cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Current and Temperature Measurement via Spectral Decomposition of Light Emission from a GaN Power Diode

This paper proposes a method of monitoring light emission from wide-bandgap III-N power devices which will determine the ON state current in the device needed for power electronic converter control. Measurement of current is accomplished via real-time measurement of the spectral content of light emission from a III-N device under forward steady-state bias. At the same time, it is demonstrated that local base die temperature is simultaneously measured. Fast measurement of the spectral content of light emission is accomplished by passing the light through optical filters centered around peaks in the spectrum corresponding to light emission due to exciton recombination in the device. Measurements of the spectral content about these peaks is calibrated versus varying on-state currents and junction temperatures of a representative GaN PN device. These measurements are then used to demonstrate a proof-of-concept extraction of real-time temperature and current variation under test waveforms. Accuracy of current prediction is shown to be within 1%. Methods of improving the temperature predictions and measurement of realistic current waveforms within a converter environment are proposed.
An environment-adaptive protection scheme with long-term reward for distribution networks

Abstract Increasing renewable penetration in the distribution brings uncertainties, raising concerns for reliable grid operation. For example, relatively regular topological changes in distribution grids and the frequent on/off status of some distributed generators (DGs) add ambiguity to the short circuit levels of distribution networks. Consequently, protective relays need to adapt their settings to protect different operation conditions on distribution systems. Without such capability, relays may false trip or be insensitive. Previous methods ignore the long-term relay setting effect in relay coordination design. To bridge the gap, this paper proposes an environment-adaptive protection scheme (E-APS) to solve the protection coordination issue from a sequential decision making perspective. The agent-environment interaction is designed with protection knowledge integrated to enable the protection agent’s adaptivity. After defining the state, action, and reward in reinforcement learning for the relay settings, we prove the convergence of the value function for post-decision state protection setting. In the numerical results, different system operation scenarios are applied to validate the performance of the proposed E-APS. This scheme is also compared with other optimization-based protection schemes. Results show that the E-APS is more adaptive to environmental change and achieves high performance in protection coordination.
“That’s No Longer Tolerated”: Policing Patients’ Use of Non-opioid Substances in Methadone Maintenance Treatment

The current overdose crisis in the United States emphasizes the importance of providing substance use treatment programs that are not only effective but tailored to meet the specific needs of the p...
Normal age-related quantitative CT values in the pediatric lung: from the first breath to adulthood.

OBJECTIVE To characterize the normal progression of quantitative CT parameters in normal children from birth to adulthood. MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients aged 0-18 years with non-contrast-enhanced chest CT and evidence of normal lung parenchyma were included. Patients with respiratory symptoms, incomplete anthropometric measurements, or sub-optimal imaging technique were excluded. Segmentation was performed using an open-source software with an automated threshold segmentation. The following parameters were obtained: mean lung density, kurtosis, skewness, lung volume, and mass. Linear and exponential regression models were calculated with age and height as independent variables. A p-value of <0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS 220 patients (111 females, 109 males) were included. Mean age was 9.6 ± 5.9 years and mean height was 133.9 ± 35.1 cm. Simple linear regression showed a significant relationship between mean lung density with age (R 2 = 0.70) and height (R 2 = 0.73). Kurtosis displayed a significant exponential correlation with age (R 2 = 0.70) and height (R 2 = 0.71). Skewness showed a significant exponential correlation with age (R 2 = 0.71) and height (R 2 = 0.73). Lung mass showed a correlation with age (R 2 = 0.93) and height (R 2 = 0.92). Exponential regression showed a significant relationship between lung volume with age (R 2 = 0.88) and height (R 2 = 0.93). CONCLUSION Quantitative CT parameters of the lung parenchyma demonstrate changes from birth to adulthood. As children grow, the mean lung density decreases, and the lung parenchyma becomes more homogenous.
Sea Surface Temperatures Drive Historical Demography of Deep-Sea Fishes

Demographic histories are largely understood to be a product of their environment, as populations expand or contract in response to major environmental changes. Deep-pelagic fishes inhabit one of the most temporally and spatially stable habitats on the planet, so they may be resistant to the demographic instability commonly reported in other marine habitats, but their demographic histories are poorly understood. We reconstructed the demographic histories of thirteen species of deep-pelagic fishes using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence data. We uncovered widespread evidence of demographic expansion in our study species, a counterintuitive result bases on the nature of the deep-pelagic. The frequency-based methods detected potential demographic changes in eleven species, while the Extended Bayesian Skyline Plots were more conservative and identified population expansion in five species. The dates of expansion largely coincide with periods of warm sea-surface temperature at the northern and southern boundaries for the ranges these species inhabit. We suggest that this is the result of the pelagic larval phase shared by most deep-pelagic fishes, where the larvae inhabit the upper 200 meters. Changes in sea surface conditions likely alter the suitability of the habitat in a given region for the larval phase, affecting the species range and in turn population size. These results are critical to our understanding of how the deep-pelagic fish community will respond to future climatic changes.
How and Why Patient Concerns Influence Pain Reporting: A Qualitative Analysis of Personal Accounts and Perceptions of Others’ Use of Numerical Pain Scales

