cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Celebrity Cancer on Twitter: Mapping a Novel Opportunity for Cancer Prevention:

Social media platforms have the potential to facilitate the dissemination of cancer prevention and control messages following celebrity cancer diagnoses. However, cancer communicators have yet to systematically leverage these naturally occurring interventions on social media as these events are difficult to identify as they are unfolding and little research has analyzed their effect on social media conversations. In this study, we add to the research by analyzing how a celebrity cancer announcement influenced Twitter conversations in terms of the volume of social media messages and the type of content. Over a 9-day period, during which actor Ben Stiller announced that he had been treated for prostate cancer, we collected 1.2 million Twitter messages about cancer. We conducted automated content analyses to identify how often common cancer sites (prostate, breast, colon, or lung) were discussed. Then, we used manual content analysis on a sample of messages to identify cancer continuum content (awareness, prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, and end of life). Chi-square analyses were implemented to evaluate changes in cancer site and cancer continuum content before and after the announcement. We found that messages related to prostate cancer increased significantly more than expected for 2 days following Stiller's announcement. However, the number of cancer messages that described other cancer locations either did not increase or did not increase by the same magnitude. In terms of message content, results showed larger than expected increases in diagnosis messages. These results suggest opportunities to shape social media conversations following celebrity cancer announcements and increase prevention and early detection messages.
Human Listener’s Misperception Between Signal Comprehension in Noise and Noise Acceptability

Hearing loss in the United States (US) between the ages of 20–69 years old is increasing at an alarming rate and the growth rate of the hearing aid industry is increasing rapidly. These days, many people depend on hearing aids for their hearing effectiveness; therefore, early intervention in hearing protection and hearing loss prevention should not be underrated. Hence, listener’s clarification between signal comprehension in noise (SCN) and tiredness in background noise is important to assist the younger generation to protect their hearing. In light of this, an empirical laboratory study was conducted to determine the differences between signal comprehension in noise and an acceptable noise level (ANL). Thirty students participated in the study with ages ranging from 19 to 44 years old. Babble noise was used as the background noise, while comedian speech was used as the signal. Findings show that the background noise level accepted during an ANL task was 8% higher than the background noise level accepted during SCN. Results further revealed no statistically significant difference between listener’s ANL and SCN (P = 0.0609). Additionally, findings reveal no statistically significant differences of the effect that the background noise level posed on both ANL and SNC. However, listeners were more sensitive toward signal intensity during SCN task than during ANL task. This could be because ANL only measures listener’s willingness to work in noisy conditions while SCN task measures listener ability to seek meaning out of a signal presented in noisy conditions. Findings from this study could be used to assist listeners who are in the habit of setting their music listening volume at high levels while studying.
TRANSCATHETER AORTIC VALVE IMPLANT DEPTH MEASUREMENTS DIFFER BY AORTOGRAPHY VERSUS COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY

Permanent pacemaker implantation (PPI) remains a significant risk following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Although there are some data demonstrating the association between implant depth and PPI, no prior study has evaluated the association between implant depth measured by
Multi-agent path planning: comparison of different behaviors in the case of collisions

In the context of Industry 4.0 and cyber-physical production systems, the role of production logistics is perceived as more and more important in order to reach the overall manufacturing targets. One central aspect in organizing the flow of material consists in task allocation and path planning for transport resources disposing of growing autonomy. There are various approaches for multi-agent path planning as well as the way of dealing with collisions. Collisions are possible due to traffic volume and can either be treated on planning level or in a short-term way on control level.
Central precocious puberty may be a manifestation of endocrine dysfunction in pediatric patients with mitochondrial disease

We retrospectively reviewed the data of 140 female pediatric patients with rare mitochondrial diseases (MDs) confirmed using muscle biopsy. We evaluated patients who were diagnosed with central precocious puberty (PP) with early pubertal development to determine whether PP is a clinical manifestation of MDs. We also examined the clinical, auxiological, laboratory, and radiological parameters after 1 year of gonadotropin-releasing hormone treatment for central PP. Among the 140 girls with MDs, 29 had early pubertal development and underwent endocrine evaluation. Ten (7.1%) patients were diagnosed with central PP; the prevalence of central PP was higher than was that previously thought. Patients with central PP exhibited bone age advancement over 1 year and increased sex hormone levels despite their young age at diagnosis. Serum estradiol levels were significantly higher in younger patients than in older patients (P = 0.004). Patients with central PP treated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone had favorable outcomes, and their pubertal development was suppressed for 1 year. Conclusion: Central PP may be a manifestation of endocrine dysfunction in young girls with MDs.
Clinical features with anti fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) antibody-related polyneuropathy: a retrospective study.

