cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Simulating the operation of a logistics system

This paper deals with the flow of replacement units through a supply system. It simulates, utilizing Monte Carlo techniques, the logistics flow of these replacement units through the various echelons of support. The operating echelon generates demands on the supply system. These demands cause a flow of requisitions and failed units up through the system. Subsequently, a return of good replacement units comes back to the operational level. The logistics model generates the turn around or reaction time for each replacement unit taking into account all of the delays occurring at each level of the supply system.
The productivity of variable disyllabic tone sandhi in Tianjin Chinese

Tianjin Chinese has one of the more complex tone sandhi systems in Northern Chinese dialects. Due to its close contact with Standard Chinese, many of its tone sandhi patterns are also variable. This article first reports a detailed acoustic study of tone sandhi patterns in both real lexical items and novel words in Tianjin. The data were collected from 48 speakers of Tianjin, who were instructed to pronounce disyllabic sequences as real words based on voice prompts. The results showed that the productivity of the sandhis in novel words varied depending on the sandhi—some were less productive than in real words, and some were more productive, indicating a combination of underlearning, overlearning, and proper learning of the sandhis from the lexicon. A theoretical model that predicts the productivity patterns based on the phonetic properties of the sandhis and statistical generalizations about the sandhis over the lexicon is then proposed.
The Changing Role of Palliative Care in the ICU

Objectives Palliative care is an interprofessional specialty as well as an approach to care by all clinicians caring for patients with serious and complex illness. Unlike hospice, palliative care is based not on prognosis but on need and is an essential component of comprehensive care for critically ill patients from the time of ICU admission. In this clinically focused article, we review evidence of opportunities to improve palliative care for critically ill adults, summarize strategies for ICU palliative care improvement, and identify resources to support implementation.
Studies on hydroid differentiation. III. The replacement of hypostomal gland cells of Podocoryne carnea

Pulse labeling with tritiated thymidine has permitted the identification of a progenitor cell compartment at the base of the hypostomal glandular ridges of the marine hydroid Podocoryne carnea. This progenitor compartment produces cells which move out on the ridges differentiate as digestive gland cells, and are ejected into the gastro-vascular cavity. Spherous gland cells of the body appear not to be part of this circumscribed replacement system. There appears to be no proximal movement of gastrodermal cells in the body of this marine hydroid.
Soot Production Rate Calculations at Elevated Pressure in a Methane-Air Jet Diffusion Flame

Abstract In this study, a cylindrical 2-D confined coflow methane/air jet diffusion flame was numerically simulated using a reduced 8-step gas phase chemical kinetics mechanism involving 12 major species. The soot model employed a 4-step reduced reaction mechanism and radiation from gas products and soot was modeled using the S6 discrete ordinates method. The flow field and major species concentrations from the simulation were compared with experimental data for atmospheric pressure conditions. Higher pressure simulations were performed which showed that the increased density at elevated pressure results in a higher soot concentration. Although at increased pressure both the rates of particle nucleation and agglomeration increased, the net rate for the soot particle number density decreased, resulting in lower particle number densities at higher pressure as compared with atmospheric conditions. It was also shown that the environment pressure affected the radiative heat feedback to the fuel base through th...
P-wave anisotropy of mylonitic and infrastructural rocks from a Cordilleran core complex: the Ruby-East Humboldt Range, Nevada

Abstract In order to evaluate the possibility that compressional-wave anisotropy might characterize the upper to middle crust of the North American Cordillera, we examined the nature and degree of seismic anisotropy of rock samples collected from the mylonite zone and underlying infrastructure of the Ruby-East Humboldt metamorphic core complex in northeastern Nevada. Seismic anisotropy in quartzofeldspathic rocks from all structural levels is low and generally related to the volume of mica relative to feldspar. Upper amphibolite facies infrastructure quartzite has a stronger and different quartz crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) and, thus, higher seismic anisotropy than the lower grade mylonitic quartzites, a feature related to the higher temperature deformation conditions that characterized the infrastructure. Schistose mylonite zone rocks, as a group, have the highest anisotropy. We infer that this is, in large part, due to mica CPO although the anisotropy patterns suggest that quartz CPO may be a factor. Anisotropy is higher in infrastructural quartzites, calc-silicates, and marbles than in mylonite-zone equivalents. Seismic anisotropy data for other Cordilleran core complex samples suggest that these patterns are common characteristics of Cordilleran core complex rocks.
“Project HOPE” for Homeless Individuals with Co-Occurring Mental and Substance Abuse Disorders: Reducing Symptoms, Victimization, and Violence

Homeless individuals with co-occurring mental and substance abuse disorders are at high risk for victimization and violence, frequently cycle between the streets, jails, and emergency rooms, and ar...
From PUFF to integrated concurrent engineering: A personal evolution

