cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Time Lapse Photography of Clouds

The equipment and procedures used in preparing more than 15,240 m of 16-mm time lapse movies of atmospheric clouds is described. Such photographic records are of great value in establishing a dynamic cloud census of a specific area. Operational techniques, the support diagrams, and the optimum time intervals in use for different types of records are presented.
The effects of prosthetic ankle dorsiflexion and energy return on below-knee amputee leg loading

Abstract Background Prosthetic devices are intended to return lower limb amputees to their pre-amputation functional status. However, prosthetic devices designed for unilateral below-knee amputees have yet to completely restore the biomechanical functions normally provided by the ankle muscles, leading to gait asymmetries and increased reliance on their intact leg. In an effort to improve amputee gait, energy storage and return feet have been developed that store mechanical energy in elastic structures in early to mid-stance and return it in late stance. However, little is known regarding how ankle compliance and the level of energy return influences walking mechanics. The purpose of this study was to identify the influence of prosthetic ankle dorsiflexion and energy storage and return on leg loading during steady-state walking. Methods Compliant ankles with different stiffness levels were attached to a Seattle Lightfoot2 in different orientations (forward- and reverse-facing). Findings The ankles decreased residual leg vertical ground reaction forces in late stance, increased residual leg propulsive ground reaction force impulses and increased residual leg knee joint extensor moments. The reverse-facing ankles increased residual leg vertical ground reaction forces in early stance, and the compliant forward-facing ankle increased residual leg braking impulses. In contrast to previous studies, increased energy storage and return from compliant ankles did not decrease hip joint powers or the intact leg vertical ground reaction forces. Interpretation These results provide insight into the relationships between ankle dorsiflexion, energy storage and return, and leg loading, which may lead to more effective prosthetic devices to improve amputee gait.
Recent advances in neuroprotection for treating traumatic brain injury

The fact that traumatic brain injury is the leading cause of death and disability in the most active population (< 45 years of age) of industrialised countries underscores the need for intensified efforts to define and implement effective neuroprotective strategies. However, despite progressively growing knowledge on the mechanisms involved in the pathobiology of traumatic brain injury and promising preclinical findings, most of the neuroprotection trials have failed to deliver the expected level of beneficial effects. Some of the possible reasons underlying the lack of success of these clinical trials are addressed in this review, which describes some of the most promising and/or controversial ongoing clinical trials from their pathophysiological basis. In addition, new neurobiological findings and their consequence for novel neuroprotective approaches are discussed.
Global Navigation Satellite Systems

A Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) enables continuous positioning anywhere on or near the Earth surface by means of radio signals transmitted from orbiting satellites. The system comprises a constellation of about 20 or more satellites, a network of ground stations for monitoring and control of the satellites, and an unlimited number of users who passively receive the signals and employ them for positioning and other applications. GNSS satellites transmit carrier signals in the range of 1.1–1.8 GHz, which are modulated by digital codes, termed pseudo-random noise (PRN) codes. The codes are selected so as to enable all satellites in the constellation to transmit at the same frequency with minimal interference, and to permit range measurements to be made. Given information on the satellite locations and measurements of range to at least four satellites, a receiver on or near the surface of the Earth can solve for its three dimensional position and time. GNSS is widely used for navigation and positioning of aircraft and satellites. Aviation users in particular, have very stringent requirements that are driving current augmentation and modernization efforts. Keywords: GPS; GNSS; global positioning system; satellite navigation
Maternal activation of gap genes in the hover fly Episyrphus

The metameric organization of the insect body plan is initiated with the activation of gap genes, a set of transcription-factor-encoding genes that are zygotically expressed in broad and partially overlapping domains along the anteroposterior (AP) axis of the early embryo. The spatial pattern of gap gene expression domains along the AP axis is generally conserved, but the maternal genes that regulate their expression are not. Building on the comprehensive knowledge of maternal gap gene activation in Drosophila, we used loss- and gain-of-function experiments in the hover fly Episyrphus balteatus (Syrphidae) to address the question of how the maternal regulation of gap genes evolved. We find that, in Episyrphus, a highly diverged bicoid ortholog is solely responsible for the AP polarity of the embryo. Episyrphus bicoid represses anterior zygotic expression of caudal and activates the anterior and central gap genes orthodenticle, hunchback and Kruppel. In bicoid-deficient Episyrphus embryos, nanos is insufficient to generate morphological asymmetry along the AP axis. Furthermore, we find that torso transiently regulates anterior repression of caudal and is required for the activation of orthodenticle, whereas all posterior gap gene domains of knirps, giant, hunchback, tailless and huckebein depend on caudal. We conclude that all maternal coordinate genes have altered their specific functions during the radiation of higher flies (Cyclorrhapha).
The mission: teaming with microsoft and adobe for licensing

