cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Stroke Alert Protocol Decreases the Time to Diagnosis of Brain Attack Symptoms in a Pediatric Emergency Department.

Objective To determine whether a stroke alert system decreases the time to diagnosis of children presenting to the emergency department (ED) with acute-onset focal neurologic deficits. Study design We performed a retrospective comparison of clinical and demographic information for patients who presented to the ED of a tertiary children's hospital with acute-onset focal neurologic deficits during the 2.5 years before (n = 14) and after (n = 65) the implementation of a stroke alert system. The primary outcome was the median time to neuroimaging analyzed using a Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Results The median time from ED arrival to neuroimaging for patients with acute-onset focal neurologic deficits decreased significantly after implementation of a stroke alert system (196 minutes; IQR, 85-230 minutes before [n = 14] vs 82 minutes; IQR, 54-123 minutes after [n = 65]; P Conclusions A stroke alert system decreases the median time to diagnosis by neuroimaging of children presenting to the ED with acute-onset focal neurologic deficits by more than one-half. Such a protocol constitutes an important step in ensuring that a greater proportion of children with arterial ischemic stroke are diagnosed in a time frame that enables hyperacute treatment.
Pediatric functional gastrointestinal disorders

Abstract Presentation and treatment of pediatric Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (FGID) change by child's developmental age. Regurgitation, colic and dyschezia are FGID in infants and disappear as the gut and nervous system age. Functional diarrhea is a FGID exclusive to toddlers. Starting in early childhood, children become able to identify and label unobservable gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea and pain. A long list of new FGID are diagnosable at this age. For all pediatric FGID a very important part of treatment is assurance that the symptoms do not signify harm, as well as education on pathophysiology and how to manage the child's symptoms. Few evidence-based treatments are available for pediatric FGID and integrative treatment approaches are usually recommended. Many young patients will “grow out” of their FGID, but for those who do not, transitioning from pediatric to adult care can bring unique challenges.
Mandatory Disclosure, Asymmetric Information and Liquidity: The Impact of the 1934 Act

We study the effect of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 on common stock bid-ask spreads and other information measures. Among other things, the 1934 Act mandated a complete, audited income statement and balance sheet. Prior to the 1934 Act, some firms disclosed sales or depreciation, and some chose not to. Some firms reported audited financials; some did not. If disclosures and audits reduce information asymmetries, the 1934 Act should have a differential effect across these stocks. We find that a firm's disclosure status in 1933 has little to do with the evolution of its information measures. Overall, we find that cross-sectional differences in mandatory disclosure had little measurable effect on the degree of information asymmetry.
Influenza Therapeutics in Clinical Practice—Challenges and Recent Advances

In the last few years, several new direct-acting influenza antivirals have been licensed, and others have advanced in clinical development. The increasing diversity of antiviral classes should allow an adequate public health response should a resistant virus to one agent or class widely circulate. One new antiviral, baloxavir marboxil, has been approved in the United States for treatment of influenza in those at high risk of developing influenza-related complications. Except for intravenous zanamivir in European Union countries, no antivirals have been licensed specifically for the indication of severe influenza or hospitalized influenza. This review addresses recent clinical developments involving selected polymerase inhibitors, neuraminidase inhibitors, antibody-based therapeutics, and host-directed therapies. There are many knowledge gaps for most of these agents because some data are not published and multiple pivotal studies are in progress at present. This review also considers important clinical research issues, including regulatory pathways, study designs, endpoints, and target populations encountered during the clinical development of novel therapeutics.
Large-Area Detection

A large-area loop detector has its own operation characteristics that are very different from a small-area loop detector. Accordingly, controller type and settings have to be considered in combination with loop size and design to achieve desired control objectives.
Scaling implementation of the Serious Illness Care Program through Coaching

Abstract Background We designed group coaching calls to reinforce communication skill acquisition and Serious Illness Care Program (SICP) uptake in adult primary care. Measures Percentage of primary care physicians who have documented a Serious Illness Conversation in the electronic health record (EHR) approximately 3 and 6 months after the coaching intervention. Participant feedback surveys to better understand provider attitudes toward the coaching intervention. Intervention. We offered 60-minute group coaching calls to internal medicine primary care physicians, previously trained in serious illness conversation skills, as part of an institutional quality incentive program. The calls addressed communication challenges common to serious illness care and instructed participants about how to document and bill for conversations. Outcomes. We completed 31 coaching calls over three months in which 170 of 228 primary care physicians attended in groups of 2-9 participants per call (74.6% penetration rate). The percentage of primary care physicians who documented at least one Serious Illness Conversation in the electronic health record increased from 18.4% to 41.2% six months after the intervention. Primary care internal medicine physicians found the one-hour coaching calls to be highly valuable, with 86.9% of respondents attesting they would recommend the calls to their colleagues. Content analysis of participant feedback identified the most useful coaching content elements to be self-reflection around the impact of prior conversation skills training, instruction around using the EHR to find and document ACP discussions, the opportunity to share individual challenges and successes with peers, and feedback/advice from communication experts in palliative care. Conclusions/Lessons Learned Group coaching of primary care physicians resulted in more than a two-fold increase in documented serious illness conversations.
Developing an occupational science curriculum for undergraduate students

