cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Investigation of the optical properties of YAG:Ce phosphor

Recently, many studies have used optical ray-tracing analysis to investigate novel concepts of phosphor-converted white LEDs. Even though optical ray-tracing is a convenient tool, the accuracy of the results depends very much on the optical properties of the various components within the package used in the analysis. Presently, light transmission, reflection, and absorption properties of white LED phosphors are not very well quantified. Therefore, a laboratory study was conducted to quantify at different wavelengths of light the optical properties of a medium that has YAG:Ce phosphor mixed into epoxy. When short-wavelength radiation (blue light) strikes the epoxy-phosphor medium, some portion of the blue light is converted to longer wavelength radiation (yellow light). At a phosphor density suitable for creating a balanced white light, the amount of back-transferred and forward-transferred light, including blue and yellow light, are 53% and 47%, respectively. At a similar phosphor density, when green and red radiant energies strike the epoxyphosphor medium, most of the energy is not converted by the YAG:Ce phosphor because it is beyond the phosphor's excitation region. In this case, nearly equal amounts of green and red radiant energy are transferred in the backward and forward directions. To demonstrate the usefulness of the results obtained in this study, an optical ray-tracing analysis of a remote phosphor white LED package was conducted. This analysis showed that the surface finish of the reflector cup of a reflective type remote phosphor white LED package does not affect extraction efficiency.
Sex Differences in the Perception of Touching

Sex differences in the perception of touching were investigated by having 25 male and 25 female college students rate how likeable a touch would be under different conditions. The women produced a ...
Laser-Based Confirmation of Chemically Induced Raman Pumping and Enhanced Excited Electronic State Interactions

Laser-based optical pumping of an extended path length supersonic expansion at concentrations in excess of 1015 cm-3 elucidates the first example of a chemically induced Raman pumping process invol...
Genetic Risks for Breast Cancer in African American Women: Analysis of Candidate Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms from Association Studies.

Background: African American breast cancer patients present with more aggressive disease than Caucasian women. They are also more likely to experience earlier onset of illness and tumors that are resistant to current treatment options due to their high grade and negative hormone receptor status. These attributes are correlated with greater mortality. The different frequencies of these indicators in African American and Caucasian patients have been associated with genetic susceptibility and genetically driven progression of breast cancer. However, these studies have focused on well-known breast cancer genes, not the low-penetrance mutations identified by genome-wide association studies (GWAS).Aims: This pilot case-control replication study investigated both the overall and attribute-based breast cancer risk of African American women associated with three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) selected through previously published association studies, including a genome-wide association study by Gold et al. (2008), and predicted high odds ratios and high minor allele frequencies in the African American population compared to the original study populations. We hypothesized that rs2180341 and rs7776136, located in 6q22.33 and associated with risk in a GWAS of Ashkenazi Jewish familial breast cancer cases, would contribute to overall risk in a case-control cohort of African American women. We also hypothesized that rs3741378, a SNP in SIPA1 previously associated with hormone-receptor negative tumors, would contribute to this outcome in the same cohort. These SNPs were additionally studied for relevance to other clinical outcomes.Methods: Two hundred and eighteen cases and 105 controls from the University of Chicago Cancer Risk Clinic were genotyped for these three SNPs using SNaPshot multiplex. Clinical information, including age of diagnosis, family history, hormone receptor status, survival, and tumor grade and stage, was also collected. Statistical analysis was performed using Pearson9s χ 2 test, Fisher9s exact test, logistic regression and supplementary tests in Stata.Results: Unlike other populations, the African American population showed allelic odds ratios of approximately 1.0 for all SNPs tested, indicating no statistically significant association between these SNPs and breast cancer risk. We also found no association with age of diagnosis, hormone receptor status, tumor stage and grade. However, the minor allele of rs2180341 was associated with decreased survival in patients with a hazard ratio of 3.991 (p=0.044, 95% CI: 1.038-15.337) for the homozygous minor allele genotype.Conclusion: This pilot study represents one of the first forays into the translation of breast cancer GWAS results to populations of African ancestry. Based on our preliminary findings, future studies on a larger cohort of breast cancer cases of African ancestry will be needed to identify risk factors that may be particular to this patient population. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(24 Suppl):Abstract nr 3068.
The Human Aquaporin Gene Family

