cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Micro-displacement vibration measurement using a hetero-core fiber optic tip macro-bending sensor

This paper presents a novel dynamic micro-displacement measuring technique by use of hetero-core fiber optics for industrial applications such as structural health monitoring and fault diagnosis. A proposed sensor consisted of a hetero-core optical fiber and an Ag- mirrored end so as to directly convert micro-displacement into the macro-bending on the heterocore sensory portion. A series of experiments indicated that the sensor has a high linearity and sensitivity to displacement ranging from 7.18 × 10−3 dB/μm to 1.29 × 10−2 dB/μm by modulating the length of fiber beam, and detect micro-displacement vibration with a frequency up to 500 Hz with an accuracy of 5 %.
Yttrium Residues in MWCNT Enable Assessment of MWCNT Removal during Wastewater Treatment.

Many analytical techniques have limited sensitivity to quantify multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) at environmentally relevant exposure concentrations in wastewaters. We found that trace metals (e.g., Y, Co, Fe) used in MWCNT synthesis correlated with MWCNT concentrations. Because of low background yttrium (Y) concentrations in wastewater, Y was used to track MWCNT removal by wastewater biomass. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging and dissolution studies indicated that the residual trace metals were strongly embedded within the MWCNTs. For our specific MWCNT, Y concentration in MWCNTs was 76 µg g−1, and single particle mode inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (spICP-MS) was shown viable to detect Y-associated MWCNTs. The detection limit of the specific MWCNTs was 0.82 µg L−1 using Y as a surrogate, compared with >100 µg L−1 for other techniques applied for MWCNT quantification in wastewater biomass. MWCNT removal at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) was assessed by dosing MWCNTs (100 µg L−1) in water containing a range of biomass concentrations obtained from wastewater return activated sludge (RAS) collected from a local WWTP. Using high volume to surface area reactors (to limit artifacts of MWCNT loss due to adsorption to vessel walls) and adding 5 g L−1 of total suspended solids (TSS) of RAS (3-h mixing) reduced the MWCNT concentrations from 100 µg L−1 to 2 µg L−1. The results provide an environmentally relevant insight into the fate of MWCNTs across their end of life cycle and aid in regulatory permits that require estimates of engineered nanomaterial removal at WWTPs upon accidental release into sewers from manufacturing facilities.
And the winner is . . . ? Forecasting the outcome of others' competitive efforts.

People frequently forecast the outcomes of competitive events. Some forecasts are about oneself (e.g., forecasting how one will perform in an athletic competition, school or job application, or professional contest), while many other forecasts are about others (e.g., predicting the outcome of another individual’s athletic competition, school or job application, or professional contest). In this research, we examine people’s forecasts about others’ competitive outcomes, illuminate a systematic bias in these forecasts, and document the source of this bias as well as its downstream consequences. Eight experiments with a total of 3,219 participants in a variety of competitive contexts demonstrate that when observers forecast the outcome that another individual will experience, observers systematically overestimate the probability that this individual will win. This misprediction stems from a previously undocumented lay belief—the belief that other people generally achieve their intentions—that skews observers’ hypothesis testing. We find that this lay belief biases observers’ forecasts even in contexts in which the other person’s intent is unlikely to generate the person’s intended outcome, and even when observers are directly incentivized to formulate an accurate forecast. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)
Epilepsy and Anticonvulsant Therapy in Brain Tumor Patients

Seizures are common in patients with brain tumors and may have a significant impact on quality of life. The actual seizure risk varies based on tumor histology and tumor location. Seizures are most common in patients with glioneuronal tumors and temporal, insular, or frontal lobe tumor location. Antiepileptic drug therapy is indicated in patients with a history of seizure, and the choice of symptomatic treatment should follow the principles of treatment for focal symptomatic epilepsy. In general, antiepileptic drugs that interact with the hepatic CYP450 co-enzymes should be avoided in brain tumor patients if possible due to potential drug-chemotherapy interactions. Levetiracetam represents the antiepileptic drug of choice in patients with brain tumors and has been demonstrated to be efficacious and is well tolerated in brain tumor patients. Lacosamide is an alternative anticonvulsant agent with increasing experience supporting its efficacy and favorable side effect profile.
An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study Investigating the Function of Hoarding.

Abstract This study examined the function of hoarding behaviors and the relations between hoarding and a series of cognitive and affective processes in the moment using ecological momentary assessment. A matched-groups design was used to compare college students with higher hoarding symptoms (n = 31) and matched controls (n = 29). The two groups did not differ in what function they reported acquiring served, and positive automatic reinforcement was the most commonly reported function in both groups. Engaging in hoarding-relevant behaviors did not predict change in positive or negative affect when controlling for previous affect. Emotional reactivity and experiential avoidance in the moment were both elevated in the higher hoarding group compared to controls, while momentary mindfulness and negative affect differentiation were lower. Overall, these findings support the importance of emotion regulation processes in hoarding. They also suggest individuals may not be successfully regulating affect in the moment with hoarding behaviors, despite efforts to do so. It may be useful to evaluate processes such as striving for positive affect in hoarding disorder in the future.
TIME ACCURATE SIMULATION OF VISCOUS FLOW AROUND DEFORMING BODIES USING OVERSET GRIDS

