cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Sachet Water Phenomenon in Accra: Socioeconomic, Environmental, and Public Health Implications for Water Security

Just 10 years ago over a billion people lacked access to an improved drinking water source, and in 2008 this estimate dropped to 884 million (WHO/UNICEF 2011). In 2010 the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) drinking water target, which called for halving the proportion of the global population lacking sustainable access to safe drinking water between 1990 and 2015, was achieved ahead of schedule, though with substantial inequality of coverage by continent (WHO/UNICEF 2012). In 2012 the estimate stood at 780 million, and in 2015 an estimated 605 million people will still lack access to an improved drinking water source (WHO/UNICEF 2012). Despite this progress, the lack of safe drinking water continues to yield a substantial morbidity and mortality burden in the developing world, a burden largely borne by children under the age of 5, and roughly half of the developing world population is affected annually by diseases associated with inadequate water and sanitation (United Nations Millennium Project 2005). With the global population poised to rise from seven billion to over nine billion by 2050 and with nearly all of this growth projected to occur in developing cities (United Nations 2010), the number of people affected by water- and sanitation-borne diseases is more likely to rise than fall over the next decade.
Exploring process variables through which acceptance-based behavioral interventions may improve weight loss maintenance

Objective A previously published randomized trial with individuals reporting high internal disinhibition showed significant differences in post-treatment weight change favoring Acceptance-Based Behavioral Intervention (ABBI) when compared to standard behavioral treatment (SBT). This paper examines process variables that might contribute to the observed differences in weight change.
Relating Observed Psychoactive Effects to the Plasma Concentrations of Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol and Its Active Metabolite: An Effect-Compartment Modeling Approach

The medical use of marijuana is increasing, yet little is known about the exposure-response relationship for its psychoactive effects. It is well known that the plasma concentrations of the principal psychoactive component of marijuana, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), do not directly correlate to the observed psychoactive effects. The purpose of this research was to use an effect-compartment modeling approach to predict and relate the concentrations of the psychoactive components (THC and its active metabolite) in the "hypothetical" effect-site compartment to the observed psychoactive effects. A "hypothetical" effect-compartment model was developed using literature data to characterize the observed delay in peak "highness" ratings compared with plasma concentrations of the psychoactive agents following intravenous administration of THC. A direct relationship was established between the reported psychoactive effects ("highness" or intoxication) and the predicted effect-site concentrations of THC. The differences between estimated equilibration half-lives for THC and THC-OH in the effect-compartment model indicated the differential equilibration of parent drug and the active metabolite between plasma and the effect-site. These models contribute to the understanding of the pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relationships associated with marijuana use and are important steps in the prediction of pharmacodynamic effects related to the psychoactive components in marijuana.
Regressed melanocytic nevi secondary to pembrolizumab therapy: an emerging melanocytic dermatologic effect from immune checkpoint antibody blockade.

Background Immune checkpoint antibody blockade is an emerging therapeutic option for treating certain cancers including melanoma. This therapy is associated with dermatologic and systemic toxicities, some of which are more severe than others and may require withholding therapy. Case reports We report two patients with melanocytic nevi that regressed with pembrolizumab therapy. The first patient had stage IV BRAF K601E/L584F mutant melanoma that developed a regressed melanocytic nevus while being treated with pembrolizumab. The second patient had stage III BRAF V600R mutant melanoma that was treated with pembrolizumab and dabrafenib, and also developed a regressed melanocytic nevus. Both patients had good response to therapy and stable disease at 8 and 12 months of treatment, respectively. Results Regressed melanocytic nevi were observed in both patients treated with pembrolizumab for advance-stage melanoma. Immunohistochemical analysis of a regressed melanocytic nevus was associated with an inflammatory infiltrate rich in CD8+ T cells and CD163+, CD11c+ histiocytes. Conclusion Regressed melanocytic nevi are an emerging dermatologic effect from pembrolizumab therapy.
Observations on African Tick Typhus (Tick-Bite Fever) in Zimbabwe

African tick typhus, caused by Rickettsia conori, affects humans throughout most of sub-Saharan Africa. Widely distributed in Zimbabwe, it is particularly prevalent in the southern lowveld, where numerous cases were seen in troops during the civil unrest of the late 1970s. Recent experiences of visitors to our Heartwater Research Station in this area have confirmed its continuing prevalence. In view of recent reports of severely debilitating and sometimes fatal infections with R. conori throughout its range, as well as a tendancy by local physicians to treat the infection inadequately, we briefly review the diagnosis, treatment and vectors of the disease in Zimbabwe.
Automatic Extraction of Access Control Policies from Natural Language Documents

A fundamental management responsibility is securing information systems. Almost all applications that deal with safety, privacy, or defense include some form of access control. There are a plethora of access control models in the information security realm such as role-based access control and attribute-based access control. However, the initial development of access control policies (ACPs) can be very challenging. Most organizations have high-level requirement specifications that include a set of ACPs, which describe allowable operations of the system. It is time consuming and error-prone to manually sift through these documents and extract ACPs. In this paper, we propose a new framework towards extracting ACPs from unrestricted natural language documents using semantic role labeling (SRL). We were able to correctly identify ACP elements with an average $F_1$ F 1 score of 75 percent, which bested the previous work by 15 percent. Furthermore, as SRL tools are often trained on publicly available corpora such as Wall Street Journal, we investigated the idea of improving SRL performance using domain-related knowledge. We utilized domain adaptation and semi-supervised learning techniques and were able to improve the SRL performance by 2 percent using only a small amount of access control data.
Thermal Inactivation of Inoculum of Two Phytophthora Species by Intermittent Versus Constant Heat.

