rabies virus did not colocalize with lysosomal glycoprotein. An acidotropic probe revealed that some of the virus-containing puncta were acidified. Rabies virus also colocalized with synapsin I, a synaptic vesicle marker, in swellings along processes, indicating some virus enters nerve terminals. Electron microscopy revealed the presence of rabies virus within irregular membrane compartments located near the cell surface in the cell body and neurites. The membrane of the virus particle was often continuous with that of the vacuole. It is concluded that rabies virus enters IMR-32 neuroblastoma cells by adsorptive endocytosis and that, shortly after entry, rabies virus is located within and fuses with acidic endosomes.
Editorial comment on: Vaccine therapy in patients with renal cell carcinoma.

antigens have been identified, which has led to the testing of cell–based tumor vaccines. Approaches have included gene-modified tumor cells and dendritic cell–based vaccines [1]. Most of these approaches, however, failed to demonstrate significant efficacy in randomized phase 3 trials. The single exception was Reniale, a patient-specific vaccine using lysates from autologous tumors cells extracted at the time of surgery. Although promising results were reported with Reniale, questions arose regarding the study design [2]. There are plans to conduct an international phase 3 trial to confirm these results, which will hopefully lead to regulatory approval for the product. As Van Poppel et al [3] describe in their review article, there have been a number of phase 3 clinical trial failures in the field of RCC. What explains these failures [4,5]? Some vaccines (eg, Oncophage) may have low potency to induce specific T-cell responses, resulting in controlling patients with only small-volume disease. The pivotal clinical trial of Oncophage showed improvement in the unplanned analysis of earlier stage patients but not in the overall patient population. Other vaccines (like Trovax) use single-cancer antigens that may facilitate treatment escape through downregulation or total expression loss. Additionally, in the Trovax trial, problems in the design, like the use of adjuvant alone in the control arm, could also have skewed the statistical power. Finally, the development decisions of a vaccine program need to be based on clinical data, not just on immune response (eg, with Vitespen, for which rare objective regressions of metastatic disease were seen). Immune responses have not been predictive of clinical benefit. The rare vaccines that do generate brisk B-cell or T-cell responses, for example, apparently do not induce the correct effector functions to reject tumors or to overcome immunosuppression. As stated by Van Poppel et al [3], the success of clinical effectiveness in selected populations combined with more potent vaccines with novel adjuvants and strategies aimed at circumventing tumor-associated immunosuppression [4] may improve the efficacy of tumor vaccines and cellular immunotherapy so that they live up to their promise.
Fabrication, superconducting Tc and charge transfer of VNx NbNx and TaNx foils

Abstract Group V transition metal nitride foils were fabricated in an ultrahigh vacuum chamber and superconducting transition temperature ( T c ), lattice parameter ( a 0 ), and electron energy loss (EELS) measurements were performed on these samples. It is found that as a function of increasing nitrogen-to-transition-metal atomic ratio, T c first increases with increasing nitrogen content then decreases before reaching a 1 : 1 transition metal to nitrogen stoichiometry ratio. T c also increases with increasing lattice parameter a 0 and then decreases before reaching the maximum values for a 0 which are about 4.14 A for NV x and 4.392 ± 0.002 A for NbN x . The EELS data indicate that the outermost metal d electrons transfer to nitrogen atoms during formation of transition metal nitrides. However, the possibility of electrons forming covalent bonds cannot be ruled out.
Structural health monitoring with fiber optic sensors

Optical fiber sensors have been successfully implemented in aeronautics, mechanical systems, and medical applications. Civil structures pose further challenges in monitoring mainly due to their large dimensions, diversity and heterogeneity of materials involved, and hostile construction environment. This article provides a summary of basic principles pertaining to practical health monitoring of civil engineering structures with optical fiber sensors. The issues discussed include basic sensor principles, strain transfer mechanism, sensor packaging, sensor placement in construction environment, and reliability and survivability of the sensors.
A method of analysing untransformed data from the negative binomial and other contagious distributions

