cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relative equivalence in the presence of ambiguity

We examine the problem of defining equivalence between two functions pieces of code that are intended to perform analogous tasks, but whose interfaces do not correspond in a straightforward way, even to the point of ambiguity. We formalize the notion of what equivalence means in such a case and show how to check it using constraints on a model checking problem. We show that the presence of constraints complicates the issue of predicate abstraction, and show that nevertheless we can use predicates no finer than those needed in the absence of constraints. Our solution is being used to verify the migration of tens of millions of lines of health insurance claims processing code from icd- 9 to icd-10, two versions of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems icd, whose correspondence is complex and ambiguous in both directions. We present experimental results on 90,000 real life functions.
Public Administration and Macroeconomic Issues: Is This the Time for a Marriage Proposal?:

A number of Public Administration (PA) scholars have raised concerns regarding the discipline’s neglect of macroeconomic challenges. Our article focuses on the link between macroeconomic trends and...
Filtered Adaptive Constrained Sampled-data Output Feedback Control for Uncertain Multivariable Nonlinear Systems

This paper synthesises a constrained sampled-data output feedback controller for uncertain multivariable nonlinear systems in the presence of various constraints, using the filtered adaptive contro...
B cell intrinsic expression of IFNλ receptor suppresses the acute humoral immune response to experimental blood-stage malaria.

Antibodies play a critical protective role in the host response to blood-stage malaria infection. The role of cytokines in shaping the antibody response to blood-stage malaria is unclear. Interfero...
Excessive work hours and hypertension: Evidence from the NIOSH survey data

Abstract Hypertension is common among truck and bus drivers. Few studies analyze how working conditions, including wages and work hours, might correlate with hypertension among these workers. We hypothesize that long work hours contribute to long-haul truck drivers’ hypertension. This paper analyzes data collected from 722 U.S. long-haul employee truck drivers, including drivers taking anti-hypertensive drugs (n = 186; 25.75%), drivers diagnosed with hypertension but not taking medication (n = 64; 8.86%), and drivers with no hypertension history (n = 472; 65.35%). Using a multinomial logit model, we find that that longer work hours are associated with a higher probability of suffering from hypertension. However, drivers who take hypertension medication also work fewer hours per week; perhaps they take their medicine and proactively reduce their work intensity. Alternatively, it may mean that for unknown reasons, drivers who do not take hypertensive drugs but who also work longer hours work for employers who demand more working hours from them as a condition of their employment. Economic theory suggests that truck drivers who have the liberty to choose their hours would work fewer hours in order to reduce their blood pressure. Since commercial drivers face a tradeoff between income and health, this study suggests that drivers who take medication for hypertension may accept lower overall earnings by working fewer hours in order to forestall worsening hypertension. Drivers who lack the liberty to choose their work hours may work longer hours despite their hypertension. They may have “bad jobs” injurious to their health.
From the Margins of the Classroom to Mattering: How Community College Education Students Develop Future Teacher Identities

This paper discusses the effects of an experimental fieldwork course. The course incorporated cultural responsiveness and action research to impact the future teacher identity of students in a teac...
"I Think It's Been Met With a Shrug:" Oncologists' Views Toward and Experiences With Right-to-Try.

BACKGROUND The federal Right-to-Try (RTT) Act created an alternate regulatory pathway for preapproval access to investigational drugs. A few studies have examined the experiences of physicians with the Food and Drug Administration's Expanded Access Programs, but to our knowledge, no study has yet to examine their attitudes and experiences toward RTT. METHODS This study explored the views of 21 oncologists at a major cancer center with 3 main sites across the United States using semi-structured interviews and qualitative analysis. Participants were selected to have experience with Expanded Access Programs. RESULTS Most oncologists had limited familiarity with RTT, and several reported confusion about the legislation, including whether patients have a right to investigational drugs and an obligation for companies to provide them. Although oncologists were interested in decreased regulatory burdens, 3 areas of concern were articulated: lack of safety and oversight, unclear structure and no provision for data collection, and potential heightening of patient expectations. Only 4 oncologists had experience discussing RTT, and none formally attempted to obtain the drug through this mechanism. Participants questioned the practicality of RTT legislation and suggested alternative ways to improve access. CONCLUSIONS The study provides foundational empirical data underlying challenging ambiguities by experienced oncologists familiar with off-trial use of investigational therapeutics and reaffirms the role of physicians and regulatory bodies in mitigating the risks of investigational drugs. Our findings highlight the need for medical centers to inform oncologists about RTT and other preapproval pathways so that they are able to address questions from patients interested in nontrial investigational drugs.
The Choice of Health Care Providers among Old Order Amish in a Pennsylvania Valley