Artificial intelligence (AI) emerged from the 1956 Dartmouth Conference. Twenty-one years later, my colleagues and I started daily operational use of what we think became the first application of AI to be used in practice: the PUFF pulmonary function system. We later described the design and initial performance of that system (Aikins et al., 1983; Snow et al., 1998). Today, easily recognizable descendants of that first “expert system” run on commercial products found in medical offices around the world (http://www.medgraphics.com/datasheet_pconsult.html), as do many other AI applications. My research now focuses on integrated concurrent engineering (ICE), a computer and AI-enabled multiparticipant engineering design method that is extremely rapid and effective (Garcia et al., 2004). This brief note compares the early PUFF, the current ICE work, and the modern AI view of neurobiological systems. This comparison shows the dramatic and surprising changes in AI methods in the past few decades and suggests research opportunities for the future. The comparison identifies the continuing crucial role of symbolic representation and reasoning and the dramatic generalization of the context in which those classical AI methods work. It suggests surprising parallels between animal neuroprocesses and the multihuman and multicomputer agent collaborative ICE environment. Finally, it identifies some of the findings and lessons of the intervening years, fundamentally the move to model-based multidiscipline, multimethod, multiagent systems in which AI methods are tightly integrated with theoretically founded engineering models and analytical methods implemented as multiagent human and computer systems that include databases, numeric algorithms, graphics, human–computer interaction, and networking.
Size-specific concentration of DNA to a nanostructured tip using dielectrophoresis and capillary action.

One of the critical challenges in the fields of disease diagnostics and environmental monitoring is to concentrate extracellular DNA from a sample mixture rapidly. Unlike genomic DNA in normal cells, extracellular DNA dissolved in a biological sample can potentially offer crucial information about pathogens and toxins. The current concentration methods, however, are not able to directly concentrate extracellular DNA due to aggressive sample preparation steps. This paper presents a concentration mechanism of extracellular DNA onto a nanostructured tip using dielectrophoresis (DEP) in conjunction with capillary action. DNA immersed in a solution is captured onto a nanotip by two sequential actions: (1) attraction of DNA and other bioparticles in the vicinity of a nanotip by DEP and (2) size-specific capture of DNA onto the nanotip by capillary action. To investigate the size-specific capturing mechanism, an analytical model for the capillary action on a nanotip is presented, which is compared to the experiment for capturing polystyrene nanospheres. This analysis predicts the capture of a spherical particle smaller than 0.39 times a nanotip diameter, whereas our experiment shows that polystyrene spheres smaller than 0.84 times a nanotip diameter are captured. This discrepancy can be caused by the increase of the capturing force due to attractive DEP force. In addition, the diameter of the captured spheres can be increased by other experimental conditions including the tip geometry, the multiple particle interaction, and the contact angles. When a nanotip is used for concentrating λ-DNA, 6.7 pg/mL (210 aM) of DNA is selectively extracted from a sample mixture containing λ-DNA and Drosophila cells in one minute. The captured DNA is investigated by fluorescence microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray analysis. This nanotip-based DNA concentrating method is a rapid and highly sensitive technique to detect extracellular DNA from a sample mixture.
Comparability of sociodemographic and pregnancy characteristics of pregnancy‐related deaths identified via the sisterhood method versus the household/verbal autopsy method

Abstract Objective To compare sociodemographic and pregnancy characteristics of pregnancy-related deaths identified by the direct sisterhood and the verbal autopsy with household mortality (HHVA) methods. Methods Nationally representative data for 1997–2001 were obtained from the household, verbal autopsy, and women’s questionnaires of the Bangladesh Maternal Health Services and Maternal Mortality Services Survey, 2001. Sociodemographic and pregnancy characteristics were compared for maternal deaths identified by the two methods. Characteristics of deceased women were reported directly with HHVA, but extrapolated in the direct sisterhood method using the reporting sister as proxy. Results Overall, 201 pregnancy-related deaths were identified via HHVA and 388 through DS reporting. There were no significant differences between reporting sister characteristics and deceased women’s characteristics in educational attainment, working status, husband’s educational attainment, and spouse educational parity. However, timing of death relative to pregnancy phase, number of previous live births, and years since death did differ ( P Conclusion The sociodemographic characteristics of women with pregnancy-related deaths identified via the two methods were similar. However, some pregnancy characteristics differed significantly, suggesting that different policy interventions are required. Before considering using sister proxy characteristics to target services, issues responsible for these differences should be resolved, and generalizability of evaluated indicators must be considered.
Effects of nonredundance on a synthetic-aperture imaging system

The analysis of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and associated imaging properties of an integrative synthetic-aperture imaging technique is extended to include the effects of an explicitly nonredundant aperture. This requires modification of the image estimator that has been used previously. In the case of a nonredundant transmitter and point receiver, which corresponds to a coherently illuminated object in an analogous optical system, no useful image is formed. As the receiver size increases, the system is capable of forming an image of increasing fidelity to an object that in the counterpart analogous system is illuminated with light of decreasing spatial coherence. As the receiver aperture enlarges, the image should become independent of coherent artifacts just as in the case of imaging with a redundant transmitter. Curves of SNR versus receiver-to-transmitter diameter ratio are given that compare the redundant and the nonredundant cases. The SNR is somewhat lower at all receiver sizes for the nonredundant transmitter aperture.
Professionalism Score and Academic Performance in Osteopathic Medical Students

