cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Functional versus dysfunctional team change: Problem diagnosis and structural feedback for self-managed teams

We describe and examine three changes (personnel, process, and structure) that self-managed teams can make to remedy performance problems. We also discuss why self-managed teams may over-emphasize process and (to a lesser extent) personnel changes over structural changes. Furthermore, we describe and test two specific diagnostic feedback interventions aimed at helping teams make functional structural change. Seventy-eight 4-person teams of undergraduate students participated in two trials of a networked laboratory simulation task. All teams were initially structurally misaligned and subsequently received (a) no feedback, (b) one type of feedback only, or (c) both types of feedback. Results confirmed that structurally misaligned teams demonstrated dysfunctional change by changing process more frequently than structure, with detrimental effects for subsequent performance. When teams received the feedback interventions, however, they were more likely to change their structure and thereby improve their performance.
Phase-Transfer-Catalyzed Alkylation of Phenylacetonitrile in Supercritical Ethane

The first example of a phase-transfer-catalyzed alkylation reaction under supercritical fluid conditions is reported. The reaction is that of phenylacetonitrile and ethyl bromide in the presence of tetrabutylammonium bromide and potassium carbonate in supercritical ethane at 45, 60, and 75 °C and 138 bar. Results show that the reaction will go to completion in less than 24 h in the presence of the catalyst but that only a few percent conversion is achieved without it during the same period of time. The effects of catalyst concentration, temperature, and cosolvents are investigated. Catalyst solubility estimates and kinetic analyses suggest that the reaction takes place on the surface of the potassium carbonate particles. When the same reaction is attempted in supercritical carbon dioxide, both carboxylation and alkylation are observed. Cycloalkylation reactions between phenylacetonitrile and dibromoalkanes are also discussed.
Laparotomy in the emergency department

Reports of advancements in emergency department operative resuscitative skills have included craniotomy, thoracotomy, cardiorrhaphy and even cardiopulmonary bypass. The efficacy and advisability of laparotomy in the emergency department remain in question. Between July, 1972, and July, 1977, adhering to an established protocol, resuscitative laparotomy was performed on 51 patients in the emergency department. All 51 patients underwent emergency thoracotomy also. Twenty-four patients were victims of gunshot wounds, 24 had sustained blunt trauma, and three had abdominal stab wounds. Injuries to the liver, major vessels, and spleen were most common. Control of hemorrhage by clamps, packs or pressure was the primary objective of laparotomy. Control of exsanguinating hemorrhage with precise application of vascular clamps was possible in all but 15 patients. Because of extensive multiple injuries and inability to achieve cardiovascular stability, only 11 patients reached the operating room, and none survived to leave the hospital. Although technically possible, laparotomy in the emergency center did not alter the fatal outcome of moribund patients in this series.
Deposition rates from polydispersed particle populations of arbitrary spread

For particle deposition from log-normal polydispersed aerosol streams by one or more of several mechanisms described by piecewise-power-law mass transfer coefficients, we derive useful relations between actual total mass deposition rates and the ‘reference’ rate one would calculate by imagining that all particles in the mainstream population had the average particle volume v(=ϕp/Np). Included here are diffusion or inertial mechanisms for laminar- or turbulent-boundary layers, free-molecular or continuum diffusion at high Peclet numbers of dense spherical particles, or fractal agglomerates. The mainstream particle volume distribution is considered to be log-normal with arbitrary ‘spread’ parameter, thereby generalizing earlier results for “coagulation-aged” (self-preserving) distributions. Further generalizations include transitions between important particle transport mechanisms, opening the way to efficient, finite-analytic methods for predicting mass deposition rates for arbitrary, size-dependent particle capture efficiencies.
Kinetics and mechanism of oxidation of N, N'-dimethylaminoiminomethanesulfinic acid by acidic bromate.

The major metabolites of the physiologically active compound dimethylthiourea (DMTU), dimethylaminoiminomethansesulfinic acid (DMAIMSA), and dimethylaminoiminomethanesulfonic acid (DMAIMSOA) were synthesized, and their kinetics and mechanisms of oxidation by acidic bromate and aqueous bromine was determined. The oxidation of DMAIMSA is much more facile and rapid as compared to a comparable oxidation by the same reagents of the parent compound, DMTU. The stoichiometry of the bromate−DMAIMSA reaction was determined to be 2BrO3− + 3NHCH3(═NCH3)CSO2H + 3H2O → 3SO42− + 2Br− + 3CO(NHCH3)2 + 6H+, with quantitative formation of sulfate. In excess bromate conditions, the stoichiometry was 4BrO3− + 5NHCH3(═NCH3)CSO2H + 3H2O → 5SO42− + 2Br2 + 5CO(NHCH3)2 + 6H+. The direct bromine−DMAIMSA reaction gave an expected stoichiometric ratio of 2:1 with no further oxidation of product dimethylurea (DMU) by aqueous bromine. The bromine−DMAIMSA reaction was so fast that it was close to diffusion-controlled. Excess bromate con...
Door-to-Balloon Time in Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Is the 90-Minute Gold Standard an Unreachable Chimera?

