cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Influence of molecular weight on rheological, thermal, and mechanical properties of PEEK

This study focuses on the influence of molecular weight on the rheological, thermal, and mechanical behavior of poly(ether-ether-ketone) (PEEK), a semicrystalline high-performance polymer. The results show that the molecular weight of PEEK has significant influence on its rheological, thermal, and mechanical behavior. It was found that PEEK has the unique characteristic of two shear-thinning regions. The shear viscosity and the stress relaxation time of PEEK increase significantly as molecular weight increases. In general, the Cox-Merz rule is valid for all grades of PEEK. As molecular weight increases, the melting temperature of PEEK decreases slightly, but its isothermal and nonisothermal crystallization temperatures drop dramatically. As molecular weight increases, the crystallinity, the crystallization rate, and the magnitude of crystallization activation energy decrease. The crystallization kinetics study indicates that PEEK tends to form spherical crystalline structures, regardless of its molecular weight. As molecular weight increases, the tensile strength at yield, the tensile modulus, and the flexural modulus of PEEK decrease slightly, whereas the tensile strength at break, the tensile strain at break, the modulus of toughness, and the impact strength of PEEK increase significantly. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2011. © 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers
Is informed consent enough? Monetary incentives for research participation and the integrity of biomedicine.

(2001). Is Informed Consent Enough? Monetary Incentives for Research Participation and the Integrity of Biomedicine. The American Journal of Bioethics: Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 49-51.
Standardizing electrocardiographic leads: introduction to a symposium.

Since Einthoven introduced the string galvanometer in 1902, electrocardiography has evolved as one of the most widely used tests in the practice of medicine. The routine 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG), comprising limb leads, augmented frontal plane leads, and precordial leads, has been standardized for half a century. Routine electrocardiography is a fundamental tool for establishing cardiac rhythm and for the diagnosis of acute and chronic diseases of the heart. Comparison of serial ECGs is important in clinical decision making, and this requires technical consistency to minimize nonbiologic variability. Important elements of technical consistency include choice of leads and accuracy of electrode placement. To identify Q waves of prior myocardial infarction and to quantify QRS amplitudes to diagnose ventricular hypertrophy, proper lead placement of the standard electrodes can be extremely important. Electrode placement can have a profound effect on the quantitative variability of serial ECG findings. For example, to evaluate changing ST-segment deviation in patients with acute coronary syndromes, consistent electrode placement is essential. For most rhythm diagnoses, precise lead placement is less critical, but electrode placement is important when QRS morphology is used to determine whether a wide QRS complex tachycardia is ventricular tachycardia or supraventricular tachycardia with aberrancy or bundle branch block. Before the modern era of acute coronary care and hospital-based monitoring and telemetry, nearly all ECGs recorded in the course of practice used a standard 12-lead electrode array that evolved by empirical consensus in the 1930s and 1940s. Early exercise tests conducted with the master 2-step protocol used supine limb lead tracings recorded before and after effort, but exceptions began to occur in the last third of the 20th century when bipolar torso electrodes were introduced to allow activity-compatible
A quantitative x-ray analysis of cristobalite in vitreous silica

The proposed method of quantitative x-ray analysis of cristobalite makes it possible to calculate the systematic error associated with the defectiveness of the cristobalite for a special form of the concentration—density function. The possibility of a distribution with a density function different from the form of the narrow isolated peak creates difficulties in the determination of the concentration of cristobalite. The method can be used in the analysis of other binary compositions consisting of amorphous and crystalline phases of one and the same chemical composition.
Comparing Java and .NET security: Lessons learned and missed

Many systems execute untrusted programs in virtual machines (VMs) to mediate their access to system resources. Sun introduced the Java VM in 1995, primarily intended as a lightweight platform for executing untrusted code inside web pages. More recently, Microsoft developed the .NET platform with similar goals. Both platforms share many design and implementation properties, but there are key differences between Java and .NET that have an impact on their security. This paper examines how .NET's design avoids vulnerabilities and limitations discovered in Java and discusses lessons learned (and missed) from experience with Java security.
Equation of state for tantalum from relativistic linear combinations of Gaussian-type orbitals calculations

The zero-temperature equation of state (EOS) for tantalum (Ta) is calculated to 2.5 Mbar with the relativistic linear combinations of Gaussian type orbital--fitting-function (LCGTO-FF) method, for two density functional models: the local density approximation (LDA) and the generalized gradient approximation (GGA). The EOS is determined both with and without spin-orbit coupling included. The effect of spin-orbit coupling is found to be nearly negligible over the compression range considered, in sharp disagreement with a previous calculation using the full-potential linear muffin-tin orbital method. A serious discrepancy between 300 K diamond anvil cell data and reduced shock data for Ta is shown to result from an underestimate of the Grueneisen parameter during the reduction of the shock data. The GGA model reproduces the zero-pressure properties of Ta quite well, while the high-pressure EOS data is in better accord with the LDA calculations. Neither model provides an adequate representation for the EOS over the full range of the data.
The occurrence of phytofluene in green plant organs.