Dynamically evolving boundaries and deforming bodies interacting with a flow are commonly encountered in fluid dynamics. However, the numerical simulation of flows with dynamic boundaries is difficult with current methods. We propose a new method for studying such problems. The key idea is to use the overset grid method with a thin, body-fitted grid near the deforming boundary, while using fixed Cartesian grids to cover most of the computational domain. Our approach combines the strengths of earlier moving overset grid methods for rigid body motion, and unstructured grid methods for flow-structure interactions. Large scale deformation of the flow boundaries can be handled without a global regridding, and in a computationally efficient way. In terms of computational cost, the generation of an overset grid is significantly cheaper than a full regridding of an unstructured grid for the same domain, especially in three dimensions. As a computational example, we consider two-dimensional incompressible flow past flexible filaments with prescribed dynamics.
Predictors of COVID-19 incidence, mortality, and epidemic growth rate at the country level

Background. The burden of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been geographically disproportionate. Certain weather factors and population characteristics are thought to drive transmission, but studies examining these factors are limited. We aimed to identify weather, sociodemographic, and geographic drivers of COVID-19 at the global scale using a comprehensive collection of country/territory-level data, and to use discovered associations to estimate the timing of community transmission. Methods. We examined COVID-19 cases and deaths reported up to May 2, 2020 across 205 countries and territories in relation to weather data collected from capital cities for the eight weeks prior to and four weeks after the date of the first reported case, as well as country/territory-level population, geographic, and planetary data. We performed univariable and multivariable regression modeling and odds ratio analyses to investigate associations with COVID-19 cases, deaths, and epidemic growth rate. We also conducted maximum likelihood analysis to estimate the timing of initial community spread. Findings. Lower temperature (p<0.0001), lower humidity (p=0.006), higher altitude (p=0.0080), higher percentage of urban population (p<0.0001), increased air travelers (p=0.00019), and higher prevalence of obesity (p<0.0001) were strong independent predictors of national COVID-19 incidence, mortality, and epidemic growth rate. Temperature at 5-7 weeks before the first reported case best predicted epidemic growth, suggesting that significant community transmission was occurring on average 1-2 months prior to detection. Interpretation. The results of this ecologic analysis demonstrate that global COVID-19 burden and timing of country-level epidemic growth can be predicted by weather and population factors. In particular, we find that cool, dry, and higher altitude environments, as well as more urban and obese populations, may be conducive to more rapid epidemic spread. Funding sources: None.
Sensitivity analysis of tire-ice friction coefficient as affected by tire rubber compound properties

Abstract Previous studies show that the material properties of the rubber are among the most important factors when designing a tire. In this study, we investigated the effects of different rubber properties on tire performance on ice. A theoretical model that incorporates these tire material properties was developed. The model was used to estimate the height of the water film generated due to friction and the friction coefficient for both, dry and wet regions at the tire-ice contact patch. After validating the results using experimentally collected data, the model was used to perform a sensitivity analysis on the tire performance with respect to six material properties of the tread rubber: thermal conductivity, rubber density, Young’s modulus, specific heat, roughness parameter of the rubber, and radii of spherical asperities of the rubber. To study the effect of each parameter, the desired material property was varied within a specific range while the other parameters were kept constant. The results from this study show the sensitivity of the magnitude of the friction coefficient to the rubber material properties. The friction coefficient has a direct relationship with the density of the rubber and has an inverse relationship with Young’s modulus, specific heat, and roughness parameter.
Examining Particle Size of Inorganic Active Ingredients within Sunscreens Using Dynamic Light Scattering

With the advancements in broad-spectrum sunscreens and the recent bans on benzene-based sunscreens due to their environmental toxicity, there has been a push toward broad-spectrum sunscreens containing inorganic active ingredients. In this study, a procedure was developed to analyze the particle size and size distribution of inorganic active ingredients, titanium dioxide (TiO2) and/or zinc oxide (ZnO), of sunscreens with sun protection factor (SPF) values ranging from 15 to 50 using dynamic light scattering (DLS). These inorganic components are often engineered as nanoparticles in order to reduce visibility on the skin and retain UV scattering. Research suggests that the use of smaller nanoparticles to increase the efficacy of the inorganic filters may also be toxic to humans if it becomes permeable to the skin. This methodology allowed undergraduate students to work hands-on with particle sizing and compare sunscreen samples to nanopowder and dispersion standards using the effect of the hydrodynamic diameter. Students found that, due to agglomeration, the particle sizes for the nanopowder standards could exceed the manufacture’s labeled size when dispersed in solution, which they then compared with their sunscreen data. The results also showed that some sunscreens had two distinct layers at the end of sample preparation, which could be correlated to the matrix components within the sunscreens. This study is intended for undergraduate analytical students and can be altered using the potential variations and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with electron dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) to create a more challenging upper-level lab and allow for instrumentation comparisons.
Weight Status and Effects of Non-Tobacco Flavors on E-Cigarette Product Appeal

