cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Frequency-division-multiplexed Fabry-Perot interferometric fiber sensors for temperature monitoring in a selective catalytic reduction unit

We present the quasi-distributed temperature measurement results in a selective catalytic reduction unit of a power plant by using a frequency-division-multiplexing optical fiber measurement system with eight intrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometric fiber sensors along a single fiber. The sensor was constructed by splicing a section of multimode fiber between single mode fibers. A high resolution swept laser interrogator was used to measure the spectrogram of the reflected light from the sensors, which contains multiple frequency components in wave number domain corresponding to sensors with different cavity lengths. The temperatures were measured by estimating the optical path length of each Fabry-peort interferometer. Field test results show that the proposed technology can potentially be used in applications of multi-point high temperature sensing.
Catalytic oxidative carbonylation of aliphatic secondary amines to tetrasubstituted ureas

Abstract Secondary amines can be catalytically carbonylated to symmetrical tetrasubstituted ureas using W(CO) 6 as the catalyst, I 2 as the oxidant, and CO as the carbonyl source. Preparation of the corresponding tetrasubstituted ureas from the aliphatic secondary amines HNR 2 (R=C 2 H 5 , n -Bu, i -Pr, PhCH 2 ) and HNRR′ (R,R′=(CH 2 ) 4 ; (CH 2 ) 5 ; PhCH 2 , CH 3 ) was achieved in moderate yields. Aromatic secondary amines are unreactive.
The Relationship between EEG Changes and Cognitive Functions in Dementia: A Study in a VA Population:

This study explores the relationship between the results of tests of dementia and the EEG findings in 94 demented patients of different etiologies. Abnormal EEGs were found in 83% of all patients, usually diffuse slow wave abnormalities, the degree of which correlated very well with the Modified Hachinski test. Only a weak relationship was found between the EEG and the Mini-Mental Status Examination, while the Mattis and its subtests correlated better. Focal EEG abnormalities on the temporal areas were the characteristic pattern in patients with alcoholic dementia. The test scores in the 17% with normal EEGs were consistent with the above findings, in that patients with normal tracings scored well on the Modified Hachinski and Mattis tests, but not on the Mini-Mental Status Exam.
Student Reflections on Good & Bad Teaching AmongUndergraduate Hospitality & Tourism Management Students

Student Reflections on Good & Bad Teaching Among Undergraduate Hospitality & Tourism Management Students This study aimed to describe student perceptions of good and bad teaching among hospitality and tourism students taking a large introductory class at a large Midwestern University. The study findings suggest that hospitality students describe good teaching as being delivered by those professors who care about the students, have a sense of humor, organized, know what they are talking about, and communicate what they know in a way that is understood by students and connected to the real world. Bad teaching was described by students as those who not only have a negative demeanor toward students but also deliver a lecture that is not fundamentally sound in addition to being boring, disorganized, and in a monotone manner. The results of this study should serve as best practices for those interested in enhancing the quality of instruction by doing those things students consider to be good teaching practices.
Thermal-neutron fission cross section and fission resonance integral of 254Es

Abstract The resonance fission integral and the thermal neutron fission cross section of 254Es have been measured by plastic fission track recorders. The cross sections were calculated from direct experimental determinations of the fission rate of 254Es compared to that of a 249Cf standard. The measured values for 254Es are: If = 2200 ± 90 b (0·625 eV cutoff) and σf = 2830 ± 130 b.
When First Comes Love (or Lust): How Romantic and Sexual Cues Bias First Impressions in Online Social Networking

Three experimental studies (N = 286) tested how priming the concepts of sex or romance influence the way people perceive other social media users. Participants first completed a word-search task containing sexual (intercourse, lust), romantic (love, heart), or control words. Participants then evaluated a target's sexual qualities and romantic qualities based on social media profiles, as well as rated their acceptance of the priming stimuli. Results suggested that sex primes led participants to judge targets as being more alluring, racy, and provocative, whereas romance primes led participants to judge targets as being more tender, sentimental, and kind. Both men and women found all primes to be equally acceptable content; women were not averse to these mainstream, non-explicit sexual stimuli. Findings are discussed in terms of viewing sex and romance as distinct, yet related networks of concepts and the need to disentangle sex, romance, and sexualized views of romance.
Synthesis of N-{4-[(2,4-diamino-5-methyl-4,7-dihydro-3H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidin-6-yl)thio]benzoyl}-L-glutamic acid and N-{4-[(2-amino-4-oxo-5-methyl-4,7-dihydro-3H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidin-6-yl)thio]benzoyl}-L-glutamic acid as dual inhibitors of dihydrofolate reductase and thymidylate synthase and as potential antitumor agents.

