cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thin Film Deposition: Micro-/Nanoscale Fabrication

The basic considerations in micro-/nanoscale fabrication are considered. The discussion is focused on the chemical vapor deposition process for the fabrication of thin films for materials such as silicon, titanium nitride, and gallium nitride. The different types of reactors, modeling of the flow, heat and mass transfer, and chemical reactions are considered in detail. Numerical and experimental results are presented for a variety of conditions and geometries. Of particular interest are the deposition rate and the quality of the deposited film. The chemistry is a critical component in these processes and, though the chemical pathways, chemical kinetics, and properties are known to a fair degree of accuracy for some important materials, the information available for other materials is often quite limited. The modeling of the transport processes without the chemical reactions is relatively straightforward, but the inclusion of chemical reactions generally makes the simulation much more complicated and difficult. Experimental data are available for materials like silicon due to their extensive use, but the data for the wide variety of materials of current and future interest are somewhat limited. Though the focus is on CVD systems, similar considerations arise in other fabrication techniques, such as flame synthesis of various materials. The basic considerations of quality versus production rate are common to all these processes. The link between the product characteristics and the operating conditions is an important one and the needed future effort is discussed. The approaches presented here may be extended, with suitable modifications, to other processes and applications.
Pathway for Hydrolysis of Plasmalogens in Brain

The ethanolamine plasmalogens in brain have a substantial rate of turnover (Horrocks et al., 1976). Hydrolytic degradation of the plasmalogen molecule could begin at any position. Evidence for phospholipase C (EC 3.1.4.3) in brain has been reported (Williams et al., 1973; Abra and Quinn, 1975). Diglycerides can also be released by reversal of ethanolamine phosphotransferase (EC 2.7.8.1) in the presence of CMP. Brain contains phospholipase A2 but its activity is much less with plasmalogens than with diacyl phosphoglycerides (Woelk and Porcellati, 1973). Plasmalogenase (EC 3.3.2.–) cleaves the alk-1-enyl group to release a long-chain aldehyde. None of these enzymes, except plasmalogenase, seem to possess the activity necessary to account for the turnover of ethanolamine plasmalogens.
Vegetating plaques in the groin: A manifestation of metastatic crohn's disease

Crohn's disease (CD) is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that can affect any part of the gut from mouth to anus. It also may occur at contiguous sites, like, lip, perineal or peristomal regions or may occur at sites separated from the bowel by normal tissue referred to as metastatic CD. The condition is relatively rare and may mimic or coexist with other dermatoses. The presence of noncaseating granuloma on histopathological examination confirms the diagnosis. Here, we report a case of metastatic CD with cutaneous symptoms of long duration and presenting with vegetating plaques in the lower abdomen, groins, and vulva. The gastrointestinal disease was under remission. The diagnosis was confirmed by histopathological examination and patient responded well to topical as well as systemic steroids.
Mining Data to Catch Tax Cheats

This teaching case covers technical and non-technical concerns about data mining enabled by the creation of a data warehouse by the California Franchise Tax Board (CFTB). CFTB used data mining to analyze data collected from federal, state and municipal agencies and other organizations to identify residents who under-report income or fail to file tax returns. The case presents different stakeholders’ privacy, financial, technical and political concerns regarding the use of data obtained from an array of sources. The case is aimed at an undergraduate or MBA/MS course on IS Management, Data Management/Warehousing or Information Privacy. It could also be used to study IT and public policy, or E-government. It provides an opportunity for students to consider how social and political factors interact with technical challenges in inter-enterprise relationships. It also offers an opportunity to consider the value of data in relation to both the financial and non-financial costs of obtaining it.
The HMI digital ecosystem: challenges and possible solutions

The rapid evolution of the interactive technologies is producing also the evolution of human-machine interaction. From the early 80's to now, we have moved from the first interactive systems, which used a finite-state machine for modelling the interaction, to the new interaction systems that can be considered as digital ecosystems, which include many different devices and people interacting each other through a flexible and adaptable interaction paradigm. This evolution of human-machine interaction is discussed in the paper considering both societal and technological challenges and some solutions and perspectives.
Strategic information aggregation and learning from prices

Abstract This paper studies firms' learning from stock prices and corporate investment when managers have different precisions about their investment opportunities. When informed traders and firm managers are strategic, private information is not fully incorporated into stock prices. Moreover, informed trading volume is low for firms with low quality of managerial information, leading to limited learning. Using a sample of U.S. publicly traded companies, the paper documents a positive correlation between the quality of managerial information and price informativeness. Furthermore, consistent with model predictions, the relation between managerial information and investment sensitivity to prices follows an inverse U-shape pattern.
Correlation between hearing loss and middle ear volume in patients with a tympanic membrane perforation.