Aquaporin (AQP) water channel proteins are responsible for osmotically driven water transport across cell membranes of mammalian tissues, lower animals and plants. Recently, the cDNAs encoding ten mammalian AQPs with widely different tissue expression patterns have been cloned. This article reviews the recent progress in molecular cloning, gene organization, chromosomal localization and mutations of human AQPs. Sequence and genomic structure analyses indicate that the AQP gene family contains at least three subgroup. AQPs 0, 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 have 40-50 % amino acid homology and their genes contain 4 exons. AQPs 3, 7 and 9 belong to distinct subfamily that contains 6 exons and functions as transporters of small neutral solutes as well as water. AQP8 belongs to the third subgroup with unique exon-intron boundaries. Mutations in AQP2 cause human nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI). The understanding of AQP genetics is important in studying the pathogenesis of diseases related AQP disorders and finding new targets for therapy.
Photomesonic Fission of Bismuth

The fission of bismuth by high energy photons is detected by a photographic plate technique and some measurements on the cross section as a function of the photon energy are reported.These suggest that the mechanism for fission is the generation of pions inside of the bismuth nucleus, and their subsequent re-absorption in the same nucleus in which they have been produced. This re-absorption generates high energy nucleons which produce the fission.
Seafloor evidence for ice shelf flow across the Alaska–Beaufort margin of the Arctic Ocean

New imagery of ∼14 100 km2 of seafloor along a 640 km stretch of the Alaska and Beaufort margins (ABM) in water depths from 250 to 2800 m depicts a repetitive association of glaciogenic bedforms (lineations and iceberg scours), broad erosional bathymetric features and adjacent downslope turbidite gullies. These bedforms have styles, depths and orientations similar to features discovered earlier on the Chukchi Borderland, up to 800 km northwest of the ABM. Lineations occur across the surface of a flattened bathymetric bench interpreted to have formed by an ice shelf sliding along the continental slope and scraping the seafloor at temporary grounding locations. The glacial geology of surrounding areas suggests that an ice shelf probably flowed from the mouths of overdeepened glacial troughs in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago westward along the ABM and across the Chukchi Borderland. This curved pathway indicates an obstruction to ice flow in the central Canada Basin, possibly caused by either a basin-wide ice shelf or by a pile-up of mega-bergs originating from the Eurasian side of the Arctic Ocean. The ice shelf that affected the ABM may have formed between Oxygen Isotopic Stage 4 to 5b, possibly correlating to an inferred intra-Stage 5 widespread Beringian glaciation. Evidence for glaciogenic features on the ABM corroborates suggestions that large ice volumes and extents existed in the Arctic during Pleistocene glacial periods. These findings have far-reaching implications for Arctic climate studies, ocean circulation, sediment stratigraphy and the stability of circum-Arctic continental ice masses. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Electrochemical study of the diffusion of cytochrome c within nanoscale pores derived from cylinder-forming polystyrene-poly(methylmethacrylate) diblock copolymers

Abstract This paper reports cyclic voltammograms of cytochrome c on recessed nanodisk-array electrodes (RNEs) based on nanoporous films (11, 14 or 24 nm in average pore diameter; 30 nm thick) derived from polystyrene-poly(methylmethacrylate) diblock copolymers. The faradic current of cytochrome c was observed on RNEs, indicating the penetration of cytochrome c (hydrodynamic diameter ≈ 4 nm) through the nanopores to the underlying electrodes. The faradic current on RNEs with 11- and 14-nm nanopores mainly originated from cytochrome c adsorbed on the underlying electrodes, whereas the current on RNEs with 24-nm pores was diffusion-controlled. Interestingly, the diffusion-controlled current of cytochrome c was significantly smaller than that estimated from the faradic current of 1,1′-ferrocenedimethanol on the RNEs. The smaller faradic current suggested more effective decrease in the diffusion coefficient of cytochrome c as compared to that of 1,1′-ferrocenedimethanol, which probably reflected enhanced steric and chemical interactions within the nanopores. Comparison between experimental data and results of finite-element computer simulations made it possible to assess the structure of the nanoporous films and the diffusion coefficients of redox species within the nanopores.
Behaviour Modification in the Treatment of Pseudoseizures: A Case Report

This paper presents a case of a 13-year-old educably retarded girl with a seizure disorder who also presented with pseudo-seizures. Behavioural techniques, specifically planned to ignore the seizure and reinforcement of “seizure free” periods were used to eliminate the pseudo-seizures. The intervention was carried out simultaneously in multiple settings by school and medical personnel as well as parents. A four-year follow-up indicated that treatment gains had been maintained and had generalized over time and across settings.
Cancer Statistics for Hispanics/Latinos, 2012

