cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analysis on influenza monitoring in Chongming county in 2012

Objective To analyze data of influenza-like illness(ILI)surveillance so as to predict the epidemiologic characteristics of influenza and the variation of influenza virus in Chongming county,and to provide basis for formulating scientific prevention and control measures.MethodsThe information of ILI and their etiology data collected to analyze the variation of ILI% and Influenza virus.Results There were totally 1356ILIs with 672in males and 684in females in Chongming county.In the composition of age,it was lowest among age group 15-25(accounting for 11.58%)and highest among 25-60(accounting for 33.70%).The ILI% was highest during January to February and July to August and lowest during October to December.Totally 435 samples collected from ILI cases were tested in influenza network laboratories,the positive rate was 35.76%.Among the positive samples,influenza A(H3)virus accounted for 58.97%,influenza B(Victoria)virus accounted for 39.74%,influenza B(Yamagata)virus accounted for 1.28%.Conclusion Measures should be taken to prevent and control Influenza,especially in winter and summer;the superior measures are surveillance,vaccination,moderate life-style,diet and drug.
Flow cytometric analysis of plant genomes.

Publisher Summary Compartmentalization of genomes within specific subcellular organelles is a characteristic feature of eukaryotic cells. Higher plants contain three separate genomes, located within the nucleus, the plastids, and the mitochondria, respectively. Correct coordination of gene expression within these genomes underlies the development of the organism from the fertilized egg, which occurs as a consequence of controlled cellular growth and division. As for other eukaryotes, the duplication of cells occurs through the operation of a cell division cycle. This cycle can be charted from the point of mitosis (M phase) and cell division; this is followed by a period of cellular growth (G 1 phase) preceding the duplication of the nuclear genome (S phase), which in turn is followed by a second period of cellular growth (G 2 phase) prior to the next point of mitosis. The proportions of cells within the various phases of the cell division cycle is defined through the measurement of the nuclear DNA content and its relationship to the haploid genome size (C), defined as the nuclear DNA content of the gamete. In animal cell systems, a variety of flow cytometric (FCM) procedures have been developed for the analysis of nuclear DNA contents. These involve the staining of the nuclei with specific fluorochromes, under conditions in which the amount of the emission of fluorescence is linearly correlated to DNA content. To provide access of the fluorochromes to the nuclei, the plasma membranes are permeabilized, either through fixation or through use of detergents.
Interactions of Particles with Matter

As already described, regional microdosimetry is concerned with the stochastics of energy deposition in specified sites. Once the target is defined as a physical ensemble (composition, geometry, etc) the problem is reduced to studying the probability of interaction of particles with the target system — an exercise in quantum mechanics.
Consumer perceptions of prescription and over-the-counter drug advertisements with promotional offers

ABSTRACTInformation on the effects of promotional offers in direct-to-consumer prescription drug ads is limited. In two studies, we examined the effect of promotional offers (e.g., money-back guarantee) and ad type (creating prescription and over-the-counter drug ads by varying the presence of benefit and risk information). We found little effect of promotional offers. Adding benefit (risk) information to the ad increased consumers’ knowledge of the benefit (risk) information and their efficacy (risk) perceptions. In most cases, adding risk information to an ad with benefit information increased risk knowledge and perceptions without decreasing benefit knowledge or perceptions.
The number line is a critical spatial-numerical representation: Evidence from a fraction intervention

Children's ability to place fractions on a number line strongly correlates with math achievement. But does the number line play a causal role in fraction learning or does it simply index more advanced fraction knowledge? The number line may be a particularly effective representation for fraction learning because its properties align with the desired mental representation and take advantage of preexisting spatial-numeric biases. Using a pretest-training-posttest design, we examined second and third graders' fraction learning in 3 conditions: number line training, area model training, and a non-numerical control. Children who received number line training improved at representing fractions with number lines, and children who received area model training improved at representing fractions with area models. Critically, only the number line training led to transfer to an untrained fraction magnitude comparison task. We conclude that the number line plays a causal role in children's fraction magnitude understanding, and is more beneficial than the widely used area model. (PsycINFO Database Record
A Platform for Analysis of Nanoscale Liquids with an Array of Sensor Devices Based on Two-Dimensional Material

Analysis of nanoscale liquids, including wetting and flow phenomena, is a scientific challenge with far reaching implications for industrial technologies. We report the conception, development, and application of an integrated platform for the experimental characterization of liquids at the nanometer scale. The platform combines the functionalities of a two-dimensional electronic array of sensor devices with in situ application of highly sensitive optical microspectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. We demonstrate the performance capabilities of the platform with an embodiment based on an array of optically transparent graphene sensors. The application of electronic and optical sensing in the platform allows for differentiating between liquids electronically, for determining a liquid’s molecular fingerprint, and for monitoring surface wetting dynamics in real time. In order to explore the platform’s sensitivity limits, we record topographies and optical spectra of individual, spatially isolated sessile ...
Water Sorption in Electron-Beam Evaporated SiO2 on QCM Crystals and Its Influence on Polymer Thin Film Hydration Measurements.

Spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) measurements are two critical characterization techniques routinely employed for hydration studies of polymer thin films. Water uptake by thin polymer films is an important area of study to investigate antifouling surfaces, to probe the swelling of thin water-containing ionomer films, and to conduct fundamental studies of polymer brush hydration and swelling. SiO2-coated QCM crystals, employed as substrates in many of these hydration studies, show porosity in the thin electron-beam (e-beam) evaporated SiO2 layer. The water sorption into this porous SiO2 layer requires correction of the optical and mass characterization of the hydrated polymer due to changes in the SiO2 layer as it sorbs water. This correction is especially important when experiments on SiO2-coated QCM crystals are compared to measurements on Si wafers with dense native SiO2 layers. Water adsorption filling void space during hydration in ∼200–260 nm thick SiO2 layers dep...
Blood Hemostatic Changes During an Ultraendurance Road Cycling Event in a Hot Environment

Objective This study aims to examine blood hemostatic responses to completing a 164-km road cycling event in a hot environment. Methods Thirty-seven subjects (28 men and 9 women; 51.8±9.5 [mean±SD] y) completed the ride in 6.6±1.1 hours. Anthropometrics (height, body mass [taken also during morning of the ride], percent body fat [%]) were collected the day before the ride. Blood samples were collected on the morning of the ride (PRE) and immediately after (IP) the subject completed the ride. Concentrations of platelet, platelet activation, coagulation, and fibrinolytic markers (platelet factor 4, β-thromboglobulin, von Willebrand factor antigen, thrombin-antithrombin complex, thrombomodulin, and D-Dimer) were measured. Associations between changes from PRE- to IP-ride were examined as a function of event completion time and subject characteristics (demographics and anthropometrics). Results All blood hemostatic markers increased significantly ( P r = 0.40; P = .017), while percent body fat (%BF) was negatively correlated with thrombin-antithrombin complex ( r = –0.35; P = .038) and to thrombomodulin ( r = –0.36; P = .036). In addition, male subjects had greater concentrations of thrombin-antithrombin complex (d = 0.63; P P Conclusion Completing the 164-km road cycling event in hot conditions resulted in increased concentrations of platelet, platelet activation, coagulation, and fibrinolytic markers in both men and women. Although platelet activation and coagulation occurred, the fibrinolytic system markers also increased, which appears to balance blood hemostasis and may prevent clot formation during exercise in a hot environment.
Chronic Subdural Hematoma: A Perspective on Subdural Membranes and Dementia.

Objective To review the complex pathogenesis of the subdural membrane and the link between head trauma, dementia, and dural lymphatics. Methods A thorough literature search of published English-language articles was performed using PubMed, Ovid, and Cochrane databases. Results Chronic subdural hematoma (cSDH) is a common intracranial pathology and a leading cause of reversible dementia. cSDH is projected to affect at least 60,000 new individuals in the United States annually by 2030. This condition can result from mild to moderate head trauma that leads to hemorrhaging in the dura-arachnoid interface. The short-term and long-term effects of cSDH and the subdural membrane on the pathogenesis of dementia and the newly discovered dural lymphatics is a topic of increasing importance. Conclusions Further research into the possible link between traumatic brain injury and cSDH in particular and dural lymphatics and intracranial fluid dynamics is warranted.
Arithmetic in the Computer/Calculator Age

This conference focuses on the possible or likely effects the computer/calculator age and the discipline of computer science will have or should have on the first two years of the college and university level mathematics curriculum. Related and perhaps even more fundamental effects will be those on pre-college mathematics. Any such effects will generate further effects on beginning college level mathematics including, of course, remedial mathematics.
Management of Complications Following Pancreaticoduodenectom

The safety of pancreaticoduodenectomy has improved in recent years. Despite reports of in-hospital mortality rates of 4% or less, nearly 50% of patients who undergo pancreaticoduodenal resection will have some form of postoperative complication that may prolong hospital stay. The management of the more common postoperative complications, such as early delayed gastric emptying, pancreatic fistula, intra-abdominal abscess, and hemorrhage,is reviewed
Finding an ending

