cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Epidemiology of urban trauma deaths: a comprehensive reassessment 10 years later.

We conducted a comprehensive analysis of the epidemiology of trauma deaths in our urban county during a one-year period a decade ago. In the interim we have implemented a statewide trauma system, initiated a number of injury-prevention programs, and have had a major public effort to reduce drug traffic and related gangs. Consequently, we have reassessed the regional trauma mortality to ascertain the impact of these measures and to search for new injury patterns. Trauma deaths occurring within our urban county from January 1 through December 31, 2002 were reviewed for mechanism, demographics, and cause of fatal injury; cases were identified using death certificates from the Colorado Department of Public Health. We compared these data to the trauma fatalities occurring during 1992. During the 2002 study period, there were 420 injury-related deaths. Most of the patients were men (296 patients, 70%), with a mean age of 47.3 years (median age, 42 years). The three predominant mechanisms of fatal injury were transport-related (180 patients, 43%), intentional (99 patients, 24%), and falls (86 patients, 20%). Comparison between 1992 and 2002 showed significant increases in the percentage of transport-related and fall-related deaths, and a significant reduction in intentional fatal injuries. There was also a shift in the percentage of deaths occurring in the first 24 h to delayed times. The death rate per capita in Denver County declined from 0.081 in 1992 to 0.060 in 2002. Along with a decrease in the per capita death rate, the major mechanisms of patient’s deaths changed substantively over the decade 1992–2002; there was a shift from intentional injuries to transport-related deaths as the predominant etiology of trauma related deaths. Recognition of such injury patterns will direct future injury-prevention efforts and coordination of citywide trauma care.
Modeling optoelectronic devices for simulation by means of element stamps

This paper describes an approach to the simulation of optoelectronic integrated circuits based on the development of so-called element stamps for the models of optoelectronic devices. Using stamps, lumped-constant device models can be easily integrated in s a simulator, and built-in models greatly reduce the computational effort required for simulation, as compared to user-provided models written in a Hardware Description Language. As an example, the derivation of the stamp representing a quantum-well laser is described in detail, and numerical simulation results are presented.© (2002) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Perceived control and hot flashes in treatment-seeking breast cancer survivors and menopausal women.

Breast cancerControlCopingMenopauseSymptom managementVasomotor symptomsBackground: Lower perceived control over hot flashes has been linked to fewercoping strategies, more catastrophizing, and greater hot flash severity and distress inmidlife women, yet this important concept has not yet been studied in breast cancersurvivors.Objective: The aim of this study was to explore perceived control over hotflashes and hot flashes in breast cancer survivors compared with midlife womenwithout cancer. Methods: Ninety-nine survivors and 138 midlife women completedquestionnaires and a prospective, electronic hot flash diary. All data were collectedat a baseline assessment before randomization in a behavioral intervention study.Results: Both groups had moderate perceived control over hot flashes. Control wasnot significantly related to hot flash frequency but was significantly related to hot flashseverity, bother, and interference in both groups. A significantly stronger associationbetween control and hot flash interference was found for survivors than for midlifewomen.Survivorsusinghotflashtreatmentsperceivedlesscontrolthandidsurvivorsnotusing hot flash treatments, whereas the opposite was true in midlife women.Conclusions: Findingsextend our knowledge of perceived control over hot flashes inboth survivors and midlife women. Implications for Practice: Findings emphasizetheimportanceofcontinuedmenopausalsymptomassessmentandmanagement,supportthe importance of continuing nursing care even for survivors who are already using hotflash treatment, and suggest that nursing interventions aimed at improving perceivedcontrol over hot flashes may be more helpful for survivors than for midlife women.Hot Flashes in BCSs and MW
Coupling between parallel dark spatial soliton waveguides.

Dark spatial solitons are able to guide light in a self-defocusing Kerr-type medium by inducement of a refractive-index profile equivalent to a dielectric waveguide. We derive the coupling coefficients between two parallel dark soliton waveguides and investigate the coupling length as a function of various dark soliton and guided-wave parameters.
Microcredit as a Grass‐Roots Policy for International Development

The failure of top-down development policies in the Third World has given rise to a variety of grass-roots, or bottom-up, development strategies to combat the severe poverty that continues to plague developing countries. Among these grass-roots approaches, microcredit has grown rapidly in popularity, scope, and impact over the last two decades. Microcredit provides financial capital for poor entrepreneurs who toil in the informal, poverty sectors in developing country economies. In addition to the thousands of predominantly nongovernmental organizations that offer microcredit programs, many national governments in the Third World are now seeking to integrate microcredit strategies into their development policy and planning. Accordingly, this article examines the microcredit movement, including its rationale and underlying premises, its impact on the poor, and its role in development policy.
Multiscale Modeling of Fine Particles Migration in Granular Filters