Hispanics/Latinos are the largest and fastest growing major demographic group in the United States, accounting for 16.3% (50.5 million/310 million) of the US population in 2010. In this article, the American Cancer Society updates a previous report on cancer statistics for Hispanics using incidence data from the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries and mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics. In 2012, an estimated 112,800 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed and 33,200 cancer deaths will occur among Hispanics. In 2009, the most recent year for which actual data are available, cancer surpassed heart disease as the leading cause of death among Hispanics. Among US Hispanics during the past 10 years of available data (2000-2009), cancer incidence rates declined by 1.7% per year among men and 0.3% per year among women, while cancer death rates declined by 2.3% per year in men and 1.4% per year in women. Hispanics have lower incidence and death rates than non-Hispanic whites for all cancers combined and for the 4 most common cancers (breast, prostate, lung and bronchus, and colorectum). However, Hispanics have higher incidence and mortality rates for cancers of the stomach, liver, uterine cervix, and gallbladder, reflecting greater exposure to cancer-causing infectious agents, lower rates of screening for cervical cancer, differences in lifestyle and dietary patterns, and possibly genetic factors. Strategies for reducing cancer risk among Hispanics include increasing utilization of screening and available vaccines, as well as implementing effective interventions to reduce obesity, alcohol consumption, and tobacco use.
Low-Velocity Heat Transfer to a Flat Plate in The Presence of a Corona Discharge in Air

A study was conducted to determine the enhancement in convection heat transfer that could be achieved using the corona wind over a range of stream velocities. A heated flat plate mounted in a flow channel was placed in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. Corona wires were placed above the active plate surface. Data were taken over a range of stream velocities. The results showed the expected large increase in heat transfer at low velocities and that this gain in heat transfer decreased to zero at high stream velocities.
TEACHING EFFECTIVENESS IN ELEMENTARY CLASSROOM MUSIC: RELATIONSHIPS AMONG COMPETENCY MEASURES, PUPIL PRODUCT MEASURES, AND CERTAIN ATTRIBUTE VARIABLES

Relationships among selected attribute variables, pupil achievement and attitude gains, and certain teaching competency measures were studied in 29 elementary music classes over a school year during which pre- and posttests in achievement and attitude were administered. Systematic observation of classroom interactions was made, and five competencies were found to correlate with achievement gains at magnitudes ranging from .20 to .32. Only one competency correlated with attitude gains within the above range. No significant correlations were obtained between the measures of achievement and attitude and attribute variables, such as socio-economic status, grade level, class time, and outside music lessons. A correlation of .35 between achievement gains and attitude gains was obtained. Teacher education institutions, state departments of education, and schools of music that develop competency-based programs of teacher education or certification inevitably face the problem of assessment of teaching competencies (Ernst & Fargo, 1979; Holt, 1974; Madsen & Yarbrough, 1980). Perhaps the most important aspect of such an assessment is the question of the validity and reliability of the measures used. A general model for assessment may be developed, based on principles of measurement that relate to issues of reliability and validity. For example, one approach has been to use observer agreement in situations where direct observation of a teacher's behavior or competency is being measured. Medley and Mitzel (1963) have noted that whereas observer error may account for some of the variance of the measure, the more important sources of variance, such as instability of teacher behavior and internal inconsistency, are also necessary in estimating the reliability of the measure.
Skin effect and material degradation of lead-free solder joint under AC

Sine waveform AC skin effect of lead-free Sn95.5%Ag4.0%Cu0.5 (SAC405) solder joints was investigated experimentally. It was found that 1 MHz is critical frequency above which skin effect becomes essential for lead-free solder joints. Since our concerned frequency in this study is far below 1 MHz, skin effect is not ignored in computer simulations. Sine waveform alternating current (AC) was used to simulate the electromigration (EM) and thermomigration (TM) response. It was found that 1000 K/cm thermal gradient between top of solder joints and the bottom side induces much larger damage than pure AC electromigration. By using entropy based damage model, EM induced material damage was observed proportional to AC loading frequency f0.40, current density j0.28, and ambient temperature T1.2. Frequency has an even larger impact on EM damage of solder joints than current density. Exponential relationship is observed between damage evolution and current loading time. Due to the material healing effect at load-off time, we can predict that lifetime of conductors subjected to AC current loadings should be much longer than those of DC under otherwise the same conditions.
Social capital, capital goods, and the production of learning

The concept of social capital, according to James Coleman (1990), blurs distinctions between types of social structures. Most researchers who embrace Coleman's concept choose to preserve its broad content rather than sharpen its analytic bite. In order to further develop social capital as a theory capable of explanation, the analytic contribution of the concept of capital must be clarified. In this paper, some structure is imposed on the broad concept of social capital by driving a conceptual wedge between norms and networks and then elevating information to the same (secondary) status as norms. The attempt is made to build a theory by invoking a distinction between social capital resources and capital goods.
Opacity-Associated Protein A Contributes to the Binding of Haemophilus influenzae to Chang Epithelial Cells

