cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ethics, truth and social order

I criticize Rawls’ coherentist methodology and argue using the ideas of Talcott Parsons and Karl Popper that social and political structures flow from and are founded on human nature and arise from human beings seeking to satisfy their needs. For societies to exist and function in an efficient manner, certain ethical and political structures must obtain and that these structures would, in general, be required by the key elements of Rawls’ theory of justice and, as such would provide some of the necessary foundations for most components of his theory.
A Path Analytic Model of the Direct and Indirect Effects of Mathematical Aptitude and Academic Orientation on High School and College Performance.

A path analytic model was proposed to examine the direct and indirect effects of mathematical aptitude and academic orientation on the high school and college performance of 339 male and 75 female college students. Scores on the Academic Orientation Scale of the Strong Campbell Interest Inventory were used as an indicator of academic orientation, whereas scores on the Mathematics Placement Test (Part B) were employed as the definition of mathematical aptitude. The calculated path coefficients did not strongly support the model and indicated that mathematical aptitude exerted most of its effect on college performance directly, whereas the effect of academic orientation on college performance was mediated by high school performance and mathematical aptitude. Both high school performance and mathematical aptitude revealed significant (p < .01) direct effects on college performance. In addition, mathematical aptitude and academic orientation had significant (p < .05) direct effects on high school performance.
A comprehensive approach for simulation of capillary jet breakup

Abstract The Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) framework coupled with a direct boundary tracking technique is proven as an effective method for simulation of capillary jet breakup. In this paper, an alternative derivation of ALE is proposed by introducing instantaneous inertial coordinates. Several improvements for simulations are made, including a linear implicit time scheme, a compact scheme for dynamic boundary conditions, and an iterative direct boundary tracking technique for kinematic boundary conditions. Numerical results are verified and improvements are demonstrated.
Atmospheric chemistry: A new player in climate change

Land-use change from pre-industrial times to the present day has altered Earth's surface energy balance. Until now, the role of volatile hydrocarbons, emitted by plants, in controlling this balance and driving climate change has been overlooked.
Synthesis of large subunit of ribulosebisphosphate carboxylase by thylakoid-bound polyribosomes from spinach chloroplasts

Intact chloroplasts were isolated from developing first leaves of spinach. The chloroplasts were broken and separated into an extensively washed membrane (thylakoid) fraction and a soluble (stroma) fraction. The membrane fraction contained polyribosomes with properties similar to those of thylakoid-bound polyribosomes of other organisms. The distribution of mRNA for large-subunit ribulosebisphosphate carboxylase (LS) was determined by translating RNA from chloroplasts, thylakoids, and stroma in a wheat germ cell-free translation system. LS translation product was identified by immunoprecipitation with antibody to LS from spinach, electrophoresis of the immunoprecipitated product, and fluorography. At least 44% of translatable chloroplast LS-mRNA was in the washed thylakoid fraction. Thylakoid-bound LS-mRNA was in polyribosomes since LS was produced by thylakoids in an Escherichia coli cell-free translation system under conditions where initiation did not take place. Our results demonstrate that membrane-bound polyribosomes can synthesize the stroma-localized polypeptide LS, and suggest that the thylakoids may be an important site of its synthesis.
The disparity in access to new medication by type of health insurance: lessons from Germany.

Background: Drug provision within the German statutory health insurance system has undergone several reforms, including the introduction of drug macrobudgets in 1993. Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the extent to which statutorily (SHI) and fully privately (PHI) health-insured patients were provided with new medication recommended by professional bodies in an equitable fashion using the example of migraine patients. Research Design: We conducted a retrospective cohort study. Setting: A total of 367 primary-care practices (MediPlus, IMS Health) in Germany in the second year of the HealthCare Structural Reform Act were studied. Subjects: Subjected consisted of 7703 SHI and 470 PHI migraineurs (International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition G43) aged 18 to 65 years at their first migraine prescription visit in 1994. Outcome Measure: We compared prescription of oral or subcutaneous serotonin 5HT1B/1D receptor agonist sumatriptan with nonserotoninergic migraine therapy. Results: In multiplicative risk regression with variance estimation accounting for clustering of patients within practices, PHI patients were 2.3 times (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.6–3.3) more likely to receive sumatriptan than their SHI counterparts at the mean age of the cohorts (43 years) adjusted for incident versus prevalent migraine treatment, the gender of the patient, the age, gender, and primary care specialist group of the physician, and the type and the community size class of the practice. This disparity widened by 38% (95% CI, 1–88%) every 10 years of patient age. Conclusion: Even though virtually everyone in Germany has health insurance and drug coverage, use of new and recommended migraine medicines was less common among those with SHI compared with their privately insured counterparts. Systematic studies of access to health care recommended by professional bodies will be critically important to ensure delivery of high-quality health care for all patients.
The Nest Architecture of Three Species of North Florida Aphaenogaster Ants