Flavors in tobacco products may be salient drivers of tobacco product use among people with overweight or obesity. Yet, whether perceived appeal of e-cigarettes with different flavors varies as a f...
CYP3A4 Polymorphisms and Acute Cellular Rejection in Lung Transplant Patients

Purpose Tacrolimus is the main component of the immunosuppressive regimen used in patients with solid organ transplants. Genetic polymorphism in CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 enzyme expression contributes to differences in tacrolimus metabolism with potential impact on allograft function. Although genetic factors influencing immunosuppressive response have been studied in kidney, heart and liver transplant patients, data regarding lung transplant patients are more limited. The aim of our study was to determine the relationship between CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 polymorphisms and acute rejection. Methods 41 lung transplant recipients were included. We retrospectively reviewed clinical and pathology data of patients. CYP3A5 polymorphisms were defined as intermediate, normal, or poor metabolizers. CYP3A4 polymorphisms were defined as rapid, intermediate, normal, or poor metabolizers. The diagnosis of acute cellular rejection was based on histopathology results. Chi-square statistic was used to compare categorical continuous variables (CYP3A5, CYP3A4 and acute rejection). Results The mean age of the patients was 59±13 years (mean ± SD) with an age range between 21 to 75 years. Among patients included in the analysis there were 51% males . There was a statistically significant increased rate of rejection in patients with normal CYP3A4 polymorphisms (68%) as compared to patients with poor and intermediate CYP3A4 polymorphisms (20%) (p 0.036). There was no association between CYP3A5 phenotype and acute rejection (p= 0.33). Conclusion Although this was a small study, our data suggest that CYP3A4 phenotype may influence the occurrence of acute rejection. Patients with normal CYP3A4 phenotype might require closer monitoring and higher tacrolimus concentrations to avoid rejection. Additional studies are needed to confirm these results and determine whether genotype-based tacrolimus dosing could improve outcomes in lung transplant recipients.
Unsupervised and Semi-Supervised Few-Shot Acoustic Event Classification

Few-shot Acoustic Event Classification (AEC) aims to learn a model to recognize novel acoustic events using very limited labeled data. Previous works utilize supervised pre-training as well as meta-learning approaches, which heavily rely on labeled data. Here, we study unsupervised and semi-supervised learning approaches for few-shot AEC. Our work builds upon recent advances in unsupervised representation learning introduced for speech recognition and language modeling. We learn audio representations from a large amount of unlabeled data, and use the resulting representations for few-shot AEC. We further extend our model in a semi-supervised fashion. Our unsupervised representation learning approach outperforms supervised pre-training methods, and our semi-supervised learning approach outperforms meta-learning methods for few-shot AEC. We also show that our work is more robust under domain mismatch.
Generalized spatial coherence reconstruction for photoacoustic computed tomography.

Significance: Coherence, a fundamental property of waves and fields, plays a key role in photoacoustic image reconstruction. Previously, techniques such as short-lag spatial coherence (SLSC) and filtered delay, multiply, and sum (FDMAS) have utilized spatial coherence to improve the reconstructed resolution and contrast with respect to delay-and-sum (DAS). While SLSC uses spatial coherence directly as the imaging contrast, FDMAS employs spatial coherence implicitly. Despite being more robust against noise, both techniques have their own drawbacks: SLSC does not preserve a relative signal magnitude, and FDMAS shows a reduced contrast-to-noise ratio. Aim: To overcome these limitations, our aim is to develop a beamforming algorithm—generalized spatial coherence (GSC)—that unifies SLSC and FDMAS into a single equation and outperforms both beamformers. Approach: We demonstrated the application of GSC in photoacoustic computed tomography (PACT) through simulation and experiments and compared it to previous beamformers: DAS, FDMAS, and SLSC. Results: GSC outperforms the imaging metrics of previous state-of-the-art coherence-based beamformers in both simulation and experiments. Conclusions: GSC is an innovative reconstruction algorithm for PACT, which combines the strengths of FDMAS and SLSC expanding PACT’s applications.
Reasonableness as Censorship: Section 230 Reform, Content Moderation, and The First Amendment

