cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
PROMIS Global-10 performs poorly relative to legacy shoulder instruments in patients undergoing total shoulder arthroplasty for glenohumeral arthritis

Background The PROMIS Global-10 is a 10-item questionnaire that assesses general health-related quality of life. There is a paucity of research on the utility of the PROMIS Global-10 in the evaluation of orthopedic conditions. The aim of this study is to compare PROMIS Global-10 and legacy shoulder-specific patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in patients undergoing total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) for shoulder arthritis. Methods This retrospective cohort study included patients who underwent TSA for shoulder arthritis and completed preoperative and 1-year postoperative surveys. Primary outcome measures were the physical (PROMIS-P) and mental (PROMIS-M) components of PROMIS Global-10. The legacy PROMs included the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Standardized Shoulder Assessment Form (ASES) score, the Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE), and the Shoulder Activity Scale (SAS). Analyses included postoperative changes for each outcome, correlations between measures and a responsiveness assessment. Results A total of 170 patients met inclusion criteria. Average age and body mass index were 67.7 ± 7.8 years and 28.0 ± 4.9, respectively. All legacy PROMs and PROMIS-P were significantly higher at 1-year follow-up compared with the preoperative level (P .05). Postoperatively, PROMIS-M was poorly correlated with all legacy PROMs (r Conclusion PROMIS Global-10 had limited correlation with legacy PROMs and was less responsive at 1-year follow-up in patients following TSA. The Global-10 appears to have limited utility in the evaluation of patients with shoulder arthritis both preoperatively and after TSA.
Controlling Covalency and Anion Redox Potentials through Anion Substitution in Li-Rich Chalcogenides

Development of next-generation battery technologies is imperative in the pursuit of a clean energy future. Toward that end, battery chemistries capable of multielectron redox processes are at the f...
Communication in a Crisis and the Importance of Authenticity and Transparency

Communication is at the heart of leadership and management. It is how we set expectations, provide feedback, and ensure that the work of the organizations we lead is in alignment with larger instit...
Advance Directives in the Nursing Home Setting: An Initiative to Increase Completion and Reduce Potentially Avoidable Hospitalizations.

Advance directive (AD) completion can improve transitions between hospitals and skilled nursing facilities (SNF’s). One Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovations Demonstration Pr...
Mobile Persuasive Design for HEMS Adaptation

Abstract With the global adoption and implementation of smart grid technology, the coherent and steady involvement of consumers is required for the successful use of available technology. Changing consumer behavior has always been a challenge, particularly for home energy monitoring systems (HEMS). This paper introduces a novel approach of personalizing the mobile application experience for the consumer by assessing individual personality traits before giving consumers a mobile application which has the potential to retrain the consumers (users) and sustain reduced electricity usage for a household. To support the extension of electricity monitoring to the mobile app market, persuasive design models were created to target major factors which would appeal to consumers, such as saving money and environmental impact. The models were shared with a sample population to determine the probability of mobile app adoption by consumers, anticipated usage patterns, interface usage rankings, and motivations. The survey results are presented here, with analysis and identification of the challenges involved in engaging consumers and changing behaviors.
The HPA Axis and Depressive Disorders

During the past two decades, various abnormalities of hypothalamicpituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis function have been described in patients with depressive illness. Abnormalities were initially observed at the most peripheral level, i.e., urinary excretion of cortisol metabolites, but the development of reliable assays for the direct measurement of circulating hormones provided the impetus for an extensive progression of studies. Although the focus of investigation has undergone period reevaluation, the phenomenon of HPA axis dysregulation continues to intrigue investigators of the biology of depression and the “stress response.”
Evolution of an Issue: Voter ID Laws in the American States

In this paper we undertake a comprehensive examination of voter ID legislation in the American states, from 2001 through 2012. We show that there has been a notable evolution in the behavior of partisan lawmakers regarding their handling of this issue. Whereas in the early 2000s voter ID laws were few and primarily motivated by efforts to comply with the 2002 Help America Vote Act (HAVA), which was passed in response to the vote counting fiasco in Florida in the 2000 presidential election, more recently there is evidence of extreme partisan polarization regarding voter ID laws across state legislatures. With a dataset that includes over 1,000 proposed and nearly 100 enacted voter ID laws spanning a dozen years, we employ (1) negative binomial and multilevel over-dispersed Poisson count models and (2) pooled time series cross-sectional regression models with binary dependent variables, to determine the likelihood a state legislature in a given year introduces and adopts restrictive voter ID bills. It is clear from our evaluation of legislative activity on voter ID laws that they have evolved from a valence issue into a partisan battle where, with few exceptions, Republicans defend their enactment as a safeguard against fraud while Democrats indict them as the leading tactic for voter suppression. Though the partisan fight over voter ID laws is now common knowledge among political observers, the legislation is not uniform across the states; that is, not all Republican-controlled legislatures have pushed for more restrictive voter ID laws. We argue that a state’s broader electoral and demographic context - including a state’s turnout rate and whether or not it is a presidential battleground state - conditions why some Republican - controlled state legislatures have focused on voter ID laws as a useful political tool to shape the electorate. In an age of highly competitive partisan politics, when neither party can lay claim to a dominant electoral position, voter ID laws constitute an issue that both parties utilize to further their political interests. In short, the voter ID issue is a pawn in the larger partisan game of electoral politics.
Fas (CD95) Induces Alveolar Epithelial Cell Apoptosis in Vivo: Implications for Acute Pulmonary Inflammation