The architecture of the subterranean nests of Aphaenogaster floridana Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), A. treatae Forel and A. ashmeadi (Emery), was studied from plaster, wax, or metal casts. After structural features were quantified from digital images, the entombed ants were retrieved from the plaster by dissolution or wax casts by melting and counted. Nests of all three species were rather simple, small and vertical, with horizontal chambers connected by vertical shafts. Shafts descending to lower chambers tended to arise from chamber edges, whereas those connecting to a chamber above tended to arise from chamber centers. A. floridana had the largest nests and colonies, and multiple shafts commonly connected upper chambers, a feature lacking in the other two species. In A. floridana nests a higher proportion of chamber area and greater spacing between chambers occurred in the deeper parts of the nest, regardless of nest size. The other two species showed no vertical differentiation of any size-free measure at any nest size. In all three species, nest size increased more slowly than the worker population, so crowding was greater in large colonies than in small, in contrast to the situation in three other ant species for which data were available. An appendix with stereo images of all casts is provided.
Speckle-induced phase error in laser-based phase-shifting projected-fringe profilometry

Although laser sources offer more advantages over white light sources in some phase-shifting projected fringe profilometry applications, these advantages are at the cost of speckle. This paper presents some basic statistics of the speckle-induced phase measurement errors that are investigated based on the multiplicative-noise model for image-plane speckles. The dependence of the phase error distribution and measurement uncertainty on the speckle size and grating pitch is found based on the Karhunen-Loeve expansion of speckle field. This analysis shows that phase errors caused by speckles can be modeled as additive white Gaussian noise. Based on these simulation results we can discuss the designs of the optical system and noise reduction algorithms.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Pap Test Use Is Lower Among Female-to-Male Patients Than Non-Transgender Women

Background A paucity of empirical research to date has examined cervical cancer screening in female-to-male (FTM) transgender men who retain their natal reproductive structures compared to non-transgender women. Purpose To examine patient and provider characteristics associated with being up-to-date on Pap tests, with a focus on gender identity and sexual orientation. Methods Retrospective chart review of 5,232 patients (4,882 women, 350 FTM transgender men) at an urban community health center. All HIV-negative primary care patients aged 21–64 years (inclusive) with at least one medical visit during the 2012 calendar year and who had a cervix as of December 31, 2012, were included. Data were analyzed in 2013 using a multilevel logistic regression model nesting patients within providers. Results FTM patients were significantly less likely to be up-to-date on Pap tests (AOR=0.63, 95% CI=0.47, 0.85) compared to non-transgender women, after adjusting for individual- and provider-level factors. Behaviorally bisexual patients, compared to patients who had sex with men exclusively, were more likely to be up-to-date (AOR=1.73, 95% CI=1.32, 2.26); patients reporting only sex with women were not significantly more or less likely to be up-to-date (AOR=1.01, 95% CI=0.83, 1.23). Conclusions Transgender patients are not accessing the same level of preventive cervical screening care as non-transgender female patients. There is a need to better understand barriers to care in this population. Contrary to findings in other settings, history of sex with women was not negatively associated with Pap utilization.
Host-Specific Phytotoxic Polysaccharide from Apple Tissue Infected by Erwinia amylovora

A toxin isolated from apple fruit tissue infected by Erwinia amylovora is 98 percent galactose in polymeric form, 0.375 percent protein, and has an average molecular weight of approximately 165,000. Young shoots of rosaceous, but not nonrosaceous, species wilt in a manner characteristic of the disease when placed in toxin solutions with concentrations as low as 10 micrograms per milliliter. Varieties of apple and pear susceptible to Erwinia amylovora wilt in 1 to 3 hours, whereas resistant varieties display symptoms 12 to 24 hours after treatment.
US Navy program in small cryocoolers

A Navy program to develop fractional-watt cryocoolers capable of operating below 10 K is discussed. Several varieties of Stirling coolers were built and are under evaluation. In addition, helium gas compressors designed for use with small, closed cycle Joule-Thomson coolers are under development. An overview of the technical aspects of the program are presented.
Detection of factors that interact with the human β-interferon regulatory region in vivo by DNAase I footprinting

We have used a DNAase I genomic footprinting procedure to detect interactions between cellular factors and the regulatory sequences of the human β-interferon gene. Prior to induction with poly(I)-poly(C), factors that bind to DNA are detected in one region located between −94 and −167 from the mRNA cap site, and in another region located between −68 and −38. After induction these factors dissociate and another factor binds to a region located between −77 and −64. Correlation of these footprints with the effects of deletions in the regulatory region of the β-interferon gene (accompanying paper) suggest that the factors that bind prior to induction are repressor molecules, while the component that binds after induction is a transcription factor. Dissociation of the repressor molecules from the DNA after induction may allow the transcription factor to bind to and activate the β-interferon promoter. Thus, the β-interferon gene may be controlled by a negative regulatory mechanism.
School-related risk and protective factors associated with truancy among urban youth placed at risk.

