cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Opposite Effects of Dexamethasone on Serum Concentrations of 3,3'?5'-Triiodothyronine (Reverse T3) and 3,3',5-Triiodothyronine (T3)

Dexamethasone, 2 mg every 6 hours for 4 doses, was given to 4 hypothyroid patients receiving treatment with synthetic thyroxine (T4) and to 8 untreated hyperthyroid patients with Graves' disease, and serum concentrations of thyroid hormones were measured by radioimmunoassays. Serum concentration of 3,3'5'-triiodothyronine (reverse T3, rT3) increased appreciably within 8 hours after the first dose of dexamethasone, was maximum at 24-32 hours after beginning dexamethasone, and remained elevated for about 24 hours after discontinuing the steroid. The mean baseline serum rT3 was 58 ng/per 100 ml in treated hypothyroid patients and 119 ng per 100 ml in patients with Graves' disease; the corresponding maximal post-dexamethasone serum rT3 values were 87 and 170 serum concentration of 3,3',5-triiodothyronine (T3) decreased. The decrease in serum T3 was significant at about 24 hours after beginning dexamethasone and was maximal at about 30 hours in both groups of cases under study. The decrease in serum T3 persisted in treated hypothyroid cases for about 24-48 hours and in Graves' disease cases as long as studied, at least 5 days after discontinuing hexamethasone. The changes in serum rT3 and T3 could not be attributed to the effect of dexamethasone on serum protein binding of the iodothyronines because the dialyzable fractions of rT3 and T3 following steroid administration were not different from those before it. Serum T4 did not change appreciably in treated hypothyroid cases, but decreased in Graves' disease cases from a mean baseline value of 23.5 mug per 100 ml to 18.4 mug per 100 ml 3 days after beginning dexamethasone. In addition, 3 hyperthyroid cases were studied before, during, and after administration of dexamethasone, 2 mg every 6 h for 5 days. Serum rT3 increased again as noted above and the increase persisted until about 24 hours after the last dose of the steroid. Serum T3 decreased considerably and remained decreased as long as studied, at least 4 days after discontinuing the steroid. Serum T4 decreased appreciably in 2 of the 3 cases studied. The data suggest that 1) conversion of T4 to T3 and to rT3 may occur via two distinct pathways in the metabolism of T4; 2) the changes in serum rT3 and T3 observed in our study may be due in part at least to a steroid-induced 'shift' in the metabolism of T4 whereby conversion of T4 to T3 is diminished and that to rT3 is enhanced; 3) in addition to the effect on peripheral metabolism of T4, steroids appear to reduce the circulating thyroid hormones in Graves' disease by another mechanism, probably by reduction in thyroid secretion.
An improved method for the determination of pseudo-relative permeability data for stratified systems

A procedure for modifying relative permeabilities for use in an areal model becomes necessitated in reservoir cases for which vertical equilibrium pseudo functions are not applicable and the displacement process is dominated by viscous horizontal flow. In practice, the areal model representation of stratified flow in such cases will lie between the extremes of the performance of a homogeneous layer of parallel-average permeability and the performance of a series of noncommunicating layers. To date, the only analytical method specifically developed to approximate viscous flow in a stratified reservoir with an areal model is attributed to Hearn. This method employed the assumption of a unit mobility ratio displacement to generate pseudo relative permeability curves reflecting an instantaneous change from non-wetting phase to wetting phase production at each layer breakthrough. Due to this assumption, the history match procedure involved correcting for both the effects of crossflow and subordinate non-wetting phase production after breakthrough. A technique has been developed to account for the effects of subordinate phase production in a nonunit mobility ratio displacement occurring in noncommunicating layers. This adaptation is an improvement to the original method of Hearn, providing both a closer initial approximation to reservoir fluid flow in stratified systems, asmore » well as affording a consistent basis for history matching through adjustments to relative permeability.« less
MO-A-9A-01: Innovation in Medical Physics Practice: 3D Printing Applications

3D printing, also called additive manufacturing, has great potential to advance the field of medicine. Many medical uses have been exhibited from facial reconstruction to the repair of pulmonary obstructions. The strength of 3D printing is to quickly convert a 3D computer model into a physical object. Medical use of 3D models is already ubiquitous with technologies such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. Thus tailoring 3D printing technology to medical functions has the potential to impact patient care. This session will discuss applications to the field of Medical Physics. Topics discussed will include introduction to 3D printing methods as well as examples of real-world uses of 3D printing spanning clinical and research practice in diagnostic imaging and radiation therapy. The session will also compare 3D printing to other manufacturing processes and discuss a variety of uses of 3D printing technology outside the field of Medical Physics. Learning Objectives: Understand the technologies available for 3D Printing Understand methods to generate 3D models Identify the benefits and drawbacks to rapid prototyping / 3D Printing Understand the potential issues related to clinical use of 3D Printing.
Neutron-diffraction studies in liquid He 4

