cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Urolume endourethral prosthesis for the treatment of urethral stricture disease: Long-term results of the North American multicenter urolume trial

Abstract Objectives To evaluate the long-term results of the UroLume endourethral prosthesis for the treatment of recurrent bulbar urethral strictures. Methods In a multicenter, prospective study 175 patients with recurrent bulbar urethral strictures were enrolled in a Food and Drug Administration (PDA) trial of the UroLume endourethral prosthesis. One hundred thirty-nine patients were available for follow-up at 1 year, and 81 patients were available for follow-up at 2 years. Results Clinically and statistically significant results were seen at 1 year and sustained at 2 years. Re-treatment rate was down from 75.2% preinsertion to 14.3% 1 year postinsertion of the prosthesis. Explantation was required in only 3% of patients. Conclusions Based on these and European data, the UroLume endourethral prosthesis offers a significant advantage over the currently available treatments for recurrent bulbar urethral strictures.
Comparison of live and inactivated tick-borne encephalitis virus vaccines for safety, immunogenicity and efficacy in rhesus monkeys.

Abstract Three antigenic chimeric live attenuated tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) vaccine candidates were compared for level of replication in murine and human neuroblastoma cells, for neurovirulence and neuroinvasiveness in mice, and for safety, immunogenicity and efficacy in rhesus monkeys. Two chimeric viruses were generated by replacing the membrane precursor and envelope protein genes of dengue type 4 virus (DEN4) with the corresponding genes of a Far Eastern TBEV, Sofjin strain, in the presence (TBEV/DEN4Δ30) or absence (TBEV/DEN4) of a 30 nucleotide deletion (Δ30) in the 3′ noncoding region of the DEN4 part of the chimeric genome. A third chimeric TBEV vaccine candidate was based on the antigenically distant, but naturally attenuated Langat virus (LGT). Chimerization of LGT with DEN4 resulted in decreased neurovirulence and neuroinvasiveness in mice and highly restricted viremia in rhesus monkeys. Also, the LGT/DEN4 chimera was highly restricted in replication in both murine and human neuroblastoma cells. In contrast, TBEV/DEN4 and TBEV/DEN4Δ30 were neither attenuated for neurovirulence in the mice nor restricted in replication in the neuroblastoma cells. However, both were highly attenuated for neuroinvasiveness in mice. TBEV/DEN4 replicated to moderately high titer in rhesus monkeys (mean peak viremia = 10 3.1 PFU/ml) indicating that the TBEV/DEN4 chimerization had only a modest, if any, attenuating effect in monkeys. However, the addition of the Δ30 mutation to TBEV/DEN4 greatly attenuated the chimeric virus for rhesus monkeys (mean peak viremia = 10 0.7 PFU/ml) and induced a higher level of antibody against the TBEV than did LGT/DEN4. A single dose of either highly attenuated TBEV/DEN4Δ30 or LGT/DEN4 vaccine candidate or three doses of an inactivated TBEV vaccine were efficacious in monkeys against wild-type LGT challenge. These results indicate that both TBEV/DEN4Δ30 and LGT/DEN4 are safe and efficacious in rhesus monkeys and should be further evaluated as vaccine candidates for use in humans.
The Relationship between Perceived Discrimination and Psychotherapeutic and Illicit Drug Misuse in Chicago, IL, USA

Based on several stress-coping frameworks, recent studies have suggested that perceived experiences of discrimination, a psychosocial stressor, may be associated with various risky health behaviors. The 2001 Chicago Community Adult Health Study (n = 3,101), a face-to-face representative probability sample of adults in Chicago, IL, USA, was used to examine the relationship among lifetime everyday discrimination, major discrimination, and the use of illicit and psychotherapeutic drugs for nonmedical reasons. We used negative binomial logistic and multinomial regression analyses controlling for potential confounders. Approximately 17 % of the respondents reported using one or more illicit drugs and/or misusing one or more psychotherapeutic drug. Adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics, other stressors and various personality-related characteristics, results from negative binomial regression suggest that respondents who experienced moderate to high levels of everyday discrimination misused on average 1.5 different kinds of drugs more than respondents that experienced relatively low levels of everyday discrimination (p < 0.05). Similarly, an increase in one lifetime major discrimination event was associated with an increase of misusing 1.3 different drugs on average regardless of experiences of everyday discrimination (p < 0.001). When examining the types of drugs misused, results from multinomial logistic regression suggest that everyday discrimination was only associated with illicit drug use alone; however, lifetime major discrimination was associated with increased odds of using any illicit and both illicit/psychotherapeutic drugs. Mental health and substance use clinical providers should be aware of these potential relationships and consider addressing the harmful effects of perceived discrimination, in all patients not only among racial/ethnic minority patients.
B cell response to tumor antigens is associated with depletion of B progenitors in murine colocarcinoma.