The Amish offer an interesting mix of conventional and complementary choices regarding health care and health care professionals. Based on the author's experiences in an Amish community located in a valley of central Pennsylvania, these culturally based advantages and disadvantages in choices are discussed. The article concludes with a set of recommendations for developing improved and culturally appropriate practices for the Amish and their interactions with health care providers.
Augmenting Virtual Reality Terrain Display with Smart Shoe Physical Rendering: A Pilot Study

Haptic terrain rendering is limited in existing Virtual Reality (VR) systems. This article describes integration of the Smart Shoe (SS) for physical terrain display with the TreadPort VR system. The SS renders both gross sloped terrain and subtle sensations of stepping on small objects or uneven surfaces. The TreadPort projects terrain on the floor and the SS renders terrain that the user steps upon via motion tracking. The research is motivated towards eventually providing gait training for people with Parkinson's Disease (PD), hence this work presents a pilot study evaluating haptic terrain rendering with healthy elderly and PD participants wearing the SS within the TreadPort. Uneven cobblestone surfaces are rendered by the SS as the participant steps on their graphical representation in VR. While posthoc analysis shows the study is underpowered, kinematic and spatiotemporal results derived from motion capture data demonstrates kinesthetic response (e.g., increased maximum ankle angle and minimum toe clearance, reduced minimum ankle angle and knee angle) provided by the SS. Questionnaire data shows increased VR realism and difficulty walking on cobbled terrain using SS rendering. Thus, results indicate that the integrated haptic system demonstrates promise in potential gait training for PD in future work.
Dissociation Mechanisms of G-actin Subunits Govern Deformation Response of Actin Filament.

Actin molecules are essential structural components of the cellular cytoskeleton. Here, we report a comprehensive analysis of F-actin’s deformation behavior and highlight underlying mechanisms usin...
Introduction to tribocorrosion

Abstract A primary wear mechanism for sliding metal pairs is oxidative wear in which the passive oxide film is mechanically removed when two surfaces are rubbed together. The freshly exposed layer undergoes further oxidation, and the cycle continues. This mechanism of material and lubricant degradation is referred to as wear–corrosion synergism, and the phenomenon is termed tribocorrosion. The chapter introduces the process and mechanism of tribocorrosion followed by techniques available to measure and analyze tribocorrosion behaviors.
Reoperation and Mortality Rates Following Elective 1 to 2 Level Lumbar Fusion: A Large State Database Analysis.

Study Design:Retrospective cohort.Objective:Reoperation to lumbar spinal fusion creates significant burden on patient quality of life and healthcare costs. We assessed rates, etiologies, and risk f...
Large uncertainties in global hydroxyl projections tied to fate of reactive nitrogen and carbon

The hydroxyl radical (OH) sets the oxidative capacity of the atmosphere and, thus, profoundly affects the removal rate of pollutants and reactive greenhouse gases. While observationally derived constraints exist for global annual mean present-day OH abundances and interannual variability, OH estimates for past and future periods rely primarily on global atmospheric chemistry models. These models disagree ± 30% in mean OH and in its changes from the preindustrial to late 21st century, even when forced with identical anthropogenic emissions. A simple steady-state relationship that accounts for ozone photolysis frequencies, water vapor, and the ratio of reactive nitrogen to carbon emissions explains temporal variability within most models, but not intermodel differences. Here, we show that departure from the expected relationship reflects the treatment of reactive oxidized nitrogen species (NO y ) and the fraction of emitted carbon that reacts within each chemical mechanism, which remain poorly known due to a lack of observational data. Our findings imply a need for additional observational constraints on NO y partitioning and lifetime, especially in the remote free troposphere, as well as the fate of carbon-containing reaction intermediates to test models, thereby reducing uncertainties in projections of OH and, hence, lifetimes of pollutants and greenhouse gases.
Game Plan, a Web-Based Intervention to Improve Adherence and Persistence to HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis and Reduce Heavy Drinking in Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex With Men: Usability and User Experience Testing.