Few musical works loom as large in Western culture as Richard Wagner's four-part Ring of the Nibelung. In Finding an Ending, two eminent philosophers, Philip Kitcher and Richard Schacht, offer an illuminating look at this greatest of Wagner's achievements, focusing on its far-reaching and subtle exploration of problems of meanings and endings in this life and world. Kitcher and Schacht plunge the reader into the heart of Wagner's Ring, drawing out the philosophical and human significance of the text and the music. They show how different forms of love, freedom, heroism, authority, and judgment are explored and tested as it unfolds. As they journey across its sweeping musical-dramatic landscape, Kitcher and Schacht lead us to the central concern of the Ring-the problem of endowing life with genuine significance that can be enhanced rather than negated by its ending, if the right sort of ending can be found. The drama originates in Wotan's quest for a transformation of the primordial state of things into a world in which life can be lived more meaningfully. The authors trace the evolution of Wotan's efforts, the intricate problems he confronts, and his failures and defeats. But while the problem Wotan poses for himself proves to be insoluble as he conceives of it, they suggest that his very efforts and failures set the stage for the transformation of his problem, and for the only sort of resolution of it that may be humanly possible-to which it is not Siegfried but rather Brunnhilde who shows the way. The Ring's ending, with its passing of the gods above and destruction of the world below, might seem to be devastating; but Kitcher and Schacht see a kind of meaning in and through the ending revealed to us that is profoundly affirmative, and that has perhaps never been so powerfully and so beautifully expressed.
Hierarchical parallel Markov models of interaction

Finite state techniques are popular in entertainment software production, but they complicate the modeling of certain aspects of social engagement. In this paper we examine the problem of building probabilistic finite-state interaction models that allow both hierarchical composition of behaviors, and their parallel engagement. Finally, we propose an extension that resolves the difficulties for a class of common cases.
Effects of Metreleptin on Proteinuria in Patients With Lipodystrophy

CONTEXT Patients with lipodystrophy have high prevalence of proteinuria. OBJECTIVE To assess kidney disease in patients with generalized (GLD) versus partial lipodystrophy (PLD), and effects metreleptin on proteinuria in patients with lipodystrophy. DESIGN/SETTING/PATIENTS/INTERVENTION Prospective, open-label studies of metreleptin treatment in patients with GLD and PLD at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD. OUTCOME MEASURES 24-hour urinary albumin and protein excretion rates, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and creatinine clearance (CrCl) were measured at baseline and during up to 24 months of metreleptin treatment. Patients with increases in medications affecting outcome measures were excluded. RESULTS At baseline, patients with GLD had significantly greater albuminuria, proteinuria, eGFR, and CrCl compared to patients with PLD. CrCl was above the normal range in 69% of patients with GLD, and 39% with PLD (P=0.02). With up to 24 months of metreleptin treatment, there were significant reductions in albuminuria and proteinuria in patients with GLD, but not in those with PLD. No changes in eGFR or CrCl were observed in patients with GLD or PLD during metreleptin treatment. CONCLUSIONS Patients with GLD had significantly greater proteinuria than those with PLD, which improved with metreleptin treatment. The mechanisms leading to proteinuria in lipodystrophy and improvements in proteinuria with metreleptin are not clear. Hyperfiltration was also more common in GLD versus PLD but did not change with metreleptin.
Changes in Internet Suicide Search Volumes Following Celebrity Suicides

Celebrity suicides that are reported heavily in the media may increase risk for others' suicidal behavior. This study examined whether Internet search volumes for suicide-related terms changed after three celebrity suicide deaths (Robin Williams, Chester Bennington, and Alexander McQueen) and three celebrities who died by means other than suicide (David Bowie, Azzedine Alaia, and Paul Walker). Suicide search terms included suicide, how to suicide, commit suicide, depression, hanging, and suicide prevention. Observed suicide search volumes in the United States were collected from Google Trends for the 10 weeks before and the 2 weeks following each celebrity's death. Predicted search volumes for the 14 days postdeath were forecasted from the predeath search volumes and predicted search volumes were then compared to the true, observed search volumes. Search volumes for suicide terms significantly increased following Robin Williams' suicide death. Some of the terms increased in search volume following Chester Bennington's and Alexander McQueen's suicide deaths, but not significantly. Most search volumes for nonsuicide celebrity deaths did not change following their deaths. Celebrity suicide deaths can lead to significant, national increases in Internet search volumes for suicide-related terms for celebrities of high prominence. Results highlight the critical importance of reporting suicide deaths in the media responsibly.
A Microcomputer Based Data Acquisition System for Versatile Mobile Data Processing

A microcomputer-based, eight-channel data acquisition system is described for customer correlation and routine vehicle field testing applications. The In Vehicle Microcomputer System meets the design goals of multi-channel inputs, self-contained signal conditioning with completely interchangeable, channel by channel measurement function flexibility, a selectable frequency capability of at least DC to 50 cps, recording capacity for at least six months of unattended use, and good packaging and pricing. Calibration, signal gain, and channel zero offset adjustments can be performed under software control. The microcomputer system is based on a Motorola M6800 microprocessor and a nonvolatile core memory module. The design, development, field performance, and data processing characteristics of the system are described, including specific automotive applications (e.g. transmission data acquisition) and field test results. The system can be used for extended statistical recording of various vehicle functions in the customer's environment. It provides for program, control, and signal conditioning flexibility and has many applications.
Promoting proton coupled electron transfer in redox catalysts through molecular design.