Two novel classical antifolates N-{4-[(2,4-diamino-5-methyl-4,7-dihydro-3H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidin-6-yl)thio]benzoyl}-l-glutamic acid 3 and N-{4-[(2-amino-4-oxo-5-methyl-4,7-dihydro-3H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidin-6-yl)thio]benzoyl}-l-glutamic acid 4 were designed, synthesized, and evaluated as antitumor agents. Compounds 3 and 4 were obtained from 2,4-diamino-5-methylpyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine 7 and 2-amino-4-oxo-5-methylpyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine 12, respectively, in a concise three-step sequence. Compound 3 is the first example, to our knowledge, of a 2,4-diamino classical antifolate that has potent inhibitory activity against both human dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) and human thymidylate synthase (TS). Compound 4 was a dual DHFR−TS inhibitor against the bifunctional enzyme derived from Toxoplasma gondii (tg). Further evaluation of the mechanism of action of 3 implicated DHFR as its primary intracellular target. Both 3 and 4 were folylpolyglutamate synthetase (FPGS) substrates. Compound 3 also inhibited the gr...
Multi-scale Al 5083 for military vehicles with improved performance

Mechanical millingat cryogenic temperatures produces a nanostructured powder that can be used to manufacture a bulk, ultrafine-grained (UFG), non-heat-treated aluminum alloy with an attractive combination of physical and mechanical properties. The use of a higher-strength aluminum alloy for the construction of military vehicles will reduce their weight substantially and lead to improved fuel consumption, range, reliability, and speed. By introducing coarse grains and creating a multi-scale microstructure, the ductility of the cryomilled aluminum alloy can be increased above that achieved with a fully UFG structure while still retaining high strength levels. The addition of reinforcing ceramic, in the form of particulate addedduring the milling process, has the ability to increase strength levels even further.
Evaluating the components of an emergent literacy intervention for preschool children at risk for reading difficulties.

Many preschool children are at risk for reading problems because of inadequate emergent literacy skills. Evidence supports the effectiveness of interventions to promote these skills, but questions remain about which intervention components work and whether combining intervention components will result in larger gains. In this study, 324 preschoolers (mean age = 54.32 months, SD = 5.88) from low-income backgrounds (46% girls and 54% boys; 82% African American, 14% White, and 4% other) were randomized to combinations of meaning-focused (dialogic reading or shared reading) and code-focused (phonological awareness, letter knowledge, or both) interventions or a control group. Interventions had statistically significant positive impacts only on measures of their respective skill domains. Combinations of interventions did not enhance outcomes across domains, indicating instructional needs in all areas of weakness for young children at risk for later reading difficulties. Less time for each intervention in the combined phonological awareness and letter knowledge intervention conditions, however, did not result in reduced effects relative to nearly twice as much time for each intervention when children received either only the phonological awareness intervention or only the letter knowledge intervention. This finding suggests that a relatively compact code-focused intervention can address the needs of children with weaknesses in both domains.
Internalization of weight bias: Implications for binge eating and emotional well-being.

Objective: This study examined the relationship between internalization of negative weight-based stereotypes and indices of eating behaviors and emotional well-being in a sample of overweight and obese women. Research Method and Procedures: The sample was comprised of 1013 women who belonged to a national, non-profit weight loss organization. Participants completed an on-line battery of self-report questionnaires measuring frequency of weight stigmatization and coping responses to deal with bias and symptoms of depression and self-esteem, attitudes about weight and obesity, and binge eating behaviors. In addition, participants were asked to list the most common weight-based stereotypes and whether they believed them to be true or false. Results: Participants who believed that weight-based stereotypes were true reported more frequent binge eating and refusal to diet in response to stigma experiences compared with those who reported stereotypes to be false. The degree to which participants believed stereotypes to be true or false was not related to types or amount of stigma experiences reported, self-esteem, depression, or attitudes toward obese persons. In addition, engaging in weight loss strategies as a response to bias was not predicted by stereotype beliefs or by actual stigma experiences, regardless of the amount or types of stigma reported. Discussion: These findings suggest that obese individuals who internalize negative weight-based stereotypes may be particularly vulnerable to the negative impact of stigma on eating behaviors and also challenge the notion that stigma may motivate obese individuals to engage in efforts to lose weight. This study highlights a new area of research that warrants attention to better understand weight stigma and its potential consequences for health.
A mixture theory model of fluid and solute transport in the microvasculature of normal and malignant tissues. II: Factor sensitivity analysis, calibration, and validation

The treatment of cancerous tumors is dependent upon the delivery of therapeutics through the blood by means of the microcirculation. Differences in the vasculature of normal and malignant tissues have been recognized, but it is not fully understood how these differences affect transport and the applicability of existing mathematical models has been questioned at the microscale due to the complex rheology of blood and fluid exchange with the tissue. In addition to determining an appropriate set of governing equations it is necessary to specify appropriate model parameters based on physiological data. To this end, a two stage sensitivity analysis is described which makes it possible to determine the set of parameters most important to the model’s calibration. In the first stage, the fluid flow equations are examined and a sensitivity analysis is used to evaluate the importance of 11 different model parameters. Of these, only four substantially influence the intravascular axial flow providing a tractable set that could be calibrated using red blood cell velocity data from the literature. The second stage also utilizes a sensitivity analysis to evaluate the importance of 14 model parameters on extravascular flux. Of these, six exhibit high sensitivity and are integrated into the model calibration using a response surface methodology and experimental intra- and extravascular accumulation data from the literature (Dreher et al. in J Natl Cancer Inst 98(5):335–344, 2006). The model exhibits good agreement with the experimental results for both the mean extravascular concentration and the penetration depth as a function of time for inert dextran over a wide range of molecular weights.
Computational modeling of high-level cognition and brain function.

