cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
"Typhoid Mary" Strikes Back Bacteriological Theory and Practice in Early Twentieth-Century Public Health

THE SCIENCE OF BACTERIOLOGY, with its emphasis on the role of microorganisms in causing disease, undoubtedly influenced the practice of public health in early twentieth-century America. But how much did this new laboratory-based science narrow the scope of public health activities? Or, to put it another way, how reductionist was this new science in practice? These questions are important because many historians and some late twentieth-century social critics have assumed, implicitly or explicitly, that germ theory, in contracting conceptions of the etiology of disease primarily to microorganisms, brought an end to the more holistic understandings of illness that preceded it. According to these scholars, the laboratory became the most important instrument for measuring degrees of sickness, substituting microbe hunting with test tubes and microscopes for the wide-ranging sanitation and social welfare programs that characterized nineteenth-century public health practices. Paul Starr, for example, has written that "the new outlook brought with it a radically reduced view of the requirements of public health.... The limitations on public health in the twentieth century were . . . profound. The early public health reformers of the nineteenth century, for all their moralism, were concerned with social welfare in a broad sense. Their twentieth-century successors adopted a more narrow and technical view of their calling."' In examining early experiences with healthy
Vertical electrical conductance in artificial Si/Nb multilayers

Abstract Both the vertical and in-plane resistivities of Si/Nb multilayer films with different modulation wavelengths have been measured between 2 and 300 K, yielding an anisotropy ratio which can be over 105. While the in-plane transport in the normal state is metallic-like, the vertical conductance changes from phonon-assisted hopping to weak localization as the thickness of the Si layer is reduced, and is dominated by quantum mechanical tunneling at low temperatures.
Fast transient digitally controlled buck regulator with inductor current slew-rate boost

A step-down (buck) switching converter architecture that makes use of switched capacitors to improve the transient response is presented. Using the proposed architecture, the transient response is improved by a factor of two or more in comparison to the theoretical limits that can be achieved with a basic step down architecture. The architecture presented in this paper can be used for both analog and digitally controlled topologies. Simulation results of a 1.8V, 15W, 1MHz digitally controlled step down converter with a 12mV ADC resolution and a 2ns DPWM resolution are presented.
A Comparative Study of Civil-Military Relations in Cuba and China: The Effects of Bingshang:

This article attempts to fill a methodological and analytical void in the study of civil-military relations in Cuba. Specifically, it examines the impact of the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias (FAR...
A fine-grained many VT design methodology for ultra low voltage operations

In this paper, we propose a fine-grained many VT design methodology for ultra low voltage (ULV) operations of CMOS VLSI circuits. The fine-grained many VT transistors can be developed through only layout-level technique (e.g. inverse narrow width effects) in a multi-VT technology without any process modifications. Through SPICE simulations, we confirm that the proposed design methodology can improve performance, energy efficiency and variability of ULV circuits in three important domains, i.e. driving a fixed capacitive load, reducing active leakage energy consumption in non-critical paths, and lengthening short delay paths without energy overhead to aid error detection and correction techniques.
Bilateral periocular actinic granuloma in a patient with renal failure: a clinicopathologic study

· Purpose: We report a 50-year-old man with end-stage renal disease who has developed bilateral inner and outer canthal nodules. · Methods: The nodules were excised, fixed in 10% formalin and 2.5% glutaraldehyde, and processed for light and electron microscopy, respectively. · Results: Histological examination showed elastotic changes with associated granulomatous inflammation. The granulomatous reaction was centered around elastotic fibers, and some giant cells engulfed the fibers. Areas of dystrophic calcification were identified. A diagnosis of actinic granuloma was made. The differential diagnosis and histopathology of actinic granuloma, i.e. granuloma annulare, rheumatoid nodule, and necrobiotic xanthogranuloma, are discussed. · Conclusion: This case of an actinic granuloma originating in the sun-damaged periocular skin provides further evidence that elastotic degeneration may be associated with a giant cell reaction. It is, however, unclear which antigens are responsible for initiating the granulomatous response and whether elastotic material on its own can elicit a granulomatous reaction.
Bombing and burning: The social organization and values of hip hop graffiti writers and implications for policy∗

Almost twenty years ago, a stylistic kind of graffiti originated in New York City and has since spread to many major cities in the United States, Canada, and other industrialized nations. This type of graffiti, known as “Hip Hop” graffiti (HHG) outside of New York City, accounts for a large share of graffiti in U.S. urban areas. It is found on buses, subways, trains, buildings, bridges, and innumerable other surfaces and ranges from signature “tags,” typically written with ink marker or spray paint, to elaborate, polychrome spray‐painted murals. This article, based on ethnographic research conducted in Seattle, first introduces the types of HHG and the social characteristics of writers, and then focuses on writers’ social organization and values—the two key elements to understanding the proliferation of this graffiti. The paper concludes with several observations on social policies designed to curtail the production of graffiti.
Defects and transport of the brownmillerite oxides with high oxygen ion conductivity − Ba2In2O5

