cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Non-linear response of geometrically imperfect sandwich curved panels under thermomechanical loading

Abstract This paper deals with the non-linear response of sandwich curved panels exposed to thermomechanical loadings. The mechanical loads consist of compressive/tensile edge loads, and a lateral pressure while the temperature field is assumed to exhibit a linear variation through the thickness of the panel. Towards obtaining the equations governing the postbuckling response, the Extended Galerkin’s Method is used. The numerical illustrations concern doubly curved, circular cylindrical and as a special case, flat panels, all the edges being simply supported. Moveable and immoveable tangential boundary conditions in the directions normal to the edges are considered and their implications upon the thermomechanical load-carrying capacity are emphasized. Effects of the radii of curvature and of initial geometric imperfections on the load-carrying capacity of sandwich panels are also considered and their influence upon the intensity of the snap-through buckling are discussed. It is shown that in special cases involving the thermomechanical loading and initial geometric imperfection, the snap-through phenomenon can occur also in the case of flat sandwich panels.
Zoologic Companion Animal Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine

Injury and illness in zoologic companion animals can lead to significant pain and debilitation. Recovery can be slow and sometimes frustrating. By augmenting recovery from trauma or disease with physical medicine and rehabilitation techniques, recovery can be more rapid and complete. Physical medicine techniques, such as massage, can augment recovery from a painful injury or surgery by reducing edema, improving postoperative ileus, and decreasing anxiety. Familiarity with the tools of rehabilitation along with focus on pain management, strengthening, and proprioception improve patient care.
Symposium on “Protozoan Ecology”: The Role of Protozoa in Litters and Soils1

Soil is the focus of organic matter turnover in terrestrial ecosystems and is an interstitial mosaic of microsites composed of particle aggregates and pore spaces, where transformation, decomposition, mineralization, and humification of organic matter takes place. Microorganisms and animals are scattered discontinuously in these microsites. Microarthropods and larger fauna increase the rate and amount of mineralization by comminution of organic matter and by redistribution of microsites through movements of earthworms and large arthropods; however, mineralization and return of nutrients to plants occurs in the community of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes living in the water films covering aggregates and filling pore spaces. Protozoa, especially small amoebae, are important bacterial grazers because they can enter tiny spaces unavailable to nematodes. The latter graze bacteria, fungi, and protozoa. Protozoan and nematode predation increase the amounts of soluble nutrients and decrease the competitive abilities of bacteria, thus making these nutrients more available to plants. Protozoa enhance nutrient recycling out of proportion to their biomass.
Refining Inquiry with Multi-Form Assessment: Formative and summative assessment functions for flexible inquiry

This paper describes the 5E+I/A inquiry model and reports a case study of one curricular enactment by a US fifth-grade classroom. A literature review establishes the model's conceptual adequacy with respect to longstanding research related to both the 5E inquiry model and multiple, incremental innovations of it. As a collective line of research, the review highlights a common emphasis on formative assessment, at times coupled either with differentiated instruction strategies or with activities that target the generalization of learning. The 5E+I/A model contributes a multi-level assessment strategy that balances formative and summative functions of multiple forms of assessment in order to support classroom participation while still attending to individual achievement. The case report documents the enactment of a weeklong 5E+I/A curricular design as a preliminary account of the model's empirical adequacy. A descriptive and analytical narrative illustrates variable ways that multi-level assessment makes stu...
PREOPERATIVE PROSTATE SPECIFIC ANTIGEN DOUBLING TIME AND VELOCITY ARE STRONG AND INDEPENDENT PREDICTORS OF OUTCOMES FOLLOWING RADICAL PROSTATECTOMY

ABSTRACTPurpose: Prostate specific antigen (PSA) is a useful marker for predicting outcomes following treatment for prostate cancer but, given the evolving nature of prostate cancer, there is an ongoing need to refine its use. We assessed preoperative PSA doubling time (PSADT) and PSA velocity (PSAV) as predictors of outcome following radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP).Materials and Methods: We identified 2,290 men who were treated with RRP for prostate cancer between 1990 and 1999 with multiple preoperative PSA measurements available. PSADT was calculated by log linear regression and PSAV was calculated by linear regression. These parameters were used in preoperative and postoperative multivariate models for the end points of biochemical and clinical progression, and cancer death.Results: At a median followup of 7.1 years (range 0.1 to 14.5) biochemical progression, clinical progression and death from prostate cancer were observed in 583, 156 and 42 patients, respectively. The HR for death from prost...
ARISE: A Method for Engaging Reluctant Alcohol- and Drug-Dependent Individuals in Treatment