We give a method of analysing data from the Negative Binomial and other generalized Poisson distributions which is free of certain disadvantages that arise when the data are transformed and then subjected to an ordinary analysis of variance. The method of analysis proposed is based on a statistic called Xu which is constructed from estimators given by Hinz & Gurland (1967 a). This technique can be used for testing a general linear hypothesis relating to untransformed data and it is illustrated here by means of an example based on a two-way layout.
Vitamin C and Vitamin E Supplement Use and Bladder Cancer Mortality in a Large Cohort of US Men and Women

Some epidemiologic studies suggest that use of vitamin C or vitamin E supplements, both potent antioxidants, may reduce the risk of bladder cancer. The authors examined the association between use of individual vitamin C and vitamin E supplements and bladder cancer mortality among 991,522 US adults in the Cancer Prevention Study II (CPS-II) cohort. CPS-II participants completed a self-administered questionnaire at enrollment in 1982 and were followed regarding mortality through 1998. During follow-up, 1,289 bladder cancer deaths occurred (962 in men and 327 in women). Rate ratios were adjusted for age, sex, cigarette smoking, education, and consumption of citrus fruits and vegetables. Regular vitamin C supplement use (>or=15 times per month) was not associated with bladder cancer mortality, regardless of duration (rate ratio (RR) = 0.91, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.68, 1.20 for or=10 years' use). Regular vitamin E supplement use for >or=10 years was associated with a reduced risk of bladder cancer mortality (RR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.37, 0.96), but regular use of shorter duration was not (RR = 1.04, 95% CI: 0.77, 1.40). Results support the hypothesis that long-duration vitamin E supplement use may reduce the risk of bladder cancer mortality.
Studies on Sedimentology of Shell Beds on Bermudian Patch Reefs: ABSTRACT

The upper surfaces of two patch reefs on the northern edge of the Bermuda platform were observed to consist of coral-coralline algal rock mounds amid a complex system of low-lying channels containing coarse- to fine-grained calcareous detritus. The rock mounds on the larger of the two reefs are noticeably concentrated toward the periphery. Detailed mapping of a part of one of these reefs indicates that the distribution of Spondylus valves and other coarse detritus bears a strong relation to the shape and width of the intermound channels. Oddly, 79% of the shells lay with the concave side up. The apparent preference for this generally unstable orientation is attributed to the lofting of shells during transport and the preferential burial of shells lying concave-side-downwa d. The mode of the fine fractions of samples taken from shelly areas consistently is toward the right of the mode of samples taken from adjacent nonshelly areas. It thus appears that the shells act as baffles to permit the local deposition of fine sediment. It is concluded that shell-bed sedimentology reflects the existence of two wave-energy regimes throughout the year. In winter, powerful storm waves determine the distribution of shell beds; calmer seas prevailing in summer months promote the preferential deposition of fines among the shelly material. Further, the rock-sand configuration on larger patch reefs suggests that the reefs may concentrate unimodal sand toward the center and bimodal sediments in the more narrow, circuitous, shell-rich channels toward the periphery. End_of_Article - Last_Page 736------------
Chemical Vapor Deposition of Aluminosilicates from Mixtures of SiCl4, AlCl3, CO 2, and H 2

A comprehensive study of the chemical vapor codeposition of silica, alumina, and aluminosilicates from SiCl{sub 4}-AlCl{sub 3}-H{sub 2}-CO{sub 2} mixtures is presented. A hot-wall reactor, coupled to an electronic microbalance, is used to investigate the dependence of the deposition rate on temperature, pressure, composition, and total flow rate over a broad range of operating conditions. The experimental observations are discussed in the context of the results obtained in independent deposition experiments of silica and alumina from mixtures of SiCl{sub 4}-H{sub 2}-CO{sub 2} and AlCl{sub 3}H{sub 2}-CO{sub 2}, respectively, in the same apparatus. The results show that the deposition of silica proceeds at very low rates that are by more than an order of magnitude lower than those of alumina deposition at the same temperature, pressure, total flow rate, and carbon dioxide and chloride mole fractions in the feed. When both chlorides (SiCl{sub 4} and AlCl{sub 3}) are fed to the reactor, that is, in the codeposition process, the rate of SiO{sub 2} deposition is much higher than that seen in the single species deposition experiments, while the opposite behavior is observed for the rate of deposition of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}. The results of deposition experiments conducted on refractory wires, inmore » order to obtain information on the effect of the substrate position in the reactor, show that manipulation of residence time offers a way to control the composition of the codeposited films in alumina and silica. The experimental results are compared with those obtained in a past study using methyltrichlorosilane as silicon source.« less
A consideration of ethical issues in the design of clinical trials

