cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterization of lattice disorder in the low-temperature phase of irradiated PTFE by vibrational spectroscopy

In an effort to elucidate the structure of the low-temperature phase of PTFE, a spectroscopic study of the effect of progressive irradiation on the low-frequency infrared spectrum was undertaken. Previous infrared and Raman measurements indicated that irradiation of PTFE decreases its crystalline content, resulting in a lowering of the 19°C phase transition temperature due to the introduction of disorder and defect structures into the lattice by chain scission. Far-infrared studies of virgin and irradiated PTFE at liquid nitrogen temperatures show that the medium to strong bands at 45, 54, 58, and 71 cm−1, attributed to lattice vibrations, decrease in intensity as the crystalline content decreases. These findings support the assignment of these bands to intermolecular vibrations of the crystalline lattice and are an indication of the presence of more than one molecule in the crystallographic unit cell.
Ion emission from micrometeorite impacts on atmosphereless planets

Conclusions have been drawn on the generation of intensive high-velocity ions and atoms fluxes on the surfaces of the Moon, Mercury and the atmosphereless satellites of Jupiter by micrometeorite impacts. About 30% of each flux is ejected at small angles and detained by planetary reliefs, forming surface-active layer of alkalines. The combined erosional effect of that layer, the thermocycling and the radiational tractks have been studied. The ion fluxes leaving Jupiter's atmosphereless satellites may well be one of the main sources of the short UV-emission in their vicinities.
Synthesis of ternary nitrides from intermetallic precursors: Modes of nitridation in model Cr3Pt alloys to form Cr3PtN antiperovskite and application to other systems

The use of intermetallic alloy precursors is explored as a new means to synthesize complex transition and refractory metal nitrides, carbides, and related phases. The conditions under which model single-phase Cr3Pt and two-phase Cr3Pt-dispersed Cr alloys form Cr3PtN antiperovskite when thermally nitrided were studied. Phenomenological experiments suggest that the key variable to achieving single-phase Cr3PtN surface layers is the Cr3Pt phase composition. In two-phase β-Cr−Cr3Pt alloys, the formation of single-phase Cr3PtN at Cr3Pt precipitates by in-place internal nitridation was found to be a strong function of the size of the Cr3Pt dispersion in the microstructure. Nanoscale Cr3Pt dispersions were readily converted to near single-phase Cr3PtN, whereas nitridation of coarse Cr3Pt particles resulted in a cellular or discontinuous-type reaction to form a lath mixture of Cr3PtN and a more Cr-rich Cr3Pt or β-Cr. The potential for using such external/internal oxidation phenomena as a synthesis approach to lay...
Assessing how prepared IR trainees are to lead and develop interventional practices

an interesting specialty and 56% had limited experience with IR. On IR knowledge questions, students’ answers were varied and 34% of the time students had insufficient knowledge of IR. Post IRIG 86 students responded to the repeat survey, with the majority being first (n1⁄427) and second year (n1⁄438) medical students. Forty percent of students considered IR to be an interesting specialty and 37% had limited experience with IR. On IR knowledge questions, students’ answers were equally varied to pre-IRIG responses and 26% of the time students had insufficient knowledge of IR. Students post IRIG were more likely to have interest in IR (p1⁄40.037) and there was a trend towards an increase in IR knowledge (p40.05). Conclusion: Establishment of an IRIG can significantly impact medical student interest in IR. With a transition in IR applications from residents to medical students, the creation of an IRIG is one way to increase interest in IR and help ensure the future of the specialty.
Tumor necrosis factor-α inhibition improves endothelial function and decreases arterial stiffness in estrogen-deficient postmenopausal women.

Objective Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, a pleiotropic pro-inflammatory cytokine involved in a variety of biological processes including oxidative stress, has been associated with vascular dysfunction in aged and ovariectomized animals. We determined whether acute inhibition of TNF-α improves vascular endothelial function and decreases arterial stiffness in estrogen-deficient postmenopausal women.
First-principles total-energy study of hydrogen adsorption on Be(0001)

The adsorption of atomic hydrogen on the Be(0001) surface is studied using an ab initio pseudopotential method. The two hollow sites, the bridge site, and the on-top site are considered. We find that the bridge site has the lowest energy among the sites considered, in agreement with a recent experiment. The preference for the bridge site is the result of the attractive p potential of the substrate Be atoms. The calculated frequencies of hydrogen vibration perpendicular to the surface are compared with electron energy-loss spectroscopy measurements. The energetics of the hydrogen going into the subsurface octahedral site is investigated; the subsurface site is found to be at a much higher energy than the surface site. The surface energy and the work function of the clean Be(0001) surface are also calculated.
Neural network approach to DPCM system design for image coding