Activation of the Fas/FasL system induces apoptosis of susceptible cells, but may also lead to nuclear factor kappaB activation. Our goal was to determine whether local Fas activation produces acute lung injury by inducing alveolar epithelial cell apoptosis and by generating local inflammatory responses. Normal mice (C57BL/6) and mice deficient in Fas (lpr) were treated by intranasal instillation of the Fas-activating monoclonal antibody (mAb) Jo2 or an irrelevant control mAb, and studied 6 or 24 hours later using bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), histopathology, DNA nick-end-labeling assays, and electron microscopy. Normal mice treated with mAb Jo2 had significant increases in BAL protein at 6 hours, and BAL neutrophils at 24 hours, as compared to lpr mice and to mice treated with the irrelevant mAb. Neutrophil recruitment was preceded by increased mRNA expression for tumor necrosis factor-alpha, macrophage inflammatory protein-1alpha, macrophage inflammatory protein-2, macrophage chemotactic protein-1, and interleukin-6, but not interferon-gamma, transforming growth factor-ss, RANTES, eotaxin, or IP-10. Lung sections from Jo2-treated normal mice showed neutrophilic infiltrates, alveolar septal thickening, hemorrhage, and terminal dUTP nick-end-labeling-positive cells in the alveolar septae and airspaces. Type II pneumocyte apoptosis was confirmed by electron microscopy. Fas activation in vivo results in acute alveolar epithelial injury and lung inflammation, and may be important in the pathogenesis of acute lung injury.
Swimming Pool Owners' Opinions of Strategies for Prevention of Drowning

Training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation for pool owners and mandatory placement of a barrier around pools, two commonly suggested strategies for prevention of drowning, will depend, in part, on the support of pool owners to be successfully implemented. To measure this support, an equal probability sample of 795 Sacramento County households with pools was surveyed. An 80% response rate was achieved. A large majority (86%) favored voluntary cardiopulmonary resuscitation training, and a plurality (40%) favored required cardiopulmonary resuscitation certification for pool owners. However, 61% opposed a universal barrier requirement, and 49% objected to a barrier requirement for new pools only. Respondents with small children at home were more likely (P = .0001) to support a required barrier. The previous occurrence of a significant immersion event had surprisingly little effect. The results suggest some specific directions for programs to prevent swimming pool drownings.
Monitoring of venous oxygen saturation using a novel vibratory oximetry sensor

Presents the framework and initial findings for a novel methodology capable of noninvasively monitoring tissue oxygen consumption in peripheral extremities. The presented method and sensor system utilize a carefully controlled perturbation algorithm that both induces venous volumetric pulsations and provides a method for optically differentiating and localizing venous and arterial blood flow. Initial experimental results are provided demonstrating the potential utility of the method.
Teaching and Assessing ED Handoffs: A Qualitative Study Exploring Resident, Attending, and Nurse Perceptions.

Introduction: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education requires that residency programs ensure resident competency in performing safe, effective handoffs. Understanding resident, attending, and nurse perceptions of the key elements of a safe and effective emergency department (ED) handoff is a crucial step to developing feasible, acceptable educational interventions to teach and assess this fundamental competency. The aim of our study was to identify the essential themes of ED-based handoffs and to explore the key cultural and interprofessional themes that may be barriers to developing and implementing successful ED-based educational handoff interventions. Methods: Using a grounded theory approach and constructivist/interpretivist research paradigm, we analyzed data from three primary and one confirmatory focus groups (FGs) at an urban, academic ED. FG protocols were developed using open-ended questions that sought to understand what participants felt were the crucial elements of ED handoffs. ED residents, attendings, a physician assistant, and nurses participated in the FGs. FGs were observed, hand-transcribed, audio-recorded and subsequently transcribed. We analyzed data using an iterative process of theme and subtheme identification. Saturation was reached during the third FG, and the fourth confirmatory group reinforced the identified themes. Two team members analyzed the transcripts separately and identified the same major themes. Results: ED providers identified that crucial elements of ED handoff include the following: 1) Culture (provider buy-in, openness to change, shared expectations of sign-out goals); 2) Time (brevity, interruptions, waiting); 3) Environment (physical location, ED factors); 4) Process (standardization, information order, tools). Conclusion: Key participants in the ED handoff process perceive that the crucial elements of intershift handoffs involve the themes of culture, time, environment, and process. Attention to these themes may improve the feasibility and acceptance of educational interventions that aim to teach and assess handoff competency.
A Reading and Writing Placement Test: Design, Evaluation, and Analysis