Research on solarization efficacy has examined the critical temperature and minimum exposure time to inactivate soilborne pathogens. Most mathematical models focus on survival of inoculum subjected...
Evaluating the sustainability of the gray-whale-watching industry along the pacific coast of North America

This paper reports on the first study to critically examine the sustainability of whale-watching practices along the entire migratory range of a pelagic baleen whale species, the gray whale (Eschri...
SteeringWheel: A Locality-Preserving Magnification Interface for Low Vision Web Browsing

Low-vision users struggle to browse the web with screen magnifiers. Firstly, magnifiers occlude significant portions of the webpage, thereby making it cumbersome to get the webpage overview and quickly locate the desired content. Further, magnification causes loss of spatial locality and visual cues that commonly define semantic relationships in the page; reconstructing semantic relationships exclusively from narrow views dramatically increases the cognitive burden on the users. Secondly, low-vision users have widely varying needs requiring a range of interface customizations for different page sections; dynamic customization in extant magnifiers is disruptive to users' browsing. We present SteeringWheel, a magnification interface that leverages content semantics to preserve local context. In combination with a physical dial, supporting simple rotate and press gestures, users can quickly navigate different webpage sections, easily locate desired content, get a quick overview, and seamlessly customize the interface. A user study with 15 low-vision participants showed that their web-browsing efficiency improved by at least 20 percent with SteeringWheel compared to extant screen magnifiers.
Automatic blind source separation of speech sources in an auditory scene

Hearing-impaired individuals have much more difficulty, then normal hearing individuals, with speech intelligibility in cocktail party situations. Hence, the overall research goal is to improve intelligibility of speech and to enhance spatial hearing of hearing aids in these situations. It is known that spatial audio leads to improved speech intelligibility. As a step towards this goal, source separation algorithms were investigated. In particular, the DUET Blind Source Separation (BSS) algorithm was modified to automatically extract speech sources in a simulated auditory scene.
Functional Behavioral Assessment

This article introduces, defines, and discusses functional behavior assessment (FBA). It also defines and highlights behaviors. Additionally, data collection tools and methods of data analysis are described. Finally, interventions developed as a result of FBA are highlighted.
Approximations for Implicitly-Defined Dynamics of Networks of Simple Mechanical Components

In many important engineering systems, including cyber-physical systems, there are often are many interacting simple components. It is well known that, in some cases, such systems may be modeled with fractional-order differential equations, and some of our prior work has shown that in certain cases fractional systems may be considered a subset of a class of systems where the dynamics may only be implicitly defined. In the implicit case, there is no straight-forward corresponding time domain representation. This paper considers series expansion approximations to the implicit operator describing the dynamics of the system to determine time-domain approximations for the implicit non-rational transfer function and validates the results via simulation. The contribution of this paper is to show that such expansions provide good approximations for the types of systems in the range of parameter values we considered, and for the special case of a network of springs and dampers, accurate equivalent spring and damper constants are computed which can provide intuitive insight into the nature of the response of the very high-order system.
Tissue-specific pools of Selenoprotein P differentially contribute to colitis-associated carcinogenesis