Most bond-forming and -breaking redox reactions require the concomitant transfer of protons. Unassisted proton movement can result in kinetic and thermodynamic barriers that inhibit the rate of these reactions, leading to slow and/or inefficient catalysis. These barriers can be circumvented by effective proton management through molecular design. Different strategies for managing proton movement are discussed with examples from biological and synthetic systems. As proton management is particularly important in redox reactions for chemical fuel generation and utilization, the focus will be on catalysts for H–H and O–O bond formation and cleavage. However, we expect the approaches discussed herein will be general to most multi-electron, multi-proton reactions.
Communication Hotspots: How Infrastructure Shapes People’s Health

Informed by communication infrastructure theory (CIT) and the social capital approach to health, this study focused on the role played by communication hotspots: physical places in a community (e.g., parks, churches, or restaurants) where health information is shared between network actors. By analyzing survey data that included information about communication infrastructure, frequency of health conversations, as well as the size and diversity of respondents' social networks, this study illustrates how communication hotspots may reduce perceived barriers to healthcare among Latinas in the greater Los Angeles area (N = 780). The results suggest that communication hotspots can influence people's health by facilitating information-sharing activities. In addition, communication hotspots may reduce perceived barriers to healthcare by bringing together diverse network actors. We conclude by considering future health interventions and policy planning to leverage and enhance community members' interactions at communication hotspots.
Public Private Partnerships: Rome’s EPrix, auto industry mergers and repercussions, turnpikes and toll roads

This paper uses Public Choice analysis to examine the case for and experience with Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs). A PPP is a contractual platform which connects a governmental body and a private entity. The goal is to provide a public sector program, service, or asset that would normally be provided exclusively by a public sector entity. This paper focuses on PPPs in developed countries, but it also draws on studies of PPPs in developing countries. The economics literature generally defines PPPs as long-term contractual arrangements between a public authority (local or central government) and a private supplier for the delivery of services. The private sector supplier takes responsibility for building infrastructure components, securing financing of the investment, and then managing and maintaining this facility. However, in addition to those formed through contracts, PPPs may take other forms such as those developed in response to tax subvention or coercion, as in the case of regulatory mandates. A key element of PPP is that the private partner takes on a significant portion of the risk through a schedule of specified remuneration, contingency payments, and provision for dispute resolution. PPPs typically are long-term arrangements and involve large corporations on the private side, but may also be limited to specific phases of a project. The types of PPPs discussed in this paper exclude arrangements which may result from government mandates such as the statutory emission mandates imposed on automobile manufacturers and industrial facilities (e.g., power plants). It also excludes PPP-like organizations resulting from US section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, which provides tax subsidies for certain public charities, scientific research organizations, and organizations whose goals are to prevent cruelty to animals or erect public monuments at no expense to the government. This paper concludes that an array of Public Choice tools are applicable to understanding the emergence, success, or failure of PPPs. Several short case studies are provided to illustrate the practicalities of PPPs.
Archaeology of the Boston Saloon

Buffalo soldiers and Black cowboys are popular symbols of African American heritage in the West. The archaeological remains of the African American owned Boston Saloon provide yet another example of this legacy in the context of mining boomtowns. The Boston Saloon operated during the 1860s and 1870s in Virginia City, Nevada to serve that community's African Americans. Hollywood portrayals and western historical literature tend to present saloons and mining boomtowns as sordid places populated primarily by European Americans, with Chinese and Native Americans on the margins. Yet African Americans rarely enter this popular imagery. When synthesized with insights from documentary records, the Boston Saloon's archaeological remnants enhance an understanding of the cosmopolitan dimensions of the so-called, "wild West."
Noise reduction in the inverse solution for one-dimensional cardiac active stress reconstruction

Visualizing action potentials within the cardiac tissue enables the identification of abnormal action potential wave propagation patterns for use in both clinical and cardiac research settings. Otani et al. have been investigating the possibility of using 4-D (three spatial dimensions and one time dimension) mechanical deformation data, obtained either from MRI or ultrasound images to reverse-calculate these action potential patterns. However, the inverse system is extremely sensitive to noise; that is, a small amount of perturbation from the signal can lead to a substantial perturbation in the solution if the perturbation has a high-frequency component. Here, we explore three noise reduction methods, in an attempt to reduce the effect of noise in the input data and to regularize the calculated solution.
Targeted interventions for violence among Latinx youth: A systematic review

