cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A comprehensive program to improve safety for pregnant women and fetuses in motor vehicle crashes: a preliminary report.

Abstract Objective: A program was developed to study the mechanisms of abruptio placentae and pregnancy loss caused by motor vehicle crashes. The results were intended to be used to develop strategies to improve protection of the fetus in this setting. Study Design: Four integrated projects were conducted: (1) seated anthropometric measurements and belt fit determination during pregnancy, (2) development of new models of traumatic abruptio placentae, (3) investigations of crashes involving pregnant women, and (4) the development of the second-generation pregnant crash dummy from these data and others. Results: Twenty-two different pregnant subjects in five different height groups underwent serial measurements of abdominal surface contours, seat belt fit, and distances between the subjects and various landmarks in the automobile interior with a laboratory-designed "automobile seat" (seating buck). The abdomen was significantly closer to the steering wheel in the shorter stature group than among the taller women. Beginning at approximately 20 weeks' gestation the fundus of the uterus was above the lower rim of the steering wheel. Lap belts fit properly over the anterior superior iliac spine throughout gestation, but the lap belt overlapped the uterus in the midsagittal plane. Two separate mechanisms for traumatic abruptio placentae were tested: shear failure and tensile failure. In the shear failure model large circumferential strains in the uterine wall induce a shear strain across the uteroplacental interface, and the model predicts placental separation at a mean circumferential strain of –58% ± 8%. By means of finite-element modeling, it was demonstrated that tensile failure might also be a mechanism that causes abruptio placentae during rapid deceleration of the uterus. Crash investigations were performed in 43 cases involving pregnant women beyond 20 weeks' gestation. There were a total of 8 fetal losses and 8 major complications (fetal survival with abruptio placentae, direct fetal injury, or preterm delivery before 34 weeks' as a result of the accident). The best predictors of fetal loss or adverse outcome were impact severity and proper seat belt use. With these newly acquired data a second-generation crash dummy, known as the Maternal Anthropomorphic Measurement Apparatus version 2b (MAMA-2b), is being developed. It incorporates strain gauges in the fundal region of the fluid-filled uterus plus pressure transducers in both the anterior and posterior uterus. Criteria are being developed to associate the likelihood of abruptio placentae with measurements from these instruments that correspond to the two major hypothesized mechanisms of abruptio placentae. Conclusion: An improved understanding of the elements of automobile crashes that cause fetal loss and other major pregnancy complications has been gained through this series of investigations. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2000;182:1554-64.)
Transform edge detection

The blockwise transform edge detection method consists of segmenting the image into a number of small blocks, with neighboring blocks overlapping slightly; transforming each block by a fast transform; multiplying the transform coefficients of each block by a bandpass mask; inverse transforming the modified transform coefficients; detecting zero crossings and deciding an edge according to a thresholding scheme. Simulation results with the blockwise transform edge detection method in comparison to other bandpass filtering techniques indicate that higher performance is achieved with the new technique on the average. This is believed to result from the use of blockwise generalized filtering with appropriate transforms rather than linear convolutional filtering, as in other bandpass filtering techniques. The new method also has less computational complexity, and is well-suited to parallel processing.
Comment on Tuning of the CDW in MX Chains

The author comments on the claim [Phys. Rev. Lett. [bold 71], 1415 (1993)] that anharmonic elastic potentials are essential to explain the charge-density-wave systematics of an entire class of halogen-bridged transition metal linear-chain compounds (MX chains). (AIP)
Role of psa and its indices in determining the need for repeat prostate biopsies

Abstract Objectives To retrospectively study evaluated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and four PSA indices as criteria for performing a repeat biopsy when the initial biopsy findings are negative for cancer. Methods One, two, or more repeat biopsy sessions were performed on 193, 54, and 14 men, respectively, all of whom had an initially negative biopsy at our institution. We compared the usefulness of PSA, PSA density, age-referenced PSA, volume-referenced PSA, and PSA velocity for predicting the presence of cancer. Results Overall, 51 men (26%) were found to have cancer on repeat biopsy. Cancer was found in 17% (33 of 193) of the men on the first repeat biopsy and 26% (14 of 54) of the men who had a second repeat biopsy. Of all the indices, PSA and volume-referenced PSA had the highest sensitivity, missing the fewest cancers; however, this was achieved at the expense of saving the least number of biopsies. We evaluated the usefulness of indices among 9 patients who had a normal PSA at the initial biopsy; volume-referenced PSA was the earliest predictive index indicating that a repeat biopsy be performed. Analysis of the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curves revealed no significant advantage for any index over PSA alone in determining who should undergo a repeat biopsy. Conclusions In determining the need for repeat biopsies, the established PSA threshold value of 4 ng/mL is equivalent or superior to age-referenced PSA, volume-referenced PSA, PSA density, and PSA velocity. However, volume-referenced PSA has the potential to be the earliest index predicting cancer in men with normal PSA level.
Functional genomics and microbiome profiling of the Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) reveal insights into the digestive physiology and nutritional ecology of wood feeding beetles