A method, the Albany-Rochester Interventional Sequence for Engagement (ARISE), is described for engaging highly ambivalent alcohol- and/or drug-dependent individuals in treatment. A three stage interventional sequence is presented, which begins when a family member or concerned other contacts a treatment program regarding a substance abuser who needs help. At that point a process is set in motion for collaboration with significant others toward client enrollment. Staff move to the next stage in a graduated operating procedure if initial, less demanding efforts do not succeed. The final stage, if needed, is a modified Johnson Institute Intervention. The overall procedure is designed to maximize the probability of patient recruitment, while minimizing the amount of time and energy required of staff. The method compares favorably with results obtained with other approaches, such as coercion (legal, employer) and client self-referral.
Clinical and biologic features and treatment outcome of children with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia and hyperleukocytosis

BACKGROUND. Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with hyperleukocytosis often is associated with early complications. To the authors' knowledge, no recently published study has evaluated the management and clinical course in this regard, especially in relation to pediatric patients. METHODS. The authors reviewed 579 patients with newly diagnosed pediatric AML who were treated at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital from 1968 to 2002 and carefully examined 106 patients with initial leukocyte counts ≥100 ×109/L and French-American-British (FAB) AML subtypes other than M3. These patients with hyperleukocytosis were divided into 2 groups—‘before’ (early period; 70 patients) and ‘after’ (late period; 36 patients) the initiation of the AML-83 protocol—to address potential differences in supportive measures (including leukoreduction). RESULTS. Forty-five patients (42.5%) had early complications that were associated strongly with M4 and M5 FAB subtypes and had higher initial leukocyte counts than the patients without complications. Early deaths were less common in the late period (2.8%) than in the early period (22.9%; P = .01), although the incidence of early complications was similar. The late period was associated with a shorter time for referral (P = .0018), a longer time from admission to chemotherapy initiation (P < .0001), and lower white blood cell counts at chemotherapy initiation (P < .0001). In the late period, patients with or without hyperleukocytosis had similar complete remission rates. However, those with hyperleukocytosis had a lower postremission 10-year event-free survival rate (21.2% vs 41.7%; P = .0228). CONCLUSIONS. With improved management, including supportive care, early mortality in patients with AML and hyperleukocytosis decreased remarkably in the more recent period. However, better postremission treatment is required to improve long-term survival. Cancer 2008. © 2008 American Cancer Society.
Effect of a hypolipidemic agent on the growth and development of the southwestern corn borer, Diatraea grandiosella

Abstract The hypolipidemic agent, 5-tetradecyloxy-2-furanocarboxylic acid (TOFA), blocks acetyl-CoA carboxylase, the rate-limiting step in the synthesis of fatty acids. We examined the effect of dietary TOFA on larval growth and development of the southwestern corn borer, Diatraea grandiosella . Dietary levels of 200 and 300 ppm TOFA (wet wt) suppressed both growth and development. A reciprocal transfer experiment using the control and a 300-ppm TOFA diet showed that TOFA must be ingested throughout the larvae period to have a deleterious effect. TOFA holds promise as a tool when a block in fatty acid synthesis will add insight into insect lipid transport, use or metabolism.
Health education: the role and functions of the specialist and the generalist

Education for health is a process in which all public health and medical care personnel are involved. People learn both formally (planned learning experiences) and informally (unplanned learning experiences). Since the patient, the client, the consummer and the community expect public health and medical care personnel to assist them with health and disease issues and problems, the response of the professional "educates" the customer whether the professional intends to educate or not. Therefore, it is incumbent on all public health and medical care professionals to understand their educational functions and their role in health education. It is also important that the role of the specialist in education be clear. The specialist, as to all other specialists, has an in-depth knowledge of his area of expertise, i.e., the teaching/learning process; s/he may function as a consultant to others to enhance the educational potential of their role or s/he may work with a team or with communities or groups of patients. Specific competencies and knowledge are required of the health education specialist; and there is a body of learning and social change theory which provides a frame of reference for planning, implementing and evaluating educational programs. Working with others to enhance their potential to learn and to make informed decisions about health/disease issues is the hallmark of the health education specialist.
Molecular orientation of immunoglobulin G at high concentration on an ion-exchange sorbent

The change of molecular orientation of IgG, bound on a strong-anion-exchange surface, was studied using a generalization of the stoichiometric displacement model, over the entire range of protein adsorption isotherms. The Z number was found to decrease with increasing stationary phase protein concentration, approaching a limiting value. The analogy of the multiple equilibria model within highly cooperative identical binding sites was suggested as a possible way to evaluate the observed change in Z number with the protein concentration.
The effect of RGD fluorosurfactant polymer modification of ePTFE on endothelial cell adhesion, growth, and function.