Truancy is a serious concern in the United States. Its negative effects are so pervasive that in 2003 the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention named truancy prevention a national priority. Effective prevention of truancy requires a thorough understanding of the characteristics that describe truant youth as well as factors that may put them at risk for truancy. Unfortunately, surprisingly little is known about the correlates and/or causes of truancy. In this paper we explore associations between truancy and several salient school-related risk and protective factors among a sample of youth who grew up in socially disorganized neighborhoods of Denver, CO. We demonstrate that several school-related risk and protective factors are associated with truancy. Perhaps most importantly, we identify that the two most robust predictors are school performance and involvement with delinquent peers, and that these two variables form a synergistic relationship in which the relationship between delinquent peer association and truancy is mitigated among students who perform well in school. Editors’ Strategic Implications: The authors use data from a large probability sample drawn from neighborhoods with high crime rates to identify key correlates of truancy. They also draw attention to the dearth of efficacious truancy prevention efforts in spite of the magnitude of the problem.
Identification of Broad-Based HIV-1 Protease Inhibitors From Combinatorial Libraries

Clinically approved inhibitors of the HIV-1 protease function via a competitive mechanism. A particular vulnerability of competitive inhibitors is their sensitivity to increases in substrate concentration, as may occur during virion assembly, budding and processing into a mature infectious viral particle. Advances in chemical synthesis have led to the development of new high-diversity chemical libraries using rapid in-solution syntheses. These libraries have been shown previously to be effective at disrupting protein-protein and protein-nucleic acid interfaces. We have screened 44000 compounds from such a library to identify inhibitors of the HIV-1 protease. One compound was identified that inhibits wild-type protease, as well as a drug-resistant protease with six mutations. Moreover, analysis of this compound suggests an allosteric non-competitive mechanism of inhibition and may represent a starting point for an additional strategy for anti-retroviral therapy.
Photoconversion of chlorophyllide 684 to chlorophyllide 678.

The terminal steps of chlorophyll biosynthesis in higher plants consist of the phototransformation of protochlorophyllide to chlorophyllide and subsequent esterification with phytol. Spectroscopic examination of dark-grown leaves following irradiation gives information regarding the identity and order of formation of intermediate chlorophyllide species, which are designated by their wavelength maxima in nm. Molecular or structural details of the species which occur are unknown. Shibata [l] spectroscopically observed the initial rapid photoconversion of protochlorophyllide (P)t to chlorophyllide (C) and two slow sequential dark spectral shifts:
Detection of volatile organometal chloride species in model atmosphere above seawater and sediment.

The principal route for release of organometallic species into the atmosphere is currently considered to be the biological or chemical formation of saturated volatile compounds such as dimethylmercury, metal hydrides, etc. Model experiments conducted in our laboratory point to the release of extremely toxic, volatile organotin, -lead, -mercury, and -arsenic species that have been detected as the chlorides in the gas phase above seawater and sediment mixtures. As the sediment was sterilized prior to the analytical study, any bioformation of volatile metal species was excluded. The most probable account of these observations is the naturally occurring formation of metal chlorides, fueled by the abundance of chloride ion (or other halides) present in seawater and many other natural environments. This raises the suggestion that the release of toxic trace elements to the atmosphere by environmental processes may be seriously underestimated. A conservative projection, based on laboratory data, suggests that the...
A study on the optimization of Integral Fuel Burnable Absorbers using the genetic algorithm based CIGARO fuel management system

Abstract The CIGARO fuel management code, a genetic algorithm based optimization code developed by DeChaine was used in conjunction with deterministic studies to optimize Integral Fuel Burnable Absorbers (IFBA) assembly designs for Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs). Penn State's IFBA assembly designs were compared to typical Westinghouse IFBA assembly designs of 64, 80, and 160 IFBA pins per assembly. The goal of this research is to load the core with various IFBA pin enrichments and various IFBA assembly designs to determine whether the IFBA pin configurations developed by the authors or those typically used by the vendor produce the best core performance when a real depletion is simulated. To further test the Penn State IFBA designs, a benchmark core loading modeled after Beaver Valley Cycle 10 was optimized with the CIGARO genetic algorithm code. When incorporated in a real depletion using CASMO-3 and SIMULATE-3 the Penn State and vendor's 64 IFBA) assembly designs with 2.5 wt% 10 B and 1.875 wt% 10 B, respectively, indicated good performance in terms of maximum core Normalized Power (NP) during depletion. All of the Penn State 80 IFBA assembly designs developed showed good performance in terms of maximum core NP during depletion. The vendor's 80 IFBA assembly with 1.25 wt% boron was very comparable to the Penn State 80 IFBA assembly design with 1.25 wt% boron in terms of NP performance. The core loadings generated by the CIGARO code provides evidence that optimizing BP placement directly by the Haling method predictions is not the most advantageous solution; however, the Haling method does provide a very good starting point to determine the number of IFBA assemblies needed in a core loading. This research advances the CIGARO optimization tool by including IFBA loading evaluations directly without any Haling Principle approximations.
Movements of Sodium and Potassium into Epididymal Boar Spermatozoa