Introduction Patients with inflammatory bowel disease demonstrate nutritional Se deficiencies and are at increased risk for colon cancer due to heightened inflammation and oxidative stress. Previously, we determined that global loss of the selenium-containing protein, Selenoprotein P (SELENOP), exacerbates experimental colitis-associated cancer (CAC). This was likely due to antioxidant function, as heighted tumorigenesis was also observed in mice expressing a redox-deficient SELEOP mutant. However, because SELENOP loss altered both immune and epithelial cellular function, we sought to delineate tissue-specific contributions of SELENOP to intestinal inflammatory carcinogenesis. Methods Conditional Selenop floxed mice were crossed with Albumin-Cre, Villin-CreER, or LysM-Cre lines to drive Selenop loss in the liver, intestinal epithelium, or myeloid lineage, respectively. Resulting cohorts were placed on an azoxymethane/dextran sodium sulfate (AOM/DSS) experimental CAC protocol. Results Although liver-specific Selenop deletion decreased levels of colonic Se, it failed to modify AOM/DSS-mediated tumorigenesis. Myeloid-specific Selenop deletion was observed to induce modest effects on macrophage function, as it decreased migration, promoted M1 polarization, and induced Nos2 expression. However, LysM-Cre; Selenop fl/fl mice showed no alteration in tumor number over LysM-Cre; Selenop WT controls. Instead, only epithelial-specific deletion increased tumor incidence, number, size, and degree of dysplasia in the CAC model. Tumors were also observed to have increased amounts of DNA damage, suggesting increased tumor formation was due to heightened oxidative stress. Interestingly, unlike the Selenop global model, no effect was observed with heterozygous epithelial-specific loss. Discussion Despite the vast majority of total body SELENOP being produced by the liver, these results implicate locally-expressed SELENOP as the primary mediator of disease severity. As epithelial-specific loss increased DNA damage and apoptosis, this pool of SELENOP likely attenuates tumor initiation through antioxidant mechanisms. However, these results still differed from those seen with global Selenop loss, suggesting additional SELENOP pools may yet contribute to protection against inflammatory-carcinogenesis.
Relationship Between Respiratory Muscle Strength, Handgrip Strength, and Muscle Mass in Hospitalized Patients.

Minimal information is available to validate measurement of respiratory muscle strength (RMS) in the clinical setting. The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP), maximal expiratory pressure (MEP), and sniff nasal inspiratory pressure (SNIP) with handgrip strength (HGS) and cross sectional muscle area obtained via diagnostic abdominal computed tomography (CT). Measures of MIP, MEP, SNIP, and HGS were obtained from individuals that participated in a previously published study; individuals who had an abdominal CT completed with (±)7 days of obtaining RMS measures were included. Both RMS and HGS were measured within 48-72 hours of admission; for RMS, the highest absolute (cm H2 O) and percent predicted values were recorded, and the average of 3 HGS measurements (kg) was documented. Cross-sectional muscle area (cm2 ) at the third lumbar region was recorded. Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to assess the relationship between variables. A total of 35 participants were included. HGS was correlated to absolute MIP (rs = 0.62, rs = 0.61), MEP (rs = 0.74, rs = 0.73), and SNIP (rs = 0.58, rs = 0.54) for males and females, respectively. Crosss-sectional muscle area was correlated with absolute MIP (rs = 0.66), MEP (rs = 0.58), and SNIP (rs = 0.783) for men and absolute SNIP (rs = 0.56) among women. Measures of RMS represent a promising assessment of muscle mass and function among hospitalized patients.
Metabolic multi-stability and hysteresis in a model aerobe-anaerobe microbiome community

Abstract Changes in the composition of the human microbiome are associated with health and disease. Some microbiome states persist in seemingly unfavorable conditions, e.g., the proliferation of aerobe-anaerobe communities in oxygen-exposed environments in wounds or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. However, it remains unclear how different stable microbiome states can exist under the same conditions, or why some states persist under seemingly unfavorable conditions. Here, using two microbes relevant to the human microbiome, we combine genome-scale mathematical modeling, bioreactor experiments, transcriptomics, and dynamical systems theory, to show that multi-stability and hysteresis (MSH) is a mechanism that can describe the shift from an aerobe-dominated state to a resilient, paradoxically persistent aerobe-anaerobe state. We examine the impact of changing oxygen and nutrient regimes and identify factors, including changes in metabolism and gene expression, that lead to MSH. When analyzing the transitions between the two states in this system, the familiar conceptual connection between causation and correlation is broken and MSH must be used to interpret the dynamics. Using MSH to analyze microbiome dynamics will improve our conceptual understanding of the stability of microbiome states and the transitions among microbiome states. One sentence summary Multi-stability and hysteresis (MSH) is a potential mechanism to describe shifts to and persistence of aerobe-anaerobe communities in the microbiome.
Preservation-Induced Morphological Change in Salamanders and Failed DNA Extraction from a Decades-Old Museum Specimen: Implications for Plethodon ainsworthi

Abstract Natural history collections are important data repositories, but different chemical treatments of specimens can influence morphological measurements and DNA extraction, complicating taxono...
Hippocampal Involvement With Vigabatrin-Related MRI Signal Abnormalities in Patients With Infantile Spasms: A Novel Finding.

Background:In a subset of infants exhibiting typical vigabatrin-related magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) changes, the authors observed additional hippocampal signal abnormalities. The authors inves...
Combined Cardiac PET-CT and Transcatheter Closure for Left Internal Mammary Artery Side Branch Steal Syndrome.