We have synthesized and characterized a novel peptide fluorosurfactant polymer (PFSP) modification that facilitates the adhesion and growth of endothelial cells on expanded polytetrafluoroetheylene (ePTFE) vascular graft material. This PFSP consists of a poly(vinyl amine) (PVAm) backbone with integrin binding Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptides and perfluorocarbon pendant branches for adsorption and stable adhesion to underlying ePTFE. Aqueous PFSP solution was used to modify the surface of fluorocarbon substrates. Following subconfluent seeding, endothelial cell (EC) adhesion and growth on PFSP was assessed by determining cell population at different time points. Spectroscopic results indicated successful synthesis of PFSP. PFSP modification of ePTFE reduced the receding water contact angle measurement from 120° to 6°, indicating successful surface modification. Quantification of cell population demonstrated reduced EC attachment efficiency but increased growth rate on RGD PFSP compared with fibronectin (FN). Actin staining revealed a well-developed cytoskeleton for ECs on RGD PFSP indicative of stable adhesion. Uptake of acetylated low-density lipoprotein and positive staining for VE-Cadherin confirm EC phenotype for adherent cells. Production of prostacyclin, a potent antiplatelet agent, was equivalent between ECs on FN and RGD PFSP surfaces. Our results indicate successful synthesis and surface modification with PFSP; this is a simple, quantitative, and effective approach to modifying ePTFE to encourage endothelial cell attachment, growth, and function.
Adherence and occurrence of fractures after switching to once-monthly oral bisphophonates

PURPOSE: Reducing dosing demands of medications generally increases adherence, although this relationship has not been demonstrated with the once-monthly oral bisphosphonates (BP). The study aim is to test whether switching from once-weekly BPs to once-monthly BPs improves adherence and fracture risk. METHODS: This is an interrupted times-series analysis of new users of once-weekly BPs in a nationwide administrative health database from 2003 to 2007. Participants include 1835 individuals who switched to once-monthly BPs and two propensity-matched comparator groups: 1835 individuals who switched to a different once-weekly BP, and 1835 who did not switch. We measured changes in adequate adherence pre- and post-switch as monthly medication possession ratio >0.80, and calculated incidence rate ratios (IRR) of osteoporotic fractures. RESULTS: All study groups experienced major adherence failure in the first year of therapy: the proportion of adequate adherers was 42% among once-monthly switchers, 47% among once-weekly switchers, and 37% among nonswitchers. However, the once-monthly switch was associated with less adherence failure (4% fewer adherers per month pre-switch vs. 1% fewer adherers per month post-switch, p Language: en
Axotomized mouse retinal ganglion cells containing melanopsin show enhanced survival, but not enhanced axon regrowth into a peripheral nerve graft.

Melanopsin is found in only ∼2% of mouse retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), making these RGCs uniquely and directly photosensitive. Given that the majority of RGCs die after axotomy and that grafting of a peripheral nerve to the eye provides a permissive environment for axon regrowth, the present study examined the survival and axonal regrowth of melanopsin-containing RGCs in mice. One month after optic nerve transection and grafting, RGCs with regrown axons were labeled from the grafts and retinae were processed to visualize melanopsin and TUJ1. Melanopsin-positive and negative RGCs were counted and compared to axotomized RGCs from ungrafted eyes and uninjured RGCs. Melanopsin-positive RGCs showed a 3-fold increase in survival rate compared to non-melanopsin RGCs. Despite this enhanced survival, melanopsin-containing RGCs did not show increased axon regrowth into nerve grafts.
Consequence of morphological alterations on synaptic function

Abstract Structural modification of the synapse is a pervasive phenomenon, however, its relation to functional dynamics of the system remains an unexplored research area due to technical difficulties both experimentally and computationally. The purpose of this study was to mathematically model a hippocampal synapse, incorporating detailed morphological characteristics, to study the functional consequence of structural modifications. We showed that subsynaptic morphological alterations, as in partitioned synapses, influence synaptic transmission by altering calcium diffusion within the axon terminal, and hence, the probability of release. Furthermore, the model revealed a novel concept that functional dynamics can emerge from structural alterations.
Supporting software composition at the programming language level

We are in the midst of a paradigm shift toward component-oriented software development, and significant progress has been made in understanding and harnessing this new paradigm. Oddly enough, however, the new paradigm does not currently extend to the level at which components themselves are constructed. While we have composition architectures and languages that describe how systems are put together out of atomic program parts, the parts themselves are still constructed on the basis of a previous paradigm: object-oriented programming. We argue that this mismatch impedes the progress of compositional software design: many of the assumptions that underlie object-oriented languages simply do not apply in the open and dynamic contexts of component software environments. What, then, would a programming language that supported component-oriented programming at the smallest granularity look like? Lagoona, our project to develop such a language, tries to answer this question. This paper motivates the key concepts behind Lagoona and briefly describes their realization (using Lagoona itself as the implementation language) in the context of Microsoft's NET environment.
Periodic solutions of special differential equations: an example in non-linear functional analysis