If you are involved in software licensing and distribution, you will most always deal with two top-tier publishers--Microsoft and Adobe. Students and employees at your school will want to use leading edge technology software from these companies to accomplish their work. It is your task to find the best opportunities for cost savings and delivery methods for the greatest use of these products. Available licensing programs from these publishers can be difficult to understand because of contractual commitments and misunderstood complexities. Licensing criteria for purchasing and distributing is different for each of these publishers. Do you need product support? How do Microsoft and Adobe offerings compare with open source products? Are the same products adequate for institutional and student use? What about virtualization and cloud licensing? This calls for teamwork involving you, the publishers, resellers, your institution, and end-users. Let us explore what you need for effective software licensing and distribution of Microsoft and Adobe products and contain costs, establish product use standards, and provide long-term organizational benefits.
Oral Fibroblast Expression of wound-inducible transcript 3.0 (wit3.0) Accelerates the Collagen Gel Contraction in Vitro

Wounds of the oral mucosa show faster closure with less scar formation than skin wounds in other areas. A differentially expressed cDNA, wound-inducible transcript 3.0 (wit3.0), was isolated from oral mucosal wound in rats (Sukotjo, C., Abanmy, A. A., Ogawa, T., and Nishimura, I. (2002) J. Dent. Res. 81, 229–235). The purpose of this study was to characterize the wit3.0 gene structure and the function of its deduced peptide. Human and rat genome databases revealed that the gene for wit3.0 was located in human chromosome 12p11.23 and rat chromosome 4q44. Its human and rat gene structures were well conserved, composed of 7 exons spread over 20 kb. Exon 5 was alternatively spliced generating two transcripts encoding deduced peptides of 215 and 253 amino acids (wit3.0α and wit3.0β, respectively). The protein families data base of alignments (Pfam) analysis suggested the wit3.0 peptide sequence shared similarity with a portion of the myosin II coiled-coil domain consensus sequence. Fibroblasts isolated from the rat oral wound up-regulated wit3.0 expression and exhibited greater ability to contract collagen gel in vitro than fibroblasts isolated from untreated oral mucosa/gingiva. NIH3T3 and rat oral fibroblasts transfected with expression vector containing the coding sequences of wit3.0α or wit3.0β increased in vitro collagen gel contraction. When treated with TGFβ-1, NIH3T3 fibroblast expression of wit3.0 showed no significant change, whereas alpha smooth muscle actin was increased in a dose-dependent manner. These data suggest that there may be a novel wound healing pathway involving wit3.0 underlying the favorable early wound closure characteristics of oral mucosa.
Did you see Bob?: human localization using mobile phones

Finding a person in a public place, such as in a library, conference hotel, or shopping mall, can be difficult. The difficulty arises from not knowing where the person may be at that time; even if known, navigating through an unfamiliar place may be frustrating. Maps and floor plans help in some occasions, but such maps may not be always handy. In a small scale poll, 80% of users responded that the ideal solution would be "to have an escort walk me to the desired person". This paper identifies the possibility of using mobile phone sensors and opportunistic user-intersections to develop an electronic escort service. By periodically learning the walking trails of different individuals, as well as how they encounter each other in space-time, a route can be computed between any pair of persons. The problem bears resemblance to routing packets in delay tolerant networks, however, its application in the context of human localization raises distinct research challenges. We design and implement Escort, a system that guides a user to the vicinity of a desired person in a public place. We only use an audio beacon, randomly placed in the building, to enable a reference frame. We do not rely on GPS, WiFi, or war-driving to locate a person - the Escort user only needs to follow an arrow displayed on the phone. Evaluation results from experiments in parking lots and university buildings show that, on average, the user is brought to within 8m of the destination. We believe this is an encouraging result, opening new possibilities in mobile, social localization.
PN-diode transduced 3.7-GHZ silicon resonator

We present in this paper the design and fabrication of a homogeneous silicon micromechanical resonator actuated using forces acting on the immobile charge in the depletion region of a symmetrically doped pn-diode. The proposed resonator combines the high quality factor (Q) of air-gap transduced resonators with the frequency scaling benefits of internal dielectrically transduced resonators. Using this transduction method, we demonstrate a thickness longitudinal mode micromechanical resonator with Q ∼ 18,000 at a resonant frequency of 3.72 GHz, yielding an f·Q product of 6.69 × 1013, which is close to the intrinsic f·Q product of 1014 for (100)-Si.
A Method for Separating Small Quantities of MSH and ACTH with Good Recovery of Each

A method has been developed for separating small quantities of MSH from ACTH with good recovery of each hormone. The method is suitable for separation of these hormones in acetic acid extracts of pituitary tissue, acetic acid extracts of tumor tissue, or desalted extracts of human plasma. The procedure entails the application of the extract to a semimicro column of SE-Sephadex, from which MSH is eluted with aqueous solutions of pyridine and acetic acid of pH 5–7 and ACTH is displaced with ammoniacal solutions of pH 8–11. The method has been used to demonstrate that there occurs in the plasma and tissues of patients with certain clinical disorders a melanocyte-stimulating substance that is distinct from ACTH.
Fabrication of a capillary immunosensor in polymethyl methacrylate.

