cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Can Older Adults Accurately Report Their Use of Physical Rehabilitation Services

Abstract Objective To explore the accuracy of rehabilitation service use reports by older adults as well as variation in accuracy by demographic characteristics, time since use, duration, and setting (inpatient, outpatient, home). Design Longitudinal observational study. Setting Participants' homes. Participants Community-dwelling adults ages 65 and older (N=4228) in the 2015 National Health and Aging Trends Study who were enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B for 12 months before their interview. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Respondents were asked whether they received rehabilitation services in the past year and the duration and location of services. Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System codes and Revenue Center codes were used to identify Medicare-eligible rehabilitation service. Results Survey-based reports and Medicare claims yielded similar estimates of rehabilitation use over the past year. Self-reported measures had high sensitivity (77%) and positive predictive value (80%) and even higher specificity and negative predictive value (approaching 95%). However, in adjusted models, sensitivity was lower for black enrollees, the very old, and those with lower education levels. Conclusions Survey-based measures of rehabilitation accurately captured use over the past year, but differential reporting should be considered when characterizing rehabilitation use in certain subgroups of older Americans.
Viable spores of Coccidioides posadasii Δcps1 are required for vaccination and provide long lasting immunity

Coccidioidomycosis is a systemic fungal infection for which a vaccine has been sought for over fifty years. The avirulent Coccidioides posadasii strain, Δcps1, which is missing a 6 kb gene, showed significant protection in mice. These studies explore conditions of protection in mice and elucidate the immune response. Mice were vaccinated with different doses and viability states of Δcps1 spores, challenged with virulent C. posadasii, and sacrificed at various endpoints, dependent on experimental objectives. Tissues from vaccinated mice were harvested for in vitro elucidation of immune response. Vaccination with viable Δcps1 spores was required for protection from lethal challenge. Viable spore vaccination produced durable immunity, lasting at least 6 months, and prolonged survival (≥6 months). The C. posadasii vaccine strain also protected mice against C. immitis (survival ≥ 6 months). Cytokines from infected lungs of vaccinated mice in the first four days after Cp challenge showed significant increases of IFN-γ, as did stimulated CD4+ spleen cells from vaccinated mice. Transfer of CD4+ cells, but not CD8+ or B cells, reduced fungal burdens following challenge. IFN-γ from CD4+ cells in vaccinated mice indicates a Th1 response, which is critical for host control of coccidioidomycosis.
The Use of Ultrasonography in the Management of Parathyroid Diseases

Ultrasound affords certain key advantages in general and specifically for parathyroid disease management. It can be readily performed in the office and even portably in the operating room, allows real-time examination that is noninvasive and comfortable for the patient, identifies co-existing ­thyroid pathology that may require treatment, and can be performed by a clinician who is evaluating the patient with access to all relevant clinical information. Recognizable sonographic features allow identification of abnormal parathyroid glands, can be readily learned, and make ultrasound a powerful tool especially when performed by clinicians with access to comprehensive information about the patient’s parathyroid disease. Ultrasound can guide appropriate interventions to clarify challenging diagnostic scenarios, although ultimately it should not be viewed as a diagnostic test for hyperparathyroidism. It has a demonstrated history of valuable clinical use.
Children’s Environments

A glance at a newspaper or at any large city quickly reveals society’s priorities: billions of dollars are spent on highways, yet almost nothing on playgrounds; over 50% of mothers in the United States work, but competent day care is expensive and difficult to find. The affluent white, male automobile driver remains the focus of most design, planning, and research (Zimring, Carpman, & Michelson, 1987).
An intervention trial in high-risk asbestos-exposed persons.

Lung cancer, the treatment of which is essentially no more effective today than it was 20 years ago, remains the major cause of cancer mortality in the United States, killing more than 140,000 persons annually. Persons who are occupationally exposed to asbestos are at extremely high risk for lung cancer, from 10 to 50 or more times higher than normal—depending upon their smoking history. In the following discussion, we present the study design for an ongoing intervention trial among 750 asbestos workers in Tyler, Texas. β-Carotene and retinol are being used as the chemopreventive agents and an intermediate end point, sputum atypia, as the measure of response. Some results of baseline data analysis (before initiation of treatment) will be presented below. Findings of toxicity, recruitment, and compliance will also be discussed.
Cost Analyses of Genomic Sequencing: Lessons Learned from the MedSeq Project

Abstract Objective To summarize lessons learned while analyzing the costs of integrating whole genome sequencing into the care of cardiology and primary care patients in the MedSeq Project by conducting the first randomized controlled trial of whole genome sequencing in general and specialty medicine. Methods Case study that describes key methodological and data challenges that were encountered or are likely to emerge in future work, describes the pros and cons of approaches considered by the study team, and summarizes the solutions that were implemented. Results Major methodological challenges included defining whole genome sequencing, structuring an appropriate comparator, measuring downstream costs, and examining clinical outcomes. Discussions about solutions addressed conceptual and practical issues that arose because of definitions and analyses around the cost of genomic sequencing in trial-based studies. Conclusions The MedSeq Project provides an instructive example of how to conduct a cost analysis of whole genome sequencing that feasibly incorporates best practices while being sensitive to the varied applications and diversity of results it may produce. Findings provide guidance for researchers to consider when conducting or analyzing economic analyses of whole genome sequencing and other next-generation sequencing tests, particularly regarding costs.
Aubrianne Norton, Race, Criminal Justice, and Migration Control