Developing an occupational science curriculum that is responsive to the specific needs of a student population manifests Dr. Elizabeth Yerxa’s (1990) vision of leveraging the ideas of occupational ...
Using Fluid Neural Networks to Create Dynamic Neighborhood Topologies in Particle Swarm Optimization

Fluid Neural Networks (FNNs) are a model of interacting mobile automata. The automata move on a lattice, affecting each other’s motion in a way that can result in clusters of automata that change over time, making FNNs a potential basis for dynamic neighborhood topologies in Particle Swarm Optimization. We describe Fluid Neural Network Particle Swarm Optimization (FNN-PSO), a PSO algorithm that uses a dynamic neighborhood mechanism based on FNNs, and we report promising results from experiments indicating that FNN-PSO can outperform both the standard PSO algorithm and PCGT-PSO, a PSO algorithm based on partially connected grid topologies[3], over a range of neighborhood topologies and influence models.
Transient simulations in water distribution networks: TSNet python package

Abstract Modeling transient flow conditions in water distribution networks (WDNs) has shown increasing usability for various applications, including burst and leak detection, sensor placement, model calibration, and risk assessment. To facilitate the integration of transient modeling in these simulation-based applications, this work contributes a new open source Python package for Transient Simulations in water Networks (TSNet). TSNet adopts the Method of Characteristics (MOC) for solving the system of partial differential equations governing the unsteady hydraulics. It allows users to simulate various conditions including operational changes in valves and pumps, as well as background leaks and pipe bursts. In this paper, the TSNet modeling framework is presented and a case study is used to showcase its capabilities of simulating WDN responses to valve closure, pump shut-off, leaks, and bursts with and without a surge protection tank. Results show that valve closure, pump shut-off, and pipe burst can generate significant transients in the WDN, while background leaks can help damp the transients to some extent.
Generativity and shared agency with foster youth for education

Abstract This cross-sectional study is based on the survey responses of 134 volunteer court-appointed advocates (M = 52.44 years) who have been assigned a foster youth in middle or high school. The study aimed to (1) explore advocates' life goals for foster youth, (2) validate a scale of informal mentoring practices by adapting scales of shared and non-shared agency, and (3) test a model by which generative concerns enhance advocates' commitment to the program and feelings of mutual warmth with foster youth through indirect associations with shared agency with foster youth. Results indicated that most advocates articulated educational goals as well as goals related to self-development and socioemotional skills. Two factors of shared agency and one factor of non-shared agency were found (i.e., coactivity with youth, support for youth, and directing youth). Generativity was also found to be indirectly associated to mentoring outcomes through coactivity with youth on their educational goals.
A genome-wide association study in human lymphoblastoid cells supports safety of mitochondrial complex I inhibitor

Novel therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer's disease (AD) are of the greatest priority given the consistent failure of recent clinical trials focused on Aβ or pTau. Earlier, we demonstrated that mild mitochondrial complex I inhibitor CP2 blocks neurodegeneration and cognitive decline in multiple mouse models of AD. To evaluate the safety of CP2 in humans, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using 196 lymphoblastoid cell lines and identified 11 SNP loci and 64 mRNA expression probe sets that potentially associate with CP2 susceptibility. Using primary mouse neurons and pharmacokinetic study, we show that CP2 is generally safe at a therapeutic dose.
Resource Stability and Federal Agency Performance

Resources are essential for organizations to cope with challenges and to achieve their desirable outcomes. Although much scholarly attention has been paid to the type or level of resources allocate...
The Role of Grain Boundary Diffusion in the Solute Drag Effect.

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are applied to study solute drag by curvature-driven grain boundaries (GBs) in Cu–Ag solid solution. Although lattice diffusion is frozen on the MD timescale, the GB significantly accelerates the solute diffusion and alters the state of short-range order in lattice regions swept by its motion. The accelerated diffusion produces a nonuniform redistribution of the solute atoms in the form of GB clusters enhancing the solute drag by the Zener pinning mechanism. This finding points to an important role of lateral GB diffusion in the solute drag effect. A 1.5 at.%Ag alloying reduces the GB free energy by 10–20% while reducing the GB mobility coefficients by more than an order of magnitude. Given the greater impact of alloying on the GB mobility than on the capillary driving force, kinetic stabilization of nanomaterials against grain growth is likely to be more effective than thermodynamic stabilization aiming to reduce the GB free energy.
Evidence for task specificity in age-related slowing: A review of speeded picture-word processing studies