Structure factors of liquid helium have been determined from neutron-diffraction measurements of high statistical accuracy. Diffraction measurements were performed out to momentum transfers of 7 ${\mathrm{\AA{}}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ for three different densities of liquid helium at a constant temperature above the helium $\ensuremath{\lambda}$ transition and at a nearly constant temperature below the $\ensuremath{\lambda}$ transition for the same three densities. Statistically significant differences in the structure factors are observed as the density is varied at constant temperature and for temperatures above and below the $\ensuremath{\lambda}$ transition at constant density. The radial pair-correlation functions have been calculated from the liquid-structure factors. The structure factors or the related radial pair-correlation functions can be used to obtain information about three-atom correlations in liquid helium above and below the $\ensuremath{\lambda}$ transition from a construction of their isothermal density derivative. The temperature dependence of the constant-density structure factors or their derived pair-correlation functions can also be used to test a current theoretical estimate of the condensate fraction in liquid helium.
Evaluation of calcium alginate for skin graft donor sites

Choosing the most appropriate wound dressing is of importance in optimizing healing and minimizing pain. Recent reports have suggested an improvement in wound healing with calcium alginate. To clinically evaluate this new dressing, 12 paired wounds were covered with either calcium alginate or scarle
477 EFFECTS OF CHOLESTYRAMINE ON SMALL INTESTINAL MUCOSA

Cholestyramine (CHOL)is often used successfully in the treatment of diverse diarrheal disorders, yet its effects on small intestinal mucosa have not been evaluated. Accordingly, rat jejunal and ileal segments were studied before and after 3, 6 or 12 days of test diet containing 5% pure CHOL resin in powdered standard lab chow. Weight gain during study was comparable in both CHOL-fed and control groups. For jejunal mucosa, there was no significant difference in wet weight or total DNA content per segment, or in mucosal wet weight or total protein content per mg DNA in any diet period comparing CHOL-treated animals to controls. Similar results were obtained for ileal mucosa, except, at 12 days, mucosal wet weight per segment increased (p<.05) in the CHOL treated rats. Jejunal disaccharidases (U/gm protein) rose significantly after 12 days of CHOL(sucrase:control 74±10 vs CHOL-fed 102±5, p<.02; lactase: control 9.1±0.8 vs CHOL-fed 14.3±0.7, p<.001). Expressing the data as specific activity per segment or per mg DNA gave similar results. Ileal disaccharidases did not change significantly. Conclusions:CHOL feeding for 12 days does not influence jejunal mucosal mass (wet weight), cell number (DNA content) or cell size (mg protein/mg DNA), and has only a small effect on ileal mucosal mass. Jejunal disaccharidase content (U/segment)rises dramatically as does specific activity (U/mg protein, U/mg DNA) suggesting either a direct mucosal effect of CHOL or an alteration of the intraluminal phase sufficient to change brush border enzyme kinetics.
Free Turbulent Shear Layers on Plug Nozzles

Two-dimensional, free, turbulent mixing between a uniform stream and a cavity flow is investigated experimentally in a plug nozzle, a geometry that generates idealized mixing layer conditions. Upstream viscous layer effects are minimized through the use of a sharp-expansion plug nozzle. Experimental velocity profiles exhibit close agreement with both similarity analyses and with error function predictions. Refrigerant-12 was injected into the cavity and concentration profiles were obtained using a gas chromatograph. Spreading factors for momentum and mass were determined. Two methods are presented to determine the average turbulent Schmidt number. The relation Sct = Sc is suggested by the data for Sc < 2.0.
Divine Hiddenness and Discrimination: A Philosophical Dilemma

Since its first delivery in 1993, J.L. Schellenberg’s atheistic argument from divine hiddenness keeps generating lively debate in various quarters in the philosophy of religion. Over time, the author has responded to many criticisms of his argument, both in its original evidentialist version and in its subsequent conceptualist version. One central problem that has gone undetected in these exchanges to date, we argue, is how Schellenberg’s explicit-recognition criterion for revelation contains discriminatory tendencies against mentally handicapped persons. Viewed from this angle, our present critique imparts Schellenberg’s position with a philosophical dilemma: (1) endorsing divine discrimination to the effect that God does not love ‘cognitive-affective outsiders’ or (2) giving up on explicit recognition. Either way, the hiddenness argument does not succeed.
Respiratory Electron Transport Systems of Aquatic Fungi. I. Leptomitus lacteus and Apodachlya punctata

The electron transport systems of 2 species of aquatic fungi, Leptomitus lacteus and A podachlya punctata, contained cytochrome a-a(3) (605 mmu), 2 b type cytochromes (564 and 557 mmu), c type cytochrome (551 mmu), and flavoprotein, but they appeared to lack cytochrome c(1). Reduced-minus-oxidized difference spectra and difference spectra in the presence of antimycin A or cyanide were used to characterize these systems. Studies with the electron microscope revealed that hyphae of Leptomitus lacteus contained numerous, conspicuous mitochondria with tubular cristae.
Deviation Analysis: A New Use of Model Checking

