cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Male Contraception: Clinical Assessment of Chronic Administration of Testosterone Enanthate

A clinical assessment of chronic administration of testosterone enenthate (TE) given for the purpose of male contraception is reported. TE was administered to 39 male volunteers (age 21-39) to assess its efficacy as a suppressor of spermatogenesis and to determine possible adverse effects. 200 mg TE im/week or bimonthly for 16-32 weeks suppressed sperm counts (to below 5 million/cc in 35 of 39 men overall and in 16 of 17 with weekly treatment) and produced azoospermia in 36-58% of the subjects. Serum testosterone was elevated during weekly TE administration and serum estradiol was lower than baseline at 14-16 weeks with bimonthly treatment (p < .05). Serum luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) were decreased on both regimens. These effects were dose-related; decreasing the frequency of TE (3 or 4 weeks) resulted in a rebound of Lh and FSH above baseline and increased sperm counts. These effects were entirely reversed after discontinuing treatment. Adverse effects were minimal and included a modest increase in body weight and red cell mass oiliness of skin and mild acne.
A comparison of the effects of exogenous oil supply shocks on output and inflation in the G7 countries

A comparison of the effects of exogenous shocks to global crude oil production on seven major industrialized economies suggests a fair degree of similarity in the real growth responses. An exogenous oil supply disruption typically causes a temporary reduction in real GDP growth that is concentrated in the second year after the shock. Inflation responses are more varied. The median CPI inflation response peaks after three to four quarters. Exogenous oil supply disruptions need not generate sustained inflation or stagflation. Typical responses include a fall in the real wage, higher short-term interest rates, and a depreciating currency with respect to the dollar. Despite many qualitative similarities, there is strong statistical evidence that the responses to exogenous oil supply disruptions differ across G7 countries. For suitable subsets of countries, homogeneity cannot be ruled out. A counterfactual historical exercise suggests that the evolution of CPI inflation in the G7 countries would have been similar overall to the actual path even in the absence of exogenous shocks to oil production, consistent with a monetary explanation of the inflation of the 1970s. There is no evidence that the 1973–1974 and 2002–2003 oil supply shocks had a substantial impact on real growth in any G7 country, whereas the 1978–1979, 1980, and 1990–1991 shocks contributed to lower growth in at least some G7 countries. (JEL: E31, E32, Q43)
Alcoholics anonymous: An empirical outcome study

Abstract Fifty-six alcoholic patients (27 males and 29 females) who completed an inpatient AA treatment program were followed for two years. Follow-up evaluation consisted of interviews with patients, spouses, AA sponsors, and significant others regarding patients' employment, social-civil functioning, drinking-drug usage, and AA meeting attendance. Data were obtained on 45 patients at 6 months and on 43 patients at one and two years post-discharge. Patients on whom no or insufficient data could be obtained were considered ‘failures.’ Two criteria of success were used: AA criteria which requires patients to be employed-productively functioning, and socially-civilly stable, and abstinent, and General criteria which allows either abstinence or light to moderate drinking without evidence of abuse. Of those who completed the inpatient program, 51%, 45%, and 49% met AA criteria of success at 6, 12, and 24 months respectively, while 53%, 51%, and 56% met the General criteria at respective follow-up intervals. Additional data on male-female, drinking history, etc. differences and interactions are provided.
Imaging Blood Flow and Cellular Morphology in Epilepsy with Diffuse Optical Tomography

We present a method that is capable of imaging cerebral blood flow (CBF) and particle size/density in epilepsy using diffuse optical tomography. In vivo images during seizure onset are obtained using a multispectral DOT system.
Comparison of Material Behavior of Steel and Synthetic Fibers in Dry-Cast Application

This paper presents a comparison of test results on the material behavior of zero-slump, dry-cast steel and synthetic fiber-reinforced concrete. ASTM C1609 flexural beam test and ASTM C39 compressive strength cylinder tests were conducted for various fiber dosages of each type of synthetic and steel fiber. Synthetic and steel fiber dosages ranged from 4 lb/yd3 to 18 lb/yd3 and 22 lb/yd3 to 88 lb/yd3, respectively. From these tests, material properties were found that included compressive strength, first-peak load, peak load, modulus of rupture, and specimen toughness. These values were all within the range of conventional design parameters used in concrete structures. ASTM beam load-deformation plots were obtained for each fiber beam to show the fiber behavior and strengthening after the initial crack.
Use of objective examinations in medicine clerkships. Ten-year experience.