Abstract We report on a patient with left internal mammary artery (LIMA) side branch steal syndrome and refractory angina who underwent successful transcatheter LIMA side branch closure after cardi...
Electron Injection-Induced Effects in GaN: Physics and Applications

Electron injection into p-type GaN and related compounds leads to a pronounced increase in the minority carrier lifetime. This increase is manifested in a multiple-fold elongation of the minority carrier diffusion length as is evident from the Electron Beam Induced Current (EBIC) measurements in-situ in a Scanning Electron Microscope. Minority carrier transport enhancement as a result of electron injection is consistent with the changes observed in the material’s luminescent properties. Based on the activation energy for the electron injection-induced effects, we ascribe this phenomenon to charging of Mg-acceptor related levels. In addition, we demonstrate an impact of electron injection on responsivity of GaN p-i-n photodetectors.
An 89TOPS/W and 16.3TOPS/mm 2 All-Digital SRAM-Based Full-Precision Compute-In Memory Macro in 22nm for Machine-Learning Edge Applications

From the cloud to edge devices, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are widely used in many cognitive tasks, such as image classification and speech recognition. In recent years, research on hardware accelerators for AI edge devices has received more attention, mainly due to the advantages of AI at the edge: including privacy, low latency, and more reliable and effective use of network bandwidth. However, traditional computing architectures (such as CPUs, GPUs, FPGAs, and even existing AI accelerator ASICs) cannot meet the future needs of energy-constrained AI edge applications. This is because ML computing is data-centric, most of the energy in these architectures is consumed by memory accesses. In order to improve energy efficiency, both academia and industry are exploring a new computing architecture, namely compute in memory (CIM). CIM research is focused on a more analog approach with high-energy efficiency; however, lack of accuracy, due to a low SNR, is the main disadvantage; therefore, an analog approach may not be suitable for some applications that require high accuracy.
FIR Scattering from Electrostatic Modes at the Ion Cyclotron Range of Frequencies in a Tokamak Plasma

In order to achieve success in magnetic confinement fusion, ion temperatures in excess of 10keV are required. Ohmic heating of tokamak plasmas is insufficient, and so some form of auxilliary heating is essential. In recent years heating at the ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) has been under active study as a cost effective and efficient alternative to neutral beam heating [1, 2]. At UCLA experiments aimed at understanding the generation mechanisms and propagation properties of the electrostatic waves produced during ICRF heating have been initiated. These experiments have produced the first direct observation in a tokamak of electrostatic modes in the ICRF.
Emotional Learning: Animals

Learning and memory serve a critical function in allowing organisms to alter their behavior in the face of changing environments. The present chapter considers the nature and mechanisms of emotional learning and memory, particularly the acquisition and expression of memory for aversive (fearful) events. Of particular importance in this regard is work in animals, which have taken advantage of invasive techniques to yield extensive information into the biology of emotional learning and memory systems. Hence, extensive coverage is given to the anatomy and physiology of brain systems involved in fear memory based on experimental investigations in animals.
Improved Coupling for Uh-60 Performance Prediction

This presentation will have two parts to it. The first will consist of a review on force conservation in coupled stimulation. The second part will mainly be about the preliminary comparisons of measured/predicted blade motion. Furthermore, introduction to measurement technique and rigid body motion comparison will also be included in the presentation.
Morphological Classification of Galaxies using Computer Vision and Artificial Neural Networks: A Computational Scheme

The morphology of galaxies is an important issue in the large scale study of the Universe. The Hubble Deep Field project has already shown that the Universe contains billions and billions of galaxies. The Sloan Digital Sky Survey is expected to map the sky for one million galaxies. One of the major challenges facing astronomers today is how to automatically identify and classify large number of galaxies that will began to show up in the hundreds of thousands of digitized images from sky surveys. Today it is possible to address this problem with the help of advances occurring in computer vision and artificial neural networks technology. This paper describes a computational scheme to develop an automatic galaxy classifier. From the scheme it is possible to visualize several different types of automatic galaxy classifiers. Two types are presented here with prototype models. The first type uses the geometric shape features as the basis for classification. The second uses the direct pixel images of galaxies and artificial neural networks to do the classification. The results show that geometric shape features are very good indicators of different types of nearby galaxies. Three test cases were presented to the prototype geometric shape classifier and it was able to successfully classify all three of them. The direct image based neural network classifier was able to learn 97% of the 171 training patterns presented to it. However when the network was presented a test set of 37 independent patterns, it was only able to classify 57% percent of the test cases. This study demonstrates that a very robust and efficient automated galaxy classifier based on shape features and artificial neural network can be develop.
Tyrosinase of the goldfish Carassius auratus L: I. Radio-assay and properties of the enzyme

Abstract 1. 1. A sensitive radio-assay for tyrosinase was developed. 2. 2. The partial purification of the soluble tyrosinase in the skin of xanthic goldfish is reported. 3. 3. Some of the properties of the enzyme are described. 4. 4. Free dopa has been excluded as an obligatory intermediate in the oxidation of tyrosine by tyrosinase.
One digital library, two undergraduate classes, and four learning modules: Uses of a digital library in classrooms: Research Articles