Opacity-associated protein A (OapA), which is responsible for the transparent-colony phenotype of Haemophilus influenzae, has been implicated in the colonization of the nasopharynx in an infant rat model of carriage. In this report, we show that OapA mediates attachment to Chang epithelial cells examined by using genetically defined type b and nontypeable H. influenzae strains with or without OapA. We also showed that OapA was conserved among H. influenzae strains by comparing deduced amino acid sequences. Both recombinant OapA and polyclonal anti-OapA antiserum blocked the binding of H. influenzae to Chang epithelial cells, suggesting that the interaction of H. influenzae is specific to OapA. Moreover, the binding of recombinant OapA to epithelial cells further provided evidence that OapA can promote attachment of H. influenzae. Expression of oapA gene in a nonadherent Escherichia coli strain significantly increased the binding to Chang epithelial cells, and disruption of the oapA gene with kanamycin resistance cassette insertion resulted in a significant loss of binding. These findings demonstrate that OapA plays a role in H. influenzae binding to human conjunctival epithelial cells.
John Bates Clark's defense of mandatory arbitration and minimum wage legislation

The ideal of Political Economy is not unrestricted competition, but competition that is truly free, because controlled by justice and by law. The distinction between freedom and license needs to be preserved in this department of political philosophy. With that distinction clearly maintained, we may still retain, in economics as in politics, our beautiful watchword, liberty (John Bates Clark 1879, p. 167).John Bates Clark has had a formidable impact on the development of economic theory and the theory of income distribution. In addition, Clark's marginal product theory of distribution has often played an instrumental role in the defense of laissez-faire policies. His theory has been used to criticize a wide variety of market interventions, including minimum wage legislation. As a result it is not surprising that Clark's theory of income distribution, and Clark himself, have drawn more than a few critics.
Suitable Habitats for Cougars (Puma concolor) in Texas and Northern Mexico

We predicted current and potential distribution of cougars (Puma concolor) in Texas and bordering states in Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas) by creating a model of suitable habitats. We used MaxEnt to create our model using radiotelemetric data from southern and western Texas, as well as a suite of environmental variables. Our values for area under the receiver-operator curve (>0.85 for both training and test data) suggested that our model was a good predictor of habitat and distribution. Our map can aid in identifying areas where further research is needed to detect presence, status of populations, connectivity of corridors, and other demographic characteristics that are necessary for conservation and management of cougars. RESUMEN—Predecimos la distribucion actual y potencial de pumas (Puma concolor) en Texas y sus estados fronterizos en Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, y Tamaulipas) creando un modelo de adecuaci ´ on de habitat. Usamos MaxEnt para crear nuestro modelo utilizando datos radiotelemetricos del sur y oeste de Texas, al igual que un juego de variables ambientales. Nuestros valores para elbajo la curva receptor- operador (>0.85 para datos tanto de entrenamiento y de prueba) sugieren que nuestro modelo es bueno para predecir habitat y distribucion. Nuestro mapa puede ayudar a identificar ´ areas donde mas investigaciones son necesarias para detectar presencia, estado poblacional, conectividad de corredores, y otras caracter´ osticas demograficas que son necesarias para la conservacion y el manejo de pumas.
The Good and Bad of It All: Professional Black Male Basketball Players as Role Models for Young Black Male Basketball Players

It is a generally accepted belief, affirmed in the media, that professional Black male basketball players from the National Basketball Association serve as role models for young Black males. Very little empirical evidence, however, is available about how the young men think about these relationships. Using the concept of role model from social learning theory as a lens, I analyze interview data drawn from a convenience sample of 19 young Black men who participated in high school basketball to investigate the idea of �professional Black male basketball players as role models.� I find that young men do not necessarily accept the �good/bad� role-model dichotomy presented in the media, but rather, they are discerning in their acceptance and rejection of certain role-model attitudes and behaviors. Il y a une croyance generalement admise et affirmee dans les medias que les joueurs noirs de l�association nationale de basket-ball (NBA) servent de modeles pour les jeunes hommes noirs. Cependant, il existe tres peu de donnees empiriques sur ce que les jeunes hommes pensent de ces relations. En utilisant le concept de « modele de role » de la theorie de l�apprentissage social, j�analyse les donnees provenant d�entrevues avec 19 jeunes hommes noirs qui participent au basket-ball a l�ecole secondaire pour enqueter sur l�idee des « joueurs noirs de la NBA en tant que modeles de role ». J�ai trouve que les jeunes hommes n�acceptent pas necessairement la dichotomie « bon/mauvais » en ce qui a trait aux modeles de role tels que presentes dans les medias mais plutot qu�ils sont doues de discernement dans leur acceptation ou leur rejet de certains comportement ou attitudes de modeles de role.
Scaffold proteins and immune-cell signalling