Abstract By means of an improved method, the presence of very small quantities of phytofluene was revealed in chlorophyll-containing tissues of all plants examined, viz. 21 species representing 18 families of vascular plants.
Incremental clustering for profile maintenance in information gathering web agents

User profiles are the central component of most personalized Web information agents. They consist of a set of models representing the various topics of interest to the user. Often the agent learns the user's preferences from examples of documents deemed relevant to the user. The topic of the document can either be supplied by the user (active modeling), or it must be guessed by the agent (passive modeling), which is more convenient but is expected to diminish the agent's accuracy. We present an empirical study assessing the trade-offs in passive versus active document classification. We compare a manual profile maintenance technique in which the user supplies the document topic, and two incremental clustering methods (greedy and the doubling algorithm) for automated maintenance of the user profile components. The study is performed using our SurfAgent, a testbed information gathering Web agent. Our evaluation methodology exploits the strong parallel between Web information agents and text filtering; we use text filtering benchmarks from the information retrieval community (TREC disk \#5) to simulate user behavior and thus speed up data collection, exert additional experimental control and improve the objectivity of our results.
DECENTRALIZED PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: The Case of Indonesia*

The government of Indonesia frequently has stressed the need for decentralization to achieve effective regional development, but yet has hesitated to proceed because of fears that such action would undermine national unity and disrupt centrally defined national priorities. Furthermore, the entrenched bureaucratic hierarchy, reinforced by the persistence of patrimonidism. would have to surrender its planning and decision making authority to popularly constituted bodies. This paper examines this dilemma and argues that deconcentration of planning and implementation functions to lower administrative levels does not constitute decentralization. The analysis concludes by suggesting that collaboration between government and non-governmental organizations might be the appropriate means for encouraging popular participation for sustainable development. National government needs and local involvement in decision-making are crucial elements of any planning process, but these two requirements often appear to be in conflict. Indonesia is one example, of which there are others in Southeast Asia, of a nation that has resisted decentralization out of concern that such moves will encourage ethnic tensions and undermine national unity and centrally defined priorities. On the other hand, the conventional wisdom of the development community insists that sustainable economic growth cannot be attained without decentralized planning. To accomplish such planning, emphasis has been placed on the elusive concept of "institutional development as a prerequisite for sustainability;" but development of what institutions: bureaucratic or participatory? Such pressure from the development community points out the conflict, whether real or imagined, between political empowerment on the one hand and national stability for economic growth on the other, which has resulted, in the case of most developing nations including Indonesia, in ambiguous and often only cosmetic concessions toward decentralization while the centrally managed hierarchy of administration remains largely intact (Kohli, 1986). This paper attempts to examine this dilemma, to explain the distinction between administrative deconcentration as applied to Indonesia and decentralization that effects community empowerment, and to demonstrate the difficulties of such decentralization in a system of governance characterized by patrimonial politics, and, finally. to suggest that a collaborative effort between the national government and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) might be the best vehicle for encouraging popular participation for sustainable regional development.
The 30-degree angle revisited

The standard surgical ellipse, with 30° apical angles and a length-to-width ratio of 2 or 3 to 1, works optimally on a flat surface. The same pattern, when used for excisions on strongly convex or concave surfaces, leads to distortions which may require significant revisions. The reason for these discrepancies is explainable by the mathematical differences between flat Euclidian geometry and curved non-Euclidian geometry. Understanding these basic mathematical principles as applied to cutaneous surgery should lead to better preoperative planning, fewer intraoperative surprises, and more pleasing results.
Substitution and Electron Transfer in Metal Complexes—Particularly those of Iron

The mechanisms of substitution and electron transfer reactions of metal complexes are described, with reference to the chemistry of iron(II) and iron(III). Tables of rate constants for substitution reactions of low spin and high spin iron(II) and iron(III) complexes; of redox reactions of iron complexes; and of low spin-high spin iron(II) and irontIII) equilibria are included.
Positive vs. Negative Externalities in Inventory Management: Implications for Supply Chain Design