The KMODDL (kinematic models for design digital library) is a digital library based on a historical collection of kinematic models made of steel and bronze. The digital library contains four types of learning modules including textual materials, QuickTime virtual reality movies, Java simulations, and stereolithographic files of the physical models. The authors report an evaluation study on the uses of the KMODDL in two undergraduate classes. This research reveals that the users in different classes encountered different usability problems, and reported quantitatively different subjective experiences. Further, the results indicate that depending on the subject area, the two user groups preferred different types of learning modules, resulting in different uses of the available materials and different learning outcomes. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for future digital library design. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Derivation of Hard Deadlines for Real-Time Control Systems

The computation-time delay in the feedback controller of a real-time control system may cause failure to update the control input during one or more sampling periods. A dynamic failure is said to occur if this delay exceeds a certain limit called a hard deadline. We present a method for calculating the hard deadlines in linear time-invariant control systems. To derive necessary conditions for (asymptotic) system stability, the state difference equation is modified based on an assumed maximum delay and the probability distribution of delays whose magnitudes are less than, or equal to, the assumed maximum delay. Moreover, the allowed state-space ? which is derived from given input and state constraints ? is used to calculate the hard deadline as a function of time and the system state. We also consider a one-shot delay model in which a single event causes a dynamic failure.
Submicron CMOS Circuit Simulation Model Accurate from Liquid Nitrogen to Room Temperature

A drain-current device model for circuits operating over the temperature range from liquid nitrogen to room temperature has been developed. The model is accurate for short (≫ 0.3 ?m) surface channel CMOS devices and has been used to predict circuit performance and switching characteristics at varying temperatures. The model includes temperature dependance of important device parameters such as ``apparent'' mobility ?, saturation velocity and threshold voltage. Model parameters are designed for extraction at room temperature; except for device threshold which is measured at the operating temparature. This allows simple extraction of model parameters and results in an accurate description of device currents. The model is incorporated in the ASTAP circuit simulation program and is used to project improvement in delay of optimized low temperature CMOS over room temperature CMOS. The model is also used to design temperature insensitive off-chip driver/receiver circuits for maximum noise immunity between 77'' K and 125'' K using a 0.5?m liquid-nitrogen CMOS technology.
Interactive performance measurement with VNCplay

Today many system benchmarks use throughput as a measure of performance. While throughput is appropriate for benchmarking server environments, response time is a better metric for evaluating desktop performance. Currently, there is a lack of good tools to measure interactive performance; although several commercial GUI testing tools exist, they are not designed for performance measurement. This paper presents VNCplay, a cross-platform tool for measuring interactive performance of GUI-based systems. VNCplay records a user's interactive session with a system and replays it multiple times under different system configurations; interactive response time is evaluated by comparing the times at which similar screen updates occur in each of the replayed sessions. Using VNCplay we studied the effect of processor speed and disk load on interactive performance of Microsoft Windows and Linux. These experiments show that the same user session can have widely varying interactive response times in different environments while maintaining the same total running time, illustrating that response time is a better measure of interactive performance than throughput. The experimental results make a case for a response time measurement tool like VNCplay.
Shyness and Adaptation to School in a Chinese Community

This study examined the process of adjustment in shy and nonshy children during the transition to school in a Chinese community. Children (35 shy and 19 nonshy) were assessed three times before and after they entered the first grade. Shy and nonshy children’s interactions with peers and teachers, perceived peer acceptance, and anxious behaviour were measured using multiple methods, including naturalistic observations, self-report, and teacher report. Results indicated that shy and nonshy children showed consistently different behavioural profiles in free play settings and structured classes during the transition. However, teacher ratings of and peer responses to shy and nonshy children were not consistently different. Results are discussed in relation to the cultural context where the study was conducted. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Pre-Operative Antisepsis Protocol Compliance and the Effect on Bacterial Load Reduction.

Abstract Background: Adequate skin preparation is essential to preventing surgical site infection. Many products are available, each with specific manufacturers' directions. This lack of standardization may lead to incorrect use of the agents and affect the bacterial load reduction. We hypothesize that a lack of adherence to utilization protocols for surgical skin antiseptics affects bacterial load reduction. Methods: Thirty subjects who routinely perform surgical skin preparation were recruited from four hospitals. Participants completed a questionnaire of both demographics and familiarity with two of the most common skin prep formulas: Chlorhexidine gluconate-isopropyl alcohol (CHG-IPA) and povidone-iodine (PVI) scrub and paint. Randomly selecting one formula, subjects performed skin preparation for ankle surgery on a healthy standardized patient. This was repeated using the second formula on the opposite ankle. Performance was recorded and reviewed by two independent evaluators using standardized dicho...
Plasma pharmacokinetics of ceftiofur metabolite desfuroylceftiofur cysteine disulfide in holstein steers: application of nonlinear mixed‐effects modeling