CONTEXT During the first 2 years of osteopathic medical school, osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) courses use an objective professionalism score to measure student timeliness and appropriate dress for learning activities. OBJECTIVE To assess for correlations between this score and the numeric course grades of all first- and second-year basic science and clinical courses at a single osteopathic medical school. METHODS The professionalism scores obtained for each of the 7 quarters of the OMM course (2007-2012) were compared with the students' numeric final course grades and combined grade point average (GPA) of all courses in the corresponding quarter. Spearman correlation coefficients were used to determine the strength of the relationship between the professionalism score and the final course grades and the combined GPA. RESULTS The mean (SD) professionalism score was 98.6% (3.3%), and scores ranged from 23.1% to 100%. Excluding the OMM course, the professionalism score was positively correlated with 29% of first-year course grades and 65% of second-year course grades. The professionalism score was predictive of academic performance in 16 of 23 clinical courses with the highest correlation for Principles of Medicine and Dermatology (ρ=0.28 and ρ=0.25, respectively). The OMM professionalism score was positively associated with GPA for quarters 1, 6, and 7 (P=.006, P<.001, and P<.001, respectively). Professionalism scores were significantly lower in the second year (P<.001). CONCLUSION Objective measures of professionalism correlated with academic performance in many first- and second-year osteopathic medical school courses, particularly clinical courses in the second-year curriculum.
Growth to sexual maturity of dwarf and nondwarf White Rock chickens divergently selected for juvenile body weight

Growth from hatching to the onset of lay (sexual maturity) was studied in White Plymouth Rock pullets from lines selected for high (HN) and low (LN) 56-day body weight, their reciprocal F1 crosses, an F2 cross, and two dwarf populations originating from the HN and LN parental lines. The highest R2s for describing growth for all populations except HN were obtained when body weight was expressed relative to body weight at sexual maturity. Modes of inheritance differed depending on whether patterns of growth were expressed in a chronological time frame or on a physiological basis. Heterosis observed for age at sexual maturity and for body weight after the age when selection was made was not in evidence when ages and weights were expressed as a proportion of those at sexual maturity.
Large angle neutron-proton elastic scattering from 5 to 12 GeV/ c

This paper describes a measurement of the neutron-proton differential cross section made at the Argonne National Laboratory Zero Gradient Synchrotron. The differential cross sections, based on about 470 000 events, are presented for 8 different momentum ranges between 4.5 and 12.5 GeV/c. The data extend from small angles out to about 145° in the c.m.s., corresponding to 0.14 < −t ⪅ 19 (GeV/c)2 at the highest energies. These results in conjunction with previous np charge-exchange data provide almost complete angular distributions in this momentum range. A detailed comparison of the data with existing pp data and with theoretical predictions is made.
Variables Altering the Mechanical Characteristics of Fixator Frames

External fixators allow the manipulation and immobilization of fractures through pins which have been percutaneously inserted into each main bony fragment and are externally connected by one or more longitudinal bars. Recognized as an attractive concept in the middle of the 19th century, a high rate of complications such as pin tract osteomyelitis, loss of reduction, and component failures have prevented for many decades the regular use of these devices. Since the introduction of more stable bilateral frames (transfixion pins are connected over two or more medial and lateral connecting rods) over a decade ago (1), external fixation has become the preferred method for the immobilization of severe open diaphyseal fractures and osseous infections. While bilateral frames have remained popular, their safety, particularly in the lower leg where most fixators are applied, is being increasingly questioned (2,5). Multiple transfixion pins have caused anterior compartment syndromes, lacerations of the anterior tibial vessels, injuries to the saphenous and superficial peroneal nerves, and frequently lead to at least partial stiffness of the ankle and subtalar joints (5,6). It also has become obvious that these frames are weakest in the sagittal plane where clinically the largest bending moments apply (8). A search for safer fixator configuration has recently led to the rediscovery of one and two-plane unilateral configurations which occupy a cross-sectional sector of less than 90 degrees and therefore can be applied to the anteromedial aspect of the leg without jeopardizing vital neurovascular structures and musculotendinous units (2). While clinically attractive, the limited rigidity of these configurations has been held responsible for the many complications that affected the use of external fixators in the past (1,7,9).
Immunological aspects of host-schistosome relationships

The complex immunological relationships between schistosomes and their vertebrate hosts are considered to be conveniently divisible into four distinct, though interrelated categories: the parasite's vulnerability to, its evasion of, and its exploitation of the host's immune response, and its stimulation of the host's immune response to produce immunopathology. Some significant recent advances in the first three categories are discussed, as well as their relationships to the fourth category of immunopathology.
Toward an Empirical Prioritization of Contingency Variables for Business Strategy