The kinetics of sodium and potassium transport through the membrane of epididymal boar spermatozoa was investigated with radioisotopes in vitro. The rate of exchange for both sodium and potassium, expressed as relative specific activity, was much more rapid in undiluted spermatozoa from lower caput epididymis than in undiluted spermatozoa from the cauda. When caput spermatozoa were diluted in plasma from the cauda, the rate of exchange became similar to that of cauda spermatozoa in cauda plasma but the reciprocal treatment produced no change. Likewise, the rate of exchange for potassium was increased in cauda spermatozoa by diluting them with seminal plasma. Dilution of both caput and cauda contents with biological salt solutions similar in composition to respective plasma, decreased the rate of exchange in both cases for both iona. The findings are discussed relative to sperm coating macromolecules.
NONLINEAR PROBIT GENE CLASSIFICATION USING MUTUAL INFORMATION AND WAVELET-BASED FEATURE SELECTION

We consider the problem of cancer classification from gene expression data. We propose using a mutual information-based gene or feature selection method where features are wavelet-based. The bootstrap technique is employed to obtain an accurate estimate of the mutual information. We then develop a nonlinear probit Bayesian classifier consisting of a linear term plus a nonlinear term, the parameters of which are estimated using the Gibbs sampler. These new methods are applied to analyze breast-cancer data and leukemia data. The results indicate that the proposed gene and feature selection method is very accurate in breast-cancer and leukemia classifications.
An Emendation in Anticlaudianus

IN the Anticlaudianus of Alain de Lille, Reason and Prudence ascend to the supernal regions in a chariot drawn by five horses. These horses represent allegorically the five senses. Each of the five horses is described by the author in a similar pattern; so rigorously is the principle of correspondence pursued that any marked deviation from it is sufficient to render the text suspect. Such a deviation is to be found in the account of the second horse transmitted in the editions of Migne and Wright.' As Alain terminates his characterization of each other horse, he takes care to designate the divinity that bestowed the horse upon Mother Nature. Thus he concludes his description of the first horse with these lines:
Dependence of aqua-planet simulations on time step

SUMMARY Aqua-planet simulations with Eulerian and semi-Lagrangian dynamical cores coupled to the NCAR CCM3 parametrization suite produce very different zonal average precipitation patterns. The model with the Eulerian core forms a narrow single precipitation peak centred on the sea surface temperature (SST) maximum. The one withthe semi-Lagrangian core forms a broad structure often witha double peak straddling the SSTmaximum with a precipitation minimum centred on the SST maximum. The different structure is shown to be caused primarily by the different time step adopted by each core and its effect on the parametrizations rather than by different truncation errors introduced by the dynamical cores themselves. With a longer discrete time step, the surface exchange parametrization deposits more moisture in the atmosphere in a single time step, resulting in convection being initiated farther from the equator, closer to the maximum source. Different diffusive smoothing associated with different spectral resolutions is a secondary effect ine uencing the strength of the double structure. When the semi-Lagrangian core is cone gured to match the Eulerian with the same time step, a three-time-level formulation and same spectral truncation it produces precipitation e elds similar to those from the Eulerian. It is argued that the broad and double structure forms in this model with the longer time step because more water is put into the atmosphere over a longer discrete time step, the evaporation rate being the same. The additional water vapour in the region of equatorial moisture convergence results in more convective available potential energy farther from the equator which allows convection toinitiate farther from the equator. The resulting heating drives upward vertical motion and low-level convergence away from the equator, resulting in much weaker upward motion at the equator. The feedback between the convective heating and dynamics reduces the instability at the equator and decreases the convection there. The behaviour of the parametrizations depends on the amount of water inserted into the troposphere during a discrete time step. This is as important as the rate of insertion. Experiments are described that support this explanation.
Focusing high school teachers on attracting diverse students to computer science and engineering

An effective workshop has been developed for promoting a positive impact on high school teachers' recruitment of students, particularly women and minority students, into their CS classes. All past workshop attendees indicate they now are actively try to recruit girls and minority students into their computing classes and are successful in doing so.
Interleukin‐1β Release in the Supraoptic Nucleus Area During Osmotic Stimulation Requires Neural Function

