cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pieces of the immigrant paradox puzzle: measurement, level, and predictive differences in precursors to academic achievement

Abstract The “immigrant paradox” indicates that the academic attitudes and outcomes of 1st-generation youth exceed those of the 2nd- and 3rd-generation. This paper examines a) whether unobserved measurement bias contributes to these generational differences, b) generational differences in levels of behavioral school engagement (BSE) and perceived supportive school relations (SSR), and c) to what extent BSE mediates the relations between SSR and academic achievement and whether these relations differ across generations. New York City Social and Academic Engagement Study (NYCASES) data were analyzed. Strong measurement invariance for BSE and SSR suggests that unobserved measurement bias does not contribute to the immigrant paradox. 1st generation youth evinced higher latent means for BSE and SSR than 2nd or 3rd-generation youth. 1st generation youth responded to SSR by exerting effort while 2nd and 3rd generation youth responded to SSR by complying with rules. Because effort engendered achievement more than compliance, this study identifies a mediating mechanism that contributes to the immigrant paradox.
The Pharmacokinetics of Transdermal Fentanyl Delivered With and Without Controlled Heat

Preliminary reports have demonstrated that the application of local heat to the transdermal fentanyl patch significantly increased systemic delivery of fentanyl. The objective of this study was to further evaluate the pharmacokinetic effect of local heat administration on fentanyl drug delivery through the transdermal fentanyl patch delivery system in volunteers. In addition, the study was intended to document the effect of heat on steady-state transdermal fentanyl delivery. This was an open, 3-period, crossover study that evaluated the pharmacokinetics and safety of 25 microg/h transdermal fentanyl administered with and without local heat. During Sessions A and B, subjects received transdermal fentanyl for a 30-hour period. During Session A, heat was applied for 1 hour at the 24-hour time point during the 30-hour period. During Session B, heat was applied for the first 4 hours and then again for 1 hour at the 24-hour time point during the 30-hour period. The order of Sessions A and B was randomized, and a minimum of 2 weeks separated the sessions. Five of the 10 subjects returned to participate in Session C. During Session C, subjects received transdermal fentanyl 25 microg/h for 18 hours. Heat was applied during the first 4 hours of administration and then again for 15-minute periods at the 12- and 16-hour time points. Arterial blood samples for determination of serum fentanyl concentration were collected. Maximum concentration (C(max)), time to maximum concentration (t(max)), and area under the curve (AUC) were determined for each treatment period. Sedation, vital signs, oxygen saturation, and adverse events were recorded. During a period of 36 hours, there were no significant differences in C(max), AUC, or T(max) between transdermal fentanyl delivery with no heat and heat. However, significant differences were seen during the first 4 hours, with C(max) and AUC values almost 3 times higher for the heated administrations than for the administrations without heat. With heat, the mean C(max) was 0.63 ng/mL compared with a C(max) of 0.24 ng/mL without heat (P =.007). With early heat, the mean AUC was 1.22 ng/mL. h compared with 0.42 ng/mL. h without heat (P =.003). There was no statistically significant difference between the median times to achieve peak values (T(max)) during the first 4 hours. The addition of heat at 24 hours resulted in rapid increases in serum fentanyl concentrations for both groups and higher serum fentanyl concentrations for the administration that did not receive heat previously. Applying heat for 15 minutes at the 12-hour and 16-hour time points produced a rapid but short duration increase in serum fentanyl concentrations. The results suggest controlled heat might be used to significantly shorten the time needed to reach clinically important fentanyl concentrations. Controlled heat might be useful to produce rapid increases in serum concentrations for the rapid treatment of breakthrough pain.
Effects of electrical stimulation of cricothyroid and thyroarytenoid muscles on voice fundamental frequency

Summary Voice pitch depends on the interaction of several variables, including contraction of laryngeal muscles and respiratory events. It is difficult to parcel out the contributions made by specific laryngeal muscles, since muscles normally co-contract. Moreover, the contraction speed of human laryngeal muscles has not been determined. In order to better understand these phenomena, stainless steel electrode wires were inserted into the cricothyroid and thyroarytenoid muscles of normal subjects, and during phonation, single, low-voltage shocks were delivered to one muscle. The frequency of shock presentation was varied from 1 to 90/s. The results show that both muscles cause elevation of voice pitch. The thyroarytenoid has a faster contraction speed than the cricothyroid
Frontier and urban-industrial explanations of US occupational mobility in the late 1800s