This paper presents a neural network approach to differential pulse code modulation (DPCM) design for the encoding of images. Instead of traditional algorithms for the computation of the relevant coefficients, such as the autocovariance and autocorrelation methods, the predictor is designed by supervised training of a neural network on examples, i.e. on a typical sequence of pixel values. This allows the use of nonlinear as well as linear correlations. Efficient and fast neural net architectures, for nonlinear one-dimensional DPCM (NNDPCM) as well as two-dimensional adaptive DPCM (NNADPCM), have been designed and applied to still image coding. Computer simulation experiments have shown that the resulting encoders work very well. At a transmission rate of 1 bitpixel, the 1-D NNDPCM offers an advantage of about 4 dB in peak signal-to-noise ratio over the standard linear DPCM system. At a bit rate of 0.525 bit/pixel, the 2-D NNADPCM achieves 29.5 dB for the 512 × 512 Lena image, while there is little visible distortion in the reconstructed image. This performance is comparable to that of the best schemes known to date, whether DPCM based or not, while maintaining a lower encoding complexity. Furthermore, this establishes that there is substantial amount of nonlinear content available for 1-D and 2-D prediction in DPCM image coding.
Auroral and ionospheric station at the University of Alaska

The death of Professor Fuller has retarded the completion of the auroral work which was being carried on under a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation. Although we have undertaken no new photographic work in this field, we have devoted some time to the reduction of Professor Fuller's data, and have under construction charts for the graphical determination of aurora heights, which will expedite the calculation of his remaining parallactic photographs. A two-kilowatt Kohler generator, with associated speed- and voltage-control equipment, supplied by the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, is to be installed shortly and will enable us to continue the ionosphere-measurements this summer, which were interrupted in May 1935 due to the lack of a suitable power-supply.
Site-specific DNA cleavage of synthetic NarL sites by an engineered Escherichia coli NarL protein–1,10-phenanthroline cleaving agent

The NarL response regulatory protein of Escherichia coli has been engineered by covalent modification with 1,10-phenanthroline (OP) to create a set of site-specific DNA-cleaving agents. This was accomplished by introducing single cysteine amino acid replacements at selected locations within the carboxy-terminal DNA-binding domain in or nearby the helix 8 to helix 9 region of the NarL protein using site-directed mutagenesis. Of 18 modified NarL-OP proteins made, 13 retained the ability to bind DNA as evidenced by gel mobility assays, whereas 10 of the 1,10-phenanthroline-modified proteins also exhibited specific cleavage activity for a synthetic NarL recognition sequence. These DNA-cleaving agents were divided into two groups based on the location of the cleavage sites. The first class set cleaved the DNA nearby the center of a synthetic 7–2–7 sequence composed of two NarL heptamer sites separated by a 2-bp spacer element. The second class cut the DNA at the periphery of the 7–2–7 sequence. The cleavage data are consistent with the ability of two NarL monomers to recognize and bind to the DNA in a head-to-head orientation. A second set of DNA-cleaving agents was constructed using the carboxy-terminal domain of NarL called NarLC. Similar cleavage patterns were observed whether full-length NarL or NarLC was used. The availability of 1,10-phenanthroline-modified NarL and NarLC proteins opens up the possibility to explore the position, orientation, and number of NarL recognition sites at E. coli promoters predicted to contain multiple and complex arrangements of NarL-binding sites.
Low temperature diffusion in disordered films measured by universal conductance fluctuations.

Abstract We investigate a sub-micron sized quench condensed Au film. By analysing the time trace of the conductance fluctuation and the magnetofingerprints we can derive a diffusion constant for the Au atoms of 10 -26 m 2 /s.
Collaboration and a Self-Help Orientation in Therapy with Suicidal Clients

Working with suicidal clients historically has placed a heavy burden of responsibility on the therapist for a successful outcome. This orientation generally has left clinicians feeling stressed and in need of controlling their clients' behavior; clients, in turn, often have developed unrealistic expectations of therapy or “resistance” of the therapist's interventions. In this context, the chance for a potentially valuable collaboration between client and therapist is often lost. This paper builds on previous work that has introduced the notion of a collaborative working relationship with suicidal clients. It is argued that the therapeutic process ideally should not only utilize the therapist's knowledge and skills in treating suicidal clients, but also cultivate self-efficacy by encouraging the client to adopt a self-help orientation to therapy. Several general principles of a collaborative/self-help orientation to working with suicidal clients are discussed and a variety of specific therapeutic strategies consistent with this orientation are described.
Essential gyrators and reciprocity in junction structures