Over the past 20 years great progress has been made in defining most of the key signalling pathways that functionally regulate immune cells. Recently, it has become clear that scaffold proteins have a crucial role in regulating many of these signalling cascades. By binding two or more components of a signalling pathway, scaffold proteins can help to localize signalling molecules to a specific part of the cell or to enhance the efficacy of a signalling pathway. Scaffold proteins can also affect the thresholds and the dynamics of signalling reactions by coordinating positive and negative feedback signals. In this Review, we focus on recent progress in the understanding of the function of scaffold proteins in immune cells.
Using Process Mapping to Reveal Process Redesign Opportunities during ERP Planning

ABSTRACT: The objectives of the Elizor Case are to give students experience with business process analysis by requiring them to first document an “as is” raw materials purchasing process during the...
Modulation of peripheral nerve excitability by high frequency ultrasound

High frequency tone bursts of ultrasound are capable of suppressing and enhancing peripheral nerve action potential events. An in vitro frog sciatic nerve preparation was used as a biological model. The peak intensity of the sound delivered to the nerve was 150-200 W/cm/sup 2/. Tone bursts consisted of 0.5 to 75 ms pulses delivered at a rate of 1-10 Hz and had center frequencies between 17 and 20 MHz.
A segregated model of recombinant multicopy plasmid propagation

A segregated model of multicopy plasmid propagation has been formulated which incorporates plasmid replication and partition functions, as well as the effect of plasmid presence on host growth rate. Growth of plasmid-free cells in selective medium is explicitly analyzed. The model parameters can be determined from experimentally measurable quantities. Propagation of a recombinant multicopy plasmid in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is analyzed using this model.
Estimation of the Parameters of Sinusoidal Signals in Non-Gaussian Noise

Accurate estimation of the amplitude and frequency parameters of sinusoidal signals from noisy observations is an important problem in many signal processing applications. In this paper, the problem is investigated under the assumption of non-Gaussian noise in general and Laplace noise in particular. It is proven mathematically that the maximum likelihood estimator derived under the condition of Laplace white noise is able to attain an asymptotic Cramer-Rao lower bound which is one half of that achieved by periodogram maximization and nonlinear least squares. It is also proven that when applied to non-Laplace situations, the Laplace maximum likelihood estimator, which may also be referred to as the nonlinear least-absolute-deviations estimator, can achieve an even higher statistical efficiency especially when the noise distribution has heavy tails. A computational procedure is proposed to overcome the difficulty of local extrema in the likelihood function. Simulation results are provided to validate the analytical findings.
Effect of Ozone Exposure on Airway Responses to Inhaled Allergen in Asthmatic Subjects

Background: Controlled human exposure studies have produced conflicting results regarding the effect of ozone on the early bronchoconstrictor response to inhaled allergen in specifically sensitized asthmatic subjects. Spirometric parameters do not necessarily reflect the airway inflammatory effects of inhaled ozone or allergen. Objective: This study was designed to investigate whether exposure to ozone enhances the late airway inflammatory response, as well as the early bronchoconstrictor response, to inhaled house dust mite allergen in sensitized asthmatic subjects. Design: Randomized, counter-balanced, cross-over study. Setting: Human exposure laboratory. Methods: Fourteen subjects were exposed to 0.2 ppm O3 or filtered air, on separate days, for 1 h during exercise. After each exposure, the subjects were challenged with doubling doses of Dermatophagoides farinae (DF) allergen (provocative concentration of DF causing a 15% decrease in FEV1 [PC15]). At 6 h after allergen challenge, bronchoscopy with BAL, proximal airway lavage (PAL), and endobronchial biopsy were performed. The second exposure/allergen challenge/bronchoscopy sequence was performed at least 4 weeks after the first sequence. Results: No significant difference in cellular or biochemical markers of the late inflammatory response after allergen was found between the ozone and air exposures (although a trend toward increased neutrophils was noted after ozone exposure in the PAL fluid, p 0.06). For the group as a whole, no significant difference in PC15 was demonstrated after ozone exposure compared to air exposure. However, subjects with the greatest ozone-induced decrements in FEV1 tended to have lower PC15 values after ozone exposure. Conclusion: Exposure to a relatively low-level concentration of ozone does not enhance the late inflammatory or early bronchoconstrictor response to inhaled antigen in most allergic asthmatic subjects. Our results do suggest, however, that a subgroup of asthmatics may acquire increased sensitivity to aeroallergens after exposure to ozone. (CHEST 2004; 125:2328 –2335) Abbreviations: AU allergen units; DF Dermatophygoides farinae; ECP eosinophil cationic protein; GMCSF granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor; IL interleukin; MPO neutrophil myeloperoxidase; PAL proximal airway lavage; PC15 concentration of Dermatophygoides farinae causing a 15% decrease in FEV1 from the post-saline solution baseline; PC20 concentration of methacholine causing a 20% decrease in FEV1 from the post-saline solution baseline; Sraw specific airway resistance
Scaling multiblast craters: General approach and application to volcanic craters