Abstract This paper analyzes US geographic differences over nine regions in patterns of occupational mobility between 1880 and 1900 among the National Panel Study (NPS) of white men in the age cohorts 5–14 and 25–34. Comparisons focus on father-to-son mobility for the younger age cohort as it reached adulthood, and on intra-generational movement in midlife for the older cohort. Levels of upward mobility vary positively in both cohorts with levels of regional urbanization, while, contrary to the “frontier thesis” of American historians, location in the most recently settled parts of the United States has little relationship to occupational mobility. Using log linear models, the paper analyzes the higher mobility of the urban regions. Inheritance of occupation across and within generations is relatively constant across urban regions. Most of the geographic variation is explained by differential occupational structure, especially the growth of a clerical/sales workforce in the urban regions.
An analytics approach to traffic analysis in network virtualization

Network virtualization has been propounded as a diversifying attribute of the future inter-networking paradigm. However, monitoring and troubleshooting operational virtual networks can be a daunting task, due to their size, distributed state, and additional complexity introduced by network virtualization. We propose an analytics approach for the analysis of network traces collected across hypervisors and switches. To re-organize individual trace events into path-wise slices that represent the life-cycle of individual packets, we first present a trace slicing scheme. Then, we develop a path characterization scheme to extract feature matrices from those trace slices. Using those feature metrics, we develop a set of trace analysis algorithms to cluster, rank, query, and verify packet traces. We have developed the analytics approach in a SDN network management tool, and presented evaluation results to show how it can enable visibility and effective problem diagnosis in a SDN network.
Urine Discoloration Associated With Metronidazole A Rare Occurrence

Objective: To report a case of metronidazole-induced urine discoloration in a patient with Clostridium difficile sepsis. Case Summary: A 52-year old man was admitted with sepsis secondary to C diff...
Familial True Hermaphrodism

Three siblings in a single family were found to be true hermaphrodites. Each had a male phenotype and 2 had hypospadias. Two had gynecomastia at puberty. Each had ovarian and testicular tissue in the scrotum. Seminiferous tubular dysgenesis was present in the postpubertal testis. Each patient was chromatin positive, as determined by buccal smears. A female karyotype was present in each sibling. The parents were normal.
A specific effect of glucocorticoids in decreasing neutral ribonuclease II in skeletal muscle.

Abstract Neutral ribonuclease II (EC 3.1.4.22) activity decreases to as little as 20% of its normal level in skeletal muscle of mice within several hours to several days after administration of any of a variety of glucocorticoids. The magnitude of the change varies directly with dose and duration of treatment. Nonglucocorticoid steroids fail to lower ribonuclease activity. The decrease in neutral ribonuclease II levels specifically induced by glucocorticoids may play an important role in the substantial elevation of intracellular RNA concentration known to be an early effect of these hormones.
Preparation of a Phase Diagram for Coacervation

The objective of this study was to develop a method of preparing a phase diagram of coacervated systems using physical measurements instead of chemical analyses. The per cent weight-in-weight concentration of three-component solutions of micro and macromolecules was related to the refractive indexes and specific gravities of the solutions by an algebraic equation. The composition of both phases of several different coacervated systems was determined by using the derived equations. By making accurate quantitative dilutions, it was also possible to determine the composition of solutions the specific gravity of which did not remain linear because of a high concentration of electrolyte. This study indicates that the points needed for plotting a phase diagram (including tie lines) of three-component systems can quickly and accurately be determined by using measurements of specific gravities and refractive indexes.
Afterglow studies in hydrogen

Abstract The time dependence of the electron density during the afterglow period of plasmas produced in hydrogen was measured by means of the microwave cavity method. This time dependence was found to be exponential during the later part of the afterglow period for pressures smaller than 4.5 torr. The relevant time constant depended on the plasma excitation conditions. The mobility value 13.3 ± 0.5 cm 2 /volt second calculated from the measured ambipolar diffusion coefficient is believed to refer to H + 3 ions moving in molecular hydrogen and is in good agreement with the values obtained from time-of-flight studies. The value 16.4 cm 2 /volt second obtained with long plasma excitation pulse lengths most probability refers to H + ions moving in a mixture of atomic and molecular hydrogen. The studies indicated that one of the hydrogen ions, most probably H + 3 , might have a recombination coefficient equal to or larger than 10 -7 cm 3 s -1 .
Absorption isotherms for H2(D2)–Pd0.8Ag0.2 (198–323 K)

Abstract Isotherms for H2/D2–Pd0.8Ag0.2 systems have been measured over a low temperature range, 198–323 K. Such low temperature data for this system have not been obtained previously. The absorption kinetics was found to be fast. The isotherms at low temperatures are compared with literature values at or above 313 K, as well as those for H2(D2)–Pd systems. The H/D isotope effect and the separation factors in the plateau range over Pd0.8Ag0.2 are calculated at various temperatures and discussed, based on the isotherms. Enthalpies are extracted from van’t Hoff plots and compared with calorimetric values and the results from the literature for both absorption and desorption processes. A method is given for using isotherm information from single isotope systems to estimate the separation factor for the mixed isotope systems and this is a helpful tool. The challenge of measuring absorption isotherms at low temperatures and low pressures is discussed. Sample pre-treatment, non-soluble impurity accumulation in an absorption process and thermal transpiration effects are examined.
Theme and imagery in the recall of active and passive sentences

