cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development of a framework to encourage addressing advance directives when resources are limited.

Objectives:Advance directives are used to increase autonomy in decisions regarding care when a person lacks the ability to communicate such wishes. Based on studies showing internal consistency in individuals’ preferences, this study demonstrates a new method for identifying a list of questions that may best predict patient preferences. Method:Participants were 71 residents of a large nursing home and 97 hospital patients. All were administered the Preferences for Life-Sustaining Treatment Questionnaire. Advance directives sequence models were developed using conditional probabilities concerning preferences for utilization of specific treatment options, given prior responses to different treatment options. Results:Models resulted in more than 90% accuracy of treatment preferences for both samples and eliminated two thirds to three quarters of questions asked. Conclusions:Although the specific models need validation using larger samples, they demonstrate a method that facilitates transfer of information co...
Racial/ethnic disparities in maternal morbidities: a statewide study of labor and delivery hospitalizations in Wisconsin.

We examined racial/ethnic disparities in maternal morbidities (MM) and the number of MM during labor and delivery among hospital discharges in Wisconsin. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of hospital discharge data for 206,428 pregnant women aged 13–53 years using 2005–2007 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Dataset (HCUP-SID) for Wisconsin. After adjustments for covariates, MM (preterm labor, antepartum and postpartum hemorrhage, hypertension in pregnancy, gestational diabetes, membrane-related disorders, infections and 3rd and 4th perineal lacerations) were examined using logistic regression models, and number of MM (0, 1, 2, >2 MM) were examined using multivariable ordered logistic regressions with partial proportional odds models. African–Americans had significantly higher likelihood of infections (OR = 1.74; 95% CI 1.60–1.89), preterm labor (OR = 1.42; 1.33–1.50), antepartum hemorrhage (OR = 1.63; 1.44–1.83), and hypertension complicating pregnancy (OR = 1.39; 1.31–1.48) compared to Whites. Hispanics, Asian/Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans had significantly higher likelihood of infections, postpartum hemorrhage, and gestational diabetes than Whites. Major perineal lacerations were significantly higher among Asian/Pacific Islanders (OR = 1.53; 1.34–1.75). All minority racial/ethnic groups, except Asians, had significantly higher likelihood of having 0 versus 1, 2 or >2 MM, 0 or 1 versus 2 or >2 MM, and 0, 1 or 2 versus >2 MM than white women. Findings show significant racial/ethnic disparities in MM, and suggest the need for better screening, management, and timely referral of these conditions, particularly among racial/ethnic women. Disparities in MM may be contributing to the high infant mortality and adverse birth outcomes among different racial/ethnic groups in Wisconsin.
DIFFUSION AND NUCLEAR SPIN RELAXATION IN WATER

The diffusion coefficient and the spin lattice relaxation time of protons in ordinary water have been measured in the temperature range 0-100\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C using nuclear magnetic resonance free precession techniques. Unlike previous diffusion measurements, the present values describe the diffusion of protons rather than foreign isotopes introduced as tracers. To within the experimental error the Stokes-Einstein relation adequately describes the relative temperature dependence of viscosity and diffusion, but above the vicinity of 40\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C the spin lattice relaxation does not follow the viscosity in the predicted manner.
Concurrent use of methotrexate and acitretin revisited.

Background: According to Food and Drug Administration (FDA)‐approved prescribing information, combination therapy with acitretin and methotrexate (MTX) is contraindicated. This is based on company data suggesting increased hepatotoxicity in patients who received concomitant methotrexate and etretinate, the prodrug of acitretin. Methods: We reviewed the clinical data of 18 patients with psoriasis who received methotrexate and acitretin concurrently. Patients received 25 mg of acitretin once daily or alternating days and 7.5–25 mg methotrexate weekly. Baseline metabolic panels, including lipids, and complete blood counts (CBC) were drawn prior to therapy and every 4–12 weeks while on therapy. Results: The average length of treatment was 9 months. Two patients discontinued treatment after refusal to abstain from alcohol. Seven patients discontinued treatment due to a lack of response. Two patients discontinued treatment after clearing. One patient discontinued treatment secondary to hair loss. Six patients a...
Students' perception of stress in a baccalaureate-MD degree program.