We present early results of a fully coupled transient three-dimensional model employed to study fundamentals of fine particles migration in granular filters. Filtration process and internal erosion are a particle level phenomenon. A numerical model that is capable of tracking the migration of the base soil particles through the filter pores at a microscale is therefore needed. The discrete element method is used to model the granular material. The pore fluid is modeled at a mesoscale and solved using the lattice Boltzmann method. The proposed approach is used to model the migration of base soil particles through a granular filter. Results of conducted simulation provide the erosion percentage and flow rate during the simulation.
Quantitative Fractography of Mixed-Mode Fracture in Soda Lime Silica Glass

Fracture surfaces of soda lime silica glass failed from controlled surface cracks in diametral compression, under mixed-mode loading conditions were studied using fractography. Mode mixity was introduced by orienting indent precracks in different directions with respect to the loading axis. The mixed-mode fracture surfaces were characterized by an absence of the mist region. The hackle markings on the mixed-mode fracture surfaces appear as lances and differ from those observed on surfaces failed in pure mode I. Atomic force microscopy on the mixed-mode fracture surfaces revealed that the features at different regions are similar and differ only by scale. Fracture surface measurements for mixed-mode loading are compared to the measurements for mode I loading. The stress intensity at microbranching was determined to be a constant irrespective of the loading conditions. The practical implications of these observations are that forensic analyses can be used without a priori knowledge of the loading conditions.
Nucleic Acid Biotechnology

Driven by advances in the acquisition of genetic sequence information and the ability to manipulate small quantities of nucleic acid, a number of technologies are emerging that exploit nucleic acids for research, diagnostic, and therapeutic utility. In this review, we cover three technologies based on nucleic acids--DNA microarrays, antisense technology, and gene therapy--that are especially promising and may make a substantial impact in the laboratory and in the clinic during the coming years. For each of these areas, an overview of the current status and applications is provided, followed by a discussion of critical issues and challenges to be faced for further advancement of the technology; an emphasis is placed on quantitative and engineering aspects.
Thyroid hormone regulates the expression of laminin in the developing rat cerebellum.

In the rat cerebellum, migration of neurons from the external granular layer to the internal granular layer occurs postnatally and is dependent upon the presence of thyroid hormone. In hypothyroidism, many neurons fail to complete their migration and die. Key guidance signals to these migrating neurons are provided by laminin, an extracellular matrix protein that is fixed to the surface of astrocytes. Expression of laminin in the brain is developmentally timed to coincide with neuronal growth spurts. In this study, we examined the role of thyroid hormone on the expresssion and distribution of laminin in the rat cerebellum. We show that laminin content steadily increased 2- to 3-fold from birth to maximal levels on postnatal day 8–10 then steadily decreased to a plateau by postnatal day 12 in the euthyroid cerebellum. Immunoreactive laminin appeared in the molecular layer of the euthyroid cerebellum by postnatal day 4, reached maximal intensity by postnatal day 8–10, and was gone by postnatal day 14. In co...
Canonical piecewise-linear analysis- II: Tracing driving-point and transfer characteristics

An extremely efficient breakpoint-hopping algorithm is presented for tracing the driving-point and transfer characteristics of any nonlinear circuit made of linear (possibly multi-terminal) resistors, dc independent sources, linear controlled sources (all 4 types) and 2-terminal nonlinear resistors described by piecewise-linear \upsilon - i characteristics. Most resistive nonlinear electronic circuits can be realistically modeled by such circuits. The algorithm can trace not only violently nonlinear (with sharp turning points) and multivalued characteristics, but also characteristics composed of several disconnected branches, provided one point in each branch is given. The remarkable computational efficiency of the breakpoint-hopping algorithm is due to two key properties built into the algorithm: 1) the circuit equation is formulated into a special form; namely, a canonical piecewise-linear equation with a lattice structure. 2) the algorithm finds only the breakpoints and possibly one point on each end (unbounded) segment via explicit formulas (hence no convergence problem). These data points represent the minimal amount of information needed to specify a piecewise-linear characteristic uniquely.
The Chandigarh Rock Garden

The Chandigarh Rock Garden Text and Photographs by Allan B. Jacobs Unexpected, Delightful Places: The Rock Garden comes as a wondrous surprise. O n a hot, hot summer day, after you leave the broad-spaced, cubist, formal structure of the complex of government buildings in Chandigarh and the relentless, shimmering heat of the open-air business center, you can find, if you are lucky, a whimsical wall and behind it a maze of outdoor rooms and spaces, of landscape, of sculpted people, animals, musicians, and abstractions that look at you as you pass. Suddenly, you are unaware of the heat. Every landscape scene, every combination of figures and shapes that invites visual dialogue is new. Yet most of the materials—bricks, discarded electric fixtures, broken bathroom fixture ceramics and pipe tiles—are old, reused. When Indian officials discovered the Rock Garden of Chandigarh they wanted to tear it down. They failed and so the garden remains, a small pause in the still growing city. Designed and built in secrecy by Nek Chand, a maintenance-yard worker, the garden is an expression of individuality within a strong cultural context. It may be one of the most creative urban land­ scapes of the past 50 years. Places/ Volume 1, Number 1
On the nature of ecodynamics