For the first time in the Internet’s history, revising the Communications Decency Act’s Section 230 to permit greater liability for social media platforms’ carriage of third-party content seems to many not just viable, but necessary. Most of these calls are built around the longstanding common law liability principles of duty and reasonableness. The use of reasonableness in the Section 230 context would condition the liability of social media platforms on a requirement that the platforms “take reasonable steps to prevent or address unlawful uses of their services.” These reforms are finding common cause with several legislative and executive efforts seeking to compel platforms to adhere to “reasonable” or “politically neutral” moderation policies, or else face increased liability. And calls for entirely new regulatory regimes for social media, some of which call for new federal agencies to implement them, advocate for similar approaches. This Article is the first comprehensive response to these efforts. Using the guidance of the common law to unpack the connections between reasonableness, imminence, and intermediary liability, the Article argues that these proposed reforms are misguided as a matter of technology and information policy and are so legally dubious that they have little chance of surviving the court challenges that would inevitably follow their adoption. It demonstrates the many problems associated with adopting a common law-derived standard of civil liability like “reasonableness” as a regulatory baseline for prospective platform intermediary fault. The Article also discusses the challenges that the use of Artificial Intelligence-driven content moderation presents to the task of defining reasonableness, and considers the fit between content moderation and products liability, another common law fault theory increasingly used to argue expanding intermediary liability’s scope. “Reasonableness”-based Section 230 reforms would also lead to unintended, speech-averse results. And even if Section 230 were to be legislatively revised, serious constitutional problems would remain with respect to holding social media platforms liable, either civilly or criminally, for third-party user content.
Intercepting the Banert cascade with nucleophilic fluorine: direct access to α-fluorinated NH-1,2,3-triazoles

The treatment of propargylic azides with silver(I) fluoride in acetonitrile was found to yield α-fluorinated NH-1,2,3-triazoles via the Banert cascade. The reaction was regioselective and the products result from an initial [3,3] rearrangement. The reaction is demonstrated on >15 examples with yields ranging from 37% to 86%.
Evolution: How to evolve a thick skin.

Summary A new study examines anatomy and genetics of skin in whales and hippos and reveals that adaptations to aquatic and semi-aquatic lifestyles evolved convergently in these lineages.
The transcription factor Xrp1 orchestrates both reduced translation and cell competition upon defective ribosome assembly or function

ABSTRACT Ribosomal Protein (Rp) gene haploinsufficiency affects overall translation rate, leads to cell elimination by competition with wild type cells in mosaic tissues, and sometimes leads to accumulation of protein aggregates. The changes in ribosomal subunit levels observed are not sufficient for these effects, which all depend on the AT-hook, bZip domain protein Xrp1. In Rp+/− cells, Xrp1 reduced global translation through PERK-dependent phosphorylation of eIF2α. eIF2α phosphorylation was sufficient to reduce translation in, and also enable cell competition of, otherwise wild type cells. Unexpectedly, however, many other defects reducing ribosome biogenesis or function (depletion of TAF1B, eIF2, eIF4G, eIF6, eEF2, eEF1α1, or eIF5A), also increased eIF2α phosphorylation and enabled cell competition. In all cases this was through the Xrp1 expression that was induced, placing Xrp1 as the downstream instigator of cell competition that also contributed to overall translation deficits. In the absence of Xrp1, translation differences between cells were not themselves sufficient to trigger cell competition. Thus, Xrp1, which is shown here to be a sequence-specific transcription factor, is the master regulator that triggers cell competition and other consequences of multiple ribosomal stresses.
Stochastic reliability-based risk evaluation and mapping for watershed systems and sustainability (STREAMS)

Abstract Mitigating water contamination, improving water security, and increasing sustainability involve environmental awareness and conscientious decision-making by denizens and stakeholders. Achieving such awareness requires visually compelling geospatial decision-making tools that take into account the probabilistic and spatially distributed nature of water contamination. Inspired by the success of weather maps, this paper presents a novel STochastic Reliability-based Risk Evaluation And Mapping for watershed Systems and Sustainability (STREAMS) tool that produces and effectively communicates the risk of water contamination as maps. STREAMS is integrated with ArcGIS geoprocessing tools and uses physics-based reliability theory to compute the spatial distribution of risk, which is defined as the probability of exceeding a safety threshold of water contamination within a watershed. A quantitative analysis of the efficacy of mitigation strategies is conducted by estimating risk reduction from best management practices throughout the entire watershed. Two case studies at different spatial scales are presented, demonstrating STREAMS application to watersheds with varied properties.
Macrolide antibiotics—VIII : The absolute configuration of certain centers in neomethymycin, erythromycin and related antibiotics

Abstract Neomethymycin (I) has been transformed into “anhydro cyclo neomethynolide” (V) which could be degraded via (−)-α-methyllevulinic acid to (−)-α-methylsuccinic acid, thus establishing the absolute configuration of positions 4 and 6 in the lactonic acid (XIII). This acid is a common degradation product of methymycin, neomethymycin, pikromycin and narbomycin and there is thus available a standard of absolute configuration for these macrolide antibiotics. By a different sequence of reactions, erythromycin (XXIII) has been converted into (+)-α-methyllevulinic acid and (+)-α-methylsuccinic acid. Coupled with earlier results reported in the literature, it is now possible to assign absolute configurations to positions 10 (R) and 8 (R) of erythromycin and this applies most likely also to positions 4 (R) and 2 (S). Attention is called to the biogenetic significance of these observations.
Prenatal closure of the foramen ovale in complete transposition of great vessels. Observations in a case with intact ventricular septum and normally developed left heart chambers.