Abstract This paper proposes an extended definition of reciprocity for a multiport junction structure based on the concept of essential gyrator coupling. Two theorems are given for junction structures containing gyrators and an algorithm is presented for identifying essential gyrators. The results are useful both theoretically and for designing efficient computation procedures for junction structures.
SOME ESTIMATES OF THE IMPACT OF CORPORATE DIVERSIFICATION ON THE VALUATION AND LEVERAGE OF USA FIRMS: ESTIMATES FROM 1972 DATA

This paper estimates the effect of corporate diversification on market valuation and leverage. Using a data base which allows one to determine the product lines of companies on the 3-digit S.I.C. code level, a set of multi-industry firms was chosen. For each of these diversified firms, a portfolio of single industry firms was constructed which matched the component parts of the multi- industry firm. Tests showed that although diversified firms employ significantly greater financial leverage, their relative market value is significantly less than that of the matching portfolios of single industry firms with which they com- pete. This study does not support the view that corporate diversification creates synergistic benefits which can be translated into increased market value of the firm's securities.
Significance of vocal and visual channels in the decoding of emotional meaning.

Human communicative behavior can be viewed as functioning through three channels: the verbal, (nonverbal) vocal and visual. The present study sought to assess the relative effectiveness of the (nonverbal) vocal and visual channels in influencing observers'judgment of communicative stimuli. Observers were asked to judge various protrayals of feeling state on film, from which certain cue components had been systematically removed. Judgments from visual cues were found to be more accurate as measured against the (audio visual) criterion than were judgments from vocal cues.
Skeletal muscle fiber cross-sectional area: effects of freezing procedures.

The cross-sectional area (CSA) of individual fibers is an important measure of skeletal muscle plasticity. To investigate the effects of different freezing procedures on CSA measurements, the CSA of t
Primary prevention and the workplace.

For many years the workplace has been a major setting in which help is provided for employees with alcohol and drug abuse problems. Historically these efforts have focused on intervention and treatment--secondary and tertiary programming. Now it is time for primary prevention to be included to a much greater degree. From early AA groups organized by fellow workers to the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA) and its occupational alcoholism programs in every state, the business world has for many years provided resources to intervene with employees and their substance abuse; it has become increasingly recognized that alcohol and other drug use behaviors are costly, in both economic and human terms, to a company, its customers and its employees in general. Another important milestone has been the development of employee assistance programs (EAPs), which train supervisors to document and confront employees' work performance and direct them to consultation, assessment and help through a company or union sponsored EAP. In more recent years, this approach has become "broadbrush," that is, it encompasses a range of often interrelated problems affecting an employee's work productivity. These can include family and marital problems, mental health issues, gambling, and various other disorders, as well as substance abuse. Traditionally EAPs focused on intervention and treatment. A few companies included some primary prevention activities, but the development of the health promotion and wellness movement, as well as escalating health care costs, have spurred a focus on primary prevention. Drug and alcohol abuse prevention grew as a field in the 1970's and 1980's, but the target audience was primarily youth. However, it became
Absorption of Gases by Tantalum

Hydrogen. A number of workers have measured the absorption of hydrogen by tantalum ; thus Pirani1 found a large absorption at yellow heat, Moers2 measured the quantity taken up at higher temperatures, while Fetkenheuer3 found a maximum in the absorption at about 600° C. On the other hand, Sieverts showed a curve4 in which the quantity taken up Was greater at 20° C. than at higher temperatures. The clean-up at low pressures does not appear to have been discussed in detail, although Balke stated5 that below 1 micron the clean-up Was very small.
Transcriptional repression of the ovine follicle-stimulating hormone-beta gene by 17 beta-estradiol.

Direct transcriptional inhibition of the gene that encodes ovine FSH beta-subunit (oFSH beta) by 17 beta-estradiol (E2) has been previously demonstrated by our laboratory. To determine which cis-acting elements in the 5'-flanking region of this gene may be involved in E2 regulation, DNA constructs containing deletions of the 5'-end of the oFSH beta gene were fused to a luciferase reporter and tested in transient transfection assays. These oFSH beta-luciferase constructs and the human E2 receptor expression vector (HEO) were transfected into primary cultures of ovine pituitary cells and subsequently tested with E2. Expression of the largest oFSH beta-luciferase construct (-4741 to +759 of oFSH beta) was inhibited 50% by 20 nM E2. Repression was dependent upon cotransfection of estrogen receptor (HEO) and was E2 dose dependent, with an apparent ED50 similar to that of the positive control consensus estrogen-responsive element construct, ERETk-LUC (ED50 = 50 pM). Deletion studies indicated that sequences bet...
Extension of the empirical Alyavdin equation for representing batch grinding data