Abstract A systematic review was conducted in order to assess the effectiveness of current community, school, and family-based violence prevention interventions targeted toward Latinx youth. The reviewers investigated how existing interventions decrease violence exposure, perpetuation, and externalizing behaviors among Latinx youth. Criteria for inclusion in the review and search terms were identified and agreed upon by two independent reviewers. The reviewers searched PsycINFO, Eric, and PsychArticles using detailed search terms relevant to the review's topic. A total of nine articles were included in the review and summarized narratively. Interventions were grouped and compared to one another in order to determine the most efficacious treatment method. One community-based treatment, five school-based treatments, and three family-based treatments were analyzed. There was not one level of targeted intervention that resulted in more successful violence prevention among Latinx youth as compared to other targeted levels. The reviewers concluded that there is a need for increased quality studies conducted in this area of research as well as interventions that incorporate all three levels of influence.
Past perspectives and new opportunities for the explanatory item response model

Models of word reading that simultaneously take into account item-level and person-level fixed and random effects are broadly known as explanatory item response models (EIRM). Although many variants of the EIRM are available, the field has generally focused on the doubly explanatory model for modeling individual differences on item responses. Moreover, the historical application of the EIRM has been a Rasch version of the model where the item discrimination values are fixed at 1.0 and the random or fixed item effects only pertain to the item difficulties. The statistical literature has advanced to allow for more robust testing of observed or latent outcomes, as well as more flexible parameterizations of the EIRM. The purpose of the present study was to compare four types of Rasch-based EIRMs (i.e., doubly descriptive, person explanatory, item explanatory, doubly explanatory) and more broadly compare Rasch and 2PL EIRM when including person-level and item-level predictors. Results showed that not only was the error variance smaller in the unconditional 2PL EIRM compared to the Rasch EIRM due to including the item discrimination random effect, but that patterns of unique item-level explanatory variables differ between the two approaches. Results are interpreted within the context of what each statistical model affords to the opportunity for describing and explaining differences in word-level performance.
Polygenic Risk Scores for Alzheimer’s Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment in Hispanics/Latinos in the U.S: The Study of Latinos – Investigation of Neurocognitive Aging

Introduction: Polygenic Risk Score (PRS) are powerful summaries of genetic risk alleles that can potentially be used to predict disease outcomes and guide treatment decisions. Hispanics/Latinos suffer from higher rates of Alzheimer9s Disease (AD) and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) compared to non-Hispanic Whites, yet the strongest known genetic risk factor for AD, APOE-ϵ4 allele, has weak association with AD in Hispanics/Latinos. We evaluated PRS constructed based on Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) of AD in predicting MCI in Hispanics/Latinos when accounting for APOE alleles and variants. Methods: We used summary statistics from four GWAS of AD to construct PRS that predict MCI in 4,189 diverse Hispanics/Latinos (mean age 63 years, 47% males) from the Study of Latinos-Investigation of Neurocognitive Aging. We assessed the PRS associations with MCI in the combined set of people and in groups defined by genetic ancestry and Hispanic/Latino background, and when including and excluding single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from the APOE gene region. Results: A PRS constructed based on GWAS of AD in the FINNGEN Biobank was associated with MCI (OR = 1.34, 95% CI [1.15, 1.55]), and its association was mostly driven by 158 APOE region SNPs. A PRS constructed based on a multi-ethnic AD GWAS was associated with MCI (OR=1.22, 95% CI [1.08, 1.37]) without including any APOE region SNPs. APOE-ϵ4 and APOE-ϵ2 alleles were not associated with MCI. Discussion: A combination of APOE region SNPs is associated with MCI in Hispanics/Latinos despite APOE-ϵ4 and APOE-ϵ2 alleles not being associated with MCI.
A case of Mycobacterium fortuitum prosthetic joint infection successfully treated medically without prosthesis explantation or joint debridement.

A 58-year-old man with a history of end-stage degenerative joint disease developed a postsurgical infection at the right hip 4 weeks after hip replacement surgery. He underwent surgical washout of the right hip without opening the joint capsule. Arthrocentesis returned positive for Mycobacterium fortuitum. He was started on antibiotics with the recommendation to remove the prosthesis. The prosthesis was retained. Based on antimicrobial susceptibilities, he was treated with 4 weeks of intravenous therapy using cefoxitin and amikacin and later switched to oral ciprofloxacin and doxycycline for 5 additional months. Eighteen months from his initial hip replacement surgery, he continues to do well. Joint aspiration culture is important to make a diagnosis of prosthetic joint infection (PJI) when periprosthetic culture is not available. In the absence of serious systemic or comorbid joint conditions, PJI due to M. fortuitum can be managed medically without having to remove the prosthesis or debride the joint.
Political Fragmentation in Democracies of the West