Background: Encouraging consistent use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is essential for reducing HIV incidence, particularly among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM), and especially those who engage in heavy drinking. Although practice guidelines recommend providing adherence counseling to PrEP patients, clinics and providers may not have the resources or expertise to provide it. Internet-facilitated interventions have been shown to improve HIV prevention outcomes, including medication and care adherence. Game Plan is a website we created to help users make a tangible plan for reducing their HIV risk. We designed additional components of Game Plan to address key individual level barriers to PrEP use. Objective: The aim of this mixed methods research is to test the usability and user experience of these components with intended users: GBM who drink heavily and are on PrEP. Methods: In study 1 (usability), we completed a detailed individual interview in which participants (n=10) walked through a prototype of the website, thinking aloud as they did, and completed a follow-up interview and web-based survey afterward. Study 2 (user experience) involved providing participants (n=40) with a link to the prototype website to explore on their own and asking them to complete the same follow-up survey afterward. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis, and descriptive statistics were used to analyze quantitative data. Results: Users in both studies gave the website excellent ratings for usability, overall satisfaction, and quality, and most often described the site as informative, helpful, and supportive. Users also rated the site’s content and feel as respectful of them and their autonomy, empathetic, and they stated that it conveyed confidence in their ability to change. The study 1 interviews highlighted the importance of the website’s esthetics to the participants’ engagement with it and its credibility in prompting genuine reflection. Conclusions: GBM who reported heavy drinking and used PrEP generally found a website focused on helping them to create a plan to use PrEP consistently to be helpful. Adopting user-centered design methods and attending to the esthetics of mobile health interventions are important steps toward encouraging engagement and reducing at-risk behaviors.
Assessing the Effects of Trematode Infection on Invasive Green Crabs in Eastern North America

A common signature of marine invasions worldwide is a significant loss of parasites (= parasite escape) in non-native host populations, which may confer a release from some of the harmful effects of parasitism (e.g., castration, energy extraction, immune activation, behavioral manipulation) and possibly enhance the success of non-indigenous species. In eastern North America, the notorious invader Carcinus maenas (European green crab) has escaped more than two-thirds its native parasite load. However, one of its parasites, a trematode (Microphallus similis), can be highly prevalent in the non-native region; yet little is known about its potential impacts. We employed a series of laboratory experiments to determine whether and how M. similis infection intensity influences C. maenas, focusing on physiological assays of body mass index, energy storage, and immune activation, as well as behavioral analyses of foraging, shelter utilization, and conspicuousness. We found little evidence for enduring physiological or behavioral impacts four weeks after experimental infection, with the exception of mussel handling time which positively correlated with cyst intensity. However, we did find evidence for a short-term effect of M. similis infection during early stages of infection (soon after cercarial penetration) via a significant drop in circulating immune cells, and a significant increase in the crabs’ righting response time. Considering M. similis is the only common parasite infecting C. maenas in eastern North America, our results for minimal lasting effects of the trematode on the crab’s physiology and behavior may help explain the crab’s continued prominence as a strong predator and competitor in the region.
Molecular Dynamics Guided Design of Tocoflexol: A New Radioprotectant Tocotrienol with Enhanced Bioavailability

There is a pressing need to develop safe and effective radioprotector/radiomitigator agents for use in accidental or terrorist-initiated radiological emergencies. Naturally occurring vitamin E family constituents, termed tocols, that include the tocotrienols, are known to have radiation-protection properties. These agents, which work through multiple mechanisms, are promising radioprotectant agents having minimal toxicity. Although α-tocopherol (AT) is the most commonly studied form of vitamin E, the tocotrienols are more potent than AT in providing radioprotection and radiomitigation. Unfortunately, despite their very significant radioprotectant activity, tocotrienols have very short plasma half-lives and require dosing at very high levels to achieve necessary therapeutic benefits. Thus, it would be highly desirable to develop new vitamin E analogues with improved pharmacokinetic properties, specifically increased elimination half-life and increased area under the plasma level versus time curve. The short elimination half-life of the tocotrienols is related to their low affinity for the α-tocopherol transfer protein (ATTP), the protein responsible for maintaining the plasma level of the tocols. Tocotrienols have less affinity for ATTP than does AT, and thus have a longer residence time in the liver, putting them at higher risk for metabolism and biliary excretion. We hypothesized that the low-binding affinity of tocotrienols to ATTP is due to the relatively more rigid tail structure of the tocotrienols in comparison with that of the tocopherols. Therefore, compounds with a more flexible tail would have better binding to ATTP and consequently would have longer elimination half-life and, consequently, an increased exposure to drug, as measured by area under the plasma drug level versus time curve (AUC). This represents an enhanced residence of drug in the systemic circulation. Based on this hypothesis, we developed a new class of vitamin E analogues, the tocoflexols, which maintain the superior bioactivity of the tocotrienols with the potential to achieve the longer half-life and larger AUC of the tocopherols.
Environmental Sustainability in Organizations: The Information Technology Role

This study explores the role of IT in improving environmental sustainability of organizations using an interpretive analysis of the environmental IT implementation processes of three early innovators. The technology, organization, and environment framework and a six-stage IT implementation model guided our data analysis. Factors and outcomes at the various implementation stages were extracted. We find that IT was implemented primarily to measure and report the sustainability impact of organizations; however, the information that resulted from these systems increased organizational commitment to environmental sustainability and led to the development of sustainable practices in these organizations.
Physiological responses to a 60-Minute Zuma® class in college age females

