cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Patients in the Antepartum Period: Our Most Important Patients

Paper Presentation Purpose for the Program To address the need for structured programs and consistent nursing care to improve the experience of hospitalized patients in the antepartum period. Proposed Change To initiate program interventions that affect the ability of a patient in the antepartum period to cope and feel less lonely in her prolonged hospitalization. Collaborate with the local American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) to bring in therapy dogs for weekly visits. Collaborate with the spiritual care department to provide opportunities individualized for each patient in the antepartum period: offer meditation; live music through a Music in Medicine program; the ability to work within each family's faith to have a blessing or good health ritual for the unborn fetus; and weekly tea parties, which bring together patients for a facilitated chat about their hospitalized experience, how to fight the boredom of long days and nights in the hospital, and their hopes and fears for their yet‐to‐be‐born infants. We also invite mothers who were patients during their antepartum period and now have infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to come to the tea party and share their own NICU experience. Implementation, Outcomes, and Evaluation Implementation of the program relies on one person to be the administrator with the SPCA and the co‐facilitator (along with one of our perinatal social workers) for the tea party. The bedside nurses can initiate other interventions. We have found that the interaction between mothers meeting at our tea party is enough of an introduction that they continue to contact one another either by phone, e‐mail, or visiting one another's room. Patient satisfaction is important to us and we are working on a method to conduct posthospitalization interviews to find out if patients were able to cope better with their hospitalization after our interventions. Implications for Nursing Practice Women experience loneliness, fear, anxiety, and boredom during bed rest and hospitalization. A nurse's understanding of this experience is essential to provide adequate care and coping strategies for women at this time.
Electrical Modification of ZnO Nanodevices by a Pulsed-Laser Deposited Al2O3 Film

Modification of the electrical properties of individual single-crystalline ZnO nanowire devices by a pulsed-laser deposition of a thin insulating Al2O3 layer is reported. Through the reduction of O2− ion concentration on the nanowire surface by the Al2O3 layer, the electron concentration in the nanowire is increased and, as a result, the current of the nanodevice enhanced. The degree to which the conductivity of the device increased is related to the ratio of Zn to O in the nanowire, and the ratio in turn is related to the growth temperature of the ZnO nanowires. The percentage change in electrical behavior of the nanodevice fabricated from ZnO nanowires grown in a lower temperature zone with a greater Zn to O ratio was less.
A program for editing of community data matrices

Editing of community data matrices is complementary to analyzing data by multivariate techniques of classification and ordination in the overall task of data analysis. A computer program, DATAEDIT, is described that can perform numerous editing functions, including data transformation, deletion of certain species or samples, deletion of rare species, deletion of outliers, separation of disjunet sample groups, reordering of the species or samples of a data matrix, and the formation of composite samples or of sample subsets. DATAEDIT can use the information in a nonhierarchical or hierarchical classification, and includes its own internal routine for reciprocal averaging ordination.
Inquiry on Inquiry: Practitioner Research and Student Learning

Abstract In many teacher education programs, some form of inquiry or practitioner research is now included in the preservice teacher education curriculum. The intention is to help teacher candidates become professionals who are lifelong learners who raise questions and research their practice across the professional career. At the same time, teacher education evaluation has shifted from primary emphasis on resources and curriculum to an emphasis on K-12 student learning outcomes. This article speaks to the outcomes focus of teacher education policy and practice and to the agenda to prepare professional teachers who know how to learn from and about teaching in an ongoing way. The article describes an inquiry project carried out by a group of teacher education practitioner-researchers to examine how and what teacher candidates learned when they were required to conduct classroom inquiry focused on student learning outcomes. The purpose of the study was to explore the processes and results of this new focus ...
A Systems Biology Approach To Modeling Vibrio cholerae Gene Expression under Virulence-Inducing Conditions

Vibrio cholerae is a Gram-negative bacillus that is the causative agent of cholera. Pathogenesis in vivo occurs through a series of spatiotemporally controlled events under the control of a gene cascade termed the ToxR regulon. Major genes in the ToxR regulon include the master regulators toxRS and tcpPH, the downstream regulator toxT, and virulence factors, the ctxAB and tcpA operons. Our current understanding of the dynamics of virulence gene expression is limited to microarray analyses of expression at selected time points. To better understand this process, we utilized a systems biology approach to examine the temporal regulation of gene expression in El Tor V. cholerae grown under virulence-inducing conditions in vitro (AKI medium), using high-resolution time series genomic profiling. Results showed that overall gene expression in AKI medium mimics that of in vivo studies but with less clear temporal separation between upstream regulators and downstream targets. Expression of toxRS was unaffected by growth under virulence-inducing conditions, but expression of toxT was activated shortly after switching from stationary to aerating conditions. The tcpA operon was also activated early during mid-exponential-phase growth, while the ctxAB operon was turned on later, after the rise in toxT expression. Expression of ctxAB continued to rise despite an eventual decrease in toxT. Cluster analysis of gene expression highlighted 15 hypothetical genes and six genes related to environmental information processing that represent potential new members of the ToxR regulon. This study applies systems biology tools to analysis of gene expression of V. cholerae in vitro and provides an important comparator for future studies done in vivo.
Omega-conotoxin GVIA binding to a high-affinity receptor in brain: characterization, calcium sensitivity, and solubilization.