In this chapter, studies concerning, aging and speeded picture-word processing are reviewed. As a metric for their evaluation, prevalent hypotheses concerning aging and visual cognition-borrowed from the psychometric and nonspeeded memory literature-are discussed as well as current picture-word processing models. Then, as a nominal distinction, studies employing comparison tasks are evaluated separately from studies employing production tasks. A “Brinley plot” regression analysis of the condition latencies of these studies reveals that beyond additive slowing for both task types, proportional slowing occurs only for comparison tasks in the elderly data. Moreover, this task distinction is also found for strictly lexical studies, and thus indicates (at least within the modal response latency range) stimulus modality-independent task specificity for age-related slowing. Directions for future investigations of this finding are explored.
Copyright, the Constitution & Progress

In this essay, Professor Ku places the current legal controversy surrounding Internet file sharing into historical and theoretical context, and sets forth a framework for courts to promote progress when interpreting copyright and the Constitution in response to new technologies of dissemination. This essay builds upon his existing scholarship, in which Professor Ku argues that the new economics of digital technology question the application of copyright's exclusive rights to file sharing because peer-to-peer technology eliminates the need for distributor middlemen. And, a system of levies and compulsory licenses would guarantee compensation for artists while providing the public with unlimited access to the collective works of humanity. Professor Ku argues that courts should follow the precedent established by the Supreme Court in the Charles Rivers Bridge v. Warren Bridge decision involving a similar dispute over exclusive rights at the dawn of the Commercial and Industrial Age and narrowly interpret the Copyright Act and the Constitution to accommodate non-linear progress. This approach recognizes that for progress to occur property rights and markets may be creatively destroyed and paradigms may shift. The recognition of the need to accommodate non-linear progress explains the Supreme Court's historic approach when applying copyright to new media and provides a framework for evaluating whether congressional efforts to secure exclusive rights in new media are consistent with its power to promote the progress of science and useful arts.
Query translation disambiguation as graph partitioning

Resolving ambiguity in the process of query translation is crucial to cross-language information retrieval when only a bilingual dictionary is available. In this paper we propose a novel approach for query translation disambiguation, named "spectral query translation model". The proposed approach views the problem of query translation disambiguation as a graph partitioning problem. For a given query, a weighted graph is first created for all possible translations of query words based on the co-occurrence statistics of the translation words. The best translation of the query is then determined by the most strongly connected component within the graph. The proposed approach distinguishes from previous approaches in that the translations of all query words are estimated simultaneously. Furthermore, translation probabilities are introduced in the proposed approach to capture the uncertainty in translating queries. Empirical studies with TREC datasets have shown that the spectral query translation model achieves a relative 20% -50% improvement in cross-language information retrieval, compared to other approaches that also exploit word co-occurrence statistics for query translation disambiguation.
Bayesian optimization algorithm, population sizing, and time to convergence

This paper analyzes convergence properties of the Bayesian optimization algorithm (BOA). It settles the BOA into the framework of problem decomposition used frequently in order to model and understand the behavior of simple genetic algorithms. The growth of the population size and the number of generations until convergence with respect to the size of a problem are theoretically-analyzed. The theoretical results are supported by a number of experiments.
Accuracy of Veterans Administration databases for a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective To determine the accuracy of International Classification of Diseases (ICD) code 714 for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) diagnosis in a Veterans Administration (VA) hospital database and to examine the effects of adding laboratory and pharmacy data to ICD code 714 on accuracy of RA diagnosis. Methods We drew a random sample of patients from all Minneapolis VA rheumatology clinic patients who had at least 1 rheumatology clinic visit between January 2001 and July 2002. Charts of 184 patients were reviewed. The gold standard for RA diagnosis was chart documentation of RA diagnosis by a rheumatologist on ≥2 visits >6 weeks apart. The data definitions of RA diagnosis included presence of ICD code 714 alone or various combinations of ICD code 714, a positive rheumatoid factor (RF), and prescription for a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD). Accuracy of data definitions of RA was assessed by calculating sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and area under the receiver operator characteristics curve. Results Diagnosis by ICD code 714 had 100% sensitivity, but specificity was only 55% because of a false-positive rate of 34%. The addition of a positive RF and/or a DMARD prescription to ICD code 714 dramatically improved specificity to 83–97% and positive predictive value to 81–97%; however, sensitivity decreased to 76–88%. Diagnosis by ICD 714 alone had the highest negative predicative value of 100%. The area under the curve was the greatest when both ICD code 714 and a positive RF were included, and the least when ICD code alone was used. Conclusion ICD code 714 in the VA administrative database is a very sensitive screening tool for identifying patients with RA in the rheumatology clinic population. Addition of the presence of a DMARD prescription and/or a positive RF to selection criteria improves specificity of the diagnosis.
Cryptosporidiosis in a patient receiving immunosuppressive therapy. Possible activation of latent infection.