Abstract The Alyavdin equation for batch grinding data is: 1 − P(χ, t) = [1 − P(χ, 0)] exp − c(x)t p ] where P(χ,t) is the weight fraction less than size χ after grinding time t, c (χ) is constant with t and p is a constant close to one. It is shown that this equation is illogical (except for a single size of feed) unless c (χ) varies with P(χ,0), which makes the equation of little utility. A new empirical equation is developed for finite size intervals: 1 − P(χ i+1 , t) = exp − tK i 1 γ + ln 1 1 − P(χ i+1 ,0) 1 γ i γ i which reduces to the Alyavdin equation for a single size of feed, and which gives consistent computations for any feed size distribution. Techniques are given for determining Ki, γ values from sets of batch grinding data. The values are then used to predict size distributions for other times and other feed size distributions. The equation was quite successful in predicting size distributions in batch milling: (a) providing the feed size distribution was not un-natural, that is, not truncated or (b) if a truncated feed was used, the values of Ki and γ are determined from size distributions of grinding of the same type of feed. Thus, Ki, γ are not, unfortunately, completely independent of the starting feed size distribution.
The mechanism of Rubisco activase: Insights from studies of the properties and structure of the enzyme.

Rubisco, the primary carboxylating enzyme in photosynthesis, must be activated to catalyze CO2 fixation. The concept of an ‘activase’, a specific protein for activating Rubisco, was first introduced in 1985 based largely on biochemical and genetic studies of a high CO2-requiring mutant of Arabidopsis (Salvucci et al. (1985) Photosynth Res 7: 193–201). Over the past ten years, details about the occurrence, structure, and properties of Rubisco activase have been elucidated. However, the mechanism of action of Rubisco activase remains elusive. This review discusses the need for and function of Rubisco activase and summarizes information about the properties and structure of Rubisco activase. The information is evaluated in the context of the mechanism of Rubisco activase.
Observations on Erythrocytic Inclusion Bodies from Mice infected with Rabies Virus.

SummaryRabies was induced in Webster-Swiss mice injected intramuscularly with 0.1 ml of a mouse brain suspension of rabies virus, the titer of which was 10-1.75. Peripheral blood films stained by Shorr's modified technique and Kleineberger-Nobel's method showed approximately 1.0% of the erythro-cytes to contain discrete intracytoplasmic inclusions. The highest incidence of these bodies appeared at postinoculation day 8, with most deaths occurring at postinoculation day 13. The specificity of these inclusions has not been established. While these inclusions are related to the development of rabies in the host, it has not been demonstrated conclusively by either fluorescent antibody microscopy or mouse inoculation that these bodies are due to infection with rabies virus per se.
The war on schools: NCLB, nation creation and the educational construction of whiteness

du The study of whiteness in education is receiving increased attention. This essay argues that the No Child Left Behind Act is an example of color-blindness par excellence. NCLB’s hidden referent of whiteness makes a casual pass at racial explanation that sidesteps race as a causal explanation for educational disparities. In this sense, NCLB is an ‘act of whiteness’ and perpetuates the innocence of whiteness as a system of privilege. It is a form of whiteness as policy. Its white common sense deems racial disparities as unfortunate outcomes of group competition, uneven social development, or worse, as stubborn cultural explanations of the inferiority of people of color. The essay argues for a color-conscious perspective that problematizes the otherwise race-neutral discourse of NCLB. It ends with a discussion of the future of whiteness by engaging the debate between the abolition and rearticulation of whiteness.
Responses to the Negative Emotions of Others by Autistic, Mentally Retarded, and Normal Children

Attention, facial affect, and behavioral responses to adults showing distress, fear, and discomfort were compared for autistic, mentally retarded, and normal children. The normal and mentally retarded children were very attentive to adults in all 3 situations. In contrast, many of the autistic children appeared to ignore or not notice the adults showing these negative affects. As a group, the autistic children looked at the adults less and were much more engaged in toy play than the other children during periods when an adult pretended to be hurt. The autistic children were also less attentive to adults showing fear, although their behavior was not different from the normal children. Few of the children in any group showed much facial affect in response to these situations. The results are discussed in terms of the importance of affect in the social learning experiences of the young child.
Transforming a traditional course into a long distance course

A variety of social, economic and technological factors are converging to create increased demand for long distance education. This increasing demand for distance education is in turn transforming how knowledge is delivered to students. Many technologies including videoconferencing, interactive computer-based instruction and web-based delivery are emerging to help address this need. From the instructors perspective however, this presents a new challenge. Not only does the instructor need to learn how to use the new technology or technologies, the nature and style of delivery of the course content itself has to be adapted to the new medium of delivery. This paper describes the process that was followed in transforming a traditional course in statics, formerly delivered with the traditional chalk-and-blackboard method, for delivery using live 2-way interactive television. The issues discussed range from the instructors familiarization with the new technology, preparation of new teaching materials and visual aids for the course, and incorporation of computer-based animations to enhance student understanding. The authors experiences in the tele-classroom, with reflections on lessons learnt, are also given. The paper also discusses the administrative procedures that were put in place to ensure smooth running of the class and create a positive learning experience for both the on-campus and off-campus students.
Gap junction permeability: selectivity for anionic and cationic probes.