Conventional physics is of little help in describing how ecosystems develop. Imbalances in material and energy usually equilibrate at rates that are much faster than changes in the internal structural constraints occur. Quantifying and following these internal constraints, therefore, constitutes the primary task for those who would describe ecodynamics. Many of the internal constraints link the biotic elements that constitute the ecosystem, and such connections often form self-entailing cycles. The combination of contingent behavior with auto-referential constraints engenders decidedly non-mechanical behaviors in ecosystems. It is impossible to treat explicitly all the hidden constraints in an ecosystem, and so an implicit phenomenological approach, akin to what is done in thermodynamics is attempted. The network of material or energy exchanges in the ecosystem is used as a surrogate to record all the effects of the hidden constraints. The attributes of this network can be quantified with the help of information theory, and the ensuing measures appear to provide an adequate description of whole system development. This description of ecodynamics clashes, however, with the normal conventions on how nature is considered to operate; hence, a new ecological metaphysic is suggested. # 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
GOMEX08 — High frequency acoustic propagation over the Alabama Alps

The objective of this work is to diagnose high frequency acoustic propagation directly from oceanographic data and ocean models. To achieve this objective a joint acoustic and oceanographic experiment was performed in the Gulf of Mexico in the summer of 2008. This paper will show that high frequency acoustic propagation at 17.5 kHz tracks the estimated turbulent dissipation rate obtained from field measurements and that ocean modeling gives reasonable estimates of both the turbulent dissipation rate and sound speed. The ocean model sound speed structure is used in an acoustic model to simulate the measured acoustic fluctuations at 17.5 kHz over a four hour period.
Evidence for ion acceleration by oscillations in the discharge plasma of ion engines

Summary form only given. The hollow cathode discharge plasma in ion engines is highly non-uniform, geometrically complex, and confined by a magnetic field; elucidating the mechanisms responsible for producing ions with anomalously high energies observed in the downstream regions of hollow cathodes will contribute to understanding the behavior of complex plasmas. Ions with energies in excess of ten times greater than the energy associated with electrostatic acceleration from the largest steady-state potential difference in the plasma discharge of ion engines have been detected. Several ion acceleration mechanisms have been proposed. By process of elimination, experimental evidence appears to support wave-based acceleration; however, the details of the wave and of the acceleration process are unknown. Ion energy distributions collected with an electrostatic energy analyzer reveal multiple ion populations when the analyzer is aligned along the cathode axis, including a high-energy tail. The high-energy population and tail are present in the distributions when the detector is rotated off of the cathode axis up to 90deg, thereby eliminating the primarily axial acceleration mechanisms. A newly designed instrument that consists of a velocity filter and an energy-per-charge filter in series allows determination of the charge-state of the high-energy ions, thus revealing the importance of multiple charge-exchange collisions. In addition, this instrument is used to examine whether ions of different masses are preferentially accelerated. Recent experiments demonstrate a relationship between ion energies and fluctuations in the discharge plasma. Preliminary investigations that recorded fluctuations in the applied voltage difference between the cathode and anode reveal that when the average energy of ions which have an energy-to-charge ratio greater than the steady-state discharge voltage is high, the power of oscillations with frequencies up to 2 MHz increases. In addition, the average energy of ions is a shifted-exponential function of the peak-to-peak fluctuations in the discharge voltage. High sample-rate measurements of ion energies correlated with measurements of plasma potential recorded with a Langmuir probe provide further insight into the relationship between ion energies and oscillations in the plasma.
Performance evaluation of selected transmission schemes on digital subscriber loops

The authors provide a quantitative performance comparison of selected digital transmission schemes proposed for providing reliable communication on two-wire twisted-pair digital subscriber loops in support of ISDN (integrated services digital network) services. More specifically, they consider the bit error probability (BEP) performance of both hybrid adaptive echo cancellation (HAEC) and time compression multiplexing (TCM) schemes employing either AMI or 2B1Q line codes. The modeling assumptions are carefully described and used to develop a quantitative relative-performance evaluation methodology. Numerical results illustrate the nature of the performance trade-offs as a function of channel and system design parameters. These results are useful in characterizing the parameter choices when there is a clear preference for one system over another. >
Model-Driven Engineering for Development-Time QoS Validation of Component-Based Software Systems

Model-driven engineering (MDE) techniques are increasingly being used to address many of the development and operational lifecycle concerns of large-scale component-based systems. One such concern lacking significant research deals with the validation of quality-of-service (QoS) properties of component-based systems throughout their development lifecycle instead of waiting until system integration time, which is very late and can be detrimental to project schedules and costs. This paper describes our novel MDE-based solution to address this challenge. At the core of our solution approach are (1) a set of domain-specific modeling languages that allow us to mimic component "business logic," and (2) a generative programming framework that synthesizes empirical benchmarking code for system emulation and continuous QoS evaluation
Bifunctional Peptide Inhibitors Suppress Interleukin-6 Proliferation and Ameliorates Murine Collagen-Induced Arthritis