Complex factors influence how people report and interpret numerical pain ratings. Such variability can introduce noise and systematic bias into clinical pain assessment. Identification of factors that influence self-rated pain and its interpretation by others may bolster utility of these scales. In this qualitative study, 338 participants described motivations for modulating their own pain reports relative to a numerical pain scale (0-10), as well as perceptions of others' pain reporting modulation. Responses indicated that people over-report pain to enhance provider belief/responsiveness or the likelihood of pain relief, and out of fear of future pain or potential illness. Concerns of how one's pain affects and is perceived by others, and financial concerns motivated pain under-reporting. Unprompted, many participants reported never modulating their pain ratings, citing trust in providers and personal ethics. Similar reasons were assumed to motivate others' pain ratings. However, participants often attributed others' over-reporting to internal causes, and their own to external. This bias may underlie common assumptions that patients over-report pain for nefarious reasons, distort interpretation of pain reports, and contribute to pain invalidation. Recognition of patient concerns and one's own personal biases toward others' pain reporting may improve patient-provider trust and support precision of numerical pain ratings.
Statin-Induced Myopathy

Statins (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coezyme A [HMG-CoA] reductase inhibitors) are a highly effective group of cholesterol-lowering drugs. Although generally well tolerated, they may exert a toxic effect on skeletal muscle. In considering the myotoxicity of the statins, it is helpful to make a distinction between minimally or asymptomatic elevations in serum creatine kinase (CK) concentrations on the one hand, and the presentation with myositis or rhabdomyolysis on the other. In the relevant literature, significant elevations of serum CK concentration are taken to be those that are at least 9–10 times the upper limit of normal. Asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic patients with such elevations of CK have been distinguished from those with myositis (muscle pain and/or weakness) that is accompanied by a marked (greater than 10 times the upper limit of normal) elevation of serum CK concentration. The term “rhabdomyolysis” has variably been used to describe this latter syndrome, especially when accompanied by renal failure. In some studies, the term rhabdomyolysis is reserved for those in whom the CK concentration is at least 40 times the upper limit of normal. The potential for such severe statininduced myotoxicity achieved particular prominence following the voluntary withdrawal of cerivastatin from the US market in 2001 because of the apparently high risk of rhabdomyolysis. Notwithstanding this adverse publicity, the statins remain a frequently prescribed class of dugs given their efficacy in reducing the risk of coronary heart disease.
Public Reason and Child Rearing: What's a Liberal Parent to Do?

The ways in we raise and educate children can appear to be at odds with basic liberal values. Relationships between parents and children are unequal, parents routinely control children's behaviour in various ways, and they use their authority to shape children's beliefs and values. Whether and how such practices can be made to accord with liberal values presents a significant puzzle. In what follows I will look at a recent and sophisticated attempt to resolve these tensions offered by Matthew Clayton in his book Justice m Child Rearing in the context of general account of the proper limits of parental authority. I argue that Clayton is unsuccessful in ways that point to fundamental and pervasive questions about the place of liberal values in child rearing and education that remain unanswered.
International trade and industrial organization

This survey reviews recent contributions to the interface between international trade and industrial organization. Import competition places a substantial limit on domestic market power. In the short run, competitive conditions can influence the speed and efficiency of a domestic market's adjustment to international disturbances. Exports' effects on competition among national sellers are unclear and depend on the scope for price discrimination. Models of trade with monopolistic competition explain intra-industry trade and also the widely observed sensitivity of firm size to market size. Exposure to trade also increases the technical efficiency of production. Diverse policy issues turn on the distinction between national and global welfare and the scope for commitment.
Understanding Cultural and Ethnic Influences in Research with Child Clinical and Pediatric Psychology Populations

It is becoming increasingly necessary for child clinical and pediatric psychologists to possess the skills and knowledge necessary to conduct research and clinical work with ethnically diverse populations (Hall, 1997). Despite increasing demographic diversity within the United States, psychological research has been largely restricted to mainstream, homogeneous samples (Foster & Martinez, 1995). Consequently, the knowledge base concerning both normative and problematic developmental processes within ethnic minority child clinical and pediatric populations remains limited. Graduate and professional level training opportunities for conducting ethnically diverse research are also limited in scope and availability (Ponterotto & Cases, 1987).
Quantifying the local fault tolerance of a kinematically redundant manipulator

There are a variety of kinematic performance measures for quantifying the dexterity and manipulability of a robotic system. Such measures can be used for identifying optimal operating configurations and for evaluating manipulator designs. In this work some of these metrics are modified to measure the local fault tolerance of a kinematically redundant manipulator to a joint failure. While many dexterity measures are functions of only the singular values of the manipulator Jacobian, these new measures clearly indicate the relationship between local fault tolerance and the null space of the manipulator Jacobian.
The Cross-Price Effect on Willingness-to-pay Estimates in Open-ended Contingent Valuation

