cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Coset Group Construction of Multidimensional Number Systems

Extensions of real numbers in more than two dimensions, in particular quaternions and octonions, are finding applications in physics due to the fact that they naturally capture symmetries of physical systems. However, in the conventional mathematical construction of complex and multicomplex numbers multiplication rules are postulated instead of being derived from a general principle. A more transparent and systematic approach is proposed here based on the concept of coset product from group theory. It is shown that extensions of real numbers in two or more dimensions follow naturally from the closure property of finite coset groups adding insight into the utility of multidimensional number systems in describing symmetries in nature.
A mini-review of modeling studies on membrane bioreactor (MBR) treatment for municipal wastewaters

Membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology is a promising method for water and wastewater treatment because of its ability to produce high-quality effluent that meets water quality regulations. Due to the intrinsic complexity and uncertainty of MBR processes, basic models that can provide a holistic understanding of the technology at a fundamental level are of great necessity. Compared to experimental research and development, followed by commercialization of the technology, modeling studies for system design analysis and performance prediction are at a relatively rudimentary state. In this light, this review was conducted to provide an assessment of present efforts in modeling MBR systems, specifically for municipal wastewater treatment. Models considered in this review are classified into three categories: biomass kinetic models, membrane fouling models, and integrated models with (light) couplings to describe the complete MBR process. The specific features, unique advantages, and capturing capability of experimental observations of each model are discussed and assessed. Crucial components in MBR modeling studies are carefully selected and assessed, based on the importance of their roles in characterizing MBR performance, and future MBR modeling directions are suggested.
An in vitro model for induction of immunologic unresponsiveness to turkey γ-globulin in primed mouse spleen cells: II. Antigen-specific suppressor cells

Abstract Unresponsiveness induced to turkey γ-globulin (TGG) in cultures of TGG-primed spleen cells by incubation with high concentrations of soluble TGG (sTGG) was shown to involve a state of active suppression. Upon transfer to secondary cultures of primed spleen cells stimulated with an optimal dose of TGG-conjugated erythrocytes, such tolerant spleen cells were able to actively inhibit a secondary plaque-forming cell response to TGG in these cultures. Almost complete inhibition was observed with a tolerant cell to primed cell ratio of as low as 0.1. The suppression was antigen specific in that tolerant spleen cells which were suppressive for the secondary TGG response were unable to inhibit a primary response to sheep erythrocytes. T cells were shown to be required for the suppressor effect, in that (i) suppressor activity could be removed by complement-mediated lysis with an anti-Thy 1.2 antiserum and (ii) suppressor activity was retained in the effluent fraction after passage of suppressor spleen cells over a nylon wool column. Induction of the T-cell suppressor activity was found to be associated with a loss of T-cell helper activity within the TGG-pulsed cell population. The presence of adherent cells was not required for induction of suppressor activity. Furthermore, the suppressor effect was found to be resistant to 1000 R of γ irradiation.
Hypoglycemia associated with dexmedetomidine overdose in a child

The case of an asymptomatic 20 month-old, 10.7-kg girl, scheduled for interventional cardiac catheterization to close a patent ductus arteriosus, who suffered significant hypoglycemia possibly related in part to an overdose of dexmedetomidine, is reported. An infusion of dexmedetomidine was started using a programmable syringe pump at the intended administration rate of one mcg/kg/hr, but was actually incorrectly programmed at the rate of one mcg/kg/min. The infusion continued for 36 minutes until a total of 380 mcg (36 mcg/kg) had been given, and was stopped when the error was discovered. A peripheral blood sugar level was found to be 26 mg/dL. The significant hypoglycemia likely was due to substrate deficiency, with a possible dexmedetomidine effect.
Efficient, intuitive user interfaces for classroom-based immersive virtual environments

The educational benefits of immersive virtual environments (VEs) have long been touted, but very few immersive VEs have been used in a classroom setting. We have developed three educational VEs and deployed them in university courses. A key element in the success of these applications is a simple but powerful user interface (UI) that requires no training, yet allows students to interact with the virtual world in meaningful ways. We discuss the design of this UI and the results of an evaluation of its usability in university classrooms.
Host Defense Proteins on the Surface of Neonatal Skin : Implications for Innate Immunity

Objectives To compare the spectrum, concentration, and activity of host defense proteins (HDPs) on the skin surface of newborns and adults, to assess variation in HDP concentrations in different anatomic regions in newborns, and to examine alteration in HDP concentrations with care practices. Study design Proteins recovered from tape discs applied to stratum corneum of 25 term newborns (forehead and posterior trunk) and 20 adults (forehead) were analyzed by Western analysis for 5 HDPs and for muramidase activity. Protein concentrations were compared in samples obtained after delivery, after the first bath, and at 24 hours of age. Results Total protein was 2.8-fold higher in adults compared with newborns. Lysozyme and lactoferrin were detected in all samples. In contrast to total protein, lysozyme concentrations and muramidase activity were 5-fold higher in newborns relative to adults and were not altered after bathing. Lysozyme concentrations were significantly higher over the trunk compared with the forehead in newborns. Conclusions The newborn skin surface is replete with prototypical HDPs, lysozyme, and lactoferrin. Bathing does not significantly diminish concentrations. These factors are likely to contribute importantly to the newborn infants' defense against invasive bacterial infections.
Impact of via interactions and metal slotting on stress induced voiding

