cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Relationship of Reading Comprehension to Written Production of Transformationally Lengthened Prose

No studies have investigated whether the writing of certain transformations can predict comprehension of prose written in them. In studying this possibility, 90 subjects, 30 from each grade level, were asked to read three major prose forms, each written in three transformed versions, and to respond to each immediately on Cloze tests. Every subject also rewrote a simple sentence paragraph using his own sentence combining techniques. The Cloze test scores were then compared to sentence-lengthening criteria in a multiple regression analysis. Cloze tests did not satisfactorily predict sentence length. Yet there was strong evidence to suggest that Cloze tests are less valid measures of advanced reading comprehension and that the higher Cloze scores predicted lower sentence-lengthening criteria.
Dietary Restriction and Aging Comparative Tests of Evolutionary Hypotheses

Dietary restriction (DR) increases life span in many types of animals. The response to chronic DR may be an adaptation to environments with variable food levels. This study uses the comparative method to test evolutionary predictions about the origin of the response to DR, using data from 10 species of rotifers. Most species, but not all, responded to DR by increasing mean life span, maximum life span, reproductive life span, mortality rate doubling time, and initial mortality rate. Interspecific comparisons did not show the predicted correlations between the strength of the response to DR and either reproductive life span, age of first reproduction, or total reproduction. There was support for the idea that the response to chronic DR is associated with changes in reproductive allocation during short-term periods of starvation: species that reduced reproduction when starved increased their life spans under DR, whereas species that continued to reproduce when starved decreased their life spans under DR.
A structured handoff program for interns.

AbstractPurposeTo develop, teach, and supervise a structured process for handing off patient care and to evaluate its effect on interns’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes toward handoffs.MethodThe authors developed a formal process for interns on the medicine ward services to hand off patient care at
Relativistic Coulomb sum rules for (e,e').

A Coulomb sum rule is derived for the response of nuclei to (e,e') scattering with large three-momentum transfers. Unlike the nonrelativistic formulation, the relativistic Coulomb sum is restricted to spacelike four-momenta for the most direct connection with experiments; an immediate consequence is that excitations involving antinucleons, e.g., NN\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{} pair production, are approximately eliminated from the sum rule. Relativistic recoil and Fermi motion of target nucleons are correctly incorporated. The sum rule decomposes into one- and two-body parts, with correlation information in the second. The one-body part requires information on the nucleon momentum distribution function, which is incorporated by a moment expansion method. The sum rule given through the second moment (RCSR-II) is tested in the Fermi gas model, and is shown to be sufficiently accurate for applications to data.
Compensation, pain complaints, and psychological disturbance

Abstract This study compared 47 patients with chronic low back pain who were involved in personal injury litigation with 33 patients not seeking compensation who were also complaining of low back pain. Pain was assessed using a visual analogue scale and the adjectival check-list of the McGill Pain Questionnaire. Psychological state was assessed using the Zung Depression Scale, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Eysenck Personality Inventory and the Hostility and Direction of Hostility Questionnaire. The group involved in litigation contained significantly more males, and the duration of pain was significantly less. The mean age of the ‘compensation’ group was less than that of the ‘no compensation’ group, but this did not reach statistical significance at the 5% level. There was no difference between the two groups on ratings of pain severity or pain description, and no difference on measures of psychological disturbance. Both groups had significant elevations of mean depression, neuroticism, state anxiety and trait anxiety scores when compared with the normal population. It was concluded that there is no support for the claim that personal injury litigants describe their pain as more severe than do non-litigants, and that both groups show similar levels of psychological disturbance.
Local serum sickness in man following the intracutaneous injection of small amounts of antiserums

Abstract Ten or twelve normal adults were injected intracutaneously in the forearm with 0.1 c.c. of undiluted immune serum derived from four species of animals and with two globulin antibody solutions. Local serum sickness characterized by wheals, erythema, and itching occurred as follows: 1.1. Horse antipneumococcus Type I serum produced a severe, protracted local serum sickness in eight of the twelve individuals tested. 2.2. Sheep antistreptococcus hemolyticus serum produced a severe reaction in nine of the subjects and a slight reaction in one. 3.3. Rabbit antipneumococcus Type I serum produced a slight local reaction in only one individual. 4.4. Bovine diphtheria antitoxin serum produced a strong reaction in two and a moderate or slight reaction in six. 5.5. Equine tetanus antitoxin globulin elicited only two moderate and three slight reactions. 6.6. Bovine tetanus antitoxin globulin produced the mildest possible reaction in three individuals. It is possible that the local serum sickness reaction may be helpful in studying the tendency of a therapeutic serum to produce serum sickness.
Theory of energy shifts associated with deviations from Born-Oppenheimer behavior in 1Σ-state diatomic molecules