Abstract Student performance during the internal medicine clerkship at the University of Washington School of Medicine has been evaluated by clinical ratings and a written examination containing multiple-choice questions and patient management problems for the past 10 years. Measures of the correlation among the evaluation methods were determined by analyzing data from 1,544 students. The correlations of clinical ratings with the total examination score (r = 0.27), multiplechoice questions (r = 0.23), and patient management problems (r = 0.19) suggest that clinical ratings alone are not adequate for measuring student progress. The relationships of evaluation methods used in the medicine clerkship to other measures of performance such as selection to Alpha Omega Alpha and National Board examinations were also determined. The ability to predict student performance was enhanced considerably when the results of the clerkship examination were considered in addition to clinical ratings. These data suggest that a comprehensive assessment of student performance in medicine clerkships should include written examinations in addition to clinical ratings.
Helium: lifting high-performance stencil kernels from stripped x86 binaries to halide DSL code

Highly optimized programs are prone to bit rot, where performance quickly becomes suboptimal in the face of new hardware and compiler techniques. In this paper we show how to automatically lift performance-critical stencil kernels from a stripped x86 binary and generate the corresponding code in the high-level domain-specific language Halide. Using Halide’s state-of-the-art optimizations targeting current hardware, we show that new optimized versions of these kernels can replace the originals to rejuvenate the application for newer hardware. The original optimized code for kernels in stripped binaries is nearly impossible to analyze statically. Instead, we rely on dynamic traces to regenerate the kernels. We perform buffer structure reconstruction to identify input, intermediate and output buffer shapes. We abstract from a forest of concrete dependency trees which contain absolute memory addresses to symbolic trees suitable for high-level code generation. This is done by canonicalizing trees, clustering them based on structure, inferring higher-dimensional buffer accesses and finally by solving a set of linear equations based on buffer accesses to lift them up to simple, high-level expressions. Helium can handle highly optimized, complex stencil kernels with input-dependent conditionals. We lift seven kernels from Adobe Photoshop giving a 75% performance improvement, four kernels from IrfanView, leading to 4.97× performance, and one stencil from the miniGMG multigrid benchmark netting a 4.25× improvement in performance. We manually rejuvenated Photoshop by replacing eleven of Photoshop’s filters with our lifted implementations, giving 1.12× speedup without affecting the user experience.
A simple method for in vitro maturation, in vitro fertilization, and co-culture of bovine oocytes

An efficient procedure has been developed and subsequently simplified for in vitro maturation and in vitro fertilization (IVF) of bovine follicular oocytes obtained from abattoir ovaries. After in vitro fertilization, successful cleavage and in vitro development were obtained using a simple and efficient cumulus cell co-culture method, which consistently produced 45 to 50% morulae during the treatment and culture of over 6000 bovine oocytes. Embryonic cell number for IVF-derived embryos was monitored at different stages of in vitro development during cumulus cell co-culture to evaluate embryo growth and assess embryo quality.
A Comparison Between Survey and Verbal Choice Methods of Identifying Potential Reinforcers Among Employees

Abstract Two methods of assessing preference for stimuli (i.e., potential reinforcers) were compared for adult administrative assistant employees. During Phase 1, a survey method and a verbal choice method of assessing preference for 6 stimuli were administered. During Phase 2, a coupon system was used to determine which categories of stimuli actually functioned as reinforcers for each of the four participants. Comparisons between the preference assessment methods were then conducted based on the results of the reinforcer assessment. Results showed that the survey method was more accurate than the choice method.
Quantitative Determination of the α-Amylase Inhibitor from Phaseolus Vulgaris using size Exclusion High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

Abstract A quantitative determination of the α-amylase inhibitor from kidney beans, a glycoprotein (MW 49,000), by the use of a TSK-SW 3000 column is described. A correlation coefficient of 0.986 was obtained when the HPLC method was compared with a biological assay using Beckman Enzymatic Amylase-DS Reagent Kit. The within-day and between-day coefficients of variation were 4.8-8. 9% and 3.7-11. 6%, respectively. The results indicate this method is a reliable assay that has advantages over the biological assays presently available.
Effect of prostaglandins E1, E2 and A2 on vascular resistance and responses to noradrenaline, nerve stimulation and angiotensin in the dog hindlimb

Abstract 1. The relationship between the vasodilator and inhibitory effects of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1), E2 and A2 on responses to nerve stimulation, noradrenaline and angiotensin was evaluated in the dog hindlimb preparation. 2. PGE1 and PGE2 were equipotent as vasodilators in the hindlimb; however, PGE1 was much more potent as an inhibitor of vasoconstrictor responses to nerve stimulation, noradrenaline and angiotensin. 3. PGA2 and PGE2 were approximately equal as inhibitors of vasoconstrictor responses to noradrenaline, nerve stimulation and angiotensin; however, PGE2 was far more potent as a vasodilator. 4. Since there is no relationship between the vasodilator and inhibitory effects of PGE1, E2 and A2, and since the inhibitory effect of PGA2 was present at a time when hindlimb perfusion pressure had returned to control value, it is concluded that the inhibitory action is probably not the result of a physiological antagonism. 5. Since each prostaglandin inhibited responses to nerve stimulation and noradrenaline to approximately the same extent and responses to angiotensin were also inhibited, it is suggested that these agents antagonize vasoconstrictor responses by a nonspecific depressant effect on smooth muscle cells.
Trait self-focused attention increases sensitivity to nonconscious primes: evidence from effort-related cardiovascular reactivity.