Placement tests, along with the growing interest in their validation, have become increasingly important in English as a Second Language programs. To this end, the present paper illustrates procedures in designing a placement test and using it to evaluate students’ language ability by means of statistical analysis. 29 participants from three proficiency levels (beginning, intermediate, and advanced) took reading and writing placement test sections. Students’ performance at each proficiency level was analyzed separately and compared across proficiency levels. In addition, analyses of responses on a survey revealed a relationship between language learning attitudes and behaviors exhibited by the participants and their performance on the placement test. Through close examination of the process of placement test design, evaluation, and analysis, this paper provides practical guidelines for reading and writing placement testing.
Referral of symptoms from the trigeminal to the facial nerve as a sequel to dental infection.

Abstract The case reported in this article documents a clinical situation in which an infected tooth resulted in secondary clnical manifestations involving the seventh cranial nerve in addition to the fifth cranial nerve. A theory for the referral mechanism is proposed.
Mass separation by means of microwave linear acceleration in secondary beams

The general features of a linearly separated beam are presented and merits of the method are pointed out. A linearly separated beam design emerging at the Lawrence Radiation Lab. in connection with plans for a 4 Bev/c K/sup -/ beam is considered specifically. (A.G.W.)
Swelling kinetics of polymers

Abstract The equilibrium swelling of semicrystalline or crosslinked polymers and of their gels upon immersion in liquids has been investigated extensively. On the other hand, few studies have dealt with the kinetics of swelling. Swelling kinetics are important for designing controlled-release devices for drugs and agricultural pesticides based on swellable polymer matrices, and for predicting the release rates of the active ingredients. Theoretical considerations, based on diffusion-controlled swelling, show that first-order kinetics does not apply, even though deviations during the initial and even middle stages of the swelling process may be relatively small. Extensive studies of swelling rate and equilibrium swelling of supported and unsupported gelatin films have been published. The rate is controlled by stress relaxation in the swelling polymer network. The rate equations of these studies, which have also been reported to apply to cellulose, are shown to represent second-order kinetics with respect t...
A fully relativistic approach for calculating atomic data for highly charged ions

We present a review of our fully relativistic approach to calculating atomic data for highly charged ions, highlighting a research effort that spans twenty years. Detailed discussions of both theoretical and numerical techniques are provided. Our basic approach is expected to provide accurate results for ions that range from approximately half ionized to fully stripped. Options for improving the accuracy and range of validity of this approach are also discussed. In developing numerical methods for calculating data within this framework, considerable emphasis is placed on techniques that are robust and efficient. A variety of fundamental processes are considered including: photoexcitation, electron-impact excitation, electron-impact ionization, autoionization, electron capture, photoionization and photorecombination. Resonance contributions to a variety of these processes are also considered, including discussions of autoionization, electron capture and dielectronic recombination. Ample numerical examples are provided in order to illustrate the approach and to demonstrate its usefulness in providing data for large-scale plasma modeling.
Characterizing the Hazard of a Wake Vortex Encounter

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is conducting research with the goal of enabling safe improvements in the capacity of the nation''s air transportation system. The wake vortex upset hazard is an important factor in establishing the minimum safe spacing between aircraft during landing and take-off operations, thus impacting airport capacity. Static and free-flight wind tunnel tests and flight tests have provided an extensive data set for improved understanding of vortex encounter dynamics and simulation. Piloted and batch simulation studies are also ongoing to establish a first-order hazard metric and determine the limits of an operationally acceptable wake induced upset. This paper outlines NASA''s research in these areas.
Founding Marketing Science

By 1978 the shear quantity of high level marketing science research had exceeded the space available in the Marketing Department of Management Science and the Journal of Marketing Research. In addition, JMR was (and is) more oriented to statistical methodology. We envisioned more of an engineering/operations research flavor to any new journal. At one of the TIMS/ ORSA meeting Frank Bass and John Little asked me to chair a committee to look into the feasibility of starting a new marketing journal under TIMS/ORSA sponsorship. I agreed to do so. The other members of the committee were Bob Cooper, Joe Dodson, Irv Gross, John Hauser, Mike Rothkopf, Subrata Sen, and Dick Wittink.
Meningeal leukemia complicating chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Two patients with classic chronic lymphocytic leukemia had meningeal leukemia as a complication of their disease. Intrathecal chemotherapy was successful in eradicating signs and symptoms of meningeal involvement. One of these patients is alive without evidence of central nervous system leukemia 30 months after diagnosis of meningeal leukemia, and 5 1/2 years after the diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Although uncommon, meningeal involvement in chronic lymphocytic leukemia may occur at various times in the course of the disease, it responds to conventional therapy.
Modeling of thermodynamically difficult systems