Despite its initial association with sensory neuropathies, anti-fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) antibodies have been since reported with a broad range of neuropathies and clinical features. The aim of the study is to report the clinical and electro diagnostic findings in a cohort of patients with sensory or sensorimotor polyneuropathy and anti-FGFR3 antibodies. We performed a retrospective chart review to assess the clinical characteristics of patients with sensory or sensorimotor neuropathy related to FGFR3 antibodies. Descriptive statistics were reported using frequencies and percentages for categorical variables and median and interquartile range (IQR) for continuous variables. This study included 14 patients (9 women) with a median age of 51.9 years (IQR 48–57). The most common presenting symptoms were painful paresthesia (100%), gait instability (42.9%), constitutional symptoms (42.9%), and autonomic symptoms (28.6%). Onset of symptoms was chronic (≥12 weeks) in eight patients (57.1%). Examination showed a distal loss of sensation to pin prick (100%), as well as impaired vibration sensation (78.6%) and proprioception (35.7%), in the distal extremities. We also observed mild weakness in the distal lower-extremities (42.9%). Three patients (21.4%) had trigeminal neuralgia, three patients (21.4%) had co-existing autoimmune disease, and one patient (7.1%) had a history of renal cell carcinoma. The mean titer of FGFR3 antibody was 14,285.71 (IQR 5000–16,750). All 14 patients produced normal results in the neuropathy workup. Nerve conduction study and electromyography showed sensory axonal neuropathy in four patients (28.6%), sensorimotor axonal neuropathy in seven patients (50%), and a normal result in three patients (21.4%). For those with a normal NCS/EMG, a skin biopsy showed a non-length-dependent small fiber neuropathy. Neuropathy related to FGFR3 antibodies can potentially involve small and large fibers, sensory and motor fibers, and even the trigeminal nerve, which contributes to a highly variable clinical presentation.
A new Sense of Responsibility? A Levinasian Ecology of Religious Sentiment

The aim of this essay is to look at the manner in which the philosophical ethics of Emmanual Levinas can be brought into dialogue with environmental ethics and animal rights.
Autonomous Cyberdefense Introduces Risk: Can We Manage the Risk?

We discuss the human role in the design and control of cyberdefenses. We focus on machine learning training and algorithmic feedback and constraints, with the aim of motivating a discussion on achieving trust in autonomous cyberdefenses.
Neurofascin-155 Immunoglobulin Subtypes: Clinicopathologic Associations and Neurologic Outcomes.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Multiple studies highlighting diagnostic utility of neurofascin 155 (NF155)-IgG4 in chronic demyelinating inflammatory polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) have been published. However, few studies comprehensively address the long-term outcomes, or clinical utility of NF155-IgM or NF155-IgG, in the absence of NF155-IgG4. In this study we evaluate phenotypic and histopathological specificity, and differences in outcomes between these NF155 antibody isotypes or IgG subclasses. We also compare NF155-IgG4 seropositive cases to other seropositive demyelinating neuropathies. METHODS In this study, neuropathy patient sera seen at Mayo Clinic were tested for NF155-IgG4, NF155-IgG and NF155-IgM autoantibodies. Demographic and clinical data of all seropositive cases were reviewed. RESULTS We identified 32 NF155 patients (25 NF155-IgG positive [20 NF155-IgG4 positive], 7 NF155-IgM seropositive). NF155-IgG4 seropositive patients clinically presented with distal more than proximal muscle weakness, positive sensory symptoms (prickling, asymmetric paresthesia, neuropathic pain) and gait ataxia. Cranial nerve involvement (11/20, 55%) and papilledema (4/12, 33%) occurred in many. Electrodiagnostic testing (EDX) demonstrated demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (19/20, 95%). Autonomic involvement occurred in 45% (n=9, median CASS score 3.5, range 1-7). Nerve biopsies from the NF155-IgG4 patients (n=11) demonstrated grouped segmental demyelination (50%), myelin reduplication (45%) and paranodal swellings (50%). Most patients needed 2nd and 3rd line immunosuppression but had favorable long-term outcomes (n=18). Among 14 patients with serial EDX over 2 years, all except one demonstrated improvement after treatment. NF155-IgG positive NF155-IgG4 negative (NF155-IgG positive) and NF155-IgM positive patients were phenotypically different from NF155-IgG4 seropositive patients. Sensory ataxia, neuropathic pain, cerebellar dysfunction and root/plexus MRI abnormalities were significantly more common in NF155-IgG4 positive compared to MAG-IgM neuropathy. Chronic immune sensory polyradiculopathy (CISP)/CISP-plus phenotype was more common among Contactin-1 neuropathies compared to NF155-IgG4 positive cases. NF155-IgG4 positive cases responded favorably to immunotherapy compared to MAG-IgM seropositive cases with distal acquired demyelinating symmetric neuropathy (p<0.001) and had better long-term clinical outcomes compared to contactin-1 IgG (p=0.04). DISCUSSION We report long-term follow-up and clinical outcome of NF155-IgG4 patients. NF155-IgG4 but not IgM or IgG patients have unique clinical-electrodiagnostic signature. We demonstrate NF155-IgG4 positive patients, unlike classical CIDP with neuropathic pain and dysautonomia common at presentation. Long-term outcomes were favorable. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE This study provides Class III evidence that NF155-IgG4 seropositive patients, compared to typical CIDP patients, present with distal more than proximal muscle weakness, positive sensory symptoms, and gait ataxia.
Chapter 2 Determination of Organometallic Compounds in Environmental Samples with Element-Specific Detectors