Inaccuracies, or deviations, in the measurements of monitored variables in a control system are facts of life that control software must accommodate. Deviation analysis can be used to determine how a software specification will behave in the face of such deviations. Deviation analysis is intended to answer questions such as "What is the effect on output O if input I is off by 0 to 100?". This property is best checked with some form of symbolic execution approach. In this report we wish to propose a new approach to deviation analysis using model checking techniques. The key observation that allows us to use model checkers is that the property can be restated as "Will there be an effect on output O if input I is off by 0 to 100?"--this restatement of the property changes the analysis from an exploratory analysis to a verification task suitable for model checking.
P.2.18 Bone mineral density and bone mineral content as measures of bone health in ambulatory boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Osteoporosis is a major problem in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) due to long term glucocorticoid (GC) therapy and impaired mobility. Dual-energy xray absorptiometry (DXA) assessment of bone health in DMD boys is challenging, as interpretation is affected by height, delayed bone maturation, puberty, and vertebral fractures. Accurate detection and intervention of osteoporosis are important for improving clinical care in DMD. To assess changes in bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) by functional status in ambulatory GC-treated DMD boys. Retrospective study of whole body (WB) and lumbar spine (LS) BMD and BMC by DXA in ambulatory GC-treated DMD boys, assessed from 2/2009 to 7/2012. Bisphosphonate-treated boys were excluded. Age-adjusted z-scores (Z) and height-adjusted z-scores (HAZ) were derived using normal values. Generalized linear modeling was used to analyze changes in BMD and BMC by functional status (functional mobility score, FMS1, 2 or 3, by worsening status). 277 ambulant DMD boys were grouped by FMS (mean ages ±SD for FMS1, 2 and 3; 7.6 ± 2.2, 8.3 ± 2.6 and 11.2 ± 2.6 yrs). GC durations for FMS1, 2 and 3 were 2.7 ± 1.7, 2.9 ± 2.1 and 5.3 ± 2.6 yrs. For whole body, BMD-Z, BMD-HAZ, BMC-Z and BMC-HAZ all decreased with worsening FMS (p
Living with Racism in Education and Society: Derrick Bell's Ethical Idealism and Political Pragmatism.

Derrick Bell’s pronouncement and challenge that racism is likely permanent has captured the imagination of Critical Race Theorists in education. Equally important are his ideas about living with the concrete conditions of racism. This article focuses on a tension within Bell’s work. On the one hand, his writings are characterized by a certain ‘racial realism.’ In this perspective, Bell encourages race scholars and activists to abandon notions of one day ending racism. On the other hand, Bell also retains a certain idealism, most evident in his appeal to the ethical dimensions of critical race work. He invites intellectuals to join him in fighting racism even if the prospects for change are sometimes bleak. In his life as well as his work, Bell willingly sacrificed prestige and financial security for his ideals, and seemed puzzled when his friends and colleagues were reluctant to do the same. Bell’s racial realism and ethical idealism comprise two – sometimes warring – moments that permeate his work.
Blood Sacrifice and the Nation: Revisiting Civil Religion

Les AA. tiennent a identifier le role de la violence dans l'organisation et la survie de certains groupes sociaux. Dans ces derniers, la cohesion s'accomplit dans un cadre de violence qui est une force sociale structurelle et non contingente, ou la religion est la verite pour laquelle on est pret a mourir, ou la societe est representee a travers des rituels de sacrifice du sang. L'expression la plus puissante de ce cadre religieux aux Etats-Unis est sans aucun doute le nationalisme. En surface, on nie les attributs religieux du nationalisme pour maintenir l'autorite meurtriere du groupe
Ectopic Expression of Vaccinia Virus E3 and K3 Cannot Rescue Ectromelia Virus Replication in Rabbit RK13 Cells

As a group, poxviruses have been shown to infect a wide variety of animal species. However, there is individual variability in the range of species able to be productively infected. In this study, we observed that ectromelia virus (ECTV) does not replicate efficiently in cultured rabbit RK13 cells. Conversely, vaccinia virus (VACV) replicates well in these cells. Upon infection of RK13 cells, the replication cycle of ECTV is abortive in nature, resulting in a greatly reduced ability to spread among cells in culture. We observed ample levels of early gene expression but reduced detection of virus factories and severely blunted production of enveloped virus at the cell surface. This work focused on two important host range genes, named E3L and K3L, in VACV. Both VACV and ECTV express a functional protein product from the E3L gene, but only VACV contains an intact K3L gene. To better understand the discrepancy in replication capacity of these viruses, we examined the ability of ECTV to replicate in wild-type RK13 cells compared to cells that constitutively express E3 and K3 from VACV. The role these proteins play in the ability of VACV to replicate in RK13 cells was also analyzed to determine their individual contribution to viral replication and PKR activation. Since E3L and K3L are two relevant host range genes, we hypothesized that expression of one or both of them may have a positive impact on the ability of ECTV to replicate in RK13 cells. Using various methods to assess virus growth, we did not detect any significant differences with respect to the replication of ECTV between wild-type RK13 compared to versions of this cell line that stably expressed VACV E3 alone or in combination with K3. Therefore, there remain unanswered questions related to the factors that limit the host range of ECTV.
Predictors of Student Success in Graduate Biomedical Informatics Training: Introductory Course and Program Success