OBJECTIVE To investigate a possible correlation between the degree of conductive hearing loss (CHL) caused by an isolated tympanic membrane (TM) perforation and mastoid-middle ear volume. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective chart, audiometry, and computed tomography (CT) imaging review. METHODS Adult patients with a diagnosis of isolated TM perforation between 2010 and 2018 were identified and their audiometric data collected. Mastoid-middle ear volume (MMEV) was then calculated based on segmentation analysis from the patient's head or temporal bone CT. Calculated MMEV was compared to MMEV derived by tympanometry. A Student's t-test was performed to determine a correlation between the calculated MMEV on CT imaging and the degree of conductive hearing loss as measured by the air bone gap on standard audiometry. RESULTS There was a statistically significant difference between MMEV as determined by segmentation analysis compared to that determined by tympanometry (absolute average percent difference = 33.8%; range -49.5% to +155.2%; P = .03). Greater MMEV determined by segmentation analysis correlated with smaller air bone gap; this trend approached but did not reach statistical significance (P = .09). CONCLUSIONS Calculated MMEV by segmentation analysis on CT imaging may be a more accurate estimate of MMEV than tympanometry. MMEV may be correlated to the degree of conductive hearing loss in the setting of isolated TM perforation where greater volume was associated with better hearing. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4 Laryngoscope, 130:E228-E232, 2020.
Early Liver Transplantation for Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease: Need for Engagement and Education of All Stakeholders

Editorial for HEP4-19-0054 "Patients' Perspective on Early Liver Transplantation in Alcoholic Liver Disease."
Technical note: the expected length of an orderly path

Logistics planners often need to estimate length of a path through n random points. The problem has connections to geographical surveys, Steiner tree problems, traveling salesman problems, Amazon.com and Alibaba.cn drone aircraft multi-package outbound delivery paths, and aircraft sorties. In this effort, we utilize two applied probability tenets in concert to derive a closed form model for the expected distance between orderly pairs of randomly distributed delivery locations across some region. Indeed, by themselves each of the two tenets offer little help but when utilized simultaneously they elucidate the problem. Then, this expected distance is multiplied by (n − 1) to estimate the total length of the associated orderly path (albeit not the optimal path) through the n points. This total path length estimate, in turn, provides decision makers with a better information for distribution and logistics planning.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection and Risk of Heart Failure Rehospitalizations

Human Immunodeficiency Infection (HIV) is associated with increased risk for heart failure (HF). Outcomes of HF in patients living with HIV (PWH) are poorly understood. We sought to identify the risk of HF rehospitalizations (30 and 90 days) among PWH versus uninfected controls admitted with HF. Using the 2016 Nationwide Readmissions Database, we identified all patients (≥18 years) who were discharged alive with a primary diagnosis of HF (ICD10 I50.xx) with or without secondary diagnosis of HIV (ICD 10 Z21, B20, O98.7, or B97.35). Propensity score matching was used to match PWH with controls (1:1) based on 45 patient characteristics (demographics, hospitalization characteristics, and co-morbidities). Cox regression models were used to compare rates of HF rehospitalization (primary ICD10 I50.xx) within 30 and 90 days after discharge from the index HF hospitalization. A total of 312,264 patients with HF were identified, of whom 1,112 (0.4%) had HIV. After propensity score matching, 1,112 PWH were matched with 1,112 uninfected controls. The standard mean difference for each variable was
From the Pages of Allergy Watch: February 2020

A new Annals feature in 2018, "From the Pages of AllergyWatch" is devoted to publishing synopses of Allergy and Asthma literature relevant to a topic of emphasis. These unbiased synopses and comments by our Editors have been previously printed in the AllergyWatch bimonthly newsletter, and it is our hope that presenting carefully selected article summaries and comments in the Annals will serve as a valuable educational resource for practicing allergists.
Diagnosing Europe: Greece, Macedonia, and the Meaning of Crisis

Accounts of crisis in Europe have proliferated since late 2009. This article investigates the relationship between the diagnosis of crisis and the cohesion and enlargement of the ‘European project’...
Sociological contributions for researching morality and cultivating states of moral character

There is a tendency for research on morality to focus on the individual, sometimes at the expense of context, using overly individual notions of the person. To some extent, this is an understandabl...
A quality improvement collaborative to increase human papillomavirus vaccination rates in local health department clinics