We describe unique, high-affinity binding sites for omega[125I]conotoxin GVIA in membranes from rat brain and rabbit sympathetic ganglia which appear to be primarily associated with N-type voltage-dependent calcium channels. The dissociation constant (KD) for the toxin in rat brain membranes is 60 pM. Physiologic extracellular concentrations of calcium inhibit toxin binding noncompetitively (IC50 = 0.2 mM). The regional distribution of the binding sites in rat brain differs markedly from that of dihydropyridine calcium antagonist receptors associated with L-type calcium channels. In detergent- solubilized brain membranes, toxin binding retains the same affinity, specificity, and ionic sensitivity as in particulate preparations.
Porous nanocrystalline silicon membranes as highly permeable and molecularly thin substrates for cell culture

Porous nanocrystalline silicon (pnc-Si) is new type of silicon nanomaterial with potential uses in lab-on-a-chip devices, cell culture, and tissue engineering. The pnc-Si material is a 15 nm thick, freestanding, nanoporous membrane made with scalable silicon manufacturing. Because pnc-Si membranes are approximately 1000 times thinner than any polymeric membrane, their permeability to small solutes is orders-of-magnitude greater than conventional membranes. As cell culture substrates, pnc-Si membranes can overcome the shortcomings of membranes used in commercial transwell devices and enable new devices for the control of cellular microenvironments. The current study investigates the feasibility of pnc-Si as a cell culture substrate by measuring cell adhesion, morphology, growth and viability on pnc-Si compared to conventional culture substrates. Results for immortalized fibroblasts and primary vascular endothelial cells are highly similar on pnc-Si, polystyrene and glass. Significantly, pnc-Si dissolves in cell culture media over several days without cytotoxic effects and stability is tunable by modifying the density of a superficial oxide. The results establish pnc-Si as a viable substrate for cell culture and a degradable biomaterial. Pnc-Si membranes should find use in the study of molecular transport through cell monolayers, in studies of cell-cell communication, and as biodegradable scaffolds for three-dimensional tissue constructs.
Towards social gaming methods for improving game-based computer science education

Participation, retention, and overall performance in introductory CS students could be improved by removing or reducing some of the pitfalls along these students' paths. In introductory coursework, there is little or no need for collaboration, which may discourage socially-oriented students. Furthermore, the dual challenge of learning a programming language and covering more abstract, conceptual concepts may discourage students with little prior experience, and frustrate those who are already capable programmers. To remedy this, we will investigate social mechanics for learning games. We hypothesize that students will develop the skills necessary to succeed in the game more readily if friends are present to motivate and challenge them. We plan to explore effective social mechanics, and create efficient methodologies for their implementation and development. We believe that social gaming has the potential to revolutionize the way students learn, and that through our research, we will discover the most effective ways to bring students together and motivate creativity, innovation, and learning using social gaming.
Integrating Quality Improvement Into Continuing Medical Education Activities Within a Community Hospital System

The integration of the Mercy Health System’s quality improvement (QI) and continuing medical educational (CME) activities is described. With the implementation of computerized medical data, the opportunities for QI-focused CME are growing. The authors reviewed their regularly scheduled series and special CME programs to assess their impact on quality care processes. Clinical improvements were affected by combining national guidelines and advancements with local clinical data and interactions with physicians within interdisciplinary as well as specialty conferences. Case-based, multidisciplinary conferences lent themselves to this process to a greater extent than didactic conferences. The latter also could lead to QI when the topics were focused on specific quality initiatives that often are part of a national QI initiative. Although the authors consider these efforts to be at an intermediate stage of development, they have observed several QI/patient safety process improvements.
Thrombophilia: A mechanism of disease in women with adverse pregnancy outcome and thrombotic lesions in the placenta