Over the past decade, primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has emerged as an effective treatment strategy for acute ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Compared with thrombolytic therapy, the benefits of primary PCI include a reduction in the frequency of total stroke and hemorrhagic stroke, a reduction in the frequency of reinfarction, and an increase in the frequency of infarct-related artery patency, resulting in improved in-hospital and long-term survival.1 In addition, the availability of primary PCI provides a valid alternative for patients who have contraindications to thrombolytic therapy. Article p 1079 These observations have led many institutions to select primary PCI as the preferred treatment strategy for patients with acute STEMI. In addition, after the publication of several reports on the safety and efficacy of primary PCI in centers without cardiac surgery on site,2,3 several state regulatory agencies have changed local regulations by allowing primary PCI for acute STEMI in centers without cardiac surgery on site. Thus, it is likely that the next decade will be characterized by further expansion of primary PCI for acute STEMI in hospitals with cardiac catheterization laboratories. As previously shown for thrombolytic therapy, time to treatment also plays a key role in survival with primary PCI. In the Global Use of Strategies to Open Occluded Arteries in Acute Coronary Syndromes (GUSTO-IIb) substudy,4 the lowest 30-day mortality rate was observed in patients undergoing primary PCI within 60 minutes from presentation to the emergency room, whereas the highest mortality rate was observed in patients undergoing PCI >90 minutes from presentation (1.0% versus 6.4%). Similar compelling data were reported in an analysis of data from the National Registry of Acute Myocardial Infarction (NRMI). In that analysis, which included 27 080 patients, the lowest mortality rate again was observed in patients undergoing PCI within 60 minutes from presentation, …
Ablation of osteoid osteomas with a percutaneously placed electrode : a new procedure

Osteoid osteoma is a benign, self-limited tumor of bone that usually requires surgical excision for relief of pain and to prevent long-term consequences. Radio-frequency electrodes have been successfully and safely used to ablate small areas of the central nervous system and to perform ablation elsewhere in the body. The authors have used this technique in four patients with proved or presumptive osteoid osteoma, completely relieving the symptoms in three.
Role of Marketing Intelligence in Making Pricing Policy in Construction

The pricing strategy predominantly used in construction is cost based. But this pricing logic may lead to the underpricing or overpricing of a bid offer. In response to this problem, alternate pricing strategies are proposed in this paper that make use of market-based approaches. These models are centered on marketing intelligence functions. In this paper, marketing intelligence systems developed and used in manufacturing industries are explored, including marketing research, marketing information systems, and decision support systems. The current developments and practices of marketing intelligence in construction are reviewed. The findings of a survey that investigates the marketing intelligence and pricing strategy practices of the largest 400 U.S. contractors are presented. In conclusion, it is discovered that contractors use mostly traditional marketing intelligence strategies. It is recommended that contractors develop com- puterized intelligence activities such as using resources on the Internet and developing management infor- mation systems and decision support systems. As expected, it is found that ''marketing intelligence capa- bilities'' is a significant variable associated with pricing strategy.
A statistical assessment of carbon monoxide emissions from the Truman Shepherd coal fire, Floyd County, Kentucky

Abstract Coal fires in eastern Kentucky are usually in abandoned mines. In many cases, the fires can be in close proximity to populated areas and can encroach upon the infrastructure. In addition, the gas emissions can be trapped in valleys at times of temperature inversions. The Truman Shepherd coal fire, Floyd County, Kentucky, is located in an abandoned mine adjacent to highway KY 80 and to the town of Howard. Building upon our previous studies of this fire from 2009 to 2012, in October 2013 we measured carbon monoxide emissions from a vent. Two methods of exponential smoothing and seasonal autoregressive integrated moving averages (SARIMA) were used to model CO emissions in the context of time series analysis. Due to the seasonality of the observations, the SARIMA model showed superior in both modeling and forecasting CO emissions with mean absolute percentage errors of 3.2% and 11.9%, respectively. Carbon monoxide emissions, on average, showed a gradual increase throughout the study period. Superimposed on the gradual CO increase is a daily sharp rise in CO, with the maximum peak exceeding 300 ppm CO. The increase in CO starts between 10:00 and 11:00 AM and generally peaks in the early afternoon, then declining until the next day's increase.
Restoring underwater superhydrophobicity with self-regulated gas generation

We report an approach to restore a gas layer on superhydrophobic surfaces by (i) implementing self-regulating gas generation and (ii) designing surface structures that allow the gas propagation along the surface. Restoration of a gas layer is successfully demonstrated on two surface patterns - mico posts and grates. The present approach is shown to work even under harsh conditions such as a high liquid pressure and defective surfaces.
A new vehicle for measuring deep ocean mixing