This article describes a computational modeling architecture, 4CAPS, which is consistent with key properties of cortical function and makes good contact with functional neuroimaging results. Like earlier cognitive models such as SOAR, ACT-R, 3CAPS, and EPIC, the proposed cognitive model is implemented in a computer simulation that predicts observable variables such as human response times and error patterns. In addition, the proposed 4CAPS model accounts for the functional decomposition of the cognitive system and predicts fMRI activation levels and their localization within specific cortical regions, by incorporating key properties of cortical function into the design of the modeling system. Hum. Brain Mapping 8:128-136, 1999. r 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Analyses of multiple film cracking in film/substrate systems

Multiple film cracking in a film/substrate system is analyzed in the present study. The system is subjected to residual stresses before loading. A constant displacement rate is applied unidirectionally to stretch the system. An analytical model is developed to derive the stress distribution in the system, and the film-cracking problem is analyzed using both the strength and the energy criteria. The predicted crack spacing as a function of the applied strain is compared with experimental measurements of multiple cracking of SiOx films with various thicknesses on poly(ethylene terephthalate) substrates. Comparison is also made between the present and other predictions.
Heating vs. cavitation in the induction of mouse hindlimb paralysis by ultrasound

Abstract Grip strength tests were performed on hairless mice before and after various ultrasound exposures in a temperature-controlled water bath at 37°C. Lithotripter exposure of 800 shock waves produced no effect on hindlimb function. In contrast, 1.09-MHz exposures at 1 MPa with 10:100 ms burst mode did produce a statistically significant reduction in grip strength of about 60%. The exposure duration was important for the 1.0-MPa burst mode exposure, with grip-strength reductions appearing after 150 s or longer exposures. Continuous exposure at 3.3 W cm −2 (0.32 MPa peak) for 200 s produced the same effect as burst mode exposure at 3.3 W cm −2 (1 MPa peak) for 200 s, which implicates the temporal average intensity as an important factor. The temperature elevations for 1-MPa burst mode was estimated from thermocouple measurements in the spine to be 12°C after 200-s exposure. Although tests of exposures in cool (32°C) and warm (42°C) baths produced inconclusive results in regard to the thermal mechanism, the effects observed appear to result from ultrasonic heating (rather than from cavitation). Thus, any potentially harmful consequences associated with the effects examined might be related more, for example, to ultrasonic hyperthermia therapy than to shock-wave lithotripsy.
Free fatty acids, insulin resistance, and corrected qt intervals in morbid obesity: effect of weight loss during 6 months with differing dietary interventions

Objective: To assess whether shortening of the corrected QT (QTc) interval is most closely associated with changes in weight, insulin resistance, or free fatty acids (FFAs) (or some combination of these factors). Methods: We randomized 75 severely obese subjects without diabetes to either a low-carbohydrate or a conventional low-fat weight-loss diet for 6 months. We measured QTc, insulin sensitivity, body mass index, and FFAs at baseline and at 6 months. Analysis was performed to determine whether improvement in weight, in insulin resistance, or in FFAs has the greatest effect on reducing the QTc interval. Results: "Completers" of both the low-carbohydrate diet (N = 25) and the low-fat diet (N = 22) had a decrease in weight, but the weight loss was greater in the low-carbohydrate group. A statistically significant decrease in QTc from baseline was observed only in the low-carbohydrate group. QTc in the low-carbohydrate group correlated with improvement in insulin resistance, but this finding was not signi...
HP Deskjet printers with recycled plastics: a success story

Hewlett Packard announced in July 1995 the company's first product made with recycled plastics-DeskJet 850 printers. The use of recycled plastics in products is a major milestone for HP's product stewardship program, an ongoing effort to make the company's products more environmentally sensitive. This paper outlines the objectives, challenges, results, and breakthroughs in the development of these green products.
Minimizing blood transfusions during abdominal aortic surgery: Recent advances in rapid autotrnsfusion*