Objective: To predict student performance in an introductory graduate-level biomedical informatics course from application data. Design: A predictive model built through retrospective review of student records using hierarchical binary logistic regression with half of the sample held back for cross-validation. The model was also validated against student data from a similar course at a second institution. Measurements: Earning an A grade (Mastery) or a C grade (Failure) in an introductory informatics course. Results: The authors analyzed 129 student records at the University of Texas School of Health Information Sciences at Houston (SHIS) and 106 at Oregon Health and Science University Department of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology (DMICE). In the SHIS cross-validation sample, the Graduate Record Exam verbal score (GRE-V) correctly predicted Mastery in 69.4%. Undergraduate grade point average (UGPA) and underrepresented minority status (URMS) predicted 81.6% of Failures. At DMICE, GRE-V, UGPA, and prior graduate degree significantly correlated with Mastery. Only GRE-V was a significant independent predictor of Mastery at both institutions. There were too few URMS students and Failures at DMICE to analyze. Course Mastery strongly predicted program performance defined as final cumulative GPA at SHIS ( n = 19, r = 0.634, r 2 = 0.40, p = 0.0036) and DMICE ( n = 106, r = 0.603, r 2 = 0.36, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The authors identified predictors of performance in an introductory informatics course including GRE-V, UGPA and URMS. Course performance was a very strong predictor of overall program performance. Findings may be useful for selecting students for admission and identifying students at risk for Failure as early as possible.
Sources of within- and between-stand variability in specific leaf area of three ecologically distinct conifer species

Specific leaf area (SLA) is an important ecophysiological variable, but its variability within and between stands has rarely been simultane- ously examined and modeled across multiple species. Extensive datasets on SLA in coastal Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii (Mirb.) Franco), hybrid spruce (Picea engelmannii Parry × Picea glauca (Moench) Voss × Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.), and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex P. & C. Laws.) were used to estimate variability of SLA within a canopy and its relationship to tree- and stand-level covariates, and to predict SLA at various locations in tree crowns. Also, in the case of hybrid spruce, variation in SLA due to different relative horizontal lengths from the bole was examined. In all species, SLA systematically increased from tree tip to crown base and decreased with foliage age class. Cardinal direction did not have a highly significant influence in either Douglas-fir or hybrid spruce, but SLA did significantly decrease from branch tip to bole in hybrid spruce. Tree- and stand-level (e.g. density, site index) factors had relatively little influence on SLA, but stand age did have a significant positive influence .F or ponderosa pine, a significant relationship between canopy mean current-year SLA and carbon isotope discrimination was also found, suggesting the importance of water stress in this species. An equation was fitted to estimate SLA at various points in the canopy for each species and foliage age class using absolute height in the canopy, relative vertical height in the tree, and stand age.
Studying the State through State Formation

This article seeks to take stock of the insights offered by the fast-growing literature on comparative state formation, which is treated here as a neglected offshoot of the “bringing the state back in” movement of the 1980s. Unlike previous Eurocentric reviews of this literature, this article includes works that range broadly in time and geography. The author focuses particularly on two areas of interest to political scientists: the causes of bureaucratic centralization and the origins of durable democratic/authoritarian institutions. The author also shows how the literature has reconceptualized the state in response to long-standing criticisms directed at this concept. The concept remains useful in political science despite impressions otherwise.
Anti-influenza A activity of combinations of amantadine and ribavirin in ferret tracheal ciliated epithelium

The anti-influenza A activities of amantadine and ribavirin were investigated separately and in combination. Ferret tracheal ciliated epithelium was continuously exposed to the drugs at concentrations (0.25, 0.5, and 1 mg/l) comparable to those found in human serum after oral administration. Each drug alone produced a modest delay in A/Alaska/6/77 (H3N2) induced cytopathic effect. The combination of drugs synergistically delayed cytopathic effect. At 1 mg/l of each, cytopathic effect was prevented in 75% of rings for the 28-day duration of the experiment. This effect was greater than that of 32 mg/l of amantadine or 64 mg/l of ribavirin as single antiviral drugs. Peak virus production was suppressed 4.4 log-fold by the combination of 1 mg/l of each drug. This is in contrast to amantadine alone which suppressed peak virus production by 1 log-fold and ribavirin along which at 1 mg/l suppressed peak virus production by 1.9 log-fold. At lower concentrations, the drugs were at least additive in suppression of virus production.
The Pathogenesis of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is characterized by the clonal expansion of CD5+CD23+ B cells in blood, marrow, and second lymphoid tissues. Gene-expression profiling and phenotypic studies suggest that CLL is probably derived from CD5+ B cells similar to those found in the blood of healthy adults. Next-generation sequencing has revealed recurrent genetic lesions that are implicated in CLL pathogenesis and/or disease progression. The biology of CLL is entwined with its microenvironment, in which accessory cells can promote leukemia cell growth and/or survival. Recently, much attention has been focused on the CLL B cell receptor (BCR) and on chemokine receptors that enable CLL cells to home to lymphoid tissues and to establish the leukemia microenvironment. Agents that can interfere with BCR signaling or chemokine–receptor signaling, or that target surface antigens selectively expressed on CLL cells, promise to have significant therapeutic benefit in patients with this disease.
Hypoxia-induced proliferation of human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells depends on epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase activation