The decline of effective government throughout most Western democracies poses one of the greatest challenges democracy currently confronts. A major reason for this decline is that democracies have become more politically fragmented. In the proportional-representation systems of Western Europe, power is now divided across many more political parties, including recent, insurgent ones. In the first-past-the-post system of the United States, the main parties are much more internally fragmented. Outside groups, and even individual actors, have far greater power to disrupt and undermine government efforts to forge policy than in the past. This article expands and extends earlier work I have done on political fragmentation in the United States. It identifies the various forms political fragmentation has taken across the Western democracies in general. The article then explores the major economic and cultural forces driving fragmentation across democracies. This piece then turns to the communications revolution, as another major cause of the political fragmentation in democracies today. The communications revolution might inherently undermine the capacity for legitimate, broadly accepted political authority – the authority necessary to be able to govern effectively in democratic systems. Political fragmentation is the result of dissatisfaction with the way democracies have been governing, yet it also makes effective governance all the more difficult. Overcoming this fragmentation and delivering effective governance is the most urgent challenge facing democracies across the West.
Satisfaction of college students with the digital learning environment. Do learners' temperaments make a difference?

Undergraduate students enrolled in courses that incorporate Web-based modules were surveyed to assess their satisfaction with learning in a digital instructional environment, with the goal of identifying learners' temperaments as possible predictors of satisfaction. Temperament classifications were guardian, artisan, idealist, and rational and were determined through the Keirsey Temperament Sorter II (KTSII). Satisfaction was measured on a 16-item satisfaction scale. The research sample was comprised of 145 male and female volunteer participants from a variety of academic majors at a large southeastern university. Considered important from the research findings is the absence of temperament as a predictor of satisfaction, with the view that students considering enrolling in courses that incorporate digital learning, but who may be reluctant to register because of perceived mismatches between personal traits and the digital environment, should be reassured that the environment is not restrictive in terms of temperament.
Nonlinear, nonlaminar - 3D computation of electron motion through the output cavity of a klystron.

The equations of motion used in the computation are discussed along with the space charge fields and the integration process. The following assumptions were used as a basis for the computation: (1) The beam is divided into N axisymmetric discs of equal charge and each disc into R rings of equal charge. (2) The velocity of each disc, its phase with respect to the gap voltage, and its radius at a specified position in the drift tunnel prior to the interaction gap is known from available large signal one dimensional programs. (3) The fringing rf fields are computed from exact analytical expressions derived from the wave equation assuming a known field shape between the tunnel tips at a radius a. (4) The beam is focused by an axisymmetric magnetic field. Both components of B, that is B sub z and B sub r, are taken into account. (5) Since this integration does not start at the cathode but rather further down the stream prior to entering the output cavity it is assumed that each electron moved along a laminar path from the cathode to the start of integration.
A note on H∞ structures

We give a source of (coconnective) examples of H∞ structures that do not lift to E∞ structures, based on Mandell’s proof of the equivalence between certain cochain algebras and spaces.
Retinoic Acid Suppresses Human Papillomavirus Type 16 (HPV16)-Mediated Transformation of Human Keratinocytes and Inhibits the Expression of the HPV16 Oncogenes

It has been estimated that approximately 35% of cancer deaths occurring now may be related to diet, and that diet may constitute the greatest lifestyle contribution to cancer mortality.1 Of the numerous dietary constituents related to cancer risk, β-carotene and/or vitamin A have consistently been implicated as potential agents for the chemoprevention of cancer in humans.2–7 Vitamin A and its natural and synthetic derivatives (collectively known as retinoids) have been shown to inhibit both chemical8 and viral carcinogenesis.9,10 For example, retinoids inhibit skin carcinogenesis in the classic two-stage system11 and exert a marked inhibitory effect on the induction and development of virus-induced papilloma (Shope) of rabbit skin.9,10 In addition, numerous epidemiological studies have demonstrated an inverse correlation between dietary intake or blood levels of vitamin A and/or its precursors, the carotenoids, and cancer risk at several epithelial sites,12–17 including the cervix.18–21 Retinoids also may be effective in treating premalignant lesions such as cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN).22–27 In fact, phase I and phase II clinical trials of all-trans-retinoic acid (RA) for CIN have shown that RA is capable of reversing cervical dysplasia in some patients, indicating that retinoids may be useful in the prevention and treatment of cervical malignancies.22–27
Linear prediction for bandpass signals based on nonuniform past samples

This paper concerns linear prediction of the value of a bandpass signal containing one or more passbands from a finite set of its past samples. The method of choosing prediction coefficients involves the eigenvector corresponding to the smallest eigenvalue of a matrix dependent on a function which is the Fourier transform of the set of intervals making up the passband. The method is developed for a set of arbitrary past samples and applied here to a set of "interlaced" samples that are nonuniform but periodic. The method applies to finite energy signals as well as to bandpass signals of polynomial growth, which connects to the theory of generalized functions. Computational examples are given of prediction coefficient values and of signal predictions.
A multiple‐layer canopy scattering model to simulate shortwave radiation distribution within a homogeneous plant canopy