Abstract A method for fabricating capillary-based immunosensors in a coupon milled from an inexpensive, commodity plastic (PMMA, plexiglass) is demonstrated. The key feature of the technique is the use of sol–gel technology to deposit a glass-like (SiOH) film on surfaces of the plastic capillary channels to facilitate antibody immobilization. The utility of this method was demonstrated in the context of continuous flow displacement immunosensors for the explosive hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX). These sensors exhibited sensitivity to low μg/l RDX concentrations and peak-to-peak signal variations that were generally less than 10% for multiple injections at a single RDX concentration. The useful lifetime of the coupons in these experiments was greater than 10 h even after multiple exposures to high (1000 μg/l) RDX levels. This sensor platform has the physical characteristics needed for a portable field instrument: small, light-weight, and rugged.
The Effect of Serial Position On Ranking Error

Using words of known selection values arranged in completely counterbalanced order it was possible to show that over-ranking tends to occur at both terminal points of a series of rankings. The presence of other unforeseen "ranking errors" was noted, suggesting that errors arising out of ranking procedures may be more complex than hitherto suspected.
Comparative evaluation of strain-based and model-based modulus elastography.

Elastography based on strain imaging currently endures mechanical artefacts and limited contrast transfer efficiency. Solving the inverse elasticity problem (IEP) should obviate these difficulties; however, this approach to elastography is often fraught with problems because of the ill-posed nature of the IEP. The aim of the present study was to determine how the quality of modulus elastograms computed by solving the IEP compared with those produced using standard strain imaging methodology. Strain-based modulus elastograms (i.e., modulus elastograms computed by simply inverting strain elastograms based on the assumption of stress uniformity) and model-based modulus elastograms (i.e., modulus elastograms computed by solving the IEP) were computed from a common cohort of simulated and gelatin-based phantoms that contained inclusions of varying size and modulus contrast. The ensuing elastograms were evaluated by employing the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNRe) and the contrast transfer efficiency (CTEe) performance metrics. The results demonstrated that, at a fixed spatial resolution, the CNRe of strain-based modulus elastograms was statistically equivalent to those computed by solving the IEP. At low modulus contrast, the CTEe of both elastographic imaging approaches was comparable; however, at high modulus, the CTEe of model-based modulus elastograms was superior. (E-mail: marvin.m.doyley@dartmouth.edu) © 2005 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology.
Application of slender wing benefits to military aircraft

A review is provided of aerodynamic research conducted at the Langley Research Center with respect to the application of slender wing benefits in the design of high-speed military aircraft, taking into account the supersonic performance and leading-edge vortex flow associated with very highly sweptback wings. The beginning of the development of modern classical swept wing jet aircraft is related to the German Me 262 project during World War II. In the U.S., a theoretical study conducted by Jones (1945) pointed out the advantages of the sweptback wing concept. Developments with respect to variable sweep wings are discussed, taking into account early research in 1946, a joint program of the U.S. with the United Kingdom, the tactical aircraft concept, and the important part which the Langley variable-sweep research program played in the development of the F-111, F-14, and B-1. Attention is also given to hybrid wings, vortex flow theory development, and examples of flow design technology.
Detection of Test Speededness Using Change-Point Analysis

Change-point analysis (CPA) is a well-established statistical method to detect abrupt changes, if any, in a sequence of data. In this paper, we propose a procedure based on CPA to detect test speededness. This procedure is not only able to classify examinees into speeded and non-speeded groups, but also identify the point at which an examinee starts to speed. Identification of the change point can be very useful. First, it informs decision makers of the appropriate length of a test. Second, by removing the speeded responses, instead of the entire response sequence of an examinee suspected of speededness, ability estimation can be improved. Simulation studies show that this procedure is efficient in detecting both speeded examinees and the speeding point. Ability estimation is dramatically improved by removing speeded responses identified by our procedure. The procedure is then applied to a real dataset for illustration purpose.
Detecting non-transient anomalies in visual information using neural networks

We address the problem of detecting non-transient anomalies in visual information. By non-transient anomalies we mean changes in the way environments look that are persistent across time. Such changes may include leaving unattended bags at airport corridors, putting graffiti in building walls or damaging public property. Detecting non-transient anomalies is critical to security and surveillance in indoor and outdoor environments. We argue that existing off-the-shelf solutions to computer vision problems (e.g., image recognition, gesture recognition, text recognition) are not the most efficient when applied to detecting non-transient anomalies due to their associated computational overhead. In this paper we present a neural network-based architecture that addresses some of the limitations of the state of the art. To speed up computations, our architecture supports the processing of a large number of neurons in parallel. To reduce computational overheads, our architecture omits some of the Gaussian kernel-based feature extraction tasks performed by other systems. To classify visual anomalies as non-transient, our architecture uses a codebook-based algorithm which builds a history profile for every image segment. We describe our architecture and present some performance analysis.
Patient Engagement and Reported Outcomes in Surgical Recovery: Effectiveness of an e-Health Platform