Abstract While current thermodynamic models are satisfactory for the description of many systems of industrial interest, there are other mixtures for which specialized modeling techniques are needed. Mixtures containing associating and hydrogen-bonding species, and the complicated phase behavior of highly nonideal mixtures are two examples of mixtures that are difficult to describe accurately. Here, we consider recent advances in predicting the phase behavior of such mixtures. In particular, we will show how molecular orbital calculations can be used to aid in the description of the phase behavior of pure fluids and mixtures containing hydrogen-bonding components. The description of highly nonideal mixtures over large ranges of temperature and pressure has traditionally been a difficult thermodynamic problem. Here we will show how recent combinations of excess free energy models and equations of state provides better modeling tools for this problem using examples from vapor–liquid and liquid–liquid equilibria, and critical region behavior.
Cytogenic Studies in Metastatic Neuroblastoma

HIGH incidence of nonspecific abnormal chromosomes in human malignant tumors was noticed in the past ten years.1To date the finding of the minute chromosome (Ph1) in the bone marrow of patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia represents the only instance of a specific chromosome abnormality unique to a human neoplastic disease.2-5A recent case of metastatic neuroblastoma with unusual chromosome abnormalities in the direct bone marrow preparation prompted us to review our experience with two additional cases in the hope that some common abnormality would be found. Materials and Methods The following three patients with disseminated neuroblastoma were treated at the Clinical Center, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health. Chromosomes of the mitotic cells in bone marrow were studied without prior in vitro culture and in air dried preparations.6Peripheral blood was cultured for 72 hours and preparations made according to the technique of Moorhead
Material momentum tensor and path-independent integrals of fracture mechanics

Abstract Balance laws involving the material momentum tensor are studied. By convenient choice of the Lagrangian, the balance law of moment of material momentum is derived directly by considering rotations in material space. Then the balance law connected with the property of similarity of material space is obtained. Symmetry of physical and material momenta in both representations which are used is studied. Finally, the relations of the obtained balance laws (for the static case) to path-independent integrals of fracture mechanics are discussed.
3-D CFD in a day - The laser digitizer project

The computation of airflow over complex configurations requires a complete description of the geometry. This can be obtained from CAD data, from blueprints, or from actual models. In any case, the time required is currently estimated at 4 to 6 months. It is proposed to shorten this time by a factor of 10 to 100 through the use of automated software, a fast, highly parallel computer and a three-dimensional laser digitizer. This device can provide (x,y,z) coordinates of surface points at rates exceeding 14,500/sec. Thus, it is possible to digitize an entire model in a few minutes. The accuracy of measurement on a flat white surface is better than 0.005 inches. Higher accuracy is available at higher cost. This work discusses the challenges which remain to be addressed. In particular, the surface point data need to be converted into a surface description, the surface description needs to be made into a surface grid, and the surface grid used to make a volume grid for the flow solver. Algorithms are kept in place or in mind for all of these problems. Integration of the more mature flow solution and visualization algorithms then allows generation of solution graphics directly from a wind tunnel model.
Achieving greater financial independence for Latin America: A proposal

Abstract Financial intermediation development in Latin America illustrates the various ways in which the financial system may influence growth, efficiency, and welfare. Though the financial repression of earlier years has begun to be alleviated, much of the resulting growth of finance in Latin America has been concentrated within the countries or between them and the now-developed regions. Intraregional financial flows have been largely overlooked as an avenue for the increase of financial savings and of regional control over the mobilization and allocation of financial resources. This paper proposes the creation of new instruments designed to further the development of financial intermediation on a regional basis. A Latin American Development Bond programme is suggested which would increase the level of voluntary financial savings for regional development purposes and would reduce the present triangulation of credit flows through financial intermediaries outside of Latin America.
Directly single-diode-pumped continuous-wave Yb 3+ :YAG laser tunable in the 1047–1051-nm wavelength range

We have demonstrated tunability in a wavelength range of 1047–1051 nm, using the lowest pumping power known to us (1.4 W at 972 nm), for a cw single-diode-pumped Yb:YAG laser. The output power was 166 mW in the multimode regime and 73 mW in the fundamental transverse-mode regime. The laser efficiency was 12.8% and 21% with respect to the incident and the absorbed pump powers, respectively. The linewidth of the laser was Δλ = 0.05–0.07 cm-1 (1.5–2.1 GHz), which corresponds to two to three longitudinal cavity modes. A theoretical model of the laser has been developed. Experimental results are in good agreement with the theoretical model.
Relevance of serotonergic postmortem studies to suicidal behavior