Image-value of subject and object nouns was systematically varied in studies of free recall of simple active and passive sentences. There was no general tendency for surface-structure subjects to be recalled more often than surface-structure objects, contrary to previous reports. If a theme is extracted from an isolated sentence, as has been proposed, the choice appears to be a function of nonsyntactic factors. It is suggested that the active sentences used, but not the passive sentences, generally receive a subjective organization similar to that expected on the basis of its surface-structure phrase marker.
Pulsed-duty characterization of turn-off for a population of SCRs and the effect of variation on equalization circuit design

Turn-off characteristics of silicon-controlled rectifiers (SCRs) drive the design of snubber circuits for single devices in power converters. Turn-off characteristics also drive the design of equalization circuits for series-connected devices in power converters. For single devices, the important characteristics are peak recovery current, recovery time, and recovered charge. These characteristics are also important for series-connected devices, but it is the variation in these characteristics that define the equalization requirements. In fact, these variations are used to determine the size and power dissipation of the equalization circuit. A population of SPCO 402b pulse-rated silicon controlled rectifiers was tested and recovery characteristics were measured. The differences in recovery characteristics were tabulated and discussed. A method of equalization circuit design based on circuit variations was discussed and circuit design trades are made in light of the variations in recovery characteristics.
System embedded ADC calibration for OFDM receivers

This paper describes a background calibration technique for analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) that exploits communication protocol redundancy to measure and correct for analog circuit imperfections. In particular, we consider the implementation of a 6-bit, 500-MS/s ADC in the receiver of an ultra wideband system using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). The calibration is intended for a time-interleaved array of successive approximation register ADCs and cancels converter nonlinearity due to inter-channel offset mismatches. The individual channel offsets are estimated through statistical correlation, based on known pseudorandom modulation sequences used in OFDM pilot tones. Our simulation results show that the proposed calibration is capable of improving the signal-to-noise and distortion ratio from 20 to 37 dB with a tracking time constant of 85 ms, assuming an additive white Gaussian noise channel with 20-dB signal-to-noise ratio
Nanotechnology Regulation: A Study in Claims Making

There appears to be consensus on the notion that the hazards of nanotechnology are a social problem in need of resolution, but much dispute remains over what that resolution should be. There are a variety of potential policy tools for tackling this challenge, including conventional direct regulation, self-regulation, tort liability, financial guarantees, and more. The literature in this area is replete with proposals embracing one or more of these tools, typically using conventional regulation as a foil in which its inadequacy is presented as justification for a new proposed approach. At its core, the existing literature raises a critical question: What is the most effective role of government as regulator in these circumstances? This article explores that question by focusing upon two policy approaches in particular: conventional regulation and self-regulation, often described as hard law and soft law, respectively. Drawing from the sociology of social problems, the article examines the soft law construc...
The Virtues of Restorative Processes, The Vices of "Restorative Justice"

This conference and symposium are important for their ability to make better known the great benefits in the use of restorative processes. Below I try to summarize some of the many promising achievements of those processes, by which I mean to include such practices as victim-offender mediation, sentencing circles, and family group conferences to name just the most common. While many people refer to such processes by the name Restorative Justice, that term and its originators in fact have a more ambitious agenda than simply encouraging the use of such restorative processes. But that agenda is not one that the front-line practitioners of restorative processes necessarily share. It is primarily an anti-justice agenda, which prompts impassioned opposition to restorative processes. In this brief essay I try to explain why this is so and why it need not be so. I'll argue that restorative processes can and should be used more widely in ways entirely consistent with doing justice, and that the best thing for the restorative processes movement would be to publicly disavow the anti-justice agenda of the Restorative Justice movement.
Lengthening the Hamstring Muscles Without Stretching Using “Awareness Through Movement”

Background and Purpose. Passive stretching is widely used to increase muscle flexibility, but it has been shown that this process does not produce long-term changes in the viscoelastic properties of muscle as originally thought. The authors tested a method of lengthening hamstring muscles called “Awareness Through Movement” (ATM) that does not use passive stretching. Subjects. Thirty-three subjects who were randomly assigned to ATM and control groups met the screening criteria and completed the intervention phase of the study. Methods. The ATM group went through a process of learning complex active movements designed to increase length in the hamstring muscles. Hamstring muscle length was measured before and after intervention using the Active Knee Extension Test. Results. The ATM group gained significantly more hamstring muscle length (+7.04°) compared with the control group (+1.15°). Discussion and Conclusions. The results suggest that muscle length can be increased through a process of active movement that does not involve stretching. Further research is needed to investigate this finding.
Sec61β Controls Sensitivity to Platinum-Containing Chemotherapeutic Agents through Modulation of the Copper-Transporting ATPase ATP7A