Background Electronic health information platforms have the potential to support standardized care delivery models, engage patients, and deliver patient self-assessment tools. Study Design We tested whether an e-health platform could support the delivery and acquisition of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) during hospitalization after cardiac surgery. Secondarily, we tested if patient reported data were predictive of resource use (length of stay) or outcomes (discharge disposition). Subjects were 149 cardiac surgical patients, over age 50 years, undergoing routine surgery, with an expected length of stay of 5 to 7 days. While hospitalized, patients were provided with iPads (Apple), which delivered a personalized care plan. That plan included daily patient "To Do" lists with self-assessment modules that included recovery-related patient reported outcomes. Those included an early screen for discharge planning (ESDP) as well as daily pain and mobility self-assessments using the visual analog pain scale and the I-MOVE mobility scale. We measured completion rates for the self assessments, determined length of stay (short, intermediate, or long) and discharge disposition (home independently or other), and evaluated whether patient self-assessments were predictive of these outcomes. Results Patients completed 98% of the 1,418 self-assessments that were delivered. The ESDP and mobility self-assessments were predictive of length of hospital stay (p = 0.004 and p = 0.012, respectively) and of discharge disposition (p Conclusions Our trial demonstrated that an e-health platform, combined with mobile computing, can effectively deliver customized care plans with which patients can interact. Furthermore, patient self-reported data are predictive of length of stay and discharge disposition.
Molecular typing of Escherichia coli strains associated with threatened sea ducks and near-shore marine habitats of south-west Alaska.

Summary In Alaska, sea ducks winter in coastal habitats at remote, non-industrialized areas, as well as in proximity to human communities and industrial activity. We evaluated prevalence and characteristics of Escherichia coli strains in faecal samples of Steller's eiders (Polysticta stelleri; n = 122) and harlequin ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus; n = 21) at an industrialized site and Steller's eiders (n = 48) at a reference site, and compared these strains with those isolated from water samples from near-shore habitats of ducks. The overall prevalence of E. coli was 16% and 67% in Steller's eiders and harlequin ducks, respectively, at the industrialized study site, and 2% in Steller's eiders at the reference site. Based on O and H antigen subtyping and genetic characterization by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus polymerase chain reaction and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, we found evidence of avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC) strains associated with both species and detected E. coli strains carrying virulence genes associated with mammals in harlequin ducks. Steller's eiders that carried APEC had lower serum total protein and albumin concentrations, providing further evidence of pathogenicity. The genetic profile of two E. coli strains from water matched an isolate from a Steller's eider providing evidence of transmission between near-shore habitats and birds.
Primary structure of the porin protein of Haemophilus influenzae type b determined by nucleotide sequence analysis

Sequencing techniques for single- and double-stranded DNA were used to determine the nucleotide sequence of the gene encoding P2, the major outer membrane (porin) protein of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib). The open reading frame encoding the P2 protein comprised 361 amino acid codons. Comparison of the inferred amino acid sequence with data obtained by amino acid sequencing of the N terminus of the mature or fully processed P2 protein revealed that this protein has a signal peptide composed of 20 amino acids. N-terminal amino acid sequencing of tryptic peptides derived from purified P2 allowed direct identification of 158 of the 341 amino acids in the fully processed P2 protein; there was 100% correlation between these amino acid sequences and that inferred from the nucleotide sequence. The amino acid sequence of Hib P2 protein had 23 to 25% homology with the sequence of the OmpF porin of Escherichia coli and with that of the Neisseria gonorrhoeae porin P.IA. Codon usage in the Hib P2 gene was significantly different from that observed for a gene encoding a porin of E. coli. DNA hybridization studies indicated that there is a single copy of the P2 gene in the Hib chromosome. The availability of the nucleotide and amino acid sequences for the Hib P2 protein will facilitate investigation of the antigenic characteristics and structure-function relationship of this porin.
The Neonatal “Sepsis Work-up”: Personal Reflections on the Development of an Evidence-Based Approach Toward Newborn Infections in a Managed Care Organization