The quality of student life in combined baccalaureate-M.D. degree programs has rarely been investigated although these programs address widely recognized problems in medical education. Through the use of an environmental stress inventory, 183 students' perceptions of the learning environment of a combined-degree program were examined. Students in that program rated few situations in their environment as stressful. Yet, they were significantly concerned about information overload and attendant time problems, just as their peers in 4-yr. schools were. Unlike their 4-yr. counterparts, however, they did not see relations with other students and faculty as problematic. Their scores on the inventory were best predicted at each year level by a combination of personal characteristics, notably living arrangements, sex, and to a lesser extent, introversion.
Prediction of IBNR claim counts by modelling the distribution of report lags

Abstract Property/liability insurance companies write insurance to cover many possible events for many different kinds of insured groups. Examples are: (1) workers insured against work related injuries; (2) doctors (and other professionals) insured against malpractice; (3) automobile owners insured against fire, theft and liability for injury; (4) homeowners insured against a multitude of hazards, etcetera. The company must, among other things, have a good idea of how many claims have yet to be reported on accidents which have already happened, and this must be done for each different kind of insured group. A claim which has been incurred (i.e., the accident has already happened) but not yet reported to the insurance company is called an IBNR claim. In this paper, we discuss some methods of predicting the number of IBNR claims. These methods center on the principle of maximum likelihood prediction, and are based upon suitable assumptions about the nature of accident frequency and the delay (lag) between the accident and the report. A later paper will include simulations, examples with real data, and asymptotic results. A special feature of the present paper is that grouping of the data as it arises in insurance data collection is fully taken into account. An example illustrating the basic ideas is presented at the end of the paper.
Treatment Staff Attitudes toward the Combined Treatment of Drug and Alcohol Abusers

The literature on combined treatment has suggested that the attitudes of staff members toward combining treatment for drug and alcohol abusers are important determinants of its success. A survey measuring attitudes thought relevant to the issues of combined treatment was mailed to treatment staff from a nationwide sample of drug, alcohol, and combined treatment agencies. Results indicated that combined treatment staff had more favorable attitudes toward combined treatment than did drug or alcohol staff, and that significant differences existed in the attitudes of drug, alcohol, and combined staff toward drug and alcohol abusers. In addition, it was found that staff background and attitudes toward drug and alcohol abusers were significantly related to attitudes toward combined treatment. Treatment staff who worked at combined treatment agencies and were White were likely to have favorable attitudes toward combined treatment. In terms of attitudes toward drug or alcohol abusers, it was found that staff members who held unfavorable stereotypes or moral views about drug or alcohol abusers tended to be opposed to combined treatment. These empirical results support clinical impressions of combined treatment advocates as reported in the literature. The results are discussed in terms of the relevance of staff attitudes for the effectiveness of combined treatment and for agencies which are considering the initiation of combined treatment.
Behavioral differences between two inbred strains of Fawn-Hooded rat: a model of serotonin dysfunction

The Fawn-Hooded rat (FH) strain has attracted the attention of some psychopharmacologists because of reports of its exaggerated immobility in the swim test, hypercortisolemia, excessive voluntary intake of alcohol, platelet and central serotonin abnormalities and subsensitivity to serotonergic agonists. However, there appears to be some controversy over several behavioral and physiological characteristics of these rats. The present paper proposes that the lack of reproducible findings can be traced to there being several distinct inbred strains of FH rats. Of the two compared in this communication, the FH/Wjd strain is more immobile in the forced swim test, spends more time in the open arms of the elevated plus maze, and drinks more saccharin and alcohol voluntarily than the FH/Har (Iowa Reactive) strain. Future workers are cautioned to report the source of their FH rats.
Behavioral effects of dynorphin — a novel opioid neuropeptide

Abstract Adult male Swiss-Webster mice were implanted with permanently indwelling cannulae with tips within the lateral cerebral ventricle. The neuropeptide dynorphin was infused centrally and subjects were tested on a variety behavioral tasks. Peptide treated mice were more likely than vehicle treatd mice to eat and groom. At higher doses, dynorphin treated mice showed barrel rotation which was occasionally succeeded by death. Effects upon behavior were only partially reversible by naloxone.
Velocity measurements in a hydrogen arcjet using LIF

A new diagnostic developed to measure the axial velocity of atomic hydrogen in a 1-kW hydrogen-fueled arcjet thruster is reported. The technique is based on laser-induced fluorescence of the Balmer alpha transition (656 nm) in atomic hydrogen. A narrow-band CW ring dye laser scans the excitation spectrum permitting accurate determination of the absorption line shape and position. The velocity is derived from the Doppler-shifted line position. A spatially resolved velocity profile is presented with a peak velocity of 12.8 km/s at the arcjet centerline near the exit plane.
Phorbol ester induces inhibition of arachidonate incorporation into phospholipids in human neutrophilis

Abstract PMA is known to enhance calcium ionophore A-23187 induced arachidonate release in human neutrophils. Mechanism of enhancement by PMA is not clear. We have found that neutrophils pretreated with PMA showed significant reduction in labeled arachidonate uptake. Decrease in arachidonate uptake following PMA treatment was attributed, at least in part, to inactivation of arachidonoyl CoA synthase and arachidonoyl CoA lysophosphatide acyltransferase, two key enzymes involved in arachidonate incorporation into phospholipids. These results suggest that PMA may induce protein kinase C activation which in turn may cause inactivation of the two enzymes involved in incorporation of arachidonate resulting in greater availability of arachidonate which is liberated by A-23187 for oxygenation and release into extracellular space.
Raf-1 kinase is essential for early Xenopus development and mediates the induction of mesoderm by FGF