We consider differential-delay equations which can be written in the formThe functions fi and gk are all assumed odd. The equationis a special case of such equations with q = N + 1 (assuming f is an odd function). We obtain an essentially best possible theorem which ensures the existence of a non-constant periodic solution x(t) with the properties (1) x(t)≧0 for 0≦t≦q, (2) x(–t) = –x(t) for all t and (3) x(t + q) = –x(t) for all t. We also derive uniqueness and constructibility results for such special periodic solutions. Our theorems answer a conjecture raised in [8].
Near-shortest and K-shortest simple paths

We present a new algorithm for enumerating all near-shortest simple (loopless) s-t paths in a graph G = (V, E) with nonnegative edge lengths. Letting n = |V| and m = |E|, the time per path enumerated is O(nS(n, m)) given a user-selected shortest-path subroutine with complexity O(S(n, m)). When coupled with binary search, this algorithm solves the corresponding K-shortest paths problem (KSPR) in O(KnS(n, m)(log n+ log cmax)) time, where cmax is the largest edge length. This time complexity is inferior to some other algorithms, but the space complexity is the best available at O(m). Both algorithms are easy to describe, to implement and to extend to more general classes of graphs. In computational tests on grid and road networks, our best polynomial-time algorithm for KSPR appears to be at least an order of magnitude faster than the best algorithm from the literature. However, we devise a simpler algorithm, with exponential worst-case complexity, that is several orders of magnitude faster yet on those test problems. A minor variant on this algorithm also solves “KSPU,” which is analogous to KSPR but with loops allowed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. NETWORKS, Vol. 46(2), 98–109 2005
47.4: Effect of Glass Thickness on Stress in a Centrally Loaded LCD‐TV Panel

An analytical solution, based on linear plate theory, shows that the maximum tensile stress in an LCD-TV panel loaded at the center and simply supported at the four edges depends on several independent factors, namely i) glass thickness, ii) nature of the load, whether static or dynamic, iii) constraints on the center deflection, and iv) details of the cell structure, such as the size, spatial density and properties of the cell spacers and their response to the load. In the case of static load, a thicker panel will experience higher stresses than a thinner panel for identical values of center deflection. In the case of dynamic load, i.e. impact by a spherical ball, the thicker panel will also experience higher stresses than a thinner panel for identical values of center deflection. Experimental data based on strain gages and fractographic analysis of fracture origins are in progress to examine the pros and cons of thick vs. thin glass panels from a mechanical durability point of view. Dynamic loading can induce higher stresses than static loading and hence is a more sever test for mechanical durability.
PharmGKB: the Pharmacogenetics Knowledge Base.

The Pharmacogenetics Knowledge Base (PharmGKB; http://www.pharmgkb.org/) contains genomic, phenotype and clinical information collected from ongoing pharmacogenetic studies. Tools to browse, query, download, submit, edit and process the information are available to registered research network members. A subset of the tools is publicly available. PharmGKB currently contains over 150 genes under study, 14 Coriell populations and a large ontology of pharmacogenetics concepts. The pharmacogenetic concepts and the experimental data are interconnected by a set of relations to form a knowledge base of information for pharmacogenetic researchers. The information in PharmGKB, and its associated tools for processing that information, are tailored for leading-edge pharmacogenetics research. The PharmGKB project was initiated in April 2000 and the first version of the knowledge base went online in February 2001.
The role of tigecycline in the treatment of infections in light of the new black box warning.

Tigecycline is an antibiotic with a broad spectrum of activity. Similar to tetracycline antibiotics, tigecycline exerts bacteriostatic activity. Earlier studies documented the safety and efficacy of tigecycline for complicated intra-abdominal and complicated skin and skin-structure infections, which led to its approval. Recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses have suggested increased risk of death in patients receiving tigecycline compared to other antibiotics. The Food and Drug Administration has warned clinicians about increased risk for death in patients who received tigecycline with certain severe infections and have issued a black box warning. The increased mortality risk with tigecycline is most apparent in patients treated for hospital-acquired pneumonia, particularly ventilator-associated pneumonia. The cause of excess deaths in these trials is uncertain, but it is likely that most deaths in patients with these severe infections were related to progression of the infection. Further experience ...
Simulations and measurements of picosecond signal transients, propagation, and crosstalk on lossy VLSI interconnect

Signal transients, propagation, and crosstalk simulations of coupled interconnect lines have been performed, and the results verified by time-domain measurements. These simulations include frequency dependent interconnect circuit parameters, arbitrary loads, and 30 ps rise times. A generalized interconnect transfer function is used to calculate circuit responses in the frequency domain. Then an inverse Fourier transform is employed to predict the time-domain signals. Frequency variant TC interconnect models and PISCES-II simulations are used to determine the interconnect circuit model parameters. The simulation results are compared with conventional interconnect circuit models such as LC, RC, and RLC networks. Time-domain interconnect measurements using a HP54121T sampling oscilloscope show excellent agreement with simulations. Thus, signal transients, propagation, and coupling noise of on-chip interconnects are predicted. >
Ambivalent or indifferent? Reconsidering the structure of EU public opinion:

In the US context, research on ambivalence has established that individuals often simultaneously possess positive and negative considerations on a political object. Yet little is known about ambiva...
Hypopharyngeal dose is associated with severe late toxicity in locally advanced head-and-neck cancer: an RTOG analysis

Purpose Concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CCRT) for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) increases local tumor control but at the expense of increased toxicity. We recently showed that several clinical/pretreatment factors were associated with the occurrence of severe late toxicity. This study evaluated the potential relationship between radiation dose delivered to the pharyngeal wall and toxicity. Methods and Materials This was an analysis of long-term survivors from 3 previously reported Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) trials of CCRT for locally advanced SCCHN (RTOG trials 91-11, 97-03, and 99-14). Severe late toxicity was defined in this secondary analysis as chronic grade 3-4 pharyngeal/laryngeal toxicity and/or requirement for a feeding tube ≥2 years after registration and/or potential treatment-related death (eg, pneumonia) within 3 years. Radiation dosimetry (2-dimensional) analysis was performed centrally at RTOG headquarters to estimate doses to 4 regions of interest along the pharyngeal wall (superior oropharynx, inferior oropharynx, superior hypopharynx, and inferior hypopharynx). Case-control analysis was performed with a multivariate logistic regression model that included pretreatment and treatment potential factors. Results A total of 154 patients were evaluable for this analysis, 71 cases (patients with severe late toxicities) and 83 controls; thus, 46% of evaluable patients had a severe late toxicity. On multivariate analysis, significant variables correlated with the development of severe late toxicity, including older age (odds ratio, 1.062 per year; P =.0021) and radiation dose received by the inferior hypopharynx (odds ratio, 1.023 per Gy; P =.016). The subgroup of patients receiving ≤60 Gy to the inferior hypopharynx had a 40% rate of severe late toxicity compared with 56% for patients receiving >60 Gy. Oropharyngeal dose was not associated with this outcome. Conclusions Severe late toxicity following CCRT is common in long-term survivors. Age is the most significant factor, but hypopharyngeal dose also was associated.
Transmission electron microscopy of oxide development on 9Cr ODS steel in supercritical water

Oxide layers formed on 9Cr oxide dispersion strengthened ferritic steel alloys during exposure to 600 °C supercritical water for 2- and 4-weeks were examined using cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. A focused ion beam in situ lift-out technique was used to produce site-specific samples with electron transparent areas up to 8 μm by 10 μm. The oxide layers consist of several sub-layers: an Fe-rich outer oxide, a Cr-rich inner oxide, and a diffusion layer, extending beyond the oxide front into the metal. An evolution of the oxide layer structure is seen between 2 and 4 weeks, resulting in the development of a band of Cr 2 O 3 at the diffusion layer/metal interface from the previously existing continuous mixture of FeCr 2 O 4 'fingers' and bcc metal. It is believed that transport in this Cr 2 O 3 layer at the diffusion layer/metal interface becomes the rate-limiting step for oxide advancement, since this change in oxide structure also corresponds to a decrease in corrosion rate.
Interactions Between Maternal Characteristics and Neonatal Behavior in the Prediction of Parenting Stress and Perception of Infant Temperament

Background Prenatal cocaine exposure is a marker of developmental risk. Social environmental risk factors may include maternal stress and maternal perceptions of difficult infant temperament. Objectives To examine factors that may predict or moderate maternal ratings of parenting stress and difficult temperament in cocaine-exposed (CE) infants. Method Neonatal behavior, infant temperament, parenting stress, and maternal psychopathology were measured in a large sample of infant-mother dyads with prenatal CE and a nonexposed comparison sample. Participants were drawn from an existing longitudinal data set (Maternal Lifestyle Study). Result Relations between neonatal behavior and infant temperament ratings were moderated by mothers' ratings of parenting stress. Relations between neonatal cry and parenting stress were moderated by maternal psychopathology ratings. Results were unrelated to drug exposure history. Conclusions For mothers of at risk infants (with or without prenatal CE), psychological distress affects the degree to which infant behavioral characteristics are experienced as stressful or difficult. Implications for treatment and outcome are discussed.
Applying Computational Mechanics Analysis to Biological Systems

Modeling, simulating, and analyzing human biological systems strains the capabilities of current analytical, experimental, and computational tools. Complex geometries and structures usually define biological components. Relevant processes are interwoven in their function and form, demanding care to isolate and inter-relate their scope and effect. For example, the sense of human hearing is made up of several sub-senses that perform localization, amplification, filtering, and pattern recognition of pressure waveforms. Acoustic processing requires transfer mechanisms based upon fluid wave mechanics, bar-linkage dynamics and kinematics, and electrochemical stimulation of nerve endings, to name a few. Modeling efforts to simulate portions of the process of human hearing, and three other example cases, are presented and discussed i n reference to the numerical, computational, and engineering challenges that they represent. A brief discussion is also presented of efforts directed at developing new visualization tools to composite on one image data from multi-disciplinary, or multi-modal, sources. In general this is an active area of visualization research requiring data storage, processing and display systems that can handle bodies of data that will not fit in their entirety on one single computational or display platform.
Children's Gender‐Based Reasoning about Toys