Stress induced voiding was investigated for a 0.13 mum Cu/low-k interconnect process. The focus of our study was on the ldquohumprdquo failure mode using a statistical approach to both the design of the vehicle and the data analysis. The time-to-failure (TTF) was studied with respect to geometrical aspects of the lower metal level, insertion of a dummy via, via arrays and metal slotting for long via chains. It is found that insertion of dummy vias increased the reliability, through reduction in the probability for void nucleation and a reduction in void growth rate. The lifetime improvement is attributed to a stress modification in the interconnect. The stress modification can effect vias far from the local ldquodiffusive volumerdquo during void growth, indicating possible new approaches for redundant electrical or dummy via placement. Insertion of metal slots close to the electrically active via act as a diffusive barrier, and slots located elsewhere can modify the stress in the interconnect to improve via lifetime.
Extracting meaningful entities from police narrative reports

Valuable criminal-justice data in free texts such as police narrative reports are currently difficult to be accessed and used by intelligence investigators in crime analyses. It would be desirable to automatically identify from text reports meaningful entities, such as person names, addresses, narcotic drugs, or vehicle names to facilitate crime investigation. In this paper, we report our work on a neural network-based entity extractor, which applies named-entity extraction techniques to identify useful entities from police narrative reports. Preliminary evaluation results demonstrated that our approach is feasible and has some potential values for real-life applications. Our system achieved encouraging precision and recall rates for person names and narcotic drugs, but did not perform well for addresses and personal properties. Our future work includes conducting larger-scale evaluation studies and enhancing the system to capture human knowledge interactively.
Sh@re: Negotiated audit in social networks

With the growth in the popularity of social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace, there is an increasing concern about privacy of content posted by users. Many users enter personal details about themselves but have poor understanding of theats such as identity theft and stalking. There is a need to educate and assist users in understanding how their personal data is exposed to other users. In this paper, we introduce the concept of negotiated audit which gives users of social networks valuable feedback about how their data is being used. Our design has three levels of auditing for both sharing and browsing data: no audit, complete audit and anonymous audit. Users can classify their data as requiring some level of auditing and can also set their browsing preference to one of the auditing levels. Users can only see some data if their browsing preference is compatible with the data's audit level thus giving rise to negotiation of how much users are willing to reveal about their activities and how much data they will be able to access. We provide a mathematical model and describe a simple social networking prototype called Sh@re that implements negotiated audit.
Restoration From Acute Urinary Dysfunction Using Utah Electrode Arrays Implanted Into the Feline Pudendal Nerve

Objectives To investigate intrafascicular pudendal nerve stimulation in felines as a means to restore urinary function in acute models of urinary incontinence, overactive bladder, and underactive bladder. Materials and Methods Felines were anesthetized, and high-electrode-count (48 electrodes; 25 electrodes/mm2) electrode arrays were implanted intrafascicularly into the pudendal nerve trunk. Electrodes were mapped for their ability to selectively or nonselectively excite the external anal sphincter, external urethral sphincter, and the detrusor bladder muscle. Statistical analysis was carried out to quantify reflexive voiding efficiencies, mean impedances of the microelectrodes used in this study, and to determine what differences, if any, in bladder contraction amplitudes were evoked by different electrode configurations. Results Multielectrode arrays implanted into the pudendal nerve trunk were able to selectively and nonselectively excite genitourinary muscles. After inducing urinary incontinence with bilateral pudendal nerve transections (proximal to the implants), electrical stimulation delivered through certain microelectrodes was able to significantly reduce leaking (p = 0.008). Electrical stimulation delivered through detrusor selective electrodes was able to inhibit reflexive bladder contractions and excite bladder contractions, depending on the stimulation frequency. Specific electrode configurations were able to drive significantly (p < 0.001) larger bladder contractions than other electrode configurations, depending on the preparation. Successful reflexively or electrically driven bladder contractions were achieved in 46% and 38% of the preparations, respectively, an observation that has not been noted in previously published feline pudendal stimulation studies. Conclusions Multielectrode arrays implanted intrafascicularly into the pudendal nerve trunk may provide a promising new clinical neuromodulation therapy for the restoration of urinary function.
The stability of thoracic segmentation in trilobites: a case study in developmental and ecological constraints