The Sec61 protein translocon is a multimeric complex that transports proteins across lipid bilayers. We discovered that the Sec61β subunit modulates cellular sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents, particularly the platinum drugs. To investigate the mechanism, expression of Sec61β was constitutively knocked down in 2008 ovarian cancer cells. Sec61β knockdown (KD) resulted in 8-, 16.8-, and 9-fold resistance to cisplatin (cDDP), carboplatin, and oxaliplatin, respectively. Sec61β KD reduced the cellular accumulation of cDDP to 67% of that in parental cells. Baseline copper levels, copper uptake, and copper cytotoxicity were also reduced. Because copper transporters and chaperones regulate platinum drug accumulation and efflux, their expression in 2008 Sec61β-KD cells was analyzed; ATP7A was found to be 2- to 3-fold overexpressed, whereas there was no change in ATP7B, ATOX1, CTR1, or CTR2 levels. Cells lacking ATP7A did not exhibit increased cDDP resistance upon knockdown of Sec61β. Sec61β-KD cells also exhibited altered ATP7A cellular distribution. We conclude that Sec61β modulates the cytotoxicity of many chemotherapeutic agents, with the largest effect being on the platinum drugs. This modulation occurs through effects of Sec61β on the expression and distribution of ATP7A, which was shown previously to control platinum drug sequestration and cytotoxicity.
Using Research To Guide an Organization Development Project

This case study describes an OD project conducted within a district of religious communities. It shows how research was used to augment consultation and training and to bring to both consultants an...
SHARP-looking geometric partitioning

A new technique, named SHARP, is presented for the partitioning of VLSI integrated circuits. SHARP is a hill-climbing heuristic that is designed to be incorporated into a partitioning-based placement algorithm. Its important features include a geometric decomposition of the layout surface into a ' Hash '-shaped region; a multi-objective function that more accurately represents wire usage than the standard min-cut criterion, and extensive use of Steiner trees. A series of experiments demonstrates that the SHARP technique produces very high quality partitions. >
Synchronization of multiple levels of data fusion in wireless sensor networks

In wireless sensor networks, in-network data fusion is needed for energy-efficient information flow from a plurality of sensors to a central server or sink. As data (either raw or fused) is propagated towards the sink, multiple levels of data fusion are likely. The data fusion at various levels should be synchronized in order to fuse data effectively. It is important that information from as many sensors as possible to be fused in order to increase the credibility of the aggregated report. However, there are trade-offs between fusing a large number of sensor reports and the latency incurred in the aggregation process. The paths taken by the data towards the sink determine where data can be fused, and thus, have an effect on the efficiency of the aggregation process. In this work, we propose a methodology by which the various levels of fusion are synchronized to ensure that the aggregated report has a desired trade-off between credibility and latency, regardless of the topology of the structure created by the integration of the paths on which data traverses towards the sink.
A rapid field technique for preparing ant chromosomes for karyotypic analysis.

This technique for chromosomal preparation of ant tissues for karyotypic analysis is advantageous under field conditions because it reduces processing time and can be used under humid conditions. The cerebral ganglia from prepupae or early pupae are incubated 20 minutes in a hypotonic citrate solution, minced in a fixative solution of 3:3:4 glacial acetic acid: absolute methanol: distilled HOH, rinsed in a fixative solution of 1:1 glacial acetic acid: methanol followed by Carnoy's fixative, then immediately flame dried. The resulting metaphase chromosomes are well spaced and usually show banding characteristics.
Caregiver distress, shared traumatic exposure, and child adjustment among area youth following the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.

Abstract Background Disasters are associated with myriad negative outcomes in youth, including posttraumatic stress disorder and related psychopathology. Prior work suggests links between caregiver distress and child mental health outcomes following community traumas, but the extent to which caregiver distress is directly linked to post-disaster child functioning, or whether such associations may simply be due to shared traumatic exposure, remains unclear. Methods The current study examined relationships among caregiver distress, caregiver-child shared traumatic exposure, and child outcomes in Boston-area families (N=460) during the six months following the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. Parents completed surveys about their and their child׳s potentially traumatic experiences during the bombing and subsequent manhunt. Post-attack caregiver distress and child psychological functioning were also assessed. Results After accounting for caregiver-child shared traumatic exposure, significant associations were retained between caregiver distress and child functioning across several domains. Furthermore, after accounting for caregiver traumatic exposure, caregiver distress moderated relationships between child traumatic exposure and child posttraumatic stress and conduct problems, such that associations between child traumatic exposure and child posttraumatic stress and conduct problems were particularly strong among children of highly distressed caregivers. Limitations The cross-sectional design did not permit evaluations across time, and population-based methods were not applied. Conclusions Findings clarify links between caregiver distress and child psychopathology in the aftermath of disaster and can inform optimal allocation of clinical resources targeting disaster-affected youth and their families.
Gender Differences in Affective Responses to Sexual Rejection

