cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Influence of the VERB Campaign on Children's Physical Activity in 2002 to 2006

Objectives. We evaluated physical activity outcomes for children exposed to VERB, a campaign to encourage physical activity in children, across campaign years 2002 to 2006.Methods. We examined the associations between exposure to VERB and (1) physical activity sessions (free time and organized) and (2) psychosocial outcomes (outcome expectations, self-efficacy, and social influences) for 3 nationally representative cohorts of children. Outcomes among adolescents aged 13 to 17 years (cohort 1, baseline) and children aged 9 to 13 years from cohorts 2 and 3 were analyzed for dose–response effects. Propensity scoring was used to control for confounding influences.Results. Awareness of VERB remained high across campaign years. In 2006, reports of children aged 10 to 13 years being active on the day before the survey increased significantly as exposure to the campaign increased. Psychosocial outcomes showed dose–response associations. Effects lessened as children aged out of the campaign target age range (cohor...
The association of age, pain, and fatigue with physical functioning and depressive symptoms in persons with spinal cord injury

AbstractContext/objectiveTo describe the relationship of pain and fatigue with physical and psychological functioning in adults with spinal cord injury (SCI).DesignCross-sectional survey.SettingCommunity-based survey.ParticipantsConvenience sample of individuals with SCI.InterventionNot applicable.Outcome measuresPhysical functioning (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Physical Functioning item bank items), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)), pain severity (0–10 Numerical Rating Scale (NRS)), and fatigue (0–10 NRS).ResultsPain and fatigue were independently associated with depression, but only pain was associated with physical functioning. Additionally, depression was more severe among middle-aged participants relative to younger or older participants. Physical functioning declined with increasing age, as well as with higher level of injury.ConclusionsThe findings support the need for continued development of effective treatments for both pain and fatigue in...
Inhibition of miR-33a/b in non-human primates raises plasma HDL and lowers VLDL triglycerides

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of mortality in westernized countries, despite optimum medical therapy to reduce the levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-associated cholesterol. The pursuit of novel therapies to target the residual risk has focused on raising the levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-associated cholesterol in order to exploit its atheroprotective effects. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as important post-transcriptional regulators of lipid metabolism and are thus a new class of target for therapeutic intervention. MicroRNA-33a and microRNA-33b (miR-33a/b) are intronic miRNAs whose encoding regions are embedded in the sterol-response-element-binding protein genes SREBF2 and SREBF1 (refs 3-5), respectively. These miRNAs repress expression of the cholesterol transporter ABCA1, which is a key regulator of HDL biogenesis. Recent studies in mice suggest that antagonizing miR-33a may be an effective strategy for raising plasma HDL levels and providing protection against atherosclerosis; however, extrapolating these findings to humans is complicated by the fact that mice lack miR-33b, which is present only in the SREBF1 gene of medium and large mammals. Here we show in African green monkeys that systemic delivery of an anti-miRNA oligonucleotide that targets both miR-33a and miR-33b increased hepatic expression of ABCA1 and induced a sustained increase in plasma HDL levels over 12 weeks. Notably, miR-33 antagonism in this non-human primate model also increased the expression of miR-33 target genes involved in fatty acid oxidation (CROT, CPT1A, HADHB and PRKAA1) and reduced the expression of genes involved in fatty acid synthesis (SREBF1, FASN, ACLY and ACACA), resulting in a marked suppression of the plasma levels of very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL)-associated triglycerides, a finding that has not previously been observed in mice. These data establish, in a model that is highly relevant to humans, that pharmacological inhibition of miR-33a and miR-33b is a promising therapeutic strategy to raise plasma HDL and lower VLDL triglyceride levels for the treatment of dyslipidaemias that increase cardiovascular disease risk.
INFLUENCE OF MACROPHAGE-DERIVED APOPROTEIN E ON PLASMA LIPOPROTEIN DISTRIBUTION OF APOLIPOPROTEIN A-I IN APOPROTEIN E-DEFICIENT MICE

High density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol in apolipoprotein (apo) E-deficient mice is decreased. It has been suggested that apoA-I is lost from HDL in these mice because it must substitute for apoE as a structural protein for the abnormal cholesterol-rich lipoproteins. Therefore, we examined in vivo the influence of selective apoE expression on plasma HDL cholesterol in apoE-deficient mice. Bone marrow transplantation was used to establish macrophage-specific expression of apoE. Bone marrow transplantation normalized plasma triglycerides and significantly reduced total plasma cholesterol, but it did not increase hepatic apoA-I mRNA levels or total plasma apoA-I. Although total plasma apoA-I was not increased, HDL cholesterol measured following chromatographic separation was elevated twofold. Furthermore, plasma apoA-I was recovered from this HDL in animals expressing macrophage apoE. Compared to HDL of wildtype mice, this HDL had a similar chromatographic size distribution, but it lacked apoE and was more negatively charged. These studies indicated that plasma apoA-I distribution and HDL composition are influenced by apoE and that the abnormal apoA-I lipoprotein distribution of apoE-deficient mice can be altered in vivo by macrophage-derived apoE.
Impairment of coagulation function during aflatoxicosis in young chickens.