Abstract A defect chemistry model is proposed for the brownmillerite oxides with high oxygen ion conductivity. Ba2In2O5 was chosen as the model material and its electrical conductivity and transport properties have been studied in detail. The oxygen ion conduction above the order-disorder temperature, Td ≈ 925 °C, and the mixed ionic-electronic conduction below Td, was studied by conductivity and EMF measurements as a function of temperature and oxygen activity. The main defects are intrinsic anion Frenkel defects below Td, and above Td the oxide can be treated as acceptor-doped perovskite with extrinsic oxygen vacancies. Charge compensation involves only ionic defects over the whole PO2 range used in this study. The formation and mobility enthalpies of the Frenkel defects, the redox enthalpies, and the band gap have been obtained for this oxide. The proposed model is in good agreement with the experimental results. Decomposition of Ba2In2O5 with reduction of In3+ is indicated by the conductivity measurements. Degradation in CO2 atmospheres with formation of BaCO3 and volatilization of In2O3 was also observed by XRD and EDS techniques. It is clear that In3+ will have to be replaced by an element with a more stable 3 + oxidation state (e.g. Y, Er, Ga), if a brownmillerite compound is to be a useful solid electrolyte over a wide range of oxygen activities.
Image display system for synchronous interpretaion of supine and prone computed tomographic colography

Computed tomographic colography (CTC or virtual colonoscopy) is a new technique for imaging the colon for the detection of colorectal neoplasms. Early clinical assessment of this procedure has shown that the performance of this test is acceptable for colorectal screening examinations. The current version of CTC utilizes an interactive combination of axial, reformatted 2D and 3D images (from an endoluminal perspective) that are generated in real time. Retained fluid in the lumen of the colon is a commonly encountered problem that can obscure lesions. Prone imaging in addition to standard supine views are often required to visualize obscured colonic segments. Although the colorectum is often seen optimally with combined supine and prone views, twice as much interpretation time is required with both acquisitions. The purpose of this study is to describe a novel system of synchronous display of supine and prone images of the colon. Simultaneous display of synchronized (anatomically registered) views of the colon eliminates the need for two separate readings of the colon and shortens interpretation time. This tool has all of the features of the original CTC interpretation system (presented in 1995) and includes recent innovations such as virtual pathology which is present in another paper within this Proceeding. The anatomic levels are indexed to match each other and advanced synchronously as the radiologist interprets the data set. Axial, reformatted 2D and 3D images are displayed and simultaneously updated for both prone and supine images on the same computer screen. The colon only needs to be reviewed once with the diagnostic benefit of both scans. In many cases, the two scans can be interpreted nearly as quickly as one. Conclusion: Synchronous display of prone and supine images of the colon is a new enhancement for CTC that combines with advantages of prone and supine views without the added interpretations time of reviewing two separate scans.
Modeling Nitrate at Domestic and Public-Supply Well Depths in the Central Valley, California

Aquifer vulnerability models were developed to map groundwater nitrate concentration at domestic and public-supply well depths in the Central Valley, California. We compared three modeling methods for ability to predict nitrate concentration >4 mg/L: logistic regression (LR), random forest classification (RFC), and random forest regression (RFR). All three models indicated processes of nitrogen fertilizer input at the land surface, transmission through coarse-textured, well-drained soils, and transport in the aquifer to the well screen. The total percent correct predictions were similar among the three models (69–82%), but RFR had greater sensitivity (84% for shallow wells and 51% for deep wells). The results suggest that RFR can better identify areas with high nitrate concentration but that LR and RFC may better describe bulk conditions in the aquifer. A unique aspect of the modeling approach was inclusion of outputs from previous, physically based hydrologic and textural models as predictor variables, w...
Vitrinite reflectance distributions and thermal history of sediments: An end-member sensitivity analysis

An end-member analysis was performed using algorithms ofExtended cabfac qmodel on 21 sample distributions of vitrinite reflectance (VR) by depth from the Inigok well in the National Petroleum Reserve of Alaska (NPRA). Eight end members, which account for 99% of the variance, adequately recreate the VR distributions. These eight end members contain stratigraphic information based on systematically increasing or decreasing mixing proportions with depth. Paleoheat flux determined from end members, or from orthogonally filtered sets of end members, is not significantly different from paleoheat flux determined from arithmetic mean values of VR, indicating that the arithmetic mean provides an adequate representation of each VR distribution analyzed in this well. Additionally, use of filtering devices to assess the degree of trustworthiness of signal in VR distributions enables an assessment to be made of the degree of stability of paleoheat flux variation estimates.
Arsenic exposure disrupts neurite growth and complexity in vitro