We hypothesized that hypoxia would activate epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase, leading to increased arginase expression and resulting in proliferation of human pulmonary micro...
Securing Wireless Data Networks against Eavesdropping using Smart Antennas

In this paper, we focus on securing communication over wireless data networks from malicious eavesdroppers, using smart antennas. While conventional cryptography based approaches focus on hiding the meaning of the information being communicated from the eavesdropper, we consider a complimentary class of strategies that limit knowledge of the existence of the information from the eavesdropper. We profile the performance achievable using simple beamforming strategies using a newly defined metric called exposure region. We then present three strategies within the context of an approach called virtual arrays of physical arrays to significantly improve the exposure region performance of a wireless LAN environment. Using simulations and analysis, we validate and evaluate the proposed strategies.
Comparison of the Output Display Standard's TIS Estimates with Independently Determined Maximum Temperature Increase Calculations

The monopole-source solution [l] complex acoustic pressure field for focused was used to calculate the three-dimensional circular apertures (diameters: 1, 2, 4 cm) and transmitf-numbers (radius of curvaturddiameter ultrasonic frequencies (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 12 values: 0.7, 1, 1.3, 1.6, 2, 3, 4, 5) for various MHz) from which the ree-dimensional temperature distribution was calculated using the bio-heat transfer equation in homogeneous, perfused media (attenuation = absorption = 0.3 dB/cm-MHz; perfusion length: 1.0 cm). For the the derated spatial peak, temporal verage 184 cases, the acoustic field was normalized to intensity (1spTA.3) of 720 mW/cmz, the maximum value allowed by the FDA 510(k) diagnostic ultrasound equipment approval process [2], from which the axial temperature increase profile and the maximum temperature increase ( ATmm) were determined. Also, from the normalized acoustic field, the soft-tissue thermal index (TIS) was determined according to the procedures of the Output Display Standard [3] from the normalized acoustic field. In general, TIS and ATma increase with increasing transmit f-number and TIS tracks AT,,, which allows for Low & Reasonably khievable (ALARA) Principle implementation. TIS mostly underestimates ATmax (TIS I ATmax) for f-numbers I 1 and mostly overestimates AT,,, (TIS 2 ATmax) for f-numbers 2 2. For the lower transmit fnumbers I 2, ATmax does not exceed a value of 0.30"C (0.0060 5 ATmax 2 0.30"C for these 1 15 cases) and the maximum value of TIS does not exceed a value of 0.40 (0.00010 I TIS I numbers S 2, the TIS display would never be 0.40 for these 115 cases). Therefore, for favailable to the system operator since the TIS value does not equal or exceed 1.0. For the higher transmitf-numbers 2 3, TIS is generally within a factor of 2 of ATrna for predicting ATmax. These results generally confirm the 0-7803-3615-1/96/$5.00
Thin Film Dispenser Cathodes for Thermionic Micro-Devices

Electron emissive thin films that possess the thermionic properties of macroscale dispenser cathodes have been fabricated using standard RF sputter deposition techniques. These films are based on a compositionally modulated structure using W and a Ba-containing ternary oxide. These films exhibit uniform work function values of 1.9 to 2.2 eV with high emission coefficients of 2 to 26 A·cm−2K−2. Electron microscopy shows that W layer coalescence and continued particle growth occurs with prolonged annealing, eventually disrupting the original surface layer. Chemical modification of the oxide during deposition may provide a route to limit the extent of W coalescence and preserve surface metallization layers on these films. These films are designed to be integrated into thermionic micro-devices.
Effect of Yttria Content on the Zirconia Unit Cell Parameters

The relationship between yttria concentration and the unit cell parameters in partially and fully stabilized zirconia has been reassessed, motivated by the need to improve the accuracy of phase analysis upon decomposition of t′-based thermal barrier coatings. Compositions ranging from 6 to 18 mol% YO1.5 were synthesized and examined by means of high-resolution X-ray diffraction. Lattice parameters were determined using the Rietveld refinement method, a whole-pattern fitting procedure. The revised empirical relationships fall within the range of those published previously. However, efforts to achieve superior homogeneity of the materials, as well as accuracy of the composition and lattice parameters, provide increased confidence in the reliability of these correlations for use in future studies. Additional insight into the potential sources for scatter previously reported for the transition region (~12–14 mol% YO1.5), where tetragonal and cubic phases have been observed to coexist, is also provided. Implications on the current understanding of stabilization mechanisms in zirconia are discussed.
In Response to Need: An Analysis of Social Work Roles over Time