The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and potential mechanism of action of type-II collagen bifunctional peptide inhibitor (CII-BPI) molecules in suppressing rheumatoid arthritis in the collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mouse model. CII-BPI molecules (CII-BPI-1, CII-BPI-2, and CII-BPI-3) were formed through conjugation between an antigenic peptide derived from type-II collagen and a cell adhesion peptide LABL (CD11a237-246) from the I-domain of LFA-1 via a linker molecule. The hypothesis is that the CII-BPI molecules simultaneously bind to MHC-II and ICAM-1 on the surface of APC and block maturation of the immunological synapse. As a result, the differentiation of naive T cells is altered from inflammatory to regulatory and/or suppressor T cells. The efficacies of CII-BPI molecules were evaluated upon intravenous injections in CIA mice. Results showed that CII-BPI-1 and CII-BPI-2 suppressed the joint inflammations in CIA mice in a dose-dependent manner and were more potent than the respective antigenic peptides alone. CII-BPI-3 was not as efficacious as CII-BPI-1 and CII-BPI-2. Significantly less joint damage was observed in CII-BPI-2 and CII-2 treated mice than in the control. The production of IL-6 was significantly lower at the peak of disease in mice treated with CII-BPI-2 compared to those treated with CII-2 and control. In conclusion, this is the first proof-of-concept study showing that BPI molecules can be used to suppress RA and may be a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
The design and analysis of a cache architecture for texture mapping

The effectiveness of texture mapping in enhancing the realism of computer generated imagery has made support for real-time texture mapping a critical part of graphics pipelines. Despite a recent surge in interest in three-dimensional graphics from computer architects, high-quality high-speed texture mapping has so far been confined to costly hardware systems that use brute-force techniques to achieve high performance. One obstacle faced by designers of texture mapping systems is the requirement of extremely high bandwidth to texture memory. High bandwidth is necessary since there are typically tens to hundreds of millions of accesses to texture memory per second. In addition, to achieve the high clock rates required in graphics pipelines, low-latency access to texture memory is needed. In this paper, we propose the use of texture image caches to alleviate the above bottlenecks, and evaluate various tradeoffs that arise in such designs.We find that the factors important to cache behavior are (i) the representation of texture images in memory, (ii) the rasterization order on screen and (iii) the cache organization. Through a detailed investigation of these issues, we explore the best way to exploit locality of reference and determine whether this technique is robust with respect to different scenes and different amounts of texture. Overall, we observe that there is a significant amount of temporal and spatial locality and that the working set sizes are relatively small (at most 16KB) across all cases that we studied. Consequently, the memory bandwidth requirements of a texture cache system are substantially lower (at least three times and as much as fifteen times) than the memory bandwidth requirements of a system which achieves equivalent performance but does not utilize a cache. These results are very encouraging and indicate that caching is a promising approach to designing memory systems for texture mapping.
The Theory of Two-Currency Gambles

This paper describes a theory of decision making under uncertainty when payoffs are made in two different currencies. It is shown that immediate lotteries can be evaluated consistently using utility functions assessed in either currency. Delayed lotteries subject to the exchange risk may also be evaluated by single currency utility functions; the implications of the use of such functions are discussed. The conditions where a utility function should include the rate of exchange itself are outlined. Finally, the fallacy of the use of risk adjusted exchange rates for specific exchange management operations is discussed.
A compliant contact model with nonlinear damping for simulation of robotic systems

Contact modeling is an important aspect of simulation of many robotic tasks. In the paper, a compliant contact model with nonlinear damping is investigated, and many previously unknown characteristics of the model are developed. Compliance is used to eliminate many of the problems associated with using rigid body models with Coulomb friction, while the use of nonlinear damping eliminates the discontinuous impact forces and most sticky tensile forces which arise in Kelvin-Voigt linear models. Two of the most important characteristics of the model are the dependence of the coefficient of restitution on velocity and damping in a physically meaningful manner, and its computational simplicity. A full mathematical development for an impact response is given, along with the effects of the system and model parameters on energy loss. A quasistatic analysis gives results which are consistent with energy loss characteristics of a more complex distributed foundation model under sustained contact conditions. A foot contact example for a walking machine is given which demonstrates the applicability of the model for impact on foot placement, sustained contact during the support phase, and the breaking of the contact upon liftoff of the foot.
Can a higher relaxivity contrast agent hinder subendocardial infarct detection in viability imaging

Introduction Recently, higher relaxivity contrasts agents have been advocated for use in infarct imaging. Specifically, MultiHance® (gadobenate dimeglumine) has higher relaxivities (r1 and r2, 9.71 and 12.51) compared to standard Magnevist (gadopentetate dimeglumine) (r1 and r2, 4.91 and 6.31). Will this higher relaxivity show better visualization of subendocardial infarcts or hinder the visualization?
A bibliometric and network analysis of the field of computational linguistics