I began to immerse myself in the then scant literature on human experimentation conducted in the Western World. I soon realized that the moral, medical and legal dilemmas posed by such research could not be adequately resolved, as generations of doctors had assumed, by a pledge of allegiance to such undefined principles as primum non nocere or to vague aspirational codes. Better safeguards had to be provided, and whatever they might turn out to be, required sustained reflection. -J. Katz (1993)’ The ensuing discussion highlights selected portions of the modern history and the current status of the application of ethical principles to the performance of clinical trials. It will also show that the dominant theme is the protection of the subjects of an investigation from coercion and unwittingly exposing themselves to risk. When viewed from the perspective of social ethics, the design and execution of clinical trials present a challenge to resolve a conflict between two philosophical positions: utilitarianism, which argues that it is appropriate to suppress personal rights for the benefit of a group, and democracy, which contends that the rights of the individual are paramount. As indicated by Katz, primum non nocere as a guide to ethical considerations is only the beginning. It was an appropriate dictum for the physician/patient interaction in an era when few truly therapeutic options were avail
Synthesis of AuAg Alloy Nanoparticles from Core/Shell‐Structured Ag/Au

Monodisperse AuAg alloy nanoparticles (NPs) are made from core/shell Ag/Au NPs through Au and Ag diffusion in oleylamine. The composition of the alloy NPs is controlled by the Au shell thickness and the plasmonic absorptions can be tuned from 520 to 400 nm. These alloy NPs have great potential as optical probes for biosensing and bioimaging, or as catalysts for CO oxidation.
Prospective study of protein-energy supplementation early in life and of growth in the subsequent generation in Guatemala

Background: The secular increase in height is assumed to result from long-term improvements in nutritional intakes and reductions in infectious disease burdens. Nutritional supplementation in early life reduces stunting in chronically undernourished populations. It is unknown whether these improvements can be transmitted to subsequent generations. Objective: Our objective was to estimate the intergenerational effect on offspring length of improved nutrition in the mother’s childhood. Design: We studied 263 children born in 1996‐1999 to 231 women who had received nutritional supplementation, ie, atole (high-protein, moderate-energy drink) or fresco (nonprotein, lowenergy drink), prenatally and up to age 7 y as part of a community trial in Guatemala between 1969 and 1977. Child length was measured at different times to age 36 mo. Results: Children born to women who received the enhanced supplement were taller (age-adjusted difference: 0.80 cm; 95% CI: 0.16, 1.44 cm) than were children whose mothers received the low-energy supplement. This increment was independent of the children’s birth weight or socioeconomic status but was substantially attenuated and no longer significant after adjustment for maternal height (adjusted difference: 0.43 cm; 95% CI: � 0.10, 0.96 cm; P > 0.10). The effect of maternal nutritional supplementation was more pronounced in boys than in girls (P for interaction < 0.10) and in children born to women who received supplements at ages 3‐7 y than in children born to women who received supplements at ages 0‐3 y (P for interaction < 0.01). Conclusion: Nutritional supplementation in childhood has positive effects on both the supplemented persons and on the subsequent generation. Am J Clin Nutr 2003;78:162‐7.
Towards Failure Modeling in Complex Dynamic Systems: Impact of Design and Manufacturing Variations