Eight clinically normal and drug-naive Holstein steers were dosed with ceftiofur sodium at 2.2 mg/kg body weight intramuscularly. Doses were given at 24-h intervals for 5 days. Prior to the first dose and after all injections, blood samples were collected serially for determination of plasma concentrations of one of ceftiofur's main metabolites, desfuroylceftiofur cysteine disulfide (DCCD). A nonlinear mixed-effect model was used to analyze the plasma concentration data. A stochastic approximation expectation maximization (SAEM) algorithm in MONOLIX version 4.2.2 was used to approximate the likelihood of the nonlinear mixed-effect model and to estimate the population parameters. In addition, simulation studies were conducted to justify the model and demonstrate how to interpret the model parameters given different scenarios.
Real-Time Observation of Ti Silicide Epitaxial Islands Growth with the Photoelectron Emission Microscopy

The formation of nanoscale Ti silicide islands was observed by Photo-electron emission microscopy (PEEM). The islands were prepared by deposition of an ultrathin Ti (3-12ML) on Si(001) at room temperature and at an elevated temperature of 950δC. The island formation was initiated by in situ annealing to 1150δ C. It was observed that initially Ti silicide islands form while longer annealing indicates some islands move and coalesce with other islands. Most of the islands are similar in size and have relatively uniform separation. Also, it was shown that for continued Ti deposition at a temperature of 950δC, the density of islands did not increase. However, islands grew together when their perimeter lines touch each other. The results are described in terms of island growth processes of coalescence and ripening.
Discrimination of short temporal intervals: A comparison of two models

Duration-discrimination data from an experiment using empty auditory intervals in a two-alternative forced-choice paradigm are presented. The observed functional relationship between standard deviation of the psychometric density function and stimulus duration is shown to be fit significantly better by a Weber’s law model of duration discrimination than by Creelman’s counter model. Both models fail to predict the rapid rise in the Weber fraction observed for durations longer than about 2 sec. However, the Weber’s law model, based on a generalization of Weber’s law, accurately predicts the initial drop in the Weber fraction for very short durations and the observed constancy of the Weber fraction for durations up to 2 sec.
Axial Ligand and Solvent Effects on the O−O Bond Activation in Acylperoxo Complexes of [(Salen)MnIIIL]: MnIV versus MnV Oxo Species

The role of the axial ligand L (“push” effect) in the O−O bond cleavage in Mn−Salen based trans-acylperoxo complexes, [(Salen)MnIII(RCO3)L] (2) and [(Salen)MnIV(RCO3)L]+ (3), was investigated by the density functional (B3LYP) method for L = NH3 and HCO2-. It was shown that coordination of an axial ligand L to the trans isomer of 2, 2-trans, substantially reduces the triplet−quintet energy gap from +12.4 to +1.8 and −0.3 kcal/mol, and consequently decreases the overall barrier for the O−O bond cleavage producing 2-trans-L-oxo species from 19.5 to 10.2 and 10.9 kcal/mol for L = none, HCO2-, and NH3, respectively. Because the O−O bond cleavage in 2-trans-L becomes slightly more favorable than that in the isomeric 2-cis acylperoxo complexes producing 2-cis-MnV-oxo species [Khavrutskii, I. V.; Musaev, D. G.; Morokuma, K. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003, 125, 13879−13889], the axial ligand may be considered as a switch between cis- and trans-oxo species formation. The product 2-trans-L-oxo unlike 2-cis-MnV-oxo species i...
Marangoni and Stability Studies on Fiber-Supported Methanol Droplets Evaporating in Reduced Gravity

Support fibers are commonly employed in microgravity droplet evaporation and combustion studies. and it is of interest to develop models of fiber-supported droplets. In this paper, a numerical study of the Marangoni forces on a methanol droplet supported by a fiber has been carried out for an evaporating methanol droplet in both dry air and humid air environments, with the focus being the development of instabilities that form early in the lifetime of a droplet. The thermal Marangoni effect has a stabilizing effect, and it is always driving the droplet surface toward an isothermal condition. The solutal Marangoni effect (from water absorption) is much larger in magnitude, and it tends to concentrate water on the surface. This tendency to concentrate water leads to surface waves and instabilities, which are relieved by diffusion of the water into the droplet interior. For large droplets (initial radii of 0.5 mm) the surface forces have generated liquid Reynolds numbers greater than one hundred, Smaller dro...
Fast technique for computing syndromes of B.C.H. and Reed-Solomon codes

A new scheme for reducing the numerical complexity of the standard B.C.H. and Reed–Solomon (R.S.) decoding algorithms is developed. Specifically, the process of calculating syndromes over GF(2m) is shown to require only a small fraction of the number of multiplications and additions that is required by using standard methods. As an example, the calculation of the 32 syndromes of the (255, 223, 33) Reed–Solomon code (NASA standard for concatenation with convolutional codes) is shown to require 90% fewer multiplications and 78% fewer additions than the conventional method of computation. A computer simulation also verifies these results.
Expanding health insurance coverage: who will pay?