This is a review of postmortem studies in the brain of suicide victims. The main focus is on the serotonergic system, looking at both pre-and postsynaptic indices. It includes studies which measured the levels of serotonin and its metabolite 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid, as well as studies of serotonin 5-HT1A and 5-HT2 receptors, and the serotonin transporter. Reports on other transmitter systems are also included, as is a comparison of violent versus nonviolent deaths, depression and postmortem interval.
Rice, Reason, and Roses: Reference Rations on a Deserted Island

If stranded on a desert island, which ten sources would I pick to take with me to form a core reference collection? As I pondered Jim Rettig's question, my reading of its meaning shifted. Initially I thought of the Congressional Record, New York Times on microfilm, and Encyclopaedia Britannica 3 — the Congressional Record because of its mirroring of contemporary America's political life with all of its unin‐tentional humor, hokey homiletics, wealth of information and insight into the workings of government; the New York Times for retrospective news coverage and because for me New York City will always be the world capital of culture and intellectual ferment; and EB 3 because it is the most generously endowed encyclopedia, and the lack of an efficient key to its content would be a minor failing in the languid, sultry, South Seas setting I had established in my mind.
Turnover of membrane proteins: Kinetics of induction and degradation of seven forms of rat liver microsomal cytochrome P-450, NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase, and epoxide hydrolase

The in vivo turnover of several rat liver microsomal proteins was studied using techniques designed to maximize antibody recognition specificity and minimize reutilization of radioactive labels. The kinetics of degradation of seven cytochrome P-450 isozymes, NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase, and epoxide hydrolase were determined in untreated rats and rats treated with phenobarbital or beta-naphthoflavone. In the cases where induction of these enzymes occurred with the above chemicals, rates of synthesis of the proteins were also estimated. In general, the degradation rates of the different proteins were rather similar to each other, and the effects of phenobarbital and beta-naphthoflavone on these rates were not very great. However, in the case of cytochromes P-450, a general trend was observed in which the heme moiety was degraded more rapidly than the apoprotein. Changes in the rates of synthesis of the individual proteins appear to contribute more to the altered steady-state levels which are expressed than do the rates of degradation, and profiles of steady-state enzyme concentrations predicted by the kinetic constants approximate those observed in vivo.
Molecular dynamics simulations of transport and separation of supercritical carbon dioxide-alkane mixtures in supported membranes

Abstract The results of extensive nonequilibrium molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of flow and transport of several binary mixtures of CO 2 and an n -alkane chain, from CH 4 to C 4 H 10 , through a model porous membrane composed of three pores in series with significantly different sizes and in the presence of an external pressure gradient, are reported. The technique that we use for the simulations is a combination of the configurational-bias Monte Carlo method (used for efficient generation of molecular models of n -alkane chains) and the dual control-volume grand-canonical MD method. The selectivity of the membrane changes qualitatively as the length of the alkane chain increases, resulting in high separation factors in favor of the alkanes. Moreover, we find that, under supercritical conditions, unusual phenomena occur that give rise to direction - and pressure-dependent permeabilities for the fluids. The results, which are also in agreement with a continuum formulation of the problem, indicate that the composite nature of the membrane gives rise to the direction-dependent permeabilities. Hence, modeling flow and transport of supercritical fluid mixtures in porous materials with the type of morphology considered in this paper (such as supported porous membranes) would require using effective permeabilities that depend on both the external pressure drop and the direction along which it is applied to the materials.
Orbiting cross sections: Application to black hole scattering.

The semiclassical formulas for orbiting cross sections (spiraling scattering) are derived for particles and for scalar waves. They are applied to scalar waves orbiting Schwarzschild black holes. The cross sections for scalar waves orbiting Schwarzschild black holes are also computed numerically by the method of partial wave decomposition. They are compared with the semiclassical analytic cross sections. The approximations made in the semiclassical analysis determine the scattering up to two parameters: the overall amplitude and the phase of the oscillation in the cross section. When matched to the amplitude and phase of the numerical computation there is an extremely close fit between the analytical and the numerical cross sections. Therefore we conclude that the oscillatory features observed in the numerical calculations away from forward- and backward-scattering angle are due to orbiting. Backward glory scattering has been computed analytically previously; the perfect agreement with the numerical results shows that the behavior of the cross section for a scattering angle $\ensuremath{\theta}\ensuremath{\simeq}\ensuremath{\pi}$ is due to glory scattering. Together these results interpret the numerically computed cross section for the entire range of scattering angles. The analytical calculation of the glory and orbiting cross sections is an application of the prodistribution formulation of functional integration.
EFFECTIVE INTERACTIONS IN THE DEUTERON--NUCLEUS SYSTEM.