Abstract Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates are well below the Healthy People 2020 goal of 80%. Vaccinating in settings other than primary care, such as local health departments (LHDs), may help achieve higher HPV immunization rates. We tested the effect of a quality improvement (QI) collaborative to reduce missed opportunities (MOs) for HPV vaccine in LHDs. Between 2016 and 2019, we conducted four consecutive cohorts of a virtual QI collaborative at 24 LHDs across multiple states. Participants were trained on topics including how to provide an effective recommendation for HPV vaccine, strategies to reduce MOs, and motivational interviewing. Throughout the 6-month project implementation, LHDs tested strategies to reduce MOs through Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles, performed chart reviews to identify and characterize MOs, and received feedback reports to assess progress on MOs. HPV vaccination rates were assessed pre- and post-intervention. LHDs reduced MOs for HPV vaccine in all four cohorts with aggregated data showing a 25.3 percentage point reduction in MOs. Modified Poisson regression analysis found a 44% reduction in the relative risk of missing the opportunity for an HPV vaccine at a visit (RR = 0.56, 0.46–0.68, p
MATH+ protocol for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection: the scientific rationale.

COVID-19 disease progresses through a number of distinct phases. The management of each phase is unique and specific. The pulmonary phase of COVID-19 is characterized by an organizing pneumonia wit...
A two-pronged attack.

Targeted small-molecule inhibition of BRAFV600E faces seemingly insurmountable obstacles in the clinic, such as rapid emergence of drug resistance. A recent study illustrates the potential of an alternative therapeutic strategy via PROTAC-mediated degradation of the oncogenic BRAF.
Intolerance to uncertainty modulates neural synchrony between political partisans

Abstract Political partisans see the world through an ideologically biased lens. What drives political polarization? It has been posited that polarization arises because holding extreme political views satisfies a need for certain and stable beliefs about the world. We examined the relationship between uncertainty tolerance and political polarization using brain-to-brain synchrony analysis, which measured committed liberals’ and conservatives’ subjective interpretation of a continuous political narrative. Participants (N=44) watched a political debate while undergoing fMRI. Shared ideology between participants increased neural synchrony in many brain areas including key regions of the valuation and theory-of-mind networks (e.g. temporoparietal junction). The degree of neural synchrony was modulated by uncertainty aversion: Uncertainty-intolerant individuals experienced greater brain-to-brain synchrony with politically like-minded peers and lower synchrony with political opponents. This effect was observed for liberals and conservatives alike. Moreover, increasing neural synchrony between committed partisans predicted subsequent polarized attitude formation about the debate after the scanning session. These results suggest that uncertainty attitudes gate the shared neural processing of political narratives, thereby fueling polarized attitude formation about hot-button issues.
Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease and Blood–Brain Barrier Drug Delivery

Despite the enormity of the societal and health burdens caused by Alzheimer’s disease (AD), there have been no FDA approvals for new therapeutics for AD since 2003. This profound lack of progress in treatment of AD is due to dual problems, both related to the blood–brain barrier (BBB). First, 98% of small molecule drugs do not cross the BBB, and ~100% of biologic drugs do not cross the BBB, so BBB drug delivery technology is needed in AD drug development. Second, the pharmaceutical industry has not developed BBB drug delivery technology, which would enable industry to invent new therapeutics for AD that actually penetrate into brain parenchyma from blood. In 2020, less than 1% of all AD drug development projects use a BBB drug delivery technology. The pathogenesis of AD involves chronic neuro-inflammation, the progressive deposition of insoluble amyloid-beta or tau aggregates, and neural degeneration. New drugs that both attack these multiple sites in AD, and that have been coupled with BBB drug delivery technology, can lead to new and effective treatments of this serious disorder.
The Unintended Consequences of Medicare Observation Status.

Background Observation status is a classification for Medicare beneficiaries that are billed as outpatients for a hospitalization. This has implications for out-of-pocket expenses for patients as well as their access to post-acute care. Methods This is a review of 3 published studies performed by our research team to examine the potential unintended consequences of the current Medicare policies related to cost-sharing and post-acute care coverage for patients hospitalized under observation status. Our study questions were as follows: 1) Is there an unmet need for post-acute care among Medicare observation patients 2) Which patients are at highest risk for high out-of-pocket costs related to observation care 3) Is cost-sharing for observation care associated with health care -related financial strain and health care rationing? Results Our studies demonstrated that Medicare observation policy could be associated with a number of unintended consequences including decreased access to necessary post-acute nursing care, increased out-of-pocket costs, particularly for low -income patients, increased concerns related to the cost of care, and inadequate patient understanding of observation policies. Conclusions Patients and providers should be aware of the current policies surrounding observation care. Patients should be informed of their observation status and should have access to case managers and social workers to help them navigate and understand the implications of their observation hospital stay.
Smartphones and Social Support: Longitudinal Associations Between Smartphone Use and Types of Support:

Smartphones provide users with a vast array of tools to reach out to the world. Smartphones can be used to reach out interpersonally with family, friends, and acquaintances, they can be used to scr...
Urban Energy Systems: Research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