Abstract Reports of hemorrhagic episodes and high incidence of bruising in poultry during aflatoxicosis prompted an investigation of the effect of aflatoxin on parameters relating to hemostatic competence in chickens. Three-week-old broiler chickens fed dietary aflatoxin (0, 0.625, 1.25, 2.5, 5.0 and 10 μg/g of feed) were tested for specific coagulation responses. Tissue thromboplastin was found to possess two active components, one of which was lost during aflatoxicosis. Thromboplastin protein content was unaltered but lipid content was depressed at 10 μg/g. Factors VII and V activities and fibrinogen were reduced at 2.5 μg/g and above. Factor X activity was depressed at 5.0 and 10 μg/g. Prothrombin, the most sensitive factor tested, was reduced by 0.625 μg/g, the lowest dose fed. In addition, clot retraction in whole blood was measured, and it was found to increase with growth-inhibitory levels of aflatoxin. These data suggest that severe impairment of extrinsic and common clotting pathway functions occurs during aflatoxicosis in the chicken and that prothrombin is primarily affected during this coagulopathy.
A psychometric analysis of quality of life tools in lung cancer patients who smoke

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women in the United States. Patient quality of life (QOL) prior to cancer treatment is known to be a strong predictor of survival and toleration of treatment toxicities. A lung cancer patient's self-assessment of QOL is highly valued among clinicians as it guides treatment-related decisions and impacts clinical outcomes. Smokers are known to report a lower QOL. Limited research has been conducted on QOL outcomes in lung cancer patients who continue to smoke. To assess QOL, a reliable and valid QOL measure specific to lung cancer is required. The functional assessment of cancer therapy-lung cancer (FACT-L) and lung cancer symptom scale (LCSS) are instruments that specifically examine QOL among lung cancer patients. The LCSS is a focused QOL instrument that includes physical and functional domains of QOL and disease symptomatology. The FACT-L is a broader QOL instrument that includes physical, functional, social and emotional domains and disease symptomatology. Both are psychometrically valid and are widely used in the literature, but have not been exclusively evaluated in smokers. Furthermore, there is no 'gold standard' instrument since there has never been a correlation study to compare estimates of reliability and validity between these instruments. The purpose of this study is to report the internal consistency and convergence validity of the FACT-L and the LCSS among newly diagnosed lung cancer patients who smoke. This data were collected and analyzed from a larger study examining smoking behavior among newly diagnosed lung cancer patients (n=51). Descriptive statistics were calculated on the FACT-L and LCSS scores, internal consistency was assessed by estimating Cronbach's alpha coefficients, and Pearson correlation coefficients were estimated between the two scales. Internal consistency coefficients demonstrated good reliability for both scales, and the two instruments demonstrated a strong correlation, suggesting good convergence validity. Either of these instruments are appropriate measures for QOL in lung cancer patients who smoke. Given the conceptual difference between the two instruments, it is important to carefully consider the research aims when selecting the appropriate QOL measurement instrument.
Evaluation of various feature extraction methods for landmine detection using hidden Markov models

Hidden Markov Models (HMM) have proved to be eective for detecting buried land mines using data collected by a moving-vehicle-mounted ground penetrating radar (GPR). The general framework for a HMM-based landmine detector consists of building a HMM model for mine signatures and a HMM model for clutter signatures. A test alarm is assigned a condence proportional to the probability of that alarm being generated by the mine model and inversely proportional to its probability in the clutter model. The HMM models are built based on features extracted from GPR training signatures. These features are expected to capture the salient properties of the 3-dimensional alarms in a compact representation. The baseline HMM framework for landmine detection is based on gradient features. It models the time varying behavior of GPR signals, encoded using edge direction information, to compute the likelihood that a sequence of measurements is consistent with a buried landmine. In particular, the HMM mine models learns the hyperbolic shape associated with the signature of a buried mine by three states that correspond to the succession of an increasing edge, a at edge, and a decreasing edge. Recently, for the same application, other features have been used with dierent classiers. In particular, the Edge Histogram Descriptor (EHD) has been used within a K-nearest neighbor classier. Another descriptor is based on Gabor features and has been used within a discrete HMM classier. A third feature, that is closely related to the EHD, is the Bar histogram feature. This feature has been used within a Neural Networks classier for handwritten word recognition. In this paper, we propose an evaluation of the HMM based landmine detection framework with several feature extraction techniques. We adapt and evaluate the EHD, Gabor, Bar, and baseline gradient feature extraction methods. We compare the performance of these features using a large and diverse GPR data collection.
Superfluid transition of 4He films adsorbed in porous materials.