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the determination of organometallic compounds in environmental samples with element-specific detectors. Element-specific detectors can and have been used in conjunction with gas chromatographs, with ion chromatographs, and with high pressure liquid chromatographs to great advantage. Most of the element-specific detectors are based on atomic absorption or emission spectrometry. Commercial spectrometers that are not inexpensive can be coupled to chromatographs without much difficulty. Because graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometers are available in most laboratories performing trace element analyses, the combination of chromatographs with such spectrometers is the easiest entry into element-specific systems suitable for the determination of trace element compounds. The advent of plasma emission sources combined with polychromators provided opportunities to couple gas chromatographs with multielement-specific detectors. Analytes introduced into helium or argon plasmas, the temperatures of which are much higher than encountered in flames and graphite furnaces employed in atomic absorption spectrometry, are efficiently atomized and the resulting atoms excited. The high plasma temperatures excite even atoms with high ionization potential and assure intense emissions from all the elements. Three types of plasmas are available—microwave-induced plasmas, direct-current plasmas, and inductively-coupled plasmas. Argon and helium serve in most cases as plasma gases.
Underwater Acoustic Communication

Underwater wireless communications over distances in excess of about 100 m are established using acoustic signals. Acoustic signals propagate as pressure waves, whose energy absorption limits the available bandwidth. As a result, existing technology provides bit rates on the order of several kilobits per second for transmission over distances on the order of several kilometers. Additional challenges are presented by multipath propagation that causes frequency selectivity, random time variation, and Doppler effects that occur due to low speed of sound (1500 m/s). This article overviews the development of acoustic modem technology, which evolved over the past several decades from noncoherent modulation/detection techniques to bandwidth-efficient phase-coherent modulation/detection. A survey of techniques for channel equalization in single-carrier systems as well as recent advances in multicarrier acoustic communications is also presented. Keywords: Acoustic; communications; coherent; equalization; channel estimation; phase synchronizations; multipath; Doppler; sparse channels; diversity combining; beamforming; multiuser detection; interference suppression; time reversal; multi-input–multi-output (MIMO) processing; multicarrier modulation; OFDM; adaptive modulation; underwater networks
IV Evanescent Waves in Optical Imaging

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the role of evanescent waves in optical imaging. It emphasizes the physical reality and properties of the evanescent waves and the way their peculiar behavior can be advantageously used for optical imaging purposes. Evanescent waves exist and are formed in optics in connection with some well-known phenomena: they are formed in the rarer medium when light is totally internally reflected, they occur in diffraction at objects with extremely fine structures, they are frequently encountered in connection with the angular spectrum representation of electromagnetic field, they are used for the treatment of radiation from moving charged particles, and they are used to describe fields without radiation. Evanescent waves are often also called “surface waves,” especially in the radio-wave field. Because of their evanescence, evanescent waves cannot be used for transferring optical information over any appreciable distance. Therefore, they always have to be used in combination with homogeneous propagating waves in such a way that propagating waves are converted into evanescent waves and/or vice versa. Before conversion, however, a change in the state of the evanescent wave—that is, in its amplitude, phase, frequency, and polarization—can be introduced.
Air separation plants with mellapak

The main components of air - nitrogen, oxygen and argon - are needed in ever-increasing quantities by industry. The high energy requirements of the air compressor for the separation of these gases may be reduced during distillation by suitable column packings, as this article reports.
Access and inference in categorization

This paper contains the remarks of the discussant in the symposium on social cognition held at the Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society in November 1989. Although much work in cognitive psychology and social cognition addresses categorization, these two areas of work currently exhibit little overlap. Whereas cognitive psychologists focus primarily on how people access categories, social cognitive psychologists focus primarily on how people draw inferences from categories. Cognitive psychologists have little to say about inference, often seeming to view categorization as an end in itself. Social cognitive psychologists typically ignore how people access categories for individuals, behaviors, and situations. Because access and inference are both intrinsic parts of categorization, complete theories of categorization must address both in a balanced and integrated manner.
A representation theorem for biharmonic functions