Abstract A broad range of primes presented outside of awareness — ranging from emotional faces to people's first names — can influence the physiological mobilization of effort during active coping tasks. Who responds more strongly to implicit cues? Based on models of self-awareness, the present research examined how individual differences in self-focused attention influence sensitivity to nonconscious primes. Adults completed a challenging cognitive task in which two kinds of primes were presented (people's first names and words related to the task's difficulty). Trait self-focus significantly interacted with both primes to predict effort, measured as systolic blood pressure (SBP) reactivity. People high in trait self-focus had significantly higher SBP reactivity when primed with words that made the task seem more important (their first names) and harder (high difficulty words). These findings thus expand the evidence for motivational intensity theory's analysis of implicit processes.
A new look at atmospheric carbon dioxide

Abstract Carbon dioxide is increasing in the atmosphere and is of considerable concern in global climate change because of its greenhouse gas warming potential. The rate of increase has accelerated since measurements began at Mauna Loa Observatory in 1958 where carbon dioxide increased from less than 1 part per million per year (ppm yr −1 ) prior to 1970 to more than 2 ppm yr −1 in recent years. Here we show that the anthropogenic component (atmospheric value reduced by the pre-industrial value of 280 ppm) of atmospheric carbon dioxide has been increasing exponentially with a doubling time of about 30 years since the beginning of the industrial revolution (∼1800). Even during the 1970s, when fossil fuel emissions dropped sharply in response to the “oil crisis” of 1973, the anthropogenic atmospheric carbon dioxide level continued increasing exponentially at Mauna Loa Observatory. Since the growth rate (time derivative) of an exponential has the same characteristic lifetime as the function itself, the carbon dioxide growth rate is also doubling at the same rate. This explains the observation that the linear growth rate of carbon dioxide has more than doubled in the past 40 years. The accelerating growth rate is simply the outcome of exponential growth in carbon dioxide with a nearly constant doubling time of about 30 years (about 2%/yr) and appears to have tracked human population since the pre-industrial era.
The relationships among sport self-perceptions and social well-being in athletes with physical disabilities.

Abstract Background Peer relationships account for a significant motivational influence on sport participation among youth athletes with and without disabilities. Objective The primary purpose of this study was to determine if the quality of friendships, physical self-perceptions and general self-worth predicted close friendship, loneliness and social acceptance among 46 athletes with physical disabilities (males = 35, female = 11) between the ages of 12 and 21 ( M age = 15.37, SD = 2.45). Second, this study examined descriptive information on the quality of friendships inside and outside of an adapted sport setting, feelings of loneliness, social acceptance, close friendships, athletic competence, physical appearance, and self-worth among youth athletes with physical disabilities. Methods Participants completed the Sport Friendship Quality Scale (SFQS), a Loneliness Rating Scale and the Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents (SPPA). Results Three regression analyses used positive and negative aspects of non-sport friendship quality, positive aspects of sport friendship quality, physical appearance, athletic competence, and self-worth as predictors and accounted for 57%, 41%, and 31% of the variance in loneliness, close friendships, and social acceptance, respectively. Athletic competence and self-worth were the most important predictors of loneliness and close friendships with significant ( p Conclusions These findings highlight the importance of global psychological (i.e., self-worth) and sport specific psychological (i.e., athletic competence) constructs in predicting important social well-being indices (i.e., close friendships & loneliness).
Women accused of sexual offenses.

Few studies exist on female sexual offenders or women accused of sexual offenses. In some instances, conclusions from existing studies conflict. In an effort to better understand the phenomenon of sexual abuse by females, we gathered data on all women charged with a sexual offense referred to our facility (William S. Hall Psychiatric Institute in Columbia, South Carolina) for a criminal responsibility/competence to stand trial evaluation from 1987 to 1997. Alleged sexual offenses included criminal sexual conduct one, two, and three and performing a lewd act upon a minor. Fifteen women were referred. This study examines characteristics of the accused women and their victims. Patterns of the alleged offenses and outcome of forensic evaluation are also examined. We found women accused of committing sexual offenses to have a high likelihood of past sexual and physical victimization as well as ongoing physical victimization. Borderline intellectual function and mental retardation were common and women acted frequently with co-defendants. The victims knew the perpetrator in every instance.
On approximating the rate regions for lossy source coding with coded and uncoded side information