The superfluid transition of thin $^{4}\mathrm{He}$ films adsorbed in ${\mathrm{Al}}_{2}$${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ packed powders is studied using third-sound techniques. For powder grain sizes down to 500 A\r{}, the transition is found to remain a Kosterlitz-Thouless vortex-screening transition. As the powder size is decreased, however, the drop to zero of the areal superfluid density becomes broadened, and the third-sound attenuation decreases. A finite-size model of the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition is formulated to explain these effects. Limiting the maximum vortex pair separation to the powder grain size leads to a broadening of the transition and reduced dissipation if the grain size is smaller than a vortex diffusion length. The model also describes many features of earlier measurements on films adsorbed in porous Vycor glass. The claim that the transition in Vycor films is three dimensional (not involving vortices) is reexamined in light of the present results.
Myocyte loss and left ventricular failure characterise the long term effects of coronary artery narrowing or renal hypertension in rats.

Objective: The aim was to determine the effects of chronic coronary artery narrowing and two kidney, one clip renal hypertension alone and in combination on ventricular function and myocardial morphology. Methods: Left coronary stenosis and renal artery clipping were surgically induced in rats and pump dynamics, systolic and diastolic wall stress, cardiac anatomy, and the changes in number and size of left ventricular myocytes were examined 11-13 weeks later. Results: Ventricular failure evolved with each intervention: left ventricular end diastolic pressure was raised, whereas +dP/dt, −dP/dt, stroke volume, cardiac output, and cardiac index were reduced. Calculated ventricular systolic wall stress increased nearly 70% in the three experimental conditions. By contrast, diastolic wall stress was augmented 6.1-fold with coronary stenosis, 4.0-fold with hypertension, and 4.4-fold with combined treatment. These differences were due to variable preservations of wall thickness between the groups. Left ventricular weight expanded 26%, 35%, and 32% with stenosis, hypertension, and a combination of the two, whereas diastolic cavitary volume increased 57%, 35%, and 49%. Corresponding increases in systolic chamber volumes were 156%, 122%, and 154%. Finally, myocyte loss in the ventricle was 25%, 25%, and 37% in coronary narrowing, renal hypertension and a combination of the two with concomitant enlargements of the unaffected myocytes of 47%, 63%, and 65%. Conclusions: Decompensated eccentric ventricular hypertrophy developed as a result of coronary artery narrowing, renal hypertension, or the two in combination. Coronary artery narrowing, however, may have a greater maladaptive effect on ventricular function than systemic hypertension, and coronary stenosis and hypertension combined because of the more extensive chamber and wall remodelling which sustained greater increases in diastolic wall stress. Cardiovascular Research 1993; 27 :1066-1075
The effects of depositional environment on vitrinite fluorescence intensity

Abstract The effects of depositional environment on vitrinite secondary fluorescence properties were investigated using a quantitative fluorescence microscopical technique. Fluorescence intensities relative to a uranyl glass standard were obtained on vitrinites formed under varying degrees of marine influence. Interpretations of the coals' depositional environment used in this study were based on paleoenvironmental studies of the overlying strata. Some possible paleoenvironmental mechanisms responsible for diversity within this petrographic property are discussed.
Double percolation transition in superconductor-ferromagnet nanocomposites.

A double percolation transition is identified in a binary network composed of nanoparticles of ${\mathrm{MgB}}_{2}$ superconductor and ${\mathrm{CrO}}_{2}$ half-metallic ferromagnet. Anomalously high-resistance or insulating state, as compared to the conducting or superconducting states in single-component systems of either constituent, is observed between two distinct percolation thresholds. This double percolation effect, which is especially pronounced at liquid helium temperatures, is controlled by composite volume fraction and originates from the suppressed interface conduction and tunneling as well as a large geometric disparity between nanoparticles of different species. We investigate the scaling behavior near both percolation thresholds and determine the distinct critical exponents associated with two different types of transitions.
An extended-valence MC SCF procedure: determination of the dissociation energies of C2, N2, O2, and F2

Abstract A series of MC SCF calculations have been carried out on C 2 , N 2 , O 2 , and F 2 with the goal of obtaining compact wavefunctions which recover a significant fraction of the electron correlation effects important for bond dissociation. The active orbital space is varied in size, with the largest spaces including the molecular orbitals derived from 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p and 4p atomic orbitals. Several basis sets ranging in size from 5s3p to 5s4p2d1f are investigated to determine the flexibility in the basis set needed with various choices of the active orbital space. The best extended-valence MC SCF (EVMC) dissociation energies are 0.2–0.5 eV less than the experimental values, indicating that further enlargement of the active orbital space is necessary to achieve 0.1 eV accuracy in the computed dissociation energies. The EVMC calculations reveal that, for the calculation of the dissociation energies, inclusion of non-valence orbitals is much more important for O 2 and F 2 than for C 2 and N 2 . The EVMC results are compared with the predictions of full fourth-order perturbation theory, coupled cluster theory, and with the best available CI calculations.
Modeling animal-vehicle collisions considering animal-vehicle interactions