The aim of this study was to answer the following questions: (1) Are affective responses to sexual rejection different for men and women? (2) Do positive emotions to sexual rejection occur and how do they balance with negative emotions? (3) How can gender differences in affective responses to sexual rejection be explained? A sample of 67 men and 65 women (age 18-30 years) completed a questionnaire in which they rated their affective responses to a hypothetical situation of sexual rejection. Analyses of variance revealed gender differences: men anticipated a less negative and more positive affective response to sexual rejection than women did. Men also reported they would experience a more positive than negative affective response after supposedly being sexually rejected. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that differences between men and women were mediated by the respondents' expectations in the stimulus situation, their interest in casual sex, and their masculinity.
VOCABULARY INSTRUCTION DURING READING LESSONS IN SIX CLASSROOMS

This study was conducted to explore two research questions: (a) How do teachers teach meaning vocabulary during reading lessons? and (b) What are teachers' stated purposes for teaching meaning vocabulary? The data were collected in six classrooms, three each at the fifth- and sixth-grade levels, in a large urban school district. Reading instruction in each of the six classrooms was observed over the course of 4 months, for a total of 47 observations. At the end of the observation period, participating teachers were interviewed. Data analysis consisted of a search for dominant themes through open and axial coding. A taxonomy of methods for teaching vocabulary was developed in order to further describe the nature of observed instruction. New words were taught most often as a prereading activity and there was a distinct pattern of discourse surrounding word meaning instruction. Teachers typically used more than one method for teaching words, most frequently employing definitional and contextual types of instruction. Characteristics associated with effective instruction in the research literature such as activation of prior knowledge, multiple exposures, and provision of strategies for independent word learning were rarely observed. Teachers' stated purposes for vocabulary instruction were congruent with the requirements of the basal reading series used to teach reading in their school district. Teachers defined the importance of vocabulary knowledge in terms of the immediate classroom environment and requirements thereof, and not within the context of larger environments such as the school or society.
Schlieren study of pulsed ultrasound transmission through human skull.

A study has been made of the effects of the human skull on pulsed ultrasound from a diagnostic transducer. Schlieren photographs of ultrasound transmitted through a pediatric skull were made in various directions. Other than attenuation, little effect was observed on the directionality or spatial distribution of the ultrasonic pulses. These observations may be significant in considering the deleterious effects of the skull on imaging intracranial anatomy.
A case study on lab failure analysis: Establishing true capacity through optimization - post upper management setting the goals

This paper showcases a case study of how optimization models were used to establish true capacity capabilities for a lab facing a situation in which upper management had set a goal, without validation of actual lab capabilities. This paper highlights the first step for this failure analysis laboratory: determining current baseline capacity. The models show the 400 units goal could not be reached: maximum appears to be on the order of 200 units and is in line with historically assumed throughput. Research implications include an example of product-mix problem analysis and associated integer linear programming (ILP) model for a type of business which is not often under study, laboratory testing. This case study provides value for researchers sifting through a large quantity of product-mix learnings/models, but finding it difficult to find examples without cost as a primary constraint or decision variable to be minimized. Value is also provided for practitioners who are often faced with a similar problem, goals set by higher levels of management without solid knowledge of true capacity; this case study shows how an industry group set about facing this problem and a path toward results—rather than becoming deterred by seemingly impossible goals
Natural pH gradients formed by two and three aminoacids on polyacrylamide gel: Changes of pH, segmental voltages and aminoacid distributions with time

A natural pH gradient can be formed on polyacrylamide gel using either two (glutamic acid and lysine only) or three (glutamic acid, histidine and lysine) aminoacids as the sole carrier ampholyte species. In the two component system, glutamic acid and lysine focus as single peaks adjacent (anodically and cathodically, respectively) to the steep, linear center of the step-function pH gradient. Histidine, in the three component system, focuses at the center of the pH gradient and separates the other two aminoacids. Each aminoacid electrofocuses at its pI. Hemoglobin electrofocuses as a sharp band in both systems and, in the two component system, remains focused at its pI for 200 h. A major conductance gap forms at the gel center in both systems with progressing time of electrofocusing; a minor and transient conductance gap develops in the glass tube just above the gel.
Eh, Paesan! Being Italian in Toronto