Arsenic has neurotoxic effects on both central and peripheral components of the mature nervous system. There is increasing evidence that exposure to arsenic is also toxic to the developing nervous system and can result in decreased cell division and increased apoptosis in cultured developing neurons. However, the effects of arsenic on subsequent neuron growth and morphology remain unclear. In the present study we used differentiating PC12 cells to investigate the effects of sodium arsenite on the early stages of neurite production and growth. We find that arsenic has concentration- and time-dependent effects on initial neurite outgrowth in vitro. Exposure to low micromolar levels of sodium arsenite for five days results in reduced neurite production, outgrowth and complexity in newly differentiating PC12 cells. Furthermore, we find that exposure of more mature PC12 cells to arsenite can inhibit further neurite development. These results suggest that exposure to arsenic can disrupt early stages of neuron differentiation by altering the normal progression of morphological development and could potentially contribute to compromised long term functioning of neurons.
Insight and illness in chronic Schizophrenia

The role of insight in relation to the diagnosis and treatment of psychotic disorders has received renewed attention in psychiatric and psychological literature. Degree of insight has been found to generally associate with social and occupational functioning, prognosis, and treatment outcome. However, the relationship between insight and symptoms of illness is not known due to previous studies that yielded conflicting results. This study tested the association between general insight and symptomatology in a sample of 66 patients with chronic schizophrenia. Degree of insight was significantly related to positive symptomatology; however, it was not related to demographics, negative symptoms, general psychopathology, or global functioning. These results are supported by several other investigations in this area.
Pigmented Paravenous Retinochoroidal Atrophy (PPRCA) with Optic Disc Drusen

Pigmented paravenous retinochoroidal atrophy (PPRCA) is a rare retinal disorder which is diagnosed primarily on its typical funduscopic appearance of retinal pigment epithelial atrophy and clumping in a paravenous distribution. Pigmented paravenous retinochoroidal atrophy is usually asymptomatic and seldom causes marked decrease in visual acuity or significant impairment of electrophysiologic functions. Optic nerve head drusen, which are thought to be inherited as an autosomal dominant trait, rare in blacks, and known to be associated with retinitis pigmentosa, have not been previously reported with PPRCA. The authors present a case of PPRCA which is classic except for an additional finding of optic nerve head drusen. The heritability of PPRCA remains controversial but the authors' reported association of PPRCA and disc drusen seems to suggest some genetic influence.
Social Networks and the Environment

This review discusses empirical research on social networks and the environment; it summarizes findings from representative studies and the conceptual frameworks social scientists use to examine the role of social networks. The article presents basic concepts in social network analysis, summarizes common challenges of empirical research on social networks, and outlines areas for future research. Finally, the article discusses the normative and positive meanings of social networks.
A New Incremental Fit Index for General Structural Equation Models

Assessing overall model fit is an important problem in general structural equation models. One of the most widely used fit measures is Bentler and Bonett's (1980) normed index. This article has thr...
Nanosignal processing: Stochastic resonance in carbon nanotubes that detect subthreshold signals

Experiments confirm that small amounts of noise help a nanotube transistor detect noisy subthreshold electrical signals. Gaussian, uniform, and impulsive (Cauchy) noise produced this feedforward stochastic-resonance effect by increasing both the nanotube system’s mutual information and its input-output correlation. The noise corrupted a synchronous Bernoulli or random digital sequence that fed into the thresholdlike nanotube transistor and produced a Bernoulli sequence. Both Shannon’s mutual information and correlation measured the performance gain by comparing the input and output sequences. This nanotube SR effect was robust: it persisted even when infinite-variance Cauchy noise corrupted the signal stream. Such noise-enhanced signal processing at the nanolevel promises applications to signal detection in wideband communication systems and biological and artificial neural networks. Noise can help carbon nanotube transistors detect subthreshold electrical signals by increasing the transistor’s input output mutual information or correlation. Several researchers have demonstrated the stochastic resonance (SR) effect for various types of threshold units or neurons. 1-6 Experiments
Comparison of Two Enigmatic Contacts: Palliser-Exshaw, Devonian, Southwestern Canada, and Cupido-La Pena (Cretaceous), Northeastern Mexico: ABSTRACT

In both the Palliser-Exshaw and Cupido-La Pena sequences, uncommonly sharp contacts separate carbonate bank deposits from overlying dark shales. Three environments discernible in each sequence may be attributed to gradual deepening of water during detrital influx. Figure At Potrero de la Mula, Coahuila, the uppermost Cupido consists of poorly sorted, oolith lime grainstones (environment 1). Abundant filled scolecoid burrows 1 to 2 mm in diameter extend 8 cm down into the Cupido from the iron-stained upper surface on which occur gastropods, pelecypods, and unabraded, hemispherical scleractinian colonies (environment 2). Dark shales of the La Pena Formation (environment 3) rest on this surface. Environment 1 was an active shoal with a shifting substratum which may have been stabilized as a result of deepening water (environment 2) permitting occupancy by corals and small burrowers. Bypassing prevented sedimentary accumulation except for End_Page 604------------------------------ shells and burrow fillings. Shales of the La Pena Formation accumulated as still deeper water (environment 3) caused bypassing to cease. At the type section of the Exshaw Formation on Jura Creek, Alberta, beds of the uppermost Palliser Formation accumulated on a shallow-marine carbonate bank (environment 1). These are overlain abruptly by a 2 to 7 cm sandy bed bearing collophane, bone fragments, and abundant pyrite. This bed may have accumulated in turbid, deeper water (environment 2) during bypassing of finer grained sediment. Further deepening of water resulted in decreased currents, and the black shale of the Exshaw Formation accumulated (environment 3). End_of_Article - Last_Page 605------------
Utility vs. Inadequacy of Realist IR Theory: Assessing China's Rise