Wood-feeding beetles harbor an ecologically rich and taxonomically diverse assemblage of gut microbes that appear to promote survival in woody tissue, which is devoid of nitrogen and essential nutrients. Nevertheless, the contributions of these apparent symbionts to digestive physiology and nutritional ecology remain uncharacterized in most beetle lineages. Through parallel transcriptome profiling of beetle- and microbial- derived mRNAs, we demonstrate that the midgut microbiome of the Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis), a member of the beetle family Cerambycidae, is enriched in biosynthetic pathways for the synthesis of essential amino acids, vitamins, and sterols. Consequently, the midgut microbiome of A. glabripennis can provide essential nutrients that the beetle cannot obtain from its woody diet or synthesize itself. The beetle gut microbiota also produce their own suite of transcripts that can enhance lignin degradation, degrade hemicellulose, and ferment xylose and wood sugars. An abundance of cellulases from several glycoside hydrolase families are expressed endogenously by A. glabripennis, as well as transcripts that allow the beetle to convert microbe-synthesized essential amino acids into non-essential amino acids. A. glabripennis and its gut microbes likely collaborate to digest carbohydrates and convert released sugars and amino acid intermediates into essential nutrients otherwise lacking from their woody host plants. The nutritional provisioning capabilities of the A. glabripennis gut microbiome may contribute to the beetles’ unusually broad host range. The presence of some of the same microbes in the guts of other Cerambycidae and other wood-feeding beetles suggests that partnerships with microbes may be a facilitator of evolutionary radiations in beetles, as in certain other groups of insects, allowing access to novel food sources through enhanced nutritional provisioning.
A comparison of several exact and approximate tests for structural shift under heteroscedasticity

Abstract It is known that the Chow test for equality of regression coefficients is not robust to heteroscedasticity. Much recent attention has been paid to this problem by way of new tests. The bulk of the new procedures are justified only asymptotically and little has been done to examine finite sample properties. Even less attention has been focused on comparisons of tests under either the null or alternative hypotheses. In this paper we redress these shortcomings and also contribute by suggesting additional tests. The results indicate that there are tests available with good sampling characteristics, some of which are computationally easy to carry out from both the standpoint of the researcher's time and computation time.
Friends in High Places

During the first year of his term as president, George W. Bush has worked hard to further tip the balance of financial power against working families. Bush has creatively used his influence to elevate the quest for airline-industry profitability to the top of his agenda. September 11 changed many things, but not the focus of Bush's regressively profit-centered political and legislative agenda. However, the tragedy has done much to change how he goes about the “business of business.”
Experimental aeroelastic behavior of forward-swept graphite/epoxy wings with rigid-body freedom

An analytical and experimental investigation was made of the aeroelastic flutter and divergence behavior of graphite/epoxy forward-swept wings with rigid-body pitch and plunge freedoms present. A complete, two-sided, 30 deg forward-swept wing aircraft model was constructed and mounted with low-friction bearings in a lowspeed wind tunnel. Four different ply layup wings could be interchanged on the model, namely, [02/90]s, [152/0]s, [302/0]s, and [ -152/0]s. Wind-tunnel tests on the "free*'-flying models revealed body freedom flutter, bending-torsion flutter, and a support dynamic instability that could be eliminated by proper adjustment of the support stiffness. Good agreement with linear theory was found for all the observed instabilities. Additional tests on the models with rigid-body pitch only gave lower critical speeds, while tests on the cantilever wings gave higher speeds. The [152/0] s wing gave the best tailored aeroelastic behavior.
Alterations in lipolysis, adenylate cyclase and adenosine 3', 5'-monophosphate levels in isolated fat cells following adrenalectomy.

Isolated fat cells prepared from the epididymal fat pads of adrenalectomized rats exhibited a reduced lipolytic response to epinephrine. Reduced responsiveness was first observed at 3 hr and was maximal at 24 hr following surgery. Plasma levels of corticosterone had fallen to near zero by 3 hr. The lipolytic responses to ACTH, dibutyryl cyclic AMP and theophylline were also reduced. Maximum lipolytic rates produced by a combination of epinephrine and theophylline were not altered. Loss of lipolytic response to epinephrine could be prevented by subcutaneous injection of hydrocortisone. Basal, epinephrinestimulated, and sodium fluoride—stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in fat cell homogenates were not altered by adrenalectomy; however, the response to ACTH was nearly abolished. Elevations in intracellular levels of cyclic AMP by ACTH were greatly reduced by adrenalectomy while the response to epinephrine was reduced to a lesser extent. With both hormones the effect of adrenalectomy was greater when the ...
Human testicular lactate dehydrogenase-C gene is interrupted by six introns at positions homologous to those of LDH-A (muscle) and LDH-B (heart) genes.