The High Resolution Profiler II (HRP-II) is a unique free vehicle developed at WHOI to measure a range of scales of ocean mixing, from turbulence to advection. On-board mission control software allows autonomous operation during data acquisition profiles to depths of up to 6000 meters. The new profiler was exercised in deep water during a successful test cruise in January 2004.
Iterative tuning of feedforward controller with force ripple compensation for wafer stage

Iterative controller tuning is a method to fine-tune controllers in a repetitive process using only data collected in experiment runs. The controller parameters are chosen so as to minimize a certain cost function. The values of the parameters are updated iteratively based on tracking error in a gradient search. Iterative controller tuning is an advantageous method of controller tuning because no prior plant model is necessary. In this paper, we iteratively tune the feedforward controller of a wafer stage of a photolithography machine. A fixed-structure feedforward controller consisting of the inverted plant model was tuned. In addition, an additive feedforward term for compensation of nonlinear force ripple disturbance was tuned. The feedforward controller is tuned with the objective of minimizing a cost function that is a quadratic function of tracking error. Simulation and experimental results are presented which show that the iterative tuning method effectively reduced tracking error.
Magnetization transfer contrast–suppressed imaging of amide proton transfer and relayed nuclear overhauser enhancement chemical exchange saturation transfer effects in the human brain at 7T

Purpose To use the variable delay multipulse (VDMP) chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) approach to obtain clean amide proton transfer (APT) and relayed Nuclear Overhauser enhancement (rNOE) CEST images in the human brain by suppressing the conventional magnetization transfer contrast (MTC) and reducing the direct water saturation contribution. Methods The VDMP CEST scheme consists of a train of RF pulses with a specific mixing time. The CEST signal with respect to the mixing time shows distinguishable characteristics for protons with different exchange rates. Exchange rate filtered CEST images are generated by subtracting images acquired at two mixing times at which the MTC signals are equal, while the APT and rNOE-CEST signals differ. Because the subtraction is performed at the same frequency offset for each voxel and the CEST signals are broad, no B0 correction is needed. Results MTC-suppressed APT and rNOE-CEST images of human brain were obtained using the VDMP method. The APT-CEST data show hyperintensity in gray matter versus white matter, whereas the rNOE-CEST images show negligible contrast between gray and white matter. Conclusion The VDMP approach provides a simple and rapid way of recording MTC-suppressed APT-CEST and rNOE-CEST images without the need for B0 field correction. Magn Reson Med 75:88–96, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A relational analysis of decision makers' preferences

The focus of this article is on the analysis of preferences in situations of individual and group decision making. We make use of a fuzzy relational analysis technique to construct and explore new relations that provide additional information on the decision maker's strict preference relations. We show the relevance of this approach in two cases. First, in the case of multiple decision makers, our analysis reveals the preferential dependencies among the decision makers, showing, for instance, which group member has stronger or weaker preferences on a particular alternative. We argue that this information may be crucial to avoid the well-known impossibility paradox, which states that a group cannot reach agreement unless it is dictated by one of its members. Second, in the case of a single decision maker, the analysis reveals the dependencies among the decision alternatives and the decision criteria. As in the multiperson case, this information can be essential to understand the decision maker's preferences and decision criteria. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Propagation characteristics of GaAsP heterostructure waveguides for 1.06 microm and 0.905 mum wavelengths: an evaluation.

Propagation characteristics of GaAs/GaAs1−xPx and GaAs1−yPy/GaAs1−xPx waveguides are evaluated at 1.06-μm and 0.905-μm wavelengths. Attenuation of the lowest order mode in single-mode and two-mode waveguides is 1.2 dB/cm at 1.06 μm. At 0.905 μm the measured attenuation rate for the GaAs0.80P0.20/GaAs0.65P0.35 waveguide is 1.5 dB/cm. Multimode waveguides have considerable mode conversion due to surface undulations caused by grading dislocations. Refractive indices have also been calculated from experimental data at 1.06 μm for GaAs and GaAs0.65P0.35 to be 3.47 and 3.325, respectively.
Genetics of Alzheimer Disease

To understand how late-onset, also known as sporadic Alzheimer’s disease, differs from early-onset or familial Alzheimer’s disease, it is important to discuss the genetics of the latter. Genetic research has shown a link between genes on chromosomes 1, 14, and 21 and familial Alzheimer’s. A gene on chromosome 19 called ApoE4 is associated with sporadic Alzheimer’s and is considered a “susceptibility” gene because even when it is inherited from one or both parents, it can only increase the risk for Alzheimer’s, not its certainty. Although sporadic and familial Alzheimer’s has a similar clinical course, the familial type tends to have severe brain atrophy, cognitive impairment around age 45 and patients can develop muscle twitches and spams called myoclonus during the disease. The most important difference between sporadic and familial Alzheimer’s is the specific gene mutation seen in the latter which directly assures that Alzheimer’s will develop. In addition, familial Alzheimer’s will affect individuals at a much earlier age, between 40 and 60 as opposed to over age 65 in most sporadic Alzheimer’s cases. Diagnosis of familial Alzheimer’s can be done by noting family history and neurological symptoms and observing severe brain atrophy on neuroimaging age and genotyping.
Preliminary results of a UV-B effect incorporated GOSSYM model