Abstract A rare case is reported of premature closure of the foramen ovale in dtransposition of the great vessels with intact ventricular septum and normal development of the left side of the heart. Asphyxia neonatorum and cardiac failure were the manifestations in the early neonatal period. Balloon atrial septostomy during cardiac catheterization would be unsuccessful in infants with this condition, and closed atrial septectomy (Blalock-Hanlon procedure) would be necessary for survival.
Therapeutic Activity of High-Dose Intratumoral IFN-β Requires Direct Effect on the Tumor Vasculature

Endogenous type I IFN production after innate immune recognition of tumor cells is critical for generating natural adaptive immune responses against tumors in vivo. We recently have reported that targeting low doses of IFN-β to the tumor microenvironment using tumor-specific mAbs can facilitate antitumor immunity, which could be augmented further with PD-L1/PD-1 blockade. However, sustained high doses of type I IFNs in the tumor microenvironment, which are potently therapeutic alone, may function through distinct mechanisms. In the current report, we demonstrate that high-dose intratumoral type I IFNs indeed exerted a profound therapeutic effect in the murine B16 model, which unexpectedly did not increase T cell responses. Moreover, bone marrow chimeras revealed a role for type I IFN signaling on nonhematopoietic cells, and most of the therapeutic effect was retained in mice deficient in T, B, and NK cells. Rather, the tumor vasculature was ablated with high-dose intratumoral IFN-β, and conditional deletion of IFN-α/βR in Tie2-positive vascular endothelial cells eliminated most of the antitumor activity. Therefore, the major component of the antitumor activity of sustained high doses of type I IFNs occurs through a direct antiangiogenic effect. Our data help resolve conditions under which distinct antitumor mechanisms of type I IFNs are operational in vivo.
Some linguistic and behavioral links in the African diaspora: Cultural implications

Resume Cet article attire l'attention sur un certain nombre de comportements linguistique et sociolinguistiques qui sont commun aux noirs de Guyane (West Indies), et des Etats Unis. Les similarites linguistique dans les systems Lexiques, phonologiques, prosodiques et gramaticaux de l'anglais vernaculaire parle dans ces regions sont examinees en premier lieu. En conclusion, on peut dire que ces similarites linguistiques ne sont pas accidentelles mais sont le symptomes d'autres liens du comportement parmis les peuples de la diaspora Africaine. D autre similarities tres significatives sont presentes dans le domaine du comportement sociolinguistique (duel verbal, appel-reponse dans le rituel et les chants etc…), des systems kinesiques et du paralanguage et ces liens sont utlises pour supporter la these generale que la diffusion culturelle des sources traditionnelles de l'Afrique Occidentale a laisse des traces de la communication ancestrale des culture. Cette evidence est employee pour suggerer que les Africains de la diaspora qui parlent Creole et les anglais vernaculaires peuvent se sentir moins honteux de la conduite de leur discours. Se les liens linguistiques entre les langues de l'Afrique Occidentale et de leurs dialects etaient connues plus en profondeur. Il est aussi suggere que les noirs bien qu' assertant leurs droits pour leur propre dialects, devraient realiser qu'un prejudice contre le discours non-standard est normal et explicable dans les theories de la psychologie sociale des groups formation et des identifications (et parfois de rejet) des hors groups. Donc, la propagation des informations a propos des bases Linguistique et culturelles des anglais vemaculaires dans le nouveau monde pourraient apporter une comprehension culturelle et inter-culturelle.
The role of pharmacologic treatment guidelines for bipolar disorder

With the growth in the number of pharmacologic options available for the treatment of bipolar disorder, clinicians face a challenge in appropriately selecting and sequencing newer and older treatments. Because evidence-based practice has been suggested as a way to improve outcomes across specialties in medicine, a number of practice guidelines and treatment algorithms for bipolar disorder have been developed to aid clinical decision-making. Most of these guidelines and algorithms are based on detailed reviews of the medical literature, with an emphasis on systematic reviews and randomized, controlled trials. Some guidelines incorporate a consensus of expert opinion when the literature does not provide clear evidence. This review examines areas of overlap and discordance in practice guidelines issued by the American Psychiatric Association and the British Association for Psychopharmacology, as well as treatment algorithms developed by the Expert Consensus Guideline Series and the Texas Medical Algorithm Project.
Selective Deposition of Proteins and Cells in Arrays of Microwells

This paper describes a method for depositing proteins and cells selectively into microwells fabricated in poly(dimethylsiloxane)an elastomeric organic polymer. The arrays of microwells were generated using soft lithography. The surface between the wells was coated with bovine serum albumin, and the surface within the wells was coated with fibronectin (FN)an adhesive extracellular matrix protein. Fluorescence staining of FN using antibodies indicated that the protein had adsorbed to the wells selectively. Exposure of the FN-coated wells to a suspension of bovine capillary endothelial cells resulted in attachment and spreading of the cells only in the wells. This method for patterning cells was demonstrated with wells of several diameters (≤100 μm) and depths (≤50 μm). It should be useful for (i) the development of sensors based on arrays of cells, (ii) screening combinatorial libraries of ligands on cells, and (iii) testing the effect on cells of compounds and samples relevant to problems in environmental ...
Acculturation Gap, Intergenerational Conflict, Parenting Style, and Youth Distress in Immigrant Chinese American Families