Abstract Previous literature has shown that potential buyers use a reference price or product to form their opinion about the value of a new product. Therefore, the pricing decision is an interactive process. We investigate the two generalizations of the cross-price effect (the neighborhood price effect and the asymmetric price effect) on consumer willingness-to-pay (WTP) for multiple similar products in an open-ended contingent valuation context. Results show that the cross-price effect on WTP is prominent, with the neighborhood price effect holding in contingent valuation. No conclusions are reached about the asymmetric price effect.
Pasteurella haemolytica leukotoxin inhibits mitogen-induced bovine peripheral blood mononuclear cell proliferation in vitro

In this study we demonstrate that partially purified Pasteurella haemolytica leukotoxin inhibits the proliferative response of bovine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) to mitogens in vitro. Inhibition of PBMC proliferation did not appear to be due to cell death. Addition of a neutralizing anti-leukotoxin monoclonal antibody restored a normal proliferative response.
Likelihood-based selection and sharp parameter estimation.

In high-dimensional data analysis, feature selection becomes one effective means for dimension reduction, which proceeds with parameter estimation. Concerning accuracy of selection and estimation, we study nonconvex constrained and regularized likelihoods in the presence of nuisance parameters. Theoretically, we show that constrained L 0 likelihood and its computational surrogate are optimal in that they achieve feature selection consistency and sharp parameter estimation, under one necessary condition required for any method to be selection consistent and to achieve sharp parameter estimation. It permits up to exponentially many candidate features. Computationally, we develop difference convex methods to implement the computational surrogate through prime and dual subproblems. These results establish a central role of L 0 constrained and regularized likelihoods in feature selection and parameter estimation involving selection. As applications of the general method and theory, we perform feature selection...
Realistic simulations of proton transport along the gramicidin channel: demonstrating the importance of solvation effects.

The nature of proton transduction (PTR) through a file of water molecules, along the gramicidin A (gA) channel, has long been considered as being highly relevant to PTR in biological systems. Previous attempts to model this process implied that the so-called Grotthuss mechanism and the corresponding orientation of the water file plays a major role. The present work reexamines the PTR in gA by combining a fully microscopic empirical valence bond (EVB) model and a recently developed simplified EVB-based model with Langevin dynamics (LD) simulations. The full model is used first to evaluate the free energy profile for a stepwise PTR process. The corresponding results are then used to construct the effective potential of the simplified EVB. This later model is then used in Langevin dynamics simulations, taking into account the correct physics of possible concerted motions and the effect of the solvent reorganization. The simulations reproduce the observed experimental trend and lead to a picture that is quite...
T-cell receptor transgenic mice in the study of autoimmune diseases

T cell receptor transgenic mice have been a valuable tool in the study of the immune system, from development to selection to tolerance or pathogenesis. In this manuscript we review the T cell receptor transgenic mouse lines with specificity for self antigens that have been reported before August 2003. Many such lines have been generated, which have been instrumental in our understanding of, among other aspects, the role regulatory T cells in preventing autoimmunity, the role of microbes in modifying its outcome, the influence of the genetic background, the importance of regional differences in self-antigen concentration, and the importance of differences in antigen deposition between different tissues.
Gathering in Thoreau's backyard: nontimber forest product harvesting as practice

Understanding of the gathering of nontimber forest products (NTFPs) in woodlands has focused heavily on politics surrounding public lands and harvester communities. Yet forest gathering may be far more universal. This paper reports the results of a survey of residents in New England, querying whether people gather wild things and for what purposes. The results suggest that gathering in New England, and elsewhere in the developed world, is not restricted to a unique type of community or economy, but instead is a form of practice. Those analytical approaches to NTFPs that seek to produce ‘alternatives’ to the dominant economy may therefore ironically work to reinforce a capitalocentric view of daily life.
Skin Breaking Strength in Broilers: Relationship with Skin Thickness

Abstract Breaking strength of skin from the breast, back, lateral thigh, and side of 56-day-old male and female broilers was measured in response to diets containing comparatively wide or narrow ratios of calories to protein (C:P). Males had stronger and thinner skin than females, with the differences in thickness being due primarily to differences in the adipose tissue-rich hypodermis. Regardless of sex, feeding diets containing wider C:P ratios resulted in weaker and thicker skin. Increased skin thickness due to these diets was associated with an increase in hypodermis thickness and a decrease in the combined thickness of the dermis and epidermis. Among sites, skin from the breast was strongest, and that from the side was weakest, while skin from the back and thigh exhibited intermediate values for breaking strength. With the exception of differences between the back and thigh, increases in breaking strength occurring between sites were associated with a reduction in total skin thickness and in hypodermis thickness. The results suggest that increased hypodermis thickness or decreased combined thickness of the dermis and epidermis reduces skin strength.
Stability of lyophilized and reconstituted plasma/albumin‐free recombinant human factor VIII (ADVATE rAHF‐PFM)