Abstract Background B cells that produce antibodies to autologous tumor antigens have been found in patients with colon cancer; the significance of this phenomenon remains unknown. Normally, the elimination of autoreactive B cells occurs in the bone marrow during their maturation. We studied the production of antibodies to syngeneic tumor antigens and the maturation of bone marrow B cells in experimental colocarcinoma model. Methods BALB/c mice and syngeneic CT26 colon cancer cell line were used. Reactivity of serum antibodies was tested in Western blot analysis and flow cytometry against CT26 antigens. The number of bone marrow B lineage cells was evaluated with specific antibodies and flow cytometry analysis. Results A significant decrease in the number of B cell precursors occurred in tumor-bearing mice; it normalized 3 weeks after the removal of CT26 tumors. The number of mature B cells was normal. Serum antibodies from tumor-bearing mice recognized intracellular and not surface antigens of CT26 cells. Conclusion Experimental colon cancer induces B cell response to intracellular, but not surface, tumor cell antigens and restricts the B cell repertoire by depleting their precursors.
Effect of Antifungal Therapy Timing on Mortality in Cancer Patients with Candidemia

Prior studies have shown that delays in treatment are associated with increased mortality in patients with candidemia. The purpose of this study was to measure three separate time periods comprising the diagnosis and treatment of candidemia and to determine which one(s) is associated with hospital mortality. Patients with blood cultures positive for Candida spp. were identified. Subjects were excluded if no antifungal therapy was given or if there was preexisting antifungal therapy. Collected data included the time from blood culture collection to positivity (incubation period), the time from blood culture positivity to provider notification (provider notification period), and the time from provider notification to the first dose of antifungal given (antifungal initiation period). These times were assessed as predictors of inpatient mortality. A repeat analysis was done with adjustments for age, sex, race, underlying cancer, catheter removal, APACHE III score, acute renal failure, neutropenia, and non-Candida albicans species. A total of 106 episodes of candidemia were analyzed. The median incubation time was 32.1 h and was associated with mortality (univariate hazard ratio per hour, 1.025; P = 0.001). The median provider notification and antifungal initiation periods were 0.3 and 7.5 h, respectively, and were not associated with mortality. Adjusted analysis yielded similar results. For cancer patients with candidemia, the incubation period accounts for a significant amount of time, compared with the provider notification and antifungal initiation times, and is associated with in-hospital mortality. Strategies to shorten the incubation time, such as utilizing rapid molecularly based diagnostic methods, may help reduce in-hospital mortality.
The proton Compton wavelength as the ‘quantum’ of length

The majority of the experimental lengins concerning the fundamental forces in the nucleus are integral multiples of the Compton wave length lambda / sub 0/ of the proton, where lambda /sub 0/ = h/m/sub 0/c = 1.32 x 10/sup -13/ cm (which could thus be called a ''compton''). These lengths lnclude the effective range of interaction of nucleons and the dispersion amplitudes. It was round, by different methods, that the radius of unity R/sub 0/ of the nucleus lies between 1.0 and 1.5 x 10/sup -13/ cm. It appears then that the true radius of the proton can well be its Compton wave length.
In vitro methylation of tRNA by extracts of Chlamydomonas reinhardi

Abstract We have recently demonstrated that soluble extracts of C. reinhardi methylate heterologous transfer ribonucleic acid (tRNA) substrates in vitro using S -adenosyl- l -methionine (SAM) as the methyl donor. As with bacterial and animal systems that have been studied, no methylation of homologous tRNA occurred in vitro . Methyl-deficient bacterial tRNA was not a significantly better substrate than its methylated counterpart or fully methylated tRNA from another bacterial strain. The enzymes were more active at a pH of 8.2 and a temperature of 37 ° than at cultural conditions (pH 7.0–22 °). No exogenous stimulation of the methylases was shown by K + , Na + , or NH 4 ions. Methylated products from the in vitro methylated bacterial tRNA were a methylcytosine (probably a 2′- O -methyl), 1-methylguanine, N 2 -dimethylguanine, thymine, 6-methyladenine, and 1-methyladenine. Nearly 80% of the methylation occurred on guanine residues of the tRNA.
Assessing ideological, professional, and structural biases in journalists' coverage of the 2010 BP oil spill

Previous studies based on aggregate data have not found consistent evidence that journalists’ personal beliefs and attitudes bias their coverage. This study, however, uses individual-level survey d...
The New Science of Organizations

The article reviews the book “The New Science of Organizations: A Reconceptualization of the Wealth of Nations,” by Alberto G. Ramos.
Hydrothermal preparation of some copper salts

Abstract Reactions of Cu2(OH)3X(s) with NH4X(5 M, aq) (X = Br or Cl) have been carried out in sealed tubes in an autoclave at temperatures between 100 and 300°C, for times between 6 and 48 h. Crystal growth of the starting material was observed, as well as the formation of single crystals of CuBr2·2NH4Br·2NH3. Cu(NH3)4CuBr2)2 and CuBr·1/2NH3 in the bromide system, and CuCl2·2NH4Cl·2NH3, CuCl3·NH4Cl·2NH3, Cu(NH3)4(CuCl2)2·H2O and CuCl- built1 2 NH3 in the chloride system. The stoichiometry of the compounds produced was established by a combination of chemical analyses, X-ray measurements of unit cell dimensions and determinations of the densities of the solids. A brief discussion of some of the thermodynamic properties of the systems is given.
Selecting and sequencing design tools in developing material flow system models