Looking for Balance: China, the United States, and Power Balancing in East Asia. By Steve Chan. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2012. 282 pp., $50.00 hardcover (ISBN 978-0-8047-7820-6). China, the United States, and Global Order. By Rosemary Foot and Andrew Walter. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2011. 340 pp., $33.99 paperback (ISBN 978-0-521-72519-4). Great Games, Local Rules. By Alexander Cooley. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012. 252 pp., $29.95 hardcover (ISBN 978-0-19-992982-5). The three books under review represent a third wave of intellectual dissent following the initial realist prognostication of China's rise as a potent “threat” to the world order under US hegemony. To varying degrees, they convey a thinly veiled dissatisfaction with the earlier simplistic reading based on the realist conviction that any unbalanced power, whoever wields it, is a threat, and so is a rising power. Each in its own way offers an alternative way of ascertaining China's rise and its possible effects on US influence. To fully grasp the implications of this point, we need a review of the unfolding debates in reaction to both China's rise and to the realists' reading of its dire consequences. In the three decades that the world has been treated to the spectacle of China steadily on the ascent, there has been no scholarly consensus as to what to make of it, except among the realists (mostly in America) who drew the negative conclusion that it is a distinct threat. Some realists even openly advocated a US policy to block its rise (for example, Mearsheimer 2001). Other colleagues predicted that the rising China, like other possible candidates, will seek to balance against the unipolar power of the United States (Waltz 2000:28–32; 41). However, as Van Ness (2000) poignantly noted, well into the second decade after the collapse of Soviet power, China, no more than the other candidates on Waltz's list for the next great power, has not shown even the slightest sign of seeking to counterbalance the US unipolar dominance. The Van Ness skepticism, in retrospect, represents a first wave of intellectual discontent with the neorealist mode of analysis. It coincided with the independently rekindled interest in hierarchy, as opposed to anarchy, in conceptualizing about the international system. The shift in focus …
Low frequency shielding effects of a conducting shell with an aperture: response of an internal wire

Finite-difference-time-domain (FD-TD) predictions have been used, with up to a million time steps, to accurately characterize wire resonances below aperture cutoff for a wire shorted at its base and located within a conducting shell pierced by an aperture. Only a modest shielding effect was observed below cutoff for perfectly conducting shells with varying size apertures. The amplitudes of the wire resonances rose as 1/ omega /sup 2/ as frequency decreased. The Q of the wire resonances also increased rapidly with decreasing frequency. These effects were nearly offsetting, leaving the energy in each wire resonance only slightly reduced from the unshielded wire responses as the aperture size varied. This reduction only increased modestly with smaller aperture size. >
Problems of health insurance coverage and health care in the United States: public and private solution strategies

A nearly universal consensus has developed in the United States that the current health care financing system is a failure. The system has been unable to control the continuing rapid rise in health care costs (by far, the highest in the world), and it has been unable to stem the growing population that has no health insurance coverage (at least 36 million people). There is nearly universal political agreement that government must provide health insurance to a far greater share of the population than ever before. The political debate now focuses on whether this expanded government role should supplement the private insurance system with an enlarged public program covering those left out of private insurance coverage, or replace private insurance with a universal government health insurance program covering the entire population.
Acute Traumatic Rupture of the Aorta: A Reemphasis of Repair Without a Vascular Prosthesis

Abstract The incidence of acute aortic rupture has paralleled the increasing number of high-speed vehicles on our highways. Repair of acute aortic rupture without a vascular prosthesis has been mentioned frequently but seldom applied. Three consecutive patients with acute rupture repaired without a vascular prosthesis are discussed. The advantages of this technique are reviewed, and technical factors of the operation are described.
Development and reversal of contingent inefficacy and tolerance to the anticonvulsant effects of carbamazepine