In the coming decades, our planet will witness unprecedented urban population growth in both established and emerging communities. The development and maintenance of urban infrastructures are highly energy-intensive. Urban areas are dictated by complex intersections among physical, engineered, and human dimensions that have significant implications for traffic congestion, emissions, and energy usage. In this chapter, we highlight recent research and development efforts at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the largest multipurpose science laboratory within the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) national laboratory system, that characterizes the interactions between the human dynamics and critical infrastructures in conjunction with the integration of four distinct components: data, critical infrastructure models, and scalable computation and visualization, all within the context of physical and social systems. Discussions focus on four key topical themes: population and land use, sustainable mobility, the energy-water nexus, and urban resiliency, that are mutually aligned with DOE’s mission and ORNL’s signature science and technology capabilities. Using scalable computing, data visualization, and unique datasets from a variety of sources, the institute fosters innovative interdisciplinary research that integrates ORNL expertise in critical infrastructures including energy, water, transportation, and cyber, and their interactions with the human population.
Abstract 070: Community-based, Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial Increases Physical Activity In Diverse, Low Income Older Adults Over 2-year Period

Objective: Older adults are the least active population group in the U.S. Low income and ethnically diverse communities have fewer physical activity (PA) related resources and facilities, which con...
Low Rates of Cerebral Infarction after Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Patients with Sickle Cell Disease at High Risk for Stroke.

ABSTRACT Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) can be curative for sickle cell disease (SCD). SCD patients with cerebrovascular disease are often referred for HSCT. The objective of this study was to describe neurologic outcomes after HSCT in patients with pre-existing SCD and cerebrovascular comorbidity. Patients with SCD treated with HSCT at a single center between 1996 and 2019 were identified. Patients with cerebral ischemia and/or vasculopathy before undergoing HSCT were included. Patients with graft failure were excluded. The cohort was divided into 3 groups: symptomatic stroke, vasculopathy without symptomatic stroke, and isolated silent cerebral infarction (SCI). Magnetic resonance imaging/angiography and neurologic assessments pre- and post-HSCT were analyzed to assess outcomes. In a cohort of 44 patients, there were 25 with symptomatic infarction, 10 with vasculopathy, and 9 with isolated SCI. Post-HSCT ischemic injury (2 symptomatic strokes, 2 SCIs) was identified in 4 patients, all with previous symptomatic infarction. Within this group (n = 25), the post-HSCT incidence of subsequent symptomatic infarction was 1.6 events/100 patient-years, and SCIs occurred at a rate of 2.2 events/100 patient-years. No patient had progression of vasculopathy post-HSCT. Our data show a low incidence of new ischemic injury after successful HSCT for SCD. Patients with a history of both symptomatic stroke and vasculopathy are at greatest risk for post-HSCT ischemic injury.
The impact of relational model bases on organizational decision making: cases in e-commerce and ecological economics

This dissertation explores reifying the management science concept of organizations as a collection of decisions. Organizational management entails resource allocation activities that can be formulated in terms of elementary relational functions. All elasticity-type formulations, most generic "production" functions, and various projection models that organizations might require (such as sales forecasts) can all be represented by elementary relational functions. Therefore, information systems in organizations can be representative of relationships between decision requirements, as theorized in relational model bases. A relational model-base structure acts as an integrative device by relating an organization's elementary relational functions to each other, with all that is kept for any model being the current values for coefficients and the now prevailing parametric values for the state variables of the model. Anchoring management information systems around relational model bases is particularly appropriate for organizations that have some reliance on real-time management decision making by providing the answer to two requirements for such organizations: one being the requirement for more accurate and current real-time, operational decision making within the organization; the other being the integration of functions for decision-making purposes within an organization. Relational model bases thus enable more dynamic management and become a central information system type for organizations that have dynamic resource allocation requirements that can employ technical tactics around such relational model bases. The relational model base would reflect revealed needs in an organization as opposed to projected needs, easing an organization's reliance on forecasting and moving it toward real-time decision making. The case for the introduction of these information systems is further strengthened by the fact that relational model base-type structures are already operating in production environments within organizations. The methodology used in this dissertation involved modeling organizational decision requirements in particular organizational cases to determine the behavior of relational model bases within those prototypical organizations and the application of relational model bases to real-time decision making. The first organizational scenario is a recursive agribusiness e-commerce case, with the target application being precision agriculture. The second scenario is a non-recursive ecological economics case, with the target application being preservation of biodiversity through land (habitat) protection.
Examining Success in the Motion Picture Industry