The usual solution of V4b = 0 in terms of harmonic functions carry along with them, conditions on the smoothness of b and restrictions on the connectivity, convexity and boundness of the regions in which the forms are complete. E. Almansi [l] is generally credited as the first to have established a representation theorem for such functions. Beginning with a biharmonic function, b, regular in a right cylindrical region of space which is z-convex, he showed how to construct a pair of harmonic functions, h, , h, such that b = h, + zh, . His method is cumbersome and complex. R. J. Duffin [2] elegantly established the same result in a completely elementary way. At about the same time E. Sternberg and R. A. Eubanks [3] submitted a proof on the weaker hypothesis that the region in which b is defined is z-convex. Almansi also observed that biharmonic functions of the form
Excitation of Central Nervous System Neurons by Nonuniform Electric Fields

The goal of this study was to determine which neural elements are excited by microstimulation of the central nervous system. A cable model of a neuron including an axon, initial segment, axon hillock, soma, and simplified dendritic tree was used to study excitation with an extracellular point source electrode. The model reproduced a wide range of experimentally documented extracellular excitation patterns. The site of action potential initiation (API) was a function of the electrode position, stimulus duration, and stimulus polarity. The axon or initial segment was always the site of API at threshold. When the electrode was positioned near the cell body, the site of excitation was dependent on the stimulus amplitude. With the electrode in close proximity to the neuron, short-duration cathodic pulses produced lower thresholds with the electrode positioned over the axon than over the cell body, and long-duration stimuli produced opposite relative thresholds. This result was robust to alterations in either the maximum conductances or the intracellular resistivities of the model. The site of maximum depolarization was not always an accurate predictor of the site of API, and the temporal evolution of the changes in membrane potential played a strong role in determining the site of excitation.
Multimedia document authentication using on-line signatures as watermarks

Authentication of digital documents is an important concern as digital documents are replacing the traditional paper-based documents for offcial and legal purposes. This is especially true in the case of documents that are exchanged over the Internet, which could be accessed and modified by intruders. The most popular methods used for authentication of digital documents are public key encryption-based authentication and digital watermarking. Traditional watermarking techniques embed a pre-determined character string, such as the company logo, in a document. We propose a fragile watermarking system, which uses an on-line signature of the author as the watermark in a document. The embedding of a biometric characteristic such as signature in a document enables us to verify the identity of the author using a set of reference signatures, in addition to ascertaining the document integrity. The receiver of the document reconstructs the signature used to watermark the document, which is then used to verify the author's claimed identity. The paper presents a signature encoding scheme, which facilitates reconstruction by the receiver, while reducing the chances of collusion attacks.
Varimax solution for primary mental abilities

The varimax solution for Thurstone's classic Primary Mental Abilities study is presented. Comparisons between the factors of Thurstone's original subjectively rotated factor pattern, Zimmerman's subjectively revised solution, Wrigley, Saunders, and Neuhaus' quartimax results, and the present varimax factor matrix are made by finding correlations between factors defined by these four solutions. It is pointed out that any possible ultimate merit of the varimax solution should be based on its psychological meaningfulness and on the rationale of the varimax criterion—not on its relationship to the other studies.
Identification and pronunciation effects in a verbal reaction time task for words, pseudowords, and letters.

The question addressed in this investigation was whether faster reading and pronunciation of words than orthographically regular pseudowords is due to faster identification or to faster programming and execution of the motor response. In Experiment I, three different response conditions (naming, threechoice signaled responding, and one-choice signaled responding) were employed to separate the identification and articulation processes in a verbal reaction time task. It was found that, for all intents and purposes, single, isolated letters are processed as if they were very short words. Words are read and pronounced 72 msec faster than pseudowords. Words are also pronounced 30 msec faster than pseudowords even if the reader has longer than 1 sec to identify the stimulus (three-choice condition) or to both identify the stimulus and preprogram the response (one-choice condition). The data indicate that words are identified about 52 msec faster and articulated about 30 msec faster than pseudowords. Since the number of response alternatives (one or three) does not interact with stimulus type (letter, word, or pseudoword) in the signaled response control condition, the 30-msec difference is due to response execution and not to differential response programming. Response programming takes in the neighborhood of 236 msec. Experiment 2 investigated the effect of local orthographic context upon the identification of the first letter of a string of letters. No difference was found in identifying the initial letter of words and pseudowords, but the initial letter of these orthographically regular letter strings was identified and named 10 msec faster than the initial letter of orthographically anomalous strings of letters (anagrams). The data from the two experiments are supportive of theories of reading that assume (1) that the letters of visually presented words are processed simultaneously, in parallel, (2) that there is a relatively direct access and retrieval of the phonological memory codes for the names of words, and (3) that orthographically regular pseudowords having no representation in the phonological lexicon undergo a grapheme-to-phoneme transformation that takes longer to finish than the direct spelling-to-sound process used for words.
Application of the Born-approximation deconvolved inverse scattering (BADIS) method to second harmonic imaging