The ACL Anthology is a large collection of research papers in computational linguistics. Citation data were obtained using text extraction from a collection of PDF files with significant manual postprocessing performed to clean up the results. Manual annotation of the references was then performed to complete the citation network. We analyzed the networks of paper citations, author citations, and author collaborations in an attempt to identify the most central papers and authors. The analysis includes general network statistics, PageRank, metrics across publication years and venues, the impact factor and h-index, as well as other measures.
Cross layer design for broadband ad hoc network with MIMO-OFDM

Multiple input multiple output (MIMO) and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) are very promising techniques for broadband wireless communication. However, these promising techniques have not been realized in ad hoc networks. In this paper, we propose transceiver architecture with MIMO-OFDM and medium access control (MAC) scheme for broadband ad hoc networks. In our scheme, each node has multiple antennas and the independent data flows from different nodes are made into virtual MIMO OFDM scheme. At each transmit node, space-time coding (STC) is used among multiple antennas to improve the reliability of the communication between nodes to nodes. Data flows from independent nodes can be separated using detection algorithms in receiver nodes. For this transceiver architecture, a new cross layer design MAC scheme-multiple antennas receiver initiated busy tone medium access (MARI-BTMA) is proposed based on receiver initiated busy tone medium access (RI-BTMA). MARI-BTMA uses multiple out of band busy-tones to notify the nodes about the number of users in the system to avoid the collision of the nodes on the same channel. Analysis and simulation results show the improved performance of MARI-BTMA compared with RI-BTMA and carrier sensing medium access/collision avoidance (CSMA/CA).
An integrated selective amplifier using frequency translation

Integrated band-pass amplifiers with high selectivity and good desensitivity can be realized, using the principle of frequency translation. In contrast to previously proposed systems in which frequency translation is achieved by periodic switching, this system uses analog multipliers as the basic elements, thereby obtaining improved high-frequency performance and reduced distortion. The properties of the analog multipliers are described and a procedure is developed for desensitizing the system characteristics against temperature and parameter changes. Both monolithic and hybrid realizations of the selective amplifier are proposed. Experimental results are given for an integrated prototype which achieves a stable Q of 328 at a center frequency of 1.5 Mc/s.
Collisional broadening of Kr (4p6S01→→5p[32]2) transition with combustion species as collision partners

Abstract Collisional broadening of krypton 4 p 6 S 0 1 → → 5 p [ 3 2 ] 2 transition centered at 107.3 nm caused by common combustion species is investigated in this work. The present work investigates the compositional and thermodynamic dependencies of the collisional parameters between collision partners with similar electronic energy level gaps. In this situation, the classical expression of dispersive energy during collisions cannot be simplified to obtain closed form equations for the collisional parameters. The broadening parameters, namely collisional full width at half maximum (wc) and collisional shift (δc) are obtained through a two-photon excitation scan of krypton (Kr) present in a mixture containing krypton and the collision partner at 295 K and 101 kPa. The compositional scaling of wc and δc are compared with scaling at situations corresponding to both large and small perturber electronic energy level gaps as compared to the absorber’s electronic energy level gap. In the Kr PLIF system, wc scaling corresponds to a situation where the perturber electronic energy level gap is significantly larger than absorber energy level gap, whereas δc scaling corresponds to when the absorber electronic energy level gap is significantly larger than the perturber electronic energy level gap. Further, contributions from non-dispersive forces are computed to be significantly smaller than dispersive forces, which results to the observed tight scaling. The observed compositional scaling is shown to be consistent with a different collisional partner system (NO as the absorber and combustion species as perturbers), indicating that the scaling obtained with the krypton system is general to situations with perturbers and absorbers having similar electronic energy level spacing.
Technical Challenges in Current Primo Vascular System Research and Potential Solutions

Since Bonghan Kim's discovery of the Bonghan system (BHS) in the 1960s, numerous reports have suggested that the system is fundamental for maintaining mammalian life. The BHS is a circulatory system independent of the blood or the lymphatic system, forms an extensive network throughout the entire mammalian body, has been reported to be the acupuncture meridian, stores distinct types of stem cells, and appears to have some roles in cancer metastasis. Despite Kim's first report having been published as early as 1962, research progress has been rather slow mainly because the system is very small and translucent, making it optically difficult to distinguish it from the hemoglobin-rich surrounding tissues. Unfortunately, Kim did not describe in detail the methods that he used for identifying and harvesting the system and the components of the system. In 2000, Kwang-Sup Soh reopened the BHS research, and since then, new and important scientific findings on the system have been reported, and many of Kim's results have been verified. In 2010, the BHS was renamed the primo vascular system. Nevertheless, good tools to properly deal with this system are still lacking. In this article, we address some of the technical difficulties involved in studying the primo vascular system and attempt to discuss potential ways to overcome those difficulties.
Unusual Events And Their Relation to Federal Water Policies