Cryptosporidiosis is a coccidian parasitic disease which has been reported to cause diarrhea in a variety of animals and in man. Immunodeficient and immunocompromised patients seem to be at particular risk for severe illness due to this organism. We report herein a 78-year-old woman with bullous pemphigoid who developed asymptomatic cryptosporidiosis following the initiation of immunosuppressive therapy while in the hospital. Epidemiologic investigation revealed no source for acute infection; therefore, it is believed that her disease represented reactivation of an endogenous focus of infection. This appears to be the first case report of presumptive evidence for activation of a latent infection due toCryptosporidium in humans.
Toward more selective therapies to block undesired immune responses

Although vigorous immune responses are required to preserve a healthy state, a plethora of undesired immune reactions can also occur, such as systemic autoimmunity, allograft rejection and nephritogenic processes. T cells are the dominant cell type present in many of these unwanted reactions and are responsible for tissue damage. For example, in insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) both CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes infiltrate the islets and trigger immunologically-mediated beta cell destruction [1–7]. Studies in animal models and human disease indicate that insulitis requires intact T cell dependent immune function. Splenic T cells obtained from diabetic NOD mice can transfer diabetes to younger non-diabetic NOD mice [8]. Both CD4+ T cells are required to transfer the diabetic state from diabetic hosts to young syngeneic animals [9, 10]. Treatment of experimental animals with anti-T cell antibodies [11, 12], anti-CD4 monoclonal antibodies [7], anti-IL-2 receptor monoclonal antibodies [13], neonatal thymectomy [14], total lymphoid irradiation [15] or cyclosporine [16, 17] can all prevent progressive beta cell loss. Many of the undesirable immune reactions characteristic of IDDM can also be identified in the tissues and inflammatory sites of other autoimmune diseases during allograft rejection and in nephritogenic states. Thus, it is not surprising that therapeutic strategies directed toward eliminating or blocking T cell functions in experimental diabetes also abort many undesired immune reactions in a variety of nephritogenic processes.
The Myth of the Attention-Getting Opener

Although textbooks emphasize the importance of attention-getting introductions, such devices are hard to explain and hard for students to recognize. Perhaps even more important, such an emphasis may suggest to students a vastly oversimplified view of the reading process.
Quantitation in gated perfusion SPECT imaging: the Cedars-Sinai approach.

Cedars-Sinai’s approach to the automation of gated perfusion single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging is based on the identification of key procedural steps (processing, quantitation, reporting), each of which is then implemented, in completely automated fashion, by use of mathematic algorithms and logical rules combined into expert systems. Our current suite of software applications has been designed to be platform- and operating system-independent, and every algorithm is based on the same 3-dimensional sampling scheme for the myocardium. The widespread acceptance of quantitative software by the nuclear cardiology community (QGS alone is used at over 20,000 locations) has provided the opportunity for extensive validation of quantitative measurements of myocardial perfusion and function, in our opinion, helping to make nuclear cardiology the most accurate and reproducible modality available for the assessment of the human heart.
Gas turbine combustor modeling for calculating nitric oxide emissions

Jet engines nitric oxide air pollutant emission formation, developing gas turbine combustor models
A physics-based time-varying transport delay oxygen concentration model for dual-loop exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) engine air-paths

Dual-loop exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems can provide control authorities to adjust the engine in-cylinder gas conditions. The significant transport delays in the EGR air-paths can affect the performance of some simple oxygen concentration dynamic models under transient operating conditions. In this paper, a physics-based dual-loop EGR air-path oxygen concentration model considering the time-varying transport delays is developed and a method to calculate the delay time based on the continuity of fluid velocity is presented. Simulation studies with a high-fidelity, one-dimensional, computational GT-Power engine model and experimental validations on a Diesel engine test bench show that the developed model performs well under all tested operating conditions while the comparison models cannot capture the oxygen concentration dynamics under some transient operating conditions.
Survival of Toxoplasma gondii in mosquito cell lines and establishment of continuous infection in Vero cell cultures.

Abstract Under the experimental conditions, proliferative forms of Toxoplasma gondii survived but did not multiply in three Aedes cell lines capable of growing at 35 C: A. albopictus, A. aegypti (hollow vesicles), and A. w-albus . Results were completely negative for Culex quinquefasciatus and Anopheles stephensi cell cultures, which had to be maintained at 29 C. The organism did multiply in Vero (vertebrate) cell cultures, maintained at 35 C. In the Vero cells, a continuous infection was established during the first passage and maintained through two consecutive cell transfers of persistently infected cells.
A mouse alpha-globin-related pseudogene lacking intervening sequences.