When designing vehicle vibration monitoring systems for aerospace devices, it is common to use well-established models of vibration features to determine whether failures or defects exist. Most of the algorithms used for failure detection rely on these models to detect significant changes during a flight environment. In actual practice, however, most vehicle vibration monitoring systems are corrupted by high rates of false alarms and missed detections. Research conducted at the NASA Ames Research Center has determined that a major reason for the high rates of false alarms and missed detections is the numerous sources of statistical variations that are not taken into account in the. modeling assumptions. In this paper, we address one such source of variations, namely, those caused during the design and manufacturing of rotating machinery components that make up aerospace systems. We present a novel way of modeling the vibration response by including design variations via probabilistic methods. The results demonstrate initial feasibility of the method, showing great promise in developing a general methodology for designing more accurate aerospace vehicle vibration monitoring systems.
Advantages of in-situ RTP for the fabrication of metal/high-dielectric constant gate dielectric stack for sub 90 nm CMOS technology

In order to reduce the costs of single wafer processing and improve overall device performance by reducing contamination levels and hence defect generation during processing, in-situ processing of metal-insulator-semiconductor stacks may become a necessary CMOS processing step. In earlier work, the importance of ultra thin high-/spl kappa/ dielectric processing using rapid thermal processing (RTP) was investigated. We have now extended this approach by growing the metal gate electrode on top of the high-/spl kappa/ dielectric layer of the dielectric stack. In this paper, we present preliminary results, which show, that the leakage characteristics of metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) structures with ultra-thin Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ films as high-/spl kappa/ insulators may be improved significantly via the in-situ deposition of the dielectric stack in a single chamber.
Competition in Japan

Japan registered a remarkable 6.5 percent rate of economic growth from 1955 to 1990, catching up with high-income western countries in its level of economic development. During the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and into the 1980s, Japan’s share of world exports rose dramatically, from 2.9 percent in 1960 to 6.1 percent in 1970, 8.2 percent in 1980, and a peak of 9.8 percent in 1985 (Porter, Takeuchi and Sakakibara, 2000). Japanese firms were increasingly successful internationally in large, visible industries such as automobiles, semiconductors and consumer electronics. The striking economic success of Japan was widely attributed to a set of economic institutions and policies that encouraged collaboration and limited competition. The Japanese case, then, called into question many of the bedrock assumptions of competition thinking. It seemed to show that there was a different path to economic prosperity. This article begins by examining competition in Japan and the supporting policies and institutions during the twentieth century. Many factors seem to suggest that competition in Japan has been less intense, but there is an awkward complication—the empirical evidence about the intensity of competition in Japanese industry does not support the conclusion. The story, clearly, is more complicated. We seek to reconcile the apparent differences between policy and institutional circumstances and the empirical evidence by examining the types of competition that prevail across Japanese industries and the underlying causes. Japan indeed pursued an array of policies that limited competition, but these policies were not applied throughout the economy. In fact, those industries in which competition
Delay aware querying with seaweed

Large highly distributed data sets are poorly supported by current query technologies. Applications such as endsystem-based network management are characterized by data stored on large numbers of endsystems, with frequent local updates and relatively infrequent global one-shot queries.The challenges are scale (103 to 109 endsystems)and endsystem unavailability. In such large systems, a significant fraction of endsystems and their data will be unavailable at any given time. Existing methods to provide high data availability despite endsystem unavailability involve centralizing, redistributing or replicating the data. At large scale these methods are not scalable.We advocate a design that trades query delay for completeness, incrementally returning results as endsystems become available. We also introduce the idea of completeness prediction, which provides the user with explicit feedback about this delay/completeness trade-off. Completeness prediction is based on replication of compact data summaries and availability models. This metadata is orders of magnitude smaller than the data.Seaweed is a scalable query infrastructure supporting incremental results, online in-network aggregation and completeness prediction. It is built on a distributed hash table (DHT) but unlike previous DHT based approaches it does not redistribute data across the network. It exploits the DHT infrastructure for failure resilient metadata replication, query dissemination, and result aggregation. We analytically compare Seaweed's scalability against other approaches and also evaluate the Seaweed prototype running on a large-scale network simulator driven by real-world traces.
Self-timed adder with pipelined output