Abstract The design of material flow systems is a multifaceted problem. The designer is required to process large amounts of information and make complex decisions concerning the design objectives. A design framework for building material flow system models has been developed by the authors to take key steps towards the management of design complexity. This paper addresses the issue of selecting and sequencing software tools for building material flow system models within a design environment that contains a variable set of design tools. Strategies for performing these tasks as well as their implementation are discussed.
Computing the topological entropy of maps of the interval with three monotone pieces

An algorithm is presented for computing the topological entropy of a piecewise monotone map of the interval having three monotone pieces. The accuracy of the algorithm is discussed and some graphs of the topological entropy obtained using the algorithm are displayed. Some of the ideas behind the algorithm have application to piecewise monotone functions with more than three monotone pieces.
Effects of plating density and age in culture on growth and cell division of neonatal rat heart primary cultures.

The cell-type composition of the initial cell population from protease-dispersed neonatal rat heart tissue has been evaluated using time lapse photography and identification of cell type-specific functions. The effects of two commonly employed plating densities on growth and cell division of the two major cell types were examined. Total protein synthesis rates were not affected by plating density but did change with age in culture. Maximum protein synthesis rates were observed during the period of maximum cell division and cell growth (increase in total cell protein), which was from 24 h in culture to the 4th d in culture. After 6 d in culture, synthesis rates for total proteins remained constant for at least 2 wk. Sizing of cells by Coulter counter analysis indicated that essentially all the cells were increasing in size with age in culture.
Formation and Characterization of “1:1” Ordered Phases in Am4+O3 - A(B2+1/3Ta2/3)O3 (A= Ba, Sr; B2+ = Mg, Zn; M4+ = Ti, Sn, Zr, Ce) Perovskites

Previous research has demonstrated that the formation of nano-sized “1:1” cation ordered domains in Zr4+ substituted Ba(Zn1/3Ta2/3)O3 may be responsible for the anomalies in the dielectric loss properties of these perovskite ceramics. To explore the structure and crystal chemistry of these phases, the effect of a series of M4+ substitutions (Zr4+, Ce4+, Sn4+, and Ti4+) on the B-site cation ordering in Ba(Zn1/3Ta2/3)O3, Ba(Mg1/3Ta2/3)O3, and Sr(Mg1/3Ta2/3)O3 has been examined. In all cases the substitution of low levels (∼ 5 mole %) of “over-sized” tetravalent cations (e.g. Zr4+, Ce4+) promotes a transformation to a 1:1 ordered phase, while the introduction of “under-sized” cations (e.g. Ti4+) stabilizes a disordered perovskite. Using Rietveld methods the structures of the 1:1 ordered A(βI1/2βII1/2)O3 phases were found to conform to a “random layer” model in which the βII positions are occupied by Ta, and the βI sites by a random distribution of the Mg(Zn), M4+ and residual Ta cations.
Are BIDs Good for Business? The Impact of BIDs on Neighborhood Retailers in New York City:

The business improvement district (BID) model has been widely adopted as a place-based strategy for commercial renewal and sustainability. This study uses the National Establishment Time-Series (NETS) Database to estimate the impact of New York City BIDs on change in retail sales and change employment between 2000 and 2008. Since the self-financing mechanism of BIDs becomes a compulsory tax on retail tenants, this study examines whether the model improves retail performance relative to comparable areas of the city that never adopted BIDs. Although effects vary by BID size, retail sales and employment are depressed by small community BIDs.
Erratum to: Use of Conivaptan (Vaprisol) for Hyponatremic Neuro-ICU Patients

The online version of the original article can be found underdoi:10.1007/s12028-010-9379-5.A. M. Naidech (&) S. M. Liebling S. L. Bassin M. J. Alberts R. A. BernsteinDepartment of Neurology, Northwestern University,710 N Lake Shore Drive, 11th ﬂoor, Chicago, IL 60611, USAe-mail: a-naidech@northwestern.eduJ. PaparelloDepartment of Internal Medicine, Northwestern University,710 N Lake Shore Drive, 11th ﬂoor, Chicago, IL 60611, USAK. LevasseurNorthwestern Memorial Hospital, 251 E Huron, Chicago,IL 60611, USAK. MuroDepartment of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University,710 N Lake Shore Drive, 11th ﬂoor, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
Social security, liquidity, and early retirement

Abstract This paper investigates the effect of Social Security on retirement decisions. It argues that it is important to take realistic account of how recipients evaluate potential benefit flows. The paper presents a simple retirement model in which liquidity constraints prompt individuals to use higher than market discount rates in evaluating future pension benefits. As a consequence, even an apparently actuarially fair early retirement benefit could (on average) discourage continued work. Using data on individual retirement decisions, I find support for the argument that this phenomenon contributes to some of the observed increase in early retirement.
Linezolid in Children: Recent Patents and Advances