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among adverse pregnancy outcome, the presence of thrombotic lesions in the placenta, and the frequency and type of laboratory abnormalities consistent with the presence of a thrombophilic state. A retrospective cohort study was designed to determine the frequency of laboratory abnormalities consistent with thrombophilia among patients with thrombotic lesions of the placenta and adverse pregnancy outcome. The workup for a thrombophilic state included anticardiolipin antibodies, lupus anticoagulant, protein C and antithrombin III activities, protein S total and free, activated protein C resistance ratio, and Factor V Leiden mutation. Thrombotic lesions were identified by histopathologic examination of the placenta. Thirteen patients met the study criteria over an 11-month period. Seven patients were heterozygous for Factor V Leiden mutation (53.8%). Protein S deficiency was found in three cases (23.0%), and no hemostatic abnormality was detected in three cases (23.0%). Mothers with an adverse pregnancy outcome and thrombotic lesions of the placenta often have laboratory abnormalities indicative of a thrombophilic state. We propose that thrombophilia leading to thrombosis in the maternal and/or fetal circulations is a significant mechanism of disease during pregnancy.
A 60 Hz electric and magnetic field exposure facility for nonhuman primates: Design and operational data during experiments

A unique exposure facility was designed and constructed to generate large-scale vertical electric fields (EF) of up to 65 kV/m and horizontal magnetic fields (MF) of up to 100μT (1G), so that the behavioral and neuroendocrine effects of 60 Hz EF or combined electric and magnetic field (E/MF) exposure could be examined using nonhuman primates as subjects. Facility design and operational problems and their solutions are presented, and representative operational data from four sets of experiments are provided. A specially designed, optically isolated, 4 cm spherical-dipole EF probe and a commercially available MF probe were used to map the EF and MF within the fiberglass animal cages. In addition, amplifiers, signal conditioners, and A/D converters provided EF, MF, and transformer signals to a microcomputer at 15 min intervals. The apparatus produced homogeneous, stable E/MF at the desired intensities, and the fiberglass cages did not produce appreciable distortion or attenuation. Levels of recognized EF artifacts such as corona and ozone were negligible. The facility worked as intended, providing a well-characterized and artifact-controlled environment for experiments with baboons (Papio cynocephalus). © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Hydrothermal time analysis of tomato seed germination at suboptimal temperature and reduced water potential

Both temperature (T) and water potential (ψ) have consistent and quantifiable effects on the rate and extent of seed germination (radicle emergence). Germination at suboptimal T can be characterized on the basis of thermal time, or the T in excess of a base (Tb) multiplied by the time to a given percentage germination (tg). Similarly, germination at reduced ψ can be characterized on a hydrotime basis, or the ψ in excess of a base (ψb) multiplied by tg. Within a seed population, the variation in thermal times to germination for a specific percentage (g) is based upon the normal distribution of ψb values among seeds (ψb(g)). Germination responses across a range of suboptimal T and ψ might be accounted for by a general hydrothermal time model incorporating both T and ψ components. We tested this hypothesis for tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) seeds of two genotypes differing in germination rates and tolerance of suboptimal T and ψ. For combinations of T (10−25°C) and ψ (0 to −0.9 MPa), a general hydrothermal time model accounted for approximately 75% of the variation in times to germination within the seed populations of both genotypes, and over 96% of the variation in median germination rates. However, ψb(g) distributions were sensitive to both the T and ψ of imbibition, resulting in a poor fit of the model to specific time course data. Analysis of germination timing separately for low and high ψ ranges within a given T resulted in specific models accounting for 88−99% of the variation in individual germination times and >99% of the variation in madian germination rates. Thus, for a given T and ψ range, the hydrotime model closely matched tomato seed germination time courses. Accumulated hydrothermal time accounted well for germination rates at ψ> −0.5 MPa across suboptimal T if ψb(g) was allowed to vary with T. Germination did not show a consistent response to T at ψ < −0.5 MPa, and estimated Tb values varied over different T ranges. Generalization of the hydrothermal time model across the entire range of suboptimal T and ψ was limited by physiological adjustments of the seeds to their current environment. The hydrothermal time model detected and quantified these adjustment processes that would otherwise not be evident from inspection of germination time courses. Temperature and water potential influence the time to germination via physiological mechanisms that reciprocally interact.
Comparative genome analysis in the pig as a model for understanding human obesity

vm CHAPTER 1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 2. MISSENSE MUTATION OF MELANOCORTIN-4 RECEPTOR ALTERS ADENYLYL CYCLASE ACTIVITY WITHOUT AFFECTING LIGAND-BINDING AND IS ASSOCIATED WITH MUSCLE CHARACTERISTICS IN PIGS 18 CHAPTER 3. A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF OBESITY QTL AND CANDIDATE GENES IN THE PIG: A MODEL ORGANISM FOR HUMAN GENETICS AND PHYSIOLOGY 38 CHAPTER 4. EVIDENCE OF POLAR OVERDOMINANCE IMPRINTING EFFECTS IN PIGS AND MAPPING OF THE PORCINE DLK1 GENE 66 CHAPTER 5. MAPPING OF THE PORCINE AGOUTI-RELATED PROTEIN (AGRP) GENE TO CHROMOSOME 6. 78 CHAPTER 6. LINKAGE MAPPING OF THE PORCINE IMMUNORECPTOR DAP 10 AND NKG2D GENES 82 CHAPTER 7. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS AND DISCUSSION 87
The Evolution and Functional Significance of Nested Gene Structures in Drosophila melanogaster