[1] A multiple-layer canopy scattering model to estimate shortwave radiation distribution within a wheat canopy was derived mathematically, which incorporated processes of radiation penetration through gaps between leaves, and radiation absorption, reflection, and transmission in leaf layers. The model is able to simulate the multiple scattering processes that occur among different canopy layers and to predict the vertical distributions of upward, downward, and reflected shortwave radiation within the canopy, as well as the magnitude of subcanopy radiation that penetrates to the soil surface. One of the primary advantages of this model, in contrast to other models, is that the multiple scattering processes are represented by a set of linear simultaneous equations that can be solved in a single pass through the equations, without iteration. This achieves computational economy while still accounting for the details of multiple scattering of radiation within the canopy. Stability analyses of the model showed that the canopy, with a leaf area index within a normal field range from 0 to 7, needed to be divided into about 50 or more layers in order to converge upon its final solution. Satisfactory agreement was obtained between model results and field measurements for downward shortwave radiation impinging on the soil surface below the canopy, and upward reflected radiation above the canopy, both for daily total values and for the 20-min averages throughout the diurnal cycle.
The Thermal Sensitivity of Michaelis-Menten Kinetics as a Function of Substrate Concentration

Abstract Analysis of the thermal sensitivity of life processes governed by Michaelis-Menten kinetics shows that: (1) a one-parameter family of either isotherms or isoconcentrates is required to describe the thermal sensitivity of such processes; (2) rate maxima cannot exist unless a single parameter condition is satisfied and substrate concentration falls within a well-defined range; (3) optimum temparature increases asthe logarithm of substrate concentration and semi-log plots of optimum temperature (linear scale) versus substrate concentration (logarithmic scale) yield straight lines; (4) the maximum rate corresponding to the optimum temparature increases as substrate concentration raised to a power of value less than unity and log-log plots of maximum rate versus substrate concentration produce straight lines with less-than-unity slopes; and (5) the progression of optimum temperature and maximum rate with substrate concentration is parallel to the infinite-concentration isoconcentrate in semi-log plots, with rate plotted on the logarithmic scale and temperature on the linear scale.
Hormonal Therapy: Current and New Directions

: The well-established hormonal risk factors for breast cancer and laboratory models of estrogen-driven breast cancer cell growth have long provided a rationale for hormonal therapy. After the early use of therapeutic oophorectomy, antiestrogens, now known as selective estrogen response modulators (SERMs), became widely used. Large-scale trials have now shown that the SERM prototype, tamoxifen, is effective for palliation in advanced breast cancer, for improvements in recurrence and mortality risk in early stage disease, local recurrence in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), and as prevention for early stage breast cancer. Questions still remain about the optimal selection of patients for early stage disease, DCIS, and prevention. New highly potent aromatase inhibitors (AIs) have now been tested in advanced stage disease, where they have become the treatment of choice for postmenopausal patients. Early results from a large randomized trial (Anastrozole, Tamoxifen, Alone or in Combination [ATAC]) suggest that the AI anastrozole is superior to tamoxifen in lowering the risk of recurrence. Fewer vaginal symptoms and hot flashes were seen with anastrozole, but more bone fractures in this group have raised the concern of long-term bone mineral density and other hormonal effects in a population of patients who are less likely to die of breast cancer than of other causes. AIs are also being tested for primary prevention, and a hint of this benefit was seen in the ATAC trial. Signs of hormonal deficiency are a common problem in women who have been treated for breast cancer, and this adversely affects their overall quality of life. The controversies concerning hormonal supplementation and the limited data in this regard are discussed.
Perceived difficulty of a motor task affects memory but not action.

Successful motor interaction with a target changes memory of the target’s size, which seems larger if the action was successful than if it was unsuccessful. This has been attributed to the effect of action on subsequent perception or memory. We asked what the action provides: Is feedback from the action necessary, or only the information provided by the action? We found that perceived difficulty alone changes the remembered goal characteristics, without changes in the stimuli, and before the motor task is executed. We gave observers a marble and showed them a hole in a box. They were told that throwing the marble into the hole was either difficult or easy, depending on the condition. The hole was then covered and its size judged. Participants who were told that the task was difficult judged the hole to be significantly smaller than it was, whereas those told that the task was easy made judgements not significantly different from veridical. When observers subsequently threw the marble, their success rates were independent of their own estimates of hole size or of what they had been told about the difficulty of the task, showing that their size estimates affected memory but not action. In a second experiment, we found that the effect disappeared if the hole was visible during the size estimation.
Self and External Monitoring of Weight