This paper focuses on the effects of several variables on the domestic box-office demand for the 189 widelyreleased movies of 2007. I will examine if there are factors that ultimately lead to movie success at the boxoffice or if there are factors that are believed to be important, but in all actuality have very little impact on revenues. Box-office receipts, however, are not the ultimate determinant of success in the industry. Some companies may use theaters as extended advertising medias and capitalize on the relatively cheap cost of producing DVDs and digital copies of films, but success typically has to occur in the theaters in order for other forms of the film to sell. Nevertheless, examining box-office revenue is the best way to determine the success of a film at this time because the information is readily available and movie theaters are still accepted as the major source of revenue for a particular movie. This article is available in The Park Place Economist: http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/parkplace/vol18/iss1/15
A Model of Cooperative Learning With Intergroup Competition and Findings When Applied to an Interactive Video Reading Program

AbstractThis study investigated a model of computer-based cooperative learning that resulted in positive findings concerning (a) the requirement that students type their own responses with accurate spelling, (b) the option to repeatedly refuse help and accompanying penalties, and (c) the option to complete additional tasks to improve team performance. Findings that were confirmed by other computer-based cooperative studies were (a) female teams engaged in the most on-task verbalizations and (b) females were more apprehensive about their answers than were males. Unlike computer-based studies that linked gender pairing with specific successful cooperative behaviors, this study linked ability pairing with those same successful behaviors.
Cerebral blood flow during propofol induced sedation.

Abstract Purpose: This work determined if 2, 6-diisopropylphenol (propofol) selectively affects cerebral blood flow in regions associated with wakefulness. Procedures: Cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured with positron emission tomography (PET) using the 15 O-water bolus technique in 10 subjects while awake and during light and deep sedation. Arterial blood was sampled for CBF estimation, blood gases and propofol plasma concentrations. Results: Global CBF decreased under deep sedation. A regression analysis of CBF vs. propofol concentration showed significant decreases in CBF in the thalamus and posterior cingulate and increases in the hippocampus and cerebellum. An ANCOVA analysis on condition (controlling for pCO 2 levels) showed mean CBF decreased in the thalamus and posterior cingulate cortex and increased in the primary motor and hippocampal areas during the light and deep sedation compared to awake conditions. Conclusions: These data support the hypothesis that propofol preferentially alters CBF in specific brain regions necessary to maintain wakefulness. (Mol Imag Biol 2002;4:139–146)
Temporary work agencies and equilibrium unemployment

During the 1990s, temporary agency work has increased rapidly in most OECD countries. We augment the equilibrium unemployment model developed by Pissarides and Mortensen with temporary work agencies. Our model implies that technological improvements for placements and de-regulation of the sector caused the emergence and growth of temporary agency work. Simulations of a calibrated version of the model show that `temp' work does not necessarily crowd out other, 'regular' jobs.
Challenges in frontal crash protection of pregnant drivers based on anthropometric considerations

Pregnant occupants pose a particular challenge to safety engineers because of their different anthropometry and the additional occupant within the occupant. A detailed study of the anthropometry and seated posture of twenty-two pregnant drivers over the course of their pregnancies was conducted. Subjects were tested in an adjustable seating buck that could be configured to different vehicle package geometries with varying belt anchorage locations. Each subject was tested four times over the course of her pregnancy to examine changes in seat positioning, seated anthropometry, and positioning of the lap and shoulder belts with gestational age. Data collected include preferred seating positions of pregnant drivers, proximity of the pregnant occupant to the steering wheel and airbag module, contours of the subjects' torsos and abdomens relative to seat-belt centerline contours, and subject perceptions of their seated posture and proximity to vehicle components. Observations regarding the pregnant abdomen size, shape, and proximity to the steering-wheel rim and restraints as functions of gestational age and maternal stature and weight are presented.
People Out of Place: Unquiet Immigrants

Legalizing Moves: Salvadoran Immigrants' Struggle for U.S. Residency. Susan Bibler Coutin. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2003. 228 pp. The Maya of Morganton: Work and Community in the Nuevo New South. Leon Fink. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2003. 254 pp. The Children of NAFTA: Labor Wars on the U.S./Mexico Border. David Bacon. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2004. 348 pp.
Open Educational Resources: American Ideals, Global Questions

Educational relations between societies and cultures that begin with benevolent intentions can come to be seen as threats to national autonomy and local preferences. Indeed, side by side with the growth since the first years of this century of Open Educational Resources (OER) there has been worry about their impact on global educational development. Evaluation and research have lagged behind the steady expansion of access to online resources, leaving estimates of the value of digital innovation to the enthusiasm of OER providers and technology minded educational reformers. The advent of the ΓC£Massive Open Online CourseΓC¥ (or MOOC) has exacerbated the problem, with attention moving toward a form of OER reflecting the enthusiasm of leading institutions in industrialized nations. The American led movement on behalf of the MOOC requires new questions about the motives, impact, and future of OER. This essay accounts for the history of OER, culminating in the MOOC, including how the latter in particular is an expression of American pedagogical and institutional interests representing belief in the transformative educational powers of the latest communications technologies. Criticism of OER and MOOCs can reflect organizational, operational, and ideological considerations. But it should recognize what they offer when there are few other opportunities for formal learning, and as research demonstrates their uses and impact.
Long-term urological follow-up of multicystic dysplastic kidneys: Is it still indicated in 2007?