Nearly 10% of the genes in the genome of Drosophila melanogaster are in nested structures, in which one gene is completely nested within the intron of another gene (nested and including gene, respectively). Even though the coding sequences and untranslated regions of these nested/including gene pairs do not overlap, their intimate structures and the possibility of shared regulatory sequences raise questions about the evolutionary forces governing the origination and subsequent functional and evolutionary impacts of these structures. In this study, we show that nested genes experience weaker evolutionary constraint, have faster rates of protein evolution, and are expressed in fewer tissues than other genes, while including genes show the opposite patterns. Surprisingly, despite completely overlapping with each other, nested and including genes are less likely to display correlated gene expression and biological function than the nearby yet nonoverlapping genes. Interestingly, significantly fewer nested genes are transcribed from the same strand as the including gene. We found that same-strand nested genes are more likely to be single-exon genes. In addition, same-strand including genes are less likely to have known lethal or sterile phenotypes than opposite-strand including genes only when the corresponding nested genes have introns. These results support our hypothesis that selection against potential erroneous mRNA splicing when nested and including genes are on the same strand plays an important role in the evolution of nested gene structures.
Inductive Substituent Effects: Metal Surfaces versus the Gas Phase†

The influence of metal surfaces on inductive (or electrostatic field) substituent effect measurements for surface reactions has been evaluated using image charge theory. Substituent effects have be...
The influence of a voltage ramp on the measurement of I-V characteristics of a solar cell

For efficiency and convenience the voltage applied to a Si solar cell is often fairly rapidly driven from zero to the open circuit value typically at a common rate of 1 V per millisecond. During this time the values of current are determined as a function of the instantaneous voltage thus producing an I-V characteristic. The present paper shows that the customary expressions for the current as a function of cell parameters still remain valid provided that the diffusion length in the expression for the dark current is changed from its steady state value L to the effective diffusion length L1 given by L1 = L(1 + qV/kT.tau) to the -1/2, where V is the ramp rate considered constant and tau is the lifetime of minority carriers. This result is true to a very good approximation provided that low level injection prevails.
Counselors’ Perceptions of HIV/AIDS Counseling in Botswana: Professional Identity, Practice, and Training Issues

Mental health concerns can exacerbate the progression and transmission of HIV/AIDS. Thus there have been calls for increased research and integration of mental health care into HIV/AIDS treatment in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the disease has reached pandemic levels. This qualitative study analyzed the open-ended survey responses of 181 individuals providing HIV/AIDS counseling in Botswana. Several themes emerged regarding the professional identity of counselors, risk of burnout, working conditions and needed resources, the process and provision of counseling in Botswana, as well as training and supervision issues. Implications and recommendations for practice and advocacy are discussed.
Clustering gene expression patterns of fly embryos

The spatio-temporal patterning of gene expression in early embryos is an important source of information for understanding the functions of genes involved in development. Most analyses to date rely on biologists' visual inspection of microscope images, which for large-scale datasets becomes impractical and subjective. In this paper, we introduce a new method for clustering 2D images of gene expression patterns in Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) embryos. These patterns, typically generated from in situ hybridization of mRNA probes, reveal when, where and how abundantly a target gene is expressed. Our method involves two steps. First, we use an eigen-embryo model to reduce noise and generate feature vectors that form a better basis for capturing the salient aspects of quantized embryo images. Second, we cluster these feature vectors by an efficient minimum-spanning-tree partition algorithm. We investigate this approach on fly embryo datasets that span the entire course of embryogenesis. The experimental results show that our clustering algorithm produces superior pattern clusters. We also find previously unobserved clusters of genes that share biologically interesting patterns of gene-expression.
Alerting dendritic cells to pathogens: The importance of Toll-like receptor signaling of stromal cells