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine what percentage of patients could avoid the transfusion of any homologous bank blood products during elective abdominal aortic surgery with a recently developed semicontinuous, rapid autotransfusion device. Fifty patients (26 with abdominal aortic aneurysms and 24 with aortic occlusive disease) prospectively received intraoperative autologous transfusion (group 1) and were matched for comparison with 50 patients receiving homologous blood without use of any autotransfusion equipment (group 2). For the entire perioperative period, 34 group 1 patients (68%) received only their own autotransfused blood and no other homologous blood components compared with group 2 in which 48 patients (96%) required some bank blood (p
Efficacy of multistrain direct-fed microbial and phytogenetic products in reducing necrotic enteritis in commercial broilers

Our laboratory is evaluating the efficacy of direct-fed microbials (DFM) and phytogenic products to control Clostridium perfringens, a gram-positive organism associated with decreased performance and morbidity and mortality associated with necrotic enteritis, as well as some recent human food safety issues. Three experiments were conducted to evaluate a DFM (PoultryStar) and a phytogenic product (PEP125), which were administered to birds from day of hatch until termination (d 25) via the drinking water or through supplementation to a wheat-corn diet, respectively. Each experiment contained a nonchallenged negative control and a positive control wherein birds were immunocompromised with a 10x dosage of infectious bursal disease vaccine at 14 d of age and subsequently gavaged with C. perfringens (10(7) cfu/mL) daily for 3 consecutive days starting on d 17. Intestinal lesions, mortality, and log10 values of C. perfringens in the probiotic and phytogenic treatment groups were found to be lower (P<0.05) than those observed in the positive controls. These experiments suggest that the DFM and the phytogenic product could be used as potential alternatives to help control C. perfringens and necrotic enteritis.
Meaning as magnetic force: Evidence that meaning in life promotes interpersonal appeal

The authors report on data indicating that having a strong sense of meaning in life makes people more appealing social interactants. In Study 1, participants were videotaped while conversing with a friend, and the interactions were subsequently rated by independent evaluators. Participants who had reported a strong sense of meaning in life were rated as desirable friends. In Study 2, participants made 10-s videotaped introductions of themselves that were subsequently evaluated by independent raters. Those who reported a strong sense of meaning in life were rated as more likeable, better potential friends, and more desirable conversation partners. The effect of meaning in life was beyond that of several other variables, including self-esteem, happiness, extraversion, and agreeableness. Study 2 also found an interaction between physical attractiveness and meaning in life, with more meaning in life contributing to greater interpersonal appeal for those of low and average physical attractiveness.
Conceptual Model for Reducing Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance in Skilled Nursing Facilities: Focusing on Residents with Indwelling Devices

Infections in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) are common and result in frequent hospital transfers, functional decline, and death. Colonization with multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) - including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), and multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacilli (R-GNB) - is also increasingly prevalent in SNFs. Antimicrobial resistance among common bacteria can adversely affect clinical outcomes and increase health care costs. Recognizing a need for action, legislators, policy-makers, and consumer groups are advocating for surveillance cultures to identify asymptomatic patients with MDROs, particularly MRSA in hospitals and SNFs. Implementing this policy for all SNF residents may be costly, impractical, and ineffective. Such a policy may result in a large increase in the number of SNF residents placed in isolation precautions with the potential for reduced attention by health care workers, isolation, and functional decline. Detection of colonization and subsequent attempts to eradicate selected MDROs can also lead to more strains with drug resistance. We propose an alternative strategy that uses a focused multicomponent bundle approach that targets residents at a higher risk of colonization and infection with MDROs, specifically those who have an indwelling device. If this strategy is effective, similar strategies can be studied and implemented for other high-risk groups.
Cancer stem cells and drug resistance: the potential of nanomedicine.

Properties of the small group of cancer cells called tumor-initiating or cancer stem cells (CSCs) involved in drug resistance, metastasis and relapse of cancers can significantly affect tumor therapy. Importantly, tumor drug resistance seems to be closely related to many intrinsic or acquired properties of CSCs, such as quiescence, specific morphology, DNA repair ability and overexpression of antiapoptotic proteins, drug efflux transporters and detoxifying enzymes. The specific microenvironment (niche) and hypoxic stability provide additional protection against anticancer therapy for CSCs. Thus, CSC-focused therapy is destined to form the core of any effective anticancer strategy. Nanomedicine has great potential in the development of CSC-targeting drugs, controlled drug delivery and release, and the design of novel gene-specific drugs and diagnostic modalities. This review is focused on tumor drug resistance-related properties of CSCs and describes current nanomedicine approaches, which could form the ba...
Glycemic Control and Nutritional Strategies in the Cardiothoracic Surgical Intensive Care Unit—2010: State of the Art