The goal of these studies was to investigate how preschool children use gender-based reasoning in making judgments about toy preferences for themselves and for others. In Studies 1 and 2, children (n = 22, n = 71) were shown unfamiliar, non-sex-typed toys and asked to rate how much they, other girls, and other boys would like each toy. As expected, children made gender-based inferences: "What I like, children of my sex will also like, and children of the other sex will not like." Study 3 was designed to assess how children use gender-based reasoning to make decisions about attractive and unattractive toys when they are given gender labels. Children (n = 91) were shown unfamiliar toys varying in attractiveness that were given explicit gender labels (e.g., "this is a toy girls really like") or no label. With a different experimenter (to avoid demand characteristics), children rated their own and others' liking of the toys. Children used gender labels to guide their own preferences and their expectations for others. Even with very attractive toys, children liked toys less if they were labeled as being for the other sex, and expected other girls and boys to do the same. The role of gender-based reasoning in cognitive theories of gender and on children's play preferences is discussed.
On evaluation of the green functions for harmonic line loads in a viscoelastic half space

Comparison of different quadratures for evaluation of the improper wavenumber integrals which arise in evaluation of the Green functions for a viscoelastic half space and harmonic line loadings is investigated. The model is assumed to be of the plane strain type. Extensive testing of the numerical accuracy for various quadratures is performed. A measure of numerical efficiency of the quadratures is proposed and compared for different integration formulae. It was determined that among the procedures tested the Clenshaw-Curtis quadrature offers the most efficient way of evaluating the wavenumber integrals numerically.
Disulfide-dependent multimeric assembly of resistin family hormones

Resistin, founding member of the resistin-like molecule (RELM) hormone family, is secreted selectively from adipocytes and induces liver-specific antagonism of insulin action, thus providing a potential molecular link between obesity and diabetes. Crystal structures of resistin and RELMbeta reveal an unusual multimeric structure. Each protomer comprises a carboxy-terminal disulfide-rich beta-sandwich "head" domain and an amino-terminal alpha-helical "tail" segment. The alpha-helical segments associate to form three-stranded coiled coils, and surface-exposed interchain disulfide linkages mediate the formation of tail-to-tail hexamers. Analysis of serum samples shows that resistin circulates in two distinct assembly states, likely corresponding to hexamers and trimers. Infusion of a resistin mutant, lacking the intertrimer disulfide bonds, in pancreatic-insulin clamp studies reveals substantially more potent effects on hepatic insulin sensitivity than those observed with wild-type resistin. This result suggests that processing of the intertrimer disulfide bonds may reflect an obligatory step toward activation.
Molecular temporal bone pathology: III. Genotyping of the ΔF508 deletion in the DNA of patients with cystic fibrosis

Genomic DNA from a single celloidin-embedded archival temporal bone section was used to identify a specific genetic mutation. The polymerase chain reaction was used to amplify and detect the deltaF508 deletion, a common molecular genetic defect in cystic fibrosis. This mutation, present in more than 70% of white patients and carriers with cystic fibrosis, results in the deletion of codon 508, which specifies the amino acid phenylalanine of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. When this technique was applied to archival specimens from four patients with cystic fibrosis, all expressed the carrier state of this defective gene. These data demonstrate the feasibility of identifying genetic mutations in archival temporal bone specimens.
Data mining in bioinformatics: challenges and opportunities

In this talk I will discuss some data mining techniques and methods in the bioinformatics domain, what are the main challenges and what are the opportunities. I will cover some of the issues related to biomedical literature mining, bioinformatics data integration and biological network analysis and simulation. In biomedical literature mining, I will discuss the effective information retrieval and large-scale information extraction from biomedical literatures. I will also share my view of the semantic-based approach for data integration for bioinformatics domain. In the end, I will talk about the various approaches for biological network analysis and simulation.
REVIEW: Alternatives to Conventional Antimicrobials in Swine Diets1