E radication of intracellular pathogens relies on differentiation of naive CD4+ T cells into T helper (Th) 1 cells that produce IFN-γ, which promotes macrophage activation and production of complement-fixing and opsonizing antibodies (1-3). CD4+ T cells differentiate into Th1 cells by following instructions provided by dendritic cells (DCs) that have perceived pathogen incursion through specific receptors for microbial components, the Toll-like receptors (TLRs) (4). In this issue of PNAS, Sato and Iwasaki (5) demonstrate that TLR-mediated vigilance of DCs alone is not sufficient to trigger Th1 responses against intracellular pathogens. In fact, they show that epithelial and stromal cells, which constitute the mucosal barrier primarily attacked and infected by pathogens, also generate TLR-mediated signals that contribute to initiation of Th1 responses (5). DCs are bone marrow-derived cells that seed peripheral tissues and function as sentinels of pathogenic invasion (6). Upon detecting the presence of infectious agents, DCs capture microbial antigens and deliver them to draining lymph nodes (6). There, DCs present microbial antigens to rare antigen-specific naive CD4+ T cells, triggering their proliferation and expression of the functional receptor for IL-12 (IL-12R) (1, 3, 6) (Fig. 1). Moreover, …
On the theory of intelligent machines: a survey

Work aimed at formulating analytically the theory of intelligent machines is summarized. The functions of an intelligent machine are executed by intelligent controls. The principle of increasing precision with decreasing intelligence is used to form a hierarchical structure of the control systems. Distributed intelligence is compatible with such a structure when it is used for teams of intelligent machines or cooperating coordinators within the machine. The three levels of the intelligent control, i.e. the organization, coordination, and execution levels, are described as originally conceived. Designs such as neural nets for the organization level and Petri nets for the coordination level are also proposed. Applications to intelligent robots for space exploration are considered. >
A Functional Network of Yeast Genes Using Gene Ontology Information

In the post-genomic era, the organization of genes into networks has played an important role in characterizing the functions of individual genes and the interplay between them. It is also vital in understanding complex cellular processes and their dynamics. Despite advances, gene network prediction still remains a challenge. Recently, heterogeneous genomic and proteomic data were integrated to generate a functional network of yeast genes. The Gene Ontology (GO) project has integrated information from multiple data sources to annotate genes to specific biological process. Generating gene networks using GO annotations is a novel and alternative way to efficiently integrate heterogeneous data sources. In this paper, we present a novel approach to automatically generate a functional network of yeast genes using Gene Ontology (GO) annotations. An information theoretic semantic similarity (SS) was calculated between every pair of genes based on the method proposed by Resnik. This SS score was then used to predict linkages between genes, to generate a functional network. An alternative approach has been proposed using a measure called log likelihood score (LLS). The functional networks predicted using the SS and LLS measures were compared. We discussed our experiments on generating reliable functional gene networks and concluded that the functional network generated by SS scores is comparable to or better than those obtained using LLS scores.
The Effect of Contraceptive Knowledge on Fertility: The Roles of Mass Media and Social Networks

This study examines the effect of contraceptive knowledge on fertility during the period when Taiwan’s family planning programs were in effect. This study contributes to previous studies by directly measuring individual’s contraceptive knowledge and fertility, as well as applying an instrumental variable approach to gauge the effect of contraceptive knowledge on fertility. The results indicate that mass media and social networks play important roles in disseminating contraceptive knowledge. This study finds that women transform their knowledge into behavior—that is, contraceptive knowledge reduces fertility, no matter which fertility metric is measured (life-time fertility or probability of giving birth).
Natural gas and temperature structured a microbial community response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Microbial communities present in the Gulf of Mexico rapidly responded to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. In deep water plumes, these communities were initially dominated by members of Oceanospirillales, Colwellia, and Cycloclasticus. None of these groups were abundant in surface oil slick samples, and Colwellia was much more abundant in oil-degrading enrichment cultures incubated at 4 °C than at room temperature, suggesting that the colder temperatures at plume depth favored the development of these communities. These groups decreased in abundance after the well was capped in July, but the addition of hydrocarbons in laboratory incubations of deep waters from the Gulf of Mexico stimulated Colwellia's growth. Colwellia was the primary organism that incorporated (13)C from ethane and propane in stable isotope probing experiments, and given its abundance in environmental samples at the time that ethane and propane oxidation rates were high, it is likely that Colwellia was active in ethane and propane oxidation in situ. Colwellia also incorporated (13)C benzene, and Colwellia's abundance in crude oil enrichments without natural gas suggests that it has the ability to consume a wide range of hydrocarbon compounds or their degradation products. However, the fact that ethane and propane alone were capable of stimulating the growth of Colwellia, and to a lesser extent, Oceanospirillales, suggests that high natural gas content of this spill may have provided an advantage to these organisms.
Conservative management of 17 horses with nonarticular fractures of the tibial tuberosity.