Animal-Vehicle Collisions (AVCs) have been a major safety problem in the United States over the past decades. Counter measures against AVCs are urgently needed for traffic safety and wildlife conservation. To better understand the AVCs, a variety of data analysis and statistical modeling techniques have been developed. However, these existing models seldom take human factors and animal attributes into account. This paper presents a new probability model which explicitly formulates the interactions between animals and drivers to better capture the relationship among drivers' and animals' attributes, roadway and environmental factors, and AVCs. Findings of this study show that speed limit, rural versus urban, and presence of white-tailed deer habitat have an increasing effect on AVC risk, whereas male animals, high truck percentage, and large number of lanes put a decreasing effect on AVC probability.
A multidimensional heuristic for social routing in peer-to-peer networks

A fundamental problem encountered in designing decentralized social applications is the issue of efficiently locating target nodes in social peer-to-peer networks based on local information only. The unique “small-world” phenomenon of social networks shows that a typical pair of nodes is connected by very short chains of intermediate friends, and individuals are able to collectively discover such short paths. In this paper, we propose a decentralized algorithm that exploits this “small-world” phenomenon to discover efficient routes to reach target nodes in unstructured social overlays. In order to test the performance of this algorithm, we simulate it on a real-world social graph dataset crawled from a large online social networking website (LiveJournal). Compared with other related works, the simulation results show that our proposed decentralized social routing algorithm not only shortens the median length of the search path, but also increases the success rate of finding such routes between arbitrary pair of nodes in the LiveJournal social graph.
Optimal cutting tool replacement based on tool wear status

SUMMARY In this paper, we develop an optimal tool replacement model based on the actual tool wear status. In this model, we consider separately the probability distribution of the tool capacity obtained under testing conditions and the tool capacity consumption by the workpieces. Special cases with exponential distribution for tool capacity consumption and in which one tool can process many workpieces are solved.
Active structural error suppression in MEMS vibratory rate integrating gyroscopes

Due to restrictive tolerancing in microfabrication, structural imperfections that reduce performance of fabricated micro devices are typical. In microelectromechanical vibratory gyroscopes, feedback control is a common strategy in attempting to correct the imperfections. However, a purely feedback control can be insufficient for compensation of all the errors, requiring post processing in the form of laser trimming to achieve higher levels of performance. In this paper, we explore another alternative: the design and implementation of a dual stage control architecture with self-calibration and feedback capabilities. The self-calibrative portion of the control identifies and electronically "trims" large imperfections, while the feedback control compensates for remaining small nonidealities and in-operation perturbations. Presented here is an algorithm for in-situ imperfection identification based on the dynamic response of the device. A realization of the dual stage control architecture is proposed for a gyroscope using nonlinear electrostatic parallel plate actuators. Modeling and simulation results which demonstrate successful compensation of imperfections with the proposed architecture for a device with 10% fabrication error appearing in the form of stiffness nonidealities and subjected to further 1% in-run perturbations are presented.
The Development of Children's Understanding of False Belief and the Appearance-Reality Distinction

Abstract Recent research has shown parallels between the development of young children's understanding of false belief and their understanding of the appearance-reality distinction. First, both develop between 3 and 4–5 years of age and develop concurrently in individual children. Second, the younger children's difficulties with both concepts seem genuine and deep-seated. Finally, these difficulties are general, in the sense of being evident in a variety of types of beliefs and appearances. Most researchers in this area believe that these developments are mediated by an emerging representational conception of the mind. Les resultats de recherches recentes suggerent qu'il existe des paralleles notables entre le developpement de la comprehension de fausses croyances et de la distinction entre apparence et realite chez l'enfant. En premier lieu, tous deux apparaissent entre trois et quatre a cinq ans et se developpent de maniere simultanee chez chaque individu. En second lieu, les difficultes que presentent ...
Vorticity‐streamfunction formulation of unsteady incompressible flow past a cylinder: Sensitivity of the computed flow field to the location of the outflow boundary

The influence of the location of the outflow computational boundary on the unsteady incompressible flow past a circular cylinder at Reynolds number 100 is examined. The vorticity-streamfunction formulation of the Navier-Stokes equations is used in all computations. Two types of outflow boundary conditions are subjected to a series of tests in which the domain length is gradually reduced. The traction-free condition performs well in most cases and allows the outflow boundary to be located as close as 6.5 cylinder diameters from the body. The other boundary condition type is not as forgiving, but has the advantage of being simpler to implement and can still provide reasonably accurate solutions. It is also observed that both condition types can influence the flow field strongly and globally when the boundary is brought closer than 2.5 diameters from the body. In such cases the temporal periodicity of the solution is lost.
Transplanted nonviable human hepatocytes produce appreciable serum albumin levels in mice