The relationship of the timing of drug administration to anticonvulsant efficacy against amygdala kindled seizures was studied. During kindling development, rats received carbamazepine (CBZ, 15mg/kg) before (CBZ-before) or after each amygdala stimulation (CBZ-after). After kindling to full seizures, when all animals were given CBZ before the stimulation, only the CBZ-after group showed a good anticonvulsant response. The rats that had received CBZ before (during development of kindled seizures) remained unresponsive to CBZ treatment (contingent inefficacy). When drug-naive or CBZ-after animals repeatedly received CBZ before electrical stimulation, they developed tolerance to its anticonvulsant effects (contingent tolerance). The tolerance could be reversed by a period of treatment with CBZ-after or by kindling the animal drug-free, but not by CBZ administration alone or by time off from both drug and seizures. These findings suggest that inefficacy and tolerance to CBZ may be affected by the temporal contingencies of drug administration and that responsiveness can be reinstated by altering these contingencies.
BER criterion and codebook construction for finite-rate precoded spatial multiplexing with linear receivers

Precoded spatial multiplexing systems with rate-limited feedback have been studied recently based on various precoder selection criteria. Instead of those based on indirect performance indicators, we in this paper propose a new criterion directly based on the exact bit error rate (BER) that is applicable to systems with linear receivers and rectangular/square quadrature-amplitude-modulation constellations. The BER criterion outperforms any other alternative in terms of optimizing the BER performance for an uncoded system with linear receivers. We then develop a precoder codebook construction method based on the generalized Lloyd algorithm from the vector quantization literature. This construction is not directly based on the BER criterion. Hence, it is suboptimal in the BER sense. However, relative to those currently available, our newfound codebooks improve considerably various minimum distances between any pair of codewords of the codebook. Finally, we analyze the BER-optimal precoder in the asymptotic case with infinite-rate feedback that amounts to perfect channel knowledge at the transmitter. The infinite-rate optimal precoder based on the BER criterion is drastically different from the counterparts with other criteria, and it leads to a benchmark performance for finite-rate precoded spatial multiplexing systems. We observe from numerical results that the BER performance of finite-rate feedback with suboptimal codebooks approaches quickly the benchmark performance of infinite-rate feedback. This suggests that i) the number of feedback bits in practical systems need not be large and ii) the room for performance improvement via further codebook optimization shrinks quickly as the codebook size increases.
Library Web Sites at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

This article presents the findings of a study that sought to determine how useful library Web sites of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are as tools for disseminating information and providing services to users. The study compared the library Web sites of public-supported HBCUs with Web sites of other public-supported institutions in the Southeast. It was found that most HBCU libraries used their Web sites mainly to provide information about the library and its collections. The article offers some recommendations on what HBCU libraries can do to improve their Web sites to better serve their users.
Eccentric Versus Concentric Resistance Training to Enhance Neuromuscular Activation and Walking Speed Following Stroke

Background. Impaired voluntary neuromuscular activation of agonist muscles is a primary determinant of weakness and motor dysfunction following stroke. Objective. To determine whether eccentric resistance training (ECC) resistance training is superior to concentric resistance training (CON) resistance training to enhance neuromuscular activation, strength, and walking speed after stroke. Methods. A total of 34 adults poststroke participated in a staged intervention comprising (1) either CON-only or ECC-only resistance training of the paretic leg followed by (2) gait training. Changes in voluntary neuromuscular activation and power were assessed for both the trained paretic and untrained nonparetic legs. Self-selected and fast walking speeds were also assessed. Results. In response to resistance training, the ECC group experienced larger improvements in neuromuscular activation of paretic leg muscles, rectus femoris and vastus medialis (P < .005), and the largest gains in paretic leg power (+74% for ECC co...
The Personal Rover Project: The comprehensive design of a domestic personal robot

In this paper, we summarize an approach for the dissemination of robotics technologies. In a manner analogous to the personal computer movement of the early 1980s, we propose that a productive niche for robotic technologies is as a long-term creative outlet for human expression and discovery. To this end, this paper describes our ongoing efforts to design, prototype and test a low-cost, highly competent personal rover for the domestic environment. © 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Why Firms Offer New-Issue Direct Stock Purchase Plans

We investigate why firms choose to issue new shares to fund their direct stock purchase plans (DSPPs). The evidence supports our hypothesis that such firms are high growth firms facing shortages of internal capital along with a high marginal cost of external capital. We also hypothesize that firms use new-issue DSPPs to raise equity in smaller installments before making full-scale seasoned equity offerings (SEOs). The majority of firms in our sample offer SEOs within five years after initiating new-issue DSPPs. The market appears to perceive new-issue DSPPs as small-scale SEOs given that the reaction to SEO announcements is significantly higher for these firms than for matching firms without DSPPs.
Comparison of Novel Risk Markers for Improvement in Cardiovascular Risk Assessment in Intermediate-Risk Individuals