The Born-approximation deconvolved inverse scattering (BADIS) imaging technique is an alternative to the conventional pulse-echo method, which presents the magnitude of the reflected pulse as the distribution of the target acoustic reflectivity. BADIS deconvolves the incident pulse from the reflected pulse, and uses the resulting impulse response to produce an image of the acoustic impedance distribution. It is applicable mainly to structures that resemble a layered medium. The images captured by this method prove to have improved resolution and are free of speckle. With the BADIS method one can use ultrasound of lower frequencies than would be required by the pulse-echo method to achieve the same resolution. To provide further improvement of images the second harmonic signals can be employed. Here we describe the combined BADIS-Harmonic Imaging method. For this purpose the hybrid transducer by Krautkramer Branson Co., which consists of a cylindrical 5 MHz transducer wrapped in an annulus-shaped 2.25 MHz transducer, has been used. The image phantom was a two- plastic film structure with drilled holes in the top layer. It is shown that the BADIS analysis of the second harmonic reflection data provides improved images.© (2002) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Structural and chemical characterization of TiO2 memristive devices by spatially-resolved NEXAFS

We used spatially-resolved NEXAFS (near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure) spectroscopy coupled with microscopy to characterize the electronic, structural and chemical properties of bipolar resistive switching devices. Metal/TiO2/metal devices were electroformed with both bias polarities and then physically opened to study the resulting material changes within the device. Soft x-ray absorption techniques allowed isolated study of the different materials present in the device with 100 nm spatial resolution. The resulting morphology and structural changes reveal a picture of localized polarity-independent heating occurring within these devices initiated by and subsequently accelerating polarity-dependent electrochemical reduction/oxidation processes.
Theoretical orientations and perceived acceptability of intervention strategies applied to acting-out behavior☆

Abstract Acceptability ratings of three types of interventions (behavioral, pragmatic, and humanistic) applied to an acting-out behavior problem were evaluated by regular education teachers utilizing the Intervention Rating Profile (IRP-15) developed by J. C. Witt and B. K. Martens in 1984. Also evaluated were the relationships among acceptability scores of the interventions and self-reported use of the types of interventions. The teachers rated the humanistic and behavioral approaches as the most acceptable and the pragmatic approach as the least acceptable. There was a significant positive correlation between the ratings of the behavioral intervention and self-reported use of behavioral interventions in the classroom. However, neither the pragmatic nor the humanistic ratings correlated with self-reported classroom use.
Simulation of Diamond Disc Conditioning in Chemical Mechanical Polishing: Effects of Conditioning Parameters on Pad Surface Shape

Diamond disc conditioning is traditionally employed to restore pad planarity and surface roughness in chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). In this paper, a mathematic model is developed by using a surface element method to simulate and predict the pad surface shape resulted from diamond disc conditioning. The developed model is then validated by published experimental data. Three metrics (total thickness variation (TTV), bow and non-uniformity (NU)) are defined and utilized to evaluate the pad surface shape. Based upon the validated model, effects of conditioning parameters (including sweeping profile, pad rotating speed, conditioner rotating speed, and conditioner diameter) on the pad surface shape are further investigated and discussed.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
The impact of electronic globalization on foreign document collections in the United States

Abstract A survey was administered to foreign documents librarians at 132 research libraries in the United States and Canada to determine current collecting practices and policies among those libraries with strong foreign-documents collections. The results show a continued reliance on print format with a slowly increasing use of electronic resources. Also indicated is a trend towards integration of foreign documents into the general collection management policies of research library collections.
The expression of mRNAs for the proteasome complex is developmentally regulated in the rat mesencephalon.

The proteasome is a large protease complex that recognizes, unfolds and degrades ubiquitinated proteins. Evidence is now accumulating that the ubiquitin–proteasome system may play an important role in neuronal apoptosis. However, little is known about the involvement of the proteasome in neuronal death in vivo, and there has been no prior analysis of the developmental expression of proteasome subunits in brain during periods of natural and inducible apoptotic death. We therefore studied the mRNA expression levels, using Northern analysis, of a subunit from each of the three key components of the proteasome in the rat mesencephalon from E21 through development and in adulthood. We measured mRNA expression for RC6 (a subunit of 20S), p112 (a subunit of 19S) and PA28-α (a subunit of 11S). The expression of PA28-α in rat mesencephalon was highest at the earliest times studied, and then decreased at PND 21, 28 and adult, in comparison to E21 (P<0.05) and PND 2, 4 and 7 (P<0.01). The expression of RC6 was lower in adult in comparison to PND 2, 4 and 21 (P<0.05) and PND 14 (P<0.01). There were no significant differences in the mRNA levels of p112 at various times studied. In situ hybridization at PND 7 indicated that all the subunits studied are particularly abundant in the SNpc. Thus, PA28-α and RC6 are developmentally regulated, and they may therefore play a role in developmental cell death or differentiation in neurons of the SN.
The Association of Race, Cultural Factors, and Health-Related Quality of Life in Persons With Spinal Cord Injury