Race, Criminal Justice, and Migration Control: Enforcing the Boundaries of Belonging, edited by Mary Bosworth, Apla Parmar, and Yolanda Vazquez, is an anthology of essays involving the intersectionality of race separated into four sections: 1) Race, Borders, and Social Control; 2) Race, Policing, and Security; 3) Race, Courts, and the Law; and 4) Race, Detention, and Deportation. As an introduction to intersectionality between race, and gender and class, this anthology gives a somewhat comprehensive compilation of migration issues stemming in countries that exercise firm control over migration of incoming migrants and exiting migrants. Each article focuses on an issue ongoing with a specific population of people, and how the mechanisms in place for migration function criminally and divisively.
Leadership Development through Transforming the Student Employment Process.

Using a learning-focused lens, this chapter explores concepts such as recruiting, training, and supervision through the strategic use of leadership learning outcomes. Within a broad context of leadership development, institution-specific promising practices and examples are provided to demonstrate implementation of the concepts.
The conservation genomics of the endangered distylous gypsophile Oreocarya crassipes (Boraginaceae)

The Chihuahuan Desert includes many endemic angiosperm species, some having very restricted geographic ranges. One of these species is Oreocarya crassipes (I. M. Johnst.) Hasenstab & M. G. Simpson, an endangered distylous gypsophile from the Trans-Pecos region in southern Brewster County, Texas, USA. The species is known from 10 populations, and this small number of populations, human development in the area, a distylous breeding system, and edaphic requirements threaten the long-term viability of the species. Using both hundreds of single nucleotide polymorphisms identified via tunable genotyping-by-sequencing (tGBS) and 10 microsatellite loci, patterns of genetic diversity, demography, selection, and migration were examined for 192 individuals from four populations of O. crassipes. From the sampled individuals, two populations (clusters) were identified via multiple methodologies and with both types of data. With SNP data, population substructure was further resolved among one of these populations to identify two distinct groups of individuals. Multiple individuals recognized as having mixed ancestry, along with Fst values and AMOVA results, provide evidence of genetic exchange among populations, which is less common for gypsophiles than non-gypsophiles, and the rate of migration among populations has been increasing recently. The Fst values for O. crassipes are more similar to those of other rare species than to other gypsophiles. Additionally, while distyly specifically does not necessarily impact the population genetics of the species, allogamy, which is facilitated by distyly, seems to have played a role in the genetic structure of O. crassipes.
TL 18052 - Sagittal tibiotalar alignment in fixed-bearing total ankle replacement

Introduction: Implant positioning is critical in total ankle replacement (TAR). However, the effect of sagittal tibiotalar alignment on functional outcomes in fixed-bearing TAR remains unclear. Furthermore, no studies comparing different fixed-bearing implants with respect to the anteroposterior position of the talar component have been performed to date. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 71 primary TARs in a single center was performed. Prostheses included were the INBONE II® (Wright Medical, Memphis, TN) and the Salto Talaris (Integra LifeSciences, Plainsboro, NJ). Radiographic measurements of the tibial-axis-to-talus ratio (T-T ratio) and the anteroposterior offset ratio (AP offset ratio) were performed preoperatively and postoperatively, respectively. Foot and Ankle Outcome Scores (FAOS) and SF-12 MCS and PCS scales were evaluated preoperatively and 2 years postoperatively. Results: Postoperative sagittal tibiotalar alignment was neutral in 39 ankles and anterior in 32 ankles. No significant differences were observed between groups with respect to clinical outcome scores. Patients with a Salto Talaris prosthesis had a greater AP offset ratio (0.12 ± 0.05) than patients with an INBONE II® implant (0.05 ± 0.04) (P < .01); however, this increased translation did not correlate with the outcome scores. Conclusion: At the 2-year follow-up, the INBONE II® TAA showed a more neutral sagittal alignment compared with the Salto Talaris prosthesis. However, no correlation between the postoperative AP offset ratio and functional outcome scores was observed with the use of the two fixed-bearing TAR. Further studies with longer follow-ups are needed to determine if the difference in sagittal alignment may have an effect on functional outcomes in the long-term.
Regulation of the cold-sensing TRPM8 channels by phosphoinositides and Gq-coupled receptors

The Transient Receptor Potential Melastatin 8 (TRPM8) ion channel is an important sensor of environmental cold temperatures. Cold- and menthol-induced activation of this channel requires the presence of the membrane phospholipid phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P2]. This review discusses recent findings on the role of PI(4,5)P2 and G-proteins in the modulation of TRPM8 upon receptor activation. We will also summarize knowledge on the role of PI(4,5)P2 in Ca2+ dependent desensitization/adaptation of TRPM8 activity, and recent advances in the structural basis of how this lipid binds to TRPM8.
Progress in Understanding Ferroptosis and Challenges in Its Targeting for Therapeutic Benefit

Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent cell-death modality driven by oxidative phospholipid damage. In contrast to apoptosis, which enables organisms to eliminate targeted cells purposefully at specific times, ferroptosis appears to be a vulnerability of cells that otherwise use high levels of polyunsaturated lipids to their advantage. Cells in this high polyunsaturated lipid state generally have safeguards that mitigate ferroptotic risk. Since its recognition, ferroptosis has been implicated in degenerative diseases in tissues including kidney and brain, and is a targetable vulnerability in multiple cancers—each likely characterized by the high polyunsaturated lipid state with insufficient or overwhelmed ferroptotic safeguards. In this Perspective, we present progress toward defining the essential roles and key mediators of lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis in disease contexts. Moreover, we discuss gaps in our understanding of ferroptosis and list key challenges that have thus far limited the full potential of targeting ferroptosis for improving human health.
Divided and Conquered: The Neoliberal Roots and Emotional Consequences of the Arbitration Revolution

The “arbitration revolution” has diminished access to justice for millions of people, allowing American corporations to secure significant insulation from collective challenges in both judicial and arbitral forums. Although currently-identified damages are immense, some scholars have recently described proposals to undo the revolution as wishful thinking in the current political climate. This Article acknowledges the political difficulty but seeks to uncover the roots of the problem to re-open a path for a change. Offering an analysis of the 2019 Supreme Court decision in Lamps Plus Inc. v. Varela, the Article demonstrates that the “revolution” has been driven not by the oft-declared policy of “favoring arbitration,” but by a premeditated effort to undermine collectivity. This legal hostility towards collective actions, the Article shows, has been part of a broader transformation: the rise to dominance of neoliberalism and the resulting creation of a corporatized political economy. It thus re-conceptualizes the arbitration revolution as a process of separating collective actors, one that has been inspired by neoliberal theorists, executed and funded by organized corporate interests, and embraced by the Supreme Court. This new framing highlights previously unrecognized harm of the arbitration revolution: it leaves prospective claimants feeling isolated from their peers and abandoned by their state, inducing pervasive feelings of powerlessness. Having identified this affective outcome, the Article shows how it operates to suppress resistance and invoke resignation. These behavioral tendencies are not unintended consequences; instead, they are produced by a calculated effort to protect neoliberal hegemony and corporate control by cultivating the passivity of ordinary citizens. The Article ends with a warning that those who feel powerless and resigned about the protection of their legal rights may feel similarly indisposed to engage in other forms of democratic citizenship. By offering a novel understanding of how the arbitration revolution vitiates collectivity and threatens democracy, the Article aims to reignite efforts to undo the revolution and re-authorize citizens to act collectively.
Comparative Effects on Recrystallization of Melt-Memory and Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation in Ziegler-Natta and Metallocene Ethylene Copolymers with Bimodal Comonomer Composition Distribution

Herein, we study comparatively melt-memory effects on recrystallization of two sets of linear low-density polyethylenes (LLDPE) synthesized with Ziegler–Natta (ZN-LLDPE) and with metallocene cataly...
Dot1L-dependent H3K79 methylation facilitates histone variant H2A.Z exchange at DNA double strand breaks and is required for high fidelity, homology-directed DNA repair

In eukaryotic cells, the homology-directed repair (HDR) and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) pathways are required for the repair of DNA double strand breaks (DSB). The high-fidelity HDR pathway is particularly important for maintenance of genomic stability. In mammals, histone post-translational modifications and histone variant exchange into nucleosomes at sites of DSB generate an open chromatin state necessary for repair to take place. However, the specific contributions of histone modifications to histone variant exchange at DSB sites and the influence of these changes on the DNA repair process and genome stability are incompletely understood. Here we show that Dot1L-catalyzed methylation of H3 histone on lysine 79 (H3K79) is required for efficient HDR of DSB. In cells with DNA DSB either lacking Dot1L or expressing a methylation-dead Dot1L, there is altered kinetics of DNA repair factor recruitment, markedly decreased H2A.Z incorporation at DSB sites, and a specific and profound reduction in HDR, which results in significant genomic instability. These findings demonstrate a new role for Dot1L, identifying it as a critical regulator of the DNA repair process and a steward of genomic integrity.
Exploring an elementary ESL teacher’s emotions and advocacy identity

Scholars, activists, and communities strive for educational equity and justice for emergent bilinguals. The pursuit of advocacy, however, is often fraught with emotional tension, leading many teach...
Understanding the effect of counterpressure buildup during syringe injections