Summary Reasons for performing study: Fractures of the tibial tuberosity (FTT) are caused by direct trauma, and are the second most commonly reported injury in event horses with stifle trauma. Conservative management of horses with FTT has been advocated, but results and prognosis for this method of therapy are unknown. Objectives: To report and review the findings of a retrospective study of 17 horses admitted to a veterinary teaching hospital from 1986–2001 with nonarticular FTT that received conservative management. Methods: Subject details, aetiology of the accident, limb affected, degree of lameness at time of admission, size and degree of displacement of the fracture fragment, complications such as comminution of the fracture fragment or damage to soft tissue structures within the affected stifle, and treatment recommendations were obtained from medical records. Owners and trainers were contacted regarding the horse's return to athletic use. The follow-up period consisted of 11–154 months. Results: Two horses were reportedly sound, but unable to return to competition for unrelated reasons. Of the horses that completed the rehabilitation period, 12/15 (80%) returned to athletic use at the same level as before the injury. Three horses were diagnosed with damage to soft tissue supporting structures of the affected stifle and could not return to their former level of competition. Conclusions: Concurrent soft tissue damage, diagnosed at the time of the initial injury, was statistically significant in precluding horses from returning to athletic careers. All other variables were found to have no effect upon outcome. Potential clinical relevance: This retrospective study suggests that the conservative management of nonarticular FTT is a viable treatment modality in managing athletic equine patients presenting with these fractures.
Combination of passive and active microwave data for soil moisture estimates

Various remote sensing techniques have been evaluated and proven to be a valuable source of information for different hydrological applications. For example, with the actual Earth observation satellites, we can observe the entire river basin in rather than sparse points and provide unique information about properties of the surface or shallow layers of the Earth. Furthermore, the actual remote sensing sensors offer the potential of measuring new hydrologic variables not generally possible with traditional techniques such as soil moisture, snow status, land cover parameters etc. Previous researches in microwave remote sensing technology indicate that surface soil moisture can be inferred with remote sensing systems operating in the microwave region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The ability to estimate soil moisture in the upper surface layer by microwave remote sensing (active and passive) has been demonstrated under a variety of the topographic and land-cover conditions. The primary intent of this project is to produce a spatial estimation of soil moisture from active microwave data with sufficient spatial and temporal resolution using neural networks. The derived soil moisture was analyzed in conjunction with vegetation data to understand the effect of land cover on the soil moisture variation. This paper describes the first steps in evaluating the performance of the neural network classification and presents some of the early results.
Effects of tDCS on executive function in Parkinson's disease.

Abstract Non-motor symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) are often poorly recognized, significantly impair quality of life and cause severe disability. Currently, there is limited evidence to guide treatment of associated psychiatric and cognitive problems. Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques have emerged as non-pharmacological alternatives to target cognitive symptoms without worsening motor function. In this context, we conducted a multicenter, sham controlled, double-blinded study to assess the immediate and long-term effects of ten consecutive sessions of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the anode on the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) ( n = 5), left DLPFC ( n = 6) or sham ( n = 7). We assessed cognitive functions, depressive symptoms and motor functions in 18 PD patients at baseline, at the end of the 2-week stimulation sessions and at 1-month follow-up. Our results showed that active stimulation of both left and right DLPFC resulted in prolonged improvements in Trail Making Test B, an established test to measure executive function, compared to sham tDCS at the 1-month follow-up. These results suggest the existence of a beneficial long-term effect on executive functions in PD patients following active tDCS over the DLPFC. Thus, our findings encourage further investigation exploring tDCS as an adjuvant therapy for cognitive and behavioral treatment in PD.
Shape restoration by active self-assembly

Shape restoration is defined as the problem of constructing a desired, or goal, solid shape Sg by growing an initial solid Si, which is a subset of the goal but is otherwise unknown. This definition attempts to capture abstractly a situation that often arises in the physical world when a solid object loses its desired shape due to wear and tear, corrosion or other phenomena. For example, if the top of the femur becomes distorted, the hip joint no longer functions properly and may have to be replaced surgically. Growing it in place back to its original shape would be an attractive alternative to replacement. This paper presents a solution to the shape restoration problem by using autonomous assembly agents robots that self-assemble to fill the volume between Sg and Si. If the robots have very small dimension micro or nano, the desired shape is approximated with high accuracy. The assembly agents initially execute a random walk. When two robots meet, they may exchange a small number of messages. The robot behavior is controlled by a finite state machine with a small number of states. Communication contact models chemical communication, which is likely to be the medium of choice for robots at the nanoscale, while small state and small messages are limitations that also are expected of nanorobots. Simulations presented here show that swarms of such robots organize themselves to achieve shape restoration by using distributed algorithms. This is one more example of an interesting geometric problem that can be solved by the Active Self-Assembly paradigm introduced in previous papers by the authors.
Centric relation change during therapy with corrective occlusion prostheses