Animal cap explants from Xenopus embryos injected with a dominant negative Raf-1 mutant, termed NAF (not a functional Raf), demonstrated a complete block to basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-stimulated mesoderm induction. Activin induction of mesoderm was normal in embryos that expressed NAF. Injection of NAF RNA into 2-cell stage embryos blocked normal development during neurula stages and caused severe posterior truncations in tadpoles. The phenotype induced by NAF could be rescued by coinjection of wild-type raf-1 RNA. The NAF mutant functioned by specifically blocking the activation of endogenous Raf kinase activity. These findings suggest that Raf-1 mediates FGF, but not activin, receptor signaling during mesoderm induction and implicate Raf-1 as a key signaling molecule in the development of posterior structure.
AIDS-Related Knowledge and Beliefs among Incarcerated Adolescent Males

This study examined AIDS-related knowledge and beliefs among 64 incarcerated adolescent males. Residents of a correctional facility for adolescents were surveyed concerning their general knowledge about AIDS and beliefs about preventing AIDS. The results indicated that significant gaps in knowledge existed, frequently centering on the risk of casual contact and modes of transmission. However, the participants were knowledgeable about selecting safer behavioral alternatives. There was little perceived peer or social support for safer sex practices, such as latex condom use. Implications of the findings and recommendations for future research and educational strategies are discussed.
Studies of the band structure of NbO by X-Ray photoelectróh spectroscopy

X-ray photoelectron spectra are reported for single crystals of NbO in the binding energy range of −5 to +540 eV with respect to the Fermi level; the results are correlated with band structure schemes reported in the literature. A substantial electron density at the Fermi level in a very wide conduction band reported here is consistent with the highly metallic characteristics of the compound. Observations of spectra of Ar ions imbedded in the NbO matrix yield a work function of 6.45 eV for NbO. Die durch Rontgenstrahlen verursachten Photoemissions-Spektren werden fur NbO- Einkristalle im Bindungsenergiebereich von −5 bis +540 eV relativ zum Ferminiveau untersucht; die Ergebnisse werden mit den in der Literatur veroffentlichten Bandstrukturen verglichen. Die grose Elektronendichte am Ferminiveau in einem breiten Leitungsband last sich mit dem ausgepragten metallischen Zustand dieser Verbindung leicht vereinbaren. Die Untersuchung der Spektren der Argonionen, die im Festkorper eingebettet sind, ergeben fur das NbO eine Elektronenaustrittsarbeit von 6,45 eV.
Micromorphology of calcium carbonate in bauxite processing waste

Abstract Secondary calcium carbonate accumulations were observed in bauxite processing waste, a waste product of aluminum production. The waste material is saline-sodic, calcareous, and highly alkaline (pH 11.8). The waste was packed as a 50% solids slurry into cylindrical acrylic columns and subjected to treatment combinations of differing drainage regimes, and gypsum and sulfuric acid additions. After eight wetting and drying cycles, samples were taken from the columns for analysis of carbonate distribution and thin-section analysis. Micromorphic forms of carbonate found in the waste included infillings, calcitic coatings and hypocoatings of voids, acicular calcite found in vughs, and calcium carbonate replacing gypsum. These results suggest that secondary calcite forms commonly found in soils may form very rapidly under certain conditions.
Regulatory roles of Fnr, Fur, and Arc in expression of manganese-containing superoxide dismutase in Escherichia coli.

Abstract Transcriptional regulation of the sodA gene, encoding the manganese superoxide dismutase (superoxide: superoxide oxidoreductase, EC 1.15.1.1) of Escherichia coli, was studied by monitoring expression of sodA-lacZ in different genetic backgrounds and under different growth conditions. Mutations in the fnr gene were found to affect aerobic and anaerobic expression of sodA-lacZ. Potential Fnr-binding sites were identified in the promoter region of sodA. Strains harboring simultaneous mutations in arcA/B and fur expressed sodA-lacZ under anaerobic growth conditions but were still inducible by iron chelators. However, in the triple mutants (fnr fur arcA/B) sodA-lacZ was fully expressed under anaerobiosis and was not further induced by the presence of 2,2'-dipyridyl, nitrate, or oxidants. On the other hand, aerobic expression of sodA-lacZ from a Fur-strain was approximately 3.8-fold higher than that from the wild-type strain but was diminished by introducing mutations in fnr or arcA/B. In conclusion, Fnr, Arc, and Fur act as anaerobic repressors of sodA. Furthermore, the regulation of sodA by Fur (ferric uptake regulation protein), Arc (aerobic respiratory control), and Fnr (fumarate nitrate reduction/regulator of anaerobic respiration) is independent of the superoxide response regulon SoxRS.
Outcome study of the development of fusion in patients aligned for congenital esotropia in relation to duration of misalignment.