Context Risk markers including coronary artery calcium, carotid intima–media thickness, ankle-brachial index, brachial flow–mediated dilation, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP), and family history of coronary heart disease (CHD) have been reported to improve on the Framingham Risk Score (FRS) for prediction of CHD, but there are no direct comparisons of these markers for risk prediction in a single cohort. Objective We compared improvement in prediction of incident CHD/cardiovascular disease (CVD) of these 6 risk markers within intermediate-risk participants (FRS >5%- Design, Setting, and Participants Of 6814 MESA participants from 6 US field centers, 1330 were intermediate risk, without diabetes mellitus, and had complete data on all 6 markers. Recruitment spanned July 2000 to September 2002, with follow-up through May 2011. Probability-weighted Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs). Area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) and net reclassification improvement were used to compare incremental contributions of each marker when added to the FRS, plus race/ethnicity. Main Outcome Measures Incident CHD defined as myocardial infarction, angina followed by revascularization, resuscitated cardiac arrest, or CHD death. Incident CVD additionally included stroke or CVD death. Results After 7.6-year median follow-up (IQR, 7.3-7.8), 94 CHD and 123 CVD events occurred. Coronary artery calcium, ankle-brachial index, high-sensitivity CRP, and family history were independently associated with incident CHD in multivariable analyses (HR, 2.60 [95% CI, 1.94-3.50]; HR, 0.79 [95% CI, 0.66-0.95]; HR, 1.28 [95% CI, 1.00-1.64]; and HR, 2.18 [95% CI, 1.38-3.42], respectively). Carotid intima–media thickness and brachial flow–mediated dilation were not associated with incident CHD in multivariable analyses (HR, 1.17 [95% CI, 0.95-1.45] and HR, 0.95 [95% CI, 0.78-1.14]). Although addition of the markers individually to the FRS plus race/ethnicity improved AUC, coronary artery calcium afforded the highest increment (0.623 vs 0.784), while brachial flow–mediated dilation had the least (0.623 vs 0.639). For incident CHD, the net reclassification improvement with coronary artery calcium was 0.659, brachial flow–mediated dilation was 0.024, ankle-brachial index was 0.036, carotid intima–media thickness was 0.102, family history was 0.160 and high-sensitivity CRP was 0.079. Similar results were obtained for incident CVD. Conclusions Coronary artery calcium, ankle-brachial index, high-sensitivity CRP, and family history were independent predictors of incident CHD/CVD in intermediate-risk individuals. Coronary artery calcium provided superior discrimination and risk reclassification compared with other risk markers.
Attentional control in OCD and GAD: specificity and associations with core cognitive symptoms.

Obsessiveecompulsive disorder (OCD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are both defined by excessive negatively-valenced cognitions. Although obsessional thoughts are considered essential to OCD and perseverative worry is considered essential to GAD, these excessive cognitions have been found to co-occur in both disorders. Accordingly, a common diathesis may influence the emergence of excessive thoughts in both disorders. The present study examined deficits in attentional control as a cognitive vulnerability that may contribute to both obsessional thought and perseverative worry. Patients with OCD (n ¼30), GAD (n ¼29), and non-clinical controls (NCC; n ¼29) completed measures of obsessional thoughts, perseverative worry, and attentional control. Deficits in self-reported attentional control were found in both OCD and GAD relative to the NCC. However, attentional control was only related to excessive cognition in the GAD patient group, where deficits were associated with increased perseverative worry. Mediational modeling suggested that trait anxiety mediated the relationship between attentional control and perseverative worry in GAD. Implications of these findings for conceptualizing the role of attentional control in the genesis of excessive cognitions in OCD and GAD are discussed. 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Confirmed absence of a relict population of Gonidea angulata (Lea, 1838) (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Unionidae) in Colorado

The diversity of freshwater mussels in Colorado is low compared to other regions of the U.S.A., with only three extant species (down from seven a century ago). The western ridged mussel (Gonidea angulata) occurs in Pacific Coast drainages from British Columbia to California and eastward to Idaho and Nevada. It has been reported from Colorado based on a single museum specimen from Clear Lake, representing a significant range expansion for this species. During extensive recent surveys, I was unable to pinpoint this locality and regarded it as questionable. Examination of the specimen and locality data indicated this specimen was collected from Clear Lake, Lake County, California.
Lack of Association Between Pretreatment Neurology Consultation and Subsequent Protocol Deviation in Tissue Plasminogen Activator-Treated Patients With Stroke

Background and Purpose—We evaluated the hypothesis that consultation with neurology would be associated with fewer protocol deviations in tissue plasminogen activator-treated patients with stroke. Methods—A retrospective analysis of consecutive tissue plasminogen activator-treated patients with acute patients was performed. Using χ2 tests, the proportion of patients with a protocol deviation was calculated and compared between those with evidence of a neurology consultation and those without. Logistic regression was then used to determine the OR for protocol deviation at the same time as controlling for clinical presentation covariates. Results—Two hundred seventy-three subjects were included. Protocol deviation rates did not significantly differ between those with (44%) and those without (41%) a consultation. The adjusted OR for deviation comparing any consultation versus nonconsultation was 1.25 (95% CI: 0.58 to 2.68). There was no statistically significant difference between symptomatic intracranial he...
Simulation of Atomic and Molecular Processes at Solid Surfaces