Abstract In animal models of liver cell therapy serum human albumin levels are universally measured as a marker for the engraftment and function of transplanted human hepatocytes, or hepatocyte-like cells derived from human stem cells. However, even the most efficient cell transplantation protocols encounter a significant amount of graft cell death. If albumin released from dying cells could be detected for prolonged periods of time in the serum of the recipient, it may misleadingly suggest engraftment and function of the transplanted cells. While a half-life of approximately 20 days of human albumin in humans is established, the duration of its detectability in mice is unknown. Here we show that human albumin is readily detectable in the serum of mice injected with nonviable human hepatocytes. Human albumin levels peak 24 h after injection of hepatocyte debris, and remain detectable at significant levels for at least 8 days. Our finding suggests that long-term, or in situ, analyses are needed to prove functional engraftment of human primary or stem cell-derived hepatocytes.
Metallic ferromagnetism in a single-band model. III. One-dimensional half-filled band

A single-band model recently proposed to describe metallic ferromagnetism is studied in a one-dimensional geometry in the half-filled-band case. The model describes a tight-binding band with on-site repulsion U and nearest-neighbor Coulomb exchange matrix element J. We determine the parameter regimes that give rise to partial and full spin polarization using exact diagonalization and analytic techniques. Ferromagnetism only occurs for J\ensuremath{\ne}0, with the required value of J decreasing as U increases and approaching zero as U\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\infty}. A regime of partial spin polarization is found to exist for U less than the bandwidth. We examine the validity of mean-field theory for this model and find it to be remarkably effective in describing its physical properties.
Biotransformation of rotenone by hepatic microsomes following pretreatment of rainbow trout with inducers of cytochrome P450

Abstract The in vitro biotransformation of rotenone by hepatic microsomes from rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) was investigated following pretreatment of animals with β-naphthoflavone (BNF), phenobarbital, piperonyl butoxide (PBO), and rotenone. Using microsomes from control (untreated) animals, three major and several minor metabolites of rotenone were observed in chromatograms of incubations. The major metabolites were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry to be rotenolone and 2 epimeric forms of 6′,7′-dihydro-6′,7′-dihydroxyrotenone (DDRN). Pretreatment of trout with rotenone or phenobarbital resulted in no significant changes in the activity of hepatic microsomes for rotenone metabolism, 7-ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity, or 7-ethoxycoumarin-O-deethylase (ECOD) activity. Pretreatment of trout with BNF or PBO resulted in significant elevations in the activity of EROD and ECOD in hepatic microsomes. Pretreatment with PBO, but not BNF, significantly reduced the rate of oxidation of rotenone in hepatic microsomes. The in vitro oxidation of rotenone to rotenolone by hepatic microsomes was inhibited by pretreatment of trout with PBO at 4 and 0.01 ppm, but only pretreatment with 4 ppm PBO was able to inhibit the oxidation of rotenone to DDRN. The data indicate that PBO and BNF induction of hepatic microsomal monooxygenases may qualitatively differ from each other, that rotenone may be metabolized by more than one cytochrome P450 isozyme, and that PBO may selectively and dose-dependently inhibit specific cytochrome P450 isozymes that are involved in rotenone oxidation, and that none of the treatments appeared to selectively increase the formation of any of the metabolites.
ETS sites in the promoters of the matrix metalloproteinases collagenase (MMP-1) and stromelysin (MMP-3) are auxiliary elements that regulate basal and phorbol-induced transcription.

The matrix metalloproteinases collagenase (MMP-1) and stromelysin (MMP-3) are often coordinately expressed, and their promoters contain similar regulatory elements, including an AP-1 site at about -70. There are, however, additional sequences including an adjacent ETS site at about -90 in both promoters, and a NIP (nuclear inhibitory protein) binding site in the stromelysin promoter. In this paper, we have investigated the role of these elements in transcriptional activation by phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). Using mobility shift assays, we demonstrate that in the collagenase promoter, PMA induction requires the binding of nuclear proteins to the ETS site as well as to the adjacent AP-1 element. In the stromelysin promoter, we used mutational analysis and DNA/protein interactions to illustrate a role for a single ETS site and for the NIP element in phorbol induction. These data suggest that ETS elements interact with other cis-acting sequences in these promoters to elicit transcriptional activation, and ...
Airway constriction by isocapnic hyperventilation of cold, dry air: comparison of magnitude and duration of protection by nedocromil sodium and sodium cromoglycate

Summary The protective effect of 1,2 and 4 mg of nedocromil sodium against airway constriction induced by hyperventilation of cold, dry air was compared with 10 mg sodium cromoglycate and placebo in a double-blind randomized trial. On 5 days, twelve asthmatic subjects received one of the trial medications from a metered dose inhaler. Twenty minutes, 2.5 and 5 hr later, airway responsiveness to hyperventilation of cold, dry air was measured. At 20 min, there was significant protection by all four active medications when compared to placebo, with a trend towards a nedocromil dose relationship but there was no statistical difference between the four active medications. All four showed a similar progressive decrease in protection over 5 hr. The results of this study suggest that nedocromil gives protection against hyperventilation-stimulated airway constriction and that the magnitude and duration of effect for all three doses is similar to 10 mg of cromoglycate.
Computer-aided design of graphical review lessons for audio-tutorial college algebra and trigonometry