Most volcanic explosions leave a crater in the surface around the center of the explosions. Such craters differ from products of single events like meteorite impacts or those produced by military testing because they typically result from multiple, rather than single, explosions. Here we analyze the evolution of experimental craters that were created by several detonations of chemical explosives in layered aggregates. An empirical relationship for the scaled crater radius as a function of scaled explosion depth for single blasts in flat test beds is derived from experimental data, which differs from existing relations and has better applicability for deep blasts. A method to calculate an effective explosion depth for nonflat topography (e.g., for explosions below existing craters) is derived, showing how multiblast crater sizes differ from the single-blast case: Sizes of natural caters (radii and volumes) are not characteristic of the number of explosions, nor therefore of the total acting energy, that formed a crater. Also, the crater size is not simply related to the largest explosion in a sequence but depends upon that explosion and the energy of that single blast and on the cumulative energy of all blasts that formed a crater. The two energies can be combined to form an effective number of explosions that is characteristic for the crater evolution. The multiblast crater size evolution has implications on the estimates of volcanic eruption energies, indicating that it is not correct to estimate explosion energy from crater size using previously published relationships that were derived for single-blast cases.
Health in the news: an analysis of magazines coverage of health issues in veterans and military service organizations.

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to conduct a content analysis of Veterans and Military Service Organizations (VMSOs) magazines to determine what health-related topics VMSOs target and how they inform their constituencies about health issues. Health-related topics in 288 VMSOs' magazines from 21 VMSOs published in 2011 and 2012 were coded by trained raters using a standardized manual. The top three most addressed health topics were Health Services (Health care, Insurance), Disability and Disability benefits, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Topics least frequently covered were Tobacco and Smoking cessation, Illegal drugs, Alcohol, Gulf War Syndrome, and Weight and Body composition. VMSOs are concerned about the health and well-being of their members given the considerable amount of content devoted to certain health topics such as health insurance concerns, disability, and post-traumatic stress disorder. However, other health concerns that affect a considerable number of both current military pers...
Large antenna array techniques for very low SNR channels

Various arraying techniques are studied focusing on the very low received signal SNR channel conditions commonly found in deep space communications applications. These include correlation-based blind approaches as well as a sub-space based superresolution approach. In addition to weak received signals, atmospheric turbulence and spatially correlated interference from nearby planets (and possibly quasars) creates additional channel impairment. It is demonstrated that the sub-space based MUSIC algorithm is a strong candidate for this application that can provide great angle separation accuracy and interference suppression capability. Adaptive beamforming techniques in combination with the MUSIC algorithm provide a flexible platform to combat channel impairment.
The Decline Of Manufacturing In The United States And Its Impact On Income Inequality

The decline of manufacturing in the United States has been a perceptible trend, starting in the aftermath of World War II when manufacturing represented over one quarter of our Gross Domestic Product, to today, when it is less than 12%. The unemployment of the Great Recession, and the most recent State of the Union Address by President Obama, have now made this front page news. The declining trend has been masked by the facts that the U.S. remains, in total, the world’s largest manufacturer, and, along with China, the top value added producers. A second trend has been the decline of manufacturing employment as a percentage of the total labor force, running from just under one quarter post WWII, to less than 8% today. And finally the third trend has been the premium of manufacturing compensation versus all industries, from 11% in 1950 to 23% in 2010. Together these three trends are the major components of the increasingly palpable trend of income inequality from 1950 to 2010. In 1950 the top 20% had 17.3% of family income, whereas in 2010 it was 20%. The Gini coefficient, another measure of negative income distribution, moved from .379 to .440 over the same time frame.
Simulation in Family Medicine

Family medicine trainees must master an ever-growing body of knowledge and clinical competencies in order to prepare for practice in the rapidly changing primary care work environment. Because patient demographics and the medical conditions encountered by trainees vary within and across family medicine programs, it is often difficult for educators to maintain consistency in the provision of clinical training experiences. Simulation, although relatively new to family medicine education, offers a mechanism by which greater consistency can be achieved and holds the potential to enhance training in many aspects of patient care including procedural, inpatient, and outpatient skill development. This chapter provides an overview of the current state of the science and art of simulator use in the field of family medicine. Discussion begins with a review of simulator use in medical school and residency training curricula, professional certifications, and continuing medical education. Application of simulation to clinical competency assessment is also explored. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the potential challenges to successful implementation and the anticipated benefits of extended simulator use within the family medicine training environment.
Experimental Design to Improve Topic Analysis Based Summarization