A mouse α-globin-related pseudogene (ψα30.5) completely lacks intervening sequences, and could not code for a functional globin polypeptide because of frameshifts. The widespread occurrence of globin pseudogenes in other species suggests that they are not ‘dead’ genes but may be important in controlling globin expression.
Variation on a theorem by Carathéodory

Caratheodory’s theorem on small witnesses for convex hulls of sets is shown to have a natural analogue for finitely supported measures. Contrast is drawn with the much larger witnesses required for multisets, as shown by Barany and Perles.
Wave packet description of inhomogeneous plasma instabilities

A linear description of the temporal evolution of a localized wave packet in a weakly inhomogeneous plasma is derived by expanding the spatial variations in the plasma parameters up to second order. The solution applies to systems with or without unstable normal modes, and it can provide a quantitative measure of the correlation length of the fluctuations to be expected, as exhibited by the spreading and propagation speed of the wave packet. The general formalism is applied to the collisionless trapped-particle mode in tokamak geometry, the current-driven drift mode, and the negative-energy loss-cone mode in a magnetic-mirror geometry.
Crowdsourcing participation inequality: a SCOUT model for the enterprise domain

In large scale online multi-user communities, the phenomenon of 'participation inequality,' has been described as generally following a more or less 90-9-1 rule [9]. In this paper, we examine crowdsourcing participation levels inside the enterprise (within a company's firewall) and show that it is possible to achieve a more equitable distribution of 33-66-1. Accordingly, we propose a SCOUT ((S)uper Contributor, (C)ontributor, and (OUT)lier)) model for describing user participation based on quantifiable effort-level metrics. In support of this framework, we present an analysis that measures the quantity of contributions correlated with responses to motivation and incentives. In conclusion, SCOUT provides the task-based categories to characterize participation inequality that is evident in online communities, and crucially, also demonstrates the inequality curve (and associated characteristics) in the enterprise domain.
The conformation of monkey pituitary somatotropin.

Abstract Monkey pituitary somatotropin has been studied by zero-order, second-order, and circular dichroism spectroscopy. Difference absorption spectra have also been generated during proteolytic digestion of the hormone. The molar extinction coefficient of the native protein was found to be 23,800 ± 550 ( m −1 cm −1 ) at 276.6 nm. A comparison of the conformations of monkey and human pituitary somatotropins indicates a close relationship between the two molecules, including α-helix contents of 55 ± 5%.
Inhibition of Shope fibroma virus replication by polyriboinosinic acid: polyribocytidylic acid.

SummaryPretreatment of PRK or RK1 cells with poly I:poly C suppressed the DNA synthesis and the development of cytoplasmic inclusion bodies of SFV. An interferon-like substance was found in the medium which also inhibited development of SFV inclusion bodies.
Bicarbonate Modulates Photoreceptor Guanylate Cyclase (ROS-GC) Catalytic Activity

By generating the second messenger cGMP in retinal rods and cones, ROS-GC plays a central role in visual transduction. Guanylate cyclase-activating proteins (GCAPs) link cGMP synthesis to the light-induced fall in [Ca(2+)]i to help set absolute sensitivity and assure prompt recovery of the response to light. The present report discloses a surprising feature of this system: ROS-GC is a sensor of bicarbonate. Recombinant ROS-GCs synthesized cGMP from GTP at faster rates in the presence of bicarbonate with an ED50 of 27 mM for ROS-GC1 and 39 mM for ROS-GC2. The effect required neither Ca(2+) nor use of the GCAPs domains; however, stimulation of ROS-GC1 was more powerful in the presence of GCAP1 or GCAP2 at low [Ca(2+)]. When applied to retinal photoreceptors, bicarbonate enhanced the circulating current, decreased sensitivity to flashes, and accelerated flash response kinetics. Bicarbonate was effective when applied either to the outer or inner segment of red-sensitive cones. In contrast, bicarbonate exerted an effect when applied to the inner segment of rods but had little efficacy when applied to the outer segment. The findings define a new regulatory mechanism of the ROS-GC system that affects visual transduction and is likely to affect the course of retinal diseases caused by cGMP toxicity.
Anesthetic considerations in the child with myelomeningocele

Summary It is encouraging that the prevalence of myelomeningocele is declining. Owing to advances in medicine and surgery, these patients are living longer and more productive lives. It is inevitable, however, that to achieve full productivity, these patients will undergo many surgical procedures. Anesthesiologists must be knowledgeable about the central nervous system and respiratory impairment that is a prominent feature of this anomaly in order to intelligently provide care.
Coalescence and separation in binary collisions of liquid drops

An extensive experimental investigation of the binary collision dynamics of water drops for size ratios of 1. 0.75, and 0.5, for the Weber-number range of 1 to 100, and for all impact parameters is reported. Two different types of separating collisions, namely reflexive and stretching separations, are identified. Reflexive separation is found to occur for near head-on collisions, while stretching separation occurs for large-impact-parameter collisions. The boundaries between both of the separating collisions and coalescence collision are found experimentally. Theoretical models for predictions of the reflexive and stretching separation are also given.
Studies on tumor promoters: V. Complementary 1,4-stereocontrol in phorboid cycloheptene synthesis via the divinylcyclopropane rearrangement