Abstract Purpose The results of recent studies have shown that the presence and quality of stereopsis in patients with congenital esotropia and subsequent surgically alignment are dependent upon the duration of the misalignment during the first 2 years of life. The purpose of this study was to investigate the presence of fusion in patients with different durations of misalignment whose eyes were aligned at different ages by age 2 years. Methods Data previously obtained in a study of 90 patients with congenital esotropia aligned by 2 years of age, examined in a masked independent evaluation for binocularity, were analyzed. Patient age at alignment and duration of misalignment were correlated with the presence of fusion. Results Fusion was present in 94% of all patients aligned by age 2 years and in 94% of patients with ≤21 months of misalignment. There was no statistically significant difference between those aligned by 6, 12, or 24 months ( P > 0.05, power=0.8). No significant difference was found between those aligned with duration of misalignment ≤ 6, between 7 and 12, or between 13 and 21 months. Conclusion Unlike the findings of stereopsis studies, there was no significant difference in the proportion of patients who achieved fusion in congenital esotropes who had up to 21 months of misalignment and whose eyes were aligned at different ages within the first 24 months of life.
Role Dynamics, Locus of Control, and Employee Attitudes and Behavior

A study of interrelationships among role variables, locus of control, and subordinate satisfaction and performance revealed that: (a) internals perceived less role conflict, were neither more satis...
Effects of Methylphenidate on Working Memory in Traumatic Brain Injury: A Preliminary fMRI Investigation

As part of a preliminary investigation on the effects of methylphenidate on brain activation during a working memory (WM) task in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI), patients with TBI received 15 mg of methylphenidate (N = 4) or placebo (N = 5) twice a day for one month in a double-blind, placebo-controlled design. Brain activation was assessed at pre-treatment and on the final treatment day using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with an N-back task using faces as stimuli. In a whole brain voxel-wise analysis, methylphenidate, compared to placebo, produced a decrease in brain activation for the 2-load minus 0-load contrast in the anterior cingulate, thalamus, cuneus and cerebellum, regions associated with WM performance. Further, an a priori region of interest analysis with small volume correction found reduced activation in the anterior cingulate. Although based on a small sample size, these preliminary findings suggest methylphenidate may increase processing efficiency associated with cognitive control during WM tasks in patients with TBI.
Isotopic air sampling in a tallgrass prairie to partition net ecosystem CO2 exchange

[1] Stable isotope ratios of various ecosystem components and net ecosystem exchange (NEE) CO2 fluxes were measured in a C3-C4 mixture tallgrass prairie near Manhattan, Kansas. The July 2002 study period was chosen because of contrasting soil moisture contents, which allowed us to address the effects of drought on photosynthetic CO2 uptake and isotopic discrimination. Significantly higher NEE fluxes were observed for both daytime uptake and nighttime respiration during well-watered conditions when compared to a drought period. Given these differences, we investigated two carbon-flux partitioning questions: (1) What proportions of NEE were contributed by C3 versus C4 species? (2) What proportions of NEE fluxes resulted from canopy assimilation versus ecosystem respiration? To evaluate these questions, air samples were collected every 2 hours during daytime for 3 consecutive days at the same height as the eddy covariance system. These air samples were analyzed for both carbon isotope ratios and CO2 concentrations to establish an empirical relationship for isoflux calculations. An automated air sampling system was used to collect nighttime air samples to estimate the carbon isotope ratios of ecosystem respiration (δR) at weekly intervals for the entire growing season. Models of C3 and C4 photosynthesis were employed to estimate bulk canopy intercellular CO2 concentration in order to calculate photosynthetic discrimination against 13C. Our isotope/NEE results showed that for this grassland, C4 vegetation contributed ∼80% of the NEE fluxes during the drought period and later ∼100% of the NEE fluxes in response to an impulse of intense precipitation. For the entire growing season, the C4 contribution ranged from ∼68% early in the spring to nearly 100% in the late summer. Using an isotopic approach, the calculated partitioned respiratory fluxes were slightly greater than chamber-measured estimates during midday under well-watered conditions. In addition, time series analyses of our δR measurements revealed that occasionally during periods of high wind speed (increasing the sampling footprint) the C3 cropland and forests surrounding the C4 prairie could be detected and had an impact on the carbon isotopic signal. The implication is that isotopic air sampling of CO2 can be useful as a tracer for evaluating the fetch of upwind airflow in a heterogeneous ecosystem.
Prostate specific antigen at the initial diagnosis of metastasis to bone in patients after radical prostatectomy.