This study, based on data from the Profit Impact of Market Strategies (PIMS) program, is a preliminary attempt to prioritize contingency variables for the field of business strategy. Chow tests for structural homogeneity shed light on the relative degrees of overall significance of ten widely-cited contingency variables. User sector, consumer or industrial, was the contingency variable that emerged as most potent among those examined. Implications for researchers and executives are suggested.
Evaluation of esophageal motor disorders in the era of high-resolution manometry and intraluminal impedance

The past few years were an exciting time in the study of esophageal motor disorders because new technologies emerged to study esophageal motor function and bolus transit. Although conventional manometry was long considered the “gold standard” for defining esophageal motor disorders, many technologic improvements occurred due to advances in transducer technology, computerization, and graphic data presentation. In addition, a relatively new technology, intraluminal impedance, was incorporated into manometric modalities. The most sophisticated systems now include combined high-resolution manometry with high-resolution impedance. Although these techniques provide more detailed information about esophageal function, whether they improve our ability to diagnose and treat patients more effectively is debatable. However, more recent data support that these advances actually improve our ability to diagnose and treat esophageal motor disorders. This article provides an update on these technologies in clinical practice and how they may be helpful in the future.
Thermodynamics of polyvinyl chloride solutions: III. Solutions in tetrahydrofuran

Abstract Six samples of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), ranging in molecular weight from 23,200 to 155,400, were used to determine in tetrahydrofuran the intrinsic viscosities, molecular weights, and the polymer-solvent interaction parameters over a range of temperatures. The solutions were found to behave normally and to exhibit no evidence of “aggregate” formation. The molecular weights obtained were independent of temperature and agreed well with those measured in cyclohexanone and cyclopentanone. The interaction parameters observed were independent of concentration and molecular weight, and functions only of temperature. Again, the intrinsic viscosities are related to molecular weight by the Mark-Houwink equation between 20° and 50°C with a constant a and with a K linearly dependent on the temperature. The value of the temperature coefficient of the interaction parameter obtained by osmometry agrees well with that found by microcalorimetry and predicts that heats of mixing of completely amorphous polymer wi...
A Hedonic Valuation of Residential Water Services

This paper investigates the economic value of municipal, private, and community-managed water services in Guatemala through a hedonic analysis of rental housing prices observed in 2006. Hedonic models are jointly estimated with water service choices using a maximum simulated likelihood approach in order to control for potential endogeneity. Findings indicate that the value of piped water depends on the type of water utility. The estimated value of municipal services is at least 15 times as much as the average water bill, while value estimates are not significant for private and community-managed systems. Value differentials are discussed considering the performance of water utilities and their institutional arrangements. Copyright 2013, Oxford University Press.
AraC Regulatory Protein Mutants with Altered Effector Specificity

The AraC regulatory protein of the Escherichia coli ara operon has been engineered to activate transcription in response to D-arabinose and not in response to its native effector L-arabinose. Two different AraC mutant libraries, each with four randomized binding pocket residues, were subjected to FACS-mediated dual screening using a GFP reporter. Both libraries yielded mutants with the desired switch in effector specificity, and one mutant we describe maintains tight repression in the absence of effector. The presence of 100 mM L-arabinose does not influence the response of the reported mutants to D-arabinose, and the mutants are not induced by other sugars tested (D-xylose, D-fucose, D-lyxose). Co-expression of the FucP transporter in E. coli enabled induction by D-arabinose in the 0.1 mM range. Our results demonstrate the power of dual screening for altering AraC inducer specificity and represent steps toward the design of customized in vivo molecular reporters and gene switches for metabolic engineering.
Carboxypeptidase G2 enhances trimetrexate cytotoxicity in CCRF-cem cell lines sensitive and resistant to methotrexate

Carboxypeptidase G2 (CPG2), an enzyme produced by Pseudomonas strain RS-16, degrades folates as well as methotrexate and other folic acid analogs such as aminopterin and dichloromethotrexate, but not the "non-classical" folate antagonist trimetrexate (TMTX). The possibility of enhancing TMTX cytotoxicity of CPG2 induced depletion of intracellular folates was investigated in human leukemic CCRF-CEM cells and in three methotrexate resistant sublines of these cells with different mechanisms of resistance, CCRF-CEM/E, a subline with increased DHFR; CCRF-CEM/P, a subline defective in polyglutamylation and CCRF-CEM/T, a subline with impaired MTX uptake. The cytotoxic effect was detected using a colorimetric assay with MTT. Dose-effect relationships of single drugs alone and in combination were analyzed by the median effect principle and by the combination indices for the quantitation of synergism or antagonism with the aid of a microcomputer. TMTX alone was very effective on the parent and all the resistant cell lines (CCRF-CEM/E, CCRF-CEM/P, CCRF-CEM/T) with ED50 values in the nanomolar range (1.4, 1.6, 1.5 and 0.7 nM, respectively) following 5 days of exposure. The ED50s of CPG2 for these cell lines were 3.5, 2.6, 26.6 and 7.9 X 10(-5) U/ml, respectively. A synergistic cytotoxic effect of TMTX after simultaneous continuous exposure was observed with CPG2 on CCRF-CEM cells and on the three resistant cell lines.
Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Transactivation Mediates Tumor Necrosis Factor-induced Hepatocyte Replication