Recent discussions on extending health insurance to the more than thirty million uninsured Americans have focused on two strategies: expanding the Medicaid program and mandating that employers sponsor coverage for their employees. This analysis, using a microsimulation model of the U.S. health care financing system, suggests that these two options would result in very different distributions of financial burden. Employer-sponsored coverage is financed in a highly regressive fashion, in contrast to the Medicaid program, which is proportional to income. Furthermore, the burden of paying for health care under Medicaid varies little among generations, whereas the cost of employer-sponsored care is lowest in households headed by persons over sixty-five years old. Low health status populations do not pay disproportionately higher taxes or premiums to finance either the Medicaid program or employer-sponsored coverage. Their incomes, however, are more effectively protected by Medicaid, because it offers more comprehensive benefits.
BETANINE SEPARATION AND QUANTIFICATION BY CHROMATOGRAPHY ON GELS

Published methods for separation and quantification of betalaine pigments from plant extracts are based on electrophoretic and spectro-photometric techniques. These methods are either time consuming, or lack accuracy if interfering substances are present; therefore, a more rapid and accurate method for betalaine separation and betanine quantification is needed. Chromatography on gel filtration supports (Sephadex or Bio-Gel polyacrylamide) is shown to be a rapid and efficient method of separating betalaines from raw beet juice. Raw and fermented beet juice (Beta vulgaris) directly applied to a column of polyacrylamide gel (Bio-Gel P-6) resulted in the detection of numerous pigment bands. Observed average distribution coefficients (Kav) for betanine on Sephadex G-25 or Bio-Gel P-6 ranged from 0.8–2.0 at a pH value of 4.0–2.0, respectively. These data suggest that the major mechanism of retention of the pigments on gel supports can be adsorption rather than gel-filtration. Resolution of betanine and betanidme was greater on columns packed with Sephadex G-25 compared to columns packed with Bio-Gel P-6. Loading capacity (based on reduced plate height) was greater on columns packed with Bio-Gel P-6 when comparing the two column packings. When Bio-Gel P-6 was chosen as the support for the separation of pigments, excellent separation was obtained using a phosphate buffer at pH 3.0. Elution patterns of betanine were recorded by measuring the absorption at the maximum wavelength. Peak areas obtained were related to standard concentrations of betanine.
Temporal characterization of ultrashort high-power laser pulses

Full characterization of the electric field amplitude and shape of an ultrashort optical pulse is important for a number of fields of research, such as high-field atomic and plasma physics, and the generation of ultrashort-pulse XUV and soft x-ray radiation. We have used the technique of frequency-resolved optical gating (FROG) to characterize low-energy pulses as short as 13 fs duration, and high peak-power pulses as short as 25 fs. We discuss experimental considerations for implementing FROG for very short pulses, and the limitations of the technique.
On the Excitation and Propagation of Zonal Winds in an Atmosphere with Newtonian Cooling.

Abstract A system of equations, including Newtonian cooling and valid away from the equator, is derived for atmospheric zonal winds and the associated zonal temperature and meridional circulation fields. A time scaling is introduced to distinguish three regimes of motion. For short time scales a variation of the usual nondissipative forced symmetric vortex problem is recovered. For intermediate time scales, a “diffusive model” is defined, while for long time scales a “steady state” model is defined. Two examples of the solution of the diffusive equation are given. From the first example we infer that our model is capable of explaining many of the observed features of the downward progression of the stratospheric biennial oscillation. Momentum is carried downward by Coriolis torques resulting from propagating meridional cells. The solutions of our second example describe transient zonal winds which resemble those observed to propagate downward from the stratopause in Meteorological Rocket Network data time...
Chemical composition of antarctic zooplankton during austral fall and winter

Water level, ash content, proximate (protein, lipid, carbohydrate and chitin) and elemental (carbon and nitrogen) composition were analyzed in twentythree species of Antarctic Zooplankton collected during the austral fall (1986) and winter (1988) from the Scotia/Weddell Sea region. Extremes in water level, ash content and organic components were typified by copepods and gelatinous forms. Ostracods and polychaetes were generally similar in composition to copepods, being only slightly higher in water level and ash content. Chaetognaths exhibited a composition intermediate in character with some components similar in value to that shown by crustaceans (i.e. protein) while other components were more in the range of values seen in gelatinous forms (i.e. water level and ash content). Protein was the major proximate component and measured values (as % Afdw) were fairly uniform among non-gelatinous species (x=33.9±6.9). Lipid levels were variable, with high values (>30% AFDW) only found for the copepods Calanoides acutus, Calanus propinquus and Euchaeta antarctica. Carbohydrate values were low in all species examined. Chitin was measured in crustacean species only. With the exception of C. acutus (x=2.5% AFDW chitin), values were similar among species with mean values being slightly higher in fall (x=11.8±2.5) than in winter (x=6.7±1.8). Among non-gelatinous species, the ratio of carbon to nitrogen was positively correlated with the lipid to protein ratio, underscoring the compositional association between elemental and proximate components in these groups. In gelatinous species, the relationship between carbon:nitrogen and lipid:protein was inconsistent and less pronounced. Caloric content was estimated from recovered organic matter for nongelatinous species. As a function of wet weight and dry weight, values reflected differences in water level and ash content among individual species. As a function of ashfree dry weight, values were similar among all species (x=3.6±0.9 kcal/g).
Recent developments in the cell biology of basic fibroblast growth factor.