Traditionally the serum protein albumin has been used to stabilize lyophilized recombinant factor VIII (rFVIII) products. Advanced rFVIII products have now been developed that employ other stabilizers. ADVATE antihaemophilic factor (recombinant), plasma/albumin-free method (rAHF-PFM) utilizes trehalose and mannitol as stabilizers in the lyophilized preparation. An extensive in vitro evaluation was conducted on the stability of rAHF-PFM as measured by retained activity over time. Both lyophilized and reconstituted rAHF-PFM were analysed, and the full range of available potencies were tested under varying temperature conditions. Lyophilized rAHF-PFM exhibited a high degree of stability under a range of conditions. The mean retained activity of 15 rAHF-PFM lots (ranging from low to maximal potency) at 5 degrees C for 30 months was 91.6% (95% CI, 88.9-94.3%) of initial potency. rAHF-PFM also remained highly stable after storage at room temperature for 18 months, with 82.0% (95% CI, 79.2-84.9%) of initial activity retained at 25 degrees C and 79.1% (95% CI, 76.2-81.9%) at 30 degrees C. All other parameters, including moisture, appearance, solubility, pH and aggregation remained within the established product specifications. The mean retained activity after 1 month of storage at 40 degrees C was 94.0% (95% CI, 92.4-95.6%). A high temperature excursion to 40 degrees C for 2 weeks did not compromise subsequent stability of the lyophilized powder either under refrigeration or at room temperature. Reconstituted samples from 11 rAHF-PFM lots retained an average of 92.0% (95% CI, 89.8-94.3%) activity after 24 h. The present study provides evidence of good stability at differing temperatures of an albumin-free formulated rFVIII product.
Cystic change in thyroid carcinoma: Prevalence and estimated volume in 360 carcinomas

Purpose. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and amount of cystic change in thyroid cancer. This study also examined associated sonographic characteristics of cystic malignant thyroid nodules to help recognize these clinically important nodules. Methods. This study was a retrospective review of 360 malignant thyroid nodules surgically removed at our institution between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2004. All patients had signed research authorization. All patients had preoperative sonograms and surgical pathologic proof of their thyroid malignancy. The 360 malignant nodules were found in 307 patients. All scans were performed using 7- to 15-MHz transducers, and most studies included a digital video clip of the cancer. The preoperative ultrasound examinations were retrospectively reviewed by three radiologists and a sonographer. An estimate of cystic component percentage was derived by consensus. The presence of a mural nodule, thick irregular wall, microcalcifications, and prominent vascularity was also recorded. Results. Of the 360 carcinomas, 318 (88.3%) were solid to minimally (less than 5%) cystic, 33 (9.2%) were 6–50% cystic, 9 (2.5%) were 51–100% cystic. Of the nine (2.5%) malignancies that were greater than 50% cystic, all had other suspicious findings including mural nodules, microcalcifications, increased vascularity, and/or a thick irregular wall about the cystic portion. Conclusion. The vast majority (88%) of thyroid cancer is uniformly solid or has minimal (1–5%) cystic change by sonography. Marked cystic change (>50% of the nodule) occurred in only 2.5% of cancers, which had other sonographic findings worrisome for malignancy. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 38:361-366, 2010
A transistorized time-amplitude converter for sub-nanosecond lifetime measurements

Abstract A simple transistorized time-amplitude converter is described together with a cycling procedure which makes it possible to use centroid shift analysis to measure relative positron lifetimes with an accuracy of ± 3 × 10−12 sec.
Digital x-ray tomosynthesis: current state of the art and clinical potential

Digital x-ray tomosynthesis is a technique for producing slice images using conventional x-ray systems. It is a refinement of conventional geometric tomography, which has been known since the 1930s. In conventional geometric tomography, the x-ray tube and image receptor move in synchrony on opposite sides of the patient to produce a plane of structures in sharp focus at the plane containing the fulcrum of the motion; all other structures above and below the fulcrum plane are blurred and thus less visible in the resulting image. Tomosynthesis improves upon conventional geometric tomography in that it allows an arbitrary number of in-focus planes to be generated retrospectively from a sequence of projection radiographs that are acquired during a single motion of the x-ray tube. By shifting and adding these projection radiographs, specific planes may be reconstructed. This topical review describes the various reconstruction algorithms used to produce tomosynthesis images, as well as approaches used to minimize the residual blur from out-of-plane structures. Historical background and mathematical details are given for the various approaches described. Approaches for optimizing the tomosynthesis image are given. Applications of tomosynthesis to various clinical tasks, including angiography, chest imaging, mammography, dental imaging and orthopaedic imaging, are also described.
TRANSLOCATION OF URANIN WITHIN THE LIVING OVULES OF SELECTED SPECIES