In this paper we analyze the impact of supply-side externalities existing among downstream retailers on supply chain performance. Namely, multiple retail firms face stochastic demand, purchase the product from the upstream wholesaler, and make stocking decisions that affect all other retailers in the same echelon. Two sources of inefficiencies exist in such a supply chain: One is double marginalization and the other is externalities among retailers. Whereas double marginalization always leads to inventory understocking at the retail echelon, we find that the implications of externalities are more complex, because different externalities can improve or deteriorate supply chain performance, relative to the situation without externalities.We show that the effect of externalities depends critically on whether the stocking decisions of retailers exhibit positive (complementarity) or negative (substitutability) externalities, and whether retailers are managed centrally or competitively. Under complementarity, competing retailers tend to understock the product (compared with the centralized inventory management at the retail level), thus aggravating the double-marginalization effect. This is the opposite of what happens under substitutability, where competing retailers tend to overstock the product, thus compensating for the double-marginalization effect. Hence, we conclude that supply chain coordination between retailers and the wholesaler is most important when there is downstream competition that exhibits complementarity. From the wholesaler's point of view, competition among retailers is preferable over centralization of retailers when externalities are negative, and vice versa when externalities are positive. Moreover, with competition on complements, both retailers and the wholesaler have incentives to coordinate the supply chain.
On Emergence: A Neo-Psychoanalytic Essay on Change and Science

The neo-psychoanalytic paradigm re-establishes the connection between psychodynamics and evolution. This allows us to transcend the limitations of dualistic metapsychology, and to make seminal contributions to traditional science. The new paradigm employs the concept of emergence, the potential for change in the evolutionary and clinical process. Emergence is described as originating with the Big Bang, but also is reflected at much higher levels, for example, biochemistry, or the capacity of the evolved mind to produce insights in psychotherapy. The constraints of dualistic theories are examined. A neuron-based view of change illustrates the evolution of traditional science as well as the neuron, itself. The new mind paradigm recognizes individual, familial, communitarian, and global reciprocal influences mediated by culture and illustrated by the extended mind and the democratic spirit. Thus both traditional and psychodynamic sciences are undergoing revolutionary changes in their common efforts to better understand the mechanisms of knowledge, relationship and consciousness. The boundaries of the self and the consultation suite are also expanded in this view. Following a survey of invagination, the work is concluded by an application of emergence theory to the creationist controversy and Freud's views of religion.
The effect of olestra on systemic levels of oral contraceptives

The effect of olestra a nonabsorbable noncaloric fat replacement on the absorption and efficacy of a highly lipophilic oral contraceptive (OC) was investigated in a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study with 28 women. Subjects consumed 18 gm/day olestra for 28 days while taking an OC containing 300 mcg of norgestrel and 30 mcg ethinyl estradiol (Lo-Ovral 28). Blood taken on days 12-14 of the treatment cycles was analyzed for ethinyl estradiol and norgestrel. There was no statistically significant difference in time to attain maximum concentration or area under the concentration-time curve between the olestra and placebo treatments for either drug component. Measurements of serum progesterone indicated that olestra ingestion did not reduce efficacy as indicated by ovulation. The data show that ingestion of 18 gm/day olestra did not affect the absorption or efficacy of the highly lipophilic OC. (authors)
Genome-wide methylation analysis identifies involvement of TNF-α mediated cancer pathways in prostate cancer

Altered signaling pathways resulting from aberrant changes in epigenetic parameters may play a pivotal role in carcinogenesis. To identify biological pathways likely to be affected by methylation-mediated alterations in gene expression in prostate cancer, we performed a genome-wide methylation analysis of 27,578 CpG sites, corresponding to 14,495 genes on a pooled sample of 12 pairs of prostate tumor and adjacent normal tissues. In all, 972 CpG sites were significantly hypermethylated while 209 sites were hypomethylated in prostate tumor tissue (FDR adjusted p-value<0.05; fold change≥2) corresponding to 1043 unique genes, which is consistent with genome-wide gene-specific hypermethylation patterns previously observed in multiple cancer models. Global hypomethylation in prostate tumor was also detected by measuring methylation changes in ALU repeat sequences. Pathway analysis of the genes with altered methylation patterns identifies the involvement of a cancer related network of genes whose activity may be heavily regulated by TNF-α in prostate tumorigenesis. Our results suggest that epigenetic dysregulation of cellular processes relevant to TNF-α-dependent apoptosis and electrophile detoxification may be intimately involved in prostate carcinogenesis. These findings may lend credence to the possibility of using tumor-specific alterations in methylation patterns as biomarkers in estimating prognosis and assessing treatment options for prostate cancer.
Elevated levels of the norspermidine synthesis enzyme NspC enhance Vibrio cholerae biofilm formation without affecting intracellular norspermidine concentrations

Biofilm formation in Vibrio cholerae is in part regulated by norspermidine, a polyamine synthesized by the enzyme carboxynorspermidine decarboxylase (NspC). The absence of norspermidine in the cell leads to a marked reduction in V. cholerae biofilm formation by an unknown mechanism. In this work, we show that overexpression of nspC results in large increases in biofilm formation and vps gene expression as well as a significant decrease in motility. Interestingly, increased NspC levels do not lead to increased concentrations of norspermidine in the cell. Our results show that NspC levels inversely regulate biofilm and motility and implicate the presence of an effective feedback mechanism maintaining norspermidine homeostasis in V. cholerae. Moreover, we provide evidence that NspC and the norspermidine sensor protein, NspS, provide independent and distinct inputs into the biofilm regulatory network.
Gain measurements of a metal-metal terahertz quantum cascade laser using an integrated terahertz pulse emitter