Gap junction channels formed by different connexins exhibit specific permeability to a variety of larger solutes including second messengers, polypeptides, and small interfering RNAs. Here, we repo...
Frequency Control and Its Effect on the Dynamic Response of Flexible Structures

The effect of structural optimization on optimal control design is studied in this paper. Structural optimiza- tion was treated as a problem of mass minimization with constraint on the open-loop frequency. The quadratic performance index, involving the state and control variables, was used in the design of the control system. A control system with only full-state feedback was considered. A procedure for generating the state and control weighting matrices by structural dynamics programs was outlined. By introducing simple scaling parameters, the weighting matrices were used effectively to achieve the desired control objectives. A number of case studies using a simple truss structure were made, in which vibration suppression with only initial disturbances was considered. The conclusion was that modification of the structural parameters (stiffness and structural mass) did not significantly alter the control design in this study. IBRATION control is an important consideration in the design of dynamic systems on the ground, in the air, and in space. The disturbances in ground and air vehicles are primarily caused by rough road (runway) profiles and airflow, such as gusts and powerplants. Similarly, in large space structures the disturbances are the result of slew- ing/pointing maneuvers, thermal transients, and mechanical machinery such as coolers, generators, etc. Control of the dynamic response is essential for maintaining the ride quality and performance requirements, as well as for the safety of the structure. The response of a structure is basically governed by three sets of parameters. The mass, damping, and stiffness repre- sent the structural parameters. The second set of parameters is due to the sources of external disturbances. These are generally external to the system and are considered as fixed inputs; thus their alteration is not within the realm of the structures/controls designer. The third set represents the control system, assuming that the structure is actively con- trolled. Control of the dynamic response by modification of the structural parameters alone is considered to be passive. Passive control is most appealing from both the reliability and maintainability points of view, if it can be achieved at all economically. Basically, the stiffness and mass modifica- tions result in frequency and mode changes, while the damp- ing affects the dissipation energy of the system. The damping can be significantly altered by either viscoelastic coatings (or constrained layer damping) or the provision of discrete dashpot mechanisms. The objective of vibration control is to design the structure and its controls either to eliminate vibration completely or to reduce the mean square response of the system to a desired level within a reasonable span of time. In addition, it is im- portant that this objective be achieved in some optimal way. For a structural designer, the optimal design represents an
Effects of zidovudine-selected human immunodeficiency virus type 1 reverse transcriptase amino acid substitutions on processive DNA synthesis and viral replication

Certain amino acid substitutions in the reverse transcriptase (RT), including D67N, K70R, T215Y, and K219Q, cause high-level resistance of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) to zidovudine (3'-azidothymidine; AZT) and appear to approximate the template strand of the enzyme-template-primer complex in structural models. We studied whether this set of mutations altered RT-template-primer interaction as well as their effect on virus replication in the absence of inhibitor. When in vitro polymerization was limited to a single association of an RT with an oligodeoxynucleotide-primed heteropolymeric RNA template (a single processive cycle), recombinant-expressed mutant 67/70/215/219 RT synthesized 5- to 10-fold more high-molecular-weight DNA products (>200 nucleotides in length) than wild-type RT. This advantage was maintained as deoxynucleoside triphosphate (dNTP) concentrations were decreased to limiting levels. In contrast, no difference was seen between wild-type and mutant RTs under conditions allowing repeated associations of enzyme with template-primer. Because intracellular dNTP concentrations are low prior to mitogenic stimulation, we compared replication of mutant 67/70/215/219 virus and wild-type virus in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) stimulated before and after infection. In the absence of inhibitor, mutant 67/70/215/219 virus had a replication advantage in PBMC stimulated with phytohemagglutinin and interleukin-2 after infection, but virus replication was similar in PBMC stimulated before infection in vitro. The results confirm that RT mutations D67N, K70R, T215Y, and K219Q affect an enzyme-template-primer interaction in vitro and suggest that such substitutions may affect HIV-1 pathogenesis during therapy by increasing viral replication capacity in cells stimulated after infection.
Tracing of critical eigenvalues for power system analysis via continuation of invariant subspaces and projected Arnoldi method