"Rule out sepsis" may be the most common discharge diagnosis among infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. Although the frequency of sepsis, meningitis, and other confirmed bacterial infections has remained constant (between 1 and 5/1000 live births) for many years, the number of infants evaluated and treated is much higher. Each year in the United States, as many as 600 000 infants experience at least one evaluation for suspected bacterial infection during the birth hospitalization. The number treated is estimated at 130 000 to 400 000 per year. Despite massive overtreatment, delayed diagnosis still occurs. The Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program (KPMCP) considers developing and implementing an evidence-based approach to "rule out sepsis," a research and operational priority. To achieve these goals, it is essential to consider two key aspects of the problem. First, it is important to adopt a phenomenologic approach that takes clinicians' personal experience into account. This must include reflection on those aspects of experience often considered "irrational" or "subjective." Second, incorporation of a phenomenologic approach needs to be tempered with sound epidemiologic methods. If one considers these two aspects-physician experience and sound epidemiology-it is clear that much of the existing literature on "rule out sepsis" is of limited utility. Consequently, the KPMCP has conducted its own studies. These are aimed at characterizing the "sepsis work-up," developing electronic datasets that would permit clinicians to simulate various strategies, and developing techniques for ongoing electronic monitoring. This article summarizes the approach taken by the KPMCP Division of Research. It describes the results of a pilot study as well as the development and use of a dedicated neonatology outcomes database, the Kaiser Permanente Neonatal Minimum Data Set (NMDS). The NMDS database includes the Score for Neonatal Acute Physiology and permits ongoing monitoring of sepsis "work-ups" as well as confirmed cases of neonatal infection. The article also describes how the experience from the pilot as well as the NMDS was incorporated in the design of a much larger study on "rule out sepsis." Finally, the article describes some important theoretic issues affecting decision rule development and the use of computer simulations in neonatology. These issues are 1) how one handles possible overanalysis of a dataset; 2) how one handles data points that are unstable (eg, the absolute neutrophil count, which can vary considerably depending on age and sampling conditions); and 3) the limitations of decision rules based on computer simulations.
Multiple Informants in Assessing Stress and Symptoms in Adolescents With Schizophrenia

We used exploratory data analysis to examine parents-–adolescents congruencies and discrepancies and their correlates in assessing stress and symptoms in adolescents with schizophrenia. A total of 40 adolescents diagnosed with schizophrenia and their parents were drawn from a study of self-management therapy for youth with schizophrenia. Low to moderate congruencies in stress and symptoms were reported ( r = .22~.41). Factors including adolescents' age, time spent with children, the number of hospitalizations, and level of disability explained the discrepancies. The results imply that health care providers should be aware that several factors are associated with the discrepancies between parents' and adolescents' reports.
Teaching as Sheltering: A Metaphorical Analysis of Sheltered Instruction for English Language Learners

AbstractThe term sheltered instruction (SI) has become a widely used metaphor representing a common pedagogical intervention intended to help English language learners simultaneously gain English proficiency and academic content knowledge. While existing research places considerable emphasis on observable pedagogical techniques that characterize SI, there has been little discussion of the sheltering metaphor itself or the variety of ways in which this term has been used by both researchers and teachers. In this article, I draw on lesson observations and interviews to consider how the metaphor of sheltering operates in three high school sheltered history classrooms. While all three examples demonstrate basic characteristics of SI, the observed instruction in each class created markedly different learning contexts and positioned the students in distinct ways. I characterize these diverse enactments of sheltered instruction as 1) sheltering as protection, 2) sheltering as nurturing, and 3) sheltering as sepa...
Effects of insect growth regulators on citrus mealybug parasitoid Leptomastix dactylopii (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae).

In this study, we measured the effects of three commonly used insecticides classified as insect growth regulators, on the encyrtid parasitoid Leptomastix dactylopii (Howard)when parasitizing citrus mealybug, Planococcus citri (Risso). Kinoprene, pyriproxyfen, and azadirachtin were evaluated in both petri dish and a cage experiment at label-recommended rates to measure their effects on the mortality, parasitization rate, and sex ratio of L. dactylopii. Insecticides were applied to petri dishes and plants either immediately before, 24 h before, or 48 h before release of the parasitoid. Kinoprene applied 24 h before parasitoid release caused 100% mortality of L. dactylopii in petri dishes within 48 h. Mortality rates for L. dactylopii exposed to azadirachtin and pyriproxyfen did not exceed 5% regardless of release time. There were no release time × insecticide interactions on L. dactylopii parasitization rate. The insecticide alone, however, did significantly affect parasitization rates of L. dactylopii on P. citri; the kinoprene treatment significantly reduced L. dactylopii parasitization rates compared with azadirachtin and pyriproxyfen. In a cage experiment with coleus, Solenostemon scutellaroides (L.) Codd, applications of both pyriproxyfen and kinoprene resulted in fewer P. citri parasitized by L. dactylopii than azadirachtin or the control. The sex ratio was equivalent in the petri dish experiment, whereas in the cage experiment the sex ratio was biased toward males, particularly for the kinoprene treatment. Based on the results from this study, we suggest that kinoprene is not compatible with releases of L. dactylopii to control citrus mealybugs.
Struggling to Move Beyond Acknowledgment: Celebrating Gay and Lesbian Families in Preschool Environments

AbstractOur qualitative study explores three phenomena: (a) the phenomenon of being a queer parent with a child in preschool; (b) the phenomenon of being a preschool teacher or administrator when children with queer parents are present in the classroom; and (c) the phenomenon of parents' and teachers' expectations and roles in adapting classrooms to fit queer identities. Twenty-three gay- or lesbian-identified parents of preschoolers and eight preschool teachers who have had gay- or lesbian-identified families in their classrooms participated in this study. Findings indicated that these preschool teacher participants and the gay and lesbian parent participants were challenged with expectations and logistics of how and when to incorporate queer family identities into the preschool classroom.
Languages for User-Defined Members Design Processes