Subjects were 23 obese men and women who received a behavioral weight control program and were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions: (1) subjects were weighed at the beginning of each treatment session and were encouraged to weigh themselves at home for “continuous feedback” or (2) subjects were not weighed at group meetings and were instructed to avoid weighing themselves at home in order to “concentrate on behavioral change.” At posttreatment and at 4-wk. follow-up, the groups did not differ for change in bodyweight or change in percentage overweight. There was, however, a tendency for subjects who did not weigh themselves to lose more weight and to display lower attrition than weighed subjects at posttreatment and at the 4-wk. and 6-mo. follow-ups.
Synthesis of iodine-125 labelled aryl and vinyl iodides

Iodine-125 labelled vinyl and aryl iodides are formed via the reaction of sodium iodide-125 with vinyl- and arylboronic acids. Good yields of isomerically pure products are obtained.
Treating Revolving-Door Patients Who Have "Hospitalphilia": Compassion, Coercion, and Common Sense

Treatments applicable to the frequently rehospitalized psychiatric patient-the so-called revolvingdoor patient-have been poorly delineated. One subgroup of these patients includes those for whom recidivism has become a way of life; they may be said to suffer from "hospitalpbilia". Neither refractoriness to treatment nor noncompliance with medications explains their frequent admissions. The author presents ten clinical principles to guide treatment planning for this subgroup of patients. The principles emphasize cooperation between the patient and the treatment agencies in creating a comprehensive, consistent, and enforceable plan to reduce unnecessary hospitalizations. Four treatment strategies based on the principles are outlined: unlimited access to hospitalization, a chit or voucher system, a rationing system, and an approach centered on the patient's expressed ability to avoid hospitalization.
Substitute or Complement? Spousal Influence on Volunteering

Social scientists have documented the influence of family statuses on volunteering, ignoring intrafamily effects. Using newly issued data from the Current Population Survey on the volunteer behavior of 19,626 American couples, we test two competing theories concerning spousal influences on volunteering. Substitution theory predicts that spouses will trade off volunteer work; complementarity theory predicts that spouses' volunteer work is positively linked. Using structural equation methods to control for simultaneity bias, we find support for the complementarity theory. The wife's influence, however, is stronger than the husband's. Spousal influence is stronger if both spouses volunteer in the same domain. The findings underline the importance of close relationships in mobilizing volunteer workers.
The effect of strain gage size on measurement errors in textile composite materials

The heterogeneous nature of textile composites on the microstructural scale leads to variation in the local strain field within the unit cell. This variation can result in inaccurate measurement of the average global strain when using strain gages of insufficient size. A statistical model for sensor error is presented which leads to expressions for sensor variance. The model includes the effects of unit cell size, gage length, gage width, microstructural defects and irregularities, and instrument error. The proposed model is verified experimentally by using a plain woven-graphite-epoxy composite material and strain gages of various lengths. The experimental results are compared with analytical predictions. A set of guidelines is given for the use of strain gages on textile composites.
Relating mechanical properties and chemical bonding in an inorganic-organic framework material: a single-crystal nanoindentation study.

We report the application of nanoindentation and atomic force microscopy to establish the fundamental relationships between mechanical properties and chemical bonding in a dense inorganic−organic framework material: Ce(C2O4)(HCO2), 1. Compound 1 is a mixed-ligand 3-D hybrid which crystallizes in an orthorhombic space group, in which its three basic building blocks, i.e. the inorganic metal−oxygen−metal (M−O−M) chains and the two organic bridging ligands, (oxalate and formate) are all oriented perpendicular to one another. This unique architecture enabled us to decouple the elastic and plastic mechanical responses along the three primary axes of a single crystal to understand the contribution associated with stiff vs compliant basic building blocks. The (001)-oriented facet that features rigid oxalate ligands down the c-axis exhibits the highest stiffness and hardness (E ∼78 GPa and H ∼4.6 GPa). In contrast, the (010)-oriented facet was found to be the most compliant and soft (E ∼43 GPa and H ∼3.9 GPa), si...
Effects of halothane on the immature lamb heart

The choice of anesthesia during pregnancy and fetal operations is controversial. Halothane frequently is used, but its direct effects on fetal cardiac performance are unknown. The effects of halothane on fetal cardiac mechanics were studied in 8 fetal lamb hearts (135 days' gestation) using a modified Langendorff model connected to a membrane oxygenator. The perfusate consisted of oxygenated maternal blood at a constant flow temperature, hematocrit value, and glucose level. Coronary blood flow, left ventricular systolic pressure, left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, and the developed left ventricular pressure at a fixed volume were evaluated at baseline and after the addition of incremental concentrations of halothane to the perfusate through the oxygenator. Perfusate halothane levels were maintained in a clinical range. Systolic and diastolic cardiac function were adversely affected by the administration of even low doses of halothane, despite a concomitant increase in coronary blood flow. Because of the immaturity of their calcium transport system, fetal hearts may be particularly sensitive to the known calcium channel—blocking properties of halothane.