Interleukin (IL)-1beta is present throughout the magnocellular neuroendocrine system and co-depletes with oxytocin and vasopressin from the neural lobe during salt-loading. To examine whether IL-1beta is released from the dendrites/soma of magnocellular neurones during osmotic stimulation, microdialysis adjacent to the supraoptic nucleus (SON) in conscious rats was combined with immunocapillary electrophoresis and laser-induced fluorescence detection to quantify cytokine in 5-min dialysates collected before (0-180 min; basal), and after (180-240 min), hypertonic saline injected s.c. (1.5 m NaCl). Osmotic release of IL-1beta was compared after inhibiting local voltage-gated channels for Na+ (tetrodotoxin) and Ca2+ (cadmium and nickel) or by reducing intracellular Ca2+ stores (thapsigargin). Immunohistochemistry combined with microdialysis was used to localise cytokine sources (IL-1beta+) and microglia (OX-42+). Under conditions of microdialysis, the basal release of IL-1beta+ in the SON area was measurable and stable (pg/ml; mean +/- SEM) from 0-60 min (2.2 +/- 0.06), 60-120 min (2.32 +/- 0.05) and 120-180 min (2.33 +/- 0.06), likely originating locally from activated microglia (OX42+; IL-1beta+; ameboid, hypertrophied) and magnocellular neurones expressing IL-1beta. In response to osmotic stimulation, IL-1beta increased progressively in dialysates of the SON area by a mechanism dependent on intracellular Ca2+ stores sensitive to thapsigargin and, similar to dendritic secretion of oxytocin and vasopressin, required local voltage-gated Na+ and Ca2+ channels for activation by osmoregulatory pathways from the forebrain. During osmotic stimulation, neurally dependent release of IL-1beta in the SON area likely upregulates osmosensitive cation currents on magnocellular neurones (observed in vitro by others), to facilitate dendritic release of neurohypophysial hormones.
An RNA-based transcription activator derived from an inhibitory aptamer

According to the recruitment model of transcriptional activation, an activator helps initiate transcription by bringing the RNA polymerase to a specific location on the DNA through interaction with components of the transcriptional machinery. However, it is difficult to isolate and define the activities of specific activator-target pairs experimentally through rearranging existing protein parts. Here we designed and constructed an RNA-based transcriptional activator to study specificity from both sides of the activator-target interface. Utilizing a well-characterized site-specific RNA aptamer for TFIIB, we were able to delineate some key features of this process. By rationally converting an inhibitory aptamer into the activation domain of the activator, we also introduced a new source of submolecular building blocks to synthetic biology.
The Formation of Task-Oriented Groups: Exploring Combat Activities in Online Games

Advanced communication technologies enable strangers to work together on the same tasks or projects in virtual environments. Understanding the formation of task-oriented groups is an important first step to study the dynamics of team collaboration. In this paper, we investigated group combat activities in Sony’s EverQuest II game to identify the role of player and group attributes on group formation. We found that group formation is highly influenced by players’ common interests on challenging tasks. Players with less combat experience are more likely to participate in group events for difficult tasks and team performance is positively correlated to group size.
Cerebral Circulation Studies Using Inhaled 133-Xenon and the Gamma Camera

Inhaled 133-xenon was utilized in conjunction with the Anger gamma scintillation camera to evaluate cerebral circulation in 20 asymptomatic control subjects and in 41 patients with clinical cerebrovascular disease. Sequental cerebral scintiphotos thus obtained revealed focal areas of decreased activity in 2 of 19 control subjects and in 15 of 38 patients. A computerized curve-fitting technique was used to calculate an index of cerebral blood flow ("K") by means of the 133-xenon clearance curves obtained from each half of the head. Shorter periods of 133-xenon inhalation resulted in more rapid rates of clearance. In patients with clinical cerebrovascular disease, cerebral clearance rates tended to be lower and to show more variation between the two sides of the head than in asymptomatic subjects.
Cadaveric versus autologous fascia lata for the pubovaginal sling: surgical outcome and patient satisfaction.

Purpose: We report our initial experience with cadaveric fascia lata in pubovaginal sling procedures.Materials and Methods: We compared 121 consecutive women who underwent a sling procedure using cadaveric fascia lata from February 1997 through June 1999 (group 1) with 46 consecutive women who underwent a sling procedure using autologous fascia lata from May 1994 through July 1997 (group 2).Results: Mean followup was longer in group 2 (44 versus 12 months). A total of 104 of the 121 group 1 patients (86%) responded to the questionnaire, of whom 85% were cured of stress incontinence, 83% reported overall improvement in urinary control and 74% had no or minimal leakage not requiring pads. Median catheterization time was 9 days (range 4 to 120). Overall 89% of the women were satisfied with the results and 83% would recommend this surgery. A total of 30 of the 46 group 2 patients (65%) responded to the questionnaire, of whom 90% were cured of stress incontinence, 90% reported overall improvement in urinary co...
The pattern of name tokens in narrative clinical text and a comparison of five systems for redacting them