C entric relation can be considered the most important spatial relation between the mandible and the maxillae for reference during prosthodontic treatment. There is, however, controversy regarding its nature, position, and reproducibility.‘s2 The recording of centric relation is influenced by numerous factors, one of which is the neuromuscular system.‘s4 This system has a strong adaptive capacity to permit function and protection of the gnathostomatic system. Deflective occlusal contacts will induce conditioning of the neuromuscular system, which will be constantly reinforced with each closure through proprioceptive feedback.5s6 This conditioning may induce changes at the level of any components of the masticatory unit.‘,* Several deprogramming methods have been used. They range from the Myo-Monitor (Myo-Tronics Research Inc., Seattle, Wash.) to bilateral occlusal stimulation.9-‘4 All methods are claimed to provide a “true” centric position. One of the frequently recommended techniques for deprogramming is a maxillary bite plane (corrective occlusion prosthesis).‘4 Several designs are used. For example, one type of corrective occlusion prothesis refers to a maxillary prosthesis with only a retroincisal platform occluding with the mandibular anterior teeth, not to be confused with another corrective occlusion prothesis against the flat surface of which all mandibular teeth occlude.4 Unless sophisticated x-ray methods are used (for example, tomographs),‘5 it is clinically impossible to determine the position of the mandibular condyle while making centric records. Reproducibility over time seems to be the best criterion for defining centric relation, even though this concept has been challenged. 16,” The duration of a corrective occlusion prosthesis is usually inadequately defined as “a couple of weeks or more.“4 Such therapy is generally stopped
Bayesian inference of network loss and delay characteristics with applications to TCP performance prediction

In large-scale dynamic communication networks, end systems cannot rely on the network itself to cooperate in characterizing its own behavior. This has prompted research activities on methods for inferring internal network behavior based on the external end-to-end network measurements. In particular, knowledge of the link losses and link delays inside the network is important for network management. However, it is impractical to directly measure packet losses or delays at every router. On the other hand, measuring end-to-end (from sources to destinations) losses or delays is relatively easy. We formulate the problems of link and delay estimation in a network based on end-to-end measurements as Bayesian inference problems and develop several Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms to solve them. We show how these link loss and delay estimates can be used to predict point-to-point transfer control protocol (TCP) throughput in the network. We apply the proposed link loss and delay estimation algorithms, as well as the TCP throughput estimation algorithms, to data generated by the network simulator (ns-2) software and obtain good agreements between the theoretical results and the actual measurements.
Minimum-state unsteady aerodynamics for aeroservoelastic configuration shape optimization of flight vehicles

The Minimum State technique for creating linear time invariant state space models of unsteady aerodynamic loads leads to major savings in terms of the dimension of the resulting aeroservoelastic systems compared to alternative techniques. The upfront effort of the generation of minimum state approximants, however, is large, and involves an iterative double least squares function fitting process. When the overall shape of a configuration varies, during the repetitive analysis required for configuration design optimization, the cost of creating new minimum state approximations becomes prohibitive. This paper presents an efficient method for obtaining shape sensitivity analysis of minimum state approximants. The resulting sensitivities are then used, based on a single detailed analysis and sensitivity analysis at some reference design to generate approximate aeroelastic poles, divergence speed, and flutter speed results for configurations that are subject to considerable planform shape changes.
Poleward expansion of the atmospheric circulation

Past research has found solid evidence for changes in the atmospheric circulation—the tropical belt has become wider, storm tracks and westerly wind systems have been moving poleward, and the strength of tropical circulation has been weakening. These changes are important for the regional manifestation of climate change, in particular for local changes in the amount and distribution of precipitation. This chapter summarizes current understanding of natural and human-induced circulation change using observational, theoretical, and model-based perspectives. An introduction to the general circulation of the atmosphere is followed by a discussion of the more recent detection studies of circulation change. The chapter’s main focus is on attributing circulation change to specific natural and human causes and explaining some of the underlying dynamical mechanisms.
Age Metastereotyping and Cross-Age Workplace Interactions: A Meta View of Age Stereotypes at Work

This paper advances the argument that fully understanding the dynamics of an increasingly age-diverse workforce requires the consideration not only of age stereotypes, but also of the stereotypes that older, younger, and middle-aged workers believe that others hold about their group. The activation of these age metastereotypes plays a key, yet under explored, role in shaping age-diverse interpersonal interactions at work. A review of relevant social and organizational literatures precedes the presentation of a conceptual model describing individual and contextual influences on metastereotypes in specific moments (activation) and at a chronic level (consciousness) and their implications for affect and behavior. Together, this review and model is intended to spark and guide future scholarship on age metastereotypes.
Pediatric epilepsy: Clustering by functional connectivity using phase synchronization