Abstract Effective interactions for use in three-body models of the deuteron-nucleus system are derived by orderly elimination of excitations of internal coordinates of the target nucleus. The interactions are expressed in terms of the individual nucleon-nucleus optical potentials.
Anesthesia for bone marrow harvesting in the prone position in a patient with preexisting pericardial tamponade

Refractory pericardial tamponade developed in an 18-year-old man with recurrent lymphoma. Invasive monitoring guided anesthetic management for bone marrow harvesting for autologous transplantation. The use of the prone position did not lead to adverse hemodynamic effects. The presence of a double pulse was demonstrated by pulse oximetry.
On the Science of Embodied Cognition in the 2010s: Research Questions, Appropriate Reductionism, and Testable Explanations

The Journal of the Learning Sciences has devoted this special issue to the study of embodied cognition (as it applies to mathematics), a topic that for several decades has gained attention in the c...
From initial-state fluctuations to final-state observables

Abstract This talk begins with the interpretation of the azimuthally collimated di-hadron correlation with large rapidity separations observed in heavy-ion and high multiplicity proton-proton collisions known as the “ridge”. The physics of the ridge is intimately related to quantum fluctuations responsible for the decoherence of the strongly occupied initial classical fields generated in heavyion collisions. Progress made in the implementation of a program to resum these instabilities and the connection with the final-state observables is discussed.
Market Forces and Price Ceilings: A Classroom Experiment

Abstract The effect of price controls on competitive equilibrium is a standard topic in many undergraduate economics courses. This classroom experiment demonstrates the effect of rent control (price ceilings) on the market for apartments. As participants in the experiment, students experience the effect of a price ceiling as buyers (renters) and sellers (landlords). The classroom-posted offer market exhibits a shortage under a binding price ceiling. Further, we explore a secondary response to rent control. When given the opportunity, landlords lower the quality of the apartments by reducing maintenance expenditures under the price ceiling, thus moving the market back to equilibrium. Since many students are themselves renters, they should relate to changes in quality due to lower maintenance by landlords. This experiment will stimulate discussion on market forces and on public policy aimed at restricting prices. In many cases rent control appears to be the most efficient technique presently known to destroy a city – except for bombing. (Lindbeck, 1972, p. 39)
Effects of pulse duration on neuromuscular blockade monitoring: Implications for supramaximal stimulation

Questions have been raised concerning the reliability of surface electrodes in achieving supramaximal stimulation during the monitoring of neuromuscular blockade; needle electrodes are considered reliable in this respect. This study compares interelectrode impedances of needle and surface electrodes during neuromuscular blockade monitoring and suggests those characteristics of the stimulation pulse that can ensure reliable supramaximal stimulation with either type of electrode. Interelectrode voltage and current for surface and needle electrodes were measured by using 1.0-ms pulses at low, medium, and high stimulation levels on 22 surgical patients during anesthesia. Data were collected immediately after electrode application, and again at 10 minutes after application. Stimulation with surface electrodes produced an initial, transient surge of current, followed by a lower steady-state value. At high stimulation levels, the peak transient current was 87% higher than the steady-state current. Needle electrodes produced a constant high-current response. At high stimulation levels the transient impedance of the surface electrode and the impedance of the needle electrode were essentially equal (0.7 kΩ and 0.75 kΩ, respectively). The transient impedance was significantly lower (P<0.001) and was associated with less interpatient variation (P<0.001) and less sensitivity to the duration of electrode application than was the steady-state impedance of the surface electrode. These data suggest that high-current pulses with widths of less than 0.2 ms could provide reliable supramaximal stimulation with either type of electrode.
An analysis of fretting cracks. II: Unloading and reloading phases

Abstract An elastic half-plane containing a surface-breaking crack normal to the free surface, subjected to loading by uniform tractions over a given length of its surface, is considered. The tractions consist of pressure, constant in time, and a shear load, varying sinusoidally in time, both applied adjacent to the crack. This geometry approximates the classical fretting problem with a resulting fatigue crack. The faces of the crack are allowed to transmit Coulomb friction. In this paper it is assumed that the pressure has already been applied, and that the shear traction has been increased continuously from zero to a maximum value. The effect of varying the shear traction through the rest of one load cycle is considered. Stress intensity factors are computed for various crack lengths, friction coefficients, and ratios of applied tractions. The history of stick and slip zones found along the crack faces is monitored.
The appearance and development of chemosensitivity in Rohon-Beard neurones of the Xenopus spinal cord