Within the 10-yr period between 1930 and 1940 there were profound changes in federal water policies and more than a tenfold increase in federal activities designed to modify the runoff phase of the...
Never done and poorly paid: women's work in globalising India

Never done and poorly paid: women's work in globalising India, by Jayati Ghosh, New Delhi, Women Unlimited, 2009, vii + 185 pp., ISBN 81-88965-44-8 Economist Jayati Ghosh's macro-level study invest...
Determining the Two-Photon Absorption Cross-Section for the 5 2 S 1/2 --> 5 2 D 5/2 Transition in Naturally Occurring Rubidium

Recently we demonstrated lasing at 420 nm and 455 nm inside of rubidium and cesium vapor cells respectively, by non-resonant, two photon absorption at near infrared pump wavelengths. Two photon absorption from the ground S1/2 state to excited D3/2,5/2 or higher lying S1/2 state via virtual states and subsequent infrared stimulated emission pumps the upper laser levels, the second excited P1/2,3/2 states. To better understand the mechanism and phenomenology of this type of laser, this paper presents a method for determining the two-photon absorption (TPA) cross-section for the 5S1/2 −→ 5D5/2 transition in naturally occurring rubidium. For an incident pump intensity of 392 W cm2 and a rubidium concentration of 3.34 × 10 atoms cm3 , a peak absorbance of 0.10 is observed. The concentration of the Rb in the test cell is determined by one photon absorption spectra of the D2, indicating a vapor curve shifted by 14 C from the exterior wall temperature. The incident laser beam is focused to a waist of 75 μm. The beam quality is consistent with an M = 1.05 − 1.09. A model for the intensity as a function of propagation distance is developed to interpret the observed absorption spectrum and determine a cross-section for the two photon absorption.
Anisotropic Electrical Transport and Surface Microstructure in GalnP2

We show that GaInP2 exhibits a directional anisotropy of the electrical conductivity when grown under the appropriate growth conditions. We relate this anisotropy to the characteristic surface microstructure of the material.
Maintenance scheduling optimization based on reliability and prognostics information

Maintaining a large fleet of aircraft can be very challenging due to the variety of aircraft models, ages, and operating environments. Usually, the maintenance activities are implemented in a few centered facilities with different levels of maintenance capabilities. For instance, the Air Force's Air Logistics Complexes (ALC) are responsible for maintaining the Air Force's aging aircraft fleets. Current static methods for maintenance planning are based on the long-established Programmed Depot Maintenance (PDM) interval method, which can result in schedule delays, low throughput, and aircraft availability shortfalls. The situations are further complicated due to the increasing age of aircraft, high operational demands, and overall lack of fiscal resources. This paper is to propose innovative condition-based maintenance scheduling methodologies by integrating complex data processing, feature extraction, prognostic algorithm, and maintenance scheduling optimization. The proposed framework of prognostic-based maintenance scheduling is able to provide tradeoff analysis in terms of key performance metrics such as command possession rate, cost, and capacity expansion. The optimized maintenance schedule based on fleet health status will lead to higher aircraft availability, lower unscheduled maintenance cost, and meeting the continuous improvement initiatives such as the transitioning from PDM-based maintenance to High Velocity Maintenance (HVM) paradigm. The research outcomes will lead to more predictable and efficient maintenance scheduling capability. A numerical example shows how the aircraft reliability and health information can be integrated into the maintenance scheduling and planning optimization.
Time trends in mortalities of heart and cerebrovascular diseases among residents in Dalian from 1981 to 2013

Objective To investigate features of deaths due to heart and cerebrovascular diseases( HCDs) from 1981to 2013 among residents in Dalian city and to provide scientific basis for the control of HCDs. Methods This study was based on death surveillance data in Dalian. Mortality rate( MR),crude death rate( CDR),age-adjusted mortality rate( AAM),annual percent change( APC) were calculated. Results From 1981 to 2013,the CDR of HCDs fluctuated from92. 85 /100 000 to 131. 30 /100 000 and increased slowly,with an APC of 1. 92( P 0. 01); the AAM of HCDs fluctuated from 49. 25 /100 000 to 151. 19 /100 000 and decreased slowly,with an APC of-3. 82( P 0. 01). During the period,HCDs accounted for 15. 08%-22. 37% of the all deaths and ranked as the third cause of death after the year of 2002. The ranges of CDR and AAM of HCDs were 100. 88 /100 000-143. 22 /100 000 and 54. 59 /100 000-148. 65 /100 000 for males,and 82. 66 /100 000-120. 89 /100 000 and 43. 56 /100 000-156. 24 /100 000 for females during the period,with the yearly decrease trend in AAM for males and CDR for females. The mortality rate of cerebrovascular disease was very low for the residents aged under 15 years,whereas,the rate increased with age for the residents at the age of ≥15 and 50 years but decreased with age for the residents of ≥50 years old. Conclusion HCDs have emerged as primary causes of death for Dalian residents and much more attentions should be paid for the prevention and control of HCDs.
Application of agricultural resources in poverty alleviation and development planning——A case study of Guangdong province