Purpose: Among men with biochemical progression after radical prostatectomy little is known about prostate specific antigen at the time of metastasis to bone in hormone naive patients. This information would be useful in determining when to initiate androgen deprivation therapy.Materials and Methods: From a large radical prostatectomy series we identified 193 hormone naive men in whom bone metastases developed at a mean of 6 years postoperatively. We examined the prostate specific antigen distribution at bone scan conversion by time from radical prostatectomy to metastasis. ANOVA and linear regression were also used to examine the association of clinicopathological tumor features with prostate specific antigen at bone metastasis.Results: Median prostate specific antigen was 31.9 ng/ml at the initial diagnosis of metastatic disease. Bone scan conversion occurred at a prostate specific antigen of less than 10, 10 to 100 and greater than 100 ng/ml in 50 (25.9%), 98 (50.8%) and 45 (23.3%) men, respectively. L...
Apoptotic Sphingolipid Signaling by Ceramides in Lung Endothelial Cells

The de novo pathway of ceramide synthesis has been implicated in the pathogenesis of excessive lung apoptosis and murine emphysema. Intracellular and paracellular-generated ceramides may trigger apoptosis and propagate the death signals to neighboring cells, respectively. In this study we compared the sphingolipid signaling pathways triggered by the paracellular- versus intracellular-generated ceramides as they induce lung endothelial cell apoptosis, a process important in emphysema development. Intermediate–chain length (C8:0) extracellular ceramides, used as a surrogate of paracellular ceramides, triggered caspase-3 activation in primary mouse lung endothelial cells, similar to TNF-α–generated endogenous ceramides. Inhibitory siRNA against serine palmitoyl transferase subunit 1 but not acid sphingomyelinase inhibited both C8:0 ceramide– and TNF-α (plus cycloheximide)–induced apoptosis, consistent with the requirement for activation of the de novo pathway of sphingolipid synthesis. Tandem mass spectromet...
Spheroidal free periods of the earth observed at eight stations around the world

ABSTRACT Spectral peaks corresponding to the spheroidal free periods of oscillation of the earth exist in the spectra of eight seismograms written at stations in different parts of the world shortly after the great Chilean earthquake of 22 May 1960. These data have been combined with those previously reported by various authors to obtain a very precise phase velocity vs period curve for Rayleigh waves in the period range of 200 to 3200 seconds. The observed spectral amplitudes lend some support to the assumption of a moving source, but they also indicate that the present theory is not adequate. The vertical motion is found to be symmetric with respect to reflections through the pole.
Vertical oscillations in a viscous and thermally conducting isothermal atmosphere

The presence of dissipation in an isothermal atmosphere may cause upwardpropagating small amplitude waves to be reflected downward. For an atmosphere with small dynamic viscosity μ this was demonstrated in Yanowitch (1967b); this will be referred to as case II. Here two problems will be investigated: (i) a thermally conducting atmosphere with small conductivity k (case III) and (ii) a viscous and thermally conducting atmosphere with small k and μ, and a small ratio μ/k, i.e. small Prandtl number (case IV). It will be shown that the validity of the model in case III is questionable. The solution for case IV is determined from the conditions that the average rate of energy dissipation and of entropy increase in a column of fluid be finite, but a radiation condition is required in case III. The solution for case III does not approximate the one for case IV uniformly, and the reflexion coefficient for case IV does not tend to the one for case III as the Prandtl number Pr → 0, but varies periodically with log Pr. Numerical results show that when the Prandtl number is not small the reflexion coefficient can be approximated by the asymptotic value obtained from case II.
Intraoperative Measurement of Javid Shunt Flow With Transit-Time Ultrasound

Transit-time ultrasound methods were used to measure blood flow in 37 patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy. Internal carotid flow before (ICFbef) and after (ICFaft) endarterectomy was measured with a 6 mm perivascular probe, and Javid shunt flow (SF) was measured with a clamp-on probe. For the entire group ICFbef averaged 117±67 ml/min and ICFaft was 173±67 ml/min. Shunt flow averaged 123±51 ml/min. The differences between ICFbet and ICFaft and between SF and ICFaft were significant (ANOVA,p ICFbef) had more stenosis evident on preoperative arteriograms (64.7%±14.55% maximum single diameter stenosis) and a greater average increase in ICF (151%±159%) than those with SF ≤ ICFbef (43.3%±20.9% stenosis and 34%±54% increase in ICF), suggesting that the relationship between SF and ICFbef defines groups with different hemodynamic responses. The similarity between SF and ICFbef indicates that Javid shunt flow offers adequate protection from cerebral ischemia. A practical benefit of the shunt clamp-on flow probe is the ability afforded to recognize shunt occlusions.
Fault tolerance via idempotence

Building distributed services and applications is challenging due to the pitfalls of distribution such as process and communication failures. A natural solution to these problems is to detect potential failures, and retry the failed computation and/or resend messages. Ensuring correctness in such an environment requires distributed services and applications to be idempotent.In this paper, we study the inter-related aspects of process failures, duplicate messages, and idempotence. We first introduce a simple core language (based on lambda calculus inspired by modern distributed computing platforms. This language formalizes the notions of a service, duplicate requests, process failures, data partitioning, and local atomic transactions that are restricted to a single store.We then formalize a desired (generic) correctness criterion for applications written in this language, consisting of idempotence (which captures the desired safety properties) and failure-freedom (which captures the desired progress properties).We then propose language support in the form of a monad that automatically ensures failfree idempotence. A key characteristic of our implementation is that it is decentralized and does not require distributed coordination. We show that the language support can be enriched with other useful constructs, such as compensations, while retaining the coordination-free decentralized nature of the implementation.We have implemented the idempotence monad (and its variants) in F# and C# and used our implementation to build realistic applications on Windows Azure. We find that the monad has low runtime overheads and leads to more declarative applications.
Creating safer consumer products: the information challenges companies face