In this qualitative research synthesis, interviews with 22 early health-related social workers were reexamined to identify themes that emerged when these social workers discussed the roles and goals of their work. Those interviews, with colleagues of Ida M. Cannon and those leaders in the next generation of social workers who had practiced during the first half of the 20th century, were conducted in 1976. For this study, the themes that emerged from the original interview data as social workers' responses to perceived needs were then compared with data consisting of 80 cases, drawn from four more recent casebooks (1982, 1989, 1996, 2010), that followed a framework of practice in context. The comparison demonstrated that themes remain consistent over time and include responses to needs created by wars, due to new and underserved populations, created by public health crises, created by technological advances, experienced by organizations, and resulting from economic and policy issues, as well as needs of clients. Analysis also suggests that caution is in order to avoid being co-opted by organizations and others in power at the cost of the profession's social justice mission and ethical imperatives.
Global millimeter-wave observations of precipitation using AMSU on the NOAA-15 satellite

This paper extends prior work on estimating instantaneous rain rates using data from the NASA Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) aboard the NOAA-15 satellite (Staelin and Chen, IEEE TGARS, vol. 38, pp. 2322-32, 2000) by utilizing more AMSU channels, training orbits, and seasons of the year, and by 1) inferring 15-km perturbations for the 50-km resolution channels, 2) adapting the algorithm to include cold dry atmospheres, 3) training using only the most reliable NOAA NEXRAD 3-GHz radar data, 4) applying the method to snowfall rate retrievals, and 5) preliminary global testing of the resulting algorithm over land and sea. The 15- and 50-km resolution algorithms were tested at AMSU rain rates up to 160 and 100 mm/h, respectively.
Application of dry etching process on high-end Cr photomasks

As the design pattern size at photomask is rapidly down to sub-micron, photomask manufacturing face up the situation developed unfavorably who has been enjoyed the long vacation with the 5X reticle through the prematured wet process. Also the wet etching process, the traditional process of photomasks is faced the limitation of resolution, linearity and corner rounding. The isotropic etching through the chemical reaction under the photoresist on wet etching process suggest the resolution limitation of typical wet etching process around 1.0 micrometers +/- 0.2 micrometers . The poor corner rounding and linearity is also considered as the major spot o f wet etching process. As explained, the resolution limitation of wet process has been hindered the application in present semiconductors market and, in addition, far from the demand of 0.18 micrometers design rule. On this paper, we reviewed the comparison of dry and wet etching process result to clarify the possible improvements through the dry etching. And based on this comparison we set possible way of improvements at the conclusion.
Dispersal distances of juvenile radiotagged Red Grouse Lagopus lagopus scoticus on moors in northern England

Radio-transmitters were fitted on 146 juvenile Red Grouse Lagopus lagopus scoticus (116 hens, 30 cocks) to study the timing, frequency and distances of dispersal on managed grouse moors in northern England between 1999 and 2002. A third of the radiotagged birds were shot. Disturbance on shoot days meant that radiotagged birds were shot at points more than twice as far from the catch location as the points when they were last recorded alive. For birds that were shot, the distance from the catch location to the place they were shot was more than twice the natal dispersal distances of the survivors. Therefore, shot birds were excluded from the dispersal analysis. Juvenile hens dispersed significantly further (mean 861 m, range 50–4660 m) than juvenile cocks (mean 343 m, range 90–660 m). Dispersal distances were not related to predispersal Grouse densities at the catch area in summer or to Grouse densities in the following spring. The mean date of dispersal for juvenile hens was 6 October ± 4 days (se), with only one record of spring dispersal (14 March) of 1490 m.
Is Twitter an Effective Pedagogical Tool in Higher Education? Perspectives of Education Graduate Students.

This study presents the perspectives of education graduate students of using Twitter as a pedagogical tool for 15 weeks as a required social media activity in class. The results indicated that participants in each course reported a positive learning experience of using Twitter. Although this was their first experience with Twitter, participants reported that Twitter provided space and opportunities to engage in academic activities as a new pedagogical tool. Participants reported they used Twitter to receive immediate and frequent course information, ask questions to the mentor, update course assignments, and to share helpful information from outside the textbook with their fellow classmates and mentor. This study also highlights suggestions and implications for utilization of Twitter in personal and professional development.
Endogenous Auditory Potentials in the Cat : A P300 Model