To eliminate poverty,improve people's livelihood and finally achieve common prosperity,is the essential requirement of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the important premise of realizing the basic modernization and building a well-off society in an all-round way. In order to support the formulation on poverty alleviation and development planning,give a full play to the superiority of the poverty-stricken areas of agricultural natural resources,the government uses the agricultural industry to stimulate the development of underdeveloped regions in economic entity,the agricultural infrastructure to strengthen the rural construction and the agriculture sightseeing resources to drive the development of quality tourism. This study takes agricultural resources in poverty alleviation and development as the research object and the current situation of agricultural resources in poor areas as the breakthrough point. Through empirical analysis,the results show that the existing industry integration ability is weak in the planning of poverty alleviation,the age structure of helping main bodies is of disparity,and the leading role for poverty alleviation plan is not strong. At last,some suggestions to provide reference for poverty alleviation and development work are put forward,such as carrying out the agricultural resources research,pushing contractual right of land to be approved,strengthening infrastructure construction and carrying out the agricultural resources planning and so on.
Study on the relations between the diet and the therapeutic effects of infants with rotavirus enteritis

Objective To study the relation between the diet and the therapeutic effects of infants with rotavirus enteritis.Methods: Total of 93 infants with rotavirus enteritis were randomly divided into A,B and C groups,the group A were feed by lactose-free infants formula,the group B were feed by breast feeding,the group C were feed by common infant formula.All the infants in three group were treated therapeutic by the same drug scheme.The therapeutic effects were compared in the groups of A,B and C.Results: The curative rates in group A was higher than the other two groups,while the mean days of diarrhea,the degree of body weight lost were less than the other groups.Conclusion: The infants with rotavirus enteritis should be better feed by lactose-free infant formula
Comparison of mitochondrial DNA somatic mutation in patients with breast cancer between Chinese Han people and American Caucasians

AIM: To investigate the diversity of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) somatic mutatio n in patients with breast cancer of different races. METHODS: The mtDNA of breast cancer and corresponding normal tissues were extr acted from 54 Chinese Han people and 19 American Caucasians, whose tumor samples were reserved during 2000 to 2003, for prospective mutation analysis with tempo ral temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TTGE). The entire mtDNA of all the subjects were amplified by using 32 pairs of overlapping primers. The mtDNA fra gments showing different banding patterns between tumor and normal tissue were s equenced to identify the exact mutations. RESULTS: 74%(14/19) of the tumors in American Caucasian showed somatic mtDNA mutation, while it was only 37%(24/54) in the Chinese Han people, and the latte r had more number of new mutation which was not recorded in the MitoMap database . The somatic mutation densities were the highest in the D loop region of both groups, and the mutation density in the rRNA region was higher but in the D loo p region was lower in the Chinese Han people than in the American Caucasians (χ 2=9.27, P=0.026). CONCLUSION: There are differences of mtDNA somatic mutation in frequency, dens ity and distribution between Chinese Han people and American Caucasians.The Chin ese Han patients with breast cancer have more new mutations which was not record ed in the MitoMap database, indicating that Han people have different characteri stics of mtDNA somatic mutation as compared with the American Caucasians. This s tudy has provided theoretical evidence for the preventive intervention of tumor.
Arithmetic of blast depth controlling of penetrator fuse

To carry out fixed-depth blast,the principle of inertial measurement was used, accelerometers on the fuse of the earth penetrator collocated,the information of the acceleration and angle velocity of the earth penetrator via the output of the accelerometers obtained,the value of the differential equation got, the direction cosine matrix in real time between the bursts' coordinate and inertial coordinate calculated,and the output data of the accelerometers transformed into the component of acceleration along the inertial coordinate by analyzing the direction cosine matrix.The instantaneous information about the earth penetrator' track was obtained,and the fixed-depth control parameter for fixed-depth fuse was provided.
Immunogenetic Aspects of Cellular and Humoral Autoimmunity to Acetylcholine Receptor

Acetylcholine receptor (AChR) deficit is the primary abnormality in acquired myasthenia gravis (MG) (1). The deficiency of AChR at the post synaptic membrane of MG patients is due to an antibody and complement mediated destruction of junctional folds (2). Increased frequency of HLA-B8 and DRW3 antigens are seen in patients with MG (3,4). MG can be induced in mice by immunization with AChR extracted from the electric organ of eel or Torpedo. The lymphocyte response to Torpedo AChR, antibody response to mouse muscle AChR and susceptibility to EAMG are influenced by gene(s) at the I-A subregion of the H-2 complex (5–7). The magnitude of autoantibody response to muscle AChR and the defect of neuromuscular transmission closely parallel the in vitro lymphocyte proliferative response to AChR in MHC congenic and recombinant strains of mice (5). The lymphocyte proliferative response to AChR is dependent on Lyt 1+23− helper T cells (8) and adherent cells (7). A macrophage associated Ia molecule is implicated in the induction of autoimmunity to AChR (5,7).
SPLENIC EXTRAMEDULLARY HEMATOPOIESIS IN GROUPED MALE MICE.