Linezolid is the first approved member of a new generation of antibiotics, the synthetic oxazolidinones, to become available, with a broad spectrum of in vitro activity against Gram-positive organisms, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium. It has an excellent bioavailability both intravenously and orally and a very good safety profile both in adults and in children. With regards to its antimicrobial action, linezolid has a predominantly bacteriostatic action, rather than a bacteriocidal effect and is active against Gram-positive bacteria that are resistant to other antibiotics. Linezolid is currently showing great promise for the treatment of multi-resistant Gram-positive infections, both in the community and in a hospital setting. Clinical indications so far include skin and soft tissue infections, community-acquired or nosocomial pneumonia due to MRSA, VRE bacteremia and community-acquired pneumonia due to penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae. We anticipate that this new generation of antimicrobial agents will provide adequate cover in the future for infections that cause significant treatment failures so far, such as VRE- associated endocarditis, bone and joint multi-drug resistant infections and possibly central nervous system infections, both in adult and children populations. Some patents on linezolid are also discussed in this review.
The Effect of Prophylactic Nitroglycerin Infusion on the Incidence of Regional Wall‐Motion Abnormalities and ST Segment Changes in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

The effects of nitroglycerin (NTG) on regional wall-motion abnormalities, ST segment changes, and the incidence of myocardial infarction (MI), cardiac failure, and mortality were studied in 30 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass. Patients received continuous infusions of either normal saline or NTG (1 microgram/kg per min [low dose] or 2 micrograms/kg per min [high dose]) beginning at anesthesia and continuing for 4 hours postoperatively. The occurrence of wall-motion abnormalities as detected by transesophageal echocardiography was 38 events in the normal saline group (N = 10). Significantly fewer events (p < 0.05) were recorded in the low dose and high dose NTG groups (20 events and 15 events, respectively) compared to controls. There were no significant differences between the control and NTG groups with regard to the incidence of Holter ST segment events or the incidence of MI, cardiac failure, or cardiac death. NTG reduced the incidence of echocardiographic wall-motion abnormalities in a dose dependent manner while having no significant effect on other parameters examined.
Religion, Ethnicity, and Attitudes Toward Psychotherapy

Many presume that White culture supports psychotherapy utilization. However, cultural analyses suggest that many aspects of White culture are antithetical to the values and practices underlying psychotherapy, which appear more congruent with Ashkenazic Jewish attitudes and values. The current research empirically tested this possibility by comparing older Jewish White people, non-Jewish Whites, and Black participants on attitudes relevant to psychotherapy. Results indicated that Jews had greater confidence in a therapist’s ability to help, were more tolerant of stigma, and more open to sharing their feelings and concerns than participants in the other groups. Furthermore, initial differences between Whites and African Americans were lessened when Jewish identity was included in the analysis. Results suggest that Jewish culture is relatively accepting of psychotherapy, and that previous reports of different rates of mental health seeking attitudes and utilization by Whites and Blacks may be due, in part, to the inclusion of Jewish individuals in these samples.
On low complexity cooperative spectrum sensing for cognitive networks

This paper presents a practical system design approach for cooperative spectrum sensing in cognitive sensor networks. An optimization problem is formulated, where the objective is to choose appropriate number of samples used in local energy calculation and linear combination weights for a global fusion center that together maximize global spectrum detection probability. Depending on the local information available to the fusion center and secondary users, practical system design is proposed in high fusion signal to noise ratio (SNR) regime, which has minimal implementation complexity and negligible performance loss, thus provides an efficient system design alternative in practice. Simulation results are presented to verify the analytical results.
TFSOI complementary BiCMOS technology for low power RF mixed-mode applications

A Thin-Film-Silicon-On-Insulator Complementary BiCMOS technology has been developed for low power applications. The technology is based on a manufacturable, near-fully-depleted 0.5 /spl mu/m CMOS process with the lateral bipolar device integrated as a drop-in module for CBiCMOS circuits. Excellent low power performance is demonstrated through low current ECL and low voltage CMOS circuits. For the first time, good RF and analog performance of a TFSOI (C)BiCMOS technology is demonstrated. Device gain, noise figure, 1/F noise and matching characteristics comparable to bulk BiCMOS technologies are achieved.
Validation studies of asthma patient-reported outcomes: "we want more!".