Objective To understand the factors that influence success in scrubbing personal names from narrative text. Materials and methods We developed a scrubber, the NLM Name Scrubber (NLM-NS), to redact personal names from narrative clinical reports, hand tagged words in a set of gold standard narrative reports as personal names or not, and measured the scrubbing success of NLM-NS and that of four other scrubbing/name recognition tools (MIST, MITdeid, LingPipe, and ANNIE/GATE) against the gold standard reports. We ran three comparisons which used increasingly larger name lists. Results The test reports contained more than 1 million words, of which 2388 were patient and 20 160 were provider name tokens. NLM-NS failed to scrub only 2 of the 2388 instances of patient name tokens. Its sensitivity was 0.999 on both patient and provider name tokens and missed fewer instances of patient name tokens in all comparisons with other scrubbers. MIST produced the best all token specificity and F-measure for name instances in our most relevant study (study 2), with values of 0.997 and 0.938, respectively. In that same comparison, NLM-NS was second best, with values of 0.986 and 0.748, respectively, and MITdeid was a close third, with values of 0.985 and 0.796 respectively. With the addition of the Clinical Center name list to their native name lists, Ling Pipe, MITdeid, MIST, and ANNIE/GATE all improved substantially. MITdeid and Ling Pipe gained the most—reaching patient name sensitivity of 0.995 (F-measure=0.705) and 0.989 (F-measure=0.386), respectively. Discussion The privacy risk due to two name tokens missed by NLM-NS was statistically negligible, since neither individual could be distinguished among more than 150 000 people listed in the US Social Security Registry. Conclusions The nature and size of name lists have substantial influences on scrubbing success. The use of very large name lists with frequency statistics accounts for much of NLM-NS scrubbing success.
Camera-Space Manipulation

The paper involves the development of real-time estimation and control details for a new vision-based manipulator con trol method. The method permits a kind of adaptability not otherwise available in that the relationship between the cam era-space location of manipulable visual cues and the vector of manipulator joint coordinates is estimated in real time. This is done based upon a model that generalizes known manipulator kinematics to accommodate unknown relative camera position and orientation as well as uncertainty of manipulator grasp. Both large-scale trajectory planning and refined placement precision become possible despite an un known camera-manipulator juxtaposition. This feature opens the door to a range of applications of manipulation, includ ing a mobile manipulator with stationary cameras tracking and providing information for control of the manipulation event. Evidence of the ability of the estimation algorithm to perform in real time is provided with a successfully performed interception ta...
Optimal illumination patterns for fluorescence tomography

Fluorescence tomography has become increasingly popular for detecting molecular targets for imaging gene expression and other cellular processes in vivo in small animal studies. In this imaging modality, multiple sets of data are acquired by illuminating the animal surface with different excitation patterns, each of which produces a distinct spatial pattern of fluorescence. This work addresses one of the most intriguing, yet unsolved, problems of fluorescence tomography, which is to determine how to optimally illuminate the animal surface so as to maximize the information content in the acquired data. The key idea of this work is to parameterize the illumination pattern and to maximize the information content in the data by improving the conditioning of the Fisher information matrix. We formulate our problem as a constrained optimization problem. We compare the performance of different geometric illumination schemes with those generated by this optimization approach using the Digimouse atlas.
Purposeful Practice with the Four-by-Six Card: Quick, Convenient, and Communicative.

Even the best teachers need suggestions for purposeful, enjoyable, communicative activities that relate to the level of their students and the lessons they've been doing. This article offers several ideas that can be utilized with very little planning, and that can be augmented and improved upon from year to year, creating a file of useful student-centered modules the teacher can tap at a moment's notice.
Landward Migration of Barrier Island Sands Under Stable Sea Level Conditions: Plum Island, Massachusetts

ABSTRACT The origin and development of barrier islands systems has received much attention during the last decade as marine scientists have become more concerned with coastal environments. Plum Island, part of a barrier island system located off the northeastern coast of Massachusetts where sea level is believed to have remained stable for the last three thousand years, was selected to test the hypothesis that dune migration and longshore sediment transport patterns are causing its landward (west) development and migration, rather than the commonly accepted "rising sea level hypothesis." Ninety-four surface sand samples taken from the top 2 to 3 inches (5-7 cm) and 94 subsurface sand samples from a 3-ft depth (1 m) were collected for statistical size analysis along six east-west traverses at o e mile intervals perpendicular to the island. Trend surface analysis was then performed with the graphic mean size values from the surface and subsurface samples to determine any consistent stratigraphic and geographic textural shifts between the surfaces. Comparison of the third-order surfaces indicates that the graphic mean grain size generally coarsens from the subsurface to surface. This shift appears to indicate that there is a general landward (west) shift through time in the graphic mean size distributions from the older subsurface to the younger surface. This shift is interpreted to be a direct response of the dune field to the predominant northeasterly storm conditions modified by longshore currents in an area of stable sea level. It is therefore concluded that a rising sea leve is not necessary for barrier island migration landward.
Brevispina tasii (Brevispinidae) n. fam., n. gen., n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Eugregarinida: Stenophoroidea) Parasitizing the Crane Fly Tipula umbrosa (Diptera: Tipulidae: Tipulinae) from East Texas Leaf Litter

Brevispina tasii (Brevispinidae) n. fam., n. gen., n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Eugregarinida: Stenophoroidea) is described from the crane fly Tipula umbrosa Loew, 1863 (Insecta: Diptera: Tipulidae: Tipulinae) collected from the Sam Houston National Forest, Watson Lakes, Walker County Texas, U.S.A. This family is distinguished from the existing families within Stenophoroidea by gamontic (precocious) association, oocysts that dehisce unchained by expulsion en mass in response to hyaline epicyst constriction, and development that is synchronized with and dependent upon host development. On the basis of these observations, a new family is described and the taxonomic status of existing tipulid
Spectroscopic ellipsometry studies of thin film CdTe and CdS: From dielectric functions to solar cell structures