Objective: To determine whether the current indications for the long-term urologicalfollow-up of children with multicystic dysplastic kidneys (MCDKs) are supported by the literature. Methods: The membership of the Pediatric Urologists of Canada was surveyedto determine if long-term urological follow-up was being performed, and if so, for what indications. A literature search using PubMed, EMBASE and aConference Papers Index was performed to determine whether the indicationslisted were supported by the literature. Results: A response rate of 72% was achieved for the survey, with most respondentsfollowing children with MCDK long-term. The main indications for long term follow-up were the increased risk of Wilms’ tumour (54%) and hypertension(32%), observation of the contralateral kidney (43%) and involutionof the MCDK (36%). The literature search did not support long-term urological follow-up for any of these indications, provided unilateral MCDK was anisolated genitourinary abnormality. Although it is rare, a primary care physician could monitor for hypertension. Conclusion: Long-term urological follow-up of children with “simple MCDK”is not supported by the literature, provided the diagnosis has been confirmedwith a follow-up renal ultrasound at 12–24 months. Blood pressure monitoringby a primary care physician is recommended.
Detection of Listeria monocytogenes by using the polymerase chain reaction.

Abstract A method was developed for detection of Listeria monocytogenes by polymerase chain reaction amplification followed by agarose gel electrophoresis or dot blot analysis with a 32P-labeled internal probe. The technique identified 95 of 95 L. monocytogenes strains, 0 of 12 Listeria strains of other species, and 0 of 12 non-Listeria strains.
Proton nuclear magnetic resonance of some bis(organosilyl)methylhydrazines

Abstract A reinvestigation of the proton magnetic resonance spectra of some N,N-bis(organosilyl)methylhydrazines resolves previous conflicting interpretations. Variable temperature NMR data permits unequivocal assignment of the NCH3 and NH proton absorptions and coupling constants of both N,N- and N,N′-bis(organosilyl)methylhydrazines.
Development of an Environment-Aware Locomotion Mode Recognition System for Powered Lower Limb Prostheses

This paper aimed to develop and evaluate an environment-aware locomotion mode recognition system for volitional control of powered artificial legs. A portable terrain recognition (TR) module, consisting of an inertia measurement unit and a laser distance meter, was built to identify the type of terrain in front of the wearer while walking. A decision tree was used to classify the terrain types and provide either coarse or refined information about the walking environment. Then, the obtained environmental information was modeled as a priori probability and was integrated with a neuromuscular-mechanical-fusion-based locomotion mode (LM) recognition system. The designed TR module and environmental-aware LM recognition system was evaluated separately on able-bodied subjects and a transfemoral amputee online. The results showed that the TR module provided high quality environmental information: TR accuracy is above 98% and terrain transitions are detected over 500 ms before the time required to switch the prosthesis control mode. This enabled smooth locomotion mode transitions for the wearers. The obtained environmental information further improved the performance of LM recognition system, regardless of whether coarse or refined information was used. In addition, the environment-aware LM recognition system produced reliable online performance when the TR output was relatively noisy, which indicated the potential of this system to operate in unconstructed environment. This paper demonstrated that environmental information should be considered for operating wearable lower limb robotic devices, such as prosthetics and orthotics.
Selection in experimental populations of Drosophila pseudoobscura with different initial frequencies of chromosomal variants

Eight experimental populations of Drosophila pseudoobscura were made in laboratory population cages. All were polymorphic for ST, AR, CH, and PP gene arrangements in their third chromosomes, and all the chromosomes were of the same geographic origin. The initial frequencies of the gene arrangements were, however, different in the different populations. Natural selection has caused frequency changes in all the populations, from which we have attempted to infer the adaptive values of the different karyotypes. There was no evidence that the adaptive values were different in the populations begun from different initial frequencies of the inversions, although our ability to demonstrate such differences is severely limited. The selection process in these populations has been complex, and the simple model of constant adaptive values does not fit.
48.1: Invited Paper: Panel Self-Refresh Technology: Decoupling Image Update from LCD Panel Refresh in Mobile Computing Systems