Abstract Human genomic clones containing parts of testis-specific lactate dehydrogenase-C gene of approximately 40 kilobases in length were isolated and characterized. The protein-coding sequence of human LDH-C gene is interrupted by six introns at positions homologous to those of mammalian LDH-A (muscle) and LDH-B (heart) genes, and exhibits 21%, 24% and 34% nucleotide differences with those of mouse LDH-C, human LDH-A and LDH-B genes, respectively.
Ligand field effects on the multiplet structure of the U4f XPS of UO2

Abstract Ab initio, fully relativistic four component theory was used to determine atomic and interatomic many-body effects for the U4f X-ray photoelectron spectrum of an embedded U O 8 - 12 cluster representing UO 2 . Many-body effects were included through the use of configuration interaction wavefunctions that allow the mixing of XPS allowed and XPS forbidden configurations. Charge transfer configurations were not included. This work extends our earlier studies on simulations of the 4f XPS for the free U 4+ cation. While the main XPS features are similar in both cases, ligand field effects changed the multiplet structure in important ways that better simulated experimental data for UO 2 . Neither initial nor final state covalency significantly reduced the 4f–5f exchange integrals, and the differences between the atom and cluster model were due to ligand field splitting of the 5f band and increased distributions of intensity from XPS allowed to XPS forbidden peaks. The prominent 7 eV satellites associated with UO 2 were absent in the simulations, which provided further evidence that these satellites are due to charge transfer and not other interatomic effects.
Exponential bounds for error and equivocation based on markov chain observations

Let X 1 , X 2 ,… be a sequence of random variables whose finite dimensional distributions depend on a random variable θ. Suppose a decision is to be made for θ based on a sequence of n observations of the \ X n \}} process. In particular, suppose the process is a finite state Markov chain for each value of θ while θ may assume only a finite number of values, each with positive probability. Upper and lower bounds are derived on the error probability of both Bayes and maximum likelihood decision schemes and on the equivocation about θ after n observations. These bounds go to zero exponentially with n when the process has distinct ultimate behavior. The asymptotic rate at which they go to zero cannot be improved upon.
Fiedler's leadership contingency model: An empirical test in three organizations

Abstract This study tested Fiedler's leadership theory, the “Contingency Model” in three business and industrial organizations. The samples included research chemists, shop craftsmen, supermarket meat and grocery departments, and production foremen. The model successfully predicted performance for both interacting (high member—task interdependence) and co-acting (low member—task interdependence) groups in the sampled organizations. However, almost as much variance appeared to be explained by leader—member relations alone as by the interaction (implied by the model) of this variable with task structure. These results indicate the model's apparent applicability to industrial organizations, but suggest that more research is needed to determine how complex the model might need to be in such organizations.
Reconstruction of microwave tomography data obtained using deformable mirrors

This paper presents a novel scheme for imaging defects in dielectric materials using microwave tomography techniques. The novelty lies in the use of deformable mirrors to deflect the microwaves in predictable directions towards the object under test. The deformable mirror consists of a continuum of reflecting elements that yields multi-view field measurements that can be used to tomographically reconstruct the spatial dielectric property of the object. A study showing the computational feasibility of the proposed technique is presented for heterogeneous two dimensional dielectric scatterers.
Fundamental trade-offs in aggregate packet scheduling

In this paper, we investigate the fundamental trade-offs in aggregate packet scheduling for support of guaranteed delay service. In our study, we consider two classes of aggregate packet scheduling algorithms: the static earliest time first (SETF) and dynamic earliest time first (DETF). Through these two classes of aggregate packet scheduling (and together with the simple FIFO packet scheduling algorithm), we show that, with additional timestamp information encoded in the packet header for scheduling purposes, we can significantly increase the maximum allowable network utilization level, while, at the same time, reducing the worst-case edge-to-edge delay bound. Furthermore, we demonstrate how the number of the bits used to encode the timestamp information affects the trade-off between the maximum allowable network utilization level and the worst-case edge-to-edge delay bound. In addition, the more complex DETF algorithms have far superior performance than the simpler SETF algorithms. These results illustrate the fundamental trade-offs in aggregate packet scheduling algorithms and shed light on their provisioning power in support of guaranteed delay service.
Correlation between coronary arteriography and the postexercise electrocardiogram

Abstract Seventy-five patients with chest pain were studied with a double Master exercise test (post-exercise electrocardiogram) and coronary cine-arteriography to determine the correlation between these two methods of indicating the presence and severity of coronary artery disease. In 33 patients, the description of the chest pain was not that of classic angina pectoris. In this group, coronary cinearteriography revealed no disease while 10 patients had a positive double Master exercise test. Forty-two patients had pain that was quite characteristic of angina pectoris. In this group, coronary artery disease was demonstrated in all patients by coronary cinearteriography while 24 of these patients had a negative Master test. Study of the coronary arteriograms showed no significant difference in the severity and distribution of the disease between patients with a positive postexercise electrocardiogram and those with a negative postexercise electrocardiogram. The incidence of demonstrable collateral channels was identical in both groups. Selective coronary arteriography has confirmed previous doubts regarding the diagnostic reliability of the postexercise electrocardiogram in the individual patient with chest pain.
Metabolic and hormonal responses of children and adolescents to fasting and 2-deoxyglucose.