This paper presents the design of a self-timed adder, with event driven logic and pipelined output. The scheme makes the individual outputs of bit-wise additions independent of the preceding bits, resulting in high throughput at the cost of initial latency and hardware overheads. Simulation results based on parameters extracted from VLSI implementation of a model 4-bit adder are used to illustrate the performance. The design was implemented with transmission gates in 2-micron CMOS technology. Expansibility to larger adders is shown to give the same performance benefits. >
Proof of concept trial of dronabinol in obstructive sleep apnea

D THC), an exogenous Cannabinoid type 1 and type 2 (CB1 and CB2) receptor agonist in patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). Design and Setting: Proof of concept; single-center dose-escalation study of dron- abinol. Participants: Seventeen adults with a baseline Apnea Hypopnea Index (AHI)15/h. Baseline polysomnography (PSG) was performed after a 7-day washout of Continuous Pos- itive Airway Pressure treatment. Intervention: Dronabinol was administered after baseline PSG, starting at 2.5 mg once daily. The dose was increased weekly, as tolerated, to 5 mg and finally to 10 mg once daily. Measurements and Results: Repeat PSG assessments were performed on nights 7, 14, and 21 of dronabinol treatment. Change in AHI (DAHI, mean ± SD) was significant from baseline to night 21 (14.1 17.5; p = 0.007). No degra- dation of sleep architecture or serious adverse events was noted. Conclusion: Dronabinol treatment is safe and well-tolerated in OSA patients at doses of 2.5-10 mg daily and sig- nificantly reduces AHI in the short-term. These findings should be confirmed in a larger study in order to identify sub-populations with OSA that may benefit from cannabimimetic pharmacologic therapy.
Service Value Networks: Humans Hypernetwork to Cocreate Value

Service is about value cocreation between customers and providers. Cocreation builds on human networking: people connecting fluidly with each other as customers, providers, and resources to pursue common values. This paper develops a new analysis of service value networks, building on a previously presented hypernetwork model to study how people can scale their value cocreation up to span the entire population (domain), down to meet individual needs, and transformationally to breed new business designs. The new analysis reflects the convergence of social networks and e-commerce, and the evolution of physical products toward incorporating services to users into them (such as the apps and digital resources on the iPod, iPhone, and iPad). The hypernetwork model analyzes human networks that overlay multidimensionally, such as the Internet community itself. These properties extend the previous research results on random graphs and semiregular networks. A simulation study helps verify the hypernetworking analysis.
Head in pillow (HIP) and yield study on SIP and PoP assembly

This paper uses a statistical approach to simulate the yield loss due to HIP (head-in-pillow) based on experimental work including production data. Detailed analyses on the HIP formation and mechanism were performed using Surface Evolver and optical measurement. Stackup analysis using statistical modeling and Monte Carlo simulation is performed to assess the magnitude of yield loss. From this study, it is learned that the warpage of package and PCB, solder paste printing, flux type and solder alloy, all play important roles in HIP formation. Both shadow moire measurement and finite element analysis (FEA) were conducted to characterize BGA and PCB warpage and offer guidance for effective control of the warpage. Finally, various effective options will be discussed to reduce the HIP defects. Interestingly enough, it is found that BGA warpage need to be controlled but the impact of PCB warpage is more complex.
Mechanisms and allocations with positive network externalities

With the advent of social networks such as Facebook and LinkedIn, and online offers/deals web sites, network externalties raise the possibility of marketing and advertising to users based on influence they derive from their neighbors in such networks. Indeed, a user's knowledge of which of his neighbors "liked" the product, changes his valuation for the product. Much of the work on the mechanism design under network externalities has addressed the setting when there is only one product. We consider a more natural setting when there are multiple competing products, and each node in the network is a unit-demand agent.We first consider the problem of welfare maximization under various different types of externality functions. Specifically we get a O(log n log(nm)) approximation for concave externality functions, a 2O(d)-approximation for convex externality functions that are bounded above by a polynomial of degree d, and we give a O(log3n)-approximation when the externality function is submodular. Our techniques involve formulating non-trivial linear relaxations in each case, and developing novel rounding schemes that yield bounds vastly superior to those obtainable by directly applying results from combinatorial welfare maximization.We then consider the problem of Nash equilibrium where each node in the network is a player whose strategy space corresponds to selecting an item. We develop tight characterization of the conditions under which a Nash equilibrium exists in this game. Lastly, we consider the question of pricing and revenue optimization when the users in the network are selfish agents, and their private information is the vector of valuations for different items. We show that for single parameter settings (when an agents's intrinsic valuation for every item can be described using one parameter), all our approximation results for welfare maximization extend to revenue maximization. For the multi-parameter setting, we design an O(1)-approximate revenue optimal mechanism for IID agents, when the action of a single agent does not affect the externality enjoyed by remaining agents.
Sleep in Children Who Have Cancer