The pain felt during injection, typically delivered via a hypodermic needle as a single bolus, is associated with the pressure build-up around the site of injection. It is hypothesized that this counterpressure is a function of the target tissue as well as fluid properties. Given that novel vaccines target different tissues (muscle, adipose, and skin) and can exhibit a wide range of fluid properties, we conducted a study of the effect of volumetric flow rate, needle size, viscosity and rheology of fluid, and hyaluronidase as an adjuvant on counterpressure build-up in porcine skin and muscle tissues. In particular, we found a significant increase in counterpressure for intradermal (ID) injections compared to intramuscular (IM) injections, by an order of magnitude in some cases. We also showed that the addition of adjuvant affected the tissue back pressure only in case of subcutaneous (SC) injections. We observed that the volumetric flow rate plays an important role along with the needle size. This study aims to improve the current understanding and limitations of liquid injectability via hypodermic needles, however, the results also have implications for other technologies, such as intradermal jet injection where a liquid bleb is formed under the skin.
Measuring Corporate Virtue—And Vice

An increasing number of corporations aspire to meet demands to improve their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance. The stakeholders interested in ESG measures extend well beyond investors and the companies’ own management to include employees at the company and in its supply chain, consumers, regulators, and those subject to the company’s environmental and social impacts. Despite the huge differences between ESG and financial reporting, we believe that practices developed in financial reporting can contribute to achieving high-quality ESG reporting. In particular, we suggest that a comprehensive framework for ESG reporting must address the following three factors: (1) a limited set of metrics, primarily concerned with a company’s key environmental and social impacts; (2) a standard-setting body loosely modeled on the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) to develop and particularize those metrics; and (3) reporting infrastructures that allow companies to collect, report, and verify the relevant metrics accurately.
Narrow Linewidth, Widely Tunable Integrated Lasers from Visible to Near-IR

We demonstrate a chip-scale platform for narrow-linewidth lasers, tunable across the whole spectrum from blue to near-IR. We show powers up to 10mW, intrinsic linewidth <8kHz, tuning up to 12nm and SMSRs up to 38dB.
Metastable Phase Formation in Plasma‐Sprayed ZrO2 (Y2O3)–Al2O3

Rapidly solidified ZrO2 (Y2O3)–Al2O3 powders were prepared by melting fine-particle aggregates in a high-enthalpy plasma flame and then rapidly quenching them in cold water or on a copper chill plate. To ensure complete melting and homogenization of all the particles before quenching, the water-quenching treatment was often repeated two or even three times. The resulting melt-quenched powders and splats displayed a variety of metastable structures, depending on composition and cooling rate. ZrO2-rich material developed an extended solid solution phase, whereas eutectic material formed a nanofibrous or amorphous structure. Under high cooling rate conditions, the ZrO2-rich material developed a nanocomposite structure (t-ZrO2+α-Al2O) directly by melt-quenching, whereas, more typically, such a structure was developed only after postannealing of the as-quenched metastable material.
Measuring the Impact of Price-Induced Innovation on Technological Progress: Application to the U.S. Food Processing and Distribution Sector

A model of price-induced innovation is presented incorporating long-run prices as arguments in the production function serving the role of stimulating firms to seek innovations. The empirical application examines the production structure and technological progress of the U.S. food processing and distribution sector for the period 1948–1991. The empirical model separates scarcity, innovation, and exogenous technical change responses in analyzing the Morishima elasticities for input combinations and multifactor input biases. The results suggest significant structural changes occurring in the food processing and distribution sector since 1980. Focusing on multifactor input bias, results suggest that there are no wide changes in technical change patterns over the last forty years. However, Morishima elasticity results suggest a more varied pattern of technical change between inputs. The price-induced technical progress has a dominant contribution on input decisions compared with the exogenous technical change.
Cyclobutane Derivatives from Thermal Cycloaddition Reactions

Preparation of substituted cyclobutanes and cyclobutenes by cyclo-addition reactions of alkene and alkyne has become an important synthetic reaction and where applicable is the method of choice for four-membered carbon ring compounds. Such cycloadditons may be achieved thermally under autogeneous pressure in the presence of free-radical inhibitors or photochemically by irradiation with visible or ultraviolet light. The establishment of cyclobutane structure proved an example of waxing and waning in the interpretation of organic reactions. Many studies were done and they are discussed. A breakthrough came with the discovery by DuPont that octafluorocyclobutane can be formed readily by thermal dimerization of tetrafluoroethylene. Several developments followed. The cycloaddition illustrates two important points. First, fluorinated alkenes may add to non-fluorinated unsaturated compounds much more readily than they dimerize. Second, when fluorinated alkenes are given a choice between four- and six-membered rings, as is possible with a conjugated diene, the formation of the four-membered ring is favored. This chapter gives information on the various studies done on this reaction, The scope, limitations, and comparison of added reactivities are detailed.
Endogenous Formation of Links Between Players and of Coalitions: An Application of the Shapley Value