1. We have examined the onset and subsequent development of chemosensitivity in Rohon—Beard neurones from the Xenopus spinal cord. These cells become sensitive to bath-applied γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) around stage 25 (early tailbud, about 1 d old), and remain so at least until stage 49 (9 d old). In contrast, a number of other neurotransmitter candidates tested caused no potential or conductance change during the same period. 2. We examined ionophoretic dose—response relations of the cells at stage 26, a couple of hours after the first acquisition of GABA sensitivity. Sensitivities as high as 450 mV/nC were recorded. Comparable sensitivities were recorded between stages 46-49 (5-9 d old). 3. Measurements of ionophoretic sensitivities and input resistances during several periods from stage 26 to maturity show that the underlying conductance change for a given GABA dose is likely to increase steadily during this time. A ‘sensitivity index’ (ionophoretic sensitivity/input resistance) was calculated, which is low at stage 26, higher at intermediate stages (stages 31-42), and highest for mature cells (stages 46-49; 5-9 d of development). 4. The reversal potential of the ionophoretic GABA response is the same at stage 26 (-30 mV) as it is in mature cells. Ion substitution experiments show that Na+ and K+, but not Cl− or Ca2+, are involved in the response. 5. GABA responses at stage 26 are pharmacologically similar to those of mature cells. The responses are blocked by 10 μM-picrotoxin or curare, and muscimol is an agonist in concentrations as low as 1 μM. 6. GABA responses at stage 26 desensitize in a manner similar to that seen for mature cells, either with prolonged bath application of GABA or with repetitive ionophoretic application. 7. Nearly half of the cells tested at stage 26 respond to glycine, in concentrations as low as 5 μM. This sensitivity is absent by 3½ d of development. 8. The responses of Rohon—Beard neurones to GABA are similar to those of other cells in that they involve a conductance increase, are mimicked by muscimol, and are blocked by picrotoxin. These responses are different in that they do not involve Cl− and are blocked by low concentrations of curare. 9. Many of the characteristics of GABA receptors, i.e. the reversal potential, desensitization, and pharmacology, are constant during development. However, the sensitivity of the cells to GABA and the spectrum of transmitters to which they are sensitive appear to change.
SU‐FF‐J‐104: Impact of Anatomical Changes On Dose Distributions During Three‐Dimensional Radiotherapy (3D‐CRT) of Lung Cancer: Preliminary Study Using Multiple 4‐DCT

Purpose: To investigate the impact of anatomical changes on target coverage and dose to normal tissues during radiotherapy for lungcancer using repeat four‐dimensional computed tomography (4‐DCT) imaging.Methods and Materials: Four patients with approximately 5–10 (average: 8) 4‐DCT imagedata sets acquired weekly during treatment were used for this study. Treatment portals were based on planning tumor volumes (PTV) from the initial data set. The beam arrangements from the initial data sets were transferred onto the 4‐DCT data sets for the subsequent treatment weeks and the dose distributions recalculated. Changes in the dose distributions were evaluated by dose‐volume histograms (DVH) for the internal target volumes (ITV) as well as for normal tissues including total lung,heart and spinal cord. Results: The overall average change in the percentage of volume of PTV and ITV covered by the 95% isodose (V95) between initial and during treatment was −5.2 ± 8.1% and −1.1 ± 1.3%, respectively. The overall average change in the dose to 95% of the PTV and ITV (D95) between initial and during treatment was −6.7 ± 10.1Gy and −0.9 ± 1.3Gy, respectively. Initial normal tissues volumes were comparable to the weekly datasets. Variation between initial vs. mean weekly percent total lung volume exceeding 20Gy (V20), mean total lungdoses, and cord maximum doses were −1.4% ± 1.8%, −0.9Gy ± 1.3Gy and 6.1Gy ± 7.1Gy, respectively. Conclusions: Analysis of serial respiration‐correlated CT scans provided useful information on dosimetric consequences of anatomical changes during treatment. Variation in target and normal tissue volumes were found to be small in average. However, changes were mainly observed in patients with mobile lower lobe lesions; therefore, effort to include image‐guidance based setup or imaging during the course of treatment, should be considered.
Analysis of SAR Autofocus Performance.

High quality focused SAR imaging dictates that the relative phase error over an aperture must be kept below a fraction of a wavelength. On most deployed SAR systems the internal measurement systems ability to measure position uncertainty is not sufficient to achieve this required precision. This necessitates an additional post-processing step of data-driven phase error mitigation known as autofocus. We present results comparing the performance of a variety of autofocus techniques including image metric optimization based techniques and several variants of phase gradient autofocus (PGA). The degree of focusing is evaluated with an image focus metric, specific to SAR images, that is not biased toward any particular autofocus algorithm. This evaluation is performed on a variety of scene types using injected (known) phase errors. We show that PGA autofocus outperforms the image metric optimization techniques tested (based on minimizing image entropy) in low contrast SAR scenes.
Scattering from arbitrarily oriented dielectric disks in the physical optics regime