The decline in origination rate of new metazoan body plans following the Cambrian radiation has been suggested to reflect developmental canalization in derived taxa, limiting their ability to evolve forms with radically different morphotypes. Segmentation is a fundamental aspect of arthropod body plan, and here we show that a derived trilobite that secondarily converged on a morphotype characteristic of basal members of the clade also reverted to a pattern of segmental variability common among basal trilobites. Hence a secular trend in loss of variability of the trilobite thorax was not due to the evolution of an inviolable developmental constraint. This result challenges the notion of developmental canalization in phylogenetically derived taxa. Rather, early variability in trilobites may be the result of ecological factors that promoted segment-rich thoracic morphotypes during Cambrian time.
Silicon nanomembranes: Opportunities for new Si functionalities via strain, flexibility, and layering

The prospects for extending the use of Si to new functionalities by using nanomembranes are reviewed, with emphasis on optoelectronic and photonic applications.
Nucleation and selected area deposition of diamond by biased hot filament chemical vapor deposition

This paper describes a process for uniformly enhancing the nucleation density of diamond films on silicon (Si) substrates via dc-biased hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD). The Si substrate was negatively biased and the tungsten (W) filaments were positively biased relative to the grounded stainless steel reactor wall. It was found that by directly applying such a negative bias to the Si substrate in a typical HFCVD process, the enhanced diamond nucleation occurred only along the edges of the Si wafer. This resulted in an extremely nonuniform nucleation pattern. Several modifications were introduced to the design of the substrate holder, including a metal wire-mesh inserted between the filaments and the substrate, in the aim of making the impinging ion flux more uniformly distributed across the substrate surface. With such improved growth system designs, uniform enhancement of diamond nucleation across the substrate surface was realized. In addition, the use of certain metallic wire mesh sizes during biasing also enabled patterned or selective diamond deposition.
Bone changes in the vascularised fibular graft

We report a retrospective review of 62 consecutive patients who had a vascularised fibular transfer to reconstruct a large skeletal defect. We were particularly interested in the bone dynamics of the vascularised graft, since fractures occurred in 25% of the cases at an average time of eight months after surgery. Hypertrophy was more common when the limb was mechanically loaded; it was enhanced where the graft was not bypassed by internal fixation. The length of the graft and the use of additional bone graft material had no influence on the incidence of stress fracture or on hypertrophy. We conclude that a vascularised graft should be protected against fatigue fracture during the first year, and that a gradual increase in mechanical loading will enhance remodelling and hypertrophy.
Probabilistic, modular and scalable inference of typestate specifications

Static analysis tools aim to find bugs in software that correspond to violations of specifications. Unfortunately, for large and complex software, these specifications are usually either unavailable or sophisticated, and hard to write.This paper presents ANEK, a tool and accompanying methodology for inferring specifications useful for modular typestate checking of programs. In particular, these specifications consist of pre and postconditions along with aliasing annotations known as access permissions. A novel feature of ANEK is that it can generate program specifications even when the code under analysis gives rise to conflicting constraints, a situation that typically occurs when there are bugs. The design of ANEK also makes it easy to add heuristic constraints that encode intuitions gleaned from several years of experience writing such specifications, and this allows it to infer specifications that are better in a subjective sense. The ANEK algorithm is based on a modular analysis that makes it fast and scalable, while producing reliable specifications. All of these features are enabled by its underlying probabilistic analysis that produces specifications that are very likely.Our implementation of ANEK infers access permissions specifications used by the PLURAL [5] modular typestate checker for Java programs. We have run ANEK on a number of Java benchmark programs, including one large open-source program(approximately 38K lines of code), to infer specifications that were then checked using PLURAL. The results for the large benchmark show that ANEK can quickly infer specifications that are both accurate and qualitatively similar to those written by hand, and at 5% of the time taken to manually discover and hand-code the specifications.
Transient thermal strain measurements in electronic packages

Fractional fringe moire interferometry was successfully applied to monitor thermo/mechanical strain histories in a memory device as the temperature was changing from room temperature (25 degrees C) to an arbitrarily chosen final temperature of 80 degrees C. Full displacement fields were recorded at different temperatures and used to predict strains in a small region at the chip corner. Moreover, strains across the chip thickness along a line close to the chip corner were investigated. A dramatic change in the pattern of axial strain growth was observed for temperatures around 70 degrees C and above. It is suggested that the development of severe compressive stains due to bending of the package is responsible for such a change. A minor deficiency in the data collection procedure affected the accuracy of strains predicted for the selected region. This necessitated the use of a least-squares curve fitting procedure to represent deformations based on experimentally collected values. This yielded smooth strain distributions giving a clear qualitative picture of strain histories, but is introduced some errors in the strain magnitudes (10-15% of actual values). >
A monoclonal antibody directed against a synthetic peptide reacts with a cell surface rabbit class I MHC molecule.