Eh, Paesan! Being Italian in Toronto. Nicholas Demaria Harney. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1998. vii. 209 pp., appendix, notes, glossary, references, index.
Incorporation of uridine and leucine in vitro by cecropia silkmoth wing epidermis during diapause and development

A preparation consisting of fragments of wing epidermis from pupae of the silkmoth, Hyalophora cecropia, has been incubated in a synthetic medium, and the effects of some conditions on incorporation of 2-14C-uridine and 3H-leucine into RNA and protein, respectively, have been studied. Under standard conditions, the rates of incorporation remained unchanged when the precursors were added to tissue that had been preincubated for different times up to 20 hr. Tissue from insects commencing adult development after diapause, through the action of either endogenous or injected ecdysone, showed increased biosynthetic rates. Stimulation was evident 10 hr after injection of the hormone. Quantitatively, however, increases were less than those found when incorporation was measured in vivo. No effect was detected of pure ecdysone added in vitro to tissue from diapause pupae, which suggests that the tissue had lost sensitivity to the hormone.
Increases in Positive Self-Views Among High School Students Birth-Cohort Changes in Anticipated Performance, Self-Satisfaction, Self-Liking, and Self-Competence

Previous research has produced contradictory findings on generational change in positive self-views. We examined 13 items measuring self-views in the Monitoring the Future study, a large national study of high school students conducted between 1975 and 2006 (in this analysis, ns between 4,698 and 29,673). Relative to high school students in the 1970s, those in 2006 were more likely to predict that they would be “very good” spouses, parents, and workers; were more satisfied with themselves; and scored higher on self-esteem items measuring self-liking. The 2006 students also reported earning higher grades and being more intelligent. However, 2006 students scored lower on two self-esteem items measuring self-competence than did students in 1975. These results suggest that there has been a small increase in positive self-views across the generations, but that it has not been accompanied by an increase in general self-competence.
Fabric Hand: Tactile Sensory Assessment

The assessment of fabric hand involves two major classes of variables: fabrics as stimuli with certain physical properties, and people as judges with certain traits. This research investigated the tactile sensory assessment of selected fabrics that varied in specified physical dimensions—namely : stiffness, roughness, and thickness—replicated in two fiber contents: cotton and polyester. In the analysis- of-variance design, physical dimensions of fabrics were taken as fixed, rather than random, variables, and judges as blocks. The subjective-hand properties were measured by polar adjectives using a 99-point certainty scale, transformed to normal deviates.Sensory responses of judges to the nine pairs of polar adjectives differed significantly with respect to all four main effects: fiber content, stiffness, roughness, and thickness. The sensitivity of the 99-point certainty scale resulted in a wide range of F values; various interactions were clarified by graphic analysis. Editing of data for suspected error...
Interscapular pain associated with neuraxial labour analgesia: a case series

Some labouring women with neuraxial labour analgesia experience severe upper back pain, typically between the scapulae. This pain may complicate management of neuraxial analgesia/anesthesia, and it may also have important implications for the mode of delivery. This case series describes the clinical course and management of three patients who developed interscapular pain associated with neuraxial labour analgesia. Neuraxial labour analgesia was initiated in all patients with a combined spinal-epidural technique and maintained via patient-controlled epidural analgesia. Two patients were nulliparous. One patient experienced interscapular pain during initiation of epidural anesthesia for Cesarean delivery after 19 hr of maintenance of labour analgesia with local anesthetic/opioid solution. The other two patients experienced interscapular pain during routine maintenance of epidural labour analgesia. In two patients, the epidural space was identified using loss of resistance to air. Another patient recalled experiencing interscapular pain with her prior labour epidural. Management of these patients included decreasing the epidural infusion rate, increasing the concentration of local anesthetic in the epidural infusion solution, administration of epidural opioids, and replacement of the epidural catheter. All patients eventually experienced relief of their interscapular pain. While little is understood about the etiology of this unique anesthetic complication, it may have important clinical consequences, including inadequate analgesia, inability to provide timely epidural anesthesia, and an increased risk of Cesarean delivery. Future work should characterize at-risk patients, delineate effective treatment strategies, and identify any associated long-term consequences.
The Politics of Modern Central America: Democratization, State Capacity, and Redistribution