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) has multiple biological effects such as participating in inflammation, apoptosis, and cell proliferation, but the mechanisms of its effects on epithelial cell proliferation have not been examined in detail. At the early stages of liver regeneration, TNF functions as a priming agent for hepatocyte replication and increases the sensitivity of hepatocytes to growth factors such as transforming growth factor alpha (TGFalpha); however, the mechanisms by which TNF interacts with growth factors and enhances hepatocyte replication are not known. Using the AML-12 hepatocyte cell line, we show that TNF stimulates proliferation of these cells through transactivation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). The transactivation mechanism involves the release of TGFalpha into the medium through activation of the metalloproteinase TNFalpha-converting enzyme (also known as ADAM 17). Binding of the ligand to EGFR initiates a mitogenic cascade through extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 and the partial involvement of protein kinase B. TNF-induced release of TGFalpha and activation of EGFR signaling were inhibited by TNFalpha protease inhibitor-1, an agent that interferes with TNFalpha-converting enzyme activity. We suggest that TNF-induced transactivation of EGFR may provide an early signal for the entry of hepatocytes into the cell cycle and may integrate proliferative and survival pathways at the start of liver regeneration.
Proximity, Photochemical Reactivity, and Intermolecular 1H−13C Cross Polarization in Benzophenone-d10 and Cyclohexane in the Zeolite NaX

The photochemistry, photophysics, and solid-state 13C CPMAS NMR of benzophenone and cyclohexane in the zeolite NaX have been analyzed to investigate their proximity, relative mobility, and intermolecular reactivity. Photochemical irradiation of benzophenone in pure cyclohexane yields benzopinacol and benzhydrol as the predominant products. In contrast, irradiation in the solid state leads to 1-cyclohexyl-1,1-diphenylmethanol as the only product by collapse of the radical pair formed after hydrogen abstraction from cyclohexane by excited benzophenone. Phosphorescence analysis at 77 K suggests a highly polar environment, but lack of emission at 300 K in the presence of cyclohexane is assigned to triplet decay via an efficient hydrogen abstraction reaction. Spectral analysis by 13C CPMAS NMR reveals that benzophenone and cyclohexane are adsorbed in an approximate 1:2 ratio. Changes observed in spinning and static samples before and after photolysis are interpreted in terms of molecular motions that are capab...
STUDIES ON THE EFFECT OF CARBON DIOXIDE ON X RAY–INDUCED CHROMOSOME ABERRATIONS IN TRADESCANTIA. II. RELATION TO DOSE RATE AND ENVIRONMENT DURING IRRADIATION

The effect of CO/sub 2/ on radiation-induced chromosome aberrations was investigated to determine the relation of this agent to dose rate and the efficacy of a pretreatment followed by x irradiation in N or in vacuo. Carbon dioxide and air, present during the radiation treatment, significantly increase the frequency of chromosome aberrations induced by 300 r of x rays through a 46- fold difference in dose rate. Pretreatment with CO/sub 2/ and air also increased the aberration frequency if the radiation occurred in air. Pretreatment was completely ineffective when the inflorescences were irradiated in vacuo or in N. Thus it appears that CO/sub 2/ acts synergistically with 0, in increasing the frequency of chromosome aberrations induced by x rays (auth)
Prognostic Significance of Left Atrial Appendage “Sludge” in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: A New Transesophageal Echocardiographic Thromboembolic Risk Factor

Background When stratifying thromboembolic risk to patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), left atrial appendage (LAA) thrombus is currently the only echocardiographic index that absolutely contraindicates cardioversion. The aim of this study was to identify the predictors of LAA "sludge" and its impact on subsequent thromboembolism and survival in patients with AF. Methods A total of 340 patients (mean age, 66 ± 12 years; 75% men) who underwent transesophageal echocardiography to exclude LAA thrombus before electrical cardioversion or radiofrequency pulmonary vein isolation) for AF were retrospectively studied. LAA sludge was defined as a dynamic, viscid, layered echodensity without a discrete mass, visualized throughout the cardiac cycle. Follow-up was obtained after a mean of 6.7 ± 3.7 years, and patients were analyzed according to LAA thrombus ( n = 62 [18%]), sludge ( n = 47 [14%]), or spontaneous echocardiographic contrast ( n = 84 [25%]). Patients without these transesophageal echocardiographic characteristics served as controls ( n = 147 [43%]). Results LAA sludge was independently predicted by enlarged left atrial area (odds ratio, 4.54; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.38–8.67; P P P P = .006) and all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.22–3.36; P = .007). Conclusion Sludge within the LAA is independently associated with subsequent thromboembolic events and all-cause mortality in patients with AF.
Methods for incorporating death into health-related variables in longitudinal studies