The continuation of invariant subspaces algorithm combined with projected Arnoldi method is presented to trace the critical (rightmost or least damping ratio) eigenvalues for the power system stability analysis. A predictor-corrector method is applied to calculate the critical eigenvalues trajectories as power system parameters change. The method can handle eigenvalues with any multiplicity during the trace processes. The subspace dimension inflation and deflation is applied to deal with eigenvalue overlap. And the subspace update is proposed by an efficient projected Arnoldi method which can utilize known information from the traced eigenvalues and subspaces.
Vaginal weights for pelvic floor training: A multiple participant case report

Activity-related incontinence is a problem for women, many with limited access to specialty clinics and practitioners. Incontinence inhibits participation in health-promoting levels of physical activity. Vaginal weights are a treatment option available without a prescription for home use that may help some of these women. This multiple baseline across-participant case study investigated the use of weights in a 'hands-off' pelvic floor exercise program for pre-menopausal women. Three of four participants improved, but did not cure, their incontinence with use of the weights. A fourth participant was unable to successfully use the weights. Referral to a women's health physical therapist was suggested for her. Poor adherence was noted at follow-up in two of three participants, with the one who maintained practice demonstrating continued improvement and increased physical activity. Weights provide a low-cost exercise adjunct to women interested in a flexible and independent incontinence management program. For continued improvement, behavioral factors promoting adherence should also be addressed. Weights are one of the options for women wanting a low-cost solution for activity-related urinary leakage. Problems using the weights or failure to benefit from their use may be indicators of a need for more advanced evaluation by women's health specialists.
Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS) and performance of everyday life tasks: Actual Reality.

Background:Recently, a brief cognitive assessment (Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis: BICAMS) has been recommended for use with patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) to screen for cognitive impairments. However, the relationship between the BICAMS and everyday life activity has not been examined. The aim of this study was to examine whether the BICAMS can predict performance of activities of daily living using Actual RealityTM (AR) in persons with MS.Method:A between-subjects design was utilized to compare 41 individuals with MS and 32 healthy controls (HC) performing BICAMS and an AR task. Participants were asked to access the internet to purchase a flight ticket or cookies, and were administered the BICAMS and questionnaires to assess quality of life (QOL), affect symptomatology, and prior internet experience.Results:Participants with MS performed significantly worse than HC on the BICAMS and the AR. Additionally, better BICAMS performance was associated with more...
Influence of internal curing using lightweight aggregates on interfacial transition zone percolation and chloride ingress in mortars

The microstructure of the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) between cement paste and aggregate depends strongly on the nature of the aggregate, specifically its porosity and water absorption. Lightweight aggregates (LWA) with a porous surface layer have been noted to produce a dense ITZ microstructure that is equivalent to that of the bulk cement paste, as opposed to the more porous ITZ regions that typically surround normal weight aggregates. This ITZ microstructure can have a large influence on diffusive transport into a concrete, especially if the individual ITZ regions are percolated (connected) across the three-dimensional microstructure. In this paper, the substitution of LWA sand for a portion of the normal weight sand to provide internal curing (IC) for a mortar is examined with respect to its influence on ITZ percolation and chloride ingress. Experimental measurements of chloride ion penetration depths are combined with computer modeling of the ITZ percolation and random walk diffusion simulations to determine the magnitude of the reduced diffusivity provided in a mortar with IC vs. one with only normal weight sand. In this study, for a mixture of sands that is 31% LWA and 69% normal weight sand by volume, the chloride ion diffusivity is estimated to be reduced by 25% or more, based on the measured penetration depths.
Mother-Child Dyadic Synchrony in European American and African American Families during Early Adolescence Relations with Self-Esteem and Prosocial Behavior

Mother-child relationships characterized by dyadic synchrony, a mutually responsive and interconnected interaction style, have been consistently linked to children's psychosocial adjustment in early childhood, but it is unclear whether such interaction patterns remain conducive to positive outcomes in early adolescence. The aim of the present investigation was to examine mother-child synchrony and its link to early adolescents' self-esteem and prosocial behavior. Data were collected from 268 early adolescents and their mothers from both European American and African American families. Four components of dyadic synchrony were assessed during a structured mother-child interaction session. In addition, assessments of early adolescents' self-esteem and prosocial behavior were conducted approximately one year later. Results indicated that mother-child shared positive affect and conversational equality were highly intercorrelated components of dyadic synchrony. Moreover, early adolescents from dyads with high levels of dyadic synchrony and conversational equality had higher self-esteem. Early adolescents from dyads with high levels of shared positive affect were more prosocial with peers. Although the patterns of association were similar for African American and European American preadolescents, ethnicity did interact with certain components of synchrony in predicting early adolescents' self-esteem and prosocial behavior.
Iatrogenic Left Ventricle-to-Coronary Venous Fistula