This study proposes a nonlinear data-driven method to delineate Electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings as either coming from controls or patients with epilepsy. This method uses the probability of recurrence and the correlation between electrodes to extract the phase synchronization and the functional connectivity maps of the brain from interictal EEG data recordings. This newly proposed algorithm utilizes probabilistic clustering by extracting graph theoretical features from the calculated functional connectivity matrices. Results reveal that brain connectivity networks of epileptic and control populations show statistically significant differences (t (340) = −37.4771, p<0.01) between them. Performance results show an accuracy of 92.8% with a sensitivity of 85.7% and a specificity of 100%, when tested on 14 subjects. These preliminary results confirm that this method can be used to enhance and validate diagnosis of epileptic patients from controls using non-invasive scalp EEG signals.
Ethics of Negotiating with Prospective Employers

To deal with the subject of ethics in negotiating with prospective employers, one must consider his responsibility to the public, to his profession, and to himself. Ethical obligations begin with the initial interview for employment, and follow throughout personal and professional contacts, and decision making. Harm is done to engineering institutions and the profession by thoughtless and unprofessional practices. The true professional knows when confidences must be respected, and will avoid any situation that involves a conflict of interest or a compromise in his values. Although labor unions have been offered as a solution to negotiating with prospective employers, the writer does not consider this the answer. An engineer is to serve the public, whereas a union is to improve the well-being of its members; these could come easily into conflict.
Communication between office-based primary care providers and nurses working within patients' homes: an analysis of process data from CAPABLE.

Aims and Objectives To examine themes of communication between office‐based primary care providers and nurses working in private residences; to assess which methods of communication elicit fruitful responses to nurses’ concerns.
Medicare Beneficiaries With Dual Sources of Coverage

Medicare, the federal health insurance program for the elderly and the disabled, is facing an impending financial crisis, as the expected outlays from the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund are estimated to surpass the projected revenues beginning in 2007. However, the benefits offered to Medicare beneficiaries are typically less generous than benefits the nonelderly (under age 65) receive in their health plans. For example, Medicare does not cover outpatient prescription drugs and has relatively high deductibles for hospitalizations. Consequently, many Medicare beneficiaries also have a supplemental source of health care coverage. The sources of this supplemental coverage are a former employer or a spouse's former employer, a "Medigap" policy purchased by individuals through a private insurance company, or a public program such as Medicaid, the federal-state government program for the poor. This Notes article examines the trend in the number and percentage of noninstitutionalized elderly Medicare beneficiaries with these additional sources of coverage from 1994 to 1998. The PDF for the above title, published in the February 2000 issue of EBRI Notes, also contains the fulltext of another February 2000 EBRI Notes article abstracted on SSRN: "Retirement Annuity and Employment-Based Pension Income."
Synthesis of an Alkene-Containing Copolylactide and Its Facile Modification by the Addition of Thiols

The ring-opening copolymerization of 3,6-bis(chloromethyl)-1,4-dioxane-2,5-dione and l-lactide affords a chloro-substituted polylactide copolymer (chloro-PL). Base-promoted dehydrochlorination of chloro-PL provides a copolymer (ene-PL) that contains electrophilic α,β-unsaturated ester units. The copolymer undergoes conjugate addition with a variety of thiols in solution under mildly basic conditions and also in the presence of AIBN. Reaction on the surface of films of the unsaturated copolyester is demonstrated by the addition of a thiol-substituted fluorescent dye.
Highly Sensitive and Linear Electron-injection Detectors at the Telecomm Wavelength

We present our new results from electron-injection detectors showing un-gated detection of extremely low optical powers at telecomm-band. These devices operate at about 3 volts, and show excellent linearity over at least 40 dB dynamic range. They demonstrate a noise equivalent sensitivity of 13 photons at 220 K.
Can SU(2) L ×U(1) and SU(2) L ×SU(2) R ×U(1) gauge theories be distinguished at high Q 2 ?

It is known that the low-energy weak-interaction experiments do not distinguish between the standard $\mathrm{SU}{(2)}_{L}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\mathrm{U}(1)$ and $\mathrm{SU}{(2)}_{L}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\mathrm{SU}{(2)}_{R}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\mathrm{U}(1)$ gauge theories. In this paper, we investigate the question of distinguishability of the two classes of gauge theories in high-${Q}^{2}$ weak-interaction experiments which are planned for the future.