Introduction Military governments no longer rule the isthmus. Citizens elect presidents, legislators, and municipal councilmen in each country of the region. This perhaps is the single most important conquest of the civil wars of the 1970s and 1980s. It was a hopeful outcome, and not only because overthrowing dictatorship was a central goal of so many who died in the region’s violent conflicts. Have elections made a difference? There are good reasons to believe that they should. Parties offer different platforms in exchange for votes, and the party or parties that win elections then convert these preferences into laws. This is the virtuous circle of accountability that democratization should unleash. In the context of underdeveloped societies with legions of poor voters, competitive elections should increase redistribution and social spending. Democracy, in other words, should placate the majority and promote the common good. The goal of this chapter is to explain why this question cannot be easily answered in the affirmative. Although elections have met minimal standards of openness and fairness, clashes between presidents and other branches of government have tainted the quality of the region’s democratic institutions. They have led to conl icts in which executives sometimes have prevailed and other times have been exiled. So, even while democracy remains consolidated in Costa Rica and has become stronger in Panama and El Salvador, it has fused with some blatantly autocratic elements in the other republics of the isthmus. A blemished political record bodes poorly for the functioning of democratic institutions, effects that I document and explain in this chapter.
High-speed optical transmission

Numerical simulation using split-step Fourier based algorithms is a widely used tool for modeling the propagation of optical data through fiber-optic telecommunications systems.
Comparison of the Photochemistry of 3-Methyl-2-phenyl-2H-azirine and 2-Methyl-3-phenyl-2H-azirine

Photolysis of 3-methyl-2-phenyl-2H-azirine (1a) in argon-saturated acetonitrile does not yield any new products, whereas photolysis in oxygen-saturated acetonitrile yields benzaldehyde (2) by interception of vinylnitrene 5 with oxygen. Similarly, photolysis of 1a in the presence of bromoform allows the trapping of vinylnitrene 5, leading to the formation of 1-bromo-1-phenylpropan-2-one (4). Laser flash photolysis of 1a in argon-saturated acetonitrile (λ = 308 nm) results in a transient absorption with λmax at ∼440 nm due to the formation of triplet vinylnitrene 5. Likewise, irradiation of 1a in cryogenic argon matrixes through a Pyrex filter results in the formation of ketene imine 11, presumably through vinylnitrene 5. In contrast, photolysis of 2-methyl-3-phenyl-2H-azirine (1b) in acetonitrile yields heterocycles 6 and 7. Laser flash photolysis of 1b in acetonitrile shows a transient absorption with a maximum at 320 nm due to the formation of ylide 8, which has a lifetime on the order of several millise...
An information theoretic technique for harnessing attenuation of high spatial frequencies to design ultra-high-density EEG

It is widely believed in the clinical and biosciences community that Electroencephalography (EEG) is fundamentally limited in the spatial resolution achieved using a few hundred electrodes. This belief rests on the well known decay of high-spatial frequencies as the signal passes from the brain surface to the scalp surface. These high spatial frequencies carry high spatial resolution information about the source. However, recent experimental work as well as our theoretical and numerical analyses strongly suggest that EEG's resolution could be improved significantly through increased electrode density despite this decay. Somewhat counterintuitively, instead of viewing this decay of spatial frequencies as a detriment to signal quality (which it is), in this work we propose an information-theoretic strategy to harness this decay to reduce circuit area and energy needed for high-resolution signal acquisition. This is made possible by the observation that this spatial-low-pass filtering of the signal as it passes from the brain to the scalp induces large spatial correlations that can be exploited information-theoretically. The proposed techniques are shown in idealized head models to reduce requirements on energy required for sensing by 3x. These results are being applied towards an ongoing project on developing the “Neural Web,” a 10,000 electrode portable EEG system at CMU.
Industrial Analysis Technology Course Teaching Reform and Practice Based on the Analysis of Working Process Systematization

The Industrial Analysis Technology course was analyzed in higher vocational colleges based on the existing problems,from the course standard,teaching contents,teaching methods and means,curriculum and curriculum evaluation and other aspects of teaching reform and practice,for the center with the actual working process of the concrete in the design and development of vocational education courses,constructed its course system based on the working process systematization.It made theory and practice organic combination and mobilized the students' learning interest,improved the students' knowledge application ability and autonomous learning ability to adapt to the social transformation of industrial development demand for technology skilled talents.
The physician to a swimming team.

The swimming team’s physician should be aware of the medical and family backgrounds of the team and the coach’s plans and methods of training. A program involving a strong trainer system under physician direction should emphasize prevention of problems and education of the athletes and coaches about prompt attention to problems. Communication at all levels is the cornerstone.
The Experience of International Student Using Social Media during Classes

The purpose of the study is to explore the use of social media by international students during classes and discern the pros and cons of their use of social media. An explanatory sequential mixed methods design is used to give evidence about the research problem starting with a quantitative method (questionnaire) and then a qualitative method (semi-structured interviews). The study shows that 64.4% of international students used social media during classes while 35.6% did not. In terms level of satisfaction, the study result shows that males and females were not significant different in this regard. Additionally, most of the participants 57.4% used social media for 1-10 minutes, while 27.7% used them for 11 to 30 minutes of class time. Some international students used social media for coping with the weakness of their knowledge during class time, whereas the majority of them indicated that they used social media for surviving the transition of relocating form their own countries to United State as sojourners by stating that they used social media to stay connected with and informed about their family, friends, and country news and events. The use of social media during classes should be integrated with the learning environment, especially regarding the motivation of use, which can potentially provide success in overcoming most reasons for frustration and home sickness.
Enhancing treatment with psychotropic medicines.