Patients in the cardiothoracic surgical intensive care unit are generally critically ill and undergoing a systemic inflammatory response to cardiopulmonary bypass, ischemia/reperfusion, and hypothermia. This presents several metabolic challenges: hyperglycemia in need of intensive insulin therapy, catabolism, and uncertain gastrointestinal tract function in need of nutritional strategies. Currently, there are controversies surrounding the standard use of intensive insulin therapy and appropriate glycemic targets as well as the use of early enteral nutrition ± parenteral nutrition. In this review, an approach for intensive metabolic support in the cardiothoracic surgical intensive care unit is presented incorporating the most recent clinical evidence. This approach advocates an IIT blood glucose target of 80-110 mg/dL if, it can be implemented safely, with early nutrition support (using parenteral nutrition as needed) to prevent a critical energy debt.
Adaptive filter method for deriving digital IF filters

For many modulation schemes it can be difficult to derive an IF filter which is best suited for all symbols. In particular, any tailoring of the symbol shaping, additional receiver out of band rejection, or difficult analytical solutions can lead to digital IF filters that produce suboptimal performance. For these instances, an alternative solution for IF filter design methodology is proposed. Digital IF filters can be created in simulation using common adaptive filtering techniques. In a single step, the tap values for a digital IF filter with specified adjacent channel rejection can be generated. This paper verifies the adaptive filter method for deriving digital IF filters using a non-constant envelope 8-ary phase shift keying modulation and a constant envelope 8-ary continuous phase modulated waveform.
Impact of nanografting on the local structure of ternary self-assembled monolayers

Prior studies using single and binary adsorbates indicate that nanografting impacts the reaction pathways and local structure of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). This work explores the influence of nanografting in the case of ternary SAMs. Using atomic force microscopy (AFM) as both a nanografting and imaging tool, the local structures of two ternary SAMs, SC14:SSC10CHO:SC2COOH and SC18:SSC10CHO:SC2COOH, formed under natural growth and nanografting were imaged and compared. The results indicate that nanografting impacts the degree of phase segregation and the domain height in ternary SAMs. In addition to the previously known effect of altering self-assembly pathways, this study reveals an additional impact for these ternary systems: By shaving over the previous trajectory (grafted region), nanografting could start exchange reactions and lateral movement of surface-bound thiols, which leads to new and somewhat unanticipated local structures.
Transcriptional coactivators PGC-1α and PGC-lβ control overlapping programs required for perinatal maturation of the heart

Oxidative tissues such as heart undergo a dramatic perinatal mitochondrial biogenesis to meet the high-energy demands after birth. PPARgamma coactivator-1 (PGC-1) alpha and beta have been implicated in the transcriptional control of cellular energy metabolism. Mice with combined deficiency of PGC-1alpha and PGC-1beta (PGC-1alphabeta(-/-) mice) were generated to investigate the convergence of their functions in vivo. The phenotype of PGC-1beta(-/-) mice was minimal under nonstressed conditions, including normal heart function, similar to that of PGC-1alpha(-/-) mice generated previously. In striking contrast to the singly deficient PGC-1 lines, PGC-1alphabeta(-/-) mice died shortly after birth with small hearts, bradycardia, intermittent heart block, and a markedly reduced cardiac output. Cardiac-specific ablation of the PGC-1beta gene on a PGC-1alpha-deficient background phenocopied the generalized PGC-1alphabeta(-/-) mice. The hearts of the PGC-1alphabeta(-/-) mice exhibited signatures of a maturational defect including reduced growth, a late fetal arrest in mitochondrial biogenesis, and persistence of a fetal pattern of gene expression. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) of PGC-1alphabeta(-/-) mice also exhibited a severe abnormality in function and mitochondrial density. We conclude that PGC-1alpha and PGC-1beta share roles that collectively are necessary for the postnatal metabolic and functional maturation of heart and BAT.
Bayesian detection of non-sinusoidal periodic patterns in circadian expression data

Motivation: Cyclical biological processes such as cell division and circadian regulation produce coordinated periodic expression of thousands of genes. Identification of such genes and their expression patterns is a crucial step in discovering underlying regulatory mechanisms. Existing computational methods are biased toward discovering genes that follow sine-wave patterns. Results: We present an analysis of variance (ANOVA) periodicity detector and its Bayesian extension that can be used to discover periodic transcripts of arbitrary shapes from replicated gene expression profiles. The models are applicable when the profiles are collected at comparable time points for at least two cycles. We provide an empirical Bayes procedure for estimating parameters of the prior distributions and derive closed-form expressions for the posterior probability of periodicity, enabling efficient computation. The model is applied to two datasets profiling circadian regulation in murine liver and skeletal muscle, revealing a substantial number of previously undetected non-sinusoidal periodic transcripts in each. We also apply quantitative real-time PCR to several highly ranked non-sinusoidal transcripts in liver tissue found by the model, providing independent evidence of circadian regulation of these genes. Availability: Matlab software for estimating prior distributions and performing inference is available for download from http://www.datalab.uci.edu/resources/periodicity/. Contact: dchudova@gmail.com Supplementary information:Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Hidden conditional random fields for phone classification.