This study examined mother–child acculturation gaps in relationship to youth distress and the possible mediating role of parent–child conflict and parenting style in a sample of 81 Chinese American families. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses provided partial support for a relationship between acculturation gaps and youth distress. No mediators of this relationship were found; however, post-hoc analyses indicated that intergenerational conflict and parenting style were associated with youth distress above and beyond acculturation gaps. These results suggest that interventions developed to reduce parent–child conflict and increase parental bonding (increase parental warmth and decrease parental overprotection) may be valuable for Chinese American adolescents, regardless of acculturation gap status.
DNA-mediated charge transport for DNA repair

MutY, like many DNA base excision repair enzymes, contains a [4Fe4S](2+) cluster of undetermined function. Electrochemical studies of MutY bound to a DNA-modified gold electrode demonstrate that the [4Fe4S] cluster of MutY can be accessed in a DNA-mediated redox reaction. Although not detectable without DNA, the redox potential of DNA-bound MutY is approximate to275 mV versus NHE, which is characteristic of HiPiP iron proteins. Binding to DNA is thus associated with a change in [4Fe4S](3+/2+) potential, activating the cluster toward oxidation. Given that DNA charge transport chemistry is exquisitely sensitive to perturbations in base pair structure, such as mismatches, we propose that this redox process of MutY bound to DNA exploits DNA charge transport and provides a DNA signaling mechanism to scan for mismatches and lesions in vivo.
Home visiting for intervention delivery to improve rural family asthma management.

The focus of this article is on the use of home visits in an asthma self-management intervention study with rural families who have a school-aged child with asthma. The study design involved randomization of the sample by elementary schools, then baseline (pretest) and postintervention data collection.1 The purpose of this article is to describe challenges with, and pose solutions for, implementing home visits for asthma self-management in rural areas. Home visiting is a strategy for program delivery that takes advantage of the home context for tailoring services to address the family's individual needs. The advantages of intervening in the home include being able to (a) use actual home conditions for individualizing the asthma education to meet families' needs; (b) match home visitors with family in terms of ethnicity and language; (c) retain a high percentage of families over the year-long duration of the study; and (d) not add to family burden of managing asthma.
Variational problems with differential constraints: A geometric approach without Lagrange multipliers

Abstract A geometric reformulation of variational problems with differential constraints leads to a characterization of the constaints in terms of a closed differential ideal b of the exterior algebra of differential forms on an appropriately chosen manifold. The collection of all vertical isovector fields of the ideal C is shown to provide a continuous parameterization of all solutions of the constraints through imbedding in a maximal Lie group of point transformations that preserves the constraints. This parameterization provides direct access to necessary and sufficient conditions for stationarity of an action or penalty integral in the presence of the given constraints. Specific examples of control problems with second-order partial differential constraints are given. The penalty functional is allowed to depend on the state variables, the control variables and their first partial derivatives, through both volume integrals and boundary integrals.
Competitive and Non-Competitive Goal Structures: An Analysis of Motivation and Achievement among Elementary Band Students

This study examined the effects of competitive and non-competitive goal structures, level of music self-esteem, and pre-post administration on dependent measures of student achievement and motivation in music. Forty- eight, 5th- and 6th-grade band students were randomly assigned to either a competitive (rewards based on absolute standards) or non-competitive (all participants rewarded for typing their best) goal structure. Goal structures were operationalised as music contest settings; all students prepared and performed accompanied solos for adjudication.Pre-test and post-test data were obtained for two measures of music achievement (aural-visual discrimination, performance) and two measures of music motivation (attribution orientation, intrinsic interest). Data were analysed using split-plot analysis of variance (ANOVA) and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) procedures with an alpha significance level of t)S.Results indicated no significant goal structure effects. Music self-esteem did have significant eff...
1545 NEONATAL VARIABLES AND OUTCOME IN A NEONATAL ICU POPULATION

376 VLBW neonates were admitted to Regional Perinatal Center between July 1979 to December 1981. 281 (75%) survived, 127 (45%) were followed up for up to 18 months corrected age and 3 years of age. The overall neonatal mortality was 25%; mean gestational age, 29.8 ± 2.35 wk.; mean birthweight, 1113 ± 230 gm.; SGA, 26%; Apgar ≤3 at 1 min., 35%; ≤5 at 5 min., 21%; outborn 35%, ventilated 78%. CT scan/ultrasound was done on 77 (61%), of which 38 (49%) had paraventricular-intraventricular hemorrhage. Neurologic examination, Bayley Scales of Infant Development, McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities were done. Cerebral palsy or developmental delay (MDI more than 2 standard deviation below the mean), and visual deficits were considered severe handicaps. Mean Bayley Score 70-84 were considered suspect. We compared 14 neonatal variables among the normal (n=76) and the severely handicapped group (n=18). Statistical analysis was done using student t-test. Presence of seizures, exchange transfusion(s), hydrocephalus and ventriculoperitoneal shunt were highly correlated with an abnormal outcome (p <0.01) and multiple birth, breech presentation, and exceeded Kernlute were correlated, but to a lesser degree (p <0.05). Avoiding major CNS hemorrhage may be possible to decrease the incidence of handicaps.
Landowner Satisfaction with the Wetlands Reserve Program in Wisconsin