The power of a man-machine system for structural design is greatly enhanced if the engineer can conveniently define his own design processes to the computer. A general class of user-defined design procedures included within a timesharing version of the Structural Design Language (STRUDL) are examined. Problem-oriented languages are described for the specific tasks of interpreting a design code, selecting a suitably-proportioned section from a handbook of standard shapes, and checking selected members against the design code. Also, some internal system requirements included in STRUDL, which allow it to perform the processes the user has defined in an external language, are evaluated. Some of these characteristics allow the computer to interpret external languages and to generate the corresponding design programs for subsequent use by the engineer. Other system characteristics give these design programs access to the necessary design data. With these capabilities, the engineer can refer by symbolic names to any design data in the system and obtain their values for use in whatever design procedure he chooses. An example illustrates how user-defined processes for code checking and member selection may be flexibly combined with other Structural Design Language commands to form a sequence for the design of structural members.
Non-Invasive Body Contouring

Body contouring or soi-disant Liposculpting is an effective method for surgically improving localized subcutaneous areas of adiposity. The idea of removing excess fat from skin is not new [1]. In 1921 Charles Dujarrier, in France, attempted to remove subcutaneous fat using a uterine curette on a dancer’s calves and knees. A tragic result occurred due to injury of the femoral artery leading to amputation of one of the dancer’s legs. Today, liposculpting can be safely performed in an office setting. Conservative techniques ensure fewer complications. Substantial amounts of subcutaneous fat can be contoured with acceptable esthetic outcomes using minimally invasive methods.
Prevalence of Venous and Arterial Thrombosis Among 268 Heterozygous and 111 Homozygous Factor V Leiden Carriers: a Single-Center Cross-Sectional Study

Background: While Factor V Leiden is associated with an increased risk of thrombosis, the magnitude of that risk among homozygous carriers is uncertain. Methods: In a cross-sectional study of Mayo Clinic patients referred to the Special Coagulation Laboratory for a thrombophilia profile (n=379) over the 18-year period, 1996-2013, the prevalence of venous and arterial thrombosis was estimated for patients found to be Factor V Leiden carriers based on leukocyte genomic DNA genotyping. T tests and chi-square tests were used for continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Results: Among homozygous (n=111) and heterozygous (n=268) carriers, the mean age at testing (50.3 and 50.5 years, respectively; p=0.9) and the proportion of females (50% and 54%, respectively; p=0.5) did not differ significantly. Of 29 asymptomatic carriers at the time of testing, 14 were homozygotes. Of the remaining 350 carriers, the mean age at first venous or arterial thrombosis (42 vs 43.8 years; p=0.5) among homozygous and heterozygous carriers, respectively, did not differ significantly. Thirty-five (33%) and 83 (31%) homozygous and heterozygous carriers, respectively, had at least one recurrent venous or arterial thrombosis (p=0.72). The prevalence of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) was 61% and 46% in homozygous and heterozygous carriers, respectively (p=0.008); the prevalence of pulmonary embolism was 18% and 20%, respectively (p=0.69). The prevalence of arterial thrombosis (mainly stroke and/or TIA) was higher in heterozygous (23%) compared to homozygous carriers (8%). Conclusion : In the largest sample of homozygous Factor V Leiden carriers reported to date, thrombosis penetrance and phenotype did not appear to differ among homozygous vs. heterozygous carriers with the exception of a higher prevalence of DVT among homozygous carriers. These data should be interpreted with caution due to the potential for referral bias. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Fabrication and Characterization of Double Helix Structures for Compliant and Reworkable Electrical Interconnects

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-type double helix chip-level electrical interconnect structures are fabricated and characterized in this paper. Due to their springlike structure, double helix interconnects have the potential to provide large mechanical compliance to compensate for nonidealities, such as nonplanarity and thermal expansion mismatch between silicon chips and substrates. A double helix configuration provides for structures with a high volumetric density of conductor for enhanced current carrying capability. The fabrication process is compatible with wafer-level fabrication and packaging. Instead of using solder to form semipermanent interconnections, the double helix interconnects use pressure to make electrical connection and provide sufficiently low resistance (~35 ± 15 mΩ). Large arrays of double helix structures have been fabricated and characterized with excellent yield. The mechanical and electrical models of the structures are presented. Reworkability tests were performed and the structures show a consistent resistance over 50 remating cycles.
Novel S49 Lymphoma Variants with Aberrant Cyclic AMP Metabolism