Abstract In order to provide age related reference values that would be useful in the differential diagnosis of hypoglycemia in a pediatric population, substrate and hormonal responses to fasting and to acute hypoglycemia were characterized in a group of children and adolescents who did not have hypoglycemia. The subjects were retrospectively divided into younger children, aged 2 to 8 years, and older subjects, aged 10 to 18 years, on the basis of significant differences in responses to these tests. After fasting for approximately 36 hours, plasma glucose levels were significantly lower in eight younger children than in six older subjects (48 ± 8 v 69 ± 13 mg/dl, ± SD); free fatty acids (FFA) were higher (2.3 ± 0.7 v 1.5 ± 0.4 mmol/L), and β-hydroxybutyrate (BOHB) was higher (3.8 ± 0.4 v 2.1 ± 0.7 mmol/L). These differences are proportionate to correlations between the average concentrations of plasma glucose and FFA ( r = −0.92), BOHB ( r = −0.98), and alanine ( r = 0.85), and between BOHB and FFA ( r = 0.97). In the younger children plasma insulin decreased to a significantly lower level (1.7 ± 0.6 v 4.8 ± 1.3 μ U/mL), and two- to three-fold increases were found in levels of urinary epinephine, plasma glucagon, and serum cortisol, which did not occur in the older children. In contrast, following simulation of acute hypoglycemia by administration of 2-deoxyglucose (2DG) (50 mg/kg intravenously), the increase of plasma glucose after one hour was significantly less in nine younger than in six older children (32 ± 12 v 57 ± 25 mg/dL), as was the increase in lactate (0.4 ± 0.3 v 1.0 ± 0.8 mmol/L). In both groups there was an eight-fold increase of urinary epinephrine and a two-fold increase of serum cortisol after 2DG, while insulin increased only slightly and glucagon and growth hormone did not change. It is concluded that there are generally greater metabolic and hormonal responses associated with fasting in younger children than there are in older children, and this is related to lower plasma glucose. The responses of older children are similar to adults. After acute simulated hypoglycemia, however, the increases of glucose and lactate are less in younger children in spite of a similarly large increase of epinephrine. These differences may be related to earlier depletion of available glycogen in younger children. Both tests have potential usefulness in the evaluation of hypoglycemia.
Carbon exchange and species composition of grazed pastures and exclosures in the shortgrass steppe of Colorado

Grasslands comprise approximately 40% of the world’s terrestrial surface. Consequently, grassland ecosystems are a significant component of the global carbon cycle. In order to better understand how grazing affects the carbon cycle of grasslands, this study measured CO2 exchange rate (CER) and soil respiration rate (SRR) on 130 ha pastures with a 56-year history of heavy (60% removal) and light (20% removal) grazing, and their accompanying 0.8 ha exclosures, on the shortgrass steppe of northeastern Colorado, USA. A CER chamber that covered 1 m 2 of native grassland was used on five plots in each of the four areas. Mid-day CER and SRR were measured during the growing seasons of 1995–1997, along with green vegetation index (GVI, similar to leaf area index) and plant species composition. When averaged over each growing season, there was no significant difference in CER of grazed pastures versus exclosures. However, there were seasonal differences in CER, which varied over the 3 years. Differences in CER between grazed pastures and exclosures were not related to GVI, which rarely differed between treatments. Grazing treatment differences in CER were driven by climate variability and species composition differences resulting from long-term grazing and exclusion from grazing. Exclosures had more cool-season (C3) grasses and forbs than grazed plots, which contained more warm-season (C4) grasses (primarily Bouteloua gracilis(H.B.K.) Lag. Ex Steud.). The somewhat unique, cool spring of 1995 was favorable to cool-season plant metabolism and resulted in higher CER in exclosures compared with grazed pastures. Warm, dry conditions in spring of 1996 favored warm-season species, resulting in higher CER in the heavily-grazed pasture. In 1997, there was little difference in CER between grazed pastures and exclosures. There were very few sampling dates when SRR was different in grazed pastures and exclosures. This study suggests that these intensities of cattle grazing do not alter the photosynthetic and soil respiration components of the carbon cycle of the US shortgrass prairie. It appears that cattle grazing can be a sustainable component of managing this ecosystem for maximum global carbon sequestration. Published by Elsevier Science B.V.
High magnetic field Mössbauer studies of deoxymyoglobin, deoxyhemoglobin, and synthetic analogues.

Mossbauer spectra of deoxymyoglobin, deoxyhemoglobin, and the synthetic analogues, iron (II) 2-methylimidazole meso-tetraphenylporphyrin, and iron (II) 1,2-dimethylimidazole meso-tetraphenylporphyrin have been observed in high magnetic fields and over a wide range of temperature. At temperatures greater than 20 K all materials exhibit remarkably similar spectra, with anisotropic internal magnetic fields decreasing as 1/T. All have negative quadrupole interaction, and both this and the magnetic anisotropy imply that the orbital of the odd electron is prolate in the ground quintet, with little unquenched orbital angular momentum. At 4.2 K the spectra differ, suggesting different detailed structure within the quintet. In contrast to the proteins, the 2-methyl model exhibits spectra at 4.2 K which imply that the lowest spin state has high susceptibility in a single direction.
Pain, Pain Catastrophizing, and Past Legal Charges Related to Drugs