An audio-tutorial minicourse system of instruction is being developed for the college algebra and trigonometry courses offered at Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort Wayne. This system of instruction is patterned after the one developed by S. Postlethwait. At present a college algebra course, MA 153, is being taught using audio-tutorial minicourses. In the spring semester two trigonometry courses, MA 112 and MA 154, are planned to be taught using this system of instruction. Also, a fourth course, MA 111, will be taught using this system in the spring, 1980, semester.Much mathematics is more easily understood by using graphs. In many minicourses students are required to draw graphs. It is difficult to convey how one graph is “shifted” to obtain another graph using printed materials. As a result, a computer program was developed to create audio-visual review lessons of graphing concepts covered by the audio-tutorial minicourses. A review lesson may contain not only simple concepts such as point plotting, but also dynamic displays of graphs and their transformations. Creation of a review lesson is divided into four steps: (1) coordinate system definition, (2) function definition,(3) example definition, and (4) example viewing. The user is guided through each step via a series of menus. A sophisticated ten minute review lesson may take only 15 to 30 minutes to create. The program is written in TUTOR and runs on the University of Illinois PLATO system.
Cold habituation does not improve manual dexterity during rest and exercise in 5 °C.

When exposed to a cold environment, a barehanded person experiences pain, cold sensation, and reduced manual dexterity. Both acute (e.g. exercise) and chronic (e.g. cold acclimatization or habituation) processes might lessen these negative effects. The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect of cold habituation on physiology, perception, and manual dexterity during rest, exercise, and recovery in 5 °C. Six cold weather athletes (CWA) and eight non habituated men (NON) volunteered to participate in a repeated measures cross-over design. The protocol was conducted in 5 °C and was 90 min of resting cold exposure, 30 min of cycle ergometry exercise (50 % VO2 peak), and 60 min of seated recovery. Core and finger skin temperature, metabolic rate, Purdue Pegboard dexterity performance, hand pain, thermal sensation, and mood were quantified. Exercise-induced finger rewarming (EIFRW) was calculated for each hand. During 90 min of resting exposure to 5 °C, the CWA had a smaller reduction in finger temperature, a lower metabolic rate, less hand pain, and less negative mood. Despite this cold habituation, dexterity performance was not different between groups. In response to cycle ergometry, EIFRW was greater in CWA (~12 versus 7 °C) and occurred at lower core temperatures (37.02 versus 37.31 °C) relative to NON but dexterity was not greater during post-exercise recovery. The current data indicate that cold habituated men (i.e., CWA) do not perform better on the Purdue Pegboard during acute cold exposure. Furthermore, despite augmented EIFRW in CWA, dexterity during post-exercise recovery was similar between groups.
Acute Emergencies in the Dermatology Office

The dermatologic office emergency is often dismissed as medical oxymoron. The medications administered or procedures performed rarely precipitate a crisis. Nevertheless, certain medical questions and emergencies are relevant to the dermatologic physician, regardless of their low frequency. Based upon the limited literature available and clinical experience, this chapter is designed to offer a practical approach to selected emergency issues that are potentially encountered in the practice of medical and surgical dermatology.
ELECTROHYDRODYNAMIC MODELING FOR MICROFLUIDIC DEVICES

Since the inception of microfluidics, the electric force has been exploited as one of the leading mechanisms for driving and controlling the movement of the operating fluid (electrohydrodynamics) and the charged suspensions (electrokinetics). Electric force has an intrinsic advantage in miniaturized devices. Because the electrodes are placed cross a small distance, from sub-millimeter to a few microns, a very high electric field is rather easy to obtain. The electric force can be highly localized with its strength rapidly decaying away from the peak. This makes the electric force an ideal candidate for spatial precision control. The geometry and placement of the electrodes can be used to design electric fields of varying distributions, which can be readily realized by MEMS fabrication methods. In this paper we examine several electrically driven liquid handling operations. We discuss the theoretical treatment and related numerical methods. Modeling and simulations are used to unveil the associated electrohydrodynamic phenomena. The modeling based investigation is interwoven with examples of microfluidic devices to illustrate the applications. This paper focuses on detailed physical simulations of component-level operations. Since the components must be integrated to form a functional system in order to provide desired services, system-level complexities in both architecture and execution also need to be addressed. Compared to the state of the art of computer-aided design for microelectronics, the modeling aid for microfluidics systems design and integration is far less mature and presents a significant challenge, thus an opportunity for the microfluidics research community.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Empirical formula for creating error bars for the method of paired comparison