As the papers of this conference make clear, there are many approaches to the calculation of total energies and atomic forces. During the past four years, we have developed a technique that is particularly useful for computer simulations of atomic motion and chemical reactions at solid surfaces [1–18]. The long-range goal of such simulations is microscopic understanding of complex processes like interfacial growth and catalysis. A feasible short-range goal is to study the more specific atomic processes that occur when an atom, molecule, or cluster interacts with a solid surface.
Dominant Party Democracy in Tanzania

How do single party regimes maintain long-lasting, enduring political dominance in developing countries, even when elections are reasonably free and civil liberties respected? This paper presents evidence from a series of survey experiments and quasi-experiments to develop a theory of the Tanzanian case. First, we present evidence that shows that the network of low-level ruling party representatives induces citizens to self-censor about their true political views. Second, we use new measurement techniques to develop more accurate estimates of the gift of material goods from politicians to voters (vote buying). Finally, we use data from a series of public opinion surveys to highlight the role of low expectations vis-a-vis public service delivery, as well as ideological and historical factors, to further explain the entrenched dominance of Tanzanias ruling party.
The Alabama Criminal Code - 25 Years and Counting

On January 1, 2005, the Alabama Criminal Code passed its 25-year mark. The Code substantially and extensively changed the criminal law landscape in Alabama. It establishes general principles and provisions applicable to the entire range of crimes, uses common definitions, simplifies crimes and defenses, organizes related crimes into groups, and provides consistency and proportionality. The Code makes the law simpler, clearer, more rational, more uniform and more assessable. The Code was intended to be - and is - the primary, definitive source for crimes and their definitions in Alabama, but because the Code itself recognizes that other statutes or ordinances may establish or define crimes, it is not the exclusive source for crimes. Moreover, although the Code addresses and defines most criminal defenses, it does not preclude the possibility of a lingering common law defense. This article surveys the first 25 years of the Alabama Criminal Code. It discusses the evolution of the Code over the years, and attempts to identify some areas which may merit reconsideration. The aim of the article is not to criticize legislative or judicial choices, or mire the reader down in lengthy policy debates pronouncing where the law should go. Rather, the article identifies and discusses several areas of the Code which, through the clarity of hindsight and experience, may be ineffective, inefficient, or at odds with the original aims of the Code. The article also compares the development of Alabama's Criminal Code in certain areas with that of other states. The article notes that the Alabama Criminal Code is a prodigious product, but it was written in the late 1970s. Times, circumstances and needs change, and the time is right to review the Code to ensure that it is current and responsive to the needs of Alabama.
Breath ethane as a marker of reactive oxygen species during manipulation of diet and oxygen tension in rats

Breath ethane, O2consumption, and CO2 production were analyzed in 24-mo-old female Fischer 344 rats that had been fed continuously ad libitum (AL) or restricted 30% of AL level (DR) diets since 6 w...
Studies of workers exposed to low doses of external radiation

Currently, several epidemiologic studies of workers who have been exposed occupationally to low levels of radiation are being conducted. They include studies of workers in the United States, Great Britain, and Canada involved in the production of both defense materials and nuclear power. This paper focuses on studies evaluating the possible adverse effects that result from external exposure to radiation.
Executing a collaborative prospective risk-factor study: findings, successes, and challenges.

Moderate evidence1 demonstrates that injury-prevention training programs can substantially reduce the risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in athletes. Yet the current literature2–4 contains both positive and negative results for ACL injury prevention. Researchers must identify the prospective risk factors for noncontact/indirect-contact ACL injury to ultimately improve the effectiveness of existing ACL injury-prevention programs. PROSPECTIVE RISK FACTORS VERSUS MECHANISMS OF INJURY
Effects of endotoxin on glycogenolytic enzymes of mouse liver.

SummaryThe effect of endotoxin on the glycogenolytic enzymes was determined in an in vitro system. No increases in activities of phosphorylase, acid lysosomal glucosidase, neutral glucosidase or amylo-1, 6-glucosidase were noted. The increased glycogenolysis was attributed to increased activity of α-amylase, which resulted in release of α-amylase from microsomes. Endotoxin did not release acid phosphatase from lysosomes suggesting that release of microsomal α-amylase was not mediated by released lysosomal enzymes. Preliminary experiments did not show inhibition of microsomal membrane-bound ATPase.The livers of mice injected intravenously with endotoxin had one-sixth of the micro-somal-associated α-amylase activity as compared with control mice, indicating in vivo microsomal damage. The sera of these endo-toxin-treated mice had a corresponding increase in α-amylase activity over the sera of control mice.This research was supported by National Science Foundation Grant GB-8363. P. Zwadyk was the recipient of...
Optical Occupant Position Sensor for Airbag System