A terahertz pulse emitter is fabricated alongside a quantum cascade laser with a metal-metal waveguide. Terahertz pulses are used to measure the gain of the laser ridge, which is clamped above threshold to 18 cm−1.
A comparison of numerical methods applied to non-linear adsorption columns

Eight numerical schemes (first-order upstream finite difference, MacCormack, explicit Taylor–Galerkin, random choice, flux-corrected transport, ENO, TVD, and Euler–Lagrange methods) are compared on the basis of their computational efficiency for one-dimensional non-linear convection–diffusion problems. For the ideal chromatographic equation for which an exact solution exists, errors plotted against computational times show that the best methods are the random choice, Euler–Lagrange and flux-corrected MacCormack methods. Even when significant diffusion is added to the model, steep gradients are possible because of non-linearities. In such an instance, the random choice and flux-corrected transport methods give the best performance. One can now tackle more complicated problems and refer to this comparative study in order to choose an adequate numerical method which will provide sufficiently accurate results at a reasonable cost.
Chapter 32 Geology and petroleum potential of the Arctic Alaska petroleum province

Abstract The Arctic Alaska petroleum province encompasses all lands and adjacent continental shelf areas north of the Brooks Range–Herald Arch orogenic belt and south of the northern (outboard) margin of the Beaufort Rift shoulder. Even though only a small part is thoroughly explored, it is one of the most prolific petroleum provinces in North America with total known resources (cumulative production plus proved reserves) of c . 28 BBOE. The province constitutes a significant part of a displaced continental fragment, the Arctic Alaska microplate, that was probably rifted from the Canadian Arctic margin during formation of the Canada Basin. Petroleum prospective rocks in the province, mostly Mississippian and younger, record a sequential geological evolution through passive margin, rift and foreland basin tectonic stages. Significant petroleum source and reservoir rocks were formed during each tectonic stage but it was the foreland basin stage that provided the necessary burial heating to generate petroleum from the source rocks. The lion9s share of known petroleum resources in the province occur in combination structural–stratigraphic traps formed as a consequence of rifting and located along the rift shoulder. Since the discovery of the super-giant Prudhoe Bay accumulation in one of these traps in the late 1960s, exploration activity preferentially focused on these types of traps. More recent activity, however, has emphasized the potential for stratigraphic traps and the prospect of a natural gas pipeline in this region has spurred renewed interest in structural traps. For assessment purposes, the province is divided into a Platform assessment unit (AU), comprising the Beaufort Rift shoulder and its relatively undeformed flanks, and a Fold-and-Thrust Belt AU, comprising the deformed area north of the Brooks Range and Herald Arch tectonic belt. Mean estimates of undiscovered, technically recoverable resources include nearly 28 billion barrels of oil (BBO) and 122 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of nonassociated gas in the Platform AU and 2 BBO and 59 TCF of nonassociated gas in the Fold-and-Thrust Belt AU.
Long-term voluntary running improves diet-induced adiposity in young adult mice

The hypothesis of the present study was that physical activity improves diet-induced obesity in young adult mice. Four-week-old male C57BL/6 mice (n=15/group) were fed the AIN93G diet or a 45% high-fat diet (% kJ) with or without access to in-cage activity wheels for 14 weeks. The high-fat diet increased percentage fat body mass compared to the AIN93G diet (P=.042); running reduced percentage fat body mass (P<.0001) and increased percentage lean body mass (P<.0001) in mice fed either diet. Compared with the AIN93G diet, the high-fat diet increased plasma concentrations of insulin (P<.05) and leptin (P<.05) in sedentary mice and inflammatory cytokines monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) (P<.05) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (P<.05) in both sedentary and running mice. The high-fat diet did not affect angiogenic factors vascular endothelial growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor-BB. Running reduced plasma insulin (P<.05) and MCP-1 (P<.05) and increased platelet-derived growth factor-BB (P<.05) in mice fed the high-fat diet. Running reduced leptin (P<.05) and increased plasma vascular endothelial growth factor (P<.0001) regardless of diet fed. In summary, consumption of the high-fat diet increased adiposity in young adult mice; running reduced adiposity, normalized plasma insulin and leptin, and reduced MCP-1 despite continued consumption of the high-fat diet. These results suggest that voluntary running may reduce diet-induced obesity and proinflammation and that young mice may be a useful model of their human age equivalents in studying moderate physical exercise and obesity and obesity-related diseases.
Animal models for development of an AIDS vaccine.