Abstract Monoclonal antibodies were prepared against synthetic peptides synthetized on the basis of nucleotide sequence from cDNA and genomic clones encoding a class I antigen expressed by the rabbit RL-5 cell line. Using a peptide corresponding to positions 61–73 of the N domain, we were able to obtain an hybridoma producing monoclonal antibody which recognized the peptide as well as the native class I antigen. This hybridoma, designated anti-61, reacted with cell surface molecules on RL-5 cells and on human HeLa cells transfected with the 19-1 gene encoding RL-5 class I antigen. No reactivity with HeLa cells prior to transfection could be detected by radioimmunoassay or by fluorescent activated cell sorter analyses, although these cells were strongly positive in both assays with anti-human class I reagents. Antibody reaction to positive cells could be inhibited by the homologous peptide but not by unrelated peptides. Anti-61 antibody precipitated a 41,000 mol. wt molecule from RL-5 cells with an N -terminal amino acid sequence corresponding to the RL-5 class I antigen.
Accounting Education Change, Information Technology, And Curriculum Integration

This paper traces the progression of emphasis on information technology in recent reports calling for accounting change culminating in the call for integration of accounting curricula with information systems (IS). Using existing curricular integration frameworks, two trajectories for IS-accounting curricula integration, Information Systems auditing and Technology Management, are developed. Existing accounting curricula did not exhibit a definite framework, but some curricula tended to fall within the frameworks outlined above. Additionally, ITrelated courses appear to either be “outsourced” or “internally generated”, the latter involving intrinsic IT-related changes in the content of traditional subjects.
THE BIOLOGY OF ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT RECONSTRUCTIONS

Ligaments, including the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), have a limited biological response to injury. The same healing process affects graft tissues used to reconstruct the ACL. These biological processes interact with mechanical forces to transform the grafts into tissues, which are expected to functionally replace the ACL. Although these grafts may undergo "ligamentization," they may not undergo "ACL-ization." Further study of the important relationship between these biological and biomechanical interactions is warranted.
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia in sickle cell disease.

A black boy has been regularly evaluated in our hospital for sickle cell disease since infancy. He has had multiple hospitalizations for sickle cell crises. One month prior to admission, the patient’s complete blood count values were hemoglobin, 91 g/L; mean corpuscular volume, 90.7 fL; red blood cell count, 3.03 3 1012/L; target cells, sickle cells, Howell Jolly bodies, 3 nRBC/100 white blood cells; platelets, 167 3 109/L; and leukocytes, 6.6 3
United States v. Matchett (11th Cir.) -- Brief of Law Professors as Amicus Curiae in Support of Defendant-Appellant

Section 4B1.2(a)(2) of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines is identical to statutory language that the U.S. Supreme Court found to be unconstitutionally vague in Johnson v. United States. The panel in this case held that, although 4B1.2(a)(2) is identical to the language from Johnson, it is not unconstitutionally vague because the vagueness doctrine does not apply to the now-advisory Federal Sentencing Guidelines. This brief explains why the panel decision is inconsistent with Supreme Court decisions on the vagueness doctrine and the Sentencing Guidelines.
REACTOR KINETICS ANALYSIS BY AN INVERSE METHOD

Solutions of the reactor kinetics equations for the reactivity vaniation required to achieve specified power responses are presented. This inverse approach is shown to extend the physical understanding of reactor behavior, to have utility in reactor operations, and to admit closed solutions for many otherwise non-linear problems. The inverse method is demonstrated by several examples: heating of a reactor at constant power, a ramp power rise followed by a consthnt level or by a linear drop, an oscillatory power, and a smooth transition between levels. Effects of a negative temperature coefficient may be described in terms of an additional flctitious delayed group. The constant-period response is shown to be optimum for a transition between two power levels. (auth)
Size and Administrative Intensity in Macro-Level Systems: A Reconciliation

Much effort has been invested in understanding the effect of system size on administrative intensity. Central to these investigations is the expectation that, other things being equal, small organizations have proportionately greater degrees of administrative intensity than do large organizations. The rationale for this hypothesis proposes an economy of scale effect: an increment in system size may allow for more effective use of administrative personnel. Greater output per administrative worker is made possible by large system size because the increase in work force allows each administrator to coordinate the activities of greater numbers of workers. Before the publication of Kasarda's, Noell's, and Nolan's research, there had been no empirical effort aimed at testing the extension of economy of size generalizations found in formal organizations to more diffusely organized systems. Notwithstanding the theoretical contributions forged by these studies, their empirical evidence seems inconsistent with one another, if not contradictory. Kasarda uncovers an increasing administrative intensity among larger social systems; Noell sees administrative intensity decreasing among larger social systems; and Nolan finds a curvilinear relationship between system size and administrative intensity. Consequently the next needed step in the study of the relationship between system size and administrative intensity in macro-level systems is to reconcile these findings. This analysis confronts four issues raised by these studies: (1) the different measures of size used, (2) the different measures of administrative intensity used, (3) the form of the relationship between system size and administrative intensity, and (4) the different samples used. Because the studies described above were concerned with the extension of economy of size generalizations to more diffusely organized systems, the reanalysis is at the most macro level: at the societal level, cross-national data represent the work of Kasarda and Nolan and at the
Childless Stepmothers: Communicating with Other Stepmothers about Spouses and Stepchildren