Three dictolydonous species having distinctive ovular characteristics were chosen for observation of uranin uptake into their living ovules. Nicotiana tabacum, which has anatropous ovules, showed uranin uptake in a nondifferential manner. Translocation occurred progressively from the funiculus toward the micropylar and chalazal portions at approximately equal rates, then chalazally until the entire ovule had adsorbed the uranin completely. Polygonum capitatum, which has atropous ovules, consistently showed differential uptake of uranin within a given ovule. After the uranin had entered the funiculus and moved about half way toward the micropyle, uranin could already be detected in a small group of cells at the micropylar tip of the ovule. Toreniafournieri, which has hemianatropous ovules with protruding, observable embryo sacs, showed uranin uptake by its ovules, including the egg and synergids, but it was not possible to determine a consistent sequential pattern of translocation. It is suggested that the synergids in the anatropous ovule of N. tabacum are strategically located for early receipt of nutrients as they enter the ovule, while the synergids of P. capitatum are positioned such that they are among the last cells to receive materials entering the ovule. Using the techniques of this study, it is possible that a species having observable embryo sacs, other than T. fournieri, may prove satisfactory for making precise observations on translocation routes within living
Leveraging related entities for knowledge base acceleration

Knowledge bases such as Wikipedia have been shown to be effective to improve the performance in many information tasks. Clearly, the effectiveness is based upon the quality of these knowledge bases. A high-quality knowledge base should have up-to-date complete information. However, constructing a high-quality knowledge base is not an easy task because it would require significant manual efforts to collect relevant documents, extract valuable information and update the knowledge bases accordingly. In this paper, we aim to automate this labor-intensive process. Specifically, we focus on how to collect relevant documents with regard to an entity from sheer volume of Web data automatically. To solve the problem, we propose to construct the profile of the entity by leveraging a set of its related entities and then discuss how to use the training data to weight the related entities. Experiments over the TREC 2012 KBA collection shows that the proposed method can outperform state-of-the-art methods.
PLAYING WITH FIRE, COMPETING WITH SPIRIT: COOPERATION IN THE SPORT OF ULTIMATE

Prior research shows that third-party agents are necessary to promote cooperation when groups are large and spatially diffuse. I explore whether this proposition holds in the self-governing sport of Ultimate. While the size of the community and spatial diffusion of the sport theoretically suggests limited decentralized control, the widespread implementation of a refereed system has not yet emerged. Instead, I find with qualitative methods that cooperation in Ultimate is the result of the sport being federally controlled and embedded within tiers of organizational constraint that promote informal regulation of competitions through norms, reputations, and self-discipline.
Inventory management of multi-item systems with order size constraint

Manufacturing and transportation costs have increased substantially in recent years as demands for raw materials and fossil-based energy continue to grow. To buffer potential loss and increase order quantity, manufacturers often specify requirements when retailers place orders. One widely applied practice is to set up a minimum order size requirement, which is largely driven to achieve improved economies in the production and transportation processes. Many buyers, on the other hand, are left perplexed as to how to effectively establish their inventory policies. In this article, we study a multi-item model in which a retailer faces a minimum order size requirement from its manufacturer and the demands for these items are stochastic. In particular, the total order size of all items has to be at least the minimum order size whenever the retailer decides to place an order. We construct the exact model and develop an accurate lower bound approximation. To better understand the dynamics of the system and the ordering behaviour, we characterise important properties and based on which we propose effective heuristic strategies of simple structure for the multi-item model. Through extensive numerical studies, we show that the policies are consistently robust under a variety of different parameters. Important insights into the systems are also provided.
Helix packing in polytopic membrane proteins: the lactose permease of Escherichia coli

Recent advances in protein engineering have facilitated the development of alternative approaches to determine helix packing in polytopic membrane proteins. Using the lac permease as a paradigm, several site-directed biophysical and biochemical techniques are described which should be generally applicable.
Chiral, piperidine-based analogues of AF64A and acetylcholine

Abstract Chiral analogues of acetylcholine and AF64A were prepared from I-glutamic acid via the central intermediate, (S)-3-acetoxypiperidine.
Competition between Gonatocerus ashmeadi and G. triguttatus for glassy winged sharpshooter (Homalodisca coagulata) egg masses

Abstract The introduction of a biological control agent can have significant effects on natural enemies that use the same host. Interspecific competition between natural enemies can impact the efficacy of control and, consequently, is the subject of increasing research scrutiny. Three experimental approaches were used to evaluate competitive outcomes between Gonatocerus ashmeadi and G. triguttatus parasitizing Homalodisca coagulata egg masses in the laboratory. (1) When both species were introduced to high densities of host eggs 1, 3 and 5 days of age, mean percentage offspring was significantly higher for G. ashmeadi offspring (23.2% greater than G. triguttatus). (2) When a female parasitoid of each species was offered a single egg mass, offspring production was statistically similar for the two species. Gonatocerus triguttatus showed aggressive behavior, although this only accounted for 0.8% of the female's total foraging time and did not lead to proportionately higher offspring production. (3) Regardle...
Uptake of high‐density lipoprotein by Y‐organs of the crab, cancer antennarius. II. formal characterization of receptor‐mediation with isolated membranes