Using a self-report survey methodology in a cross-sectional consecutive primary care sample (N = 238), we examined pain at 3 time points (today, past month, past year), pain catastrophizing using the Pain Catastrophizing Scale, and history of legal charges for 5 drug-related crimes as defined by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Among the subsample of 185 participants with histories of being prescribed analgesics, 33 reported a history of legal charges for drug-related crimes. Analyses of variance among this subsample confirmed statistically significant relationships between the current level of pain and history of legal charges for drug-related crimes, as well as level of pain catastrophizing and history of legal charges for drug-related crimes.
Global Solar Magnetic Fields

The global solar magnetic field greatly affects the corona, heliosphere, and terrestrial environment as well as revealing much about the Sun itself. It may be useful to think of the global field in two ways: as an aggregate of many small scale processes and as an entity.When considering the origin and evolution of the global field, one immediately focuses on the smaller-scale features and processes that it comprises. These include the emergence of active regions, the interaction of new and existing flux patterns, the distortion and dispersal of flux over the surface by convective motions, the phenomena that produce the emergence of patterns with various periods, and the influence of convection and rotation at various depths on flux tubes.When contemplating the effects of the global field, one often focuses on it as an entity or on its large-scale features. Examples are the reversal of the polar fields, the asymmetry between the north and south hemispheres, the dipole or quadrupole structure of the coronal field and its observation at the Earth as 2 or 4 polarity sectors, and the rigid rotation seen in coronal holes. Both views help us appreciate the significance of the global field.
MORAL CONSTRUCTION AS A TASK: SOURCES AND LIMITS

This essay first distinguishes different questions regarding moral objectivity and relativism and then sketches a broadly Kantian position on two of these questions. First, how, if at all, can we derive, justify, or support specific moral principles and judgments from more basic moral standards and values? Second, how, if at all, can the basic standards such as my broadly Kantian perspective, be defended? Regarding the first question, the broadly Kantian position is that from ideas in Kant's later formulations of the Categorical Imperative, especially human dignity and rational autonomous law-making, we can develop an appropriate moral perspective for identifying and supporting more specific principles. Both the deliberative perspective and the derivative principles can be viewed as “constructed,” but in different senses. In response to the second question, the essay examines two of Kant's strategies for defending his basic perspective and the important background of his arguments against previous moral theories.
What the robot's hand should tell the robot's brain: feature detection in a biological neural network

Biological neural networks in the somatosensory system process haptic information from the hand when it grasps and manipulates objects. The author describes how tactile sensors in the skin detect surface features which are of functional importance to the organism and how this information is further transformed by the central nervous system. The parallel processing mechanisms used by the primate hand may be instructive for developing intelligent controllers for robotic hands. >
Colonization of rice straw by white-rot fungi (Cyathus stercoreus): Effect on ruminal fermentation pattern, nitrogen metabolism, and fiber utilization during continuous culture

Experimental diets consisted of fungal treated or untreated rice straw: concentrate 75:25 on a DM basis and ground through a 1 mm sieve. Fungal treated rice straw (FRS) and untreated rice straw (C) diets were formulated to be isonitrogenous (11% crude protein; CP), but varied in total nonstructural carbohydrates, neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber (18.3 vs. 11.4%; 49.7 vs. 61.0%; 45.0 vs. 47.5%), respectively. Four fermenters were inoculated with ruminal fluid from a ruminally cannulated lactating Holstein cow fed a total mixed ration consisting of 50% silage: 50% grain (DM basis). A randomized complete block design was used with diets replicated within each experimental period and four times across periods. Each period was 10 days in length, 7 days for adaptation followed by 3 days for sample collection. Digesta solid and liquid dilution rates were 0.055 h−1. Apparent and true digestion of DM and OM of the FRS-diet was higher (P < 0.05) compared with the C-diet. Fungal treatment increased (P < 0.05) the digestibility of the major fiber component, cellulose, compared to the C-diet (61.1 vs. 48.8%). Actual quantities of nutrients digested per unit time indicated that fungal treatment increased cellulose digestion by 27% but decreased hemicellulose digestion by 37%, when compared with the C-diet. Arabinose and xylose from FRS-diet were less digestible, however glucose digestion was increased by 38% compared with the C-diet. Increased digestion of carbohydrates from FRS-diet resulted in an increase (P < 0.05) on production of total volatile fatty acids (VFA) compared with the C-diet. Increased VFA production of FRS-diet was due to increased molar proportion (moles 100 moles−1) of propionate and butyrate (28.8 vs. 24.2; 13.1 vs. 7.9), respectively. Branched chain VFA production was not detectable with the FRS-diet when compared with an average of 2.6 moles 100 moles−1 for the C-diet. A similar pattern of inhibition was found with ammonia-N production with FRS-diet compared with the C-diet (0.77 vs. 22.3 mg dl−1). Nitrogen metabolism of FRS-diet resulted in lower true digestion of CP and microbial protein synthesis compared with the C-diet, resulting in increased dietary-N flow. This study demonstrated that fungal treatment increased fiber digestibility by increasing the availability of cellulose but decreasing CP availability for rumen microbial digestion.
A Unified Microblog User Similarity Model for Online Friend Recommendation