Real time, in situ, and ex situ spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) methods have been applied in systematic studies of the structure and optical properties of polycrystalline CdTe and CdS thin films deposited by rf magnetron sputtering. The goal of this ongoing research is to establish a basic understanding of the relationships between the physical and optical properties, including how the void fraction, grain size, strain, and temperature of measurement affect the complex dielectric function. This goal has been achieved through recent in situ and real time SE determinations of the structural evolution and dielectric functions of CdTe, CdS, and related alloys, in conjunction with in-depth analyses of the dielectric functions and their critical points. With a collection of parameterized dielectric functions and parameters linked to the physical properties, ex situ SE analysis of solar cell structures becomes possible for extracting not only thicknesses, but other useful physical properties as well.
Injection and detection of spin-polarized currents at ferromagnet/semiconductor Schottky contacts

In this paper, we present a more complete picture of the Schottky barrier useful for both injection and detection. The transport properties of the interface are described using a spin-dependent interface resistance, resulting for example from an interfacial-tunneling region.
Organization and Strategy at Millennium (A)

This case examines Millennium's strategic and organizational responses to the rapid evolution of the biopharmaceutical industry. In the early 2000s, as Millennium's competitive advantage in early-stage research slipped away and its losses mounted, founder CEO Mark Levin moved the firm downstream away from research and towards drug development and commercialization, while narrowing horizontal breadth from over a dozen therapeutic classes to just three. In 2005, Levin hired Deborah Dunsire from Novartis as CEO to lead Millennium's continuing transformation. Students are asked to put themselves in the shoes of incoming CEO Dunsire and to provide organizational recommendations to execute the new strategy.
Parallelizing CAD: a timely research agenda for EDA

The relative decline of single-threaded processor performance, coupled with the ongoing shift towards on chip parallelism requires that CAD applications run efficiently on parallel microprocessors. We believe that an ad hoc approach to parallelizing CAD applications will not lead to satisfactory results: neither in terms of return on engineering investment nor in terms of the computational efficiency of end applications. Instead, we propose that a key area of CAD research is to identify the design patterns underlying CAD applications and then build CAD application frameworks that aid efficient parallel software implementations of these design patterns. Our initial results indicate that parallel patterns exist in a broad range of CAD problems. We believe that frameworks for these patterns will enable CAD to successfully capitalize on increased processor performance through parallelism.
Late Outcomes for Aortic Valve Replacement With the Carpentier-Edwards Pericardial Bioprosthesis: Up to 17-Year Follow-Up in 1,000 Patients

Background This study reviews a single institution experience with the Carpentier-Edwards pericardial aortic valve bioprosthesis, concentrating on late outcomes. Methods From December 1991 to June 2002, 1,000 patients underwent aortic valve replacement with the Carpentier-Edwards pericardial valve (mean follow-up 6.01 ± 3.56 years). The institutional database was reviewed. Follow-up data were acquired through telephone interviews and mail-in questionnaires. Time-to-event analyses were performed by the Kaplan-Meier method. Mean age was 74.1 years; 545 patients (54.5%) were male. Mean preoperative ejection fraction was 52.5%. Isolated aortic valve replacement occurred in 372 cases (37.2%). Combined aortic valve replacement with coronary artery bypass grafting occurred in 443 cases (44.3%). The remaining 185 patients (18.5%) underwent complex procedures with concomitant mitral, tricuspid, or arch repair. One hundred forty patients (14.0%) had prior aortic valve surgery. Follow-up was 99.4% complete. Results Overall operative mortality was 7.2% (72 of 1,000). There were 503 late deaths (50.3%). Age-stratified survival at 15 years was 43.7% for patients less than 65 years of age; 18.2% for patients aged 65 to 75; and 9.4% for patients aged more than 75 years. There were 26 failed bioprostheses (2.6%) requiring reoperation. Structural valve deterioration was the cause in 13 of 26 cases (50%), endocarditis in 11 of 26 (42%), and perivalvular leak in 2 of 26 (7.6%). Age-stratified freedom from reoperation due to structural valve deterioration at 15 years was 34.7% for patients less than 65 years of age; 89.4% for patients aged 65 to 75; and 99.5% for patients aged more than 75 years. Conclusions The Carpentier-Edwards pericardial bioprosthesis shows long-term durability with low rates of structural failure.
Absorption and Transport of Shellfish Sterols in Human Subjects