Endogenous evoked potentials are those whose characteristics are determined by the psychological context in which a stimulus occurs, rather than by the physical parameters of the stimulus itself (Donchin et al., 1978; Hillyard et al., in press). Such potentials are produced by unexpected stimuli within a sequence of expected stimuli in any stimulus modality (Simson et al., 1977; Squires et al., 1977; Desmedt and Debecker, 1979), or by the omission of an expected stimulus (Picton et al., 1974; Simson et al., 1976; Sutton et al., 1967). For example, if a subject is asked to count a click of one intensity which occurs only infrequently during a series of clicks of another intensity, only the rare, unexpectedclick produces endogenous wave forms (Fig. 1) (Ritter et al., 1972; Squires et al., 1975; Roth et al., 1976). These potentials have been associated with sequential processing and short-term memory functions (Squires et al., 1976), and have been shown to be abnormal in various clinical populations (Goodin et al., 1978; Squires et al., 1979, Pfefferbaum et al., 1979). Thus, experimental analyses and identification of the generator sources of endogenous potentials would be of clinical importance as well as of basic neurophysiological interest.
Scaling up the diversity–resilience relationship with trait databases and remote sensing data: the recovery of productivity after wildfire

Understanding the mechanisms underlying ecosystem resilience - why some systems have an irreversible response to disturbances while others recover - is critical for conserving biodiversity and ecosystem function in the face of global change. Despite the widespread acceptance of a positive relationship between biodiversity and resilience, empirical evidence for this relationship remains fairly limited in scope and localized in scale. Assessing resilience at the large landscape and regional scales most relevant to land management and conservation practices has been limited by the ability to measure both diversity and resilience over large spatial scales. Here, we combined tools used in large-scale studies of biodiversity (remote sensing and trait databases) with theoretical advances developed from small-scale experiments to ask whether the functional diversity within a range of woodland and forest ecosystems influences the recovery of productivity after wildfires across the four-corner region of the United States. We additionally asked how environmental variation (topography, macroclimate) across this geographic region influences such resilience, either directly or indirectly via changes in functional diversity. Using path analysis, we found that functional diversity in regeneration traits (fire tolerance, fire resistance, resprout ability) was a stronger predictor of the recovery of productivity after wildfire than the functional diversity of seed mass or species richness. Moreover, slope, elevation, and aspect either directly or indirectly influenced the recovery of productivity, likely via their effect on microclimate, while macroclimate had no direct or indirect effects. Our study provides some of the first direct empirical evidence for functional diversity increasing resilience at large spatial scales. Our approach highlights the power of combining theory based on local-scale studies with tools used in studies at large spatial scales and trait databases to understand pressing environmental issues.
Contract Law and Morality

This brief piece introduces the contract law section of a symposium on law and morality. I argue that notwithstanding the empirical turn in recent scholarship, moral reflection remains important for the study of contract law for two reasons. First, because without normative theories we cannot construct what Hart called internal interpretations of the law. In the absence of such interpretations, we are left with a basic puzzle about the purposes and coherence of the law that we already have. Second, contrary to the claims made by some empiricists, there are genuine conflicts about the merits and implications of our normative commitments. Indeed, when moral claims are stated at a level that commands universal assent, they tend to become banal.
RESONANCE INTEGRAL CALCULATIONS FOR U$sup 238$ LATTICES

Computed resonance integrals are compared with precise results from a series of Monte Carlo calculations with very large numbers of histories. The range of applicability of the original computation method is exhibited by this comparison. Some simplifications are made in the method of presentation of the resonance integral results so that the correlation among single lumps and lattices of various compositions is improved. (auth)
Beobachtung von Fahrzeugzuständen der Querdynamik mit integrierter reibwertschätzung

Regelungssysteme fur die Fahrdynamik beruhen auf Informationen uber den aktuellen Fahrzeugzustand. Wahrend viele Daten direkt aus Sensorsignalen gewonnen werden konnen, lassen sich wichtige Grosen wie die Fahrzeugquergeschwindigkeit und der zugehorige Strasenreibwert nicht mit der vorhandenen Sensorik erfassen und mussen uber einen Beobachteransatz ermittelt werden. Diese Zustandsschatzung wurde in mehreren Projekten zur integrierten Fahrdynamikregelung am Ford-Forschungszentrum in Aachen erfolgreich eingesetzt.
A Checklist of the Ephemeroptera of North America North of Mexico

The publication in 1935 of “The Biology of Mayflies” by J. G. Needham, J. R. Traver, and Yin-chi Hsu gave considerable impetus to the study of the North American mayfly fauna. The extensive researches on Ephemeroptera during the last twenty years have largely out-dated the checklist provided therein by Dr. Traver's monograph of the North American species. Many additional species have been described and some European species are now known to occur in North America. Some new genera have been described and others added to the known Nearctic fauna. The list of species has been reduced by number of new synonymies and the placement of some as subspecies of other species. Other changes are a result of the transfer of species from one genus to another, and a rearrangement of higher categories to follow the system proposed by Edmunds and Traver (1954).
Whether Certainty is a Form of Life