Background and Objectives: Longitudinal studies of health over time may be misleading if some people die. Self-rated health (excellent to poor) and the SF-36 profile scores have been transformed to incorporate death. We applied the same approaches to incorporate death into activities of daily living difficulties (ADLs), IADLs, mini-mental state examination, depressive symptoms, blocks walked per week, bed days, the timed walk, body mass index and blood pressure. Study Design and Setting: The Cardiovascular Health Study of 5,888 older adults, was followed up to 9 years. Mean age was 73 at baseline, and 658 had an incident stroke during follow-up. Methods: We recoded each variable as the probability of being healthy 1 year in the future (PHF), conditional on the current value of the variable. This was done for 11 health variables, using three definitions of healthy, and two estimation models. Deaths were set to zero, and mean PHF was plotted in the 3 years before and after an incident stroke. Results: Analyses without the deaths were too optimistic. The effect of stroke was greatest on hospitalization, self-rated health, and IADLs. Alternative transformation approaches had slightly different results. Conclusion: These methods provide an additional approach for handling death in longitudinal studies. 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Distribution of corticotropin-releasing-factor-like immunoreactivity in brainstem of two monkey species (Saimiri sciureus and Macaca fascicularis): an immunohistochemical study.

Immunohistochemical methods were utilized to systematically map the distribution of corticotropin-releasing-factor-like immunoreactivity (CRF-LI) in the diencephalon, mesencephalon, and rhombencephalon of two monkey species (Saimiri sciureus and Macaca fascicularis). A primary antiserum directed against the human form of the peptide was utilized. Immunoreactive neuronal perikarya and processes were evident in numerous areas, and the distributions of these elements were similar for the two species. As previously reported for rats, monkeys, and human, intense immunoreactivity was evident in putative hypophyseal neurons in the parvicellular component of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus and in fibers extending from this area into the median eminence. The results for other brainstem regions, most of which have been previously examined for CRF-LI only in rats, indicate that many similarities exist between rats and monkeys in the distribution of this peptide in brainstem extrahypophyseal neuronal circuits, although substantial differences are also evident. For example, immunoreactive perikarya previously observed in other hypothalamic nuclei in rats were not evident in monkeys. Conversely, in monkeys, unlike rats, labeled perikarya were evident in several thalamic nuclei, especially in the intralaminar complex. Also, two large groups of immunoreactive neurons which have generally not been observed in rat studies were present in the mesencephalon and rhombencephalon. In the mesencephalon this consisted of a group of neurons just lateral to the mesencephalic tegmentum, extending throughout the rostral-caudal extent of the midbrain. In the rhombencephalon, labeled perikarya were observed throughout the inferior olive. Some of the differences between rats and monkeys in the locations of labeled perikarya may be due to differences in antiserum specificity and/or sensitivity, or they may result from the fact that colchicine pretreatment was not utilized in the present study. The distributions of immunoreactive fibers also exhibited similarities and differences between monkeys and rats. The most striking terminal fields observed in the present study which have not been previously described are a moderate-to-dense field within and adjacent to presumed dopamine-containing neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta, a dense innervation of certain subdivisions of the interpeduncular nucleus, and a regionally and parasagittally organized distribution of fibers in the Purkinje cell and molecular layers of the cerebellar cortex. Thus, the present results suggest that there are substantial differences between rodents and primates in the cellular distribution of CRF-LI in the brain and spinal cord. However, technical differences between the rat and monkey experiments may account for some of these contrasting distributions.
Transcriptional analysis of the mts1 gene with specific reference to 5' flanking sequences.

Abstract The mts1 gene is specifically expressed in certain metastatic tumors but not in their nonmetastatic counterparts. It is also expressed in several normal cell and tissue types that exhibit the ability to be motile. The gene was cloned from both mouse and human sources and the 5' flanking regions were sequenced. The sequencing data revealed a 135-base-pair region of high homology between the mouse and human mts1 gene. This homology was observed in the vicinity of the TATA box. The 5' region of the mts1 gene was also observed to have a high degree of homology to some known promoter and enhancer sequences. To determine the role this region plays in regulating the transcription of mts1, promoter analysis was performed. Sixteen constructs were prepared in which the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene was fused to different regions of the mouse mts1 promoter. These constructs were analyzed in transient transfection assays in two related cell lines derived from mouse mammary adenosarcomas: CSML-0, a nonmetastatic cell line with low levels of mts1 expression, and CSML-100, a metastatic cell line with high levels of mts1 expression. Results of our transient transfection assays in conjunction with results obtained from in vitro and in vivo footprinting of the promoter region show no evidence of cis-acting control elements important for the transcriptional regulation of mts1 in these cell lines. A few nucleotides upstream of the TATA box are sufficient for maximal levels of mts1 transcription. Because no cis-acting control elements were found, restriction of mts1 transcription in CSML-0 cells must exist on some other level. mts1 was found to be hypermethylated in CSML-0 cells but not in CSML-100 cells. The possible role of methylation in progression of the nonmetastatic CSML-0 adenosarcoma cell line toward the metastatic CSML-100 adenosarcoma cell line is discussed.
Advanced Rapid Attenuation Measurement System (ARAMS)