Abstract Myaskovsky L, Burkitt KH, Lichy AM, Ljungberg IH, Fyffe DC, Ozawa H, Switzer GE, Fine MJ, Boninger ML. The association of race, cultural factors, and health-related quality of life in persons with spinal cord injury. Objective To examine the association of race and cultural factors with quality-of-life factors (participation, life satisfaction, perceived health status) in people with spinal cord injury (SCI). Design Cross-sectional multisite study using structured questionnaires. Setting Six National SCI Model Systems centers. Participants People with SCI (N=275; age ≥16y; SCI with discernable neurologic impairments; used power or manual wheelchair for >1y as primary means of mobility; nonambulatory except for exercise purposes). Interventions None. Main Outcome Measures Participation (Craig Handicap Assessment and Reporting Technique Short Form); satisfaction (Satisfaction With Life Scale); and perceived health status (2 items from 36-Item Short Form Health Survey). Results African American (n=96) with SCI reported more experiences of discrimination in health care, greater perceived racism, more health care system distrust, and lower health literacy than whites (n=156; P range, P P P P P P Conclusions In this cross-sectional study of people with SCI, higher levels of perceived discrimination and racism and better communication with health care providers were associated with an increase in participation and functioning and improvements in perceptions of well-being. These associations are different from those reported in other study populations and warrant confirmation in future prospective studies.
A Survey of Optical Jets and Herbig-Haro Objects in the ρ Ophiuchi Cloud Core

We describe a deep narrowband [S II] imaging survey of ~0.7 deg2 covering the ρ Ophiuchi cloud core (L1688). We detect seven new jet/Herbig-Haro (HH) objects in our survey, of which three are new detections and four confirm candidates from a recent survey by Wilking et al. Together with the five previously known objects, this brings the total to 12 known jet/HH objects in the cloud. In addition to this, we propose six new candidate HH objects. The most likely sources to power the new jet/HH objects appear to be optically visible stars; however, a conclusive association between the HH objects and pre–main-sequence stars is difficult, as several candidate driving sources lie in close vicinity of the new knots. Practically all of the HH objects are located on the perimeter of the cloud. The lack of optical emission toward the center of the cloud and the high spatial concentration of the youngest protostars toward the densest regions strongly suggest that jets inside the cloud are obscured from our view at optical wavelengths. A near-infrared H2 survey is required to penetrate into the cloud and to study the outflow activity in this extremely active star-forming region.
Microphysical Processes Evident in Aerosol Forcing of Tropical Deep Convective Clouds

AbstractThis study investigates the effects of aerosols on tropical deep convective clouds (DCCs). A series of large-scale, two-dimensional cloud-resolving model simulations was completed, differing only in the concentration of aerosols available to act as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). Polluted simulations contained more DCCs, wider storms, higher cloud tops, and more convective precipitation domainwide. Differences in warm cloud microphysics were largely consistent with the first and second aerosol indirect effects. The average surface precipitation produced in each DCC column decreased with increasing aerosol concentration. A detailed microphysical budget analysis showed that the reduction in collision and coalescence largely dominated the trend in average precipitation. The production of rain from ice, though it also decreased, became a more important contribution to precipitation as the aerosol concentration increased. The DCCs in polluted simulations contained more frequent extreme values of verti...
Slab-coupled optical waveguide (SCOW) devices and photonic integrated circuits (PICs)

We review recent advances in the development of slab-coupled optical waveguide (SCOW) devices, progress toward a flexible photonic integration platform containing both conventional high-confinement and SCOW ultra-low confinement devices, and applications of this technology.
Chronic job insecurity among automobile workers: Effects on job satisfaction and health

Work conditions characterized by uncertainty and ambiguity are potential stressors for employees. One such stressor is job insecurity. This longitudinal study of 207 automobile manufacturing workers indicates that chronic job insecurity is predictive of changes over time in both job satisfaction and physical symptoms. Extended periods of job insecurity decrease job satisfaction and increase physical symptomatology, over and above the effects of job insecurity at any single point in time. These results indicate that job insecurity acts as a chronic stressor whose effects become more potent as the time of exposure increases. Worksite health professionals should develop strategies for reducing the impact of job insecurity on employee well-being, particularly in industries where employment opportunities are declining.
Sampling for a Study of the Population and Land Use of Detroit in 1880-1885