A 70-year-old man with a history of childhood rheumatic fever was referred to our hospital for surgical correction of aortic stenosis. Severe aortic stenosis was confirmed using preoperative transthoracic echocardiography, which showed a peak gradient across the aortic valve of 83 mm Hg with a calculated valve area of 0.7 cm2. The patient underwent coronary angiography …
The evolving definition of a chondrodysplasia

Most individuals who deal with chondrodysplasias would agree that this term refers collectively to a genetically and clinically heterogeneous group of disorders of skeletal development and growth. But they might not agree on what constitutes a specific chondrodysplasia. Indeed, the way in which a specific chondrodysplasia is defined has evolved substantially over the past several decades. David Rimoin, to whom this special issue is dedicated, has played a vital role in this evolution.
Brief Report: Relations between Prosodic Performance and Communication and Socialization Ratings in High Functioning Speakers with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Shriberg et al. (Shriberg, L. et al. (2001). Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research, 44, 1097� 1115) described prosodyvoice features of 30 high functioning speakers with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to age-matched control speakers. The present study reports additional information on the speakers with ASD, including associations among prosodyvoice variables and ratings of communication social abilities. Results suggest that the inappropriate sentential stress and hypernasality previously identified in some of these speakers is related to communication/sociability ratings. These findings and associated trends are interpreted to indicate important links between prosodic performance and social and communicative competence. They suggest the need for careful assessment of inappropriate prosody and voice features in speakers with ASD, and for effective intervention programs aimed at reducing the stigmatization of individuals with these conditions.
PO-0661 Transfer Of Behavioural Neonatal Resuscitation Skills Learnt On Simulator In The Simulation Room To Clinical Practice In The Delivery Room

Introduction Transfer of behavioural skills learnt in the simulation room to the delivery room setting has not been well addressed. Methodology We queried the physicians and nurses who participated in resuscitation in an actual delivery room setting. Their training included simulation based training for previous 4 years with emphasis on behavioural skills. Open ended questions included: (1) What went well?, (2) What did not go well?, (3) What would you do differently?, (4) Other comments. Results 32 events attended by teams of nurses and physicians were the focus of analysis. There was overlapping of physicians and nurses attending different events. 74 nurses and 35 physicians completed questionnaires that formed the database. Teamwork and communication (2 hallmarks of behavioural skills) were analysed. 40/74 (54.05%) of nurses and 13/35 (37.14%) of physicians responded that teamwork was good. 11/74 (14.86%) of nurses and 12/35 (34.28%) physicians responded that communication was good. None of the nurses commented negatively about the teamwork bur 2/35 (5.71%) physicians mentioned that teamwork did not go well. 10/74 (13.51%) of nurses and 6/35 (17.24%) of physicians mentioned that communication was not good. Thus, 68.91% of nurse responses and 71.42% of physician responses were favourable for teamwork and communication. Calling for help and delegating responsibility were also noted on the responses. Discussion Based on our open ended questionnaire, we conclude that physicians and nurses consider teamwork and communication to be important and these skills are being utilised in the delivery room setting. These results encourage us to continue our study.
Differential Modulation for Cooperative Wireless Systems

This paper examines differential binary modulation for wireless networks that utilize wireless relays to seek cooperative diversity and improved performance. Two differential cooperative transmission schemes, referred to as differential amplify-and-forward (DAF) and differential decode-and-forward (DDF), respectively, are introduced. These schemes require no channel state information at any node in the system. A set of analytical results pertaining to the probability density function of the instantaneous signal-to-noise ratio, average bit error rate, outage probability, and diversity order of the proposed schemes in Rayleigh fading channels are obtained. The analytical results are confirmed by numerical simulations. It is shown that the differential cooperative DAF and DDF schemes achieve cooperative diversity and outperform the conventional noncooperative differential modulation
Ground state and elastic phase shift of the electron-hydrogen system studied in hyperspherical coordinates

Using hyperspherical coordinates and adiabatic expansion methods, we obtain the potential curves for the electron-hydrogen system in $^{1}S$ states. From the lowest potential curve we compute the ground-state energy of ${\mathrm{H}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ to be -1.0547 Ry. We also compute the elastic scattering phase shifts at low energies from the same potential curve. Results are very good at low energies. The variations of important correlation effects as the system expands are also investigated.
Sufficient Conditions for Generating Group Level Sparsity in a Robust Minimax Framework