Purpose. The purpose of this study was be to determine the physiological responses throughout a 60 min Zumba® class and compare the average METs of the Zumba® class to the American College of Sports Medicine's definition of vigorous activity of 6 METs. Methods. 30 college age females were analyzed during a Zumba® class. Throughout the class, METs, caloric expenditure, kcal/min, HR, and VO2 were recorded using a K4b2 Cosmed unit that the participant wore during the class. Results. There was no significant difference between the METs of the full Zumba® class and 6 METs (5.7 ± 1.8 vs. 6.0). Discussion. Zumba® is classified as a moderate intensity activity and capable of meeting the ACSM's criteria if practiced for 60 min duration, 3-5 days per week. Taking three Zumba® classes per week would be the minimum recommended frequency with an increase for more fitness improvements or weight control.
Beyond the Innocence of Globalization: The Abiding Necessity of Carlos Bulosan's Anti-Imperialist Imagination

This essay analyzes Carlos Bulosan’s writing in terms of the way he works todevelop an aesthetic that comprehends and cognitively maps the repetitive dynamicsof US and global colonial capitalism. More precisely, the essay examines howBulosan’s aesthetic practice both grapples with the question of how an individualand collective consciousness can grasp the systemic processes that conditionexperience and also how it fosters that consciousness in the way it representsthe relationships among experience, the larger class and colonial dynamics thatproduce that experience, and the ideological processes that intervene in ourcomprehension of those dynamics. In developing an aesthetic that aligns ideologyand experience and grasps the dynamics of the global colonial system, Bulosan’sfiction, this essay argues, generates a narrative of class struggle and a consciousnessthat grasps the national dimension of the Filipino working-class, comprehendingthe need for national liberation.The essay explores the way Bulosan’s political narratives work through andconfront ideological tensions between a facile internationalism and a more concretenational liberation politics in his fiction by deploying, at times, an innocent narratorwhose idealistic values and approach to the world are challenged through thatcharacter’s experiences of racial and economic injustice, violence, exploitation, anddeprivation. This technique allows Bulosan to articulate a utopian worldview, thatis, an ideal sense of what a world framed on principles of justice would entail, andalso to address the political and economic realities that betray that ideal and thus require repair and transformation through collective political struggle. Typically, inconstructing plots that move through innocence to experience, Bulosan works tocreate an aesthetic that aligns representation and the lived experience of Filipinos inthe United States and the Philippines in ways that highlight the national dimensionsof Filipino life and foster a national consciousness, challenging a premature orunder-theorized internationalism or universalism.
“Warm blood and live semen and rich marrow and wholesome flesh!”: A Queer Ecological Reading of Christopher Isherwood’s A Single Man

In Christopher Isherwood’s A Single Man, George, the novel’s main character, acts a barometer for the ecological destruction enacted by the “breeders”—the families and their children—who surround him. While mourning the sudden death of his longtime partner, George observes the suburban heterosexual couples and their offspring as well as the rampant growth and construction and the general environmental destruction occurring in California at the time. While the novel is traditionally read as a text that empowers and normalizes a gay man in a long-term relationship, I argue that these critics are ignoring the environmental signs spread throughout the novel. George notices the urban and suburban sprawl occurring in California, and he realizes that the sprawl (and humans) will die and “the desert, which is the natural condition of this country, will return” (A Single Man 111). Isherwood specifically uses his gay character to track the inevitable apocalypse that will be brought on by breeding and reverses the paradigm of queerness as unnatural by making reproduction unnatural and inherently apocalyptic. Besides this, George constructs spaces to support his queerness as well as the preservation of natural spaces. And instead of imposing new binaries in the narrative, Isherwood includes descriptions of touch and play, primarily that between George and his student Kenny, as a means of dissolving boundaries and opening upon the possibility of naturalized same-sex eroticism.
Control flow analysis of distributed computing system software using structured Petri net model

The structure Petri net model is presented for the representation and analysis of the control structures of distributed computing system software (DCSS). The basic properties of the model and some analysis techniques using this model are also presented. Liveness, reachability, and other related problems and their complexity are investigated. The NP-completeness of the reachability problem of this model is demonstrated. Four subclasses of structured Petri nets are then identified, and within these subclasses more efficient analysis methods based on decompositions are developed. Several O( mod T mod and O( mod T mod )/sup 2/) algorithms for liveness and reachability analyses are presented. Since most of these algorithms can be performed efficiently and economically, it is feasible that they can be integrated as an analysis tool for supporting the DCSS development process. >
Surface processing techniques using controlled environments and atomically-clean surfaces: Nitrogen-stabilized iron