Abstract This paper provides a firsthand view of challenges faced by 20 multinational consumer product companies in obtaining needed information about chemicals used as product inputs, and highlights the strategies these companies have voluntarily adopted in an attempt to avoid or reduce hazardous chemicals in their products. This information may be useful to policy makers in considering reform of U.S. chemicals policies, and may provide models of best practices for other companies that are motivated to minimize chemicals-related product risks. Twenty multinational consumer product companies were interviewed to understand their chemicals-related information needs, the challenges they face in obtaining information, and the actions they take to minimize hazards in their products. The companies selected for interviews were viewed as proactive in managing hazardous chemicals in products and supply chains. Challenges in obtaining chemicals-related information exist across business sectors. Interviewees described how information pertaining to chemical hazards and product ingredients and can be unavailable, conflicting, protected by trade secrets, or lost in supply chains. The interviewed companies have each designed strategies that attempt to overcome these information challenges in order to protect human and environmental health from hazardous chemicals in their products, but more action is necessary to expand such protections to all consumer products. Suggestions are offered for policy improvements that increase knowledge, transparency, and information flow about hazardous chemicals and their uses in order to better safeguard public and environmental health and stimulate development of safer chemicals.
RACECAR: a heuristic for automatic function specialization on multi-core heterogeneous systems

High-performance computing systems increasingly combine multi-core processors and heterogeneous resources such as graphics-processing units and field-programmable gate arrays. However, significant application design complexity for such systems has often led to untapped performance potential. Application designers targeting such systems currently must determine how to parallelize computation, create device-specialized implementations for each heterogeneous resource, and determine how to partition work for each resource. In this paper, we present the RACECAR heuristic to automate the optimization of applications for multi-core heterogeneous systems by automatically exploring implementation alternatives that include different algorithms, parallelization strategies, and work distributions. Experimental results show RACECAR-specialized implementations achieve speedups up to 117x and average 11x compared to a single CPU thread when parallelizing computation across multiple cores, graphics-processing units, and field-programmable gate arrays.
Structural and functional comparisons of nucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase and alkaline phosphatase: implications for mechanism and evolution.

The rapid expansion of the amount of genomic and structural data has provided many examples of enzymes with evolutionarily related active sites that catalyze different reactions. Functional comparisons of these active sites can provide insight into the origins of the enormous catalytic proficiency of enzymes and the evolutionary changes that can lead to different enzyme activities. The alkaline phosphatase (AP) superfamily is an ideal system to use in making such comparisons given the extensive data available on both nonenzymatic and enzymatic phosphoryl transfer reactions. Some superfamily members, such as AP itself, preferentially hydrolyze phosphate monoesters, whereas others, such as nucleotide pyrophosphatase/ phosphodiesterase (NPP), preferentially hydrolyze phosphate diesters. We have measured rate constants for NPP-catalyzed hydrolysis of phosphate diesters and monoesters. NPP preferentially catalyzes diester hydrolysis by factors of 10 2 -10 6 , depending on the identity of the diester substrate. To identify features of the NPP active site that could lead to preferential phosphate diester hydrolysis, we have determined the structure of NPP in the absence of ligands and in complexes with vanadate and AMP. Comparisons to existing structures of AP reveal bimetallo cores that are structurally indistinguishable, but there are several distinct structural features outside of the conserved bimetallo site. The structural and functional data together suggest that some of these distinct functional groups provide specific substrate binding interactions, whereas others tune the properties of the bimetallo active site itself to discriminate between phosphate diester and monoester substrates.
Residence time of a freshwater embayment connected to a large lake

The average length of time water remains within the boundaries of an aquatic system is a key parameter controlling the system's biogeochemical behavior. This timescale, generally referred to as the hydraulic residence time, provides a first-order description of multiple and complex processes that drive transport. The procedures to estimate these transport timescales are reviewed and, through the analysis of numerical simulations, the links between residence timescales and the underlying hydrodynamic processes in a canonical freshwater embayment, Little Sodus Bay (LSB), are explored. LSB has negligible through-flow and is connected permanently to Lake Ontario (LO) through a narrow and shallow channel. Exchange in the channel is the result of a multiple balance where spatial thermal variations (baroclinic forcing), oscillations in water level (barotropic forcing), frictional mixing, wind, and the effects of unsteadiness are all important. The simulations indicate that baroclinic processes are the dominant exchange and mixing mechanisms in embayments like LSB. The largest density gradients across the channel are caused by episodic upwelling events in LO during the stratified season, when exchange rates increase by at least an order of magnitude. The mean residence timescales undergo dramatic variations in time and space and, in general, are comparable to the timescales of the systems' variability itself. The simulations reveal that temporal variations of mean residence timescales occur at interannual, seasonal, and down to synoptic timescales, and are closely related to the occurrence and frequency of upwelling events.
Comparing fixed-point and probabilistic sampling designs for monitoring the marine ecosystem near McMurdo Station, Ross Sea, Antarctica