Field experiments and laboratory tests have shown multiple effects of enhanced ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation on cotton growth, development, and yield. Adverse effects include development of chlorotic and necrotic patches on leaves, reductions in total leaf area, plant height, photosynthesis, and yield. However, little work has been carried out to incorporate these experimental results into a simulation model and to estimate the effects of UV-B radiation under field conditions with varied environments and management practices. This study incorporates experimental results of UV-B effects on cotton crop into a cotton simulation model, GOSSYM, which is being used widely in various applications. In this work, first modules were modified to incorporate the effects of UV-B radiation on canopy photosynthesis, leaf area expansion, and stem and branch elongation. Then, the modified model was used to test the validity of model assumptions and algorithms on independent experimental data sets. Finally, preliminary studies were performed to simulate the effects of UV-B radiation in the field conditions at Stoneville, Mississippi using 30-year (1964-1993) climate data. Simulation results agreed well with experimental measurements, proving the validation of the model. Our results suggest that cotton lint yield declined with increased UV-B radiation. The reductions were 20% when UV-B irradiance was 12 kJ m -2 under irrigated conditions. Similar reductions in yield were predicted at lower UV-B radiation (11 kJ m -2 ) under rain-fed conditions. The modified model will be useful to simulate the impacts of UV-B radiation on cotton growth and yield under current and future climatic conditions and to suggest management options to mitigate the adverse effects.
Phase structure of discrete Abelian spin and gauge systems

It is shown that in a two-dimensional ${Z}_{p}$ spin system for $p$ not too small there exists a massless phase in the middle between the ordered and disordered Ising-type phases. A similar thing happens in a four-dimensional ${Z}_{p}$ gauge theory, where a massless QED-like phase appears between the screened and the confined phases. The existence of the middle phase is deduced logically from the existence of such a phase in the continuous O(2)-invariant models using self-duality and correlation inequalities. For the spin case the transition towards this phase is analyzed using a Kosterlitz type of renormalization group suggesting an essential singularity of the correlation length at both transition points. A Hamiltonian strong-coupling expansion up to ninth order is applied to the ${Z}_{p}$ spin system. The results of the Pad\'e analysis of this expansion are consistent with the phase structure described above. For $p\ensuremath{\le}4$ the analysis suggests two phases with a conventional singularity behavior at the transition. In the nontrivial case of $p=3$, critical exponents are calculated and found to give good agreement with experiment. For $p\ensuremath{\ge}5$ the analysis favors three phases with an essential singularity at the transition.
Mindful of the Future: Strategic Planning Ideology and the Culture of Nonprofit Management

The widespread use of strategic planning (SP) by nonprofit organizations (NPOs) in the U.S. may be attributable in part to the professional culture of nonprofit management rather than SP's efficacy as a management technique. Nonprofit management emerged as a profession in the 1980s, a decade after business theorists began losing confidence in SP. SP advocates helped shape the new profession's culture by promoting SP and its basic tenets (ideology) as fundamental for organizational success. The experience of nonprofit managers in southeastern Michigan (1982-1990) illustrates this process. Some NPOs did benefit from SP. In cases where they did not, the professional culture encouraged users to blame faulty execution rather than question the validity of the technique. Today the profession still endorses variations of SP as "best practice." The discussion recommends that applied anthropologists and other management advisors consider first whether the NPO's customary style of decision making (an aspect of its o...
Efficient Median Estimation for RFID Systems

Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags are used in a lot of applications such as production line and inventory management. Sensors are also a widely adopted wireless technology. This large scale deployment of both RFID technology and sensor technology has opened the door to innovative ways to integrate RFID and sensor technology. Sensor-tags are tags that can report sensed information to an RFID reader. The traditional way to obtain information from tags is to query each tag for its value. This works, however, only for a relatively small number of tags. When the number of tags becomes large it is prohibitive to query one by one due to the high delay. In this paper we present a probabilistic algorithm for estimating the median of a set of RFID tags using binary search. We then evaluate the accuracy and time efficiency of our algorithm.
Exploring relationships among psychosocial status, dietary quality, and measures of placental development during the first trimester in low-income women.

Purpose: To examine the relationships between maternal psychosocial factors and dietary quality and explore the relationships among dietary quality and selected biomarkers of nutrition and placenta...
The bent spine syndrome: myopathy + biomechanics = symptoms.