We use efficient screening experiments to investigate and improve topic analysis based multi-document extractive summarization. In our summarization process, topic analysis determines the weighted topic content vectors that characterize the corpora, and then Jensen-Shannon divergence extracts sentences that best match the weighted content vectors to assemble the summaries. We use screening experiments to investigate several control parameters in this process, gaining better understanding of and improving the topic analysis based summarization process.
Marianne Toussaint. Murallas . México: SOCICULTUR, 1996

Marianne Toussaint en la plaqueta Murallas nos entrega tres poemas solidos, rotundos, elaborados con el arte y la minuciosidad de las antiguas tejedoras de rueca. Los hilos de su poesia son tambien antiguos, noches de insomnio y la infatigable memoria de la infancia, criatura caprichosa que nos adelanta y nos sorprende en su cruda desnudez, ante la cual no hay escapatoria posible, sino el combate frontal, tomarla de la mano y juntos hundirnos, ahogarnos y tragar los sedimentos con la delectacion del sabor anejo de los dulces infantiles, para finalmente emerger limpios, livianos, despedirnos de ella como quien suelta al aire la cometa multicolor, suave, lenta pero definitiva.
The combination of oxaliplatin, fludarabine (FLU), cytarabine (Ara-c), and rituximab (R) (OFAR) in patients with Richter’s Transformation and FLU-refractory CLL

6608 Background: Patients with (FLU-ref) CLL and Richter’s transformation (RT) have a very poor prognosis. Oxaliplatin (OX), a platinum analog with a 1,2-diaminocyclohexamine carrier ligand, has a ...
Campbell's Law: implications for health care.

Campbell’s Law is a well-known social science dictum describing the potential ill-effects of using a quantitative measure both as a target and an indicator to drive decision making. Campbell’s Law ...
EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSES OF WING SIZE, FLIGHT, AND SURVIVAL IN THE WESTERN WHITE BUTTERFLY.

Butterflies have distinctively large wings relative to body size, but the functional and fitness consequences of wing size for butterflies are largely unknown. I use natural and experimentally generated variation in wing surface area to examine how decreased wing size affects flight and survival in a population of the western white butterfly, Pontia occidentalis. In the laboratory, experimental reductions in wing area (reduced-wings manipulation) significantly increased wingbeat frequencies of hovering butterflies, whereas a control manipulation had no detectable effects. In contrast, behavioral observations and mark-release-recapture (MRR) studies in the field detected no significant differences in flight activity, initial dispersal rates, or recapture probabilities among treatment groups. Estimated selection coefficients indicated that natural variation in wing size, body mass, and wing loading in the population were not significantly correlated with survival in the two MRR studies. In two mark-recapture studies with manipulated butterflies, survival probabilities were not significantly different for reduced-wings individuals compared with control or unmanipulated individuals. In summary, experimental reductions in wing area significantly altered aspects of flight in the laboratory, but did not detectably alter flight or survival in the field for this population. The large wing size typical of butterflies may reduce the functional and survival consequences of wing size variation within populations.
Composition and Functional Properties of Mottled Yolks

Abstract Yolk mottling was induced by feeding 0.02% Nicarbazin to 6-month old White Leghorn pullets. A second group of pullets, fed a standard layer ration, served as the control. Eggs were collected for three months on a daily basis, but the yolks were pooled on a weekly basis for analysis. Composition and functional properties of both mottled and normal yolks were determined. The percent solids of normal yolks was significantly higher than mottled yolks. The pH of normal yolks was lower than mottled yolks but not significantly. Normal yolks contained higher percentage fat, protein, and ash than mottled yolks; however, the percent carbohydrate was lower in normal yolks. There was no difference in the cholesterol content of mottled and normal yolks. Normal yolks contained significantly higher percent calcium, phosphorus, and iron than mottled yolks. Emulsifying capacity and viscosity of normal yolks were greater than for mottled yolks. Foam volume and sponge cake volume were always larger for mottled yolks than for normal yolks, but normal yolks produced more stable foam and better cake texture. Electrophoretic separation of the components of mottled and normal yolks indicated that two egg white proteins were present in mottled yolks but not apparent in normal yolks. The two proteins are believed to be ovalbumin and conalbumin.
Negative feedback regulation of noradrenergic transmission in pithed rats

Alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist phentolamine was more effective in antagonizing responses to exogenously administrated norad-renaline than those to spinal sympathetic nerve stimulation in pithed rats. The potency of phentolamine in blocking sympathetic stimulation induced cardiovascular responses was found to depend on the stimulation frequency and duration. Phentolamine increased heart positive chrono-tropic responses at frequency of 1-4 Hz for 10 s, but not at 0.5 Hz for10 s. Phentolamine produced greater antagonism of pressor responses to spinal cord stimulation with 6 pulses at 1 - 5 Hz than that at 0.5, 10 and 20 Hz. These results support the hypothesis that presynaptic alpha-ad renoceptor modulates noradrener-gic transmission under some conditions.
Environmental Risk Assessment and Management of Sudden Air Pollution Accident

Based on the analysis of risk identification,atmospheric dispersion models,assessment of human health risk and ecological risk as well as risk control and emergency response for the sudden air environmental pollution accidents,major research content and methods for environmental risk assessment and management of the sudden air environmental pollution accidents were proposed.Key technical problem that should be solved immediately were also suggested.
Psychopharmacology. Clozapine and agranulocytosis.