The design of an efficient sampling scheme for the study of population and space in the nineteenth century is a challenging problem for historians. To examine the relationship of social life to the general form of the city, the sample must cover the whole territory. Working on that scale however, a researcher ordinarily sacrifices detail to achieve coverage. But to examine the constraints and the routine which are part of everyday experience, the sample must provide that very detail- intensive observations of small areal sub-populations. When the researcher has that detail, he/she ordinarily sacrifices the attempt to achieve uniform coverage of the city as a whole. The two goals have seemed mutually exclusive in any single sampling design. Thus the historical study of the American city has often followed two distinct lines of approach: either gross patterns in urban land use have been investigated to understand aspects of the city’s change, its dynamics of growth, and the development of suburbanization, for example; or intensive studies of the experience of neighborhoods or single ethnic or social groups have been conducted.
Application of dynamical system theory to coherent structures in the wall region

Abstract In an attempt to apply dynamical system approaches to turbulence, we derive closed sets of nonlinear ordinary differential equations for the wall region. This is achieved by Galerkin projection onto statistical “coherent structures”, using the proper orthogonal decomposition (Lumley [1]) which converges optimally fast in the quadratic mean sense. Application of this definition to the instantaneous velocity field of the wall region shows the presence of streamwise rolls. A severe truncation of the dynamical system (10 dimensions) is studied to investigate the time behavior of these rolls. The energy transfer to unresolved modes is adjusted by a Heisenberg parameter. For large values of the parameter (large loss), the solution is steady and represents streamwise rolls having the experimentally observed cross-stream spacing. For lower values of the parameter, intermittency appears due to the presence of a heteroclinic attracting orbit in the phase space. The behavior of the streamwise rolls consists in a long time quasi-steady state followed by a growing oscillation and a sudden burst during which the rolls lose their identify. Subsequently the rolls reform and the process is repeated. These dynamics appear to minic the bursting behavior observed in the wall region. For lower parameter values, the regime is much more complex, apparently chaotic. The fluctuating pressure term appears as a forcing term at the upper boundary of the integration domain. Although its amplitude is very small, it acts as a trigger for bursts and equilibrates the mean time between the events which would otherwise increase with time as the trajectory is attracted closer and closer to the heteroclinic cycle. The whole mechanism is qualitatively the same when the wall region is artificially thickened (which is done by applying stretching transformations). This is in agreement with experimental results concerning drag-reduced flows.
Screen heat exchanger performance comparison

Abstract The performance of stainless steel screen regenerator stacks (500 mesh) has been investigated at relatively small flow rates in comparison to conventional operation close to the laminar-turbulent transition range. A modified ‘single blow’ technique was used initially, and an additional comparative procedure is employed to deduce heat transfer rate ratios with respect to a single-wire reference case of heat transfer. The data obtained are two orders of magnitude below ‘classical’ room temperature values at low Reynolds numbers (Re); (Re based on the Darcy law-related characteristic length; Re
Application of Photoelectric Multiplier Tubes to the Sensitive Measurement of Absorption or of Changes of Relative Light Intensities

The possibility of using photo-multipliers for the detection of the change in light intensity due to the absorption of free radicals in chemical reactions has been investigated. A discussion of the sensitivity of photo-tubes considers the effects of the random fluctuations of the photoelectric current, and the limitations due to the dark current and the fatigue of the tube. A balanced direct current circuit using two photo-multipliers is described. With this circuit, it is possible to detect a change of light intensity of 1 part in 10,000.
Scheduling algorithms for modern disk drives

Disk subsystem performance can be dramatically improved by dynamically ordering, or scheduling, pending requests. Via strongly validated simulation, we examine the impact of complex logical-to-physical mappings and large prefetching caches on scheduling effectiveness. Using both synthetic workloads and traces captured from six different user environments, we arrive at three main conclusions: (1) Incorporating complex mapping information into the scheduler provides only a marginal (less than 2%) decrease in response times for seek-reducing algorithms. (2) Algorithms which effectively utilize prefetching disk caches provide significant performance improvements for workloads with read sequentiality. The cyclical scan algorithm (C-LOOK), which always schedules requests in ascending logical order, achieves the highest performance among seek-reducing algorithms for such workloads. (3) Algorithms that reduce overall positioning delays produce the highest performance provided that they recognize and exploit a prefetching cache.
Role of Technology in Achieving Environmental Policy Goals in the Maritime Transportation System

The maritime transportation system (MTS), a truly multimodal industry, is in the unique position of being able to implement technologies borrowed from other areas and combine them with innovations developed within the industry to achieve continued advancement. There is an increasing need for better environmental performance in the industry; this is generally accomplished through new or adopted technologies. Previous research has explored the independent ideas of individual technological or environmental policy achievements. The role of technology in achieving environmental policy goals in the marine shipping industry is addressed, and the efficacy of various types of environmental policy mechanisms in promoting appropriate technologies is considered. Two case studies involving the environmental impacts associated with MTS (air pollution and nonindigenous species introductions) are evaluated. These two environmental problems were initially regulated with environmental standards but have shown a potential for being addressed with more innovative policy approaches. A better understanding of how the industry creates and diffuses technologies and the manner in which various policy mechanisms promote these activities could lead to more effective long-term solutions for environmental improvements.
Ischemic conditioning (delay phenomenon) improves esophagogastric anastomotic wound healing in the rat