Mobile computing and communication devices have become indispensable parts of our lives, with rapidly increasing worldwide adoption of laptops, tablets and smartphones. The ever-increasing demand for both performance and power efficiency of these devices requires a careful look at optimizing the system architecture. For example, image update from the host processor to the display in these devices is still following the traditional CRT approach, with timing and frame rate tracking the panel refresh frequencies even when the image content is unchanged on the display. In this paper, we present the panel self-refresh technology that allows decoupling of the image update from LCD panel refresh timing, and show the platform powerperformance optimization opportunities it enables.
Acquisition of correct choices and value judgments in binary choice learning with differential rewards

Concurrent training was given on a list of items, each comprising a pair of stimuli with assigned numerical reward values. On each trial, S chose one member of the stimulus pair displayed and gave an estimate (judgment) of its value before receiving the appropriate reward. Learning functions for reward judgments were systematically related to differences between high and low values of stimulus pairs but tended to lag behind functions for probability of making optimal choices.
Multiplicative perturbations of stable and convergent operators

Abstract Some familiar classes of stable Hilbert-space operators are studied to determine how they overlap and where the unitary similarity classes of their members lie. Analogous, but less familiar, classes of convergent operators are examined with the same aim. The classes considered are often sets of products M A where M is a given set of diagonal or Hermitian matrices and A is a single matrix. The A's for which M A is a set of stable or convergent operators are sometimes characterized.
Peritoneal Tuberculosis: Looking beyond the Typical Pathology

Peritoneal tuberculosis (TbP), an uncommon peritoneal infection, is commonly diagnosed in immigrants from developing countries and represents a substantial proportion of cases of extra pulmonary tuberculosis. The variability in patient presentation and the indolent nature of the infection, combined with limited diagnostic strategies available for TbP, often results in delayed diagnosis. Case: Described herein is the case of a 39 years old male recent immigrant from Mali (West Africa), with no significant medical history that presented to hospital with a four-day history of abdominal pain and swelling. Examination was significant for distended abdomen and shifting dullness. No signs and symptoms suggested pulmonary infection, however, QuantiFERON-TB Gold and purified protein derivative (PPD) test were positive suggesting latent Tb infection. In the absence of pulmonary tuberculosis, a diagnosis of TbP should be established histologically. Laparoscopic biopsy showed granuloma but the typical caseating granuloma of TbP was not seen. Nonetheless, based on the extent of the clinical and laboratory findings, the patient was diagnosed with TbP and anti Tb treatment ensued with successful outcome. Conclusion: The lack of caseating granulomas in the pathology should not rule out a diagnosis of TbP, especially in cases where accompanying evidence suggests some form of Tuberculosis.
Statistical Support of Forensic Auditing

During a three year period, $4.38 million of gold was stolen from the vaults of Sammartino's House of Diamonds. A civil suit between the gold's owner and its insurance company centered on when the gold was stolen. The time of the loss was critical to the insurer's contention that it was not liable because the gold was missing prior to the inception date of the policy. The insurer's attorneys retained an accounting firm to conduct a forensic audit a financial audit to investigate fraud. The key to this investigation was reconstructing a daily gold inventory balance by sampling sales invoices. Since the audit's sampling methodology was open to question, we were retained to use various statistical techniques to verify the process. To test the results of the forensic audit, we constructed two formal hypotheses: The first to test for nonrandomness in the selected sample observations; the second to test if the amount of sales dollars selected in the sample was proportional to the amount of sales dollars in the monthly population. To accomplish this, we utilized a one-sample runs test, time-series charts, regression analysis, and interval estimations. We found that the sampled invoice transactions exhibited no evidence of nonrandomness or bias and appeared to be representative of the population. Hence, these results supported the inventory reconstruction obtained by the accounting firm.
Endothelin-1 stimulates the Na+/H+ and Na+/HCO3- transporters in rabbit renal cortex.

Endothelin-1 stimulates the Na + /H + and Na + /HCO 3 - transporters in rabbit renal cortex. Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is the most potent endogenous vasoconstrictor identified to date, raising the strong possibility of its involvement in the pathogenesis of systemic hypertension. Whether ET-1 exerts a direct stimulating effect on sodium reabsorption in the renal proximal convoluted tubule, the dominant locus of sodium reabsorption in the nephron, is currently unknown. Such an effect would suggest yet another mechanism by which ET-1 might mediate systemic hypertension. In studies on membrane vesicles prepared from rabbit renal cortex, we show that ET-1 (10 -8 to 10 -11 M) exerts dosedependent stimulation of the apical Na + /H + exchanger and the basolateral Na + /HCO 3 - cotransporter; preincubation of vesicles with 10 -10 M ET-1 for five minutes enhanced the activity of each transporter by approximately 25%. This stimulation reflected an increase in the V max of each transporter but no change in the K m for sodium. The stimulatory effect of ET-1 was blocked in the presence of an ET-1 antiserum. Moreover, the stimulation of the apical Na + /H + exchanger and the basolateral Na + /HCO 3 - cotransporter by ET-1 displayed specificity as indicated by the lack of effects on the activities of the apical Na + -glucose transporter and the basolateral Na + -succinate transporter. The data implicate ET-1 as a novel, direct and specific modulator of sodium reabsorption in the proximal tubule. As such, ET-1 might be a direct determinant of extracellular fluid volume under normal and pathophysiologic circumstances, including hypertensive disorders.
A prospective immunofluorescence study of 111 cases of pruritic dermatoses of pregnancy: IgM anti-basement membrane zone antibodies as a novel finding.