We evaluated ecological monitoring data and landowner perceptions to the federally funded Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) in a three-county region in Wisconsin. We surveyed landowner satisfaction, involvement, participation, and use of the WRP restoration sites. We found that landowners are satisfied with the overall program (mean, 3.6 ± 0.2 [SE], on a scale of 1–5, with 5 being completely satisfied). WRP restorations significantly increased the area of wetland within the sites surveyed, the increase was primarily of fresh meadow (736.32 ha after restoration). Satisfaction is related to landowner participation during restoration and to the economic incentives provided by the WRP, Landowner satisfaction and the number of plant communities after restoration are unrelated to each other or to restoration and easement costs per hectare. Survey participants recommended some changes to the WRP, including a reduction in the tax rate of land enrolled in the WRP, approval for permanent deer stands, and increased communication with WRP officials during the restoration. Monitoring information collected for WRP restoration sites does not allow assessment of whether WRP sites are functionally equivalent to natural sites. We suggest that the WRP require a more rigorous monitoring program, including guidelines for invasive species control. Managers should also encourage collaborations with external researchers and consider restorations within an experimental framework.
Cardiovascular correlates of maximal oxygen consumption rates in anuran amphibians

1. Maximal oxygen consumption rates (\(\dot V_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} } \) max; units, ml/g·h) were determined for four species of amphibians representing four families with habitat preferences varying from aquatic to terrestrial. Measured\(\dot V_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} } \) max were:Xenopus laevis (aquatic), 1.33±0.16;Rana pipiens (semi-terrestrial), 0.54±0.10;Bufo cognatus (terrestrial), 1.91±0.26; andScaphiopus couchii (terrestrial), 1.91±0.26. 2. In order to assess possible cardiovascular bases for these interspecific differences, heart rate increments (differences between resting and active heart rates) and ventricle weights were measured to evaluate differential cardiac outputs. In order to assess possible differential blood oxygen capacities, hematocrits and hemoglobin concentrations were measured. Blood volumes were determined to assess total blood oxygen storage capacities. 3. Ventricle weights were statisticaly significantly different (p S. couchii>X. laevis>R. pipiens. These differences were closely positively correlated with the maximal metabolic rates of the species (Fig. 3a). 4. There were no differences in heart rate increments between the four species (Fig. 2). 5. Blood oxygen capacities were directly correlated with hemoglobin concentrations (Fig. 1). There were no interspecific differences in the amounts of oxygen bound per gram of hemoglobin (1.3 ml O2/g Hb). Blood oxygen capacities were significantly different in the following sequence;X. laevis >S. couchii andB. cognatus>R. pipiens. 6. X. laevis had statistically significantly greater hematocrits than did the other three species.R. pipiens had significantly lower mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentrations. 7. Blood volumes were statistically significantly different between all species examined,S. couchii>B. cognatus>X. laevis>R. pipiens. 8. It is suggested that greater maximal oxygen consumption rates in anurans are correlated with 1) increased cardiac outputs based upon increased stroke volumes, 2) increased blood oxygen capacities due to either increased mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration or increased hematocrit. Increased selective pressure for aerobic metabolism is also closely positively correlated with maximal blood oxygen storage capabilities.
The radionucleide 101Ag

Abstract Production of 101Ag with a (p, 2n) reaction on 102Pd targets has been observed. A half-life of 10.8±0.2 min was measured for the new isotope, and the subsequent growth and decay of its daughter 101Pd was detected. A complex position spectrum was resolved into energies and intensities of 3.38 MeV (10.0%), 2.73 MeV (43.6%), 2.18 MeV (22.6%), 1.56 MeV (17%), 1.08 MeV (6.2%) and 0.85 MeV (0.6%). Nine gamma transitions from 83 keV to 1164 keV have been identified as belonging to the decay of 101Ag. The most intense gamma transition at 263 keV is fed by the high-energy position branch and establishes the energy available for decay at 4.665±±0.08 MeV. A level scheme is proposed with a positive parity assignment for the first excited energy level in 101Pd.
Interference Mitigation In Wireless Mesh Networks Through STDMA Wormhole Switching

Cognitive radio networks offer the promise of adaptively allocating resources on the fly. In this paper, we describe an interference mitigation technique that relies on intelligent resource allocation across a mesh network. In previous work, we presented a method for improving the performance of wireless mesh networks (WMN) through the use of multichannel wormhole switching. An approximate 800-fold improvement was shown in latency with slightly lower path setup times over carrier sense multiple access collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) 802.11-based wireless mesh networks. In addition, the goodput in terms of percent frames successfully received was improved from 40 to 80 percent. In this paper we present the results of applying interference-based conflict graphs and space-time division multiple access (STMDA) scheduling at the cost of increasing the latency to improve the goodput from 80 percent to close to 100 percent.
Theory of quasiperiodic lattices. I. Scaling transformation for a quasiperiodic lattice.