Y-organs are the ecdysial glands of crustaceans, responsible for synthesis and secretion of ecdysteroid hormones. For this purpose, the glands acquire cholesterol as obligate precursor entirely from circulating high-density lipoprotein (HDL). A preceding study provided evidence for the mechanism of acquisition: Y-organs take up cholesterol bound to HDL by an energy-requiring process, receptor-mediated absorptive endocytosis. The present study characterized the receptors involved utilizing isolated Y-organ membranes. HDL binding was saturable and specific; a dissociation constant (Kd) of 1.08 × 10−7 M and a binding maximum at equilibrium (Bmax) of 70 μg HDL protein/mg membrane protein, were obtained. Binding was decreased by protease and was dependent upon calcium. Y-organs are regulated negatively by a peptide hormone from the eystalks, molt-inhibiting hormone (MIH). Y-organ membranes from de-eyestalked crabs (MIH absent) exhibited the same Kd value as membranes from intact crabs, but a Bmax 17% higher. Thus, MIH activity apparently does not change the binding affinity of HDL, but decreases the number of binding sites. These results agree with our previous findings that MIH depresses ecdysteroid synthesis in part by inhibiting cholesterol uptake. Generally, Y-organ cells appear to contain receptors for HDL that are of high affinity and high binding capacity, similar to the characteristics reported for the binding of insect HDL (vitellogenin) to fat bodies and oocytes. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Modified running wheel for continuous recording of locomotor and ingestive-related behaviors ☆

Abstract A standard running wheel apparatus was modified to measure home cage crossings, wheel turn activity, and activities related to food and water ingestion. The apparatus was designed to provide continuous measurements using transistor-integrated electronic circuitry suitable for interfacing with a laboratory minicomputer or relay operated recording equipment. Validation of the technique with a pharmacological agent ( d -amphetamine) is described.
Design Impact of Piezoelectric Actuator Nonlinearities

Data are presented illustrating the need for inclusion of piezoelectric actuator nonlinearities if accurate system modelsaredesired.Thedescribing function approach wasused inthisinvestigation asanexample.Whereastheuse of the describing functions does improve overall accuracy of the system model, it is demonstrated that the extreme sensitivity ofthedescribing functionstoamplitudeatlowactuatordisplacementsstillcompromiseson theaccuracy of system models that include voltage-controlled piezoelectric actuators. It is also demonstrated that using chargefeedback control with piezoelectricactuators makes the use of the nonlinearmodel elements lesspressing since the charge control describing functions are much nearer unity than their voltage-control counterparts. Nomenclature A = actuator cross-sectional area, m 2 C = capacitance, F c D = stiffness at constant electric displacement, Pa c E = stiffness at constant electric e eld, Pa D = electric displacement, C/m 2 d = piezoelectric constant, m/V E = electric e eld, V/m F = force,N g = piezoelectric constant, m 2 /C Kamp = voltage-feedback amplie er gain, V/V Kas = combined actuator, e exure, and amplie er gain, m/V KD = controller derivative gain, V/V KOL = open-loop system gain, m/V Kp = controller proportional gain, V/V Ksg = strain-gauge position feedback subsystem, V/m k = spring constant, N/m L = moment arm effective length, m m = driven mass, kg N = fundamental frequency representation of system nonlinearities n = number of layers in stack actuator Q = charge,C R = resistance, A S = strain T = stress, Pa t = piezoelectric material thickness, m Va = power amplie er input voltage, V x = displacement, m
The Psychological Consequences of Abuse for the Child

The consequences of child abuse for the emotional health and development of the child have been largely disregarded in theory, in practice, and in research. The few studies which have investigated this aspect of the child abuse problem report detrimental psychological consequences. These research findings combined with more general psychological theory and research on personality development provide a basis for predicting the psychological consequences of abuse for children. Documentation of deficits in the emotional development of abused children has important policy and practice implications for intervention and treatment.
Postnatal Changes in Transdiaphragmatic Pressure in Piglets