Asthma clinical research lacks adequate standardization and validation of outcomes, particularly those that are patientreported measures. The Asthma Outcomes Workshop, which was convened in 2010 by a consortium of several National Institutes of Health institutes and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, began to address this deficiency, building on a prior statement from the American Thoracic Society and the European Respiratory Society. National Institutes of Health leadership came from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. In the published overview Busse et al state the workshop’s 2 key objectives: (1) to establish standard definitions and data collection methodologies for validated outcome measures (core and supplemental) in asthma clinical research with the goal of enabling comparisons across trials and (2) to identify promising outcome measures for asthma clinical research and comment on their status and further validation needs. Three key chapters of the workshop provide recommendations for relevant asthma patient-reported outcomes (PROs): (1) composite scores of asthma control; (2) quality of life; and (3) symptoms. Guidance is also available from the US Food and Drug Administration, describing its approach to review and evaluate existing, modified, or newly created PRO instruments, specifically to support claims in approved medical product labeling. Key considerations in the US Food and Drug Administration’s evaluation of a PRO instrument include the population enrolled in the clinical trial, the clinical trial objectives and design, the instrument’s conceptual framework, and the instrument’s measurement properties. This US Food and Drug Administration guidance does not address disease-specific issues. TheAsthmaOutcomesWorkshop designated 2 asthma control composite score instruments (Asthma Control Questionnaire [ACQ] and the Asthma Control Test) as core measures for National Institutes of Health–initiated clinical research in adults because of the importance of asthma control as a goal of therapy, extensive validation data for these instruments, and low patient burden and risk. At the time of the 2012 Workshop Report, the
Along-Arc Variations in the Pre-Eruptive H2O Contents of Mariana Arc Magmas Inferred from Fractionation Paths

New experimental results are presented on the effects of dissolved H2O during low-pressure (52 kbar) crystal fractionation in Mariana Arc magmas. The resulting fractionation paths are used to infer the pre-eruptive H2O concentrations of Mariana lavas from seamounts and islands. Estimated pre-eruptive H2O concentrations for Mariana seamounts (2^3 wt %) are relatively constant and similar to three out of eight of the subaerial volcanoes (Alamagan, Pagan and Asuncion). These H2O concentrations are also similar to measured H2O concentrations in Mariana back-arc lavas. Lavas from the remaining islands (Guguan, Agrigan, Uracas, Anatahan and possibly Sarigan) have significantly higher H2O (5^6%) than the other seamounts and islands. These high-H2O islands are distributed throughout the arc and do not show any relation to variations in subduction parameters such as subduction angle or obliquity. Analysis of the H2O concentrations of olivine-hosted melt inclusions from seven islands (Guguan, Pagan, Agrigan, Anatahan, Alamagan, Asuncion and Sarigan) and one seamount (Fukujin) match the estimates inferred from the liquid lines of descent. One interpretation of our results is that the flux of volatiles from the Mariana sub-arc mantle is fundamentally heterogeneous. Alternatively, the variations in pre-eruptive H2O concentrations could reflect variations in the depth and extent of fractionation of Mariana magmas.
Binge drinking and alcohol prices: a systematic review of age-related results from econometric studies, natural experiments and field studies.

Heavy episodic (“binge”) drinking of alcohol has serious public health implications, especially for youth and young adults. Previous summaries and surveys have failed to address in a comprehensive manner the effects of alcohol prices on binge drinking by gender or age group. A qualitative systematic review is performed for effects of alcohol prices (or tax surrogates) on binge drinking for three age groups: youth, young adults, and adults. Outcomes examined include binge participation, intensity and frequency. Criteria for data collection and potential sources of bias are discussed, including adequacy of price data. Price-binge relationships are judged using a 95% confidence interval (p ≤ 0.05) for statistical significance. Fifty-six relevant econometric studies were found, with studies and results distributed equally among three age groups. Also found were five natural experiments for tax reductions and six field studies. Null results or mixed results are found in more than half of the studies. The body of evidence indicates that binge drinkers are not highly-responsive to increased prices. Non-responsiveness holds generally for younger and older drinkers and for male and female binge drinkers alike. A limitation of the current literature is that results are only available for higher-income countries. Increased alcohol taxes or prices are unlikely to be effective as a means to reduce binge drinking, regardless of gender or age group.
Cognition and Hopelessness in Association With Subsyndromal Orthostatic Hypotension

Background. The move from lying to standing is typically associated with a variety of physiological and neurohumoral changes, most especially a slight increase in systolic blood pressure (SBP). Decreased efficacy of the various mechanisms that control orthostatic blood pressure (BP) regulation may result in lightheadedness, dizziness, syncope, and cerebral hypoperfusion. The lack of effective orthostatic BP regulation is a symptom for various problems, including fatigue, depression, anxiety, and reduced attention. Methods. This study examined men and women (N = 74) who were aged 30–75 years and asymptomatic for clinical orthostatic hypotension. Results. Relatively poor BP regulation in response to orthostasis was associated with decreased verbal memory, decreased concentration, and higher hopelessness scores. Conclusions. Individuals who exhibited less effective SBP regulation even to a subsyndromal degree in response to an orthostatic challenge may be at increased risk for cognitive and affective problems. The relationship between orthostatic BP regulation is best described as curvilinear.
Important observations and parameters for a salt water intrusion model.