(1990). Animal Models for Development of an AIDS Vaccine. International Reviews of Immunology: Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 31-49.
Dynasties versus pennant races: competitive balance in major league baseball

This paper examines the impact of competitive balance on attendance in Major League Baseball. Two types of competitive balance are included in a single-equation model of attendance: intra-seasonal balance and inter-seasonal balance. The metric used to calibrate the first is the ratio of the actual standard deviation of season win percents divided by the ideal standard deviation. Inter-seasonal balance is calibrated with Markov transitional probabilities of teams making the playoffs in consecutive seasons. The results indicate that intra-seasonal balance does not significantly impact attendance, and that inter-seasonal balance has significant but small impacts on attendance in the American League. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Does Running with a Woman Help? Evidence from U.S. Gubernatorial Elections

A higher percentage of women consistently run as candidates and serve as the lieutenant governor when running on the same ticket with the governor than for any other state elective office. In this article, we provide the first examination of how running with a woman affects vote choice. We conclude that running-mate sex does influence vote choice in gubernatorial elections, even when we take into account a wide range of individual-level and electoral characteristics that are related to voter preference. Further, voter preference for tickets containing women running mates is not consistent, but rather depends upon certain electoral circumstances. Our findings have implications for assessing how voters respond to women candidates and how gender plays into strategic calculations in state-level politics.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 2004 American Political Science Association Meeting. This research was funded by a grant from the Dean of Arts and Sciences, Union College. We thank Mark Anderson, Alla Abramov, Rhobie Langwig, and Nish Patel for assistance with data collection and Jeff Koch and the anonymous reviewers for valuable feedback on the project. Special thanks go to Bruce Connolly, Courtney Seymour, and David Gerhan of Schaffer Library, Union College, for locating data that was especially difficult to find.
Understanding the impact of survival and human papillomavirus tumor status on timing of recurrence in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Abstract Objectives Human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive tumor status is associated with improved prognosis after disease recurrence in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). In this study the potential role of survival bias in the relationship between HPV tumor status and the timing of recurrence was evaluated, given conflicting evidence in the literature. Materials & methods A secondary analysis was performed on a previously published retrospective two institution study of recurrent OPSCC with known HPV tumor status. Patients were categorized as “early” (surviving p -values Results In total 101 patients met criteria including 81 late and 20 early survivors. HPV-positive tumor status was associated with longer time to recurrence in late survivors (median 21.8 vs. 13.8 months, p = 0.028). Late survivors had later recurrences in HPV-positive ( p p = 0.0096), as well as in both locoregional ( p p p = 0.006) and survival beyond 24 months (aHR 0.21, p p = 0.015). Conclusions Late survivorship was associated with late recurrence for both HPV-positive and HPV-negative patients. Stratification by survival illustrates how survival bias links late survivorship with late recurrences and contributes to our understanding of the impact of HPV tumor status on the timing of recurrence.
The Accountability Cycle: The Recovery School District Act and New Orleans' Charter Schools

This article examines the post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans’ public schools as a crucial moment in the history of two strands of the broader education law reform movement: accountability and charter school legislation. The article explores the application of the Louisiana Recovery School District Act and concludes that implementation of the Act has resulted in a proliferation of charter schools in New Orleans, making New Orleans the first majority public charter school system in the United States. This first majority charter school district presents essential questions for legislatures and courts, including whether these autonomous, experimental public schools will actually succeed in improving student achievement.
Embedding Read-Only Memory in Spin-Transfer Torque MRAM-Based On-Chip Caches

We propose a design technique for embedding read-only memory (ROM) in spin-transfer torque MRAM (STT-MRAM) arrays by adding an extra bit-line in every column of the array. RAM and ROM data, which can be different, are stored in the same bitcell and the ROM capacity may be as large as the RAM capacity. Furthermore, our proposed ROM-embedding technique is applicable to any resistive memory technology in which the bit-cell topology is identical to that of the STT-MRAM bit-cell. An additional sense amplifier is required in the peripheral circuitry, hence we propose an area-optimized peripheral circuitry to minimize the total area penalty of embedding ROM. Our analysis reveals that the ROM may be embedded in the STT-MRAM array without area overhead and without any penalty in the performance of the memory as RAM. Furthermore, our simulations show that the embedded ROM may be used to accelerate applications that use lookup tables with as much as 30% improvement in instructions per cycle of a processor using ROM-embedded STT-MRAM for its L2 cache.
Reliability of Isometric and Eccentric Isokinetic Shoulder External Rotation.