Consider the coalitional game v on the player set (1,2,3) defined by $$ v(S) = \left\{ \begin{array}{l} 0\quad if{\kern 1pt} \left| S \right| = 1, \\ 60\quad if{\kern 1pt} \left| S \right| = 2, \\ 72\quad if{\kern 1pt} \left| S \right| = 3, \\ \end{array} \right. $$ (1) were |S| denotes the number of players in S. Most cooperative solution concepts “predict” (or assume) that the all-player coalition {1, 2, 3} will form and divide the payoff 72 in some appropriate way. Now suppose that P 1 (player 1) and P 2 happen to meet each other in the absence of P3. There is little doubt that they would quickly seize the opportunity to form the coalition {1, 2} and collect a payoff of 30 each. This would happen in spite of its inefficiency. The reason is that if Pi and P 2 were to invite P 3 to join the negotiations, then the three players would find themselves in effectively symmetric roles, and the expected outcome would be {24,24,24}. P1 and P 2 would not want to risk offering, say, 4 to P 3 (and dividing the remaining 68 among themselves), because they would realize that once P 3 is invited to participate in the negotiations, the situation turns “wide open” — anything can happen.
Exocytosis: meltdown of the core.

Betz and colleagues find that dopamine triggers release of the dense core of secretory granules with prolactin during exocytosis. The dense core can contain signaling proteins, implying that both the quality and the quantity of released material can be regulated.
How to Really Measure Low Energy Electrons in Space

There is little argument in the space plasma physics community that in-situ, low energy electron measurements are technically challenging. The primary obstacle has been the effects of spacecraft charging on the measured three-dimensional electron velocity space distribution. A successful spacecraft charging correction algorithm used with the three-dimensional electron instrument aboard the Ulysses spacecraft has clarified the role of spacecraft and instrument parameters in the eventual reconstruction of low energy electron distributions. Suggestions for instrument and spacecraft modifications that can minimize spacecraft charging effects are presented in this paper. The emphasis is on designs that lend themselves to robust correction algorithms.
Cooling-Induced Natural Convection in a Triangular Enclosure as a Model for Littoral Circulation

Publisher Summary This chapter describes cooling-induced natural convection in a triangular enclosure, as a model for littoral circulation. In most studies of natural convection, known temperatures are imposed at fixed boundaries (walls). In many environmental water resources applications, however, the flow is excited by heat transfer through the surface of the water body. An example is convective circulation in sidearm of cooling lakes. The incentive for the computations, which are presented herein, is the need to estimate the flow that develops near shore during cooling of lakes, ponds, bays, and similar water bodies. The convective flow is driven by a horizontal temperature (density) gradient, which forms because regions of progressively larger depth are subjected to approximately the same rate of surface cooling. The exchange between littoral and open waters induced by this flow is of importance, e.g. to the understanding of the removal of dissolved substances in the littoral waters by aquatic plant communities.
Tropical 45 Day Oscillations during the 1979 Northern Hemisphere Summer

Abstract Based on FGGE 1,cvel IIIb data, the structural features of 45 day perturbations over a tropical belt (15°N-15°S) during the 1979 summer are detailed. At the equator, 45 day perturbations which are primarily associated with the zonal wind components of wavenumber 1, propagate eastward (8° of longitude per day) and upward (0.7 km per day), probably indicating downward energy flux. In the Southern Hemisphere tropics (0°–15°S), the 45 day zonal mean wind perturbations propagate downward with an approximate phase speed of 0.8 km per day. In the Northern Hemisphere tropics, they are largely of standing character with the maximum amplitude (3 m s−1) near 200 mb at 15°N. There exists a strong association between monsoon activity over South Asia and changes in the intensity of the equatorial Walker circulation. When active monsoons occur over South Asia, the Walker circulation becomes stronger than usual with prominent 850 mb easterlies (200 mb easterlies) over the eastern Pacific east of the date line an...
Automatic Retrieval of Bone Fracture Knowledge Using Natural Language Processing

Natural language processing (NLP) techniques to extract data from unstructured text into formal computer representations are valuable for creating robust, scalable methods to mine data in medical documents and radiology reports. As voice recognition (VR) becomes more prevalent in radiology practice, there is opportunity for implementing NLP in real time for decision-support applications such as context-aware information retrieval. For example, as the radiologist dictates a report, an NLP algorithm can extract concepts from the text and retrieve relevant classification or diagnosis criteria or calculate disease probability. NLP can work in parallel with VR to potentially facilitate evidence-based reporting (for example, automatically retrieving the Bosniak classification when the radiologist describes a kidney cyst). For these reasons, we developed and validated an NLP system which extracts fracture and anatomy concepts from unstructured text and retrieves relevant bone fracture knowledge. We implement our NLP in an HTML5 web application to demonstrate a proof-of-concept feedback NLP system which retrieves bone fracture knowledge in real time.
Crystal and molecular structure of di(1-pyrazolyl)methane, CH2(C3N2H3)2

The title compound consists of two planar pyrazolyl fragments oriented at 73.0° to each other and linked to a common carbon atom. All hydrogen atoms were located unambiguously and their positions were refined.
Manifestation of Periodic Vibrations in Postural Control Experiments

The source of periodic vibrations picked up by accelerometers during human postural control experiments is investigated. Evidence is provided suggesting the source of the vibrations is the heart. The implications of this finding are also examined.
Radiative and nonradiative processes of F and F ′ centers in NaBr and NaI