Nowadays, people usually like to extend their real-life social relations into the online virtual social networks. With the blooming of Web 2.0 technology, huge number of users aggregate in the microblogging services, such as Twitter and Weibo, to express their opinions, record their personal lives and communicate with each other. How to recommend potential good friends for the target user has been a critical problem for both commercial companies and research communities. The key issue for online friend recommendation is to design an appropriate algorithm for user similarity measurement. In this paper, we propose a novel microblog user similarity model for online friend recommendation by linearly combining multiple similarity measurements of microblogs. Our proposed model can give a more comprehensive understanding of the user relationship in the microblogging space. Extensive experiments on a real-world dataset validate that our proposed model outperforms other baseline algorithms by a large margin.
An impedance microsensor with coplanar electrodes and vertical sensing apertures

An impedance microsensor with coplanar electrodes and a vertical sensing aperture is presented for detecting single particles/cells. The sensing mechanism utilizes gating electrodes patterned in a plane perpendicular to the fluidic flow to minimize coincidence due to multiple particles. The design was implemented by integrating gating microelectrodes across the entrance of an orifice anisotropically etched into a silicon substrate. Through holes in diameters of 20, 60, and 100 /spl mu/m were made on a single device. The microsensor was tested by detecting microbeads 45 /spl mu/m in diameter suspended in 0.9% saline solution using AC excitation of 500 kHz. For comparison, a larger version made on a printed circuit board was also tested on microbeads 367 and 867 /spl mu/m in diameter using an excitation frequency of 50 KHz. The impedance change across the gating electrodes due to passage of particles through the sensing apertures was converted into electrical pulses using an interfacing system including demodulation and signal processing circuitry and acquired into a LabView program for automatic pulse detection and analysis. Preliminary results on detection of microbeads indicate that the sensing mechanism is capable of detecting passing particles, and the pulse amplitude distribution correlates with the size of beads.
Multi-Objective Models for Scheduling Jobs on Parallel Computer Systems

This paper is concerned with the design of goal-oriented scheduling policies that deal with multiple goals on production parallel systems. Several objective models are compared, including two new models that allow an explicit specification of tradeoff among different goals and a hierarchical model studied in our previous paper. We focus on two performance goals commonly placed on production systems: starvation prevention and favoring shorter jobs. In this paper, we study how to best formulate high-level performance goals, in an attempt to provide guideline for defining the objectives.
Co-up-regulation of three P450 genes in response to permethrin exposure in permethrin resistant house flies, Musca domestica

Insects may use various biochemical pathways to enable them to tolerate the lethal action of insecticides. For example, increased cytochrome P450 detoxification is known to play an important role in many insect species. Both constitutively increased expression (overexpression) and induction of P450s are thought to be responsible for increased levels of detoxification of insecticides. However, unlike constitutively overexpressed P450 genes, whose expression association with insecticide resistance has been extensively studied, the induction of P450s is less well characterized in insecticide resistance. The current study focuses on the characterization of individual P450 genes that are induced in response to permethrin treatment in permethrin resistant house flies. The expression of 3 P450 genes, CYP4D4v2, CYP4G2, and CYP6A38, was co-up-regulated by permethrin treatment in permethrin resistant ALHF house flies in a time and dose-dependent manner. Comparison of the deduced protein sequences of these three P450s from resistant ALHF and susceptible aabys and CS house flies revealed identical protein sequences. Genetic linkage analysis located CYP4D4v2 and CYP6A38 on autosome 5, corresponding to the linkage of P450-mediated resistance in ALHF, whereas CYP4G2 was located on autosome 3, where the major insecticide resistance factor(s) for ALHF had been mapped but no P450 genes reported prior to this study. Our study provides the first direct evidence that multiple P450 genes are co-up-regulated in permethrin resistant house flies through the induction mechanism, which increases overall expression levels of P450 genes in resistant house flies. Taken together with the significant induction of CYP4D4v2, CYP4G2, and CYP6A38 expression by permethrin only in permethrin resistant house flies and the correlation of the linkage of the genes with resistance and/or P450-mediated resistance in resistant ALHF house flies, this study sheds new light on the functional importance of P450 genes in response to insecticide treatment, detoxification of insecticides, the adaptation of insects to their environment, and the evolution of insecticide resistance.
Abstract 99: Geographic Access to Acute Stroke Care in the United States

Background: Only 5% of ischemic stroke (IS) patients receive IV tPA and less than 1% receive endovascular therapy (ET). Prior work has described access to Primary Stroke Centers (PSC). We describe access of the US population to all facilities that provide IV tPA or ET for IS. Methods: We used US demographic data and IV tPA and ET rates in the 2011 Medicare Provider and Analysis Review (MEDPAR), a claims-based dataset that contains fee-for-service Medicare-eligible inpatient hospital discharges in the US. ICD-9 codes 433.xx, 434.xx and 436 identified IS cases. ICD-9 code 99.10 defined IV tPA treatment. Among IS cases, hospitals that gave any IV tPA were considered IV capable. ET was defined by ICD-9 code 39.74. Hospitals that performed any ET in IS cases were considered endovascular capable. PSCs were defined as hospitals certified as such by the Joint Commission in 2010. We estimated ambulance response times using arc-GIS’s network analyst and helicopter transport times using validated models. Population access to care was determined by summing the population contained within travelsheds that could reach capable hospitals within 60minutes. Results: Of 370351 IS primary diagnosis discharges, 14926 (4%) received IV tPA and 1889 (0.5%) had ET. By ground, 81% percent of the US population had access to IV capable hospitals within 60minutes, 66% had access to PSCs and 56% had access to ET capable hospitals. By air, 97% percent had access to IV capable hospitals within 60minutes, 91% had access to PSCs and 85% had access to ET hospitals. The Figure shows 60 (yellow) and 120 minute (green) access to IV rt-PA capable hospitals. Conclusion: Most of the US population has geographic access to acute stroke care, but treatment rates remain extremely low. Given our definitions of capability, actual access may be less than described. To optimize US stroke care systems and increase the use of acute therapies, pre- and inhospital interventions to overcome barriers in access to acute stroke care are needed.
Functional properties of transfected human DMT1 iron transporter.

Recently, mutation of the DMT1 gene has been discovered to cause ineffective intestinal iron uptake and abnormal body iron metabolism in the anemic Belgrade rat and mkmouse. DMT1 transports first-s...
Sources of Variation in Economic Impact Multipliers

The conceptual arguments and empirical analyses in the article illustrate that when tourism organizations replicate economic impact analyses and/or compare their results with those reported by others, perceived differences often are specious because they are attributable to artifacts in multiplier measurement as well as to changes in the structure of host economies. Four sources of variation in multipliers that may result in specious comparisons are addressed: differences in specifications of the three main types of models used in economic impact analyses, semantic and definition confusion, changes in communities’ economic structures, and calibration and decision rule changes.
AIED Is Splitting Up (Into Services) and the Next Generation Will Be All Right

Advanced learning technologies are reaching a new phase of their evolution where they are finally entering mainstream educational contexts, with persistent user bases. However, as AIED scales, it will need to follow recent trends in service-oriented and ubiquitous computing: breaking AIED platforms into distinct services that can be composed for different platforms (web, mobile, etc.) and distributed across multiple system s. This will represent a move from learning platforms to an ecosystem of interacting learning tools. Such tools will enable new opportunities for both user -adaptation and experimentation. Tradi- tional macro-adaptation (problem selection) and step-based adaptation (hints and feedback) will be extended by meta-adaptation (adaptive system selection) and micro-adaptation (event-level optimization). The existence of persistent and widely-used systems will also support new paradigms for experimentation in education, allowing researchers to understand interactions and boundary conditions for learning principles. New central research questions for the field will also need to be answered due to these changes in the AIED landscape.
Sudden Cardiac Death in a Teenager: A Review of Kawasaki Disease

ABSTRACT Alzheimer disease (AD) is a genetically heterogeneous and progressive degenerative disorder ofthe brain. It affects approximately 4 million Americans and causes more than 100,000 deaths each year, and there is no cure. It is estimated that by the year 2020, 14 million Americans will be affected by the disease. Although the major pathology is confined to regions of the brain, some patients show an impaired sense of smell and selective loss of retinal ganglion cells. The biochemical processes that lead to AD are largely unknown. Genetic studies on inherited AD have identified three genes that when mutated can cause an early-onset form of the disease. Mutation of these genes has been shown to increase the production of a unique protein called f)-amyloid, which is the predominant component of neuritic plaques found in the brain of AD patients. Also, one susceptibility gene has been shown to be associated with the risk oflate-onset AD in both familial and sporadic forms. The available data support to a large extent the amyloid cascade hypothesis as a mechanism of the disease pathology. The newly identified "AMY plaques" and the future identification ofother susceptibility genes may give further clues to the neurodegenerative mechanisms of AD.
Ferroelectric Polymer-ceramic Nanoparticle Composite Films for Use in the Capacitive Storage of Electrical Energy

In this study, we use novel thermal deposition techniques to synthesize films of poly(vinlyidene fluoride), or PVDF, containing nanoparticles of the ceramic titanium dioxide (TiO2). This ferroelectric polymer has shown promise as a capacitor dielectric material, and possible enhanced electrical properties when combined with ceramic nanoparticles. Characterization of these composite films has been performed including chemical structure and microstructure using SFM, XPS, and EDS techniques. Measurements of film parameters such as dielectric constant and breakdown voltage have also been performed, and the dispersion of the ceramic particles within the films has been characterized
G481 Rapid response to safety incidences in a Children’s Hospital – reconstructing a system fit for the Francis report era