Context: Shoulder external rotators are challenged eccentrically throughout the deceleration phase of throwing, which is thought to contribute to overuse injuries. To evaluate the effectiveness of intervention programs, as well as identifying deficits, reliable and responsive measures of isometric and eccentric shoulder external rotation are necessary. Previously, isometric measures have primarily tested a single position, and eccentric measures have not been found to have high reliability. Objective: To examine the between-days reliability of multiple-angle isometric and dynamic eccentric isokinetic testing of shoulder external rotation. Design: Repeated measures. Participants: 10 healthy subjects (age 30 ± 12 y, height 166 ± 13 cm, mass 72 ± 10 kg). Main Outcome Measures: Average isometric peak torque of shoulder external rotation at 7 angles was measured. From these values, the angle of isometric peak torque was calculated. Dynamic eccentric average peak torque, average total work, and average angle of...
Diagnostic Utility of Neuregulin for Acute Coronary Syndrome

The purpose of this study was to determine the diagnostic test characteristics of serum neuregulin-1β (NRG-1β) for the detection of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). We recruited emergency department patients presenting with signs and symptoms prompting an evaluation for ACS. Serum troponin and neuregulin-1β levels were compared between those who had a final discharge diagnosis of myocardial infarction (STEMI and NSTEMI) and those who did not, as well as those who more broadly had a final discharge diagnosis of ACS (STEMI, NSTEMI, and unstable angina). Of 319 study participants, 11% had evidence of myocardial infarction, and 19.7% had a final diagnosis of ACS. Patients with MI had median neuregulin levels of 0.16 ng/mL (IQR [0.16–24.54]). Compared to the median of those without MI, 1.46 ng/mL (IQR [0.16–15.02]), there was no significant difference in the distribution of results (). Median neuregulin levels for patients with ACS were 0.65 ng/mL (IQR [0.16–24.54]). There was no statistical significance compared to those without ACS who had a median of 1.40 ng/mL (IQR [0.16–14.19]) (). Neuregulin did not perform successfully as a biomarker for acute MI or ACS in the emergency department.
Ethnicity, Smoking Status, and Preterm Birth as Predictors of Maternal Locus of Control:

A woman's psychological health can affect prenatal behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between maternal beliefs, prenatal behaviors, and preterm birth (PTB) in a multiethnic population. This was a planned secondary analysis of a cross-sectional trial of postpartum women with singleton gestation. In all, 210 participants were given the Fetal Health Locus of Control (FHLC) scale to measure three primary maternal beliefs that influenced their prenatal behaviors (Internal Control, Chance, Powerful Others). Women who experienced preterm delivery and those who smoked during pregnancy scored the Chance category significantly higher than those who delivered term infants (p = .05; p = .004, respectively). This suggests those who smoked during pregnancy had a greater degree of belief that Chance influenced their infant's health status. Cultural differences also emerged specific to the impact of health care providers on PTB; with Hispanic women scoring Powerful Others the highest among the groups (p = .02). Nurses can plan a critical role in identifying at-risk women (smoking, strong Chance beliefs) while providing a clear message that taking action and modifying high-risk behaviors can reduce risk for adverse pregnancy outcome.
Field verifying of AC sampling measurement device

Introduces the work principles and test methods of AC sampling measurement device and the technological demands of standard test equipment,puts forward attentive notes on the test and the problems need to be solved.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF RED TOURISM IN CHANGSHA-ZHUZHOU-XIANGTAN AREA AND REGIONAL ECONOMY

The red tourism product had played an important role in the economy of Changzhutan area.On the other hand,it is one step of the Integration of Changsha Zhuzhou and Xiangtan city.We should understand the significance,present situation,existed problems and countermeasures of red tourism in Changzhutan area.
A Study of Innovations of College English Teaching in the Sino-Foreign Joint Programs

As a college English teacher in the Sino-foreign joint programs,s/he should know how to take advantage of abroad advanced teaching resources,and stimulate students' intrinsic motivation.On the basis of task design and its implementation in the intensive reading class,the paper gives an account of the innovations of teaching approaches in the English class in the International College of Ningbo University.It explores how to integrate the task-based teaching concept into practice,and adopt various assessment methods to develop students' comprehensive competence.
Simultaneous reconstruction and calibration for multi-view structured light scanning

A self-recalibration method for multi-view structured light systems is proposed.The method allows simultaneous reconstruction and calibration.It is not restricted to special equipment, number of devices or specific arrangements.The proposal achieves the same accuracy obtained by a chessboard pattern calibration.Due to its versatility, it can adapt to a wide range of scenes. Structured light 3D scanning from a single viewpoint requires multiple scans and a registration process for a complete description of the scanned object. Instead, using multiple cameras and projectors simultaneously can reduce the scanning time and increase the visibility. However, a precise estimation of the extrinsic parameters of all the components is a time consuming process prone to errors. This paper proposes a method to automatically reconstruct and self-calibrate multi-view structured light systems with an arbitrary number of devices. The experimentation shows that the proposed method is precise and robust, surpassing other current state of the art approaches. The achieved calibration accuracy is similar to that obtained by a traditional chessboard pattern calibration, but being able to adapt to a wider range of situations.
Effects of methylmercury on microsomal mixed-function oxidase components of rodents.