Sleep problems are common in children and generally easily corrected, but only if they have been identified and treated appropriately. For children who have severe medical problems, such as cancer, sleep problems may not be identified because other more pressing, life-threatening problems are in the forefront, and because the oncologists who are the primary case managers of children who have cancer may not be familiar with the diagnosis and treatment of sleep problems. This article summarizes the more common and important sleep problems seen in children who have cancer, discusses the factors that contribute to sleep disturbance in children who have cancer, and describes a clinical approach to solving these problems.
Considerations in the Design of Materials for Solar-Driven Fuel Production Using Metal-Oxide Thermochemical Cycles

With demand for energy increasing worldwide and an ever-stronger case building for anthropogenic climate change, the need for carbon-neutral fuels is becoming an imperative. Extensive transportation infrastructure based on liquid hydrocarbon fuels motivates development of processes using solar energy to convert CO2 and H2O to fuel precursors such as synthesis gas. Here, perspectives concerning the use of solar-driven thermochemical cycles using metal oxides to produce fuel precursors are given and, in particular, the important relationship between reactor design and material selection is discussed. Considering both a detailed thermodynamic analysis and factors such as reaction kinetics, volatility, and phase stability, an integrated analytical approach that facilitates material design is presented. These concepts are illustrated using three oxide materials currently receiving considerable attention: metal-substituted ferrites, ceria, and doped cerias. Although none of these materials is “ideal,” the tradeoffs made in selecting any one of them are clearly indicated, providing a starting point for assessing the feasibility of alternative materials developed in the future.
A taylor series methodology for analyzing the effects of process variation on circuit operation

We present a methodology that can analyze the effect of process variations without requiring the repeated simulations of a Monte Carlo type method. A graph theoretic procedure is described to obtain an explicit differential equation from the differential algebraic equations modeling a circuit netlist. With this explicit form, Taylor series polynomials are used to represent the system variables. The non-constant process parameters are represented as intervals, the Taylor series expansion is used to perform interval computations to generate bounds for the system variables. Methods are discussed to prevent blow-up of intervals during the time marching method.
Reform and Its Discontents: Public Health in New York City During the Great Society

The health-care system was one of the most visible and contentious battlegrounds on which the social conflicts of the 1960s unfolded. To an unprecedented extent, health status—especially the stark disadvantage in access and outcomes for racial and ethnic minorities and the poor— became an object of public and governmental concern during the Great Society era, as clinicians, community activists, politicians, and policymakers sought to create new models of medical care that were more equitable and efficient than those of the past. The social science theories that informed the ambitious programs of Lyndon Johnson’s administration gave an imprimatur to the idea that illness was both cause and consequence of the “cycle of poverty.” 1 The ferment of this period raised fundamental questions about the place of public health in American society. For most of the twentieth century, the public health profession, concerned with prevention rather than cure and population-level analysis rather than patient care, was institutionally weak compared with organized medicine, and it struggled to advance a community-focused mission in a civic culture that privileged individualism, the free market, and limited government. In the latter half of the 1960s, grassroots mobilization, coupled with federal and state commitments to health care for the poor, opened a window of opportunity in which public health professionals could argue that their field, by virtue of its unique perspective and experience, had a special role to play in health reform. But the social and political conditions that created this opening also served as countervailing forces that limited what was possible in the new environment.