We derive new algorithms for approximating the rate regions for a family of source coding problems that includes lossy source coding, lossy source coding with uncoded side information at the receiver (the Wyner-Ziv problem), and an achievability bound for lossy source coding with coded side in formation at the receiver. The new algorithms generalize a recent approximation algorithm by Go and Effros from lossless to lossy coding. In each case, prior information theoretic descriptions of the desired regions are available but difficult to evaluate for example sources due to their dependence on auxiliary random variables. Our algorithm builds a linear program whose solution is no less than the desired lower bound and no greater than (1 + isin) times that optimal value. These guarantees are met even when the optimal value is unknown. Here isin > 0 is a parameter chosen by the user; the algorithmic complexity grows as O(isin-M) as e approaches 0, where M > 4 is a constant that depends on the source coding problem and the alphabet sizes of the sources.
The mechanics of cranial motion—the sphenobasilar synchondrosis (SBS) revisited

Summary Building on Sutherland's approach to sutures ("form follows function and function follows form") applied to the thicknesses—and hence flexibility—of cranial bones, a new model of cranial motion has evolved. This places the sphenobasilar synchondrosis (SBS) as a primarily compressive–decompressive joint. SBS hinging is seen as an illusory artefact created as tissue rotates around a stable SBS. This article suggests that the apparent motion of the SBS instead takes place by a change in shape of the anterior body of the sphenoid, and that this motion is accommodated by the superior orbital fissure. This new model can be used to derive cranial bone motion patterns directly from the assumption that the cranium changes its lateral diameter, and elegantly explains the well-known "four interlinked gears" description of the occiput–sphenoid–vomer/ethmoid train. The model does not require sutures to be patent or membranous, since it applies equally well to ossified suture relics.
Ab initio study on adsorption of hydrated Na+ and Cu+ cations on the Cu(111) surface.

The interactions of Na+ and Cu+ cations with a Cu(111) surface in the presence and absence of water molecules were investigated using cluster models and ab initio methods. Adsorption in aqueous solution was modeled with one to five water molecules around the adsorbing cation. The Cu surface was described with Cu10 and Cu18 cluster models and the computational method was MP2/RECP/6-31+G*. The effect of the basis set superposition error (BSSE) was taken into account with counterpoise (CP) correction, and the accuracy of HF-level results was examined. The interactions between Na+ and the Cu surface were found to be primarily electrostatic, and the energy differences among the different adsorption sites were small. The largest CP-corrected MP2 adsorption energy for the Cu18 cluster was −188 kJ/mol. When water molecules were added around it, Na+ receded from the Cu surface and finally was surrounded totally by the water molecules. The interactions between Cu+ and the Cu surface were dominated by orbital intera...
Defining “Research”: Undergraduate Perceptions of Research in a Technical Communication Classroom:

This article presents data from a two-part study of student perceptions of research. Fifty-one research proposals are analyzed in order to understand perceptions of research, and results from a survey are analyzed to better understand how students both perceive and articulate their understanding of research. The data show that students assign multiple definitions to the concept of research, and suggest that increased attention to clarifying terminology and identifying student perceptions would facilitate better work.
A Clearer Picture of Multiracial Substance Use: Rates and Correlates of Alcohol and Tobacco Use in Multiracial Adolescents and Adults

Existing studies indicate that multiracial adolescents face greater substance use rates than monoracial adolescents. However, it is unclear whether the risk identified in adolescence persists into adulthood. The current study uses data from the 2001 California Health Interview Survey to analyze the alcohol and tobacco use of multiracial adolescents and adults compared to European American, African American, Native American, Asian/Pacific Islander American, and Latino American individuals. Results generally support the hypothesis that multiracial adolescents and adults face higher rates of substance use than African American and Asian/Pacific Islander American individuals, though this pattern of results was reversed in comparison with Native Americans and European Americans, and less consistent compared to Latino Americans. We further establish and discuss the correlates of drinking and smoking behavior for mixed-race individuals—comparing them to other racial groups. We review the limitations of our design and the implications for future research on multiracial substance use.
Structure vs. property relationships in high mobility fused thiophene polymers

A family of conjugated polymers with fused structures consisting of three to five thiophene rings and with the same alkyl side chains has been synthesized as a means to understand structure - property relationships. All three polymers showed well extended conjugation through the polymer backbone. X-ray diffraction study of the polymer thin films suggests that the polymer with the even number of fused thiophene rings forms a tight crystalline structure due to its tilted side chain arrangement. On the other hand, the polymers with the odd number of fused thiophene rings packed more loosely. Characterization in a field-effect transistor configuration showed that the mobility of the polymer with the even number of rings is one order of magnitude higher than its oddnumbered counterparts. Through this structure - property study, we demonstrate that proper design of the molecules and properly arranged side chain positions on the polymer backbone can greatly enhance polymer electronic properties
Stress-Related Growth Among Women Living with HIV/AIDS: Examination of an Explanatory Model