The method of paired comparison based on Thurstone's case V of his law of comparative judgments is often used as a psy- chophysical method to derive interval scales of perceptual qualities in imaging applications. However, methods for determining confi- dence intervals and critical distances for significant differences have been elusive, leading some to abandon the simple analysis provided by Thurstone's formulation. Monte Carlo simulations of paired com- parison experiments were performed in order to derive an empirical formula for determining error. The results show that the variation in the distribution of experimental results can be well predicted as a function of stimulus number and the number of observations. Using these results, confidence intervals and critical values for compari- sons can be made using traditional statistical methods. © 2006 SPIE
An MRI study of temporal lobe abnormalities and negative symptoms in chronic schizophrenia

Previous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have reported various subtle brain abnormalities in schizophrenic patients, including temporal lobe abnormalities, which are of particular interest given the role of this brain region in auditory and language processing, and the characteristic deficits in these processes in schizophrenia. Subjects in this study were 16 male patients diagnosed with chronic schizophrenia and 15 healthy male comparison subjects. These patients were characterized by negative symptoms. High spatial resolution coronal MRI 1.5-mm-thick slices were used to measure the gray matter volume of the superior temporal gyrus, anterior and posterior amygdala/hippocampal complex, and parahippocampal gyrus. Patients, relative to normal comparison subjects, evinced a reduction of gray matter volume in bilateral superior temporal gyri and anterior amygdala/hippocampal complex. The reduction in gray matter of the superior temporal gyrus in patients with schizophrenia is consistent with previous findings, and is noteworthy in that it was found in this group of patients with predominantly negative symptoms. The reduction in the anterior amygdala/hippocampal complex was an additional temporal lobe finding. These results underscore the role of temporal lobe structures in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.
The Impact of High School Teacher Behaviors on Student Aggression

Aggressive student behaviors are of concern to every school in the nation. Discovering ways to help teachers prevent and/or respond to such student behavior is of great importance. This reported research sought to discover if and how teacher behaviors impact student aggression in the classroom. In doing so, the researcher did not set out to blame teachers for student aggression; the goal was to discover how teachers might modify behavior and react in ways that will help create positive and peaceful classroom environments ‐ and prevent student aggressive behaviors that can result in violence..
Facilitating insight in a reasoning task

Subjects were presented selection task developed by Wason (1966) using a reduced array. majority of subjects demonstrated partial or complete insight into task. Performance level remained high on a transfer selection task using a standard array. results suggest that under appropriate conditions subjects spontaneously demonstrate valid inferential processes with abstract material.
Wireless ultraviolet network models and performance in noncoplanar geometry

Atmospheric scattering for ultraviolet signals enables non-line-of-sight communication of a transmitter-receiver pair on-the-move and adaptive network configuration. In this work, we first develop an experimentally validated path loss model which characterizes both multiple scattering and arbitrary pointing with noncoplanar geometry. Then we discuss how to achieve full duplexing. We suggest transmission throughput as a metric to evaluate the performance of a wireless network consisting of randomly distributed nodes operating in such a channel. We further study the effects of some key network parameters including node spatial density, transmission probability and signal detection threshold via the lower bound of the transmission throughput. Performance optimization in the parameter space is performed numerically and simulation results are demonstrated.
Enhancing Employee Performance Through Positive Organizational Behavior

This paper explores the relationship among key issues discussed in positive organizational behavior (POB) and the implications for organizational success. One of the key outcomes of this paper is to have a better understanding of the relationship between work and a person's broader purpose of existence, and how work helps to accomplish one's purpose of life. In addition, quantitative measures are used to determine the relationship between work and happiness; a positive organizational culture and firm performance; and positive employee characteristics and employee performance. Through various statistical analyses, positive relationships were found among typical measures of positive psychology, positive organizational behavior, and employee performance. Implications for organizations and utilizations of research findings to create sustainable competitive advantages are discussed.
Three-dimensional low-index-contrast photonic crystals fabricated using a tunable beam splitter

This paper describes the design and implementation of a tunable beam splitter for fabricating three-dimensional low-index-contrast photonic crystals using four-beam interference. Here, a central console is used to split a single laser beam into four beams that are focused onto the sample in an umbrella-like configuration using three adjustable mirrors. The design facilitates simple and precise adjustments of the beam angles and polarization, which can be used to readily optimize fabrication conditions for different photosensitive materials and lattice structures. Structures fabricated using this tunable beam splitter at two different incident angles of 18.5° and 27° resulted in lattices with hexagonal symmetries having well-defined nanometre-scale features that are in close agreement with the feature sizes predicted theoretically.
Computational study of lean premixed turbulent flames using RANSPDF and LESPDF methods

A computational study is performed on a series of four piloted, lean, premixed turbulent jet flames. These flames use the Sydney Piloted Premixed Jet Burner (PPJB), and with jet velocities of 50, 100, 150 and 200 m/s are denoted PM150, PM1100, PM1150 and PM1200, respectively. Calculations are performed using the RANSPDF and LESPDF methodologies, with different treatments of molecular diffusion, with detailed chemistry and flamelet-based chemistry modelling, and using different imposed boundary conditions. The sensitivities of the calculations to these different aspects of the modelling are compared and discussed. Comparisons are made to experimental data and to previously-performed calculations. It is found that, given suitable boundary conditions and treatment of molecular diffusion, excellent agreement between the calculations and experimental measurements of the mean and variance fields can be achieved for PM150 and PM1100. The application of a recently developed implementation of molecular diffusion r...
Reproductive effects in birds exposed to pesticides and industrial chemicals.