Abstract Purposeful exposure of an atomically clean surface to controlled environments is explored as a technique for obtaining surfaces with desired properties. The incorporation of nitrogen into atomically clean iron at room temperature is discussed as an example of clean surface modification, resulting in significant enhancement of resistance to corrosion at room temperature in dry and moist air, relative to intially air-exposed samples. Treated and untreated sides of samples — subsequently exposed to air and moist air environments — have been characterized by optical and scanning electron microscopy, grazing-incidence electron diffraction, and depth-profiling Auger spectroscopy. Nitrogen treatment was found to inhibit iron from forming crystalline oxides.
Attempted underwater en bloc resection for large (2-4 cm) colorectal laterally spreading tumors (with video)

Objective To evaluate the feasibility and outcomes of attempted underwater en bloc resection (UEBR) of large colorectal laterally spreading tumors (LSTs). Design Prospective, observational study. Setting Tertiary academic referral center. Patients Fifty patients meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Interventions Standardized UEBR technique involving attempted en bloc resection without submucosal injection by using a large 33-mm snare. Main Outcome Measurements Complete endoscopic en bloc resection, histologic complete resection, procedure time, adverse events, and follow-up data. Results Over 13 months, UEBR was attempted in 50 patients (median age, 68 years) with 53 LSTs 2 to 4 cm in size. The median LST size was 30 mm (range 20-40 mm). The median procedure and resection times were 38 minutes (range 17-87 minutes) and 3 minutes (range 1-32 minutes), respectively. Complete endoscopic en bloc resection with the 33-mm snare was successful in 29 of 53 lesions (55%). Of these, histology showed neoplasia-free margins in 79%. Final histology was tubular adenoma (n = 26), sessile serrated adenoma (n = 10), tubulovillous adenoma (n = 14), villous adenoma (n = 2), and intramucosal carcinoma (n = 1). Adverse events (4%) were delayed bleeding in 1 and abdominal pain in 1 patient each. There were no perforations. Forty patients with a total of 43 adenomas had follow-up colonoscopy with biopsies of the resection site after a median of 31 weeks (range 7-71 weeks) after resection. Residual adenoma was found in 2 of 43 (5%). Limitations Single-center, limited follow-up. Conclusion On an intention-to-treat basis, complete endoscopic en bloc resection was achieved in 55% of lesions with complete histologic resection verified in 79% of the en bloc specimens. UEBR without submucosal injection appears safe. Refinements are needed to improve UEBR success rates.
Slicing class hierarchies in C

This paper describes an algorithm for slicing class hierarchies in C++ programs. Given a C++ class hierarchy (a collection of C++ classes and inheritance relations among them) and a program P that uses the hierarchy, the algorithm eliminates from the hierarchy those data members, member functions, classes, and inheritance relations that are unnecessary for ensuring that the semantics of P is maintained.Class slicing is especially useful when the program P is generated from a larger program P' by a statement slicing algorithm. Such an algorithm eliminates statements that are irrelevant to a set of slicing criteria---program points of particular interest. There has been considerable previous work on statement slicing, and it will not be the concern of this paper. However, the combination of statement slicing and class slicing for C++ has two principal applications: First, class slicing can enhance statement slicing's utility in program debugging and understanding applications, by eliminating both executable and declarative program components irrelevant to the slicing criteria. Second, the combination of the two slicing algorithms can be used to decrease the space requirements of programs that do not use all the components of a class hierarchy. Such a situation is particularly common in programs that use class libraries.
Inhibition by Ethambutol of Mycolic Acid Transfer into the Cell Wall of Mycobacterium smegmatis

Ethambutol simultaneously inhibited the transfer (presumably via mycolyl acetyl trehalose) of mycolic acids into the cell wall and stimulated the synthesis of trehalose dimycolates of Mycobacterium smegmatis. Structural similarities of the drug and mycolyl acetyl trehalose suggested that competitive inhibition was involved.
From Marrow to Brain: Expression of Neuronal Phenotypes in Adult Mice

After intravascular delivery of genetically marked adult mouse bone marrow into lethally irradiated normal adult hosts, donor-derived cells expressing neuronal proteins (neuronal phenotypes) developed in the central nervous system. Flow cytometry revealed a population of donor-derived cells in the brain with characteristics distinct from bone marrow. Confocal microscopy of individual cells showed that hundreds of marrow-derived cells in brain sections expressed gene products typical of neurons (NeuN, 200-kilodalton neurofilament, and class III beta-tubulin) and were able to activate the transcription factor cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB). The generation of neuronal phenotypes in the adult brain 1 to 6 months after an adult bone marrow transplant demonstrates a remarkable plasticity of adult tissues with potential clinical applications.
Takayasu's Arteritis - An Unusual Cause of Stroke in a Young Patient.