Since 1981, all pregnant women presenting to our department with a pruritic dermatosis have been investigated by histological and immunopathological techniques. We recruited 111 patients and performed skin histology in 77, 109 direct immunoluorescence tests (DIF), 74 indirect immunoluorescence tests (IIF) and 15 Western blots (WB). We identified: (i) five typical cases of pemphigoid gestationis (PG) (4.5%), corresponding to an incidence of 1/7000 pregnancies. (ii) Five cases without PG but showing circulating anti-BMZ antibodies of IgM type
Effects of fetal sex, stage of gestation, dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate, and gonadotropin releasing hormone on secretion of human chorionic gonadotropin by placental explants in vitro.

Abstract Explants from 16 term and 6 midtrimester placentas were cultured for 6 days. Statistically significant increases in secretion of human chorionic gonadotropin occurred in control medium cultures of both term and midtrimester explants during the 6-day culture period ( p p p p
Immunochemical characterization of neurotensin-like peptides in chicken ☆

Using radioimmunoassay and 3 region specific antisera toward bovine neurotensin (NT), the NT-like peptides in chicken have been shown to differ from NT but to strongly resemble its COOH-terminal region. Three substances were identified, one of which resembled NT biologically and appeared to share 7 or 8 of its COOH-terminal residues. The two other peptides were smaller than NT but seemed to possess 4-6 residue homologies with it. Tissue distribution studies indicated that the chicken pancreas and thymus had unusually high levels of this material (greater than 200 fold than in rat) and that the 3 substances were distributed differently in tissues. Chromatographic studies showed that the peptides obtained form brain, intestine, thymus, and pancreas were similar. These results, demonstrating evolutionary conservation of the COOH-terminal region of NT, are in keeping with the known importance of this region for biological activity. These finding also suggest the exstence of an NT-family of peptides serving multiple biological roles.
Adaptive Segmentation Technique for Automatic Object Region and Boundary Extraction for Activity Recognition

An unsupervised adaptive segmentation technique based on active contour model for automatic object region and boundary extraction in video sequences is proposed. The active contour model identies each region using certain region descriptors that guide the motion of the initial contour towards the actual region of interest. The region descriptors depend on the statistical information inside and outside the initial contour, which control the growth or contraction of the contour. A process of selective binary and Gaussian ltering regularization level set smooths the level-set function in order to maintain the level of expansion of the active contour. The adaptivity of the proposed method comes from automatic selection of an optimal Gaussian lter parameter which depends on the characteristics of the input video frames. More precisely, the algorithm utilizes the statistical information of each video frame to identify the optimal value of the Gaussian parameter which should be large enough to cover most of the level-set function, but not too large to overlap multiple neighbouring objects. The optimal value of Gaussian parameter aects the segmentation performance of the entire activity video sequence. The performance of the proposed method was tested and evaluated on Weizmann database and KTH database which represent object regions in dierent illuminations and scenarios. The performance of the proposed method is also compared to several state-of-the-art image segmentation methods and observed improved performance in terms of accuracy and eciency. The study demonstrates the robustness of the method to non-uniform illuminations and background noises.
Aerospace technology and the federal budget

Federal fund availability for aerospace science and technology expansion following end of Vietnam war
Model misspecification in parametric dual modeling

In typical normal theory regression, the assumption of homogeneity of variances is often not appropriate. Instead of treating the variances as a nuisance and transforming away the heterogeneity, the structure of the variances may be of interest and it is desirable to model the variances. Simultaneous modeling of the mean and variance of a response is known as dual modeling. When parametric models for the mean and variance are prescribed, estimation of the mean and variance parameters are interrelated. One commonly used dual model assumes a linear model for the mean and a log-linear variance model (Aitkin, 1987). This paper considers the impact of model misspecification (mean and variance) on the dual model estimation procedure. Asymptotic expressions for the mean and variance estimates, graphical illustrations of the impact of model misspecification, and simulation results are presented.