Sensitivity analysis with a density-dependent ground water flow simulator can provide insight and understanding of salt water intrusion calibration problems far beyond what is possible through intuitive analysis alone. Five simple experimental simulations presented here demonstrate this point. Results show that dispersivity is a very important parameter for reproducing a steady-state distribution of hydraulic head, salinity, and flow in the transition zone between fresh water and salt water in a coastal aquifer system. When estimating dispersivity, the following conclusions can be drawn about the data types and locations considered. (1) The “toe” of the transition zone is the most effective location for hydraulic head and salinity observations. (2) Areas near the coastline where submarine ground water discharge occurs are the most effective locations for flow observations. (3) Salinity observations are more effective than hydraulic head observations. (4) The importance of flow observations aligned perpendicular to the shoreline varies dramatically depending on distance seaward from the shoreline. Extreme parameter correlation can prohibit unique estimation of permeability parameters such as hydraulic conductivity and flow parameters such as recharge in a density-dependent ground water flow model when using hydraulic head and salinity observations. Adding flow observations perpendicular to the shoreline in areas where ground water is exchanged with the ocean body can reduce the correlation, potentially resulting in unique estimates of these parameter values. Results are expected to be directly applicable to many complex situations, and have implications for model development whether or not formal optimization methods are used in model calibration.
Regional Trade and Institutional Design: Long After Hegemony?

A major development within the international trading system during the post-World War II era is the creation and expansion of agreements to manage international trade. Although the GATT/WTO framework consumes the lion's share of attention in this realm, scholars increasingly acknowledge the rise of economic regionalism. Thus, while great strides have been taken to provide a universal forum for the establishment of standards, rules and regulations for the trading system, there has also been a concomitant rise in regionally-based preferential trading agreements (PTAs). These regional agreements bring together groups of states that are geographically linked or share some other common experiences that facilitate cooperation and mutual gains.
Impact of Personal Preference and Motivation on Fruit and Vegetable Consumption of WIC-Participating Mothers and Children in Atlanta, GA

Abstract Objective To determine the effect of psychosocial and sociodemographic factors on consumption of fruits and vegetables (F&V) for women and children participating in the Atlanta Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. Methods Participants (n = 249) were selected from 2 Atlanta Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children agencies. Data from this analysis were collected from in-person interviews. The dichotomous dependent variable was whether participants met recommended intakes for F&V. Independent variables were personal preference and motivation factors of F&V consumption, and sociodemographic factors. Bivariate analysis determined significant factors to include in logistic models. Results Only 27.7% of mothers and 44.2% of their oldest child consumed > 5 servings of F&V daily. Not knowing how to prepare F&Vs and spoilage of F&V before eating them were significantly related to F&V consumption of mothers. Conclusions and Implications Food storage and preparation resulted in significant differences in meeting criteria for F&V consumption. Future initiatives should include cooking classes and emphasize food preparation techniques.
Kinetics of transition of anhydrous carbamazepine to carbamazepine dihydrate in aqueous suspensions

Abstract When suspended in water, anhydrous carbamazepine (C 15 H 12 N 2 0; 1) was transformed to carbamazepine dihydrate (C 15 H 12 N 2 0 • 2H z O; 2). Compound 1 was dispersed in water at 25 °C, and an aliquot of the slurry was taken at periodic intervals and immediately filtered under conditions which removed all the physically bound water from the solid. The weight fractions of 1 and 2 in the solid were quantified by two methods: (a) by determining the weight loss on drying the solid at 60 °C under reduced pressure to a constant weight and (b) by a quantitative powder X-ray diffraction technique. There was good agreement between the above two methods. More than 95% (w/w) of 1 was converted to 2 in 1 h and the decrease in the weight fraction of 1 with time was approximately a first-order process.
Investigation of gate to contact spacing effect on ESD robustness of salicided deep submicron single finger NMOS transistors

ESD failure threshold of NMOS transistors is known to degrade with the use of silicided diffusions owing to insufficient ballast resistance, making them susceptible to current localization, which leads to early ESD failure. It is commonly believed that the gate-to-contact spacing of silicided devices has no impact on the ESD strength. However, experimental results presented in this paper show that the ESD strength depends on the gate-to-contact spacing independent of the silicided process. This paper also presents results of a detailed investigation of the influence of gate-to-source and gate-to-drain contact spacings for a salicided 0.13 /spl mu/m technology and provides new insight into the behavior of ESD protection devices. It is shown that the reduction in current localization and increase in the power dissipating volume with increase in the gate-to-contact spacings are root causes of this improvement, which implies that even for silicided processes, the gate-to-contact spacing should be carefully considered for efficient and robust ESD protection designs.
Toxic marine phytoplankton, zooplankton grazers, and pelagic food webs

Interactions between toxic phytoplankton and their zooplankton grazers are complex. Some zooplankters ingest some toxic phytoplankters with no apparent harm, whereas others are deleteriously affected. Phycotoxins vary in their modes of action, levels of toxicity and solubility, and affect grazers in different ways. Beyond effects on direct grazers, toxins may accumulate in and be transferred through marine food webs, affecting consumers at higher trophic levels, including fish, seabirds, and marine mammals. Grazers of toxic phytoplankton include protists as well as metazoans, and the impact of zooplankton grazing on development or termination of toxic blooms is poorly understood. In most interactions of toxic phytoplankters with grazers and other marine food-web components, outcomes are situation-specific, and extrapolation of results from one set of circumstances to another may be inappropriate.
Effect of system dynamics on coupling architectures for transaction processing

The authors present a comparison on the resilience of the performance to system dynamics of three multinode architectures for transaction processing. They describe the different architectures considered. The issues of system dynamics are addressed. The performance model is outlined. Three specific scenarios are considered: (1) a sudden load surge in one of the transaction classes, (2) varying transaction rates for all transaction classes, and (3) failure of a single node. It was found that the different architectures require different amounts of capacity to be reserved to cope with these dynamic situations. Quantitative comparisons of the three architectures are given. >
Cardiovascular health promotion for children: a model for a Parish (County)-wide program (implementation and preliminary results).