Despite the increasing interest in the perceived benefits or growth resulting from stress and illness, there has been little investigation of the correlates of this stress-related growth, particularly among HIV-infected individuals. Following the Schaefer and Moos model (1992;1998), the association of affective states, coping, stressor characteristics, individual resources, and social resources with stress-related growth was examined among 138 women living with HIV/AIDS. Most women (63%) reported high levels of growth. Multivariate analyses revealed that positive reappraisal coping, and emotional support were associated with higher levels of growth, and depressive affect was negatively associated with growth. In addition, African American women reported more stress-related growth than that reported by White women. Stressor characteristics (i.e., disease stage, number of physical symptoms, and time since HIV diagnosis), self-esteem, perceived control, practical support, and positive affect were not associated with growth. These findings suggest that stress-related growth is more than positive reappraisal and the absence of negative affect, and that social resources may facilitate greater growth.
A Revisit to Sample Size and Power Calculations for Testing Odds Ratio in Two Independent Binomials

We reexamine the subject of sample size determination (SSD) when testing logarithm of odds ratio (OR) against zero in two independent binomials. Four common approaches are considered: a closed-form SS formula based on the Wald test (nW), closed-form formulas that meet SS requirement by score and exact tests respectively (nS and nE), and a numerical approach to calculating SS based on likelihood ratio (LR) tests (nL). Several practically useful findings are presented. First, nW is a strictly convex function of OR for OR >1 and OR <1, respectively, implying that SS calculated by nW does not necessarily decrease as OR gets further away from 1. However, minimum SS often occurs at OR values that are deemed relatively extreme and rare in real life. nS, nE, and nL decrease monotonically as OR diverges from 1. Secondly, the optimal sampling ratio (OSR) between two independent binomials that yields maximum power for a given total SS is not always 1:1 but depends on the odds of outcome in each arm. nW benefits the most from the application of OSR in that total SS can be significantly reduced as compared to the commonly used 1:1 sampling ratio. Savings in SS by OSR in nS, nL and nE are relatively immaterial from a practical perspective. Finally, we use simulation studies to examine the power loyalty of each SS approach and explore penalized likelihood as a remedy for undermined power loyalty.
Sources and characterization of clutter in cardiac B-mode images

In echocardiography, clutter is one of the most problematic image artifacts, often obscuring ventricular borders and introducing stationary noise in blood flow measurements. Clutter in transthoracic cardiac images is widely understood to originate from reverberations and off-axis echoes. The objective of this work is to investigate the sources of clutter in cardiac images and their relative contributions. Real-time 3D raw echo data was acquired at a volumetric frame rate of 1 kHz and speckle tracking was applied to resulting images to determine the motion characteristics of clutter and adjacent myocardium. When clutter adjacent to the myocardial wall was tracked, the clutter and adjacent myocardium had similar displacements. When clutter farther from the myocardial wall was tracked, displacements were temporally and spatially complex and did not correlate well with any portion of the myocardium. In addition, principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to the raw echo data and resulting eigenvectors were used to isolate various motion patterns in the cardiac data. Results support the hypothesis that echoes from stationary structures, such as the ribcage and chest wall, are contributors to stationary clutter noise, while the myocardium is a dominant source of nonstationary clutter.
A Review of: Identity's Strategy: Rhetorical Selves in Conversion, by Dana Anderson

Identity, as a term and category of investigation, has come under critique in various theoretical circles, and thus has become almost a taboo topic in scholarship: it is seen as an ontological myst...
Dynamics of hybridization and introgression in red wolves and coyotes.

Hybridization and introgression are significant causes of endangerment in many taxa and are considered the greatest biological threats to the reintroduced population of red wolves (Canis rufus) in North Carolina (U.S.A.). Little is known, however, about these processes in red wolves and coyotes (C. latrans). We used individual-based simulations to examine the process of hybridization and introgression between these species. Under the range of circumstances we considered, red wolves in colonizing and established populations were quickly extirpated, persisted near the carrying capacity, or had intermediate outcomes. Sensitivity analyses suggested that the probabilities of quasi extinction and persistence of red wolves near the carrying capacity were most affected by the strength of two reproductive barriers: red wolf challenges and assortative mating between red wolves and coyotes. Because model parameters for these barriers may be difficult to estimate, we also sought to identify other predictors of red wolf population fate. The proportion of pure red wolves in the population was a strong predictor of the future probabilities of red wolf quasi extinction and persistence. Finally, we examined whether sterilization can be effective in minimizing introgression while allowing the reintroduced red wolf population to grow. Our results suggest sterilization can be an effective short-term strategy to reduce the likelihood of extirpation in colonizing populations of red wolves. Whether red wolf numbers are increased by sterilization depends on the level of sterilization effort and the acting reproductive barriers. Our results provide an outline of the conditions likely required for successful reestablishment and long-term maintenance of populations of wild red wolves in the presence of coyotes. Our modeling approach may prove generally useful in providing insight into situations involving complex species interactions when data are few.
Location-Based Flooding Techniques for Vehicular Emergency Messaging