Abstract The exact Hamiltonian operator for nuclei and electrons is considered for diatomic molecules. From it, using perturbation theory, an accurate linear, separable effective Schrodinger equation for nuclear motion in 1 Σ state molecules is derived. This equation constitutes a refinement of the Born-Oppenheimer approximation, capable of describing the energy level structure exact to terms of order m M (the ratio of the electronic to the nuclear reduced mass) times the Born-Oppenheimer values. From the radial equation, one can easily deduce the corrections to the more important molecular energy level parameters and to relationships between them, in terms of a relatively few functions which characterize the electronic states. Ultimately, these must be evaluated either empirically or numerically. Applications and numerical examples which bear on the present study are reviewed.
A study to determine the degree of partial blending of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) binder for high RAP hot mix asphalt

Abstract The objective of this paper is to provide a methodology for determining the degree of partial blending in high RAP mixtures. When RAP is mixed with virgin aggregates and virgin binder, partial blending of RAP binder occurs in the hot mix asphalt. Agencies limit the amount of RAP because the degree of blending between the RAP and the virgin materials is not known. The methodology provides a systematic approach for determining the degree of partial blending in the RAP mixture. The ability to accurately determine the degree of partial blending will help in determining the virgin binder content to be added in the mixture. The degree of partial blending measured from this procedure for 25% RAP by weight of aggregates with PG 70-28 and 35% RAP by weight of aggregates with PG 58-28 are 70% and 96% respectively.
SU‐E‐T‐778: Application of Robust Fluence Approach in IMRT under Clinical Daily Shifts

Purpose: To verify the applicability of robust fluence approach in IMRT under clinical daily shifts. Method and Materials:Clinical daily setup shifts throughout the prostate IMRT treatments have been acquired and analyzed with OBI and CBCTimages. Two patient shifts have been chosen to represent the “good” and “bad” scenarios — more and less of Gaussian‐like distributions of the shift statistics with average standard deviation of 3.5–4 mm. The robust fluencies have been obtained by deconvolution of the static fluence with the corresponding shifts approximated by a Gaussian distribution. To each scenario the doses taken into account the shifts of a typical AP field to a water phantom have been calculated with the static fluence and corresponding robust fluence. The static dose without shifts which is the desired dose was set as the benchmark for comparison. Results: The robust fluence approach can achieve good dose conformality to the static dose, especially for the Gaussian‐like distribution of the shifts. For the shifts having large deviation from the Gaussian distribution (although it is statistically rare) the dose by robust fluence suffers a shift which can be covered by a 2.5 mm margin which is much smaller than a margin‐only approach to keep the same dose conformality for this scenario.This conformality provides the possibility to remove or reduce the margin usually added to target to take into account the geometrical uncertainty. Conclusions: Robust fluence approach is promising to remove or reduce the CTV‐PTV margin and consequently reduce the mean dose to surrounding normal tissue.
A note on the two-variable pattern-finding problem

Abstract A pattern is a finite string of constant and variable symbols. A pattern p represents a language L(p) of all finite strings of constant symbols that can be generated from p by substituting a constant string for each variable in p . The k -variable pattern-finding problem, k ≥ 1, is to find, for a given set S of finite constant strings, a longest pattern p of k variables such that L(p) contains S . A polynomial-time algorithm for the one-variable pattern-finding problem has been found by Angluin using the data structure called pattern automata. A straightforward generalization of this algorithm to the two-variable case involves a sub-problem of finding common paths of pattern automata. It is proved that this subproblem in the generalized algorithm is NP-hard.
Laminar Lifted Flame Speed Measurements for Aerosols of Metals and Mechanical Alloys

This research develops and validates a novel experimental methodology for measurements of laminar flame speed of metal-air aerosols. The methodology is based on a recently developed laminar, lifted flame aerosol burner (LLFAB) using electrostatic fluidization to produce metal aerosol between the electrodes of a plate capacitor. An aerosol jet directed vertically up, and decelerating in a stagnant gas environment is produced. The jet is ignited, and the position of the propagating downward flame is stabilized at a location where the flame speed becomes equal to the jet velocity with the opposite sign. Therefore, the flame speed determines the vertical location of the lifted flame. Aerosol flame speed measurements using LLFAB are compared vs earlier measurements using Bunsen burner and flame tube in microgravity. The developed technique was used to compare the flame speed for pure aluminum and magnesium powders vs flame speed for a set of aluminum-based mechanical alloys using Mg, Ti, Zr, Li, MgH 2 , or C as alloying elements. It was observed that the flame speeds for all of the tested alloys, except the one with carbon, are higher than that of the pure aluminum aerosol.
Electricity Generation Choices for the Near Term