A theory of quasiperiodic lattices that consist of only two types of atoms is introduced. If a ratio between the numbers of the two types of atoms in a chain is irrational, the lattice is quasiperiodic. First, we present the scaling transformation for the construction of any quasiperiodic lattice in terms of a continued-fraction expansion of the ratio. Second, we show that all the scaling transformations preserve an invariant surface, which was first discovered by Kohmoto, Kadanoff, and Tang.
Computational evaluation of tris(carbene)borate donor properties in {NiNO}10 complexes

Electronic structure calculations are performed to characterise the structures, energies, and spectroscopic data for a series of four-coordinate tris(carbene)borate {NiNO}10 complexes. There is excellent agreement between the computational and experimental results for known complexes, allowing for structure–function relationships to be delineated. Calculations that provide insights into the synthetic accessibility of nickel(IV) nitrides by oxygen atom abstraction from these complexes are also reported.
Querying XML using structures and keywords in timber

This demonstration will describe how Timber, a native XML database system, has been extended with the capability to answer XML-style structured queries (e.g., XQuery) with embedded IR-style keyword-based non-boolean conditions. With the original structured query processing engine and the IR extensions built into the system, Timber is well suited for efficiently and effectively processing queries with both structural and textual content constraints.
SU(2) monopoles at finite temperature

Results are presented on the spacial string tension obtained from monopoles for SU (2) pure gauge theory. Comparison is made to the available results for the full SU (2) spacial string tension.
Molecular dynamics simulations of gold-catalyzed growth of silicon bulk crystals and nanowires

The growth kinetics of Si bulk crystals and nanowires (NWs) in contact with Au–Si liquids is studied by molecular dynamics simulations using an empirical potential fitted to the Au–Si binary phase diagram. The growth speed v is predicted as a function of Si concentration xSi in the Au–Si liquid at temperature T = 1100 K and as a function of T at xSi = 75%. For both bulk crystals and NWs, the {111} surface grows by the nucleation and expansion of a single two-dimensional island at small supersaturations, whereas the {110} surface grows simultaneously at multiple sites. The top surfaces of the NWs are found to be curved near the edges. The difference in the growth velocity between NWs and bulk crystals can be explained by the shift of the liquidus curve for NWs. For both bulk crystals and NWs, the growth speed diminishes in the low temperature limit because of reduced diffusivity.
Chronic sclerosing sialadenitis (Kuttner's tumor): unusual presentation with bilateral involvement of major and minor salivary glands.

Abstract In 1896 Kuttner reported four cases which he described as induration of the submandibular gland. Histologically, they showed chronic inflammation and fibrosis. Sporadic cases of this entity that have come to be known as Kuttner's tumor or chronic sclerosing sialadenitis of the submandibular gland and have been reported throughout the 20th century. This inflammatory tumor has been under-recognized, and awareness of its importance and probable immunologic background have recently become evident. We report an unusual case of chronic sclerosing sialadenitis, affecting both parotid glands, both submandibular glands, and minor salivary glands of the oral cavity, and explore the immunohistochemical profile of this entity. Ann Diagn Pathol 7:25-30, 2003. Copyright 2003, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.
Cod spawning on a migration highway in the north-west Atlantic

FIVE hundred years of fishing and fifty years of research have produced only vague accounts of the spawning and migrations of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) off Newfoundland in the north-west Atlantic1. Here I report the discovery of 'spawning columns' and a 'highway' used by cod to traverse the northeastern Newfoundland Shelf during annual springtime feeding migrations. Sea research using echosounders2,3 showed that cod spawned in dense shoals (to one fish per m3) that featured midwater spawning columns comprised of pairs of fish. Immature joined mature post-spawning cod to migrate in large (scales of tens of kilometres and hundreds of millions of fish) size-structured aggregations led by larger 'scouts'. Cod traversed the cold waters of the shelf along a deep highway of warm oceanic water (2–2.5 °C). During migration, fish spacing appeared to maximize search volumes while maintaining visual contact. Aggregations fragmented when prey (capelin Mallotus villosus; shrimp, Pandalus spp.) were encountered.
Family Stress in the Interior Living Environment Related to the Number of Bathrooms

With building costs continually rising and, in turn, forcing a reduction in the size of residental living space, it is most important to evaluate human space needs and how their limitation might alter behavior patterns, attitudes, and feelings and eventually cause stress. Research concerning downsizing of residential spaces is necessary to insure that we do not minimize living areas to the point that re sulting stress might threaten a healthy existence. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between number of bathrooms in the residential dwelling and (1) family social climate, (2) family perceptions and attitudes, (3) environmental stressors. Two hundred Indiana families were interviewed. Results indicated a significant relationship between stress levels within this group of fam ilies and number of bathrooms in the residential dwelling.