We describe the case of a 28-year-old-male with no significant medical history who presented with right-sided hemiparesis, bruits over the carotid and subclavian arteries and an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Imaging studies revealed a middle cerebral artery thrombus and inflammatory changes of the carotid and subclavian arteries and aorta. The diagnosis of Takayasu’s arteritis was made and the patient was started on steroids and immunomodulators with good clinical response. [West J Emerg Med. 2012;13(6):484-487]
An improved regional correlation algorithm for signature verification which permits small speed changes between handwriting segments

If two nearly coincident accelerometers on a pen axis measure orthogonal acceleration components perpendicular to this axis, then the regional correlation algorithm for signature verification divides these data into plausible segments, it compares each segment with a corresponding reference, and it combines the results into a global similarity index. The presently used intersegment distance permits certain natural data transformations: (1) translating a segment by small integer multiples of the sampling interval: (2) moving the pen with uniformly larger amplitude throughout a segment; and (3) rotating the pen about its axis between any two segments. We propose a new intersegment distance which permits further natural transformations: (4) translating a segment by a fraction of the sampling interval: and (5) writing at slightly different uniform speed within each segment. The new distance, like the old one, is the minimum of a certain function. We describe an algorithm which computes this minimum.
Investigating child maltreatment in out-of-home care: Barriers to effective decision-making

Abstract When children are alleged to be abused or neglected in out-of-home care, investigations must determine the facts of the allegations as well as arrange for the safety of children. This paper reports on a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional archival case review designed to assess the quality of investigations and to explore possible barriers to effective decision-making. Methods were used to explore factors that may have led to faulty decision-making in four decision categories: (1) placement in foster homes with prior substantiated child abuse and neglect; (2) determination of findings of new reports of child maltreatment; (3) evaluation of child safety following a report of child maltreatment; and (4) decisions about licensure and corrective action. Results suggest that the faulty decisions identified in this study may be related to: inadequate knowledge, information processing errors, the task environment, perceptual blocks, and expressive blocks. Recommendations are offered for improving the quality of investigative decision-making following reports of child maltreatment in out-of-home care.
Recommended data elements for firearm-related injury surveillance

During 1994, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded seven states to develop and evaluate surveillance systems for firearm-related injuries. In addition, New York City and California had related experience with firearm-related injury surveillance. At the time these nine jurisdictions began developing their surveillance systems, no standardized definitions or recommendations were available about the best methods or procedures of collecting data or suggested data elements of a firearm-related injury surveillance system. The nine jurisdictions and CDC developed a list of recommended data elements (RDEs) for fatal and nonfatal firearm-related injuries. We describe the process used to develop the RDEs, the 21 data elements suggested by the funded projects, the data sources that may be able to provide those data elements, and an indication of which sources may be most useful. We encourage all developing surveillance systems to strive to include these data elements, although some of the elements will be more easily attainable for fatal injury events than nonfatal ones, and no single data source will be able to provide all the desired information about both morbidity and mortality from firearm-related injuries. The RDEs capitalize on the preliminary experiences of the small group of jurisdictions, but they need to be pilot tested and revised as we collect more information about how well these elements capture the desired information and whether the information obtained is useful.
Motor neuron disease, lymphoproliferative disease, and bone marrow biopsy

Some have suggested that nonfamilial motor neuron disease (MND) may be autoimmune, and the neurological disorder may benefit from immunotherapy. There have been reports of over 30 cases of lymphoproliferative disease (lymphoma, multiple myeloma, Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia) with MND, and these patients might he offered immunosuppressive therapy. Bone marrow examination might increase the sensitivity of the diagnostic workup for lymphoma and other lymphoproliferative disorders. We examined the bone marrow in our first evaluation of 161 patients with MND seen at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center during 1991-1994. Four of 161 patients (2.5%) had lymphoproliferative disease in the marrow; only 1 of these had a monoclonal paraprotein. Routine bone marrow examination of patients with MND increases the diagnostic yield of lymphoproliferative diseases. The frequency of these bone marrow abnormalities in comparison with a group of age-matched control subjects should be studied further.
Regularization in the gauged Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model.