An advanced cable shielding acceptance test system, Advanced Rapid Measurement System (ARAMS), for production end items is proposed, evaluated, and analyzed. In this method, the requirement of shielding against external electromagnetic fields is translated into transfer impedance requirements for cable overbraids and connectors within a cable set. These transfer impedance requirements are shown to be met by conducting tests using the ARAMS.
A 12-bit 800-MS/s switched-capacitor DAC with open-loop output driver and digital predistortion

12-bit 800-MS/s DAC implemented in 90-nm CMOS is presented. The design uses three interleaved, pipelined, switched-capacitor cores followed by an open-loop output driver. The driver is linearized using digital predistortion. Measured SFDR is greater than 58 dB for signal frequencies below 200 MHz, and greater than 53 dB for signal frequencies below 400 MHz, all with output swings as large as 2.9 V, peak-to-peak differential. Power dissipation is 103 mW when delivering a full-scale signal current of 16 mA.
Molecular basis for the integration of inositol phosphate signaling pathways via human ITPK1

The synthesis and the metabolism of inositol 3,4,5,6-tetrakisphosphate (Ins(3,4,5,6)P4) are the responsibility of a single multifunctional kinase/phosphotransferase, ITPK1. This enzyme dynamically couples the cellular levels of Ins(3,4,5,6)P4 to the receptor-dependent hydrolysis of inositol lipids by phospholipase C. This is a biologically significant event because Ins(3,4,5,6)P4 regulates the conductance of a specialized class of chloride ion channels, which regulate many cellular functions including epithelial salt and fluid secretion, synaptic efficacy, bone remodelling, tumor cell migration, insulin release from pancreatic β-cells, and inflammatory responses. This review assesses the current state of our knowledge of this versatile and ubiquitous signalling cascade.
Sleep–Wake Disturbances in Sedentary Community‐Dwelling Elderly Adults with Functional Limitations

Objectives: To evaluate sleep�wake disturbances in sedentary community-dwelling elderly adults with functional limitations. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Lifestyle Interventions and Independence in Elder (LIFE) Study. Participants: Community-dwelling persons (mean age 78.9) who spent fewer than 20 min/wk in the previous month engaged in regular physical activity and fewer than 125 min/wk of moderate physical activity, and had a Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) score of <10 (N = 1,635). Measurements: Mobility was evaluated according to 400-m walk time (slow gait speed defined as 5 defined poor sleep quality), and Berlin Questionnaire (high risk of sleep apnea). Results: Prevalence rates were 43.5% for slow gait speed and 44.7% for moderate to severe mobility impairment, with 77.0% of accelerometry wear time spent as sedentary time. Prevalence rates were 33.0% for insomnia, 18.1% for daytime drowsiness, 47.8% for poor sleep quality, and 32.9% for high risk of sleep apnea. Participants with insomnia had a mean ISI score of 12.1, those with daytime drowsiness had a mean ESS score of 12.5, and those with poor sleep quality had a mean PSQI score of 9.2. In adjusted models, measures of mobility and physical inactivity were generally not associated with sleep�wake disturbances, using continuous or categorical variables. Conclusion: In a large sample of sedentary community-dwelling elderly adults with functional limitations, sleep�wake disturbances were prevalent but only mildly severe and were generally not associated with mobility impairment or physical inactivity.
Age As a Factor in the Referral and Treatment of Psychiatric Patients by Internists

: Questionnaires were completed by 153 internists concerning their referral and treatment of out-patients showing psychologic disturbances. Internists reported that equal numbers of their younger and older patients had psychologic disturbances; in the light of other data, this suggests that such disorders are being overlooked in some older patients. The internists also indicated that they referred equal numbers of older patients and younger patients to psychiatric facilities. Some internists treated psychologic disturbances in younger and older patients to the same degree, whereas cardiologists tended to treat more of the older group, and nephrologists tended to treat more of the younger group. The age of the physician is an important factor in his practice. Older physicians saw more older than younger patients in their practice. Older internists with certain subspecialty interests perceived psychologic disturbances more often in older patients than in younger patients. Older cardiologists personally treated psychologic disturbances more often in older patients than in younger ones. Individual interests and personalities of the internists were factors in their referral and treatment practices. Some internists referred more patients with psychologic disturbances and others personally treated most of these cases, regardless of the age of the patient.
A completely iterative method for the infinite domain electrostatic problem with nonlinear dielectric media