The Dexter et al. criterion for the occurrence of luminescence in deep centers predicts for $F$ centers in NaBr and NaI a strong quenching of the luminescence due to a crossover process between the excited-state- and ground-state-configuration coordinate curves, implying that most optical absorptions do not lead to the relaxed excited state. We have studied the optical absorption, conversion, and emission properties of pure (dilute and concentrated) $F$-center systems in zone-refined NaBr and NaI with the following results: An infrared emission of double spectral structure is present in both systems, but has very low quantum efficiency (0.01). A detailed study of the electronic kinetics shows that in the optical excitation cycle all electrons reach the relaxed excited state, from which they can be ionized (thermally or by tunneling) to form ${F}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ centers with full efficiency. Therefore, while the above criterion predicts the existence of nonradiative processes properly, the mechanism of crossover reactions is not confirmed, and a nonradiative rate process from the relaxed excited state is strongly suggested. The role of the luminescence due to electron recapture by ionized $F$ centers has been examined, and it is proposed that the second observed luminescence is due to a radiative recapture process from a higher state.
Effect of prolyl-leucyl-glycinamide and alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone on levorphanol-induced analgesia, tolerance and dependence.

Abstract Prolyl-leucyl-glycinamide (PLG) at a low dose (10 ng/mouse) administered by an intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection did not affect levorphanol analgesia, but PLG at higher doses (10 and 100 μg/mouse) and α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) (10 ng/ mouse) antagonized levorphanol analgesia. Development of levorphanol tolerance was facilitated by 10 ng/mouse of PLG, unaffected by 10 μg/mouse of PLG, but antagonized by 100 μg/mouse of PLG and 10 ng/mouse of α-MSH. The effect of PLG on levorphanol dependence was assessed by changes in body weight and temperature during naloxone-induced withdrawal. PLG (10 ng/mouse) facilitated the development of levorphanol dependence, but 10 μg/mouse of PLG had no effect. PLG (100 μg/mouse) antagonized development of levorphanol dependence. PLG at doses of 10 and 100 μg/mouse precipitated withdrawal in levorphanol-dependent mice. α-MSH (10 ng/mouse) antagonized development of levorphanol dependence as evidenced by an increase in the ED50 of naloxone required to induce withdrawal jumping. These results indicate that PLG and α-MSH affected levorphanol-induced analgesia, tolerance and dependence in a qualitatively similar manner to their effect on morphine-induced analgesia, tolerance and dependence.
Templated growth of polyaniline on exfoliated graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) and its thermoelectric properties

Abstract Polyaniline (PANi)/exfoliated graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) nanocomposites were prepared by in situ polymerization of aniline monomer in the presence of GNP for thermoelectric applications. PANi has a strong affinity for GNP due to π electron interactions, forming a uniform nanofibril coating. A paper-like nanocomposite was prepared by controlled vacuum filtration of an aqueous dispersion of PANi decorated GNP. The Seebeck coefficient of the resulting nanocomposite changes with initial concentration of aniline in the solution as well as the protonation of PANi, reaching as high as 33 μV/K for nanocomposites containing approximately 40 wt% of PANi and with a protonation ratio of 0.2. The presence of GNP improved the electrical conductivity of the nanocomposites to 59 S/cm. As a result, thermoelectric figure of merit ZT of the nanocomposites is 2 orders of magnitude higher than either of the constituents, exhibiting a significant synergistic effect.
Opioid analgesic involvement in drug abuse deaths in American metropolitan areas.

I measured the role of opioid analgesics in drug abuse–related deaths in a consistent panel of 28 metropolitan areas from the Drug Abuse Warning Network. The number of reports of opioid analgesics increased 96.6% from 1997 to 2002; methadone, oxycodone, and unspecified opioid analgesics accounted for 74.3% of the increase. Oxycodone reports increased 727.8% (from 72 to 596 reports). By 2002, opioid analgesics were noted more frequently than were heroin or cocaine. Dramatic increases in the availability of such opioids have made their abuse a major, growing problem.
Snow drifts on flat roofs: Wind tunnel tests and field measurements

Abstract Sacling rules are developed for the design of experiments and choice of appropriate particles to model snow drifting on buildings in a boundary-layer wind tunnel. Several model buildings with two-level flat roofs were studied in the tunnel. The length-to-height ratios of the buildings varied from 1.0 to 10.0 and the lengths of lower roofs varied from 1.3 to 5 times the heights to the upper levels. A three-dimensional traversing mechanism holding a depth-marker was used for collecting “snow” depths after each test. Two flat-roofed buildings in Ottawa, Canada, were selected for comparison of wind tunnel with full-scale measurements. The discrepancy between results of full-scale and model-scale testing is due in part to dissimilar running conditions: the changes in wind directions could not be followed because the model buildings were too long to be rotated fully in the wind tunnel. There are enough similarities between model and full-scale snow depths to indicate that further investigation with a larger wind tunnel would be worthwhile.
A Movable Feast: Ten Millennia of Food Globalization by Kenneth F. Kiple