ABSTRACT. We examined diaphragmatic force output in 25 anesthetized piglets ranging in postnatal age from 4 to 21 days (weight 1.3–4.0 kg) in order to determine whether the diaphragm produces greater force output with maturation for a given level of neural input. Transdiaphragmatic pressure (Pdi) served as our index of diaphragmatic force output and was measured during “supramaximal‘’ transvenous phrenic nerve stimulation at 100 Hz in order to control neural drive. Mean Pdi was 53 ± 17 cm H2O and ranged from a minimum of 29 cm H2O to a maximum of 83 cm H2O. A significant positive correlation between Pdi and postnatal age was observed (r = 0.79, p < 0.001). In addition, positive correlations were noted between Pdi and total body weight (r = 0.73, p < 0.001) and Pdi and diaphragmatic wet weight (r = 0.77, p < 0.001). The voltage needed to stimulate the phrenic nerves “supramaximally‘’ did not correlate with postnatal age (r = 0.02, p = 0.16). We conclude that a developmental pattern of increasing Pdi with increasing postnatal age, total body weight, and diaphragmatic wet weight exists in piglets and occurs within the context of a controlled level of neural drive.
Oral contrast is not necessary in the evaluation of blunt abdominal trauma by computed tomography

The administration of oral contrast (OC) is widely recommended for computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen in patients with blunt trauma. The purpose of this study was to determine whether routine abdominal CT scans performed without OC were associated with diagnostic error in patients with blunt trauma. Four hundred ninety-two patients were identified from our Trauma Registry who had CT scans for the evaluation of blunt abdominal trauma between January 1988 and December 1991. Seventysix percent (372) of the CT scans were interpreted as negative, and 24% (120) were considered positive. OC was used in 8 (1.6%) of 492 patients. Only 1 of 372 patients whose initial non-OC-enhanced scan was negative subsequently required surgery. There were 5 bowel injuries among the 42 patients who underwent an abdominal operation; in none would the use of OC have ensured the preoperative diagnosis. We found that the omission of OC did not represent a disadvantage to patients with blunt trauma undergoing a routine abdominal CT scan. Potential time delays and the hazards associated with the use of OC were minimized.
Survival and growth of lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) larvae fed only formulated dry diets

Abstract Two separate 50-day trials were conducted to compare survival and growth of lake whitefish ( Coregonus clupeaformis ) larvae fed only various formulated dry diets. At the end of trial 1 the mean survival (67.7%) and size (185 mg/fish) of larvae fed the commercial diet Larval AP100 were significantly ( P
Cysticercus cellulosae in the Eyelid

A 2-year-old Haitian girl had a 1-cm cyst of the left upper lid. The cyst was excised and microscopic examination revealed a well preserved Cysticercus cellulosae. Although ocular and cutaneous cysticercosis are common, cysticereus in the lid has rarely been reported. It should be considered in the differential diagnosis of lid cysts in patients from areas where Taenia solium is prevalent.
Force of Stream After Sling Therapy: Safety and Efficacy of Rapid Discharge Care Pathway Based on Subjective Patient Report

Purpose: We evaluated the safety of a mid urethral sling postoperative care pathway using patient subjective reporting of force of stream to minimize length of stay and catheter placement.Materials and Methods: Women undergoing solitary mid urethral sling surgery were prospectively enrolled in our study. Force of stream after the sling therapy protocol consisted of retrograde bladder filling with 300 ml fluid within 1 hour after surgery. Patients rated force of stream compared to baseline on a visual analog scale. Those with a force of stream of 50% or greater were immediately discharged home regardless of post-void residual urine volume. Only those unable to void and those rating force of stream less than 50% with post-void residual urine volume greater than 500 ml were discharged home with a catheter. Patients were telephoned within 1 week of surgery and seen 4 to 6 weeks postoperatively. The primary outcome was unexpected visits to the emergency room or office for voiding dysfunction or urinary retenti...
Bevel direction, dura geometry, and hole size in membrane puncture: laboratory report.

Background and Objectives The cylindrical shape of the dura in vivo, as well as the needle tip deviation known to occur with beveled needle insertion, might predispose to geometric effects of needle orientation on hole size and shape during dural puncture. The object of this study was to investigate such possible effects. Methods Standard xerographic paper was used to simulate a dura mater membrane with random fiber orientation. Rigidly mounted paper cylinders of 2-cm diameter were transfixed at 90° angles to the cylinder axis with 22-gauge Quincke point spinal needles. A nonrotating drill press effected linear insertion, creating entry and exit perforations at median and paramedian positions. The bevel direction was rotated at 90° angles during punctures in order to determine the effects of lateral versus transverse bevel orientation (relative to the cylinder axis) on the resultant hole morphology. Results With median perforation, all holes (entry and exit) were of uniform size and shape regardless of bevel orientation. Paramedian perforations of the cylinder at near tangential positions, with the bevel directed lateral to the cylinder axis, resulted in formation of a flap overlapping the margins of either the entry or exit hole but not both. Flaps formed only when the bevel faced the cylinder membrane9s surface during paramedian, near tangential puncture (n = 10, P = .00001). Conclusions The geometric interactions of membranes with Quincke needles lend support to the practice of needle insertion with the bevel facing laterally in order to produce smaller holes. Geometry may help to explain the reduced rate of postdural puncture headache found with Quincke bevels oriented to face laterally during midline approach and during paramedian technique, particularly when a single puncture results in aspiration of cerebrospinal fluid.
Benthic invertebrate bioassays with toxic sediment and pore water