Abstract There is growing concern that the use of antimicrobials in livestock feeding to enhance growth and to prevent disease is leading to increasing numbers of antibiotic-resistant human and animal pathogens. The exact degree of antibiotic-resistant organisms attributed to the use of antimicrobial agents in livestock feeding remains to be proven. Despite the lack of empirical evidence, many restrictions and bans have been placed on the use of antibiotics in livestock feeding in Europe. At present, there are no bans placed on the use of common antimicrobials in swine feeding in the United States. However, many scientists have begun to seek naturally occurring alternatives to antibiotics for commercial use if ever a similar situation arises here in the United States. This paper reviews the published data from natural agents that may serve as alternatives to conventional antimicrobials currently used in swine feeding operations. Specific natural agents such as probiotics, oligosaccharides, spices, and plant extracts that have shown some promise for enhancing growth performance and immune function are discussed. Based on this review of the literature, it appears that the observed beneficial effects of natural alternatives to conventional antimicrobials on growth performance and immune function are inconsistent among studies. Although these natural substances show promise, at present, it does not appear that any one natural remedy is a competitive alternative to conventional antimicrobials for growth promotion in swine feeding operations.
Wal-Mart in 2005 (B)

As 2004 came to a close, Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, found itself facing a variety of stakeholder issues. The largest company in the world, which had ranked number one on the Fortune 500 for several years, was accused of, among other things, sending jobs overseas, destroying small-town America, paying its workers substandard wages and providing abysmal health care coverage, and discriminating against women and minorities. Many outsiders accused the retailer of circumventing or ignoring the principles upon which the legendary Sam Walton founded the company: respect for the individual, service to customers, and constant striving for excellence. As 2005 began, Wal-Mart CEO H. Lee Scott and other Wal-Mart executives had to address the various issues. This case details not only the rise of Wal-Mart and its notable capabilities and strategies, but also how the retailer had inadvertantly found itself with such a negative reputation.
Outcomes of multistage palliation of infants with functional single ventricle and heterotaxy syndrome

Abstract Background Management of infants with heterotaxy syndrome and functional single ventricle is complicated due to associated cardiac and extracardiac anomalies. We report current era palliation results. Methods Between 2002 and 2012, 67 infants with heterotaxy syndrome underwent multistage palliation. Competing risks analyses modeled events after surgery (death vs Glenn procedure) and examined factors associated with survival. In addition, early and late outcomes following first-stage palliation surgery were compared with a matched contemporaneous control group of patients with nonheterotaxy single ventricle anomalies. Results Fifty-eight patients (87%) required neonatal palliation, including a modified Blalock-Taussig shunt (n = 34; 51%), Norwood operation (n = 12; 18%) or pulmonary artery band (n = 12; 18%), whereas 9 patients (13%) underwent a primary Glenn procedure. Competing risks analysis showed that at 1 year after first-stage palliation surgery, 29% of the patients had died or undergone transplantation and 63% had undergone a Glenn procedure. By 5 years after the Glenn procedure, 64% of patients had undergone a Fontan procedure. The overall 8-year survival rate was 66%. On multivariable analysis, factors associated with mortality were unplanned reoperation (hazard ratio [HR], 2.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-7.3; P = .005) and total anomalous pulmonary venous connection repair (HR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.0-5.6; P = .056). Comparison with the contemporaneous matched patients with nonheterotaxy single ventricle anomalies showed that first-stage palliation in the patients with heterotaxy was associated with a higher rate of in-hospital death (27% vs 10%; P = .022), and significantly longer durations of ventilation and intensive care unit stay. Interstage mortality, survival after the Glenn procedure, and progression to the Fontan procedure were comparable in the 2 groups. Conclusions The management of infants with heterotaxy and a functional single ventricle remains challenging. First-stage palliation is associated with high operative mortality and increased resource utilization owing to surgical morbidity. Nonetheless, outcomes beyond hospital discharge are comparable to those for patients with other single ventricle anomalies. Efforts to improve survival in those patients should focus on perioperative care.
The Human Nature of Information Work

Column Editor’s NoteThough special libraries share concerns with their more general academic, public, and school counterparts, they also have unique characteristics which merit separate consideration. Libraries of all types are evolving, and just as special libraries can learn from the general literature on libraries, practitioners in general libraries can learn from the experiences and methods of special libraries. “The Specialist,” appearing in even-numbered issues of this journal, addresses the administrative concerns of special libraries. The column's scope includes corporate, non-profit, government, and independent libraries as well as the specialized departments and branches of academic and public libraries. Contributions from practitioners and scholars on any aspect of special libraries are welcome. Interested authors are invited to contact the editor at tmurray@stamps.org for submission guidelines.In library and information science, there is a strong emphasis on technical skills like indexing, dat...
Fiber Loop Ringdown for Physical Sensor Development: Temperature Sensor

Cavity Ringdown technology has been extended for physical sensor development. Novel fiber ringdown temperature sensors using fiber ringdown scheme are reported. The sensor has been tested at 1000oC. Future developments and potential applications are discussed.
Hepatitis A Associated with Chylothorax: An Uncommon Presentation of a Common Infection

Extra-hepatic manifestations have seldom been described with hepatitis A, which usually manifests as mild hepatic dysfunction. We report a 3-year-old boy presenting with 3 days of fever, vomiting, abdominal distention and scleral icterus. On examination, he had tachypnea, hepatosplenomegaly, ascites and right-sided pleural effusion. A diagnostic pleural tap yielded a milky, lymphocyte-predominant exudative aspirate, with pleural fluid triglycerides of 175 mg/dl, suggestive of chylothorax. Serology for anti-HAV IgM was positive in both blood and pleural fluid. The massive effusion causing collapse of the underlying lung was drained by tube thoracostomy, which was followed by complete resolution within 2 weeks. This is the first reported case of chylothorax associated with hepatitis A infection. This report highlights that pleural effusion associated with hepatitis A infection is usually a benign, self-limiting condition which should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pleural effusion or chylothorax in a patient with acute viral hepatitis.
Spectral Imaging Instrument for Optical Mammography

We present a spectral imaging system for 2-D projection mammography that acquires broadband spectra (600-1,000nm) with a tandem scan of illumination/detection fibers. Scanning speed: 3.5cm/s; temporal sampling: 57ms; spatial sampling: 2mm×2mm.
A time-domain substructuring method for dynamic soil structure interaction analysis of arbitrarily shaped foundation systems on heterogeneous media

Soil-structure-interaction (SSI) effects are typically non-negligible for structures that possess one or more of the following attributes: a massive super-structure and/or foundation elements, a large uninterrupted footprint or interface with the soil domain, and a soft, supporting soil medium. The SSI effects comprise the dynamic interaction between: (1) the far-field soil domain; (2) the (potentially inelastically behaving) near-field soil domain; and (3) the structure. The far-field domain is semi-infinite unless the bedrock or a rock outcrop is very near and, thus, it can be represented with a reduced-order model in the form of impedance functions. The use of impedance functions in SSI analyses allows the computational cost to be reduced by several orders of magnitude without compromising the solution accuracy. Moreover, it is now possible to obtain time-domain representations of the inherently frequency-dependent impedance functions. As such, accurate nonlinear time-history analyses of problems that involve SSI effects can be now carried out in a computationally efficient manner. However, the current catalogue of impedance functions is limited to simple foundation shapes and soil profiles. In the present study, we provide a systematic approach with which impedance functions for arbitrarily shaped foundations resting on (or embedded in) heterogeneous soil domains can be obtained. In order to obtain the impedance functions, forward wave propagation analyses are carried out on a high-performance computing platform. The finite element method is employed to account for the arbitrary heterogeneity of soil and for different foundation types and geometries. In the forward analyses, the semi infinite remote boundaries are treated with Perfectly Matched Layers (PML) which, to date, are considered to offer the best Wave-Absorbing Boundary Condition (WABC) representation. Practical examples are provided that display pronounced variations in impedance functions with respect to frequency, which illustrate and quantify the importance of using frequency-dependent impedance functions in SSI analyses.
Estimates of change in chronic disability and institutional incidence and prevalence rates in the U.S. elderly population from the 1982, 1984, and 1989 National Long Term Care Survey.

The U.S. elderly (65+) and oldest-old (85+) populations are growing rapidly which, combined with their high per capita acute and long-term care needs, will increase total U.S. health care needs. Also important in determining needs is how health and function change as mortality declines in the elderly population. Recent increases in adult life expectancy have been due to declines in stroke and heart disease mortality. There is controversy, however, about how those declines relate to the health and function of survivors. We examined changes in the prevalence and incidence of chronic disability using the 1982, 1984, and 1989 National Long Term Care Surveys. The total prevalence of U.S. chronically disabled community-dwelling and institutionalized elderly populations declined from 1984 to 1989, overall, for each of three age strata and after mortality adjustment. These changes varied over level of disability. Factors contributing to these changes, including measurement, are reviewed.
Transforming the curriculum vitae as a new practitioner

A well-written curriculum vitae (CV) is an instrumental part of any practitioner’s application for a number of activities, such as employment, a faculty appointment, grants, awards, and committee work. While resources for practitioners regarding general CV building continue to emerge, postgraduate
Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Receptor Deficiency in Macrophages Accelerates Atherosclerosis and Induces an Unstable Plaque Phenotype in Apolipoprotein E–Deficient Mice

Background—We have previously shown that systemic infusion of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) exerts anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects and reduces atherosclerotic burden in apolipoprot...
Solving Sudoku Puzzles with Wisdom of Artificial Crowds.

A genetic algorithm for solving Sudoku using a wisdom of crowds heuristic is presented. This paper compares the performance of a genetic algorithm for solving Sudoku puzzles against a genetic algorithm which makes use of the wisdom of crowds heuristic. The idea behind the wisdom of crowds heuristic is that multiple people working together can produce a better solution than they would working separately. In this implementation that means that with each generation, we choose a certain percentage of the fittest individuals from the population and deem them experts (they’re the best of what population has to offer). The solutions from these experts are then combined in a way that offers up one solution that is an aggregation of their solutions (one which often has a better fitness than any of the individual expert solutions that went into making it).