An occupant position sensor is the key device for the smart airbag system to increase the reliability of conventional airbag systems. In the smart airbag system, the degree of airbag explosion is controlled by the data from the occupant position sensor. High accurate occupant position sensing is needed, which might be difficult by supersonic technologies.This paper reports a novel optical occupant position sensing device suitable for the smart airbag system, which measures the distances from the sensor to 2 dimensional multiple points on the occupant. The method to measure the distances is optical triangulation using photo-diode array pairs and a data processing IC.In this paper. the occupant position recognition is demonstrated using the data obtained by 2 dimensional distance measurement of the occupant position sensing device, in the accuracy of 3cm at the distances of 75cm within the optical view angle of 35 and 53 degrees in horizontal and vertical respectively. Total distance measurement points of this device are 4×44. This paper also describes the recognition possibility of 4 basic occupant position using these distance data, which is needed for airbag explosion control in smart airbag system.
Distributed Model Updating in Smart Wireless Monitoring Systems

A wireless sensor integrates a radio to facilitate the exchange of data by wireless communications. In recent years, wireless sensors have rapidly matured with current platforms offering performance levels on par with traditional tethered sensors. The elimination of extensive wiring typical of tethered monitoring systems keeps the cost of wireless monitoring systems low. In addition to the inclusion of a radio, most wireless sensors include low-power microcontrollers in their hardware design. The inclusion of computational resources allows the sensor to autonomously process data, a revolutionary concept not previously seen in tethered structural monitoring systems. In this paper, the distributed computing resources inherent to a wireless structural monitoring system are leveraged to conduct model updating. A parallelized version of simulated annealing model updating procedures is embedded in a network of wireless sensors for autonomous execution. Automated model updating by a wireless monitoring system allows the system to keep analytical models current for long-term health monitoring of the
Species Identification of Calliphorid (Diptera) Eggs

Eggs of 11 forensically important calliphorid species belonging to six genera were studied with SEM for useful diagnostic characters. Identification was confounded by the following three factors: (1) variability within and among populations of the same species, (2) similarities among some congeneric species, and (3) similarities between some species of different genera. Reliable separation based on morphology should take into account relevant aspects of blow fly biology as it is affected by locality, climate, season, and weather.
Evidence that the Rhodopsin Kinase (GRK1) N-Terminus and the Transducin Gα C-Terminus Interact with the Same "Hydrophobic Patch" on Rhodopsin TM5.

Phosphorylation of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) terminates their ability to couple with and activate G proteins by increasing their affinity for arrestins. Unfortunately, detailed information regarding how GPCRs interact with the kinases responsible for their phosphorylation is still limited. Here, we purified fully functional GPCR kinase 1 (GRK1) using a rapid method and used it to gain insights into how this important kinase interacts with the GPCR rhodopsin. Specifically, we find that GRK1 uses the same site on rhodopsin as the transducin (Gt) Gtα C-terminal tail and the arrestin “finger loop”, a cleft formed in the cytoplasmic face of the receptor upon activation. Our studies also show GRK1 requires two conserved residues located in this cleft (L226 and V230) that have been shown to be required for Gt activation due to their direct interactions with hydrophobic residues on the Gα C-terminal tail. Our data and modeling studies are consistent with the idea that all three proteins (Gt, GRK1, and v...
Pathophysiology of Small Intestinal Motility

Only in the last few years have we begun to understand the effects of surgical procedures on contractile activity of the small intestine. Although most patients readily adapt to the procedures that are performed, operations such as small intestinal transplantation make it imperative that we pursue a more thorough understanding of the effects of surgery on the motility of the small intestine.
CELF RNA binding proteins promote axon regeneration in C. elegans and mammals through alternative splicing of Syntaxins

Axon injury triggers dramatic changes in gene expression. While transcriptional regulation of injury-induced gene expression is widely studied, less is known about the roles of RNA binding proteins (RBPs) in post-transcriptional regulation during axon regeneration. In C. elegans the CELF (CUGBP and Etr-3 Like Factor) family RBP UNC-75 is required for axon regeneration. Using crosslinking immunoprecipitation coupled with deep sequencing (CLIP-seq) we identify a set of genes involved in synaptic transmission as mRNA targets of UNC-75. In particular, we show that UNC-75 regulates alternative splicing of two mRNA isoforms of the SNARE Syntaxin/unc-64. In C. elegans mutants lacking unc-75 or its targets, regenerating axons form growth cones, yet are deficient in extension. Extending these findings to mammalian axon regeneration, we show that mouse Celf2 expression is upregulated after peripheral nerve injury and that Celf2 mutant mice are defective in axon regeneration. Further, mRNAs for several Syntaxins show CELF2 dependent regulation. Our data delineate a post-transcriptional regulatory pathway with a conserved role in regenerative axon extension.
On the Threshold with Students

The idea of threshold concepts emerged from and has evolved through communities of scholarly teachers and researchers talking with each other about disciplinary learning. In this chapter, I will approach thresholds from a different angle. Drawing on threshold concept seminars that I conducted with undergraduate students at three US colleges, this chapter considers what we might understand about threshold concepts if we partnered with students to explore the nature of thresholds and learning in higher education.