Abstract Environmental contamination by agricultural chemicals and industrial waste disposal results in adverse effects on reproduction of exposed birds. The diversity of pollutants results in physiological effects at several levels, including direct effects on breeding adults as well as developmental effects on embryos. The effects on embryos include mortality or reduced hatchability, failure of chicks to thrive (wasting syndrome), and teratological effects producing skeletal abnormalities and impaired differentiation of the reproductive and nervous systems through mechanisms of hormonal mimicking of estrogens. The range of chemical effects on adult birds covers acute mortality, sublethal stress, reduced fertility, suppression of egg formation, eggshell thinning, and impaired incubation and chick rearing behaviors. The types of pollutants shown to cause reproductive effects include organochlorine pesticides and industrial pollutants, organophosphate pesticides, petroleum hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and in a fewer number of reports, herbicides, and fungicides. o,p'-DDT, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and mixtures of organochlorines have been identified as environmental estrogens affecting populations of gulls breeding in polluted "hot spots" in southern California, the Great Lakes, and Puget Sound. Estrogenic organochlorines represent an important class of toxicants to birds because differentiation of the avian reproductive system is estrogen dependent.
Decentralized design for integrated flight/propulsion control of aircraft

A direct decentralized approach to the design of integrated flight/propulsion control (IFPC) systems is considered in order to reduce complexity and validation drawbacks of centralized designs. The imposed triangular decentralized structure on the IFPC controller allows for separate evaluation of the engine controller as well as for the evaluation of the achievable performance of the overall IFPC system. Hco techniques which require the solution to Riccati-like equations are used to develop the design method. This method is applied to an aircraft aero-propulsive model and the results indicate that the approach may be a vital alternative to other techniques appearing in the literature. coordinate the functions of both the flight and propulsion systems.
Structure and origin of the Dun Mountain ultramafic massif, New Zealand

Dun Mountain, the type locality of dunite, forms part of a major belt of predominantly mafic and ultramafic rocks in South Island, New Zealand. The core of the mountain consists of unserpentinized dunite and harzburgite tectonite. Foliations in the ultramafic rocks strike approximately northeast-southwest, parallel to the elongation of the crestal plateau. Lineations are horizontal and northeast-southwest. Texture is usually porphyroclastic, with olivine elongated parallel to lineations. Petrofabric analyses show strong preferred orientations of olivine a crystallographic axes subparallel to foliations and lineations. Shear senses within the ultramafic are dextral, indicating that the northern portion of Dun Mountain has been displaced to the east relative to the southern portion. Undulatory extinction of olivine, resulting from kinking and associated slip on (010) [100] and {Ok1} [100] slip systems, is interpreted as originating within the upper mantle beneath oceanic crust that formed at a spreading ridge or in a marginal basin. Seismic anisotropy of the Dun Mountain ultramafic is similar to observed anisotropy in the upper oceanic mantle.
Electrical Breakdown Response for Multiple-Gap MEMS Structures

We characterize the electrical breakdown response for planar structures, fabricated using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) methods and materials, to enable design of high voltage microswitches. Electrode configurations that use multiple air gaps provide voltage division between electrodes and allow large voltage holdoff values in microswitch contact configurations with short actuation distances. The comparatively large benefits gained from very small air gaps (4 to 7 mum) help to enable high holdoff values, particularly when multiple gaps in this range are added in series. The capacitive effect in multiple gaps can lower breakdown levels, but sufficient electrode spacing reduces this effect
The Stanford LittleDog: A learning and rapid replanning approach to quadruped locomotion

Legged robots have the potential to navigate a wide variety of terrain that is inaccessible to wheeled vehicles. In this paper we consider the planning and control tasks of navigating a quadruped robot over challenging terrain, including terrain that it has not seen until run-time. We present a software architecture that makes use of both static and dynamic gaits, as well as specialized dynamic maneuvers, to accomplish this task. Throughout the paper we highlight two themes that have been central to our approach: (1) the prevalent use of learning algorithms, and (2) a focus on rapid recovery and replanning techniques; we present several novel methods and algorithms that we developed for the quadruped and that illustrate these two themes. We evaluate the performance of these different methods, and also present and discuss the performance of our system on the official Learning Locomotion tests.