Cardiovascular (CV) risk factors in childhood result in a lifetime burden on the CV system. The Bogalusa Heart Study, a prevention program for children, addresses behaviors and lifestyles associated with CV risk. This prevention program utilizes the substructure of a Parish (County) that can be a model for other areas. All aspects in educating school children—the classroom, physical activity, cafeteria, teachers, and parents with community involvement—are included. The program requires cooperation of parents, schools, physicians, and political and business personnel. Their collaboration helps implement and sustain the program. Understanding the origin of coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes, and now the obesity epidemic shows the need to develop a framework for improving lifestyles and behaviors beginning in childhood. In addition to nutrition and exercise, the program addresses tobacco, alcohol, and drug use, and societal problems such as dropping out of school, violent behavior, and teenage pregnancy. An initial accomplishment is the entry into all elementary schools, representing approximately 7000 children. Early results show reduction in obesity, increased physical activity, improved decision making, and healthy attitudes. This public health model is inexpensive by utilizing prior research findings and integrating into community resources. Health education of children is an important aspect of preventive cardiology with a need for pediatric and adult cardiologists’ involvement. Prev Cardiol. 2010;13:23–28.©2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Environmental predictors of woody plant encroachment in calcareous fens are modified by biotic and abiotic land-use legacies

Summary Woody plant encroachment in grasslands is a world-wide concern. Assertions that abiotic stress reduction facilitates encroachment are not universally supported. To devise restoration and management strategies, the ability of stress reduction, in the context of co-occurring biotic land-use legacies, needs to be assessed to predict shrub cover. We determined whether legacy-induced reduction in Carex stricta (a potential facilitator of shrub encroachment and attractor of animal dispersers) and an increase in herbaceous invaders (potential competitors) altered the ability of stress reduction to predict woody plant cover in ploughed and never-ploughed plots within 11 Wisconsin (USA) calcareous fens. We hypothesized that drier conditions (low saturation stress) and higher nutrient availability associated with ploughing would be associated with high woody plant cover; that higher cover of herbaceous invaders associated with ploughing would predict low woody plant cover, and C. stricta cover predicts high woody plant cover in saturated, never-ploughed plots. Restricted maximum-likelihood (REML) multiple regression was used to determine the importance of interactions among ploughing, saturation, nutrients and the two biotic legacies in predicting woody richness and cover, as well as cover by dispersal syndromes and individual species. Unexpectedly, encroachment by animal-dispersed species was higher in never-ploughed plots, while wind-dispersed species had no relationship with ploughing. Animal-dispersed species cover decreased with saturation stress in never-ploughed plots, only. Carex cover was associated with increased encroachment by animal-dispersed species, mainly in never-ploughed highly saturated plots. Herbaceous-invasive cover was associated with decreased encroachment. Wind-dispersed species cover declined with increasing saturation stress, with responses varying among species. Synthesis and applications. The results suggest that the impacts of stress reduction on encroachment are not uniform and are modified by biotic legacies. We suggest that impacts of restoring stressful abiotic conditions on encroachment may not be known until the impacts on competitors and facilitators are understood.
A Technique for Enabling and Supporting Debugging of Field Failures

It is difficult to fully assess the quality of software in- house, outside the actual time and context in which it will execute after deployment. As a result, it is common for software to manifest field failures, failures that occur on user machines due to untested behavior. Field failures are typically difficult to recreate and investigate on developer platforms, and existing techniques based on crash reporting provide only limited support for this task. In this paper, we present a technique for recording, reproducing, and minimizing failing executions that enables and supports in- house debugging of field failures. We also present a tool that implements our technique and an empirical study that evaluates the technique on a widely used e-mail client.
Slider Vibration Analysis at Contact Using Time-Frequency Analysis and Wavelet Transforms

Time-frequency analysis and wavelet transforms are employed to investigate transient contact dynamics at the head/disk interface of computer hard drives. Wavelet transforms are used to resolve multiple short consecutive contacts at high time resolution at high frequencies. The reassignment method is applied to the time-frequency distribution to enhance the time-frequency resolution, thereby allowing to resolve air-bearing and slider body frequencies simultaneously. The results indicate that strong impacts between slider and disk can lead to excitations of slider body and suspension vibrations. Finite element modal analysis of nano and pico glide sliders is found to be in good agreement with experimentally measured frequencies.
Tectonic development, southeastern border of the Puna Plateau, northwestern Argentine Andes