Background and Objectives Esophagogastric anastomotic leaks are a major source of morbidity after esophagectomy. Occult ischemia of the mobilized gastric fundus is an important etiological factor for this failure of healing. To test the hypothesis that ischemic conditioning (delay phenomenon) could improve esophagogastric anastomotic healing, anastomotic healing was studied in a rodent model of partial gastric devascularization. Methods Thirty-four Sprague-Dawley rats (two groups of 17 rats) underwent partial gastric devascularization and creation of esophagogastric anastomoses. In the acute ischemia group, devascularization and anastomosis were done at the same laparotomy. In the ischemic conditioned group, devascularization was done 3 weeks before anastomosis. Gastric tissue perfusion was assessed by laser-Doppler flowmetry before and after devascularization in both groups, and 3 weeks after devascularization in the ischemic conditioned group. All rats were killed 4 days after anastomosis, and the wounds assessed for dehiscence, breaking strength, and hydroxyproline concentration. Results Gastric tissue perfusion, measured in tissue perfusion units (TPU) decreased immediately after devascularization (before: 73.6 ± 12.1 TPU; after: 25.0 ± 6.5 TPU; P < 0.001). After 3 weeks, gastric tissue perfusion returned to baseline values in the ischemic conditioned rats (before: 72.3 ± 11.0 TPU; 3 weeks, 71.1 ± 15.1 TPU; P < 0.80). Ischemic conditioned rats had fewer anastomotic leaks (2 vs. 9, P < 0.023) and higher anastomotic wound breaking strengths (2.35 ± 1.05 N vs. 1.56 ± .76 N, P < 0.02) than the acute ischemic rats. Anastomotic wound hydroxyproline concentration was not significantly different in the two groups (acute ischemic—0.111 ± .033 μmol/mg, ischemic conditions—0.097 ± .026 μmol/mg, P < 0.20). Conclusions In this rodent model of partial gastric devascularization, ischemic conditioning (delay phenomenon) ameliorated the harmful effect of ischemic on esophagogastric anastomotic wound healing. J. Surg. Oncol. 1997;66:254–256. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Excited-State Exchange Coupling in Bent Mn(III)−O−Mn(III) Complexes: Dominance of the π/σ Superexchange Pathway and Its Possible Contributions to the Reactivities of Binuclear Metalloproteins

Spectroscopic and computational studies of the mono-oxo-bridged complex [Mn(III)2O(OAc)2(Me3tacn)2]2+ (μ-O,Me3tacn, where Me3tacn denotes 1,4,7-trimethyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononane) are presented and discussed. The polarized single-crystal absorption spectra exhibit marked changes with increasing temperature between 10 and 300 K, in particular a significant red-shift and a broadening of the dominant feature in the visible spectral region. These data serve as the basis for evaluating density functional theory calculations to obtain quantitative molecular orbital descriptions of the dominant Mn−O−Mn superexchange pathways in μ-O,Me3tacn. Both the spectroscopic and computational data indicate that the mixed π/σ Mn(xz)−O−Mn(z2) superexchange pathway (where x and z are in the Mn−O−Mn plane and z is oriented along the Mn−O vector) produces the key contribution to exchange coupling. The weak ferromagnetic coupling in the ground state (J = +9 cm-1, ℋ = −2JS1S2) results from a near cancellation of ferromagnetic and a...
Desulfurization of Digester Gas on Wood-Based Activated Carbons Modified with Nitrogen: Importance of Surface Chemistry

Activated carbon of wood origin with micro- and mesoporosity was modified with either melamine or urea by impregnation followed by heat treatment at 450 and 950 °C. The materials obtained were used...
The neural representation of language in users of American Sign Language.

Studies of American Sign Language (ASL) offer unique insights into the fundamental properties of human language. Neurolinguistic studies explore the effects of left and right hemisphere lesions on the production and comprehension of signed language. Following damage to the left hemisphere perisylvian regions, signers, like users of spoken languages, exhibit frank aphasic disturbances. Sign language paraphasia illustrates the linguistic specificity of impairment. A case study involving cortical stimulation mapping (CSM) in a deaf signer provides evidence for the specialization of Broca's area in sign language production. The effects of right hemisphere damage highlight the specialized properties of sign language use. Data from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of deaf signers confirm the importance of left hemisphere language structures in the use of signed language, but also reveal the contributions of right hemisphere regions to the processing of ASL. These studies provide new insights into the complementary roles of biology and environment in language representation in the human brain. Learning Outcomes: As a result of this activity, the participant will read studies of aphasia in users of signed language and a discussion of neurolinguistic studies of paraphasia in ASL. The participant will examine the role of the right hemisphere in language use and findings from a functional imaging study of sentence processing in ASL and English.