In this paper, we show the novel application of hidden conditional random fields (HCRFs) – conditional random fields with hidden state sequences – for modeling speech. Hidden state sequences are critical for modeling the non-stationarity of speech signals. We show that HCRFs can easily be trained using the simple direct optimization technique of stochastic gradient descent. We present the results on the TIMIT phone classification task and show that HCRFs outperforms comparable ML and CML/MMI trained HMMs. In fact, HCRF results on this task are the best single classifier results known to us. We note that the HCRF framework is easily extensible to recognition since it is a state and label sequence modeling technique. We also note that HCRFs have the ability to handle complex features without any change in training procedure.
Polymerase Chain Reaction molecular diagnostic technology for monitoring chronic osteomyelitis

Osteomyelitis is a devastating condition whose treatment relies on the detection of bacteria. The current standard of microbiology culture may not be adequate. Molecular biology based diagnostic procedures for detecting bacteria in orthopaedic infections was previously established, but has not been applied to the setting of chronic osteomyelitis. We aim to determine the applicability of molecular diagnostic procedures for monitoring chronic osteomyelitis, and to evaluate if these procedures are superior to standard culture methods of osteomyelitis detection. A rabbit experimental model of chronic osteomyelitis was used; infection was induced in the proximal, medial aspect of the tibia with Staphylococcus aureus at titers ranging from 1 × 102 to 1 × 106 colony forming units. At 28 days post-infection, animals were sacrificed, and the tibias were examined radiographically, harvested, and assayed for the presence of bacteria. Two bacterial detection methods were used: (1) standard microbiological culturing, and (2) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based diagnostic method to detect bacterial genomic DNA. The molecular diagnostic method was highly sensitive and accurate, and detected low titer infections that were undetected by radiographic and microbiological methods. By using two sets of PCR primers, one for a universal bacterial gene (16S rRNA) and one for a species-specific gene (nuc), the molecular protocol allowed both the detection and speciation of the bacterial infection. The use of the PCR-based method was effective for high-sensitivity detection and identification of bacteria associated with chronic osteomyelitis in a rabbit model. Our findings illustrate the applicability of PCR for monitoring chronic osteomyelitis, which may be useful for improved detection of osteomyelitis organisms in humans.
Temporal Homogenization of Monthly Radiosonde Temperature Data. Part II: Trends, Sensitivities, and MSU Comparison.

Trends in radiosonde-based temperatures and lower-tropospheric lapse rates are presented for the time periods 1959‐97 and 1979‐97, including their vertical, horizontal, and seasonal variations. A novel aspect is that estimates are made globally of the effects of artificial (instrumental or procedural) changes on the derived trends using data homogenization procedures introduced in a companion paper (Part I). Credibility of the data homogenization scheme is established by comparison with independent satellite temperature measurements derived from the microwave sounding unit (MSU) instruments for 1979‐97. The various analyses are performed using monthly mean temperatures from a near‐globally distributed network of 87 radiosonde stations. The severity of instrument-related problems, which varies markedly by geographic region, was found, in general, to increase from the lower troposphere to the lower stratosphere, although surface data were found to be as problematic as data from the stratosphere. Except for the surface, there is a tendency for changes in instruments to artificially lower temperature readings with time, so that adjusting the data to account for this results in increased tropospheric warming and decreased stratospheric cooling. Furthermore, the adjustments tend to enhance warming in the upper troposphere more than in the lower troposphere; such sensitivity may have implications for ‘‘fingerprint’’ assessments of climate change. However, the most sensitive part of the vertical profile with regard to its shape was near the surface, particularly at regional scales. In particular, the lower-tropospheric lapse rate was found to be especially sensitive to adjustment as well as spatial sampling. In the lower stratosphere, instrument-related biases were found to artificially inflate latitudinal differences, leading to statistically significantly more cooling in the Tropics than elsewhere. After adjustment there were no significant differences between the latitude zones.
Children's Perceptions of the Effectiveness of Strategies for Regulating Anger and Sadness.

Children may be capable of understanding the value of emotion regulation strategies before they can enlist these strategies in emotion-evoking situations. This study was designed to extend understanding of children’s judgment of the efficacy of alternative emotion regulation strategies. Children aged six and nine (N = 97) were presented with illustrated storyboards of anger- and sadness-evoking situations and rated the effectiveness of eight emotion regulation strategies. Children endorsed some strategies on an emotion-specific basis: they rated problem-solving as more effective for anger, and seeking adult support and venting emotion as more effective for sadness. Younger children rated cognitively sophisticated emotion regulatory strategies comparably to older children, but they endorsed relatively ineffective strategies as more effective. Early evidence of gender differences was also apparent as girls reported emotion-focused strategies as more effective than boys did. These findings contribute to unde...
Behavioural transition probabilities in dugongs change with habitat and predator presence: implications for sirenian conservation