Various prescriptions employed for regulating gauged Nambu--Jona-Lasinio--type models such as the top-quark condensate model are discussed. The use of dimensional regularization maintains gauge invariance but destroys the quadratic divergence in the gap equation. If instead a simple ultraviolet momentum cutoff is used to regulate loop integrals, then gauge invariance is destroyed by a quadratically divergent term as well as by ambiguities associated with arbitrary routing of loop momenta. Finally it is shown that one can use dispersion relations to regulate the top-quark condensate model. This prescription maintains gauge invariance and does not depend on arbitrary shifts in loop momenta.
Assessing hurricane effects. Part 2. Uncertainty analysis

Abstract The Florida Commission on Hurricane Loss Projection Methodology (FCHLPM) performs an annual review of computer models that have been submitted by vendors for use in insurance rate filings in Florida. As part of the review process and to comply with the Sunshine Law, the FCHLPM employs a Professional Team to perform on-site (confidential) audits of these models. Members of the Professional Team represent the fields of actuarial science, computer science, meteorology, statistics and wind and structural engineering. The audit includes an assessment of modeler's compliance to a set of standards and modules established by the FCHLPM. One part of these standards requires uncertainty and sensitivity analyses (UA/SA) to be conducted on the proprietary model. At the completion of the audit, the professional team provides a written report to the FCHLPM, who ultimately judges compliance by a vendor to the standards. To influence future such analyses, the Professional Team conducted a demonstration UA/SA for the FCHLPM using a Rankine-vortex hurricane wind field model and surrogate damage function. This is the second of a two-part article presenting the results of those analyses. Part 1 presented sensitivity analysis results for wind speed and loss cost while the current paper presents the corresponding uncertainty analysis results.
Grating Evolution and Form in a Single-Crystal Self-Pumped Barium Titanate Phase Conjugator

We studied the evolution of patterns of scattered light in a barium titanate crystal, during the process of self-pumped phase conjugation in a system with no external beam-reflecting elements. We also studied the effect on the back-propagating phase-conjugate output of erasing small successive portions of the photorefractive volume grating. We interpret the results of these studies as indicating the formation of reflection gratings by feedback, from back-propagating beams produced by initial transmission gratings. The transmission gratings are initiated by power in reflective optical cavities between cube corners. The light in these cavities is the result of forward holographically amplified scattering (fanning). Transmission gratings, resulting from light back-scattered off the microrough edge of the cube, also contribute to the back-propagating beam.
System Safety Principles: A Multidisciplinary Engineering Perspective

Abstract System safety is of particular importance for many industries. Broadly speaking, it refers to the state or objective of striving to sustainably ensure accident prevention through actions on multiple safety levers (technical, organizational, and regulatory). While complementary to risk analysis, it is distinct in one important way: risk analysis is anticipatory rationality examining the possibility of adverse events (or accident scenarios), and the tools of risk analysis support and in some cases quantify various aspects of this analysis effort. The end-objective of risk analysis is to help identify and prioritize risks, inform risk management, and support risk communication. These tools however do not provide design or operational guidelines and principles for eliminating or mitigating risks. Such considerations fall within the purview of system safety. In this work, we propose a set of five safety principles, which are domain-independent, technologically agnostic, and broadly applicable across industries. While there is a proliferation of detailed safety measures (tactics) in specific areas and industries, a synthesis of high-level safety principles or strategies that are independent of any particular instantiation, and from which specific safety measures can be derived or related to, has pedagogical value and fulfills an important role in safety training and education. Such synthesis effort also supports creativity and technical ingenuity in the workforce for deriving specific safety measures, and for implementing these principles and handling specific local or new risks. Our set of safety principles includes: (1) the fail-safe principle; (2) the safety margins principle; (3) the un-graduated response principle (under which we subsume the traditional “inherently safe design” principle); (4) the defense-in-depth principle; and (5) the observability-in-depth principle. We carefully examine each principle and provide examples that illustrate their use and implementation. We relate these principles to the notions of hazard level, accident sequence, and conditional probabilities of further hazard escalation or advancement of an accident sequence. These principles are a useful addition to the intellectual toolkit of engineers, decision-makers, and anyone interested in safety issues, and they provide helpful guidelines during system design and risk management efforts.
Perceived barriers and facilitators to physical activity in kidney transplant recipients.

Background—Relatively few transplant recipients participate in regular physical activity. There is a paucity of information regarding barriers and facilitators to physical activity in kidney transplant recipients.Objective—To investigate factors that transplant recipients perceive as barriers and facilitators to physical activity and whether these barriers and facilitators differ on the basis of transplant patients' reported level of physical activity.Method—Using a descriptive, cross-sectional design, a convenience sample of 100 kidney transplant recipients provided survey data on a physical activity questionnaire on their current levels of physical activity and determinants that influence participation in physical activity.Results—The "rarely/never" (32%) physical activity group reported more frequent barriers and the "often" (20%) group reported the least. Overall, perceived facilitators were reported most frequently by the "often" (80%) physical activity group and least by the "rarely/never" (67%) gro...
n-butane hydrogenolysis on planar and faceted Pt/W(111) surfaces