SummaryThe increased splenic weight seen in subordinant grouped male brown mice was due to increased splenic extramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH) involving RBC, WBC, and megakaryocytes. Dominant animals showed no increase in splenic weight nor increased EMH. There was a significant positive correlation between splenic weight and splenic EMH graded on an arbitrary scale. A significant positive correlation between severity of skin fight wounds and splenic EMH was found. There was a significant linear relationship with negative slope between testis weight/body weight and splenic weight/body weight in subordinant grouped animals.
Evidence-Based Diagnosis: Alternatives to randomized trials for estimating treatment effects

Introduction We said in Chapter 9 that randomized blinded trials are the best way of determining treatment effects because they minimize the potential for confounding, co-interventions, and bias, thus maximizing the strength of causal inference. However, sometimes observational studies can be attractive alternatives to randomized trials, because they may be more feasible, ethical, or elegant. Of course the issue of inferring causality from observational studies is a major topic in classical risk factor epidemiology. In this chapter, we focus on observational studies of treatment effects rather than risk factors, describing methods of reducing or assessing confounding that are particularly applicable to such studies. Confounding by indication We discussed in Chapter 9 that confounding refers to the distortion of the effect of variable A on the outcome C by a third variable B, which is both associated with A and a cause of C. We focus on treatments that are supposed to be beneficial, that is, to have an RR
Preliminary exploration of the Measurement of Diverse Adolescent Spirituality (MDAS) among Mexican youth

ABSTRACTIn the current article we propose and offer a preliminary test of an ecologically sensitive theoretical and methodological framework for understanding diverse adolescent spiritual development. The study summarizes the initial stages of development of the Measurement of Diverse Adolescent Spirituality (MDAS) that assesses three dimensions of spirituality: transcendence, fidelity, and contribution. We report our procedures and findings from an initial effort to contextualize the measure and validate the resulting scales with youth in Tijuana, Mexico. In the current study, 391 (211 females, M age = 13.78 years old) Mexican youth completed a self-report survey including the MDAS and measures of prosocial tendencies, daily spiritual experiences, and intrinsic religious motivation. Exploratory and confirmatory factor models, reliability, and structural analysis affirm the MDAS as a valid and reliable multidimensional measure of adolescent spirituality within the tested sample. Implications for further s...
Where We Live, Play, and Study: Assessing Multiple Adverse Impacts of Schools Near Environmental Hazards

On April 18, 2013, a fertilizer plant exploded in West, Texas—a town of 2800, approximately 20-miles from Waco. News accounts reported 14 deaths and 150 injured. What started out as a brush fire on the grounds of the plant quickly escalated when the flames reached the chemical complex’s bins filled with highly flammable ammonium nitrate. The resulting explosion was reported to level nearby homes and businesses leaving a swathe of destruction that was “five blocks deep and 10 blocks wide” with smoke plumes that were visible 75 miles away in Arlington, Texas [Schladen (El Paso Times 2013)].
Influence of Notch Geometry on the Notch Vicinity Stress and Strain Responses

The most common method used to determine the crack initiation life of a component containing a stress raiser in the low cycle fatigue regime is to calculate the maximum strain and then to use a strain-life curve. General practice is to base fatigue life estimates on the stabilized strain amplitude and to neglect the effects of transient behavior due to cyclic hardening or softening and ratcheting. For certain structures in which the accumulation of plastic strains may be significant, a separate check may be performed to ensure that these strains remain below a specified level. An objective of this research is to understand the notch tip local strain ratcheting and shakedown through finite element analyses and physical experiments. Towards planning a set of notched flat coupon experiments, this study performed analyses of various notched coupons under force-controlled cyclic loading. A question that will be addressed, what is the notch tip failure mechanism under a force-controlled load cycle with a non-zero mean force? Smooth specimens under such a force-controlled load cycle normally results in strain ratcheting. It is investigated whether notch tip strain responds in a similar manner under a force controlled loading cycle. The analysis results show that the strain ratcheting rate at the notch tip depends on the sharpness of the notch. In case of semi-circular and blunt elliptical notches shakedown of strain ratcheting within 25 cycles is observed, whereas for the sharp elliptical notch strain ratcheting doesn’t shakedown after 300 cycles. A novel observation made from the analysis results is that the mean stress at the notch tip gradually decreases with inelastic cycle while the stress amplitude remains unchanged. These result and future experimental plan on notch specimens are presented in this article.Copyright © 2016 by ASME