Electricity demand is expected to increase during the next few decades, especially if it is accepted that the primary goal of energy conservation is to reduce oil consumption. Although the renewable resources in principle have unlimited potential, it is not clear that they can make a major contribution to electricity expansion within the 20th century. Coal and nuclear power are the practical alternatives. The adverse effects of nuclear power probably remain less than those of coal, despite the impact of the Three Mile Island accident. It is important to explore and exploit all options, especially the endangered nuclear option.
Radiation-induced mixing between metals of low solid solubility

United States. Dept. of Energy. Office of Basic Energy Sciences (Award Number 2008LANL1026)
Dlk1 expression marks developing endothelium and sites of branching morphogenesis in the mouse embryo and placenta

The protein product of the Delta-like 1 (Dlk1) gene belongs to the Delta-Notch family of signaling molecules, proteins involved in cell fate determination in many tissues during development. The DLK1 protein is believed to function as a growth factor, maintaining the proliferative state of undifferentiated cells, and is usually down-regulated as immature cells differentiate. The expression pattern of the DLK1 protein has been described in certain human tissues; however, Dlk1 expression is not well understood in the mouse, the most tractable mammalian genetic model system. To better understand the role of Dlk1 in embryonic development, the tissue-specific expression pattern of Dlk1 mRNA during mouse embryogenesis was analyzed by in situ hybridization. In embryonic day 12.5 (e12.5) embryos, high levels of Dlk1 were found in the developing pituitary, pancreas, lung, adrenal, and many mesodermally derived tissues. Strikingly, Dlk1 expression also marks the growing branches of organs that develop through the process of branching morphogenesis. At e16.5, Dlk1 expression is down-regulated in most tissues but remains in the pituitary, the adrenal gland, and in skeletal muscle. In the placenta, expression of Dlk1 is detected in endothelial cells lining the fetal blood vessels of the labyrinth. This pattern is distinct from that seen in the human placenta and suggests a role for Dlk1 in regulating maternal-fetal interactions.
The history and future of cross-cultural psychiatric services.

With cultural issues prominent in the United States today and with on-going rapid changes in health care management and delivery, this paper discusses the shift from a generic-type psychiatry (i.e., assuming that humans the world over are no different, and will react to given stressors in life in the same manner) to one recognizing that cultural beliefs, mores, peer pressure, family expectations, and other ingredients operate in unique combinations in various cultures and ethnic groups. These social and cultural factors can and will impact treatment modalities and outcomes. Literature reviewed herein illustrates the progressive stages of awareness and incorporation of cultural differences and the many ways they impact treatment. Unfortunately, the rise in managed, rationed health care threatens the future of this progression. It is essential that culturally-based managed care programs be developed and funded to ensure the availability of cost-effective treatment, through an integrated system of services, to patients of all cultural and economic backgrounds.
Theory of enhancing thermal imaging through fire

ABSTRACT Fire can overwhelm the field of view of a thermal imaging sensor with intensive radiation, and when presented to observers can cause important cues in the scene to go unnoticed due to the limited dynamic range of displays and of the human visual system. Here we propose a computational method, called software-defined camera (SDC), to improve the image quality for an un-cooled thermal imager seeing through fire that obscures lower-temperature objects in the background. To that end, we developed a novel theory for the arbitrary manipulation of optical radiation sources, which is based on rigorous application of Boltzmanns molecular thermodynamics. On this framework it is possible to formulate the problem of identification and selective removal/suppression of the optical radiation sources, and thus to design a blind source separation algorithm. Application of the developed theory should make it possible to design a low-cost specialty SDC that is able to see through high temperature fire for locating a relatively low temperature objects such as a human body. Keywords : blind source separation, molecular thermodynamics, image enhancement.
Analysis of lipoxygenase kinetics by high-performance liquid chromatography with a polymer column.

Soybean lipoxygenase (LOX; EC 1.12.11.12) catalyzes the oxygenation of polyunsaturated fatty acids, acylglycerols and phosphoglycerols, producing a regio-and enantiospecific hydroperoxide product. The goal of this work was to measure the relative rate of LOX-catalyzed oxidation of mixtures of lipids containing linoleate, using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and a light-scattering detector (LSD). Previous literature sugested that reversed-phase HPLC with silicabased columns could be used for the separation of individual fatty acids, acylglycerols, phosphoglycerides and their oxidation products. However, these columns produced ineffective separations of phosphoglycerides unless choline chloride and a strong base, such as KOH, are present in the mobile phase. Such modifiers precluded the use of the LSD. It was found that a reversed-phase column based upon an organic polymer support, rather than on silica, was able to separate these mixtures with a ternary solvent gradient of methanol/water/acetonitrile without the need for the addition of modifiers. The oxidation time course of a mixture of linoleic acid, trilinolein and 1-linoleoyl-2-stearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine was followed using the developed HPLC method. The results showed that trilinolein and phosphatidylcholine reacted at one-tenth the rate of linoleic acid. The diacylglycerol, 1,3-dilinolein, was oxidized at a rate that was approximately 40% that of linoleic acid, with the formation of mono-and dihydroperoxides as well as other unidentified products.
Ignition delay of fatty acid methyl ester fuel droplets: Microgravity experiments and detailed numerical modeling

Abstract Recent optical engine studies have linked increases in NO x emissions from fatty acid methyl ester combustion to differences in the premixed autoignition zone of the diesel fuel jet. In this study, ignition of single, isolated liquid droplets in quiescent, high temperature air was considered as a means of gaining insight into the transient, partially premixed ignition conditions that exist in the autoignition zone of a fatty acid methyl ester fuel jet. Normal gravity and microgravity (10 −4 m/s 2 ) droplet ignition delay experiments were conducted by use of a variety of neat methyl esters and commercial soy methyl ester. Droplet ignition experiments were chosen because spherically symmetric droplet combustion represents the simplest two-phase, time-dependent chemically reacting flow system permitting a numerical solution with complex physical submodels. To create spherically symmetric conditions for direct comparison with a detailed numerical model, experiments were conducted in microgravity by use of a 1.1 s drop tower. In the experiments, droplets were grown and deployed onto 14 μm silicon carbide fibers and injected into a tube furnace containing atmospheric pressure air at temperatures up to 1300 K. The ignition event was characterized by measurement of UV emission from hydroxyl radical (OH*) chemiluminescence. The experimental results were compared against predictions from a time-dependent, spherically symmetric droplet combustion simulation with detailed gas phase chemical kinetics, spectrally resolved radiative heat transfer and multi-component transport. By use of a skeletal chemical kinetic mechanism (125 species, 713 reactions), the computed ignition delay period for methyl decanoate (C 11 H 22 O 2 ) showed excellent agreement with experimental results at furnace temperatures greater than 1200 K.
Cholera toxin stimulates 3',5'-adenosine monophosphate accumulation and parathyroid hormone release from dispersed bovine parathyroid cells.

The effects of cholera toxin on cAMP accumulation and parathyroid hormone (PTH) release were investigated in dispersed bovine parathyroid cells. Incubation with toxin resulted in a 5- to 10-fold rise in intracellular cAMP after a lag of 50–60 min, which correlated closely with 40–60% stimulation of PTH release. These responses exhibited a dose-dependent relationship to cholera toxin concentration over a range of 10-11-10-9 M with half-maximal stimulation of both cyclic nucleotide accumulation and hormone release occurring at 3–5 × 10-11 M toxin. Cholera toxin also affected the stimulation due to other agonists known to interact with this system. The maximal activation of cAMP accumulation by isoproterenol or dopamine was augmented relatively little after preincubation with toxin for 90 min, but the apparent KA (concentration for agonist causing 50% of maximal cAMP accumulation) for agonists was decreased 4- to 10-fold. The KA for secretin, which normally causes relatively small increases in cAMP accumulat...
Sexual functions in older adults.

he aging population (aged 65 years and older) in Tthe United States accounts for approximately 13% of the total population and, based on scientific projections, by 2030 will account for 18% of the total U.S. population. Fifteen years from now, more than 72 million individuals will be above the age of 65 years. The aging of the general population is not unique to the United States. The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs estimates that by 2050, those aged 60 years or over will make up about 21% of the total global population. Furthermore, aging is happening within the older population itself and, by 2050, 19% of the total global population will be above the age of 80 years. As the population ages, it is also projected that there will be change in the ratio of men to women. In 2013, the ratio of men to women in the U.S. population 60 years or older was 76:100. By 2050 this ratio is projected to be 87:100. This slow rebalancing between the sexes is due to increased life expectancy and improved healthcare. Regarding marital status, recent research revealed that among those aged 60 years and over, 80% of men were married and approximately 50% of women were married. These statistics, as well as others not cited, clearly indicate the need for significantly increased efforts to explore and examine more thoroughly the uniqueness of this group in regards to changes or stability in their physiology, social interactions, physical and cognitive function, mental and emotional well-being, and self-perceptions of health. One of the least understood and explored aspects of aging is that of sexuality. There are likely many reasons for this. Two prominent ones are the perception that older adults no longer value sexual
Exponential Wake Structure of Heated Turbulent Boundary Layers at Elevated Levels of Free-Stream Turbulence

The wake region of a turbulent boundary layer is demonstrated to exhibit simple exponential behavior at elevated levels of free-stream turbulence (FST). As a predictive tool, the computer code STANCOOL has been modified to include FST effects in heated turbulent boundary layers. Preliminary comparisons with experimental data indicate improvements in computational capabiity, although futher development of the code is required. From these comparisons, three new results are offered: (1) At elevated levels of FST, several statistical profiles in the boundary layer wake region decay exponentially into the free stream; (2) {ovr v{prime}T{prime}} decays at half the rate of the mean velocity and temperature; (3) analytical expressions are provided for {ovr u{prime}v{prime}} and {ovr v{prime}T{prime}} in this case.
Determination of trace organic impurities in water using thermal desorption from XAD resin.

A small water sample (20 to 250 ml) is passed through a small tube containing XAD-4 resin; this effectively retains the organic impurities present in the water. This tube is connected to the permanent apparatus and the sorbed organics are thermally transferred to a small Tenex pre-column while the water vapor is vented. The pre-column is closed off, preheated to 275 to 280/sup 0/C, and then a valve is opened to plug-inject the vaporized sample into a gas chromatograph. The procedure works well for a variety of model organic compounds added to water and can be used for the analysis of actual water samples.
Vulvar and Vaginal Cancer

Vulvar cancer is becoming more common as the population ages and is primarily a disease of the elderly. Most vulvar cancers are diagnosed at a localized stage and can be cured with surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy. More conservative therapy has been the mainstay in vulvar cancer treatment, which has lessened short-term and long-term morbidity without sacrificing efficacy. Recent national and international studies continue to prove the value of sentinel lymph node technology, which is moving toward a new standard of care for women with early stage vulvar cancer. Vaginal cancer is a rare cancer that also affects elderly women. Prognosis is poor; however, adequate treatment can be delivered with a combination of external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy, and with surgical resection for a select group of patients.
Unanswered Questions about the Empirical Support for EMDR in the Treatment of PTSD: A review of research

A literature review was conducted to examine whether EMDR should be considered an empirically-supported treatment for PTSD. Relying largely but not exclusively on electronic data bases such as Medl...
Husband and Wife Agreement on Indicators of Objective and Subjective Economic Well‐Being

The present study investigates the extent to which husbands and wives agree on their responses to survey items designed to measure Objective-Actual, Subjec tive-Actual, and Subjective-Relative indicators of economic well-being. An Urban/Growth sample and Rural/Recession sample were included. Results indi cate that correlations varied considerably across indicators and across samples. However, few significant differences were found.
Toward a Functional Tolerance Criterion for the Hippocampus Developed From Organotypic Slice Cultures

Approximately 1.5 million traumatic brain injuries (TBI) occur each year which result in 50,000 deaths, and about 80,000 people are left with a permanent disability. The annual cost associated with these injures is estimated to be $60 billion. Because there is no pharmacological treatment for TBI, engineering strategies to prevent these injuries enabled through an improved understanding of injury biomechanics is crucial. To this end, finite element models play a central role for predicting brain deformation induced by various loading scenarios such as falls or motor vehicle accidents. Novel protection strategies can then be tested in silico before the start of physical testing. However, in their current form, finite element models predict only mechanical responses and cannot predict the biological response of the brain tissue to the imposed deformation.© 2010 ASME
The emergent role of microRNAs in molecular diagnostics of cancer.

A technical breakthrough that expands the scope of clinical samples amenable for global microRNA analysis is highlighted in this Commentary.
A device for measuring solids flowrate in a circulating fluidized bed

Abstract The on-line measurement of solids flowrate is important to numerous industrial processes. This paper considers a variation of impact-type solids flow meters suitable for use in numerous applications, including circulating fluidized beds (CFBs). The solids flowrate meter introduced herein is on-line, capable of operation in high temperature environments, and useful for a broad range of flowrates with good linearity, accuracy and fast response time. The flow meter works by measuring the torque that results on a hinged plate when falling solids impact the plate. A theoretical model of the device is developed and its results are compared to experimental data for the operation with various solids.
Nonparametric analysis for the ROC areas of two diagnostic tests in the presence of nonignorable verification bias

Abstract A paired design is often used to evaluate the accuracies of competing diagnostic tests. One common problem in a paired design is verification bias which occurs when some patients do not receive disease verification and when the reason for verification depends on the test results and other factors. Most of the existing methods for verification bias correction assume the verification process is ignorable, which means that the probability of verifying a patient depends only on the observed covariates, but not on the unobserved disease status of the patient. In this paper, we develop a bias correction procedure without assuming ignorability of the verification mechanism. As far as we know, this proposed method is the first attempt to combine nonignorable verification with estimation of the ROC areas. At issue is the possible existence of multiple local maxima and boundary solutions for the maximum likelihood (ML) equations, which can complicate the computation of the ML estimates. To deal with this computational difficulty, we propose a profile method combined with the EM algorithm to find the global ML estimators for the parameters of interest under a proposed nonignorable verification model. Furthermore, we also find a simple solution to the boundary point problem. After obtaining the ML estimates, we propose likelihood-based inferences on the relative accuracy of two diagnostic tests. Another issue in the analysis is the goodness-of-fit of the proposed nonignorable model for the verification mechanism. We propose to use a bootstrap-based goodness-of-fit test for the proposed nonignorable model. Finally, we apply our method to data from a real study that has motivated this research. In this example, the aim of our analysis is to compare the relative accuracy of MRI and CT imaging in detecting advanced stage pancreatic cancer.
The 'sports hernia': a common cause of groin pain.

Athletes who participate in sports brief that require repetitive twisting and turning at speed, such as soccer or ice hockey, may be at risk of developing a 'sports hernia'—disruption of the inguinal canal without a clinically detectable hernia. Insidious onset of unilateral groin pain is the most common symptom. Concurrent pathologies, such as osteitis pubis and adductor tenoperiostitis, may complicate diagnosis. Plain radiographs and a bone scan can aid differential diagnosis, but herniography is not recommended. Surgery is the preferred treatment. Structured rehabilitation should enable athletes to return to sports activity 6 to 8 weeks after surgery.
Structural analysis of dextrans containing 2-O-α-d-glucosylated α-d-glucopyranosyl residues at the branch points, by use of 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry☆

Abstract Dextran fractions from NRRL strains Leuconostoc mesenteroides B-1299 and B-1399, and the native, structurally homogeneous dextrans from L. mesenteroides. B-640, B-1396, B-1422, and B-1424, were examined by 13C-n.m.r. spectroscopy at 34 and at 90°, and by g.l.c.-m.s. The 13C-n.m.r. data indicate that the dextrans of this series branch exclusively through α- d -(1→2)-linkages, and differ from one another only in degree of linearity. Diagnostic, 13C-n.m.r resonances, correlating with 2,6-di-O-substituted α- d -glucosyl residues at branch points, have chemical shifts that are independent of the degree of linearity of the dextran. The intensities of these diagnostic resonances from branching residues, compared to the resonances associated with linear dextran (low degree of branching), are generally proportional to the degree of branching established by methylation-fragmentation analysis. The validity of assignment of the diagnostic, 13C-n. m.r. resonances is substantiated by a critical review of methods previously used to provide structural information on dextrans having α- d -(1→2)-linkages, and by evaluation of the corresponding results on the basis of the ultimate standard-methylation structural analysis.
Numerical Simulation and Thermometric Measurements on Mold Filling Dynamics

In this paper we present the results of the CFD simulations of the mold filling dynamics in gravity and counter-gravity lost foam castings. FLOW-3D software package (Flow-Simulations, Inc.) has been used to predict flow velocity distributions and pressure losses when liquid metal flows in the step pattern. The results of simulations are compared to those obtained experimentally.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
The B* tree search algorithm: a best-first proof procedure

In this paper we present a new algorithm for searching trees. The algorithm, which we have named B*, finds a proof that an arc at the root of a search tree is better than any other. It does this by attempting to find both the best arc at the root and the simplest proof, in best-first fashion. This strategy determines the order of node expansion. Any node that is expanded is assigned two values: an upper (or optimistic) bound and a lower (or pessimistic) bound. During the course of a search, these bounds at a node tend to converge, producing natural termination of the search. As long as all nodal bounds in a sub-tree are valid, B* will select the best arc at the root of that sub-tree. We present experimental and analytic evidence that B* is much more effective than present methods of searching adversary trees. The B* method assigns a greater responsibility for guiding the search to the evaluation functions that compute the bounds than has been done before. In this way knowledge, rather than a set of arbitrary predefined limits can be used to terminate the search itself. It is interesting to note that the evaluation functions may measure any properties of the domain, thus resulting in selecting the arc that leads to the greatest quantity of whatever is being measured. We conjecture that this method is that used by chess masters in analyzing chess trees.
Effect of a differentiator in partial response maximum likelihood (PRML) detection schemes for optical recording

In this paper, we have investigated the effect of differentiators on the performance of partial response maximum likelihood detection for optical recording under various noise conditions. Computer simulations and experiments with real signals have been conducted to compare the performance of Direct PRML and Differential PRML. It is seen that Direct PRML outperforms Differential PRML in electronic noise dominated system, while Differential PRML has better performance in media noise dominated system.
Wegener's granulomatosis in pregnancy

This report describes a case of severe limited Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) presenting in the third trimester of pregnancy with pansinusitis and necrotizing pneumonitis. The patient was treated successfully with a combination of corticosteroids and cyclophosphamide (CYC). The outcomes in the mother and the newborn were excellent. In a review of the English-language literature, we found 10 similar cases of WG with 13 pregnancies. WG occurring during pregnancy may have a more aggressive course and may require more aggressive treatment compared with WG occurring at other times. The treatment options for WG in pregnancy are discussed.
Relaxing Glass-Steagall provisions: wealth and risk effects on foreign banks and their domestic corporate customers

Abstract We provide evidence that expanding the permissible scale of Bank Holding Company (BHC) securities activities in the US redistributes wealth from foreign banks and their domestic customers to domestic BHCs. However, removing prudential interaffiliate firewalls to permit BHCs to freely pursue synergies from the joint performance of banking and securities activities results in wealth losses for all interest groups. Securities activity deregulation increases the systematic risk for the foreign bank sector. Our evidence highlights that the application of the US regulatory policy of national treatment, which seeks to provide equality of competitive opportunity to foreign banking institutions operating in domestic markets, results in competitive inequities.
Complexity results and approximation strategies for MAP explanations

MAP is the problem of finding a most probable instantiation of a set of variables given evidence. MAP has always been perceived to be significantly harder than the related problems of computing the probability of a variable instantiation (Pr), or the problem of computing the most probable explanation (MPE). This paper investigates the complexity of MAP in Bayesian networks. Specifically, we show that MAP is complete for NPPP and provide further negative complexity results for algorithms based on variable elimination. We also show that MAP remains hard even when MPE and Pr become easy. For example, we show that MAP is NP-complete when the networks are restricted to polytrees, and even then can not be effectively approximated. Given the difficulty of computing MAP exactly, and the difficulty of approximating MAP while providing useful guarantees on the resulting approximation, we investigate best effort approximations. We introduce a generic MAP approximation framework. We provide two instantiations of the framework; one for networks which are amenable to exact inference (Pr), and one for networks for which even exact inference is too hard. This allows MAP approximation on networks that are too complex to even exactly solve the easier problems, Pr and MPE. Experimental results indicate that using these approximation algorithms provides much better solutions than standard techniques, and provide accurate MAP estimates in many cases.
The irrelevance of evidence in the development of school-based drug prevention policy, 1986-1996.

This article examines developments in school-based drug prevention policy and programming since the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986. Using data from national surveys and evaluations of school-based pro...
Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug use among women and the risk of birth defects.

Examined whether use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in early pregnancy was associated with a range of structural birth defects.
Equation of State

The use of plane shock waves to determine the equations of state of condensed materials to very high pressure began in 1955 with the classic papers of Walsh and Christian (1955) and Bancroft et al. (1956). Walsh and Christian described the use of in-contact explosives to determine dynamic pressure– volume relations for metals and compare these to the then available static compression data. Bancroft et al. described the first polymorphic phase change discovered in a solid, via shock waves—iron. Two years later Soviet workers (Al’tshuler et al., 1958) reported the first data for iron to pressures of several million bars (megabars) actually exceeding the pressure conditions within the center of the Earth. Since that time the equations of state of virtually hundreds of condensed materials have been studied, including elements, compounds, alloys, rocks and minerals, polymers, fluids, and porous media. These studies have employed both conventional and nuclear explosive sources, as well as impactors launched with a range of guns to speeds of approximately 10 km/s. Recently, Avrorin et al. (1986) have reported shock-compression data in lead to a record pressure of 550 Mbar.
Epidemiology of soy exposures and breast cancer risk

Most of the early studies published on soy and breast cancer were not designed to test the effect of soy; the assessment of soy intake was usually crude and few potential confounders were considered in the analysis. In this review, we focused on studies with relatively complete assessment of dietary soy exposure in the targeted populations and appropriate consideration for potential confounders in the statistical analysis of study data. Meta-analysis of the 8 (1 cohort, 7 case–control) studies conducted in high-soy-consuming Asians show a significant trend of decreasing risk with increasing soy food intake. Compared to the lowest level of soy food intake (⩽5 mg isoflavones per day), risk was intermediate (OR=0.88, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.78–0.98) among those with modest (∼10 mg isoflavones per day) intake and lowest (OR=0.71, 95% CI=0.60–0.85) among those with high intake (⩾20 mg isoflavones per day). In contrast, soy intake was unrelated to breast cancer risk in studies conducted in the 11 low-soy-consuming Western populations whose average highest and lowest soy isoflavone intake levels were around 0.8 and 0.15 mg per day, respectively. Thus, the evidence to date, based largely on case–control studies, suggest that soy food intake in the amount consumed in Asian populations may have protective effects against breast cancer.
RCS reduction of canonical targets using genetic algorithm synthesized RAM

Radar cross section (RCS) reduction of canonical (planar, cylindrical, and spherical) conducting targets is the focus of this paper. In particular, a novel procedure is presented for synthesizing radar absorbing materials (RAM) for RCS reduction in a wide-band frequency range. The modal solutions of Maxwell's equations for the multilayered planar, cylindrical, and spherical canonical structures is integrated into a genetic algorithm (GA) optimization technique to obtain the best optimal composite coating. It Is shown that by using an optimal RAM, the RCS of these canonical structures can be significantly reduced. Characteristics of bistatic RCS of coated cylindrical and spherical structures are also studied and compared with the conducting structures without coating. It is shown that no optimal coating can be found to reduce the RCS in the deep shadow region. An in-depth study has been performed to evaluate the potential usage of the optimal planar coating as applied to the curved surfaces. It is observed that the optimal planar coating can noticeably reduce the RCS of the spherical structure. This observation was essential in introducing a novel efficient GA with hybrid planar/curved surface implementation using as part of its initial generation the best population obtained for the planar RAM design. These results suggest that the optimal RAM for a surface with arbitrary curvature may be efficiently determined by applying the GA with hybrid planar/curved surface population initialization.
Biomedical Device-Associated Infections in Surgical-Critical Care Patients

Abstract ISSUE: Each year, over 8000 medical devices enter the U.S. market. A small number of these devices fall within the high-risk (class III) category, requiring careful FDA review. The explosive growth of the biomedical device industry has lead to several problematic issues for infection control practitioners, including implementation of appropriate surveillance strategies and development of effective interventional practices reducing the risk of infection. PROJECT: This project was developed as an educational exhibit, discussing the microbial etiology, pathogenesis, and risk factors associated with infection in biomedical devices. The exhibit would serve as a focus for discussion of device-related infections in both surgical and critical-care patients. In addition to identifying the scientific basis for infection, the exhibit was developed as a vehicle for reviewing specific evidence-based strategies for reducing device-associated infectious complications. RESULTS: The exhibit was presented at hospital-staff venues involving nursing and medical/surgical clinical practitioners. An effort was made to incorporate specific patient-care episodes within selected case discussions. Following review of this exhibit, the healthcare professionals were able to: 1) identify major microbial pathogens associated with biomedical device-associated infections in high-risk patients, 2) discuss the microbial pathogenesis and risk factors associated with device-associated infections and 3) identify strategies for prevention and management of biomedical device-associated infections. LESSONS LEARNED: The rapid increase in the development and implementation of new invasive biomedical technologies requires that infection control practitioners become familiar with these innovative devices, the risk factors predisposing infection, and appropriate interventional strategies to reduce the risk of infection in surgical/critical care patient populations.
Technology and jobs

The author questions whether a technological society can prosper or even survive if the creation and production of the technology are restricted to an elite while the masses can only access the technology through purchase and consumption. The author also questions whether the majority of a technological society's members feel they have a stake in that society if their sole contribution to the society is to be a consumer, and whether consumption provides enough meaning and value to their lives. The author examines these points, and elaborates on the views of six authors. >
In Response to Comment on ‘Network-constrained regularization and variable selection for analysis of genomic data’

The comments by Drs. Binder and Schumacher mainly focused on the prediction performances of various regularized regression procedures that we used for real data analysis. First, after checking our codes again, we found one error in calculating the test meansquared errors (T-MSEs). We used the standardized expression values in building the predictive models but forgot to standardize the test set data when calculating the T-MSEs, which resulted in seemingly high T-MSEs. The corrected T-MSEs are given in Table 1. We regret this mistake and apologize for this error (see attached Erratum). The numbers are however comparable to the results of null model and the clinical models (0.83 and 0.82, respectively) if the variances of the T-MSEs are taken into account. Based on 1000 bootstrap samples of the testing data sets, the standard deviations of the T-MSEs for all these procedures ranged from 0.17 to 0.19. This did not even account for the variability in variable selection. We agree with Drs. Binder and Schumacher that the null model or/and clinical model should be used as a benchmark when evaluating prediction. Second, in our analysis of the real data set, we used the 5-fold cross-validation to choose the tuning parameters, which might not be ideal for the purpose of variable selection. The variables selected and the prediction performance also depend on particular partitions of the samples during the cross-validation, especially when the sample size is small relative to the number of the predictors. We absolutely agree with Drs. Binder and Schumacher that survival analysis models/methods such as the Cox regression analysis should be used for dealing with censored survival outcomes. For the accelerated failure time model (AFT) (Wei, 1992) that we used in our paper, log(Ti) = 0 + Xi +;
A framework for the economic analysis of child and adolescent mental disorders

Measuring the burden of disease associated with child and adolescent mental disorders is a challenge. The lack of data on cost and intervention effectiveness has impeded the ability to gain support for expenditures for treatment, training and programme development. A better understanding of economic analysis by researchers, clinicians, and advocates can promote initiatives to gain needed economic data to inform policy and programme development. Based on a critical review of the literature and the development of an economic hypothesis, this paper proposes a specific approach to the economic analysis of the burden of child and adolescent mental disorders utilizing accessible outcome data.