Abstract Methodology for the synthesis of B-C ring precursors and analogs of the phorbol esters is described which allows for complementary 1,4-stereocontrol in the formation of seven-membered rings through the selective formation and rearrangement of vinyl enol cyclopropanes.
MEMBRANES FOR THE CONTROL OF NATURAL ORGANIC MATTER FROM SURFACE WATERS

A range of nanofiltration (NF) modules was evaluated to determine rejection of disinfection by-product (DBP) precursors from low turbidity surface waters. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC), trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP), haloacetic acid formation potential (HAAFP), and chloral hydrate formation potential (CHFP) rejections averaged 90, 97, 94, and 86%, respectively. Rejections of bromide ion, an inorganic precursor, ranged from 40-80%. Pretreatment using microfiltration (MF) alone before NF provided some removal of turbidity but not enough to maintain the initial flux and recovery of the NF unit. NF runs were sustained over 30 days; however, some adverse changes in operational conditions were observed, and significant pressure increases were necessary to maintain flux. Precursor rejections by NF following MF varied little over time frames of up to 30 days. MF was only moderately eAective in particle removals, with virtually no DBP precursor removal provided by MF. Ultrafiltration (UF) alone did not exhibit significant changes in operational conditions over a 30-day time frame; however, only modest precursor (<30% DOC) removal was observed. 7 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved
Amino acid sequence homology between the C3 chain of rat prostatic steroid binding protein and human alpha2-macroglobulin

Summary Using a computer program designed to detect evolutionary relationships between proteins, I find that exon 2 of the C 3 chain of rat prostatic steroid binding protein has amino acid sequence homology with residues 1058–1119 of the protease inhibitor alpha 2 -macroglobulin. This finding suggests interesting approaches for studying the functions of these proteins.
Optimization studies of a slab reheating furnace

Control studies of large systems may often be meaningfully formulated as dynamic optimization problems. Promising new computational techniques for solving these problems are now available. This paper describes the use of one such technique in a control study of a continuous furnace which reheats steel slabs for a hot rolling mill. Among the goals of the study are control of final slab temperatures and minimization of fuel consumption. A lumped parameter model of the reheat furnace is developed. When combined with an ordinary differential equation describing the heat transfer process for an individual slab, this permits the formulation of the control problem for the system as a lumped parameter dynamic optimization problem. The formulation includes as a constraint a limitation on the slab surface temperature. A computational technique based upon the second variation is used to solve the dynamic optimization problem. The solution to the steady-state optimum control problem is also obtained. The paper concludes with a discussion of the problem of control system design for the reheat furnace. A feedforward controller is proposed based on solutions obtained for the steady-state and dynamic optimization problems. Results of simulating this controller are shown.
Absence of Significant Germ Line p53 Mutations in Ovarian Cancer Patients

Germ line mutations of the p53 gene have been described in the Li-Fraumeni Cancer Family Syndrome and occur in patients with multifocal gliomas, particularly those with a history of a metachronous cancer or a family history of cancer. p53 dysfunction is often associated with ovarian cancer. Patients with ovarian carcinoma frequently develop synchronous or metachronous cancers and may have a family history of this or related cancers. Thus, we hypothesized that germ line p53 mutations might be associated with a significant proportion of ovarian cancers. Germ line DNA isolated from peripheral leukocytes of 73 patients with ovarian carcinoma was screened for p53 sequence abnormalities utilizing single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis and direct PCR sequencing techniques. As many as 40% of this cohort of ovarian cancer patients from 67 families may represent familial phenotypes. Synchronous and metachronous cancers occurred in 19% of the cohort. Only two intron-based polymorphisms were found. Neither has been previously reported. One of these, in intron 6, occurred in three unrelated patients all of whom had a history of metachronous breast cancer. A polymorphism in intron 10 occurred in a patient with synchronous endometrial cancer. No classic germ line mutations of p53 were found.
Optical visualization of stimulus-evoked fast neural activity and spreading waves in amphibian retina

High spatiotemporal resolution imaging is desirable for better understanding of dynamic information processing in the retina. Optical recording of stimulus-evoked neural activity can offer high spatial resolution with parallel monitor of many retinal neurons working together. We have recently demonstrated near infrared light imaging of fast intrinsic optical responses (FIORs) in activated amphibian retinas. High spatiotemporal resolution imaging of FIORs disclosed transient optical changes associated with electrophysiological responses. These FIORs were typically initiated from the center of the retinal area covered by the visible stimulus light pattern, and rapidly spread to surrounding area. Dynamic changes, i.e. amplitudes, polarities, and spreading patterns, of FIORs were dependent on the stimulus light intensity and delivery duration. In the retinal area covered by the visible light stimulus pattern, low strength stimuli evoked FIORs dominated by positive signals, but strengthened stimuli elicited negative-going responses. However, positive responses were consistently observed in surrounding area, beyond the edge of the stimulus light pattern at least 50 μm. Our experimental study and physiological analysis suggest that the negative FIORs are associated with the phototransduction of activated photoreceptors, and the positive FIORs result primarily from dynamic changes of second- and third-order neurons during retinal activation. Dynamic patterns and spreading waves of fast neural activity may reflect involvements of the feedback mechanisms, e.g. light adaptation and center-surround antagonism, of the retina.
Low 10Be and 26Al contents of ureilites: Production at meteoroid surfaces