With little known about the stepmother/father household, recent efforts have been made to explore the role of the childless stepmother within the stepfamily. The purpose of the project was to examine what childless stepmothers were discussing regarding their stepfamilies. An inductive approach was utilized for 35 discussion board postings in an online support group for childless stepmothers. Findings suggest that childless stepmothers discuss issues related to their relationship with the significant other. Additionally, stepmothers stress the importance of relationships with other stepmothers in coping with their role as stepmother. Theoretical implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Ontogeny of IgA in normal and neonatally bursectomized chickens, with corroborative data on IgY and IgM.

SummaryThe ontogeny of IgA in chickens was similar to that of mammalian species in that adult levels were attained relatively late compared with the other major immunoglobulin classes, namely IgM and IgY. Surgical bursectomy at hatch resulted in a delayed appearance of serum IgA in subnormal levels for the first ∼ 40 days of life. By Day 56 the serum IgA levels of normal and Bx birds were similar.
A Contribution to the Study of Pyocyaneus Infections with a Report of Two Rare Cases

In reviewing the literature of pyocyaneus infections, one is at once struck with the increased frequency with which the germ is encountered, either alone or in association with other organisms, since the introduction of improved methods in the bacteriological examination of material from pathological lesions, has been more widely adopted. The pyocyaneus bacillus has been found in pure culture in all parts of the body, in localized lesions and in general systemic infections. In not a few instances it has been isolated in pure culture from the blood during life. By some it is believed that when this germ is found it is not the cause of the original lesion but that it makes its appearance only after some other organism, having brought about a lowered tissue resistance, has prepared the soil for it and has then disappeared. This explanation may be tenable in many instances but there are others where there can be very little doubt that B. pyocyaneus is the primary and sole cause of the lesion.
Effect of Residence Time and Hot Gas Filtration on the Physical and Chemical Properties of Pyrolysis Oil

Instability of pyrolysis oil during aging is a significant issue for commercialization of pyrolysis technologies on an industrial scale. Hot gas filtration of pyrolysis vapors before condensation h...
Expression,Purification and Bioactivity of Prodrug of Recombinant Human GLPs

OBJECTIVE To produce prodrug of recombinant human glucagon-like peptides (Pro-rhGLPs) and study its effects on regulations of blood glucose levels and insulin secretion in mice. METHODS The constructed E.coli BL21(DE3) / pET32a(+)-hGLPs was induced by 0.01 mmol·L-1 Isopropgl-β-D-thiogalactopyranoside(IPTG). The expressed product was identified by 12% SDS-PAGE. The protein was purified by Ni-NTA purification system. Pro-rhGLPs was digested by thrombin in PBS buffer. The biological activity of Pro-rhGLPs was examined by sc injection in C57BL/6 mice or db/db mice. Blood glucose levels were measured using a blood glucose meter. Plasma insulin concentrations were determined by ELISA. RESULTS The expression output of Pro-rhGLPs was approximately 50% of the total bacterial proteins. The purity of recombinant Pro-rhGLPs was more than 95.43% by HPLC analysis.The protein was slowly digested by specific endoproteinase and bioactive glucagons peptide 1(GLP-1) was released gradually. The analysis of in vivo activity indicated that Pro-rhGLPs had the bioactivity of native GLP-1,and significantly decreased blood glucose and increased insulin secretion in dose-dependent manner. Pro-rhGLPs had a stronger effects than GLP-1. Moreover,basal random glycemia decreased rapidly and remained lower level for 10 h following a single injection. CONCLUSION A prokaryotic expression system of Pro-rhGLPs with high efficiency was successfully established and the protein was obtained. Preliminary studies showed a new potential for developing the long-acting GLP-1 analogs for clinical applications.
Analysis and Treatment of 600MW Supercritical Steam Turbine Startup through Combination of HP Cylinder with IP Cylinder

Problems in the commissioning process of 600MW supercritical steam turbine startup through combination of HP cylinder with IP cylinder,such as large temperature difference of upper and lower cylinders,high exhaust temperature of HP cylinder and differential expansion of LP cylinder,are analyzed and researched.These problems are solved by reasonably adjusting bypass valve,forced ventilation valve and other valves,selecting steam parameters of shaft seal,controlling temperature of reheat steam and vacuum of condenser,and so on.It is mentioned that to avoid abnormal status such as out-of-limit differential expansion, temperature difference of cylinder etc.,the speed and load of steam turbine should be increased steadily within a reasonable life loss range during the startup process.
Gemcitabine/Alimta in locally advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer.

New cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed in an estimated 164,100 Americans in 2000, and approximately 25% or 41,000 of those cases will be small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). Despite initial sensitivity to chemotherapy, only 10%
Practicing in the new millennium: do you have what it takes?

Tomorrow's family physicians need new knowledge and skills to help them be old-fashioned family doctors.
The limited regulatory potential of medical technology assessment.

Expensive new technology is routinely blamed for our health care cost explosion. Predictably, curbing its entry has become increasingly advocated in this and other developed nations. True, there are other popular culprits. Our populations need more health care because they are larger and older than before. And they can afford more care because they have higher disposable income. But these factors explain a relatively small portion of cost increases. Population increases cannot explain why inflation-adjusted expenditures have increased nine-fold per person. An older (and thus sicker) profile of patients explains only two percent of this increase, and greater income explains only five percent. And even if these factors were to
Who Are Today’s Pediatricians and What Do They Do?

Today, pediatric practitioners are predominantly young1; 59% are 44 years or younger, and only 20% are 55 and older (Table 19.1). A slight majority (53%) are certified by the American Board of Pediatrics1 (Table 19.2). The number certified annually has increased from 339 in 1935 to 1,812 in 19862 (Fig. 19.1). The rapid increase in the number of certifications has leveled off since 1979, at around 1,600 per year3 (Table 19.3). The number of pediatric practitioners has increased since 1970 at a greater rate than has the number of all physicians1 (Table 19.4). In the period 1970 to 1983, the increase was 83% for pediatricians and 55% for all physicians. The percentage of women pediatricians has increased from 21% to 32% and is greater than that of women physicians as a whole. American Board of Pediatrics data reveal that women made up 48% of the third-year residents completing training in June 1988.2
To Choose (Not) to Eat Healthy: Social Norms, Self‐affirmation, and Food Choice

With the rise of obesity in America, especially within the African-American community, it is essential to identify strategies to encourage healthier food choices. Limited research has examined what, apart from socioeconomic indicators and targeted marketing, affects African Americans’ food choice. The current research explores how a self-focus or racial group-focus, in the absence of explicit eating-norm primes, social influence, and identity threats, affects food choices and this varies by race. A group-focus leads African Americans (Caucasians) to demonstrate unhealthy (healthy) food choices. On the contrary, a self-focus leads African Americans to demonstrate healthier preferences while there is no change in Caucasians’ food preferences. Additionally, the current research shows how self-affirmation, in the absence of threat, can be an effective mechanism for behavior change, for both African Americans and Caucasians. Affirming valued self-attributes, after a group-focus, leads to healthier food choices for individuals of both races. These findings are important as they may help identify ways to increase healthier nutrition choices in general and specifically for African Americans. Potential marketing strategies are discussed.
Chapter 2 – Benchmarking Network Processors

It is noted that network processors (NPs) are an emerging field of programmable processors that are optimized to implement data plane and packet processing networking functions. NPs essentially support a form of a distributed, parallel programming model. They are also optimized for fast packet processing and I/O. The standard benchmarks for network processors do not yet exist thus making measuring, communicating, and comparing NPs performance difficult. Therefore, a definition of a standard set of benchmarks applicable to network processors is required. The goals of such a set of benchmarks include: covering different NP architectures, applicability to different NP application domains, and catering to audiences with different expectations. This chapter proposes a four-layered approach for NP benchmark definition to meet these goals. The chapter describes the utility of the hierarchical approach by specifying and measuring one or more benchmark examples at each level. The measurements are performed on the Intel IXP1200 network processor.
Multi-agent technology for self-healing shipboard power systems

Shipboard electric power systems (SPS) are dynamic, complex systems that require continuous monitoring and fast controls to operate in a reliable and secure state. A self-healing system for SPS was developed using common programming languages to arm SPS to monitor and respond to threats and natural system failures. This self-healing system includes features for activating control solutions before weapon hits or impending equipment failures, and after damage-induced or natural faults occur to continuously maintain system operation in an optimal state. This paper discusses a new implementation of the self-healing system using multi-agent system (MAS) technology. A potential implementation of one function in the self-healing system using MAS is presented. It is concluded that the characteristics of MAS provide a natural framework for developing a self-healing methodology for SPS that is automated and enhances fight-through survivability
Using the competitive storage model to estimate the impact of ethanol and fueling investment on corn prices