Abstract Background context The bent spine syndrome, which mimics spinal stenosis, is thought to be a focal paraspinal myopathy, but because paraspinal fatigue with ambulation is not a feature of more severe myopathies, the cause of symptoms is not clear. Purpose To evaluate electromyographic and biomechanical aspects of the bent spine syndrome. Study design/setting University spine clinic. Methods A patient with severe disability from the bent spine syndrome was compared with a fortuitously discovered asymptomatic research subject with the syndrome, in terms of physical examination, magnetic resonance imaging, and electrodiagnostic testing. Results Both subjects had fatty paraspinal replacement on magnetic resonance imaging and electromyography. More detailed electromyography of the patient showed abnormalities medially and caudally, but changes including apparent myopathic motor units up to the high thoracic region. The research subject had no hip flexion contracture, whereas the patient had severe contracture. Correction of contracture increased ambulation from 20 to 300 meters. Conclusions Bent spine syndrome is likely a paraspinal myopathy, but symptoms do not occur unless there is also a hip flexion contracture.
Characterization of Fusobacterium isolates from the respiratory tract of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus):

A total of 23 clinical isolates of Fusobacterium spp. were recovered at necropsy over a 2-year period from the respiratory tract of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Isolates were identified as Fusobacterium varium (18/23), Fusobacterium necrophorum subsp. funduliforme (3/23), and Fusobacterium necrophorum subsp. necrophorum (2/23). Using polymerase chain reaction-based detection of virulence genes, all F. necrophorum isolates were positive for the promoter region of the leukotoxin operon and the hemagglutinin-related protein gene, while all F. varium isolates were negative. The presence of the leukotoxin gene in F. necrophorum isolates and the absence of this gene in F. varium isolates were confirmed by Southern hybridization using 2 separate probes. Toxicity to bovine polymorphonuclear leukocytes was observed with all F. necrophorum isolates, but was not observed in any F. varium isolates. Susceptibility to antimicrobials was markedly different for F. varium as compared to F. necrophorum. In summary, no evidence of leukotoxin production was detected in any of the 23 F. varium isolates used in the current study. The data suggests that F. varium, the most common species isolated, may be a significant pathogen in deer with a different virulence mechanism than F. necrophorum.
Identity Support, Identity Devaluation, and Well-Being Among Lesbians:

This research tested predictions about the association of identity support and identity devaluation with psychological well-being (self-esteem, life satisfaction, and depression). Lesbian women com...
The impact of variability on design methodology

Increased variability will have a profound impact on design methodologies for the 65 and 45 nm nodes. Statistical timing will obviously be a key ingredient. This presentation will examine the state-of-the-art in statistical timing, the diagnostics that timing can provide to improve design robustness and performance, the impact of variability on design styles, and the role of statistical timing in aiding synthesis, test and timing sign-off.
Transparency and Inference

Contrary to an argument by Matthew Boyle (2011), doubts about the inference from p to I believe that p do not support reflective theories of self-knowledge over an inferential or rule-following view.
Association of 10-year and lifetime predicted cardiovascular disease risk with subclinical atherosclerosis in South Asians: findings from the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) study.

Background Ten-year and lifetime cardiovascular risk assessment algorithms have been adopted into atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) prevention guidelines, but these prediction models are not based on South Asian populations and may underestimate the risk in Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Nepali, and Sri Lankans in the United States. Little is known about ASCVD risk prediction and intermediate endpoints such as subclinical atherosclerosis in US individuals of South Asian ancestry. Methods and Results South Asians (n=893) from the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) study who were 40 to 79 years and free of ASCVD were included. Ten-year ASCVD predicted risk was calculated using the 2013 Pooled Cohort Equations. Lifetime predicted risk was based on risk factor burden. Baseline levels of subclinical atherosclerosis (coronary artery calcium [CAC] and carotid intima media thickness [CIMT]) were compared across 10-year and lifetime risk strata: (1) high (≥7.5%) 10-year and low (<7.5%) 10-year risk; (2) high (≥39%) lifetime and low (<39%) lifetime risk. South Asian men and women with high 10-year predicted risk had a significantly greater CAC burden than those with low 10-year risk. South Asians with high lifetime predicted risk had a significantly increased odds for CAC higher than 0 (odds ratio: men 1.97; 95% CI, 1.2 to 3.2; women 3.14; 95% CI, 1.5, 6.6). Associations between risk strata and CIMT were also present. Conclusion This study is the first to provide evidence that contemporary ASCVD risk assessment algorithms derived from non-Hispanic white and African-American samples can successfully identify substantial differences in atherosclerotic burden in US South Asians.
Effects of cationic and anionic clays on the hydrolytic degradation of polylactides