Although not widely appreciated, prey can manage predation risk by modifying the sequence of their behavioural states. We explored this phenomenon in dugongs (Dugong dugon) subject to spatially and temporally variable risk of tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) predation in Shark Bay, Australia. Dugong behaviour was assayed using focal follows and organised into sequences of foraging, resting, and travelling bouts. We used log-linear analysis to test for sequence differences in relation to habitat (deep, shallow) and predation danger (sharks present, largely absent). Dugongs modified their behavioural sequences between periods of high and low shark abundance: those at risk alternated more frequently between foraging, which constrains anti-predator vigilance, and travelling, which facilitates predator detection. Dugongs also avoided continuous series of resting bouts, during which awareness is reduced, when sharks were present. These changes were only observed in relatively dangerous shallow habitat, which is hunted disproportionately by tiger sharks; behavioural responses to sharks in deep habitat were modest. We conclude that dugongs in risky habitat resort to safer behavioural sequences in response to sharks. Given that human disturbance and predators are perceived similarly by many species, some forms of vessel interaction could compromise the fitness of sirenians by eliciting similar behavioural adjustment.
The Relationship Between Education Finance Reform and Tax and Expenditure Limitations

Since the success of Serrano v. Priest in California, at least 43 states have experienced legal challenges to their education financing formulas and in 19 states court rulings have forced changes in these formulas. A result of this litigation is a transfer of resources from districts with higher property tax values to those with lower property tax values. Over roughly the same time span, more than 30 states have imposed new re- strictions limiting tax collections, tax expenditures or both (TELs) at the local level. There is evidence that the effect of education finance reform depends upon whether a TEL is in place. Thus to understand fully the impact of such litigation, one must consider whether reform makes the passage of a TEL more likely. In this paper we use data for all states in which referenda are possible over the 1978 - 1990 period to investigate whether TEL referendums are more likely to pass in states where courts have ordered education finance reform. We find that the probability of TEL success in a statewide election is significantly higher if the state has experienced education finance reform.
The economic impact of StarLink corn

The discovery of StarLink corn in U.S. food products caused considerable disruption in corn markets in 2000 and 2001. Segregation costs were incurred by the U.S. grain-handling system in order to ensure that domestic and export sales of food corn and export sales of non-food corn to Japan meet stringent tolerance levels. These costs reduced the revenue that U.S. corn producers would have received in the absence of StarLink. However, the Loan Deficiency Payment Program (LDP) effectively reduced the loss in revenue attributed to StarLink. This study develops a partial equilibrium model that encompasses both segregation costs and the LDP program in order to obtain empirical estimates of the impact of StarLink on U.S. corn producers over the 2000/2001 marketing year. It is estimated that StarLink caused U.S. producers to lose between $26 and $288 million in revenue. [EconLit citations: Q18, Q17, L51.] © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Agribusiness 21: 391–407, 2005.
Practical issues in the estimation of Nakagami-m parameter

The Nakagami m parameter is known to capture the envelope distribution of various fading channel conditions in wireless communications. The value of m is indicative of the severity of fading, and is a measure of channel quality, making its estimation necessary. We discuss some practical issues not addressed in the literature including presence of additive noise, adaptation and computational complexity. Moreover, we propose new estimators which are robust to any symmetrically distributed noise with the best performance and lowest complexity among the existing estimators designed for noise immunity. Simulation results corroborate our analysis.
A hybrid approach to dynamic-wavelength blocking/equalizing and optical-power monitoring

In optical communication systems, dynamic wavelength blocking/equalizing and power monitoring are two inseparable functions, but they are provided by two individual modules. This paper describes a hybrid-integration approach to dynamic-wavelength blocking/equalizing and optical power monitoring, which provides advantages such as higher wavelength blocking efficiency and lower fabrication cost. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 40: 95–96, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.11295
The Utility of an Online Convenience Panel for Reaching Rare and Dispersed Populations

Gaps in data collection systems, as well as challenges associated with gathering data from rare and dispersed populations, render current health surveillance systems inadequate to identify and monitor efforts to reduce health disparities. Using sexual and gender minorities we investigated the utility of using a large nonprobability online panel to conduct rapid population assessments of such populations using brief surveys. Surveys of the Google Android Panel (four assessing sexual orientation and one assessing gender identity and sex assigned at birth) were conducted resulting in invitation of 53,739 application users (37,505 of whom viewed the invitation) to generate a total of 34,759 who completed screening questions indicating their sexual orientation, or gender identity and sex at birth. Where possible we make comparisons to similar data from two population-based surveys (NHIS and NESARC). We found that 99.4% to 100.0% of respondents across our Google Android panel samples completed the screening questions and 97.8% to 99.2% of those that consented to participate in our surveys indicated they were “OK” with the content of surveys that assessed sexual orientation and sex/gender. In our Google Android panel samples there was a higher percentage of sexual minority respondents than in either NHIS or NESARC with 7.4% of men and 12.4% of women reporting gay, lesbian or bisexual identities. The proportion sexual minority was 2.8 to 5.6 times higher in the Google Android panel samples than was found in the 2012 NHIS sample, for men and women, respectively. The percentage of “transgender” identified individuals in the Google sample was 0.7%, which is similar to 0.5% transgender identified through the Massachusetts BRFSS, and using a transgender status item we found that 2.0% of the overall sample fit could be classified as transgender. The Google samples sometimes more closely approximated national averages for ethnicity and race than NHIS.
China's New Military Strategy: 'Winning Informationized Local Wars'