S49 mouse lymphoma cells resistant to killing by cholera toxin (but sensitive to N 6 , O 2 9-dibutyryl adenosine-39,59-monophosphate) can be selected in a single step. The transition from cholera toxin sensitivity to resistance is stochastic and occurs at a rate of 1.1 x 10 -5 per cell per generation. Chemical mutagens increase the frequency of cholera toxin resistance. Screening of independently selected cholera toxin-resistant clones led to discovery of three novel variant phenotypes. Lesions in two of these phenotypes affect the guanine nucleotide regulatory component, called N , of adenylate cyclase (EC 4.6.1.1). We assessed the N protein in the variants by measuring the ability of membrane extracts to complement N -deficient S49 cyc - membranes in vitro , and by radiolabeling peptide subunits of N in the presence of cholera toxin and [ 32 P]NAD + . Membranes of one variant phenotype, termed N par , contain about 20% of the N activity seen in wild-type (parental) S49 membranes and show reduced radiolabeling catalyzed by cholera toxin. N par membrane extracts partially inhibit wild-type extracts in complementing adenylate cyclase of cyc - membranes. A second phenotype exhibits cholera toxin-specific radiolabeling of N subunits comparable to that seen in wild type, but its N protein exhibits very little activity in complementing the defect of cyc - . Resistance to cholera toxin in the third phenotype is associated with normal N and adenylate cyclase activities, but extracts of these cells degrade adenosine 39,59-monophosphate at a rate 4 times faster than wild-type.
Galeazzi fractures: Is DRUJ instability predicted by current guidelines?

Abstract Introduction Clinically significant distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ) injuries can occur with radial shaft fractures. Several radiographic methods of diagnosis, such as radial shortening of >5 mm or fracture line within 7.5 cm from the lunate facet, have been proposed but not clinically validated. The purpose of this study was to compare radiographic measurements of radial shaft fractures associated with and without clinically significant DRUJ injury (i.e., true Galeazzi fracture-dislocation) in order to evaluate the predictive value of reported parameters of DRUJ injury. Patients and methods A retrospective record and radiographic review was performed of 66 consecutive skeletally mature patients with isolated radial shaft fractures from 2004 to 2014 treated at one level 1 academic trauma center. Intraoperatively determined DRUJ instability after radial shaft fixation was used as the gold standard for diagnosis of a Galeazzi fracture-dislocation. Results Average age was 34 years old (range: 18–90). By thirds, there were 10 proximal (15%), 27 middle (41%), and 29 distal (44%) fractures. 13 (20%) had an associated ulnar styloid fracture. 7 (11%) patients had DRUJ instability after radial fixation. Radial shortening averaged 4.4 ± 5.2 mm (−2.6–22), and 21 had shortening of >5 mm. Twenty-six (39%) fractures were within 7.5 cm of the wrist joint. Previous guidelines were only moderately accurate. Even greater shortening did not predict instability (3/7 patients with >10 mm shortening had a true injury). Four out of 7 cases with instability had ulnar styloid fractures (p = 0.02). Discussion and conclusions Using a larger data set than has historically been evaluated, previously reported radiographic guidelines are only moderately accurate. The presence of an ulnar styloid fracture can be helpful. Surgeons should be aware of these associations but rely primarily on intraoperative assessment of the DRUJ after radial fixation to determine treatment.
The E-cigarette Social Environment, E-cigarette Use, and Susceptibility to Cigarette Smoking.

Abstract Purpose One concern regarding the recent increase in adolescent e-cigarette use is the possibility that electronic (e-) cigarettes may be used by those who might not otherwise have used cigarettes, and that dual use, or transition to cigarette use alone, may follow. Methods Questionnaire data were obtained in 2014 from 11th/12th grade students attending schools in 12 communities included in the Southern California Children's Health Study. We evaluated the cross-sectional association between e-cigarette use, the social environment (family and friends' use and approval of e-cigarettes and cigarettes), and susceptibility to future cigarette use among never cigarette smokers (N = 1,694), using previously validated measures based on reported absence of a definitive commitment not to smoke. Results Among adolescents who had never used cigarettes, 31.8% of past e-cigarette users and 34.6% of current (past 30-day) e-cigarette users indicated susceptibility to cigarette use, compared with 21.0% of never e-cigarette users. The odds of indicating susceptibility to cigarette use were two times higher for current e-cigarette users compared with never users (odds ratio = 1.97; 95% confidence interval: 1.21–3.22). A social environment favorable to e-cigarettes (friends' use of and positive attitudes toward the use of e-cigarettes) was also associated with greater likelihood of susceptibility to cigarette use, independent of an individual's e-cigarette use. Conclusions E-cigarette use in adolescence, and a pro–e-cigarette social environment, may put adolescents at risk for future use of cigarettes. E-cigarettes may contribute to subsequent cigarette use via nicotine addiction or social normalization of smoking behaviors.
The impact of aging stereotypes on dementia worry