Polylactide (PLA)/montmorillonite (MMT) cationic clay and PLA/hydrotalcite (HT) anionic clay composites at 5wt% clay were melt compounded and characterized for morphology before and after hydrolytic degradation. Semicrystalline and amorphous polymers were used as well as noncalcined and calcined clays. The addition of cationic clays led to the formation of microcomposites, whereas the addition of anionic clays produced a much finer dispersion and enhanced polymer intercalation corresponding to that found in nanocomposites. Hydrolytic degradation rate constants of cationic microcomposites and, particularly, of anionic nanocomposites are lower than those of the unfilled polymers, possibly due to the reduction of the carboxylic group catalytic effect through neutralization with the hydrophilic alkaline filler. Comparison of calcined MMT and HT clays vs. their noncalcined counterparts suggest that calcination can further reduce hydrolytic degradation rates, particularly for semicrystalline PLA. Based on the calculated activation energies, the degradation kinetics did not differ significantly above and below the assumed Tg of 58–60°C. The results of this work would be applicable to controlled release pharmaceutical formulations containing clay/drug combinations produced by melt compounding with a biodegradable polymer matrix. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2009. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers
Geographic, Racial, Ethnic, and Socioeconomic Disparities in the Availability of Grocery Stores and Supermarkets Among Low-Income Women Across the Urban–Rural Continuum

Disparities in the prevalence of obesity have been linked to differential access to grocery stores and supermarkets. The availability of convenience, grocery stores, and supermarkets within the census tract and a 1-, 3-, and 5-mile radius of residence was measured for women enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) (n = 21 203) in Kansas. Disparities in the availability of supermarkets were faced by women living in rural counties; however, within more urbanized areas, the presence of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities differed based on whether store availability was measured within tract or within a 1-mile radius of residence. These results highlight the need for greater specificity when examining the relationship between food environments and dietary outcomes.
Brush-border disaccharidase synthesis in infant pigs measured in vivo with [2H3]leucine

Conscious unrestrained piglets were fasted overnight and infused intravenously with [2H3]leucine for 6 h. Sucrase isomaltase and lactase phlorizin hydrolase were immunoprecipitated from jejunal mucosal membranes, and the immunoprecipitates were electrophoresed on polyacrylamide gels. Bands corresponding to the pro and mature isoforms of both enzymes were acid hydrolyzed. [2H3]leucine isotopic enrichment was measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry using negative chemical ionization. Plasma leucine reached isotopic steady state within 90 min. The isotopic enrichment of mucosal leucine was 73% of that of plasma leucine. The high mannose and complex glycosylated forms of prolactase were in isotopic equilibrium, and their isotopic enrichment was 94% of mucosal leucine. The fractional synthesis rates of total and membrane protein were 0.45 and 0.65 days-1, whereas the processing rates of mature lactase, sucrase, and isomaltase were 0.90, 0.23, and 0.21 days-1, respectively. Approximately 65% of the label in the sucrase isomaltase immunoprecipitate was in the complex glycosylated precursor, whereas 73% of the label in lactase phlorizin hydrolase was in the mature (160 kDa) form. We conclude that the low rate of brush-border sucrase synthesis reflects a slow rate at which the complex glycosylated precursor is processed to the brush-border form.
Therapeutische Empfehlungen und Probleme der Vorbeugung

Vor einer Inangriffnahme der speziellen Probleme einer Therapie der m. S. sollte einiges uber die moglichen Fehler bei der medizinischen Therapie im allgemeinen gesagt und dann erst auf die Problematik der m. S.-Therapie eingegangen werden.
Head Growth and Developmental Outcome in Very Low-Birth-Weight Infants

The predictive role of early head growth for subsequent outcome was evaluated in 85 infants with birth weight
Division of Medicinal Chemistry--small molecule inhibitors of protein-protein interactions.

Abstract Protein-protein interactions lie at the heart of the majority of cell recognition and signal transduction processes. Increasingly, medicinal chemistry researchers are interested in small molecule inhibitors of such interactions. This contrasts with approaches based on the design of small molecule receptor ligands mimicking physiological ligands, eg, neurotransmitters and small hormones. However, there have been significant successes, and two symposia at the 220th ACS meeting were devoted to this theme. One half-day symposium focused on general issues of protein-protein interaction, and a whole-day symposium focused on the integrin family of proteins (reviewed by Giancotti and Ruoslahti, Science (1999) 285:1028).
Concurrent learning for improved convergence in adaptive flight control

This paper presents two adaptive control laws that have improved parameter convergence properties. These adaptive control laws are derived through the framework of Model Reference Adaptive Control and are applicable to plants with structured or unstructured modeling uncertainty. The presented adaptive control laws use both recorded and current data concurrently to improve parameter convergence and are shown to have a stability proof. The first method, termed as concurrent learning adaptive control, increases the rank of standard gradient descent based adaptive laws and guarantees that the adaptive weights approach the ideal weights if the recorded data meets a verifiable condition on linear independence. The second method introduces a least squares based modification term that drives the adaptive weights to an estimate of the ideal weights computed online using recorded data. This modification term guarantees the asymptotic stability of the tracking error and convergence of adaptive weights if a condition on linear independence of the recorded data is met. Expected improvement in parameter convergence and tracking error is demonstrated through adaptive autopilot design for a fixed wing unmanned aircraft and through simulation studies of control of wing rock dynamics.
The Nature of Culture and Cultural Systems