The relative sensitivities of bioassays to determine the toxicity of sediments were investigated and three methods of making the sample dilutions required to generate dose-response relationships were compared. The assays studied were: (a) Microtox®, a 15-min assay of Photobacterium phosphoreum bioluminescence inhibition by pore water; (b) 48-h Daphnia magna lethality test in pore water; (c) 10-d subchronic assay of lethality to and reduction of weight gain by Chironomus tentans performed in either whole sediment or pore water; (d) 168-h acute lethality assay of Hexagenia limbata in either whole sediment or pore water. The three methods of diluting sediments were: (a) extracting pore water from the toxic location and dilution with pore water from the control station; (b) diluting whole sediment from the toxic location with control whole sediment from a reference location, then extracting pore water; and (c) diluting toxic, whole sediment with whole sediment from a reference location, then using the whole sediment in bioassays. Based on lethality, H. limbata was the most sensitive organism to the toxicity of Detroit River sediment. Lethality of D. magna in pore water was similar to that of H. limbata in whole sediment and can be used to predict effects of whole sediment toxicity to H. limbata. The concentration required to cause a 50% reduction in C. tentans growth (10-d EC50) was approximately that which caused 50% lethality of D. magna (48-h LC50) and was similar to the toxicity that restricts benthic invertebrate colonization of contaminated sediments. While the three dilution techniques gave similar results with some assays, they gave very different results in other assays. The dose-response relationships determined by the three dilution techniques would be expected to vary with sediment, toxicant and bioassay type, and the dose-response relationship derived from each technique needs to be interpreted accordingly.
Implicit sources of bias in employment interview judgments and decisions

Abstract This study empirically examined implicit sources of bias in employment interview judgments and decisions. We examined two ethnic cues, accent and name, as sources of bias that may trigger prejudicial attitudes and decisions. As predicted, there was an interaction between the applicant name and accent that affected participants’ favorable judgments of applicant characteristics. The applicant with the ethnic name, speaking with an accent, was viewed less positively by interviewers than the ethnic named applicant without an accent and non-ethnic named applicants with and without an accent. Furthermore, modern ethnicity bias had a negative association with the favorable judgments of the applicants, which, in turn, affected hiring decisions. Implications of the results, limitations of the study, and directions for future research are discussed.
A study of factors affecting neuro-muscular tremors

Within the limits of this study as carried out with the above technique, it would seem logical to draw the following conclusions:
RCRA cover systems for waste management facilities

Abstract The closure of waste management facilities, whether Subtitle C, Subtitle D or CERCLA, requires consideration of site-specific information, the Federal regulations and applicability of state regulations and the liquids management strategy. This paper will present the current EPA guidance for covers at hazardous waste facilities. Also discussed are insights into the proposed Subtitle D and CERCLA requirements for closure.
Physical Activity, Life Satisfaction, and Self-Rated Health of Middle School Students

Little research has examined the association between life satisfaction, self-rated health (SRH), and physical activity concurrently for middle school students. A convenience sample of 245 students in grades 7 and 8 was surveyed about physical activity, life satisfaction, and SRH using the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2005 Middle School Youth Risk Behavior Survey. ANOVA analyses revealed significantly reduced life satisfaction for females who reported not engaging in vigorous physical activity during the past 7 days [p < .01, effect size (ES) = .75]. Significantly reduced life satisfaction was detected for both males (p < .001, ES = .66) and females (p < .0001, ES = .80) who reported not playing on sports teams. Additionally, logistic regression analyses showed the odds of reporting fair/poor SRH increased 5.4 times for males (CI = 1.30–22.39, p < .05) and 30.9 times for females (CI = 3.74–255.43, p < .001) who reported not playing on sports teams. Preliminary findings suggest physical activity and sports participation is associated with improved life satisfaction and SRH for middle school students. In addition, although some gender differences were observed, consistent findings for sports participation suggest sports participation may carry multiple social, mental, and physical benefits for youth.
Computer teleconferencing: experience at Hewlett-Packard

As part of a thrust to improve communication and collaboration among geographically separated groups of engineers, Hewlett-Packard in 1984 investigated computer teleconferencing. Most of that year was devoted to selection, acquisition, and limited pilot use of one such system (CONFER II), which has since been made widely available in the company. Today 1800 HP employees have registered to use the system. Hundreds of people from 15 countries on five continents sign on daily to participate in more than 50 active conferences; hundreds of others have tried to use the system once or a few times and then given up.This paper describes Hewlett-Packard's experience with the introduction and use of this system; its role in the corporate communications environment; some examples of prominent successes and failures; some heuristics for how to make the best of the technology available today; and some suggestions for future capabilities that would make such systems more widely useful.