A solution has been developed for electromagnetic-wave scattering from a dielectric disk of arbitrary shape and orientation. The solution is obtained by approximating the fields inside the disk with the fields induced inside an identically oriented dielectric slab having the same thickness and dielectric constant. The fields inside the disk excite conduction and polarization currents, which are in turn used to calculate the fields scattered from the disk. This computation has been executed for observers in the far field of the disk for arbitrarily polarized incident waves, and the solution has been expressed in the form of a dyadic scattering amplitude. The results apply when the minimum dimension of the disk’s cross section is large compared with both wavelength and disk thickness, although the thickness need not be small compared with wavelength. Examples of the dependence of the scattering amplitude on frequency, relative dielectric constant, and disk orientation are presented for disks of circular cross section.
Finite element analysis of water flow in variably saturated soil

Abstract A two-dimensional Galerkin finite element model for water flow in variably saturated soil is presented. A fourth-order Runge-Kutta time integration method is employed which allows use of time steps at least 2 times greater than for a traditional finite difference approximation of time derivatives. For short total simulation times computer execution costs for the Runge-Kutta method are greater than for the finite difference approximation due to the start up cost of the Runge-Kutta method, but for longer simulation times the Runge-Kutta method requires considerably less computational effort even when automatic time-step adjustment is used with the finite difference procedure. A comparison of the method of influence coefficients and 2 × 2 Gaussian integration to compute element matrices indicates that the influence coefficient method reduces total execution time to 60% of that required for numerical quadrature. Computed pressure heads using the influence coefficient method and numerical integration are found to be in close agreement with each other even under conditions of highly non-linear soil properties in a heterogeneous domain. Fluxes computed by the two methods are also generally in close agreement except under extremely non-linear conditions when some deviations were observed at short simulation times.
The McMaster family assessment device and clinical rating scale: questionnaire vs interview in childhood traumatic brain injury.

Two modalities of family assessment based on the McMaster Model of Family Functioning (MMFF), including a self-report questionairre (Family Assessment Device-FAD) and a clinical interview (McMaster...
African Americans and Network Disadvantage: Enhancing Social Capital through Participation on Social Networking Sites

This study examines the participation of African Americans on social networking sites (SNS), and evaluates the degree to which African Americans engage in activities in the online environment to mitigate social capital deficits. Prior literature suggests that compared with whites, African Americans have less social capital that can enhance their socio-economic mobility. As such, my research question is: do African Americans enhance their social capital through their participation on SNS? I use nationally representative data collected from the Pew Internet and American Life Project to explore the research question. The results suggest that the online environment is potentially a space in which African Americans can lessen social capital deficits.
Design and Fabrication of Vertical Electrodes in Microchannels for Particles/cells Sorting by Dielectrophoresis

We have developed a process to fabricate vertical electrodes in the side walls of the microchannel. With appropriate electrodes design, DEP force along the lateral direction of the channel can be generated so that one can position particulates along the width dimension of the channel. The effect of different electrode configurations on the efficacy of generating non-uniform electric field distribution has been studied by FEM Simulation with CFD-ACE. Electrodes with various length ratios and interdigited electrodes have been designed and studied on the generation of non-uniformity of the electric field. Compared to electrodes with different length ratios, side-wall interdigited electrodes provide more consistent direction of DEP force. Experiments on the manipulation of polystyrene microbeads and HEK293 cells with DEP have been demonstrated to verify the performance of the design. The particles/cells can be focused in the middle of the channel, trapped on the side walls, and sorted to different outlets by the flow.
Fast radioactive seed localization in intraoperative cone beam CT for low-dose-rate prostate brachytherapy

A fast knowledge-based radioactive seed localization method for brachytherapy was developed to automatically localize radioactive seeds in an intraoperative volumetric cone beam CT (CBCT) so that corrections, if needed, can be made during prostate implant surgery. A transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) scan is acquired for intraoperative treatment planning. Planned seed positions are transferred to intraoperative CBCT following TRUS-to-CBCT registration using a reference CBCT scan of the TRUS probe as a template, in which the probe and its external fiducial markers are pre-segmented and their positions in TRUS are known. The transferred planned seeds and probe serve as an atlas to reduce the search space in CBCT. Candidate seed voxels are identified based on image intensity. Regions are grown from candidate voxels and overlay regions are merged. Region volume and intensity variance is checked against known seed volume and intensity profile. Regions meeting the above criteria are flagged as detected seeds; otherwise they are flagged as likely seeds and sorted by a score that is based on volume, intensity profile and distance to the closest planned seed. A graphical interface allows users to review and accept or reject likely seeds. Likely seeds with approximately twice the seed volume are automatically split. Five clinical cases are tested. Without any manual correction in seed detection, the method performed the localization in 5 seconds (excluding registration time) for a CBCT scan with 512×512×192 voxels. The average precision rate per case is 99% and the recall rate is 96% for a total of 416 seeds. All false negative seeds are found with 15 in likely seeds and 1 included in a detected seed. With the new method, updating of calculations of dose distribution during the procedure is possible and thus facilitating evaluation and improvement of treatment quality.