The Puna-Altiplano, a 500,000-km2 area at an average elevation of 3.7 km in the central Andes, occurs in a non-collisional plate setting over a 30°-east–dipping segment of the Benioff zone and is bounded to the north and south by nearly flat segments of the subducted Nazca plate. A 120-km-long portion of the southeastern boundary of the Puna in northwestern Argentina was studied to gain insight into the structures associated with uplift of the plateau and into the nature of structures over the transition from flat to steeper subduction. The structural geometry and kinematic evolution of the region was determined from geologic mapping and kinematic analysis of minor fault arrays. The present southeastern margin of the Puna was uplifted between 5–10(?) and ∼2 Ma. Northwest-southeast horizontal shortening and vertical extension during uplift were produced by northeast-striking en echelon thrust faults dipping 17°–55° northwest. Four to seven en echelon structural blocks, each 20–30 km long, constitute the border of the Puna; their structural geometry precludes large-scale overthrusting as an important mechanism of plateau uplift along the studied segment. In the past 2 m.y., there has been a 45° change in the direction of shortening and, locally, a 90° change in the extension direction, indicating that the structures accompanying uplift are no longer active. This change could be due to a change either in the geometry of the subducted plate or in convergence directions, although neither of these hypotheses is testable given presently available data.
The Fractional Effective Dose Model for Assessment of Toxic Hazards in Fires

A major thrust in combustion toxicology is in the development of mathe matical models for predicting toxic hazards from appropriate analytical, toxico logical and flammability data. Incremental exposure doses (concentration x time increments) are calculated and related to the total Cxt exposure dose which would be required to produce a given toxicological effect at the instan taneous concentration being considered. Continuous summation, or integra tion, of these "fractional effective doses" is carried out and the time at which the sum becomes unity represents the time at which exposed subjects would be expected to incur the effect, e.g., incapacitation, lethality, etc. The concept of the FED model can be used with either individual fire toxicants or with smoke produced from the burning of materials. In the first case, a data base of toxic potency values for individual component gases is used; in the latter, smoke toxic potency values for materials are employed along with mass burning rate data. Potentiall...
Unusual Onset of Anti-NMDA-Receptor Encephalitis

A 19-year-old female presented with vomiting, diarrhea, emotional lability, auditory hallucinations, expressive dysphasia, and delirium.
Comparison of Heart Rate Responses Water Walking Versus Treadmill Walking

The purpose of this study was to compare heart rate responses to water walking versus treadmill walking to determine whether the responses were of sufficient magnitude to elicit cardiorespiratory training effects. The heart rates of 12 healthy, female college students were measured immediately after walking in waist-deep water and on a treadmill at the same distance, durations, and speeds (2.55, 2.77, 3.02, and 3.31 km/hr). A significant increase in heart rate with increased speeds resulted from water walking (p less than .05); from rest to the fastest speed, it was 135% (96 bpm). For treadmill walking, the increase of 19% (13 bpm) was not significant. The heart rates for the water condition were significantly higher (p less than .05) at each speed. These findings indicate that water walking could serve as an effective exercise mode, for example, for cardiorespiratory fitness for individuals who are unable to perform such weight-bearing activities as jogging, fast walking, cycling, and dancing.
Miniature ball-tip optical fibers for use in thulium fiber laser ablation of kidney stones.

Optical fibers, consisting of 240-μm-core trunk fibers with rounded, 450-μm-diameter ball tips, are currently used during Holmium:YAG laser lithotripsy to reduce mechanical damage to the inner lining of the ureteroscope working channel during fiber insertion and prolong ureteroscope lifetime. Similarly, this study tests a smaller, 100-μm-core fiber with 300-μm-diameter ball tip during thulium fiber laser (TFL) lithotripsy. TFL was operated at a wavelength of 1908 nm, with 35-mJ pulse energy, 500-μs pulse duration, and 300-Hz pulse rate. Calcium oxalate/phosphate stone samples were weighed, laser procedure times were measured, and ablation rates were calculated for ball tip fibers, with comparison to bare tip fibers. Photographs of ball tips were taken before and after each procedure to track ball tip degradation and determine number of procedures completed before need for replacement. A high speed camera also recorded the cavitation bubble dynamics during TFL lithotripsy. Additionally, saline irrigation rates and ureteroscope deflection were measured with and without the presence of TFL fiber. There was no statistical difference (P>0.05) between stone ablation rates for single-use ball tip fiber (1.3±0.4 mg/s) (n=10), multiple-use ball tip fiber (1.3±0.5 mg/s) (n=44), and conventional single-use bare tip fibers (1.3±0.2 mg/s) (n=10). Ball tip durability varied widely, but fibers averaged greater than four stone procedures before failure, defined by rapid decline in stone ablation rates. Mechanical damage at the front surface of the ball tip was the limiting factor in fiber lifetime. The small fiber diameter did not significantly impact ureteroscope deflection or saline flow rates. The miniature ball tip fiber may provide a cost-effective design for safe fiber insertion through the ureteroscope working channel and into the ureter without risk of instrument damage or tissue perforation, and without compromising stone ablation efficiency during TFL lithotripsy.