U se of clozapine, an atypical antipsychotic medication indicated for treatment-resistant patients with schizophrenia and other psychoses, is associated with risk of agranulocytosis, a blood disorder that is potentially fatal if not detected early. In the United States, clozapine is distributed through a national patient registry system that provides the medication only if results of patients’ weekly blood tests show no evidence of agranulocytosis . Agranulocytosis is defined as a white blood cell count of less than 1,000 per mm3 or an absolute granulocyte count of less than 500 per mm3. According to the clozapine national patient registry system, between February 1990, when clozapine was introduced commercially in the United States, and June 1996, 728 cases of leukopenia (mild white blood cell suppression), 464 cases of agranulocytosis, and 13 deaths due to neutropenic infections secondary to clozapine-induced agranulocytos is have l)eeIl reported (Krassner MB, Sandoz Pharmaceuticals Corporation, personal communication, 1996). Clinical symptoms of agranulocvtosis indude lethargy, weakness, fever, and sore throat. Researchers have proposed three mechanisms for clozapine’s negative effects on formation of white l)lood cells. First, the clozapine metabolite, desmethyiclozapine, may have direct cytotoxic effects on marrow cells (1). Second, release of granulocyte-stimulating factor may be suppressed iw clozapine, diminishing the ability of
Search strategies for independent reviewers.

1169 T o save space, the Caries Filter, which was duplicated in most of the searches, has been excerpted and is listed only once, at the beginning of this appendix. In the subsequent searches where the Caries Filter was used it is indicated as [insert caries filter here] in boldface. When inserting this filter, it is essential to maintain all other punctuation present in the rest of the relevent search, especially parentheses. It is not necessary to keep the brackets or any of the boldface text. Caries Filter: exp Tooth demineralization/ or Cariogenic agents/ or Tooth remineralization/ or cariogenic:.mp. or (caries-free or cariesfree).mp. or precavit:.mp. or demineralization.mp. or (caries or caires or craies or careis or carise).mp. or carious.mp. or cariology.ti,ab. or ((teeth or tooth or dental or dentin or enamel) adj3 cavit:).mp. or ((teeth or tooth or dental or dentin or enamel or rampant or recurrent) adj3 decay:).mp. or ((active adj decay) or (white adj spot:)).mp. or ((non-cavitated or noncavitated) adj3 lesion:).mp. or ((tooth or teeth) adj3 remineralization).mp. or ((dental or tooth or teeth) adj3 fissure:).mp. or ((tooth or teeth) adj3 fissure:).mp. or ((teeth adj3 fissure:) or (oral adj fissure:)).mp. or (filled adj3 (teeth or tooth)).mp. or (dft or dfs or dmf:).mp.
A Flawed Revision of the Common Rule

In September 2015, sixteen federal agencies released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that outlined far-reaching changes to the Common Rule. This commentary discusses these first substantive alterat...
1971: The Productivity Slow-Down

Ever since 1966, there has been a pronounced slow-down in the rate of productivity growth in the American economy. The significance of this development has passed largely unnoticed, even by the nation’s economists who have tended to attribute it to the 1966–1969 retardation in the rate of economic growth generally, and to the 1969–1970 recession. As I shall demonstrate in this chapter, the productivity slow-down is much greater than has occurred in past periods of slow economic growth, and appears to be primarily the result of other unfavorable socio-economic developments of the past four or five years. If this is so, it is a matter of concern to all of us to determine the negative forces at work so that they may be corrected before too much damage has been done to the actual and potential performance of the US economy.
The Quality Cycle

Due to the iterative pattern of quality improvement, numerous models have been developed that are referred to as quality cycles. Each model can offer unique advantages and disadvantages depending on the settings in which they are applied. The concept of cycles was foundational to the early quality efforts with the inception of the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) by Shewhart and Deming. Numerous variations based on this original model have been developed. As the sophistication of the processes that were being studied and improved increased, the models evolved into complex tools requiring special training and teams of individuals to implement and monitor. Each major quality cycle will be reviewed including the usual settings in which they can be most effective. Understanding these concepts allows evaluation and implementation of the methodology that is most likely to succeed in a particular setting.