Psychiatric treatment of persons with severe, recurring, or chronic disorders of mood, cognition, or behavior is increasingly provided in ambulatory settings where control of treatment shifts to the patient. Medicines are a fundamental component in the effective, comprehensive care of such severely ill patients, and often are required for prolonged periods. The author discusses ways to enhance the effectiveness and safety of medication usage, including objective evaluation of responses, awareness of predictable pharmacological factors, use of adequate but simplified regimens, recognition of the patient as a consumer of services, and appreciation of individual and interpersonal psychological factors
Robust control: Fooled by assumptions

Summary The possibility of mismatch between prior uncertainty modeling assumptions and reality is a problem both for robust control and for model-based adaptive control algorithms that aim to use real-time data to adaptively identify and correct such problems. Mismatches between prior model assumptions may fool adaptive algorithms intended to improve robustness into persistently preferring destabilizing controllers over stabilizing ones even when the instability is patently obvious to the eyes of the most casual observer. To eliminate all possibility of being thusly fooled, the assumption-free unfalsified control concept was introduced in the early 1990s and has since been developed to the point where it now provides a unifying overarching theoretical framework for understanding the relationships, benefits, and weakness of various adaptive control methods. We review how the theory allows one to parsimoniously sift the individual elements of accumulating evidence and experimental data to determine precisely which of the elements falsify a given performance level and very briefly discuss recent research on cost-detectable fading-memory cost functions for time-varying plants. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
the Effects of Alkali Promoters on the Adsorptive Properties of Supported Rh Catalysts

Abstract The adsorption of CO and H2 was investigated on a series of Rh/SiO2 and alkali-promoted Rh/SiO2 catalysts using IR spectroscopy and volumetric measurements. The characteristics of the support, the method of preparation, and the type of alkali species all were found to influence the adsorptive properties of the catalysts. Several different types of interactions between Rh, SiO2, and alkali species were postulated, including both geometric and electronic interactions.
A computational study of substituent effects on the stability and geometry of carbazole-pyridine complexes

Hydrogen bonding between carbazole and pyridine is known to quench fluorescence emission of carbazole. Three carbazolopyridinophanes—compounds composed of carbazole and pyridine subunits such that an intramolecular hydrogen bond may exist between them—have been pursued as reversible fluorescent sensors that detect given analytes through fluorescence restoration. However, these sensors exhibit background fluorescence believed to be related to the proportion of non-hydrogen-bonded conformers present. In this computational investigation, the potential energy surfaces of various hydrogen-bonded carbazole:pyridine complexes are investigated using density functional theory with the intent of explaining the observed background fluorescence for the carbazolopyridinophanes. The results indicate carbazolopyridinophane conformers most resembling the geometry of their corresponding free carbazole:pyridine complexes exhibit the least background fluorescence.
Radio-Resistance of Some Bacterial Pathogens in Soft-Shell Clams ( Mya Arenaria ) and Mussels ( Mytilus Edulis ).

Gamma-irradiation decimal reduction doses were determined for E. coli , Salmonella typhimurium , Shigella flexneri , Strept. faecalis , Staph. aureus , and the Total Plate Count in a soft-shell clam or mussel substrate. Factors to be considered for designing and irradiation bacterial-decontamination process for shellfish are discussed.
A Tribute to Rick and Debbie Jahnke: From Deep Sea Pore Water to Coastal Permeable Sediments-Contributions that Cover the Oceans

In the original publication of the article, the third author affiliation was incorrectly published.
Adopters trust in enterprise open source vendors

We identify three trust factors in enterprise open source software (OSS) vendors.Vendor's embracement of open standards, security and support influence system trust.System trust increases adopters attitudes and intentions in enterprise OSS vendors. Although significant research attention has been directed at understanding open source software (OSS) adoption, very little attention has been paid to understanding what leads potential adopters to trust enterprise open source vendors. This study identifies organizational trust factors in enterprise open source vendors, namely vendors security, embracement of open standards, and support services. It also examines the impact of system trust on adopters attitudes and intentions. The study draws upon a total of 192 questionnaires collected from enterprise IT and project managers. Our results show that trust factors have a positive effect on system trust. We also found system trust to be effective in increasing adopters attitudes and intentions. Finally, our results provide several managerial implications for organizations as well as enterprise open source vendors.