This paper analyzes the scalability of message flooding protocols in networks with various node densities, which can be expected in vehicular scenarios. Vehicle safety applications require reliable delivery of warning messages to nearby and approaching vehicles. Due to potentially large distances and shadowing, the delivery protocol must forward messages over multiple hops, thereby increasing network congestion and packet collisions. In addition to application-layer backoff delay and duplicate message suppression mechanisms, location-based backoff techniques have been proposed for vehicular networks. We propose a new hybrid method of location-based and counter-based method, and study several variants through simulations. Our preliminary results in the various density scenarios indicate that the proposed hybrid methods outperform conventional backoff delay techniques and adaptively operate in extremely congested network condition.
Thermal conductivity of epitaxially textured diamond films

Abstract The in-plane thermal conductivity of epitaxially textured, (1 0 0) diamond has been evaluated in comparison to (1 0 0) diamond possessing a random fiber texture. The diamond films were bias-enhanced nucleated using an alternating current source and grown on (1 0 0) silicon using microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition. Thermal conductivity values of ∼1120 (±11%) W/m K and ∼550 (±11%) W/m K were determined for the epitaxial versus non-epitaxial diamond, respectively, using Joule heating thermometry. This twofold improvement in the thermal conductivity of the epitaxially textured diamond is ascribed to a reduction in the grain boundary defects within the film.
Model of cavity coupling for beam breakup control

The coupling of the accelerating cavities to dummy cavities was recently found to reduce beam breakup growth. This paper analyzes a more sophisticated model, that includes the time delay between coupled cavities and covers the possibilities of wave cutoff and resonance in the coupling path. A dispersion relation is obtained. We show that the peak spatial exponentiation rate of the dominant BBU mode is reduced by as much as a factor of two, and this reduction is insensitive to the coupling path length. Other modes are destabilized, however, but they have lower growth rates, in general.
A track locating servo system utilizing the data heads as absolute position transducers

Magnetic transitions may be compactly written in the normally unused deadspace between the data sectors on each data surface of a moving head disc drive, which may be read by ordinary data heads to obtain absolute position information for use by the track locating servo. A track following system which complements the track locating system is briefly described. Implementation of these techniques eliminates both the need for a servo surface or external encoder, and troublesome reference surface to data surface mechanical tolerance problems.
Oblique-Slip Sedimentation and Deformation in Nonacho Basin (Early Proterozoic), Northwest Territories, Canada: ABSTRACT

The Nonacho basin shares several traits with molassoid basins formed in oblique-slip settings: (1) great thicknesses (about 9 km, 6 mi) of siliciclastic sediments deposited in alluvial fan, fan-delta, braided stream, beach, deltaic, and lacustrine environments; (2) synsedimentary faults which activated nearby sources; (3) rapid sedimentation and subsidence; (4) telescoped facies transitions, particularly adjacent to active faults; (5) extremely variable thicknesses of lithostratigraphic units; (6) diachronous sedimentation resulting from the migration of source areas and sites of sedimentation along deformation fronts; (7) mobility of deposition and deformation such that early sediments were uplifted, cannibalized, and redeposited; (8) paleocurrents directed basinward nea basin margins, and longitudinally in axial regions; (9) lower greenschist facies metamorphism; (10) paucity of volcanic rocks; and (11) complicated structural geometries. However, these features alone are not diagnostic of oblique-slip origin; all are compatible with rift, aulacogen, impactogen, retroarc, peripheral, intramontane, and broken foreland settings. More reliable indicators of an oblique-slip tectonic setting for the Nonacho basin are: (1) anastomosing pattern of near-vertical, en echelon faults which delineate rhomb-, wedge-, and rectangular-shaped semi-independent subbasins and basement uplifts; (2) stretching lineations of shallow to moderate plunge along shear zones; (3) folds and near-vertical penetrative fabrics, related to shear zones, but at angles of 20°-30° to these zones. The Nonacho basin fill is interpreted as a foreland molasse of the Trans-Hudson orogene. Deposition and deformation probably occurred in response to convergence accommodated by oblique slip, analogous to the Tarim and Tsaidam basins of China, which developed in the late stages of India-Eurasia collision, north of the Tibetan Plateau. End_of_Article - Last_Page 449------------
β-adrenergic receptor stimulation promotes Gαs internalization through lipid rafts: A study in living cells