Abstract We report the 10Be contents of 22 ureilites and the 26Al contents of 18 ureilites. When corrected for exposure age, where known, and for composition, the results give production rates, P, that are on average 20% lower than values typical of other meteorite classes. This depression of production rates, the weak correlation of both 26 and P10 with 22 Ne 21 Ne , and the generally high 3 He 21 Ne and 22 Ne 21 Ne ratios in ureilites all suggest that many of the samples occupied near-surface locations in their parent meteoroids. A reduced flux of cosmic rays does not by itself explain the elevated 22 Ne 21 Ne ratios and appears inconsistent with a proposed source for ureilites in the inner asteroid belt. Cosmogenic radionuclide data do not support the tentative pairing of ALHA 78019 with ALHA 78262 proposed on the basis of mineralogical similarities. The high 26Al content of LEW 85440 may be the result of irradiation by solar cosmic rays.
Towards a unified definition for reliability, survivability and resilience (I): the conceptual framework inspired by the handicap principle and ecological stability

Reliability function [R(t) = P(T ≫ t)] (where T is the lifetime or failure time, and P is the probability) serves as the definition of reliability very successfully in the sense that (i) it acts as an excellent pedagogical model; (ii) its fundamental concept, although often extended extensively, still holds in complex real-world reliability analysis. In contrast with reliability analysis, there is not a commonly accepted survivability function that assumes a similar role as the reliability function does in reliability analysis. In this article, I first analyze the challenges of defining such a survivability function that is similar to reliability function, and then argue that by synthesizing the existing definitions developed by leading scholars of survivability research [notably, Ellison et al. (1997), T1A1 group (ANSI T1A1.2, 2001), Knight (2003), Liu & Trivedi (2004), “ResiliNets Project” (ReSterbenz & Hutchinson et al. 2009)], a unified definition for reliability and survivability in the form of a 4-tuple: Survivability = [Resistance, Resilience, Persistence, Failure Counter], with the notion that resistance is equivalent to traditional reliability, is meaningful. Although the 4-tuple definition is much more complex than the reliability function, I argue that it possesses promising potential to become a survivability definition with the two similar properties demonstrated by the traditional reliability function. My arguments are based on two lines of developments: (i) The first three elements of the 4-tuple capture critical aspects of survivability and each of them possesses rigorously defined mathematical models. These models, developed in a series of our previous studies (Ma & Krings 2008a-d, Ma 2008, 2009a-c), when integrated together, form a modeling architecture for performing many real-world reliability and survivability analyses. This contribution from the new 4-tuple definition corresponds to the second property of the traditional reliability function. (ii) The 4-tuple definition is also inspired by two biological theories: the handicap principle that governs the honesty (reliability) of animal communication, and the stability theory of ecological systems. Both theories are examples of nature's versions of ‘reliability’ and ‘survivability’. How nature evolves both reliable and survivable (super reliable) features should be inspirational to the study of engineering reliability and survivability.
Characterization of the Crystallization and Grain Growth of Amorphous, Silicon Rich, Low Stress Silicon Nitride

Stoichiometric silicon nitride (Si3 N4 ) serves a variety of functions in semiconductor manufacturing. The intrinsic component of the residual stress of a sub-set of this material, so-called low stress nitride (LSN), is a function of the excess Si present in the lattice. In microscopic electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), this material is used as an etch-stop, insulating material and foundation layer for a variety of complicated structures. Under a variety of processing conditions, localized regions of LSN are susceptible to crystallization. In some cases, the crystallization event may form a region of low electrical resistance leading to electrical shorts in MEMs devices and other problems. The crystallization event is explained by a reduction in thermodynamic free energy brought about by the presence of a potential energy barrier lowering catalyst. Catalysts are shown to include but are not limited to inhomogeneities in the distribution of dopant species and seed particles located at the free-surface or interface between the LSN and a capping layer. Following crystallization, the growth front propagates by precipitation of excess Si ahead of the growing crystalline region. As in all grain growth/crystallization events, the event is driven by time and temperature.© 2002 ASME
New bounds on the minimum density of an identifying code for the infinite hexagonal grid