Fixed-point and probabilistic sampling designs were compared to investigate which design best detected known contamination gradients in the marine ecosystem adjacent to McMurdo Station, Antarctica. The fixed-point sampling design included transects along historical contamination and physical disturbance gradients. The probabilistic sampling design used randomly selected hexagons spaced at 50 m intervals. In both designs, 15 stations were sampled over a small area (~1 km2) that extended from Winter Quarters Bay to Cape Armitage. Sediment quality triad components (sediment chemical contaminants, sediment toxicity, and a benthic index of biotic integrity) were measured to indicate chemical, toxicological, and biological effects. There were higher correlations between sediment quality triad components for the fixed-point sampling design than for the probabilistic design. The fixed-point design was better at detecting the intensity of alteration because disturbance of the marine ecosystem at McMurdo Station is localized within a small area. Based on these results, a limited fixed-point design with nine stations detected no significant change in macrofaunal community structure over a four year period from 2000–2004. However, the macrofaunal assemblages present in the contaminated portions of Winter Quarters Bay are indicative of a disturbed benthic community that has been subject to organic enrichment and toxic chemical exposure.
Anatomical evidence for the posterior boundary of area 2 in the macaque monkey.

This study examined the architectonic organization of the macaque's primary somatosensory cortex near the tip of the intraparietal sulcus (IPS), using myelin and Nissl stains plus immunohistochemical labeling with the SMI-32 antibody. The surface cortex between the IPS and central sulcus (overlapping area 2) was distinguished from surrounding cortex (areas 1 and 5) by relatively light SMI-32 immunoreactivity. This distinguishing architectonic feature was most evident between the post-central dimple and cortex immediately anterior to the tip of the IPS. Physiological mappings verified that the architectonic transition correlated with a change in receptive field properties, consistent with their marking the boundary between areas 2 and 5. These results suggest that area 2 occupies surface cortex anterior to the IPS, but not within the IPS.
A space-time-frequency target identification technique for chipless RFID applications

Based on the Singularity Expansion Method (SEM) the late time scattered signal from an object consists of a summation of damped sinusoidals. Each damped sinusoidal represents a pair of complex conjugate natural frequencies (poles) which are tied to the scatterer's structure. The classical Matrix Pencil method has been used extensively to extract poles and residues from the late time scattered signal. Multiple objects break the matrix pencil method due to existence of different groups of poles and residues with different time windows in the same received signal. The technique presented in this paper attempts to separate poles based on their times and directions of arrival. This helps to analyze the scattered signal in presence of multiple objects.
Simulation, animation, and analysis of design disassembly for maintainability analysis

SUMMARY Designing mechanical systems for efficient disassembly improves their maintainability. Issues related to design disassembly for maintainability analysis of an evolving mechanical system design are discussed. Procedures and methodologies for the identification of disassembly sequence, animation of human technicians in performing the disassembly sequence, tool selection, time and cost analysis, and human factors analysis of the disassembly sequence are presented. Their software implementation in a maintainability analysis workspace is described and illustrated using a maintenance task example.
The letter versus the spirit: Barriers to meaningful implementation of gender equality policy in Poland

Synopsis Since the United Nations Conference on Women in Nairobi in 1985, gender equality has been an important element of the European social agenda. Yet, 23 years later, despite the fact that all European Union (EU) member states have adopted a legal framework addressing issues of gender equality, there is little evidence that this regime has been implemented successfully anywhere within the EU. By investigating public and official discourses in Poland surrounding gender equality, I seek to understand why the gender equality agenda has been difficult to implement meaningfully in Poland. Rather than claiming this as “Polish exceptionalism,” I suggest that conflict amongst factions within Poland, as well as between Poland and the EU, over the transposition and implementation of the international gender equality agenda is emblematic of the ways in which integration can succeed formally, but fail substantively, highlighting the need for further theorizing the cultural dimensions of European integration.
An Early ‘Denial of Ekphrasis’: Controversy over the Breakout of the Visual in the Jazz Age Tabloids and the New York Times

This case study focuses on the use of visual elements - and the criticism over such use - in 1920s newspapers in New York, applying Jay David Bolter’s concept of ‘denial of ekphrasis’. The pioneering Jazz Age papers, acting as early ‘multimedia screens’, used photographic elements to communicate information in novel ways, contributing to the undermining of the analytical power of the written word. Elite criticism of these papers evinces nothing more than a class-based contempt for popular cultural forms, while examination of the contemporary New York Times shows that, by the mid-1920s, that paper was already paralleling many of the visual and content-based choices selected by its jazz journalism counterparts. Even so, this study finds that, in line with Bolter’s theories, the underlying traditions of the press were not fundamentally altered by technological developments and the spread of the visual form.
Legitimacy crisis and legitimation in China