A Movable Feast: Ten Millennia of Food Globalization Kenneth F. Kiple. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007. A Movable Feast: Ten Millennia of Food Globalization is an engaging, wonderfully detailed account of the global spread of foods over the past 10,000 years. Historian Dr. Kenneth Kiple weaves his encyclopedic knowledge of food and history into a narrative exploring the patterns, processes, and implications of this spread. Identifying seven geographic centers of origin for contemporary foods, he traces how crops have been borrowed, exchanged, and integrated into local cuisines. He then examines how contemporary eating habits and menus have come about, focusing on the nutritional and health impacts of this spread. Kiple challenges some of the "common wisdoms" about globalization. Contrary to definitions of globalization as beginning with the Columbian exchange in the 1,400s or within the last century with the rise of technology and the economic and political imperialism of the West, Kiple presents globalization as an on-going process that began millennia ago. Foods have rarely stayed in only one small geographic area; natural as well as human forces have spread them throughout the world. This approach offers a very different perspective on the history of food that then demonstrates connections over time usually overlooked. American fast food, for example, evolved from street food, a phenomenon found throughout history and throughout the world. Also, contrary to common stereotypes, Americans have actually been anything but fearful of new foods; and in fact the food industry has constantly introduced new tastes, items, and ingredients while also promoting unified patterns of consumption. While this overview is helpful in seeing the "bigger picture," it is also confusing at times. Leaps of decades, even centuries, are sometime glossed over, so that differences in historical, social, and cultural conditions are erased. It is not always clear where and when something was happening, and what conditions existed that enabled it. This longer perspective also raises questions about the use of the term "globalization" for what might be more accurately described as a global history of food. Kiple asserts (and I agree with him) that this historical perspective is necessary, however, if the human diet has been going downhill since we first settled into domesticated agriculture, how does this history help us address what are considered the pressing issues of globalization: hegemony, homogenization, loss of tradition, cultural and economic imperialism, etc. …
Atomic Hyperfine-Coupling Parameters for the Transition Metals

Abstract Dipolar hyperfine-coupling parameters for transition-metalndand (n+ 1)porbitals and isotropic hyperfine-coupling parameters for (n+ 1)sorbitals are computed from SCF–Hartree–Fock–Slater atomic orbitals. The parameters depend strongly on electronic configuration, particularly on the number ofdelectrons, and empirical equations are presented to allow computation of the parameters, given an assumed configuration.
A fiber damage model for early stage consolidation of metal-coated fibers

Abstract Recent studies of the high temperature consolidation of titanium alloy coated α-alumina fiber tows and SiC monofilaments have both revealed the widespread occurrence of fiber bending and fracture during early stage consolidation. This damage was shown to arise from the bending of unaligned fibers during consolidation and was found to be affected by the mechanical behavior of the metal-metal contacts at fiber crossovers. To predict the incidence of fiber fracture during early stage high temperature consolidation, a time-temperature dependent micromechanical model incorporating the evolving contact geometry and mechanical behavior of both the metal matrix and the ceramic fibers has been combined with a statistical representation of crossovers in the pre-consolidated layup. The damage predictions are found to compare favorably with experimental results. The model has subsequently been used to explore the effects of fiber strength, matrix constitutive properties and the processing conditions upon the incidence of fiber fracture. It reveals the existence of a temperature dependent pressurization rate below which fracture is relatively unlikely. This critical pressure rate can be significantly increased by the ‘enhanced’ superplasticity of the initially nanocrystalline coating.
Use of Aluminum- and Iron-Rich Residues to Immobilize Phosphorus in Poultry Litter and Litter-Amended Soils

Poultry production is concentrated on Maryland's eastern shore on areas with sandy soils low in sesquioxides. Water quality has been affected by runoff and leaching of phosphorus from poultry litter-amended fields. Phosphorus movement is of major concern because P is a limiting nutrient for eutrophication in surface water. The objectives of this study were to (i) evaluate the ability of Al-rich drinking water treatment residue (DWTR) and iron-rich residue (IRR) to reduce water-soluble P and Bray and Kurtz no. 1-extractable phosphorus (BK-1 P) in poultry litter and three long-term litter-amended soils and (ii) determine the effects of these residues on pH and electrical conductivity (EC) in the amended litter and soils. Poultry litter and soils were treated with four rates of DWTR and IRR and incubated for 7 wk at 25°C. Litter and soils were sampled at 2, 4, and 7 wk. Both residue materials increased the pH of the litter and the soils. The DWTR was more effective in reducing both water-soluble P and BK-1 P in litter at all rates. At the 25 and 50 g kg -1 rates, reductions in water-soluble P with IRR were comparable with that of DWTR, but DWTR was twice as effective as IRR in reducing BK-1 P concentration. The results showed that water-soluble P and BK-1 P in poultry litter and long-term litter-amended soils can be substantially reduced by incorporating residues rich in Al and Fe; these residues may be useful for reducing P runoff and leaching from poultry litter and litter-amended fields.
Hydrothermal Treatment of C−N−O−H Wastes: Reaction Kinetics and Pathways for Hydrolysis Products of High Explosives