There was something fishy, Wittgenstein thought, about a certainty which is at once empirical and immune to doubt. Yet that is just what Moore's truisms seemed to be: though certain, they seem to have no ground at all. Could that signify that they did not need one? What one could say is they were beyond the reach of any practical doubt. In On Certainty, Wittgenstein wrestled with the question how there can be such certainties, a task which a Kantian might call transcendental. Contingent propositions are characteristically doubtable, confirmable and capable of dispute. Even though no one has occasion to question them, we can imagine that someone might. And even if no one asks for proof we can imagine what a proof would be. But Moore's truisms do not appear open either to question or proof. Are they a priori, grammatical, then? No, for questions and doubts about them make some kind of sense. Then they are contingent. No, since we do not have evidence or empirical proof of them. Then what kind of proposition are they? The truisms are characterized by the questions we do not ask and doubts we do not have. But that is a statement about us. Someone from another culture might raise questions that we do not, amazed that we take such things for granted. But to imagine someone asking such questions we have to imagine a perspective very different from ours a very different Weltbild or picture of the world. Otherwise the questions fall beyond our comprehension. We cannot raise a question whether the world is very old, for if we did, that would bring into question the whole structure of geology, which is precisely the method by which we date things. If, for instance, we try to step back from that system and raise our question, we operate in a procedural and conceptual vacuum. Geology seems to rest upon or incorporate that proposition. Yet a question about whether the world is old has the same form and even the same kind of matter as the question whether this rock is very old. How can there be a problem for the one but not for the other? We face what appears tp be a logical discontinuity as we go from the one question to the other. Some kind of boundary has been crossed. But if it is not the boundary between contingent and necessary propositions, what boundary is it?
An important backdrop to the continued discussion on the use of antibiotic-containing bone cements: Commentary on an article by Jill Meyer, PhD, et al.: "Vacuum-mixing significantly changes antibiotic elution characteristics of commercially available antibiotic-impregnated bone cements".

The use of antibiotic-containing polymethylmethacrylate, or antibiotic PMMA, in revision of a total hip or total knee replacement due to a previous infection is currently accepted practice. Additionally, despite lack of regulatory approval in the United States, the “off-label” use of antibiotic PMMA for primary arthroplasty by orthopaedic surgeons is substantial and has continued to increase. The widespread use of antibiotic PMMA in total joint replacement provides ample clinical relevance to the article by Meyer et al. regarding the effects of vacuum-mixing on six widely used antibiotic PMMA formulations. One of the strengths of the work is the logical study design. The authors utilize a previously reported methodology for creating pellets of uniform consistency with virtually identical geometry1. Thirty pellets of each antibiotic (fifteen vacuum-mixed and fifteen atmospheric) were evaluated each day during a five-day elution protocol and were compared between groups as …
Facilitating social work role plays in online courses: The use of video conferencing

Role plays have served an instrumental role in social work education by providing opportunities for students to acquire interaction skills. This project tested various online video conferencing tools to facilitate role plays for students who live in different locations and who are unable to be at the same place at the same time. Key features of the technology included the ability to facilitate real-time interaction, compatibility with laptops and Wi-Fi connections, and the ability to record sessions for later viewing and feedback. Method: Case study design. Results: Students were able to use the videoconferencing software with minimal support. Video quality was not always ideal with contributing factors being the time of day students used the software. There were no distinguishable time and effort demands associated with the online video conferencing compared to classroom role plays. Some students found use of the technology caused them to feel disconnected from their peers compared to face-to-face encounters, while other students found the encounter more intimate in that the pressure to perform in front of others was not felt. Implications: Video conferencing is a promising tool to facilitate social work role plays. Future research needs to assess the acquisition of specific skills compared to traditional classroom students.
An Analysis of Health Problems Among the Elderly in Tuticorin Town

Elderly people are suffering from various physical, mental, social and economic problems. Hence the study was conducted to assess the health morbidity among the rural elderly persons in Tuticorin town. The present study is based on both primary and secondary data. 300 elderly persons aged 60 years and over were selected for primary data collection by adopting simple random sampling method. Secondary data have been collected from books, journals, newspapers, internet and periodicals. The reference period of survey was 2015. Percentage analysis, averages, F test, chi square test and probability analysis were used. The table indicate that more than half of the elderly represented by a slightly (more number of women than men) reported various physical problems. The problem of skin diseases is common for both men and women. However, it is evident that the male elderly having sugar complaints form 81.33 per cent to the total. It was found that 45.33 per cent of the male elderly in the study area had heart complaints, followed by nervous disorders (33.33 per cent) whereas general weakness and joint pains is found to report mostly by women. Disorders relating to chest like tuberculosis and asthma, nervous disorders and problems relating to urinary tract infection are more common in men. The urinary problems percentage was higher among male elderly (48.00 per cent) than among female elderly (15.33 per cent) respectively, showed no significant difference. This study has highlighted that the elderly suffers from multiple morbidities, which they often attribute to ageing. It requires the strengthening of geriatric health care services in accordance with the common existing problems in the community. The elderly should be encouraged to undergo periodic medical checks at a clinic for routine appraisal of their health status, so as to allow early detection and treatment of their morbidities. These services should be accessible & affordable to them.