Of greater importance to the mathematician, is the contribution that an appreciation of the impact of his culture upon him and his work, can make. But a culture of a given society does not consist of just the findings of ornithologists, mathematicians, or other scientists. The culture of the group consists of the totality of the individual world views, even those who might be dubbed “mentally unbalanced,” united by bonds of communication. A culture is not just a collection. In the case of a culture, there is likewise a mode of relationship, which operates between the individuals of the culture, namely, communication. Communication is a culture that is based on symbols—on the symbolic faculty possessed by Homo sapiens . This faculty enables its possessor to exercise a naming function; if a new object that has never been observed is encountered, it is given a name, and the name is used to indicate that particular object.
Application of the dual-component model of working memory to ADHD:Greater secondary memory deficit despite confounded cognitive differences.

ABSTRACTThe dual-component model postulates that working memory capacity consists of two dissociable components: maintenance in primary memory (PM) and retrieval from secondary memory (SM). Recent application of this model to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has revealed that the SM component is more deficient than the PM component across both verbal and spatial modalities. The present study attempts to strengthen this conclusion by addressing two weaknesses in the previous study. First, the present study shows that the SM component continues to be more deficient than the PM component across both modalities under conditions in which (1) all participants were instructed to use the same recall strategy (resulting in the exclusion of fewer participants); and, (2) individual differences in this strategy were controlled. Second, the present study also documents a group difference in word reading efficiency that is confounded with diagnostic status and that might have influenced estimates of PM a...
Mental Health and Self-Worth in Socially Transitioned Transgender Youth

Objective Social transitions are increasingly common for transgender children. A social transition involves a child presenting to other people as a member of the "opposite" gender in all contexts (e.g., wearing clothes and using pronouns of that gender). Little is known about the well-being of socially transitioned transgender children. This study examined self-reported depression, anxiety, and self-worth in socially transitioned transgender children compared with 2 control groups: age- and gender-matched controls and siblings of transgender children. Method As part of a longitudinal study (TransYouth Project), children (9–14 years old) and their parents completed measurements of depression and anxiety (n = 63 transgender children, n = 63 controls, n = 38 siblings). Children (6–14 years old; n = 116 transgender children, n = 122 controls, n = 72 siblings) also reported on their self-worth. Mental health and self-worth were compared across groups. Results Transgender children reported depression and self-worth that did not differ from their matched-control or sibling peers ( p = .311), and they reported marginally higher anxiety ( p = .076). Compared with national averages, transgender children showed typical rates of depression ( p = .290) and marginally higher rates of anxiety ( p = .096). Parents similarly reported that their transgender children experienced more anxiety than children in the control groups ( p = .002) and rated their transgender children as having equivalent levels of depression ( p = .728). Conclusion These findings are in striking contrast to previous work with gender-nonconforming children who had not socially transitioned, which found very high rates of depression and anxiety. These findings lessen concerns from previous work that parents of socially transitioned children could be systematically underreporting mental health problems.
Feeding wet corn gluten feed to reduce subacute acidosis in cattle.

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of feeding wet corn gluten feed (WCGF) on subacute acidosis in cattle. In Exp. 1, 60 individually fed yearling steers (270 ± 22 kg BW) were used in a 5 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Steers were assigned to one of five dietary treatments: 1 ) dry-rolled corn (DRC), 2 ) 35% WCGF fed d 1 to 132, 3 ) 86.5% WCGF fed d 1 reduced to 35% WCGF by d 19 and increasing the proportion of DRC, 4 ) 86.5% WCGF fed d 1 to 132, or 5 ) 94.5% WCGF fed d 1 to 132. Final diets for Treatments 1 through 4 contained 92% concentrate and 8% alfalfa hay (DM basis). Treatment 5 was a 100% concentrate diet. All diets were fed with or without the addition of escape protein. During d 19 to 24, steers fed WCGF had less ( P .10) In Exp. 2, three ruminally fistulated steers (615 ± 36 kg BW) were used in a repeated 3 × 3 Latin square design. On d 14 of each period, 7.9 kg (DM) of 100% DRC, 50% DRC:50% WCGF, or 100% WCGF was intraruminally dosed as an acidosis challenge. Area within the curve below ruminal pH 6.0 was greater ( P < .05) over a 24-h period for steers dosed with 100% DRC than for steers dosed with 50% DRC: 50% WCGF or 100% WCGF. In addition, more ( P < .05) ruminal VFA accumulated over 24 h for steers dosed with 100% DRC. These data suggest that feeding WCGF does not eliminate ruminal acidosis but may reduce the length of time cattle are exposed to the insult.
Aversive Stimuli in Academic Interactions between Students with Serious Emotional Disturbance and their Teachers

This manuscript presents a review of the growing body of research concerning the influence of negative reinforcement on student and teacher behaviors. Negative reinforcement strengthens behaviors t...
What Is Wrong with Teaching to the Test: Uncertainty Techniques Help in Understanding the Controversy

In the USA, in the last decade, standards have been adapted for each grade level. These standards are annually checked by state-wide tests. The results of these tests often determine the school’s funding and even the school’s future existence. Due to this importance, a large amount of time is spent on teaching to the tests.
Minimally Invasive Stand-Alone Cox Maze Procedure for Persistent and Long-Standing Persistent Atrial Fibrillation: Perioperative Safety and 5-Year Outcomes.