Bench-scale studies demonstrated the efficacy of hydrothermal oxidation for the treatment of wastes derived from the alkaline hydrolysis of the high explosive PBX 9404 (94% HMX, 3% nitrocellulose, and 3% chloroethyl phosphate). Specifically, chemical kinetics studies were used to deduce major global reaction pathways, and to develop a kinetic model. Although the hydrolysis liquor is a complicated waste matrix, a three-parameter kinetic model captured major reaction paths. The kinetic model used total organic carbon (TOC) as a bulk parameter for dissolved organic materials, while NOx- was used to represent the oxidized nitrogen species in solution (NO2- and NO3-). With the use of the kinetic model, an optimal treatment strategy using two oxidation stages was derived. The first stage involved balancing NOx- and O2 redox chemistry to minimize aqueous nitrogen in the effluent, while the second stage mineralized the remaining TOC.
Off-Center Object-of-Interest (OoI) Imaging in Filtered Region of Interest Rotational Angiography (FROI-RA)

Rotational angiography (RA) is widely used clinically to obtain 3D data. In many procedures, e.g., neurovascular interventions, the imaged field of view (FOV) is much larger than the region of interest (ROI), thereby subjecting the patient to unnecessary x-ray dose. To reduce the dose in these procedures, we have proposed placing an x-ray attenuating filter with an open aperture (ROI) in the x-ray beam (called filtered region of interest (FROI) RA. We have shown that this approach yields high quality data for centered objects of interest (OoIs). In this study, we investigate the noise behavior of the FROI approach for off-center OoIs. Using filter-specific attenuation and noise characteristics, simulated FROI projection images were generated. The intensities in the peripheral region were equalized, and the 3D data reconstructed. For each reconstructed voxel, the intersections with the full intensity beam (ROI) were determined for each projection, and noise properties were evaluated. Off-center OoIs intersect the high intensity beam in more than 60% of the projections (ROI having 40% FOV area), with intersection frequency increasing with increasing ROI area and OoI proximity to the central region. The noise increases with distance from the central region up to a factor of two. Integral dose reductions range between 40% and 85%, depending on ROI area and filter thickness. Substantial dose reductions (40-85%) are achieved with less than a factor of two increase in noise for OoIs peripheral to the central region, indicating the FROI approach might be an alternative for reducing dose during standard procedures.
Tax non-compliance detection using co-evolution of tax evasion risk and audit likelihood

We detect tax law abuse by simulating the co-evolution of tax evasion schemes and their discovery through audits. Tax evasion accounts for billions of dollars of lost income each year. When the IRS pursues a tax evasion scheme and changes the tax law or audit procedures, the tax evasion schemes evolve and change into undetectable forms. The arms race between tax evasion schemes and tax authorities presents a serious compliance challenge. Tax evasion schemes are sequences of transactions where each transaction is individually compliant. However, when all transactions are combined they have no other purpose than to evade tax and are thus non-compliant. Our method consists of an ownership network and a sequence of transactions, which outputs the likelihood of conducting an audit, and requires no prior tax return or audit data. We adjust audit procedures for a new generation of evolved tax evasion schemes by simulating the gradual change of tax evasion schemes and audit points, i.e. methods used for detecting non-compliance. Additionally, we identify, for a given audit scoring procedure, which tax evasion schemes will likely escape auditing. The approach is demonstrated in the context of partnership tax law and the Installment Bogus Optional Basis tax evasion scheme. The experiments show the oscillatory behavior of a co-adapting system and that it can model the co-evolution of tax evasion schemes and their detection.
Comparison of a Military Chemical Suit and an Industrial Usage Vapor Barrier Suit Across Two Thermal Environments

This study compared physiological responses to wearing military chemical protective clothing (MPC) and industrial vapor barrier protective clothing (IPC) across two thermal environments to determine the application of the MPC research toward IPC use. Ten males wore each ensemble in a wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) = 18 and a 26°C environment for four test sessions. Each test session consisted of two 30-min work bouts separated by a 30-min recovery period. Each work bout consisted of walking on a treadmill with an oxygen demand of 1.4 L/min for 15 min followed by 7 min of arm curling at 0.9 L/min, followed by 8 min of walking. Work was stopped when either the 30-min time limit was met or a core temperature (Tre) of 38°C was achieved. Variables included sweat rate, heart rate at the end of each work bout, change in (delta) Tre and mean skin temperature (mTsk), and heat stored (Whr). A repeated measures analysis of variance showed no significant difference (p>0.05) between heart rates at the end of the wo...
Modeling and simulation in the VLSI environment

This paper discusses the use of APL to model VLSI chips as part of an initial design. Starting as a data flow, the design is partitioned and sliced into functional units that can be contained within a VLSI chip. By linking these APL models together, it is possible to simulate the overall implementation and find critical paths.