Abstract The impact of biofuel mandates on the prices of commodities used to produce food continues to be a major consideration by policy makers. More recently concern about high compliance costs of oil companies due to mandates led to reductions in US biofuel mandates. To gain insights into the policy impacts of mandates on agricultural commodity prices and compliance costs requires development of dynamic models that can capture the fact that many agricultural commodities used to produce biofuels can be stored and that flexible compliance mechanisms allow for banking and borrowing of tradable permits. US biofuel mandates are enforced using a system of tradable permits, called RINs. RIN market dynamics are important because RINs can be banked for the future or borrowed from the future. Corn is the primary U.S. biofuel feedstock and is storable. Rational expectations competitive storage models are well suited to capture the dynamic behavior of commodity markets. Such a model is developed here for corn and RIN markets to estimate the impacts of alternative future ethanol mandate levels. The model considers corn use for ethanol, storage and all other uses in each period, accounting for two random variables: oil prices and corn yields. Borrowing and banking provisions of the Renewable Fuels Standard mandate are explicitly integrated into the model. We use the model to provide estimates of the impact on corn prices, corn plantings and ethanol production under two ethanol mandate scenarios for six marketing years from 2016/17. Our scenarios are a combination of volume requirements and infrastructure investment. The first scenario is one in which corn ethanol mandates stay the same as required in the current and proposed RFS and additional E85 stations are introduced that allow for compliance with higher mandates. The second scenario is one in which no investment occurs and the Environmental Protection Agency reduces the mandate to 13.87 billion gal, a level that can just be met with 10 percent ethanol blends. Comparing the results for two scenarios, we find that average corn prices are about 5 to 6% lower with the reduced mandates or about 22 to 30 cents per bushel, while average RIN prices drop from around 60 to 40 cents per RIN.
Ubiquitin-Dependent Regulation of Stem Cell Biology

The growth of a metazoan body relies on a series of highly coordinated cell-fate decisions by stem cells which can undergo self-renewal, reversibly enter a quiescent state, or terminally commit to a cell specification program. To guide their decisions, stem cells make frequent use of ubiquitylation, a post-translational modification that can affect the activity, interaction landscape, or stability of stem cell proteins. In this review we discuss novel findings that have provided insight into ubiquitin-dependent mechanisms of stem cell control and revealed how an essential and highly conserved protein modification can shape metazoan development.
The Effect of Electroencephalogram (EEG) Reference Choice on Information-Theoretic Measures of the Complexity and Integration of EEG Signals

Converging evidence suggests that human cognition and behavior emerge from functional brain networks interacting on local and global scales. We investigated two information-theoretic measures of functional brain segregation and integration – interaction complexity CI(X), and integration I(X) – as applied to electroencephalographic (EEG) signals and how these measures are affected by choice of EEG reference. CI(X) is a statistical measure of the system entropy accounted for by interactions among its elements, whereas I(X) indexes the overall deviation from statistical independence of the individual elements of a system. We recorded 72 channels of scalp EEG from human participants who sat in a wakeful resting state (interleaved counterbalanced eyes-open and eyes-closed blocks). CI(X) and I(X) of the EEG signals were computed using four different EEG references: linked-mastoids (LM) reference, average (AVG) reference, a Laplacian (LAP) “reference-free” transformation, and an infinity (INF) reference estimated via the Reference Electrode Standardization Technique (REST). Fourier-based power spectral density (PSD), a standard measure of resting state activity, was computed for comparison and as a check of data integrity and quality. We also performed dipole source modeling in order to assess the accuracy of neural source CI(X) and I(X) estimates obtained from scalp-level EEG signals. CI(X) was largest for the LAP transformation, smallest for the LM reference, and at intermediate values for the AVG and INF references. I(X) was smallest for the LAP transformation, largest for the LM reference, and at intermediate values for the AVG and INF references. Furthermore, across all references, CI(X) and I(X) reliably distinguished between resting-state conditions (larger values for eyes-open versus eyes-closed). These findings occurred in the context of the overall expected pattern of resting state PSD. Dipole modeling showed that simulated scalp EEG-level CI(X) and I(X) reflected changes in underlying neural source dependencies, but only for higher levels of integration and with highest accuracy for the LAP transformation. Our observations suggest that the Laplacian-transformation should be preferred for the computation of scalp-level CI(X) and I(X) due to its positive impact on EEG signal quality and statistics, reduction of volume-conduction, and the higher accuracy this provides when estimating scalp-level EEG complexity and integration.
Premixed flames subjected to extreme levels of turbulence part I: Flame structure and a new measured regime diagram