We present an iterative method for the solution of the exterior all-space electrostatic problem for nonlinear dielectric media. The electric potential is specified on interior boundaries and the electric field decays at infinity. Our approach uses a natural variational formulation based on the total energy of the nonlinear dielectric medium subject to boundary conditions. The problem is decomposed into an exterior calculation and an interior calculation with the boundary-specified electric potentials imposed as constraints between them. Together, these enable an iterative method that is based on the variational formulation. In contrast to direct solution of the electrostatic problems, we avoid the construction, storage and solution of dense and large linear systems. This provides important advantages for multiphysics problems that couple the linear electrostatic Poisson problem to nonlinear physics: the latter necessarily involves iterative approaches, and our approach replaces a large number of direct solves for the electrostatics with an iterative algorithm that can be coupled to the iterations of the nonlinear problem. We present examples applying the method to inhomogeneous, anisotropic nonlinear dielectrics. A key advantage of our variational formulation is that we require only the free-space, isotropic, homogeneous Greens function for all these settings.
Pollen-mediated transfer of herbicide resistance in Echinochloa crus-galli.

BACKGROUND Pollen-mediated gene flow (PMGF) can facilitate the dispersal and spread of herbicide resistance from one weed population to another within an agricultural landscape. The aim of this study was to quantify the extent of PMGF in Echinochloa crus-galli (barnyardgrass), an important herbicide-resistant weed species in the United States and across the world. RESULTS Gene flow declined exponentially with distance, and the double exponential decay model predicted an average gene flow of 5.6% when the pollen donor and recipient plants were at a close distance of 0.25 m from each other (12.5% at 0 m). Gene flow declined by 90% at 0.9 m from the pollen source, yet gene flow was detected as far as 50 m (the farthest distance studied). The farthest gene flow occurred in directions of the fastest wind events, but mean gene flow levels were similar among the directions. CONCLUSION Results indicate that long-distance, landscape-scale PMGF is unlikely in barnyardgrass, but gene flow is likely to occur between adjacent fields at levels greater than initial frequencies of resistance alleles in natural, unselected populations. Thus, any resistance management strategy should consider the likelihood that PMGF can contribute to the spread of herbicide resistance between production fields. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry
Retroperitoneal hemorrhage during pregnancy secondary to renal angiomyolipoma.

A case of spontaneous retroperitoneal hemorrhage secondary to a renal angiomyolipoma during pregnancy is described. The literature pertaining to this clinical situation is reviewed.
Debating Diversity: Analysing the Discourse of Tolerance

Debating Diversity: Analysing the Discourse of Tolerance. Jan Blommaert and Jef Verschueren. London: Routledge, 1998. xiv. 233 pp.
Energy efficient computing in large scale systems

An overview of the approaches we have developed to significantly lower the energy consumption in computing systems will be presented in this talk. We have derived optimal power management strategies for stationary workloads. Run-time adaptation can be done via an online learning algorithm that selects among a set of policies. We have generalized the algorithm to include thermal management since we found that minimizing the power consumption does not necessarily reduce the overall energy costs. To reduce the performance costs typically associated with state of the art thermal management techniques, we developed a new set of proactive management policies.
Sliding Mode Control of the Human Vestibular System

An original sliding mode controller is designed, based on an existing mathematical model for response control of the human vestibular system. The human vestibular system is located in the inner ear and significantly contributes to the functions of detecting head motion, maintaining balance and posture, and realizing gaze stabilization. The vestibular system sends signals to the brain to tell it how the head and body are moving, and the brain reacts by changing eye position accordingly. The nonlinearities of the vestibular system are not completely understood. The biggest nonlinearity is the nystagmus, a bouncing of the eyes to compensate for quick head movement. Another nonlinearity is that the quick phase does not start until head movement reaches a certain frequency. Considering these nonlinearities as well as the uncertainties of the system, sliding mode control a good choice for controlling the system. Several mathematical models of the human vestibular system are considered for use in the control design. The best model of those considered is chosen based on the models’ consideration of nonlinearities and their levels of complexity. The mathematical model used in this paper is a nonlinear transfer function. The output is controlled with a robust sliding mode controller. Results demonstrate the need to increase control parameters as frequency of the sinusoidal input increases to minimize overshoot error. However, since the human head cannot tolerate an infinitely large frequency input, control parameters also will necessarily be limited. Therefore, results show that the designed sliding mode robust controller is an effective mechanism for controlling the mathematical model of the human vestibular system.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Democracy in Practice: Public Participation in Environmental Decisions. By Thomas C. Beierle and Jerry Cayford. Washington, DC: Resources for the Future Press, 2002. 160p. $50.00 cloth, $18.95 paper

Political scientists constantly debate the value of public participation in policymaking. In philosophical terms, the debate seems onesided —participation is, on balance, a good thing in a system that calls itself a democracy. In more practical terms, however, the jury is still out, probably because scholars and participants alike have long vested in public participation almost impossible hopes and dreams. Not only is it supposed to keep government honest and open; participation also is supposed to produce more informed and thus “better” decisions, and in the process build greater civic capacity, trust, and legitimacy. Given the degree to which these expectations go unfulfilled, it is small wonder that three decades later, we still ask: Does participation make a difference?