Upon binding hormones or drugs, many G protein-coupled receptors are internalized, leading to receptor recycling, receptor desensitization, and down-regulation. Much less understood is whether heterotrimeric G proteins also undergo agonist-induced endocytosis. To investigate the intracellular trafficking of Gαs, we developed a functional Gαs-green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion protein that can be visualized in living cells during signal transduction. C6 and MCF-7 cells expressing Gαs-GFP were treated with 10 μM isoproterenol, and trafficking was assessed with fluorescence microscopy. Upon isoproterenol stimulation, Gαs-GFP was removed from the plasma membrane and internalized into vesicles. Vesicles containing Gαs-GFP did not colocalize with markers for early endosomes or late endosomes/lysosomes, revealing that Gαs does not traffic through common endocytic pathways. Furthermore, Gαs-GFP did not colocalize with internalized β2-adrenergic receptors, suggesting that Gαs and receptors are removed from the plasma membrane by distinct endocytic pathways. Nonetheless, activated Gαs-GFP did colocalize in vesicles labeled with fluorescent cholera toxin B, a lipid raft marker. Agonist significantly increased Gαs protein in Triton X-100 –insoluble membrane fractions, suggesting that Gαs moves into lipid rafts/caveolae after activation. Disruption of rafts/caveolae by treatment with cyclodextrin prevented agonist-induced internalization of Gαs-GFP, as did overexpression of a dominant-negative dynamin. Taken together, these results suggest that receptor-activated Gαs moves into lipid rafts and is internalized from these membrane microdomains. It is suggested that agonist-induced internalization of Gαs plays a specific role in G protein-coupled receptor-mediated signaling and could enable Gαs to traffic into the cellular interior to regulate effectors at multiple cellular sites.
Missed injuries: a case of trauma hide and seek

The incidence of missed injuries in the trauma population has been reported as low as 2% and as high as 50%. Missed injuries can lead to serious complications and even death. A variety of factors lead to missed injuries: instability of the patient's condition, alterations in the patient's level of consciousness, health care provider inexperience, radiologic errors, technical errors, and admission to an inappropriate physician service. The most common type of missed injuries are musculoskeletal injuries, although missed injury occurs with head, chest, abdominal, spinal, and neurovascular trauma. Strategies such as repeat physical examinations, implementation of protocols for trauma management, and organization of a forum for discussion of errors are methods to decrease missed injuries.
Building a foundation for systems change: increasing access to physical activity programs for older adults.

Although 25% of U.S. adults are physically inactive, this percentage increases dramatically for older adults. Organizational change theory guided a state health department in identifying system gap...
mSchool: A Learner and Community Centered Open Knowledge Discovery and Management System

With the explosion of online learning technologies and increasing demands to make learning more accessible and effective for all, personalized and social learning has been a suggested method of addressing these challenges. We present mSchool, an open, scalable educational learning platform which addresses the challenges of learner & community centered open learning space. We study mSchool's effectiveness on knowledge discovery and management. The preliminary results suggest the straightforward design resulted in effective navigational support for learners.
Work attitudes and intention to quit among workers in private child welfare agencies operating under performance-based contracts

Not much is currently known about how employment in child welfare agencies operating under performance-based contracts affects worker attitudes related to retention. This study focuses on the relationship of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and conflict between work and family to quit among privatized child welfare staff. An online survey was completed by 152 workers employed by private child welfare agencies operating under performance-based contracts. Results indicate that job satisfaction and work-family conflict predicted intention to quit. Implications for agency practice and further research, particularly in the area of work-family conflict, are discussed.
Capital Goods and Southern Economic Development

Studies of the postbellum South have neglected the development of the capital goods industry within the region. The argument of this note is that where the capital goods industry was limited or not present, economic development was inhibited. Within the South, I focus on regional differences in the development of the industry. Evidence is presented that indicates that the development of the capital goods industry and the pattern of inventive activity (as measured by patents) varied considerably within the South. One key finding is that the plantation Old South had fewer patents per capita compared with the nonplantation South.
Effects of a Word-Learning Training on Children With Cochlear Implants

Preschool children with hearing loss who use cochlear implants demonstrate vocabulary delays when compared to their peers without hearing loss. These delays may be a result of deficient word-learning abilities; children with cochlear implants perform more poorly on rapid word-learning tasks than children with normal hearing. This study explored the malleability of rapid word learning of preschoolers with cochlear implants by evaluating the effects of a word-learning training on rapid word learning. A single-subject, multiple probe design across participants measured the impact of the training on children's rapid word-learning performance. Participants included 5 preschool children with cochlear implants who had an expressive lexicon of less than 150 words. An investigator guided children to identify, repeat, and learn about unknown sets of words in 2-weekly sessions across 10 weeks. The probe measure, a rapid word-learning task with a different set of words than those taught during training, was collected in the baseline, training, and maintenance conditions. All participants improved their receptive rapid word-learning performance in the training condition. The functional relation indicates that the receptive rapid word-learning performance of children with cochlear implants is malleable.
The Journey to Work of Rural Industrial Employees