Abstract This paper presents high-fidelity flame structure measurements of premixed methane–air Bunsen flames subjected to extreme levels of turbulence. Specifically, 28 cases were studied with longitudinal integral length scales (Lx) as large as 43 mm, turbulence levels (u′/SL) as high as 246, and turbulent Reynolds (ReT,0) and Karlovitz (KaT) numbers up to 99,000 and 533, respectively. Two techniques were employed to measure the preheat and reaction layer thicknesses of these flames. One consisted of planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) imaging of CH radicals, while the other involved taking the product of simultaneously acquired PLIF images of formaldehyde (CH2O) and hydroxyl (OH) to produce “overlap-layers.” The average preheat layer thicknesses are found to increase with increasing u′/SL and with axial distance from the burner (x/D). In contrast, average reaction layer (i.e. CH- and overlap-layer) thicknesses did not increase appreciably even as u′/SL increased by a factor of ∼ 60. Furthermore, the reaction layer thicknesses (based on the CH images only) did not increase with increasing x/D. The reaction layers are also observed to remain continuous; that is, local extinction events are rarely observed. Although based on a sequence of combined CH–OH PLIF images acquired at a rate of 10 kHz, it is apparent that when instances of local extinction do occur they are the result of cool gas entrainment. The results presented here, as well as those from 12 prior experimental and 9 numerical investigations, do not agree with the predicted Klimov–Williams boundary on the theoretical Borghi Diagram. Thus, a new Measured Regime Diagram is proposed wherein the Klimov–Williams criterion is replaced by a metric that relates the turbulent diffusivity ( D T = u ′ L x ) to the molecular diffusivity within the preheat layer ( D * = S L δ F , L ). Justification for this replacement is based on physical reasoning and the fact that the line defined by DT/D* ≈ 180 accurately separates cases with thin flamelets from those with broadened preheat yet thin reaction layers (i.e. BP-TR flames). Additionally, the results suggest that the BP-TR regime extends well beyond what was previously theorized since neither broken nor broadened reaction layers were observed under conditions with Karlovitz numbers as high as 533, which is five times higher than the theoretical boundary.
Influence of Foster-Nursing on Virus-Induced and Spontaneous Leukemia in Mice

SummaryFemales of 3 different C3H strains, low-leukemic C3Hf/lw and C3Hf/Gs and high-leukemic C3Hf/Fg, were found capable of transmitting MLV to successive generations of offspring. The most effective mechanism of transmission was through mother's milk. “Infected'females transmitted MLV whether or not they eventually became leukemic. Reciprocal foster-nursing experiments revealed that transmission of virus could occur from mother to offspring during the prenatal period. A low frequency, later age at death from the disease and sporadic occurrence were observed in litters born to “infected'females but foster-nursed upon normal, non-inoculated mothers of the C3H strains. In contrast, however, no leukemias have appeared to date in those offspring born to “infected'mothers but foster-nursed upon C57Bl/Ka mothers. Stable high-leukemic and low-leukemic lines of different C3H strains have been established simply through foster-nursings. Foster-nursing upon low-leukemic mothers combined with thymectomy through suc...
Uptake of BRCA 1 / 2 and oncotype DX testing by medical and surgical oncologists

The diffusion of genomic testing is critical to the success of precision medicine, but there is limited information on oncologists’ uptake of genetic technology. We aimed to assess the frequency with which medical oncologists and surgeons order BRCA 1/2 and Oncotype DX testing for breast cancer patients. We surveyed 732 oncologists and surgeons treating breast cancer patients. Physicians were from Florida, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, and were listed in the 2010 AMA Masterfile or identified by patients. 80.6% of providers ordered BRCA 1/2 testing at least sometimes and 85.4% ordered Oncotype DX (p = 0.01). More frequent ordering of BRCA 1/2 was associated with more positive attitudes toward genetic innovation (OR 1.14, p = 0.001), a belief that testing was likely to be covered by patients’ insurance (OR 2.84, p < 0.001), and more frequent ordering of Oncotype DX testing (OR 8.69, p < 0.001). More frequent use of Oncotype DX was associated with a belief that testing was likely to be covered by insurance (OR 7.33, p < 0.001), as well as with more frequent ordering of BRCA 1/2 testing (OR 9.48, p < 0.001). Nearly one in five providers never or rarely ever ordered BRCA 1/2 testing for their breast cancer patients, and nearly 15% never or rarely ever ordered Oncotype DX. Less frequent ordering of BRCA 1/2 is associated with less frequent use of Oncotype DX testing, and vice versa. Those who do not order BRCA 1/2 testing report less positive attitudes toward genetic innovation. Further education of this subset of providers regarding the benefits of precision medicine may enable more rapid diffusion of genetic technology.
Book review: Artificial Intelligence with Statistical Pattern Recognition by Edward A. Patrick and James M. Fattu (Prentice-Hall Inc.)

"Artificial Intelligence with Statistical Pattern Recognition" is a curious and frustrating book. Its authors, Edward A. Patrick and James M. Fattu, repeatedly claim to be making a contribution as fundamental as that of the Rev. Thomas Bayes, yet their level of rhetoric surely obscures the possible contribution of the work. While the authors' intended goal of applying statistical pattern recognition for purposes of inference in complex domains is important, the book has been criticized for being long on hype and short on clarity.