Preliminary treatment of rats with methylmercury hydroxide (10 mg/kg/day for 2 days) decreased hepatic cytochrome P-450 content by 52%, type I substrate (piperonyl butoxide) binding spectra by 40%, and type II substrate (aniline and metyrapone) binding spectra by 59% and 66%, respectively. Decreased cytochrome P-450 levels were apparently caused by increased degradation of the fast-phase component of the biphasic CO-binding pigment degradation curve. When chlordane, which decreases the degradation rate of the fast-phase component, was administered in conjunction with methylmercury hydroxide, the net effect was a degradation rate similar to controls. A control experiment was devised to demonstrate that the biphasic degradation curves were not influenced by heme exchange during preparation of subcellular particles from control, chlordane-treated, or methylmercurytreated rats. Rats exhibited the greatest methylmercury-induced decrease in cytochrome P-450 content, followed by mice and guinea pigs. Male rat liver P-450 was decreased more than that from female rats. Methylmercury was converted in substantial quantities to inorganic mercury in rats, mice, and guinea pigs. Microsomal mercury levels were highest in guinea pigs, followed by mice and rats. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Mercury analytical services were provided under contract by Dr. Paul Mushak, Department of Pathology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Thanks are extended to Miss Pat Singletary for excellent technical assistance.
STAT Assays with a TWIST: Differentiating Sézary Syndrome from Erythrodermic Inflammatory Dermatitis.

Sezary syndrome can be challenging to differentiate from erythrodermic inflammatory dermatitis. Biomarkers have been identified in Sezary syndrome, but have not been validated in multicenter studies in a cohort that allows comparisons. Boonk et al. now describe results that confirm the value of immunophenotype, and they report higher sensitivity and specificity for a set of genes used to distinguish Sezary syndrome from erythrodermic inflammatory dermatitis.
When Less Is More: A Significant Risk Threshold for CERCLA Liability

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act ("CERCLA")2 establishes an array of regulatory and judicial mechanisms designed to address the health risks and other problems associated with improperly disposed hazardous wastes. One of these mechanisms, the cost recovery action, authorizes federal and state governments as well as private citizens to remedy sites contaminated with hazardous wastes and then bring suit to recover the costs of this cleanup from "responsible" parties.3 CERCLA's drafters believed that such suits would help defuse the nation's toxic time bomb4 rapidly and at the polluters' expense.5 The centerpiece of the cost recovery mechanism is an expansive liability scheme. CERCLA makes liable an enormously broad range of parties, including many that would surely escape liability
Influence of alternative fuels on trace element content of ordinary portland cement

Abstract Over the last 20 years, interest in diverting waste from landfills and recovering energy from waste materials has grown significantly. The cement industry in particular has adapted its production methods to accommodate a wide variety of waste materials as alternative fuels in order to lower both cost and environmental footprint. The incineration of waste products at existing cement plants is generally cheaper than building a new, dedicated incinerator as cement kilns generally meet the requirements for incinerating hazardous wastes. In addition to negative perception, particularly where potentially hazardous waste materials are concerned, there are a number of technical challenges in the use of alternative fuels at cement plants. This paper focuses on the incorporation of trace elements in ordinary portland cement through the use of alternative fuels, including the behavior of trace elements in the manufacturing process and their effects on final products. A brief overview of the use of waste tires, solidified sewage sludge, and meat and bone meal as alternative fuels is presented along with a discussion of challenges and opportunities facing the field.
Magna Carta, Religion and the Rule of Law: Towards a new Magna Carta for early modern England

This Article examines the influence of the Magna Carta on the development of rights in the Anglo-American common law tradition, especially in the seventeenth century. Originally issued by King John of England in 1215, the Magna Carta set forth numerous rights and liberties that helped shape subsequent developments in the Western law. The Magna Carta and its provisions served as symbolic ideals for English pamphleteers and jurists like John Lilburne and Edward Coke, during the tumultuous period between 1640 and 1660. In this same period, the great poet and philosopher, John Milton, used the Magna Carta as a springboard for a robust defense of freedom of religion, speech, and press that would prove prophetic for the Anglo-American common law.
Learner-Centered Design of Computing Education: Research on Computing for Everyone

Abstract Computing education is in enormous demand. Many students (both children and adult) are realizing that they will need programming in the future. This book presents the argument that they are not all going to use programming in the same way and for the same purposes. What do we mean when we talk about teaching everyone to program? When we target a broad audience, should we have the same goals as computer science education for professional software developers? How do we design computing education that works for everyone? This book proposes use of a learner-centered design approach to create computing education for a broad audience. It considers several reasons for teaching computing to everyone and how the different reasons lead to different choices about learning goals and teaching methods. The book reviews the history of the idea that programming isn't just for the professional software developer. It uses research studies on teaching computing in liberal arts programs, to graphic designers, to hig...
Development of Vaccine Preferences among Parents of Newborns