Dementia worry, an anxiety-related response to the possibility of developing dementia, represents an important yet underexplored health concern for an aging population. Such a construct is likely impacted by stereotypes concerning aging, including biased associations of aging with inevitable cognitive decline. The present article explores the impact of mixed positive and negative aging stereotype messages on levels of dementia worry. The Fear of Alzheimer's Disease Scale (FADS) was used to measure impact of priming with different proportions of positive and negative aging stereotype words. The priming intervention was modeled after Levy (J Pers Soc Psychol 71:1092-1107, 1996, doi:10.1037/0022-3514.71.6.1092). Eighty older adult participants (Mage = 71.65, SD = 6.57) were exposed to mostly positive aging stereotype words, half positive/half negative words, mostly negative words, all negative words, or non-stereotype words. Mean FADS item response was significantly impacted by priming such that those in the all negative condition had highest levels of dementia worry, F(4, 75) = 2.48, p = .05, [Formula: see text]. This effect was strengthened when relevance of aging stereotypes was controlled for, p < .01. Results suggested that brief exposure to negative aging stereotype content increased levels of dementia worry, particularly when stereotypes were self-relevant. These findings indicate addressing aging stereotypes may be one way of impacting dementia worry.
Crime, perceptions, attitudes and victimization

Crime is clearly on the public agenda and has been increasingly so in Western industrialized democracies. Crime is currently also on the increase in a growing number of Eastern bloc countries which are undergoing a form of social disorganization accompanying their transition from repressive regimes to new forms of sociopolitical arrangements leaning towards democracy. This transition is understandably characterized by periods of loss of social and political control. Crimes against the person and against property — known as ‘street crimes’ — are those the public is most concerned about, even if there is a growing recognition that victimless crimes do have victims and that white-collar crime can be violent, harmful and touches much more than merely someone’s pocket money. The visibility of violent and property crimes, the daily reporting of individual incidents, the seasonal statistical summaries, the personalized stories of victims and the political attention that various types of crime — and punishment — receive, guarantee that the topic cannot simply be wished away. The constant attempts at controlling, reducing, fighting, or coping with crime are more successful in rhetoric than in results and depending on the type of crime, they mostly have no clear relationship to a genuine ability of the police directly or indirectly to influence or control the variation, extent and severity of crime.
Projected changes in tropical cyclone activity under future warming scenarios using a high-resolution climate model

This study examines how characteristics of tropical cyclones (TCs) that are explicitly resolved in a global atmospheric model with horizontal resolution of approximately 28 km are projected to change in a warmer climate using bias-corrected sea-surface temperatures (SSTs). The impact of mitigating from RCP8.5 to RCP4.5 is explicitly considered and is compared with uncertainties arising from SST projections. We find a reduction in overall global TC activity as climate warms. This reduction is somewhat less pronounced under RCP4.5 than under RCP8.5. By contrast, the frequency of very intense TCs is projected to increase dramatically in a warmer climate, with most of the increase concentrated in the NW Pacific basin. Extremes of storm related precipitation are also projected to become more common. Reduction in the frequency of extreme precipitation events is possible through mitigation from RCP8.5 to RCP4.5. In general more detailed basin-scale projections of future TC activity are subject to large uncertainties due to uncertainties in future SSTs. In most cases these uncertainties are larger than the effects of mitigating from RCP8.5 to RCP4.5.
A cost comparison of unicompartmental and total knee arthroplasty.

Abstract Background Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) is an alternative to total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in appropriately selected patients. There is a paucity of data comparing hospital resource utilization and costs for UKA versus TKA. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 128 patients who underwent UKA or TKA for osteoarthritis by a single surgeon in the 2011 Fiscal Year. Sixty-four patients in each group were matched based on sex, age, race, body mass index, Charlson Comorbidity Index, and insurance type. Clinical data were obtained from medical records while costs were obtained from hospital billing. Bivariate analyses were used to compare outcomes. Results Both anesthesia and operative time (minutes) were significantly shorter for patients undergoing UKA (125.7 vs. 156.4; p p p =0.007) and had a shorter hospital stay (2.2 vs. 3.8days; p p p p p p Conclusion Our data suggest that UKA provides a cost-effective alternative to TKA in appropriately selected patients. As the number of patients with end-stage arthritis of the knee requiring surgical care continues to rise, the costs of caring for these patients must be considered. Level of Evidence Level III, case control study.
A Report of Two Cases of Age-Related Changes in Cervical Morphology in Postmenopausal Women with Vaginal Adenosis

This paper presents two cases of women who had extensive vaginal adenosis from prenatal DES exposure, extending almost halfway down the vaginal canal. Both women were followed for decades with annual exams and Pap smears until after menopause. Clinical examination in both cases initially showed an absent pars vaginalis of the cervix, vaginal adenosis, and shallowness of the fornices. Several decades of annual exams showed these stigmata of DES exposure gradually disappear as the upper vagina progressively contracted. After menopause the upper vagina in both cases transformed into what appeared to be a normal cervix with all adenosis involuted into a normal endocervical canal. A timeline was created to show the morphological changes that were observed over time. This timeline illustrates how severe vaginal stenosis above the level of the squamocolumnar junction developed in middle age and was followed in the postmenopause by fusion of the upper vaginal walls in the midline resulting in the appearance of a normal, but prolapsed, cervix.