Regularization technique has become a principled tool for statistics and machine learning research and practice. However, in most situations, these regularization terms are not well interpreted, especially on how they are related to the loss function and data. In this paper, we propose a robust minimax framework to interpret the relationship between data and regularization terms for a large class of loss functions. We show that various regularization terms are essentially corresponding to different distortions to the original data matrix. This minimax framework includes ridge regression, lasso, elastic net, fused lasso, group lasso, local coordinate coding, multiple kernel learning, etc., as special cases. Within this minimax framework, we further give mathematically exact definition for a novel representation called sparse grouping representation (SGR), and prove a set of sufficient conditions for generating such group level sparsity. Under these sufficient conditions, a large set of consistent regularization terms can be designed. This SGR is essentially different from group lasso in the way of using class or group information, and it outperforms group lasso when there appears group label noise. We also provide some generalization bounds in a classification setting.
A study on the manipulation of 2D objects in a projector/camera-based augmented reality environment

Are the object manipulation techniques traditionally used in head-mounted displays (HMDs) applicable to augmented reality based projection systems? This paper examines the differences between HMD- and projector/camera-based AR interfaces in the light of a manipulation task involving documents and applications projected on common office surfaces such as tables, walls, cabinets, and floor. We report a Wizard of Oz study where subjects were first asked to create gesture/voice commands to move 2D objects on those surfaces and then exposed to gestures created by the authors. Among the options, subjects could select the object to be manipulated using voice command; touching, pointing, and grabbing gesture; or a virtual mouse. The results show a strong preference for a manipulation interface based on pointing gestures using small hand movements and involving minimal body movement. Direct touching of the object was also common when the object being manipulated was within the subjects' arm reach. Based on these results, we expect that the preferred interface resembles, in many ways, the egocentric model traditionally used in AR.
Enhancing data migration performance via parallel data compression

Scientific simulations often produce large volumes of output that are moved to another platform for visualization or storage. This long-distance migration is slow due to the data size and slow network. Compression can improve migration performance by reducing the data size, but compression is computation-intensive and so can raise costs. In this work, we show how to reduce data migration cost by incorporating compression into migration. We analyze eight scientific data sets, and propose three approaches for parallel compression of scientific data. Our results show that with reasonably fast processors and typical parallel configurations, the compression cost for large scientific data is outweighed by the performance gain obtained by migrating less data. We found that a client-side compression approach (CC) can improve I/O and migration performance by an order of magnitude. In our experiments, CC always matches or outperforms migration without compression when we overlap migration with computation, even for not very compressible dense floating point data. We also present a variant of CC that is well suited for use with implementations of two-phase I/O.
How Do Biases in Spatial Memory Change As Children and Adults Are Learning Locations

This investigation tracked changes in categorical bias (i.e., placing objects belonging to the same spatial group closer together than they really are) while 7-, 9-, and 11-year-olds and adults were learning a set of locations. Participants learned the locations of 20 objects marked by dots on the floor of an open square box divided into quadrants. At test, participants attempted to place the objects in the correct locations without the dots and boundaries. In Experiment 1, we probed categorical bias during learning by alternating learning and test trials. Categorical bias was high during the first test trial and decreased over the second and third test trials. In Experiment 2, we manipulated opportunities for learning by providing participants with either one, two, three, or four learning trials prior to test. Participants who experienced one or two learning trials exhibited more bias at test than did those who experienced four learning trials. The discussion focuses on how categorical bias emerges through interactions between the cognitive system and task structure.
Experimental Investigation of Hydrous Pyrolysis of Diesel Fuel and the Effect of Pyrolysis Products on Performance of the Candidate Nuclear Waste Repository at Yucca Mountain

It is thought that a significant amount of diesel fuel and other hydrocarbon-rich phases may remain inside the candidate nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain after construction and subsequent emplacement of radioactive waste. Although the proposed repository horizon is above the water table, the remnant hydrocarbon phases may react with hydrothermal solutions generated by high temperature conditions that will prevail for a period of time in the repository. The preliminary experimental results of this study show that diesel fuel hydrous pyrolysis is minimal at 200{degrees}C and 70 bars. The composition of the diesel fuel remained constant throughout the experiment and the concentration of carboxylic acids in the aqueous phases was only slightly above the detection limit (1-2 ppm) of the analytical technique.
Sociocultural Contexts and Learning: Anglophone Caribbean Immigrant Women in U.S. Postsecondary Education.

This study drew from sociocultural theory to understand the learning experiences of Anglophone Caribbean immigrant women in U.S. postsecondary institutions. As a British Caribbean immigrant, the author acted as both researcher and participant in this qualitative research study. The findings suggest that culture and early schooling socialization in the country of origin influence learning experiences in the host country. Some of the major challenges participants faced in the United States were in transforming cultural assumptions about silence, negotiating language and identity, and reorienting to a new meaning of teaching and learning. The study also found that the length of time spent in a new culture, the level of social support inherent in the culture, and the characteristics of the sociocultural environment greatly affect learning among immigrants in postsecondary institutions. Within discourse communities in higher education, participants were often located at the margins, thus hindering their full p...