Background Rhythm control is challenging in patients with extended atrial fibrillation (AF) duration and persistent/long-standing persistent AF. Among surgical approaches to treat AF, the Cox maze procedure performed using alternative energy sources remains superior to other beating heart techniques. We examined permanence of safety and success for the on-pump, minimally invasive, stand-alone Cox maze procedure 5 years after surgery. Methods and Results Stand-alone, right 5 cm minithoracotomy, Cox maze III/IV procedure for nonparoxysmal AF was conducted in 133 patients (mean follow-up=65±34 months). Data collected prospectively at 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24 months and yearly thereafter and reported per Heart Rhythm Society Guidelines. Paired-samples t tests evaluated quality of life changes. Mean age was 57.3±9.2 years, mean LA size was 4.9±1.1 cm, median AF duration was 51 months, and 78% had long-standing persistent AF. All procedures performed with no conversion to midsternotomy, no renal failure, strokes, or operative mortality ( Conclusions Successful ablation for nonparoxysmal AF is challenging. Therefore, periprocedural safety and long-term efficacy of minimally invasive Cox maze procedures should be noted. Continued refinement of decision-making techniques is warranted to improve patient selection for the appropriate intervention to treat AF.
Multilayer Nb-Ti for use as model superconducting microstructures

Thin film deposition techniques provide opportunities to control the microstructure of two-phase alloy superconductors more completely than that possible by conventional metallurgical processing. We have fabricated thin film multilayer structures based on Nb-Ti alloy superconductors. The goal is to provide model microstructures that can be easily compared to flux-pinning theories of high-critical-current superconductivity. In this study, multilayer Nb/Ti materials have been annealed to provide samples with a variety of superconducting / normal interfaces, ranging from atomically sharp interfaces to heavily inter-diffused interfaces. Measurements of electrical and microstructural properties are described and compared with model predictions from proximity coupling theory and alloy diffusion.
Stigma Experienced by People Living with HIV/AIDS

HIV stigma represents a significant barrier to successful efforts to engage people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in services. In this Chapter, we discuss three approaches to better understanding HIV stigma experienced by PLWHA. First, we contextualize HIV stigma as a social process. Therefore, the ways that HIV stigma is expressed and experienced by PLWHA varies widely depending on sociocultural contexts. Understanding the structural and interpersonal drivers of HIV stigma within a particular social context is critical for intervening to reduce the stigma experienced by PLWHA. A second approach for understanding stigma reconceptualizes multiple stigmas that PLWHA may experience such as those associated with drug use, sex work, homosexuality, racial/ethnic minorities, and poverty. HIV stigma interacts with these other intersecting stigmas to shape the stigma-related experiences of PLWHA. Consequently, it may be impossible to intervene in HIV stigma without also addressing PLWHA’s experience of intersecting stigmas. The third approach to understanding HIV stigma concentrates on the mechanisms of stigma experienced by PLWHA. HIV stigma mechanisms represent the ways that PLWHA respond to stigma, including internalized, anticipated, and enacted stigma. Each of these mechanisms is linked to a variety of adverse psychological, behavioral, and health outcomes. Intervening in HIV stigma mechanisms aims to disrupt the relationship between HIV stigma and its deleterious impact on PLWHA. We conclude by discussing HIV stigma in South Africa as a case example.
Mepolizumab for the prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations.

Introduction: Worldwide chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third most common cause of non-communicable deaths. The pathobiology of the disease is predominantly neutrophilic but the...
Solution of the Metropolis dynamics on a complete graph with application to the Markov chain Mpemba effect

We find analytically the complete set of eigenvalues and eigenvectors associated with Metropolis dynamics on a complete graph. As an application, we use this information to study a counter-intuitive relaxation phenomenon, called the Mpemba effect. This effect describes situations when upon performing a thermal quench, a system prepared in equilibrium at high temperatures relaxes faster to the bath temperature than a system prepared at a temperature closer to that of the bath. We show that Metropolis dynamics on a complete graph does not support weak nor strong Mpemba effect, however, when the graph is not complete, the effect is possible.
Argatroban Versus Bivalirudin in the Treatment of Suspected or Confirmed Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia.

Background:Argatroban and bivalirudin are direct thrombin inhibitors (DTIs) used for the treatment of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). The purpose of this study was to determine whether eith...