(1996). Legitimacy crisis and legitimation in China. Journal of Contemporary Asia: Vol. 26, No. 2, pp. 201-220.
Description of terrain mesh generation and reduction for avionics display and processing applications

Avionics applications of terrain databases will, by virtue of flight critical aspects, necessarily require guaranteed minimum acceptable frame rate and latency performance. In order to meet these requirements, the real-time processing of onboard avionics databases will require sophisticated algorithms to reduce and manage database load posed by large terrain and airport data sets. Multiresolution surface algorithms may be best suited for this task because they can extract surface information at various levels of detail from a large geographic terrain database in real-time.
Androgen receptor antagonism by divalent ethisterone conjugates in castrate-resistant prostate cancer cells.

Sustained treatment of prostate cancer with androgen receptor (AR) antagonists can evoke drug resistance, leading to castrate-resistant disease. Elevated activity of the AR is often associated with this highly aggressive disease state. Therefore, new therapeutic regimens that target and modulate AR activity could prove beneficial. We previously introduced a versatile chemical platform to generate competitive and non-competitive multivalent peptoid oligomer conjugates that modulate AR activity. In particular, we identified a linear and a cyclic divalent ethisterone conjugate that exhibit potent anti-proliferative properties in LNCaP-abl cells, a model of castrate-resistant prostate cancer. Here, we characterize the mechanism of action of these compounds utilizing confocal microscopy, time-resolved fluorescence resonance energy transfer, chromatin immunoprecipitation, flow cytometry, and microarray analysis. The linear conjugate competitively blocks AR action by inhibiting DNA binding. In addition, the line...
How a personalized geowiki can help bicyclists share information more effectively

The bicycling community is focused around a real-world activity -- navigating a bicycle -- which requires planning within a complex and ever-changing space. While all the knowledge needed to find good routes exists, it is highly distributed. We show, using the results of surveys and interviews, that cyclists need a comprehensive, up-to-date, and personalized information resource. We introduce the personalized geowiki, a new type of wiki which meets these requirements, and we formalize the notion of geowiki. Finally, we state some general prerequisites for wiki contribution and show that they are met by cyclists.
Molecular biology of adenoid cystic carcinoma.

Background Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is an unusual salivary gland malignancy that remains poorly understood. Standard treatment, including surgery with postoperative radiation therapy have attained reasonable local control rates, but the propensity for distant metastases has limited any improvement in survival over time. Our understanding of the molecular mechanisms driving adenoid cystic carcinoma is quite rudimentary, due to the infrequent nature of its occurrence.
Abstract 258: Adherence To The AHA / ACCF / SCAI / ASE /ASNC - 2012 Appropriate Use Criteria For Diagnostic Cardiac Catheterization In An Academic Medical Center.

Objective: To examine the adherence to the published appropriate use criteria (AUC) for diagnostic cardiac catheterization (DCC) in an academic medical center. Background: In May 2012, the American Heart Association and other subspecialty societies have developed AUC for DCC to address the growing rational use of cardiac catheterization in delivering high quality health care. The application of all the subsets of AUC indications to examine the adherence of cardiologists in academic center has not been well studied. Methods: We retrospectively examined a random sample of 499 patients who underwent DCC in our institution between January 1, 2013 to June 30, 2013, seven months after the publication of AUC for DCC; and classified as appropriate, uncertain and inappropriate categories according to the AUC. Indications not addressed in the AUC were considered unclassified. Results: The mean age of the study population was 65 (± 13) years with 67% males. Distribution of DCC according to AUC is shown in Table-1. Most DCC were appropriate (93%; n= 462), 6% (n=31) were uncertain and none were inappropriate. Approximately 1% (n=6) DCC were unclassifiable and all had known obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) with worsening or limiting symptoms without non invasive stress testing and did not meet criteria for unstable angina. About one quarter (22%; n= 21/86) of DCC performed for patients in the suspected CAD with or without prior non invasive stress testing group were uncertain, 78% (n= 65/86) were appropriate and none were inappropriate. Most DCC (92%) were performed by interventional cardiologists (Figure 1). Conclusions: Most DCCs performed at this academic hospital are adherent with AUC criteria, however variability exists by indication and provider type. Unclassified patients as mentioned above who got referred for DCC by treating cardiologists led to a significant change in their management plan, thereby suggesting these group of patients which currently do not fit to any subset AUC criteria need consideration for further subset AUC categorization. About 22% of the DCC performed in the suspected CAD group were uncertain, none were inappropriate which make our results prominently discordant to recent findings observed among DCC procedures performed for suspected CAD in New York State. ![][1] [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif