cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Advanced practice clinicians as a usual source of care for adults in the United States

Abstract Background Advanced practice clinicians (APCs) including nurse practitioners and physician assistants are increasingly used to deliver care, yet little is known about these providers as a usual source of primary care. Purpose This study examined the extent to which APCs serve as a usual source of care and the impact of such use on health care expenditures and quality. Methods We performed a cross-sectional study by identifying 90,279 adults from the 2002 to 2013 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey who self-reported their usual source of care as either an APC or a primary care physician (PCP). Using complex survey design methods to make national estimates, we compared annual health care expenditures and quality measures among adults whose usual source of care is an APC to that of adults whose usual source of care is a PCP. Discussion Nationally, 32 million adults visit an APC each year, yet only 1.4 million adults report their usual source of care to be an APC. In adjusted analyses, mean annual health care expenditures were $7,323 among APC patients vs. $7,959 among PCP patients, a difference of −$635 (95% confidence interval [−$1,408 to $138]). Across specific health services, APC patients trended toward having lower expenditures except for marginally higher expenditures on emergency room visits ($256 vs. $227 p Conclusions Few U.S. adults report their usual source of care to be an APC. Health care spending and quality measures are similar between APC patients and PCP patients. Expanding use of APCs as a usual source of care will likely not lead to increased health care spending.
The Role of Topographically Induced Vortices in Tropical Cyclone Formation over the Indian Ocean

AbstractThe role of Sumatra and adjacent topographic features in tropical cyclone (TC) formation over the Indian Ocean (IO) is investigated. Sumatra, as well as the Malay Peninsula and Java, have mountainous terrain that partially blocks low-level flow under typical environmental stratification. For easterly low-level flow, these terrain features often produce lee vortices, some of which subsequently shed and move westward from the northern and southern tips of Sumatra and thence downstream over the IO. Since Sumatra straddles the equator, extending in a northwest–southeast direction from approximately 6°N to 6°S, the lee vortices, while counter-rotating, are both cyclonic. Hence, they can serve as initial disturbances that eventually contribute to TC formation over the IO. In addition, low-level, equatorial westerly flow impinging on Sumatra is also typically blocked and diverges, at times contributing to cyclonic circulations over the IO, primarily near the southern end of the island.Data from two recen...
Degradation of Mis Devices Under Electron Bombardment

The behavior and physics of failure of MIS devices under irradiation with energetic electrons was investigated. It was found that the bombardment usually results in the introduction of positive charge in the insulator. This effect is explained by a physical model which involves interaction of secondary electrons with the insulator lattice to generate electron-hole pairs and predominant trapping of holes in the insulator. The dependence of the radiation sensitivity on pre-bombardment surface state density, device parameters, and fabrication procedure, as well as the annealing behavior was studied.
Personal and Intergenerational Narratives of Transgression and Pride in Emerging Adulthood: Links to Gender and Well-Being

Summary Intergenerational narratives, stories parents share with children about their own youthful experiences, may facilitate the understanding of challenging life experiences and be related to psychological well-being; yet, little research has examined what young people know of their parents' self-challenging and self-enhancing experiences and how they interpret them. Research examining intergenerational narratives has observed relations between adolescents' narratives and their psychological well-being, but these relations may depend upon gender and narrative type. In the current study, 94 college students provided intergenerational and personal narratives of transgression and pride experiences. Narratives were coded for emotional, cognitive, and evaluative content. Results show that transgression and pride narratives differed in content, and that women provided more interpretative content than men. Stories about mothers contained more interpretative content than fathers, but this pattern varied by participant gender. Finally, relations to well-being were observed, especially for cognitive content in stories of participants' same-gender parent. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Deriving Age Diverse Personas from a Participatory Design Study on Home Electricity Feedback

Eco-feedback technology is generally concerned with the communication of information to affect individual or group behavior with respect to environmental impact. Electricity consumption feedback, in particular, has been studied from various viewpoints to understand its effects on consumption behavior and to explore the design space. Recent efforts have resulted in a wide array of device designs ranging from individual appliance feedback at the outlet to centralized devices for home consumption awareness. However, adoption rates for these technologies remain relatively poor, perhaps due to a lack of emphasis on specific user needs. In this paper, we contribute a participatory design study to examine differences and similarities among three targeted household demographics: older adults, families with children, and students in shared housing. In addition, we present our process for extracting personas from participatory design study data, alongside the set of resulting persona skeletons and one finished persona.
Computerized Tomography Based Diagnosis of Visceral Obesity and Hepatic Steatosis is Associated with Low Urine pH.

Purpose: Uric acid nephrolithiasis is associated with an elevated visceral fat area in kidney stone formers. Hepatic steatosis has also been linked to visceral obesity and nephrolithiasis. We evaluated the association of noncontrast computerized tomography based diagnosis of visceral obesity and hepatic steatosis with 24-hour urine parameters and stone composition in kidney stone formers.Materials and Methods: A total of 98 kidney stone formers were included in study who had computerized tomography imaging and 24-hour urine studies available. For each patient a single computerized tomography axial area measurement was obtained of the visceral fat area. Hepatic steatosis was diagnosed by comparing the HU of regions from the liver and spleen. Univariate analysis was performed to compare patients with or without an elevated visceral fat area and hepatic steatosis. Multivariate linear and logistic regression was done to assess for variables associated with 24-hour urine parameters and stone composition.Result...
MindScribe: Reflective Inquiry through Scaffolded Storytelling for Low-Income and Multilingual Early Childhood Communities

When young children create, they are exploring their emerging skills by engaging with the world. When young children reflect, they are deepening their learning experiences by extracting insights. And when young children share, they are strengthening their community by creating opportunities for collaboration. To support such constructionist learning, we present MindScribe, an affordable interactive robotic object that engages preliterate children in reflective inquiry. As children create artifacts, MindScribe invites them to "tell a story" about their creation---in any language. And through scaffolded questioning, MindScribe elicits children»s insights into their creative discoveries. Together, they spark child-led communication and innovation in early learning communities.
Maternal Sirolimus Therapy for Fetal Cardiac Rhabdomyomas

Maternal Sirolimus for Fetal Cardiac Rhabdomyomas Cardiac rhabdomyomas were diagnosed in a fetus at 21 weeks of gestation by means of echocardiography; probable tuberous sclerosis complex was diagnosed by association. The mother received sirolimus, with considerable regression of the cardiac tumors in utero.
LH-Induced Desensitization of the Adenylyl Cyclase System in Ovarian Follicles

The preovulatory surge of LH promotes stimulation, closely followed by desensitization of the ovarian follicular adenylyl cyclase (AC) system (1–6). Desensitization of the AC system in estrous rabbit follicles is characterized by an LH-specific, dose-dependent decline in LH-stimulated AC activity and results, by definition, in a retarded rate of cAMP synthesis (2). Although a coincident decline in LH- and FSH-stimulated AC activities occurs, there is no concurrent decline in prostaglandin (PG)E1- or NaF- stimulated AC activities (2). LH refractoriness is demonstrable within min following mating of the iv injection of an ovulatory dose of hCG and is complete prior to ovulation. The follicular AC system does not acquire LH responsiveness again until 48–72 h after the induction of ovulation, when the new CL has formed. Desensitization of the AC system, then, is clearly one of the earliest events prompted by the surge of LH in follicles. However, little is known concerning the mechanism underlying the desensitizing process.
Communication behavior of professional disseminators of scientific agricultural knowlege: a study of the Iowa Cooperative Extension Service

ing information It is reasonable not to expect that organized/synthesized information would be stored in its original volume. There is a need to trim it to a reasonable size by highlighting its salient points and presenting these in organized form. Thus, the user of the information will be able to find in a short write-up all the information needed for a particular problem solution. Beal and Meehan
Considering Indigenous Research Methodologies: Critical Reflections by an Indigenous Knower:

Within the domain of academic inquiry by Indigenous scholars, it is increasingly common to encounter enthusiasm surrounding Indigenous Research Methodologies (IRMs). IRMs are designated approaches ...
Structure and function of the lanthanide-dependent methanol dehydrogenase XoxF from the methanotroph Methylomicrobium buryatense 5GB1C.

In methylotrophic bacteria, which use one-carbon (C1) compounds as a carbon source, methanol is oxidized by pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ)-dependent methanol dehydrogenase (MDH) enzymes. Methylotrophic genomes generally encode two distinct MDHs, MxaF and XoxF. MxaF is a well-studied, calcium-dependent heterotetrameric enzyme whereas XoxF is a lanthanide-dependent homodimer. Recent studies suggest that XoxFs are likely the functional MDHs in many environments. In methanotrophs, methylotrophs that utilize methane, interactions between particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO) and MxaF have been detected. To investigate the possibility of interactions between pMMO and XoxF, XoxF was isolated from the methanotroph Methylomicrobium buryatense 5GB1C (5G-XoxF). Purified 5G-XoxF exhibits a specific activity of 0.16 μmol DCPIP reduced min−1 mg−1. The 1.85 A resolution crystal structure reveals a La(III) ion in the active site, in contrast to the calcium ion in MxaF. The overall fold is similar to other MDH structures, but 5G-XoxF is a monomer in solution. An interaction between 5G-XoxF and its cognate pMMO was detected by biolayer interferometry, with a KD value of 50 ± 17 μM. These results suggest an alternative model of MDH-pMMO association, in which a XoxF monomer may bind to pMMO, and underscore the potential importance of lanthanide-dependent MDHs in biological methane oxidation.
The evolutionary stability of partial migration under different forms of competition

Partial migration is a unique form of phenotypic diversity wherein migrant and non-migrant individuals coexist together in a population. Recent research has shown that the partial migration can be an evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS) and convergent stable strategy (CSS) if migrants and non-migrants experience density-dependent competition among individuals of the same type during reproduction. However, not all partially migratory species experience this particular form of competition during reproduction. In this paper, we investigate how various degrees of competition between migrants and non-migrants influence whether or not partial migration is an ESS and CSS. We find that the degree of competition influences the evolutionary outcome of partial migration and provides sharp thresholds relating these degrees of competition to the carrying capacities of both phenotypes.
Triplanar Quantitative Radiographic Analysis of the First Metatarsal-Phalangeal Joint in the Hallux Abductovalgus Deformity

Although hallux abductovalgus (HAV) is widely considered to be a triplanar deformity involving the transverse, sagittal, and frontal planes, most of the published literature has focused on evaluating the deformity in only the transverse plane, and we are unaware of any investigation objectively evaluating the relationship among the 3 planes in the setting of HAV deformity. The objective of this investigation was to quantitatively evaluate radiographic measurement of the relationship between the transverse, sagittal, and frontal planes in the HAV deformity. Anteroposterior, lateral, and sesamoid axial radiographs from 42 consecutive feet were evaluated with measurement of the first intermetatarsal angle, hallux abductus angle, metatarsal sesamoid position, first metatarsal inclination angle, sesamoid rotation angle, and tibial sesamoid grade. Variables were graphically depicted against each other on frequency scatter plots with calculation of a regression line and Pearson's correlation coefficient. As transverse plane deformity increased, the frontal plane deformity also tended to increase and the first metatarsal inclination angle tended to decrease. And as frontal plane deformity increased, the first metatarsal inclination angle tended to decrease. To our knowledge, these are the first quantitative and objective data in support of a triplanar component to the HAV deformity, and we believe this reinforces the evaluation of this deformity with emphasis on all 3 planes.
Oral Health Symptoms and Cognitive Function Among US Community‐Dwelling Chinese Older Adults

Background/objectives Limited research is available on the relationship between oral health symptoms and cognitive function among community-dwelling US Chinese older adults. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between tooth/gum symptoms and changes in cognitive function. Design Two-wave epidemiological study. Setting Population Study of Chinese Elderly in Chicago (PINE). Participants US Chinese older adults (N = 2713; mean age = 72.6 y; 58.4% women). Measurements We selected self-reported oral (tooth and gum) symptoms as independent variables. To examine changes in cognitive function (wave 2: Baseline), we chose the following three domains: episodic memory (East Boston Memory Test); executive function (Symbol Digit Modalities Test); and working memory (Digit Span Backwards). In addition, we assessed global cognitive function by constructing a composite measure. Results At baseline, 1297 participants (47.8%) reported having teeth symptoms, and 513 participants (18.9%) reported having gum symptoms. Adjusting for sociodemographic and health-related characteristics, participants who reported having teeth symptoms at baseline experienced their global cognition decrease by 0.07 units (estimate = -0.07; p = .003) and their episodic memory decrease by 0.07 units (estimate = -0.07; p = .026). Participants who reported having teeth symptoms at baseline experienced a faster rate of decline in global cognition for every additional year (estimate = 0.02; p = .047). However, this effect disappeared once we adjusted for all covariates (estimate = 0.02; p = .069). We found no significant relationship between baseline gum symptoms and change of cognitive function. Conclusion Having teeth symptoms was associated with a decline in cognitive function among US Chinese older adults. Developing policy measures aimed at ameliorating health and improving cognition in this high-risk fast-growing population in the United States would need to include oral health preventive and dental care services. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:S532-S537, 2019.
Low-concentration trypsin detection from a metal-enhanced fluorescence (MEF) platform: Towards the development of ultra-sensitive and rapid detection of proteolytic enzymes.

Abstract Proteolytic enzymes, which serve to degrade proteins to their amino acid building blocks, provide a distinct challenge for both diagnostics and biological research fields. Due to their ubiquitous presence in a wide variety of organisms and their involvement in disease, proteases have been identified as biomarkers for various conditions. Additionally, low-levels of proteases may interfere with biological investigation, as contamination with these enzymes can physically alter the protein of interest to researchers, resulting in protein concentration loss or subtler polypeptide clipping that leads to a loss of functionality. Low levels of proteolytic degradation also reduce the shelf-life of commercially important proteins. Many detection platforms have been developed to achieve low-concentration or low-activity detection of proteases, yet many suffer from limitations in analysis time, label stability, and ultimately sensitivity. Herein we demonstrate the potential utility of fluorescein derivatives as fluorescent labels in a new, turn-off enzymatic assay based on the principles of metal-enhanced fluorescence (MEF). For fluorescein sodium salt alone on nano-slivered 96-well plates, or Quanta Plates™, we report up to 11,000x enhancement for fluorophores within the effective coupling or enhancement volume region, defined as ~100 nm from the silver surface. We also report a 9% coefficient of variation, and detection on the picomolar concentration scale. Further, we demonstrate the use of fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled YebF protein as a coating layer for a MEF-based, Quanta Plate™ enzymatic activity assay using trypsin as the model enzyme. From this MEF assay we achieve a detection limit of ~1.89 ng of enzyme (2.8 mBAEE activity units) which corresponds to a minimum fluorescence signal decrease of 10%. The relative success of this MEF assay sets the foundation for further development and the tuning of MEF platforms for proteolytic enzyme sensing not just for trypsin, but other proteases as well. In addition, we discuss the future development of ultra-fast detection of proteases via microwave-accelerated MEF (MAMEF) detection technologies.
Recrystallization mechanisms of Zircaloy-4 alloy annealed by electric current

Abstract In this paper we present recrystallization mechanisms in Zircaloy-4 alloy subjected to electric current annealing while maintaining the surface temperature below 135 °C. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) was used to characterize and study the evolution of the microstructure and microtexture. We observed a continuous dynamic recrystallization (cDRX), and full recrystallization was achieved at a current density of 5x106 A/mm2. This was attributed to the synergistic effects of athermal (electron-wind force) and thermal (Joule heating) analogous to the effects of deformation strain and temperature during warm/hot working process. While the boundary density and fraction of low-angle grain boundaries decreased with current density, a gradual increase in the fraction of high-angle boundaries was noted. The dominant recrystallization mechanism was volumetric rotation-coalescence-induced grain growth. The //z microtexture of electric current annealed Zr-4 alloy remained virtually the same before and after recrystallization and was attributed to the grain rotational mechanism. These results show the potential of using this process for tailoring the microstructure and grain boundary engineering while retaining the desired texture.
Mitigation of Soft Error Rate using Design, Process and Material Improvements

To meet specific product and field application needs, customers frequently ask the product's design teams and semiconductor foundries for more stringent Soft Error Rate (SER) radiation reliability requirements. These stretched product applications' needs call for special mitigation techniques and improvements to achieve robustness on SER by product design, process improvements and material changes to meet the requirements. In some cases even the combination of the design, process and material improvements are needed to achieve the stringent targets on product's SER. This paper presents some of the SER mitigation techniques by design, process and material improvements that are used to achieve the stringent SER targets along with the experiments and their results.
An Evaluation of Instrumental Variable Strategies for Estimating the Effects of Catholic Schooling

Several previous studies have relied on religious affiliation and the proximity to Catholic schools as exogenous sources of variation for identifying the effect of Catholic schooling on a wide variety of outcomes. Using three separate approaches, we examine the validity of these instrumental variables. We find that none of the candidate instruments is a useful source of identification in currently available data sets. We also investigate the role of exclusion restrictions versus nonlinearity as the source of identification in bivariate probit models. The analysis may be useful as a template for the assessment of instrumental variables strategies in other applications.
A scoping review of bikeability assessment methods

Bicycling holds promise as a healthy and sustainable means of transportation and physical activity. Despite the growing interest in community-based environmental approaches to promoting physical activity, bikeability has received relatively little attention. This paper provides a scoping review of the instruments developed to measure bikeability along with practice-based analyses of the tools related to user expertise, estimated cost, and required time to implement. The review summarizes the literature, identifies research gaps, and informs stakeholders with articles from EBSCO and transportation databases published after 2003 when the previous bikeability instrument review paper was published. Data extraction included the tool name, data collection method, study location, data collection scale, type of measure, and description. Two reviewers independently reviewed articles included in the full text review, and the inter-rater agreement exceeded 90%. The database search yielded 388 unique articles, and 17 met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Most of the studies, 11 of 17, were applied to settings outside of the U.S. Five studies employed a self-report survey, and five studies examined bikeability using geospatial data, like GIS. Seven studies used a direct observation audit tool-one specifically using a mobile app and another using virtual observation techniques with Google Street View. Bikeability tools are useful for assessing communities and their supports for bicycling. Our primary finding is that advances in technology over the past two decades have driven innovative and useful methodologies, in a variety of disciplines, for assessing the environment, but more consensus is needed to provide a universal definition of bikeability.
Employing Enviropreneurial Marketing Strategies to Gain Legitimacy

Within the current global landscape, internationalizing organizations are increasingly seeking ways to gain legitimacy, or social acceptance, within the foreign markets they exist in. This current ...
Prioritizing Postdisaster Recovery of Transportation Infrastructure Systems Using Multiagent Reinforcement Learning

AbstractPostdisaster reconstruction of transportation infrastructures generally entails complex and multiobjective planning and implementation options under uncertainty because of a large number of...
When Death Precedes Birth: The Embodied Experiences of Women with a History of Miscarriage or Stillbirth—A Phenomenological Study Using Artistic Inquiry

Miscarriage and stillbirth are more prevalent than socially perceived and have often been discussed in nursing and medicine literature as solely a medical event to be managed, not a death to be mourned. Social silence, ambiguity surrounding the nature of what was lost, and a painful experience of having no right to mourn are common experiences faced by women with a history of miscarriage or stillbirth. While more recent psychiatry and counseling research has uncovered the extent of grief, trauma, and psychosocial impact following miscarriage and stillbirth, very few studies have sought to understand the bodily experience of living with this history. This phenomenological research study sought to understand and describe the embodied experiences of women who have had a miscarriage or stillbirth. A sample of three participants individually engaged in a movement elicitation procedure followed by a semi-structured verbal interview. Artistic inquiry methods (Hervey in Artistic inquiry in dance/movement therapy: Creative alternatives for research, Charles C Thomas, Springfield, IL, 2000) were integrated throughout the data analysis procedure (Moustakas in Phenomenological research methods, Sage Publications, Inc, Thousand Oaks, CA, 1994) to enhance the understanding of each woman’s current, lived-body experience. As a result, five universal themes emerged: Momentum of new life; Stuck in emptiness; Where is my body and where am I?; We go together; and Love does not forget. These themes are supported by the extant literature and the author suggests that the results from this study may be used to inform the integration and practice of dance/movement therapy interventions in miscarriage and stillbirth bereavement counseling and future dance/movement therapy research studies.
Timing is everything: the relationship between COVID outcomes and the date at which mask mandates are relaxed

ImportanceSeveral states including Texas and Mississippi have lifted their mask mandates, sparking concerns that this policy change could lead to a surge in cases and hospitalizations. ObjectiveTo estimate the increase in incidence, hospitalizations, and deaths in Texas and Mississippi following the removal of mask mandates, and to evaluate the relative reduction of these outcomes if policy change is delayed by 90 days. Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis study uses an age-stratified compartmental model parameterized to incidence data in Texas and Mississippi to simulate increased transmission following policy change in March or June 2021, and to estimate the resulting number of incidence, hospitalizations, and deaths. Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe increase in incidence, hospitalizations, and deaths if mask mandates are lifted on March 14 compared to lifting on June 12. ResultsIf transmission is increased by 67% when mask mandates are lifted, we projected 11.39 (CrI: 11.22 - 11.55) million infections, 170,909 (CrI: 167,454 - 174,379) hospitalizations, and 5647 (5511 - 5804) deaths (Figure 1) in Texas from March 14 through the end of 2021. Delaying NPI lift until June reduces the average number of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths by 36%, 65%, and 62%, respectively. Proportionate differences were similar for the state of Mississippi. Peak hospitalization rates would be reduced by 79% and 63% in Texas and Mississippi, respectively. O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=126 SRC="FIGDIR/small/21254646v1_fig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (32K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@49cbbforg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@df7928org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@18b5885org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@160b6d1_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG O_FLOATNOFigure 1:C_FLOATNO Cumulative number of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths for (A) Texas and (B) Mississippi through 2021 if NPI were lifted on March 14 (red) or June 12 (blue). C_FIG Conclusions and RelevanceRemoval of mask mandates in March 2021 is premature. Delaying this policy change until June 2021, when a larger fraction of the population has been vaccinated, will avert more than half of the expected COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths, and avoid an otherwise likely strain on healthcare capacity.
The nuclear spies: America’s atomic intelligence operation against Hitler and Stalin

Vince Houghton’s The Nuclear Spies is neatly divided into two parts. The first is a thorough history of the effort by American intelligence to determine the nature and extent of the Nazi atomic bom...
Driving Into Unreasonableness: The Driveway, the Curtilage, and Reasonable Expectations of Privacy

Introduction 1165 I. The Relevant Case Law Contributing to the Development of the Curtilage Doctrine 1169 II. The Special Interaction Between Driveways and Curtilage ..1172 III. Federal and State Determinations of Privacy Rights Guaranteed to Driveways 1175 A. The Curtilage Analysis 1176 B. The Reasonable Expectation of Privacy Analysis 1181 IV. Proposal of a Bright Line Rule: Recognizing the Presence of a Sign or a Gate/Fence as Indicative of an Owner’s Right to Privacy Within the Driveway 1188 Conclusion 1197
Advances in Li-TiS2 cell technology

JPL is involved in a NASA sponsored program to develop ambient temperature secondary Lithium - Titanium Disulfide Cells for future space missions. After several years of research on various lithium systems, the Li-TiS2 system was selected for development in view of its practically realizable high specific energy. In the last two years, the efforts were focused on improving the cycle life of the system and optimizing the cell design. A number of approaches, such as the use of mixed solvent electrolytes, the use of alternate anode materials, the operation of cells at low temperature, and the cycling of cells under optimized voltage limits, are examined to improve cycle life performance of this system. Cycling studies in small 150 mAh cell have identified 1.5 M LiAsF6/2-MeTHF, 1.5 M LiAsF6/EC+2-eTHF, and 1.5 M LiAsF6/THF+2-MeTHF+2-MeF as promising electrolytes for Li-TiS2 cells. Li-Al and Li-C were selected for further assessment as candidate anode materials after a detailed theoretical and experimental evaluation. Cycling of the cells at low temperature did not result in improving the cycle life of the cells. Charge and discharge voltage limits were found to have significant influence on the cycle life of the cells activated with 1.5 M LiAsF6/THF+2-MeTHF+2-MeF electrolyte. The influence of design variables, such as ratio of electrode capacity, quantity of electrolyte, pack tightness, cell configuration, etc., on the cycle life performance are being examined as a part of the design optimization study. Spiral-wound 1 Ah cells fabricated for the design studies have completed more than 500 cycles at 50% DOD. This paper summarizes the advances made in the Li-TiS2 technology at JPL since 1989.
National Institutes of Health Minority Research and Training Programs

It is a pleasure to participate in this symposium and to discuss with you the National Institutes of Health and the NIH minority programs.
An Evaluation of the Roentgen Changes in Acute Pancreatitis: Correlation with Clinical Findings

2describes the "colon cut-off" sign which he noted in 3 cases as isolated gaseous distention of the ascending colon and hepatic flexure with an abrupt termination or cut-off of the gas shadows just distal to the hepatic flexure. Others3 • 4 have compiled a list of the various roentgen findings which might possibly be encountered, but have not re­ corded their actual frequency in a large series of patients with pancreatitis. Our review of the literature discloses that 23 pos­ sible roentgen abnormalities have been reported to date, in association with acute pancreatitis (table 1). The incidence of some of these signs has already been evaluated by Bockus and his group.5 However, we have been unable to find any report of a large group of patients with pancreatitis who had x-ray studies and among whom a methodical search had been made for the frequency of occurrence of each of the signs described in table 1.
The Maternal Inheritance of a Sex-Limited Lethal Effect in DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Historical. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Acknowledgments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . First appearance of the lethal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Characteristics of the lethal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Proof of the maternal inheritance of the lethal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Out-crosses of lethal females, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Out-crosses of lethal males. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Crosses from the curly-lethal strain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Crosses with a strain with attached X-chromosomes'. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Time of death of females' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DISCUSSIOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COKCLUSIOXS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 485 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 485 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 487 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 491 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 491 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 493 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 498 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501 LITERATURE CITED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502
A Study of Opinions and Practices of Successful Multi-Unit Fast Service Restaurant Managers

This paper reports on a study of the opinions and practices of 31 successful multi-unit managers in the fast-service restaurant industry. Multi-unit managers participating in the survey were asked a series of questions about their responsibilities, successful strategies and practices and important job skills. Management skills needed by managers when promoted to multi-unit responsibility were identified.Results indicate successful multi-unit managers establish a high priority on developing strong subordinates, providing a supportive work environment, allowing unit management to set its own goals and instilling a sense of pride and teamwork. Multi-unit managers receive great satisfaction in seeing their managers promoted and being part of a winning team. The study recognizes the importance of sound personnel practices and a commitment to human resource development.
Non-destructive assessment of inhibition of demineralization in dental enamel irradiated by a lambda=9.3-microm CO2 laser at ablative irradiation intensities with PS-OCT.

Background and Objective Polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) has great promise for the non-destructive assessment of the efficacy of anti-caries agents such as fluoride and thermal laser treatments on enamel surfaces. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that PS-OCT can be used to measure demineralization in craters/incisions prepared in enamel by a CO2 laser operating at the high irradiation intensities required for cavity preparations. Materials and Methods Incisions in bovine enamel surfaces were produced by a CO2 laser used with a water spray. The laser was operated at λ = 9.3 µm with a pulse duration of 15 µs and an incident fluence of 20 J/cm2. The laser treatments were also combined with topical fluoride treatments. A PS-OCT system operating at 1,310 nm was used to acquire polarization resolved images of six areas including sound and laser-ablated+topical fluoride treated zones on each sample. After imaging the teeth, they were sectioned and the thin sections were examined with polarized light microscopy (PLM) and transverse microradiography (TMR). The integrated reflectivity and lesion depth derived from the PS-OCT scans, the integrated mineral loss and depth measured using TMR and the lesion depth measured with PLM were acquired for each area on the fifteen samples for comparison. Results The integrated reflectivity and depth in the areas treated by the laser and fluoride were significantly lower (P<0.05) than for the untreated enamel. Similar results were observed for TMR and PLM. Conclusions These results suggest that PS-OCT has great potential for the non-destructive “in vivo” assessment of the inhibition of demineralization by lasers at ablative irradiation intensities with and without topical fluoride application. Lesers Surg. Med. 40:342–349, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Evidence from mathematical modeling that carbonic anhydrase II and IV enhance CO2 fluxes across Xenopus oocyte plasma membranes

Exposing an oocyte to CO2/HCO3− causes intracellular pH (pHi) to decline and extracellular-surface pH (pHS) to rise to a peak and decay. The two companion papers showed that oocytes injected with c...
Dynamics of beach-dune systems

Beaches and coastal dunes are dynamic geomorphic systems that respond to process forcing over a broad spectrum of spatial and temporal scales. At all scales, there are potential suites of interaction between system forms and processes, and the mechanisms of interaction are stressed in this article. At micro-scales, this interaction is formalized through the concept of morphody namics, and deterministic and probabilistic approaches are used to model sediment transport and landform development over time scales of hours to months and space scales of metres to kilometres. Meso-scale interactions are conceptualized using a sediment-budget approach. Nine characteristic environments comprise the beach and dune sediment-budget ensemble, representing a classifica tion scheme for reciprocating coastal systems.
Inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes in milk by caprylic acid and monocaprylin

Abstract Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli O157:H7 are major foodborne pathogens implicated in various outbreaks involving pasteurized or unpasteurized milk, and various dairy products. The objective of this study was to determine the antibacterial effect of caprylic acid (CA, C 8:0 ) and its monoglyceride, monocaprylin (MC) on L. monocytogenes and E. coli O157:H7 in whole milk. A five-strain mixture of E. coli O157:H7 or L. monocytogenes was inoculated in autoclaved milk (10 6 CFU/ml) containing 0, 25, or 50 mM of CA or MC. At 37°C, all the treatments, excepting 25 m m CA, reduced the population of both pathogens by approximately 5.0 log CFU/ml in 6 h. At 24 h of storage at 8°C, MC at both levels and CA at 50 mM decreased L. monocytogenes and E. coli O157:H7, respectively by >5.0 log CFU/ml. At 48 h of 4°C storage, populations of L. monocytogenes and E. coli O157:H7 were decreased to below detection level (enrichment negative) by 50 m m of MC and CA, respectively. Results indicate that MC could potentially be used to inhibit L. monocytogenes and E. coli O157:H7 in milk and dairy products, but sensory studies need to be conducted before recommending their use.
Introduction: Language contact in the Andes and universal grammar

Abstract In this paper we offer a panoramic overview of the development of Andean Spanish and Andean Linguistics, from a theoretical point of view of language contact and universal grammar. We discuss how the notion of Andean Spanish came into existence, the issues under debate, and the consequences of different theoretical positions. We also introduce the contents of the papers included in this special issue, and highlight their key points, framing them in the context of the research on universal grammar. The following five areas are covered: (1) the convergence of Quechua and Aymara, (2) the impact of bilingualism on intonation, (3) the sharing of suffixes in contact situations, (4) the modification of the present perfect tense in Spanish in contact with Quechua, and (5) the properties of the Quechua case system from the point of view of contact varieties. Finally, we provide some remarks on bilingual education, and some suggestions for further directions for future research.
Single-Molecule Dynamics of the Replication Sliding Clamp and Clamp Loader System

The sliding clamp is a conserved, ring-shaped cofactor of DNA polymerases. It encircles DNA and plays a crucial role in orchestrating many replication-related processes. In all forms of life, the sliding clamp greatly enhances the processivity of replicative DNA polymerases. The ring-shaped sliding clamp is loaded onto DNA by a pentameric AAA+ enzyme complex called the clamp loader. In this study, we applied Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) to an archaeal sliding clamp, Methanosarcina acetivorans (Mac) PCNA, and its cognate clamp loader, MacRFC, by labeling PCNA and DNA with fluorescent fluorophores. The FRET traces directly showed spontaneous diffusion of PCNA after it was loaded to the DNA. A closer look strongly suggested that the diffusion rate along the double strand DNA is much faster than the rate along the single strand. In addition, we found that this spontaneous diffusion is not random and has a preferred position at the junction where the single and the double strand DNA meet. We also developed a single molecule method to observe the clamp loading process in real time and detected a loading intermediate step of 0.34s duration likely corresponding to the ATP hydrolysis by RFC.
Multicolor laser altimeter for barometric measurements over the ocean: theoretical.

It is noted that the optical path length from a satellite to the earth's surface strongly depends on the atmospheric pressure along the propagation path. The theoretical basis of a surface pressure measurement technique, which uses a two-color laser altimeter to observe the change with wavelength in the optical path length from a satellite to the ocean surface, is evaluated. The statistical characteristics of the ocean-reflected pulses and the expected measurement accuracy are analyzed in terms of the altitude parameters. The results show that it is feasible to obtain a pressure accuracy of a few millibars.
Transient Temperature During the Vaporization of Liquid on a Pulsed Laser-Heated Solid Surface

The thermodynamics of the rapid vaporization of a liquid on a solid surface heated by an excimer laser pulse is studied experimentally. The transient temperature field is measured by monitoring the photothermal reflectance of an embedded thin film in nanosecond time resolution. The transient reflectivity is calibrated by considering a temperature gradient across the sample based on the static measurements of the thin film optical properties at elevated temperatures. The dynamics of bubble nucleation, growth, and collapse is detected by probing the optical specular reflectance. The metastability behavior of the liquid and the criterion for the onset of liquid-vapor phase transition in nanosecond time scale are obtained quantitatively for the first time.
Cocaine-induced suppression of renin secretion is mediated in the brain: investigation of cardiovascular and local anesthetic mechanisms.

Abstract Acute cocaine reduces renin secretion. To determine a peripheral versus central site of action, intracerebroventricular (ICV) versus intraperitoneal (IP) injections of cocaine were compared. Cocaine was more potent reducing plasma renin activity (PRA) and concentration (PRC) when injected ICV (0.050 mg/kg) than IP (5 mg/kg), suggesting a central site of action. Furthermore, addition of cocaine (10 −4 M) to kidney slices in vitro did not influence renin release, indicating that cocaine does not suppress renin secretion by acting directly in the kidney. We also investigated whether the hypertensive or local anesthetic properties of cocaine mediate its inhibition of renin secretion. Therefore, we compared the cardiovascular and endocrine effects of cocaine with those of the local anesthetic drug procaine. Both cocaine and procaine (500 μg/kg, ICV) produced rapid and short-term increases in blood pressure, but cocaine decreased PRC whereas procaine increased PRC. Intra-arterial (IA) and IP injections of cocaine also reduced PRC whereas procaine had no effect (IA) or elevated PRC (IP). Together, the data suggest that cocaine decreases renin secretion by acting in the brain. It is not likely that the cardiovascular or local anesthetic actions of cocaine are the main cause of its suppressive effect on renin secretion.
Existence of the dielectric constant in dipolar fluid mixtures

The existence of the dielectric constant e is investigated for fluid mixtures of rigid polar molecules. The investigation is performed using the functional‐derivative formalism for mixtures, and is closely analogous to that previously carried out for pure dipolar fluids [J. Chem. Phys. 68, 5199 (1978)]. Sufficient conditions for the existence of e are obtained in terms of the direct correlation function matrix cαβ(12). It is found that e exists if cαβ(12) depends only on relative positions and orientations, and becomes asymptotic to −ϑαβ(12)/kT at long range, where ϑαβ(12) is the dipole–dipole potential between a molecule of species α and one of species β. An expression for e in terms of the short‐range total correlation function matrix emerges automatically from the development. This expression is equivalent to an earlier result obtained by a different method. Expressions for e in terms of cαβ(12) are derived for axially symmetric molecules and for molecules of arbitrary symmetry. In the former case, the...
Reliability of Statistical Software

The reliability of several statisitcal software packages was examined using the National Institute of Standards and Technology linear and nonlinear least squares datasets and models. Software tested include Excel 2007, GAMS 23.4, GAUSS 9.0, LIMDEP 8.0, Mathematica 7.0, MATLAB 7.5, R 2.10, SAS 9.1, SHAZAM 10, and Stata 10. While some of these packages have been previously examined, others, including GAMS and MATLAB, have not been extensively examined. Reliability tests indicate improvements in some of the software packages that were previously tested, but some of these packages failed reliability tests under certain conditions. The findings underscore the need to benchmark software packages to ascertain reliability before use and the importance of solving econometric problems using more than one package.
Onset of convection with temperature- and depth-dependent viscosity

[1] We derive a scaling law for the onset of convection in an incompressible fluid cooled from above with temperature- and depth-dependent viscosity, on the basis of 2-D numerical simulation. Rayleigh numbers up to 107 are considered. The activation energy is varied from 0 to 200 kJ mol−1, and a variation of up to 103 is considered in depth-dependent reference viscosity. Our scaling law is shown to be able to handle a variety of buoyancy distributions, including highly non-Gaussian and multimodal distributions, with a tightly constrained critical Rayleigh number.
Multi-agent coordination with cohesion, dispersion, and containment control

In this paper, the containment control problem is studied. The particular interest is to drive all followers towards the convex hull formed by the leaders while producing swarming behavior and keeping group dispersion. To this aim a decentralized control law is proposed which ensures collision-free movements. It is shown that the tracking error can be controlled by simply tuning some control parameters.