The Relationship between surface structure and reactivity is investigated by means ofn-butane hydrogenolysis, a known structure sensitive reaction, for planar and faceted Pt/ W(111) surfaces. The W(111) surface reconstructs to form pyramidal facets with [211] orientation upon vapor deposition of Pt (>1.3 ML) and annealing above 750 K. The hydrogenolysis kinetics over the planar and the faceted surface are found to be quite different. The planar surface has a higher selectivity towards ethane formation and a higher reaction rate. The apparent activation energies are found to be 33 ± 4 kJ/mol for the planar surface and 76 ± 6 kJ/mol for a surface covered with ∼ 20 nm facets. There appears to be a correlation between the concentration of fourfold coordination (C4) sites on the surface and the amount of ethane produced. The C4 concentration is altered by changing the facet size (annealing temperature). The results indicate the presence of a different intermediate on the C4 sites as evidenced by the differences in the apparent activation energy, the reaction rate and the overall selectivity.
Adult Education and the Unemployed

Adult education, the poor relation of the education service, always suffers first from expenditure cuts. In some areas it survives only through voluntary efforts, self‐supporting classes, or facilities provided by community organisations. In 1986, adult education is further out of the mainstream than at any time since 1945.
The Significance of Cutaneous Immunoglobulin Deposits In Lupus Erythematosus And Nzb/Nzw F1 Hybrid Mice

In 50 to 60 percent of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a band of immunoglobulins accumulates beneath the epidermis of visibly normal skin. This highly specific finding has been used as a diagnostic test (Lupus Band Test) for SLE. Similar immunoglobulin deposits are found in an inbred strain of New Zealand mice which spontaneously develop an autoimmune disease with many features of SLE. Subepidermal immunoglobulin deposits are found most frequently in SLE patients with proliferative glomerulonephritis, hypocomplementemia, and serum antibodies to native DNA (anti-nDNA). When anti-nDNA levels are suppressed by cyclophosphamide, these deposits disappear. The subepidermal accumulation of immunoglobulin in SLE patients and in the mouse model apparently depends on the presence of antibody to native DNA. It is proposed that serum anti-nDNA precipitates with nDNA which is released locally from epidermal nuclear breakdown.
Origin of the Diverse Behavior of Oxygen Vacancies in ABO3 Perovskites: A Symmetry Based Analysis

Using band symmetry analysis and density functional theory calculations, we reveal the origin of why oxygen vacancy (${V}_{\mathrm{O}}$) energy levels are shallow in some $AB$O${}_{3}$ perovskites, such as SrTiO${}_{3}$, but are deep in some others, such as LaAlO${}_{3}$. We show that this diverse behavior can be explained by the symmetry of the perovskite structure and the location ($A$ or $B$ site) of the metal atoms with low $d$ orbital energies, such as Ti and La atoms. When the conduction band minimum (CBM) is an antibonding ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{12}$ state, which is usually associated with the metal atom with low $d$ orbital energies at the $A$ site (e.g., LaAlO${}_{3}$), then the ${V}_{\mathrm{O}}$ energy levels are deep inside the gap. Otherwise, if the CBM is the nonbonding ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{{25}^{\ensuremath{'}}}$ state, which is usually associated with metal atoms with low $d$ orbital energies at the $B$ site (e.g., SrTiO${}_{3}$), then the ${V}_{\mathrm{O}}$ energy levels are shallow and often above the CBM. The ${V}_{\mathrm{O}}$ energy level is also deep for some uncommon $AB$O${}_{3}$ perovskite materials that possess a low $s$ orbital, or large-size cations, and an antibonding ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{1}$ state CBM, such as ZnTiO${}_{3}$. Our results, therefore, provide guidelines for designing $AB$O${}_{3}$ perovskite materials with desired functional behaviors.
Systematic approach to using isentropic stress reverberation techniques in approximating equation of state

Isentropic stress reverberations are used to obtain multiple Hugoniot states from a single plate impact experiment using a layered plate geometry, where a low impedance inner layer is embedded within a high impedance bulk structure. The mathematical framework used in this technique uses the classical Rankine-Hugoniot equations in the method of impedance matching, where the bulk material is required to have a known Hugoniot. Factors including the wave velocities in the materials, input pulse duration, inner layer thickness, and diameter of the test samples affect the number of states that can be generated from a single experiment. Experiments using 6061 aluminum and polycarbonate, respectively, as the bulk material and inner layer, accurately generated six Hugoniot states for the polycarbonate. Experiments using A572 grade 50 structural steel as the bulk material accurately generated ten Hugoniot states for the polycarbonate. For each experiment, the method can be used to generate a Hugoniot equation defining the material response of the inner layer within the domain encompassed by the specific test. The method is also confined to the low to moderate stress regions, within which Hugoniot and isentropic representations of the material are almost identical.
The bite of Allosaurus

A combination of analytical methods used in engineering and scanning techniques from medicine can be applied in some surprising areas of research — the biomechanics of dinosaur feeding, for instance.