For a graph, G, and a vertex [email protected]?V(G), let N[v] be the set of vertices adjacent to and including v. A set [email protected]?V(G) is a (vertex) identifying code if for any two distinct vertices v"1,v"[email protected]?V(G), the vertex sets N[v"1]@?D and N[v"2]@?D are distinct and non-empty. We consider the minimum density of a vertex identifying code for the infinite hexagonal grid. In 2000, Cohen et al. constructed two codes with a density of 37~0.428571, and this remains the best known upper bound. Until now, the best known lower bound was 1229~0.413793 and was proved by Cranston and Yu in 2009. We present three new codes with a density of 37, and we improve the lower bound to 512~0.416667.
Thermal Shock and Drop Test Behaviour of Area Array Packages in Forward and Backward Compatible Assemblies

With lead-free implementation it is important to examine the behaviour of the solder joint at the component level and at the board level. Assembly related issues along with component reliability are the main focus of this experimental research. This experimental study aims to evaluate the mechanical integrity of solder joints comprising of both lead-free and SnPb alloys. Lead-free and SnPb solder pastes were used to assemble the components. This will allow us to check the forward and the backward compatibility of the solder alloys. The test vehicle considered for this study contained a variety of components such as ultra chip scale package (UCSP192), package on package (PoP), plastic ball grid array (PBGA-676 & 1156), very thin chip array BGA (CVBGA432), thin small outline package (TSOP-40 & 48), dual row micro-lead frame (DRMLF), micro-lead frame (MLF-36 & 72), and chip resistors (0201, 0402, 0603). The scope of this paper is limited to the performance evaluation for area array packages only. Solder ball alloy for the area array packages included SAC 305, SAC405, SAC105, SnAg and SnPb. Three different PCB surface finishes, electroless nickel immersion gold (ENIG), SnPb hot air solder level (HASL), and immersion silver (ImAg) were used. Different solder ball alloys and surface finish combinations provided good comparison data for investigating the assembly performance. The PCB assemblies were subjected to mechanical shock test in the as-soldered condition and also after 200 and 500 thermal shock cycles at −55 to 125°C. For the mechanical shock test, the assemblies were subjected to 30 drops from a height of 3 ft, generating an average G force of 485N. After each drop the components were checked for the continuity of the total daisy chain. The number of drops for the first failure was used in analyzing the performance of the components for various combinations. Since each component had many independent daisy chains, the failure of the individual daisy chains was later used in determining the location of the failure and how it progressed. Two sets of test vehicles were assembled. One set comprised of components with lead-free solder balls of different composition (SAC305, SAC405, SAC105, SnAg) and the other set comprised of components with lead-free solder balls and SnPb solder balls (SAC305, SAC405, SnPb). This mix of alloy composition provided adequate data for comparison. It was critical to optimize the process in order to enable the melting of the mix of alloys. The area array package performance was evaluated when assembled with lead-free and SnPb solder paste. Some of the assemblies were cross-sectioned after the tests and the microstructure of the solder joint was analyzed to study the possible cause for assembly failure.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
The Thyroxine Secretion Rate of New Hampshire Chickens from 6 to 28 Weeks of Age

Abstract DECREASES in thyroidal activity during the period of growth have been observed in the mouse (Hurst and Turner, 1948), the rat (Monroe and Turner, 1946), cattle (Lewis and Ralston, 1953), monkeys (Pickering et al., 1953), and poultry (Biellier and Turner, 1955). Blincoe (1958) reported a decline in relative thyroidal activity in growing calves to 7 months of age even under the influence of a constant temperature of 50°F. Data presented herewith indicate that New Hampshire chicks, hatched June first, showed uniform thyroxine secretion rate (TSR) during the summer and fall. EXPERIMENTAL Chicks of the two lines of New Hampshires previously selected for high and low thyroxine secretion rate (Stahl and Turner, 1961) were hatched June 1, 1959. They were subjected to the normal temperature variations of the season as soon as they were removed from the heated batteries at 3 weeks of age. They were kept in unheated broiler batteries…
Failing Health and the Desire for Independence: Two Conflicting Aspects of Health Care in Old Age

This paper develops a health-care career for the elderly through a study of the residents and staff in an old-age home containing both semi-independent apartments and a supervised nursing area. Negotiations between residents and staff over when to move to the nursing area follow five stages: disguising problems, minimizing problems, denying the implications of problems or their treatments, seeking alternatives to the move, and creating conflict. The conflict between staff and residents arises over their differences in perceptions of the costs and benefits of moving from the semi-independent apartments to the nursing area: residents attribute low medical gains and high social losses to the move; for staff it is just the opposite.
Microchannels and Minichannels: History, Terminology, Classification and Current Research Needs

Microchannels and Minichannels are found in many biological systems providing very high heat and mass transfer rates in organs such as the brain, lung, liver and kidney. Many high flux cooling applications are effectively utilizing their high heat transfer capabilities of these channels. A brief overview of the historical perspective and some of the issues that need to be addressed with microchannels and Minichannels are presented in this paper.Copyright © 2003 by ASME