Introduction The aim of any safety reporting system is to create organisation memory by collating system errors and learning to minimise future harm. Our hospital consist of separate wards and departments each with designated investigators of incidents logged electronically. A high level nurse provides quality control and oversight after completion of reports weeks to months after the incident happened. System analysis showed our current reporting system provided variable quality reviews, inadequate feedback, long delays, poor fragmented learning and no measured improvement in safety indices. Method Using quality improvement methodology we tested a system of daily rapid review of incidents by a high level joint medical and nursing team. Measures included resources required, disruption to existing system, timeliness of reviews, learning generated and staff acceptability. Results Two PDSA cycles were carried out: Firstly two weeks with one nursing and one medical investigator met four times. Two to five new incidents were discussed at each one hour meeting. Subsequently a small team of senior nursing and medical investigators on a rota met three times per week for six weeks. Time taken for completion of investigations reduced. Significant challenges were faced with imposing this new system on top of an existing but ill-defined system. Some wards had existing timely investigations but rapid review highlighted high variability in investigation quality and outcome. This QI project resulted in improved understanding of the existing microsystems and generated a wish list of additional resource requirements. Conclusion Rapid review resulted in more timely investigations of incidents. This quality improvement project is ongoing as the biggest challenge remains improving a system by top down oversight while empowering and engaging the work done by existing staff.
The Effects of Subliminal Stimulation on Drive Level and Brand Preference

This article reviews and clarifies the main concepts associated with subliminal research and develops and tests a theoretical explanation of the effects of subliminal stimulation. Basic drive arous...
Shape-control and electrocatalytic activity-enhancement of Pt-based bimetallic nanocrystals.

Due to the increasing worldwide energy demand and environ-mental concerns, the need for alternative energy sources is growing stronger, and platinum catalysts in fuel cells may help make the technologies a reality. However, the pursuit of highly active Pt-based electrocatalysts continues to be a challenge. Scientists developing electrocatalysts continue to focus on characterizing and directing the construction of nanocrystals and advancing their electrochemical applications. Although chemists have worked on Pt-based bimetallic (Pt-M) preparations in the past, more recent research shows that both shape-controlled Pt-M nanocrystals and the assembly of these nanocrystals into supercrystals are promising new directions. A solution-based synthesis approach is an effective technique for preparing crystallographic facet-directed nanocatalysts. This is aided by careful selection of the metal precursor, capping ligand, reducing agent, and solvent. Incorporating a secondary metal M into the Pt lattice and manipulat...
117 INSULIN PARAMETERS AND DIFFERENT MEASURES OF ADIPOSITY IN OBESE ADOLESCENTS

We compared the utility of different adiposity measures in predicting indices of insulin sensitivity and secretion. At their pre-randomization visit for a 1 year, randomized, double masked, placebo controlled trial of metformin extended release, 47 (to date, of a planned 135) obese adolescents had a 7 point, 180 minute, 75-gm OGTT. Inclusion criteria included a BMI greater than the 95th centile and weight of less than 137 kg. Subjects had a mean age of 14.6 (13-18) years. 21 (45%) were male and 55% were non-Hispanic white. Insulin sensitivity was estimated using the Composite Insulin Sensitivity Index [CISI, 1/((mg/dL)(μU/mL))]. Insulin secretion was calculated using the Corrected Insulin Release at glucose peak [CIRgp, ((μU/L)/(mg/dL)2)]. Total adiposity was measured using BMI and dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA-whole body (WB)). Trunk adiposity was measured by DXA-TK and a CT slice aligned with the L4-L5 intervertebral disk. This CT slice was also used to partition intraperitoneal (CT-IP) and subcutaneous (CT-SQ) fat. While the mean body weights were similar (98.9 vs 100 kg), girls, as expected, had greater adiposity than boys (DX-WB 42[138}6% vs 36±6% fat). Moreover, non-Hispanic whites, while having similar adiposity, had greater insulin sensitivity (CISI 3.88±3.00 vs 3.38±4.55). CISI was highly correlated with fasting insulin concentrations (r = -0.95, p ≤ 0.0001). Intraperitoneal fat (CT-IP), while constituting only 14% of abdomen fat, had the strongest correlation with CISI of all the measures of adiposity (Table). Of the adiposity indices, only abdomen CT quantitated intraperitoneal fat and this was the only measure that significantly correlated with insulin sensitivity in these obese adolescents. Supported by: Glaser Pediatric Research Network and CRCs at Baylor (M01-RR-00188), Harvard (M01-RR- 02172), Stanford (M01-RR-000070), UCLA (M01-RR-00865), and UCSF (M01-RR-01271).
Incidence of Basic Concepts in the Directions of Five Commonly Used American Tests of Intelligence

Five intelligence tests produced in the United States of America were reviewed to determine the incidence of basic concepts within the test directions. The 258 concepts assessed by the Bracken Basic Concept Scale were used to produce the frequency count and it was found that the directions of four of the five intelligence tests were replete with basic concepts. The Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children had only six concepts used in the test directions, and the instrument allows for task teaching and alternate wording. Threats to validity are discussed for the four American instruments that had the most concepts assumed by the test authors.
Evolutionary design process ponders optoelectronic eye

Tunnel junction and vertical integration of phototransceiver provide alternative to CCDs for mass-producible, monolithically integrated image sensors.