In May 2015, the new Defense White Paper, China’s Military Strategy, reveals that China has now officially adjusted its military strategy. This follows previous practice, such as when the 2004 strategic guideline was publicly confirmed in China’s defense white paper published in December 2004. In China’s approach to military affairs, the military strategic guideline represents China’s national military strategy. It provides authoritative guidance from the Central Military Commission (CMC) of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for all aspects of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) combat-related activities. Since the establishment of the People’s Republic in 1949, China has issued eight strategic guidelines (军事战略方针). The 2015 Defense White Paper reveals that a ninth change has occurred. The new guidelines shift the goal of China’s military strategy from “winning local wars under the conditions of informationization” to “winning informationized local wars.” The change in the strategic guidelines reflects an evolution of the existing strategy, not a dramatic departure.
Eigenstructure assignment with application to consensus of linear heterogeneous agents

This paper presents a method for designing a feedback controller such that selected outputs of a linear plant exponentially converge to Reλtη for some scalar η, with prescribed vector R and non-negative scalar λ. The controller design is formulated as an eigenstructure assignment problem for which a necessary and sufficient condition for existence of a feasible controller is provided as well as a parameterization of all such controllers. Additionally, the heterogeneous output consensus problem is solved as an eigenstructure assignment problem and a structured controller satisfying communication constraints is provided to achieve consensus of heterogeneous agents. A numerical example demonstrates the efficacy of the eigenstructure method in solving the heterogeneous output consensus problem.
Effects of a barrier on temperature structure and mixing in thermally stratified water cooled from above

A Mach-Zehnder interferometer was used to study the unsteady temperature structure in radiation stratified water cooled from above. Temperature distribution measurements in a test cell filled with distilled water provide conclusive evidence that the thermal structure between the air-water interface and the stable region is controlled by buoyancy induced natural convection. The cooling from above produces a complex vertical temperature profile which can be divided into several distinct regimes. Introduction of a thin, rigid transparent (glass) plate into the water before thermal stratification by radiation and cooling confines the natural convection driven flow and reduces the intensity of mixing. As a result, the energy transport from the interior of the water layer to the interface is decreased. However, under the experimental conditions tested use of rigid, horizontal plates introduced in the fluid were not very effective in reducing the transport of heat from the warm interior to the cooler interface.
Interactions among Hepatic Steatosis, Inflammation, and Insulin Resistance: Beyond Common Sense

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a growing health problem, and may progress to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma after the formation of steatohepatitis. Much evidence suggests that NAFLD is highly prevalent in obese populations. For instance, the prevalence of NAFLD increases from 10 to 24 percent of the general population to 57.5 to 74 percent of the obese population [1,2]. Because of this, the interaction between fat deposition and insulin resistance, two critical aspects commonly associated with obesity, appears to underlie the development of NAFLD and the progression of steatohepatitis. Beyond common sense, recent evidence also supports the involvement of new mechanisms in the pathogenesis of NAFLD, as well as steatohepatitis.
INFECTIOUS MONOMUCLEOSIS. 1. IMPLICATIONS OF SERIOUS COMPLICATIONS IN MEDICAL MANAGEMENT.

Infectious mononucleosis is usually a benign disease and is rarely fatal.The possibility of such serious complications as ruptured spleen and neurologic manifestations does not justify precautionary prolonged bed rest.The hepatitis which is an almost universal aspect of mononucleosis does not threaten either the patient's future health or his longevity.Corticosteroid therapy may be lifesaving in the occasional severe cases of infectious mononucleosis.
Nonequity Modes of Investment

There is no wider or more ambiguous subject in this book than the strategic alliance. Strategic alliances are the catch-all phrase used to suggest a long-term working relationship between two separate organizations. Outsourcing, long-term supplier relationships, licensing agreements, and agency agreements all fall under the heading of nonequity alliances—the organizations hold no equity in the other partners but can influence their actions. They differ from joint ventures and minority equity stakes that are the most common forms of equity alliances. Nonequity alliances are discussed in this chapter as is research on alliances that doesn’t differentiate between alliance types.
The Capacities of Children

It appears that educators often think of the capacity of individual children for academic learning in terms of intelligence test scores or other measures of individual attributes. The measures are thought to be relevant simply because they predict achievement. Actually one predicts different things for children under diverse circumstances and thus children can be thought of as having many different capacities.