Revue sur les connaissances actuelles concernant la biologie des facteurs de croissance basiques: biosynthese, localisation, activites biologiques, proteines associees, potentiel transformant, recepteurs, liberation, interactions avec les matrices
Patterns of sensory processing in children with an autism spectrum disorder

Abstract The literature describing individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) commonly includes descriptions of differences in sensory processing. The purpose of this study was to describe patterns of sensory processing found in 400 children with an ASD. Exploratory factor analysis identified 6 parsimonious factors: low energy/weak, tactile and movement sensitivity, taste/smell sensitivity, auditory and visual sensitivity, sensory seeking/distractibility, and hypo-responsivity. These factors are consistent with other reports about differences in sensory processing. Findings provide insights about practice and future research.
Temperature dependence of auto-oscillations in YIG films

Abstract High-power ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) in thin YIG disks produces finger-like regions of auto-oscillation as a function of static field and excitation power. These fingers are associated with the magnetostatic modes found in the low-power FMR spectra and are characterized by their onset power (2–15 dBm) and frequency (1–10 MHz). Using a 9.23 GHz excitation source, the temperature dependence of these characteristics has been investigated from 130 to 290 K. It has been found that as the temperature decreases both the onset power and the auto-oscillation frequency increase. This is consistent with the known increase in sample magnetization and the observed increase in both linewidth and mode spacing as the temperature of the sample is lowered. Numerical results have been obtained from a model based upon a microscopic Hamiltonian and are in excellent agreement with the experimental data.
Improving patient recall and comprehension of the treatment regimen

The failure of patients to comprehend medical advice or to recall accurately the instructions their physicians give them may destroy the effectiveness of even the most scientifically sound treatment regimen. The proper use of practical and simple communication techniques may greatly assist the physician in educating the patient. Knowledge of the current status of research on the recall of medical information will assist the practitioner in communicating so that patients can improve their retention of medical instructions and advice.
3D facial expression modeling for recognition

Current two-dimensional image based face recognition systems encounter difficulties with large variations in facial appearance due to the pose, illumination and expression changes. Utilizing 3D information of human faces is promising for handling the pose and lighting variations. While the 3D shape of a face does not change due to head pose (rigid) and lighting changes, it is not invariant to the non-rigid facial movement and evolution, such as expressions and aging effect. We propose a facial surface matching framework to match multiview facial scans to a 3D face model, where the (non-rigid) expression deformation is explicitly modeled for each subject, resulting in a person-specific deformation model. The thin plate spline (TPS) is applied to model the deformation based on the facial landmarks. The deformation is applied to the 3D neutral expression face model to synthesize the corresponding expression. Both the neutral and the synthesized 3D surface models are used to match a test scan. The surface registration and matching between a test scan and a 3D model are achieved by a modified Iterative Closest Point (ICP) algorithm. Preliminary experimental results demonstrate that the proposed expression modeling and recognition-by-synthesis schemes improve the 3D matching accuracy.
A new pastoral conversation model

This article describes both the rationale for and the components of The Metanoia Model, a pastoral conversation construct that integrates Carkhuff's facilitative conditions and skills, a method of theological assessment, and techniques for using religious resources. It first considers pastors' need for the aforementioned skills, assessment, and resources, then presents the new model with its theological and psychological underpinnings, and concludes with brief introductions to the model's theological assessment process and its three stages.
The implications of alcohol intoxication and the Uniform Policy Provision Law on trauma centers; a national trauma data bank analysis of minimally injured patients.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol intoxication may confound the initial assessment of trauma patients, resulting in increased use of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, thereby increasing hospital costs. The Uniform Policy Provision Law (UPPL) exists in many states and allows insurance companies to deny payment for medical treatment for alcohol-related injuries. If intoxication increases resource utilization, these denials compound the financial burden of alcohol use on trauma centers. We hypothesized that patients injured while under the influence of alcohol require more diagnostic tests, procedures, and hospital admissions, leading to higher hospital charges. METHODS: The National Trauma Databank (2000-2004) was analyzed to identify adult trauma patients (age > or = 16 years) who were discharged alive, had a length of stay Language: en
Barehands: implement-free interaction with a wall-mounted display

We describe Barehands, a free-handed interaction technique, in which the user can control the invocation of system commands and tools on a touch screen by touching it with distinct hand postures. Using behind-screen infrared (IR) illumination and a video camera with an IR filter, we enable a back-projected SMARTBoard (a commercially available, 61 3/8" x 47" touch-sensing display) to identify and respond to several distinct hand postures. Barehands provides a natural, quick, implement-free method of interacting with large, wall-mounted interactive surfaces.