Objective Vaccine hesitancy and refusal and the resulting outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases continue to be an issue today. Most of contemporary research on these issues has focused on underlying characteristics of non-vaccinators and ambivalent parents; however, few studies have looked into how or when vaccine preferences develop. In this study, we sought to explore when parental preferences for vaccines develop in relation to a pregnancy. We also examined self-reported influences on vaccine decision making. Methods We recruited and administered a short survey to parents at the North Carolina Women's Hospital in Chapel Hill, NC, following the birth of their child from February to April 2015. Results A total of 166 parents (55%) completed the entire survey. Seventy-two percent of surveyed parents reported deciding on their vaccine preferences for their newborn before conception. Parents who were older, Caucasian, married, and had attained higher levels of education were significantly more likely to develop preconception vaccine preferences. The presence of partner conversations in the past and the desire for more information on vaccines were also significant predictors of preconception vaccine preference development. After logistic regression adjustment, only education level and past vaccine conversations remained significant. The most common influences for vaccine decision making were family, friends, and medical staff and organizations. Conclusion Our study documents that a majority of parents establish vaccine decision making and preferences before conception. Notable influences from friends, family, and medical sources are part of the process. These findings suggest that vaccine information and interventions currently are given too late in the vaccine preference decision-making process.
Learning behavioral norms in uncertain and changing contexts

Human behavior is often guided by social and moral norms. Robots that enter human societies must therefore behave in norm-conforming ways as well to increase coordination, predictability, and safety in human-robot interactions. However, human norms are context-specific and laced with uncertainty, making the representation, learning, and communication of norms challenging. We provide a formal representation of norms using deontic logic, Dempster-Shafer Theory, and a machine learning algorithm that allows an artificial agent to learn norms under uncertainty from human data. We demonstrate a novel cognitive capability with which an agent can dynamically learn norms while being exposed to distinct contexts, recognizing the unique identity of each context and the norms that apply in it.
Drawing and Writing

This chapter discusses the studies and theories related to drawing and writing. Writing and drawing may be controlled through a series of internal decisions or translation processes in which abstract representations of desired outputs are translated into specific, executable instructions. A way to study the execution of drawing strokes is to record the kinematics of the pen during simple, repetitive drawing tasks such as scribbling, drawing figure eights, or drawing spirals. Research on such elementary drawing tasks has suggested two principles for the control of drawing. One, the Isogony Principle, asserts that equal angles are covered in equal times. The Isogony Principle implies that figures are segmented into manageable pieces by the graphic production system and that segments, or sets of segments, are produced in equal amounts of time. The other control principle, the Two-Thirds Power Law, asserts that the pen slows down more and more the sharper the curve through which it moves. A possible explanation of this principle is based on the coupling of oscillators. Another possible explanation is based on the assumption that it is desirable to move as smoothly as possible. A property of writing that must be captured in a complete theory of handwriting is the presence of context effects. The speed with which one letter is written depends on which other letters have just been written or are about to be written. Context effects suggest hierarchical control because they imply that information about forthcoming written responses is available when earlier written responses are produced.
LESS Is More: Host-Agent Based Simulator for Large-Scale Evaluation of Security Systems

Recently proposed network security systems have demonstrated the benefits of scale for achieving many security goals, including the detection of worm outbreaks, botnets, and denial of service attacks. However, scale is also a barrier to further advancement of such systems: obtaining and working with appropriately large data sets is difficult, and existing simulation techniques are ill suited for this domain. To overcome these challenges, we propose a host behavior simulator, LESS, designed for evaluating large scale network security systems. LESS build and automatically configures the behaviors of host agents using background traffic samples and malicious traffic models. In turn, host agents communicate with each other throughout a simulation, generating traffic records. We demonstrate the applicability and benefits of LESS by tuning it with publicly available traces, and then using generated records to reproduce results from several recently proposed systems. We also used LESS to extend the evaluations of these systems, highlighting dimensions of large scale security system performance that would be difficult to study without simulation.
Interaction of Stress, Corticotropin-Releasing Factor, Arginine Vasopressin and Behaviour

Stress mediates the activation of a variety of systems ranging from inflammatory to behavioral responses. In this review we focus on two neuropeptide systems, corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and arginine vasopressin (AVP), and their roles in regulating stress responses. Both peptides have been demonstrated to be involved in anxiogenic and depressive effects, actions mediated in part through their regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the release of adrenocorticotropic hormone. Because of the depressive effects of CRF and AVP, drugs modifying the stress-associated detrimental actions of CRF and AVP are under development, particularly drugs antagonizing CRF and AVP receptors for therapy in depression.