While individually cholesterol is the most abundant sterol in clams, oysters, and scallops, five different major noncholesterol sterols (a C-26 sterol, 22-dehydrocholesterol, brassicasterol, 24-methylene cholesterol, and a C-29 sterol) comprise some 60% of the total sterols, a situation unique among foods of animal origin that humans consume. In order to measure the intestinal absorption and transport of these noncholesterol shellfish sterols by humans, clams, oysters, and scallops were fed daily for 3–4 wk to 9 subjects and in a single meal to 8 subjects. The major shellfish sterols in the diet and in the plasma, individual plasma lipoproteins, red blood cells, and feces were analyzed by digitonin precipitation, thin-layer and gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The absorption of these shellfish sterols was ascertained both by their appearance in the blood of the subjects fed shellfish and by their intake and output in the feces. After daily feeding for 3–4 wk, shellfish sterols were identified for the first time in the plasma lipids, in lipoproteins (chiefly in low-density lipoprotein), and in red blood cells of all subjects. The absorption of the dietary C-26 sterol, 22-dehydrocholesterol, brassicasterol, 24-methylene cholesterol was 54%, 35%, 4%, and 11%, respectively. Our data indicated that the intestinal mucosa of humans absorbs these unusual sterols, and then they enter into the tissues and overall sterol metabolism of the body.
Awareness of providers' use of new medical technology among private health care plans in the United States.

In a national survey of medical directors at 231 U.S. private health care plans that cover over two thirds of the privately insured population, we studied whether medical directors are aware when a new technology, such as laser therapy, is being used in procedures for which claims are submitted, the factors alerting them to such use, and the factors prompting them to make a specific coverage decision for the technology. We also examined possible associations between health plans' characteristics (HMO versus indemnity, size, profit status, and time in operation) and their medical directors' awareness of the use of technologies, factors alerting medical directors to their use, and factors prompting specific coverage decisions. The majority of plans were generally not aware that laser technology was being used when it was billed under a general billing code, raising the possibility that less effective or less safe technologies could be introduced rapidly into the treatment of insured populations. Nonprofit and older plans were less likely to be aware that lasers were used in some procedures than for-profit and younger plans.
Ecological Development through Service-Learning

This article describes a successful model used in interna- tional service-learning projects that integrates economic development and ecological improvement. The principles of the model are discussed, including commitments to maintain partnerships over time, emphasize the transfer of knowledge from one generation of students to the next, start small, build a history of success, and gain community trust. The application of this model to an evolving series of service-learning projects in Honduras is discussed. The article concludes with a discus- sion of some of the challenges and management strategies useful in implementing the model.
The place of the orator in Jean Bodin's Commonwealth

During a period of great anarchy and bloodshed, a famous political theorist made some insightful observations on the role of the orator within the state and the danger of eloquence that is not founded in wisdom.
Chronic Binge Alcohol Exposure During Pregnancy Impairs Rat Maternal Uterine Vascular Function

Background Alcohol exposure during pregnancy results in an array of structural and functional abnormalities called fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). Alcohol dysregulates the exquisite coordination and regulation of gestational adaptations at the level of the uterine vasculature. We herein hypothesized that chronic binge-like alcohol results in uterine vascular dysfunction and impairs maternal uterine artery reactivity to vasoconstrictors and dilators. Methods We utilized a once-daily binge alcohol (4.5 g/kg body weight) exposure paradigm (gestational day 7 to 17) in a pregnant rat model system and investigated primary uterine artery function in response to vasoconstrictors and vasodilators utilizing wire myography. Results Alcohol (peak blood alcohol concentration, 216 mg/dl) produced uterine vascular dysfunction. Alcohol did not produce altered uterine vascular reactivity to α1 adrenergic agonist phenylephrine or the prostanoid thromboxane. However, alcohol specifically impaired acetylcholine (ACh)-mediated uterine artery vasodilation but exogenous endothelium-independent vasodilators like sodium nitroprusside exhibited no alcohol effect; ACh significantly decreased vessel relaxation (p = 0.003; pD2 [negative log molar ACh concentration producing the half maximum response], −7.004 ± 0.215 vs. −6.310 ± 0.208; EMax [maximal ACh response], 92% vs. 75%). Conclusions We conclude that moderate alcohol exposure impairs uterine vascular function in pregnant mothers. Alcohol specifically impairs agonist-induced uterine artery vasodilation. In summary, the maternal uterine compartment may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of FASD. Thus, the mechanistic targets of alcohol at the level of both the mother and the fetus need to be considered in order to develop effective therapeutic treatment strategies for FASD.
Lipotropic effects of vitamin B12 concentrate.

ConclusionsA concentrate of vitamin B12 exerted a marked lipotropic effect when injected into rats receiving a high-fat diet. This lipotropic effect was not due to the small amount of choline present in the concentrate.
A glimpse of quantum phenomena in optical lattices

Optical lattices in cold atomic systems offer an excellent setting for realizing quantum condensed matter phenomena. Here, a glimpse of such a setting is provided for the non-specialist. Some basic aspects of cold atomic gases and optical lattices are reviewed. Quantum many-body physics is explored in the case of interacting bosons on a lattice. Quantum behaviour in the presence of a potential landscape is examined for three different cases: a hexagonal lattice potential, a quasi-periodic potential and a disorder potential.