In previous research on the journey to work several variables have consistently emerged as correlates of distance commuted. Unfortunately, virtually all previous analyses have been confined to metropolitan areas. Thus, there is a question of the generalizability of these findings to less urbanized regions. The present research examines the commuting patterns of 959 white male employees of a large manufacturing facility in rural Illinois. Hypotheses regarding the impact of (1) SES, (2) age, and (3) length of employment upon distance between place of residence and place of work are tested by least-squares analysis. The results indicate no support for any of the hypotheses derived from the model of metropolitan commuting. Further, the composite effect of the independent variables accounts for only one percent of the variation in distance traveled to work. These findings strongly indicate that the model of metropolitan commuting is not applicable to nonmetropolitan regions. Previous research on the journey to work has shown several variables to be consistently related to distance traveled. These relationships demand further empirical treatment for two reasons. First, since the gross nature of available data has limited most analyses to zero or low order partial correlations (e.g., Wheeler, 1967) there is the danger of spuriousness. Second, since virtually all studies of commuting are confined to metropolitan areas and large cities, the question arises whether these findings can be generalized to less urbanized regions. Catanese (1970), Duncan (1956), Goldstein and Mayer (1964a), Kain (1962), Lansing and Mueller (1964), Schnore (1954), Wheeler (1969) and others have been constrained to interpret their findings within the contaminating influence of metropolitan structure. Thus, their analyses are only the first steps toward a grounded explanation of the journey to work. If a viable theory of the separation of home and work is to be forthcoming its empirical parameters cannot be limited to one particular type of population arrangement-even one as important as the metropolitan community. This paper examines the extent to which the variables associated with the model of intrametropolitan commuting can be used to explain the journey to work in nonmetropolitan areas. Specific attention is paid to the work-residence separation of industrial workers. *Several unidentified referees made many helpful comments on an earlier version. Research supported by the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison; NIMH-PHS Research Grant MH 19689 and the Office of Economic Research, Economic Development Administration, Grant OER-417-6-72-7.
On optimal mapping of visualization pipeline onto linear arrangement of network nodes

This paper discusses algorithmic and implementation issues of optimally mapping a visualization pipeline onto a linear arrangement of wide-area network nodes to minimize the total delay. The first network node typically is a data source, the last node could be a display device ranging from a personal computer to a powerwall, and each intermediate node could be a workstation or computational cluster. This mapping scheme appropriately distributes the filtering, geometry generation, rendering, and display modules of the visualization pipeline to the linear arrangement of network nodes to make efficient use of the computing resources at end nodes and also the network bandwidth between them. A regression based network daemon is developed to measure the available bandwidth on a transport link. We present an analytical formulation of this problem by taking into account the computational power of nodes, the bandwidths between them, and the sizes of messages exchanged between visualization modules. We propose a polynomial-time optimal algorithm that uses the dynamic programming method to compute the mapping with the minimum total delay. An OpenGL-based remote visualization system is implemented and deployed at three geographically distributed nodes for preliminary experiments.
Pathology's Contributions to Disease Surveillance: Sending Our Data to Public Health Officials and Encouraging Our Clinical Colleagues to Do So

Pathology and clinical laboratories produce many types of data and information that are of relevance in protecting the health of the public. Electronic linkages between laboratory/pathology information systems and public health surveillance databases help ensure that these data reach the appropriate responder rapidly, completely, and accurately. Many efforts are underway to facilitate the flow of data from laboratory/pathology data sources to public health systems. Likewise, pathologists can encourage the contribution of clinical data from other parts of the health care enterprise. Chief complaint data from the emergency department and usage of over-the-counter medications from the retail pharmacy are useful for real-time population health surveillance. Having directly advocated transmission of data from our laboratories and facilitated other departments' participation in the public health surveillance network, we can also serve the public's health in other ways. Public health jurisdictions have a great need for staff with the skill sets of an experienced laboratorian. So, plan to contribute: data and talent.
Structure Modulates Similarity-Based Interference in Sluicing: An Eye Tracking study

In cue-based content-addressable approaches to memory, a target and its competitors are retrieved in parallel from memory via a fast, associative cue-matching procedure under a severely limited focus of attention. Such a parallel matching procedure could in principle ignore the serial order or hierarchical structure characteristic of linguistic relations. I present an eye tracking while reading experiment that investigates whether the sentential position of a potential antecedent modulates the strength of similarity-based interference, a well-studied effect in which increased similarity in features between a target and its competitors results in slower and less accurate retrieval overall. The manipulation trades on an independently established Locality bias in sluiced structures to associate a wh-remnant (which ones) in clausal ellipsis with the most local correlate (some wines), as in The tourists enjoyed some wines, but I don't know which ones. The findings generally support cue-based parsing models of sentence processing that are subject to similarity-based interference in retrieval, and provide additional support to the growing body of evidence that retrieval is sensitive to both the structural position of a target antecedent and its competitors, and the specificity or diagnosticity of retrieval cues.
Mediators of alkalosis-induced relaxation of piglet pulmonary veins.

Pulmonary venous constriction leads to significant pulmonary hypertension and increased edema formation in several models using newborns. Although alkalosis is widely used in treating neonatal and ...