cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Incorporating Early Palliative Medicine Consultation Into Daily Morning Huddle in the ICU.

OBJECTIVES Early palliative medicine consult in the ICU can significantly improve outcomes in high-risk patients. We describe a pilot study of including a recommendation for palliative medicine consult in the ICU morning huddle. DESIGN A prospective, observational, quality improvement study. PATIENTS AND SETTING Adult patients (age above 18 yr) admitted with cardiac arrest, stage IV cancer, admission from a long-term acute care facility, and circulatory shock on mechanical ventilation to the medical ICU. INTERVENTIONS We aim to assess the effect of an early palliative medicine consultation in selected high-risk patients on change in code status, referral to hospice, tracheostomy, and or percutaneous gastrostomy tube placement. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS There were 83 patients who triggered an early palliative medicine consult. Palliative medicine consultation occurred in 44 patients (53%); 23 patients (28%) had a palliative medicine consult within the first 48 hours, 21 (25%) had a palliative medicine consult afterwards. There was a significantly higher number of patients who de-escalated their code status in the palliative medicine consult group compared with the no palliative medicine consult group (63.6% vs 7.7%); however, the number was higher in the late palliative medicine consult group (71.4% vs 56.5%). There were more patients referred to hospice in the palliative medicine consult group. No difference in length of stay was observed. CONCLUSIONS Early palliative medicine consultation in the daily ICU morning huddle is achievable, can produce a palliative medicine consultation in most cases, and results in a significant change in code status toward less aggressive measures.
3D printed microfluidic devices and applications

Abstract Microfluidic technology has been attractive and widely employed for solving problems in biomedical research field. However, sophisticated microfabrication process limited its utility and access from biologists and physicians who are unfamiliar with microfabrication, in turn, significantly hindered the biomedical discovery. Since past 5 years, 3D printing technology has been introduced for fabricating microfluidic devices and serves as the game-changing role in the field. 3D printing converts computer-assisted design (CAD) into a physical object in a single process, and the process is easy, fast, and versatile with low-cost. This chapter will focus on the 3D printing technology and development, as well as the applications for enabling microfluidic fabrication of both monolithic, 3D-printed microfluidic device and mold-based polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic device casting. The direct 3D printing of microfluidic automixer has been demonstrated as proof-of-concept to be employed in point-of-care diagnosis of anemia. The 3D molding of PDMS microfluidic devices was also discussed, which overcomes the lengthy and complicated protocols via soft lithography, offering quick 3D microstructure prototyping. The application of 3D printing in microfluidic technology has shown tremendous potential in tissue engineering, sample preparation techniques, cell processing, and biochemical detection, which can facilitate a paradigm shift in methodology used in studying complex biological systems.
Hybrid plasmonic nanosandwich structures

Hybrid plasmonic nanoprisms in the form of gold (Au)-dielectric- silver (Ag) sandwich structures have been designed and simulated using Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation technique. Simulations results show two dipole resonant peaks for the hybrid sandwich structure. Also, a strong wavelength dependence of the plasmonic resonance peaks on the edge length and the thickness of gold and silver layers. The increase in edge length and thicknesses were found red shift to the plasmonic peak of the nanostructures. Furthermore, the resonant wavelengths and relative strength of the two dipole plasmonic peaks are demonstrated to be tunable.
Active Netlib: An Active Mathematical Software Collection for Inquiry-based Computational Science and Engineering Education

The efficient application of scientific computing techniques requires specialized knowledge of numerical methods and their implementation in mathematical software libraries that many students, scientists and engineers, working beyond the already strenuous demands of their particular field, must struggle to achieve. Active Netlib addresses this problem by creating an active collection of executable mathematical software deployed on computational servers and accessible over the network from familiar desktop client interfaces. The Netlib mathematical software collection is being extended in a number of ways to support this project. The NetSolve client-server system provides an active interface to the contents of Netlib by constructing network-accessible objects with executable content from the software packages in Netlib. The NetSolve adaptive solver interface guides the user in selecting appropriate software, in setting parameters correctly, and in interpreting numerical results. In addition, Active Netlib provides mechanisms that enable resource users to become resource providers by dynamically uploading and deploying their own software applications, which are reviewed before becoming part of the moderated publicly available collection. It is hoped that Active Netlib will grow to be a worldwide collection of executable mathematical software, as well as scientific and engineering applications, that is both drawn upon and contributed to by researchers, educators and students.
Interplay of stream-subsurface exchange, clay particle deposition, and streambed evolution

[1] Hyporheic exchange (mixing of stream water with pore water beneath the stream) is responsible for the transport of many ecologically relevant substances across the stream-subsurface interface. This process is dependent on both the streamflow conditions and sedimentary properties, but the complex nature of fluvial systems has presented a barrier to the development of mechanistic understanding of the dynamics of stream-subsurface interactions. This work presents the results of a controlled study to examine in detail the relationship between stream-subsurface exchange fluxes, delivery of suspended sediments to the hyporheic region, fine particle accumulation in the streambed, and alteration of sedimentary properties. Laboratory flume experiments were used to observe kaolinite clay deposition in a sand bed and the resulting alteration of hyporheic exchange fluxes. Solute and suspended sediment exchange with clean sand beds is predicted well by a fundamental model for bed form-driven advective pumping exchange. However, substantial accumulation of clay in the bed causes an alteration of the pore water flow environment, which reduces both water flux across the stream-subsurface interface and subsequent particle deposition. Measurement of bulk solute exchange and direct observation of clay accumulation in the bed both indicate that transported fine particles are preferentially removed near the stream-subsurface interface. Clogging of inflow regions produces heterogeneous subsurface clay deposits even when the bed is initially homogeneous. This behavior is also predicted by the fundamental colloid pumping model. These results contradict the accepted view that suspended sediments will generally deposit in the deepest regions of the bed and thus clog the bed from the bottom upward. Our results indicate that clogging of the streambed surface will often isolate deeper regions of the bed from the streamflow, so that even relatively low amounts of suspended sediments can substantially degrade streambed habitat.
Advanced digital instrumentation for partial-discharge measurement

Abstract A new computer based partial-discharge (PD) measuring system was successfully tested in the laboratory in long duration tests on dielectric materials and capacitors. The system measures each current pulse generated by partial discharge during a predetermined time. The pulses are digitized by a 200 megasample/s real-time waveform digitizer and stored in a fast memory unit. The data obtained are transferred to a personal computer for analysis. This system records a large number of pulses without dead time and produces statistical information related to amplitude, polarity, energy and charge content of the PD-generated current pulses. The operation, analysis and display of results are controlled by software. The software can easily be modified to obtain different evaluation methods. This gives flexibility to the new PD detection system and allows its use as a design tool. The operation of the system is automatic, and no human supervision is required. Long duration tests of ceramic capacitors were performed to validate the operation of the diagnostic system. One result indicates that the aging of the tested capacitors changes the charge distribution curve, which was obtained by the statistical analysis of current pulses. The distribution curve shifts towards higher levels of charge as the capacitors deteriorate. This result agrees with the experimental data reported in the literature. The system is particularly suitable for aging studies on dielectric materials under different test conditions.
Engineering design models for ramjet efficiency and lean blowoff

Combustion efficiency and lean blowoff semiempirical preliminary design models, validated originally for laboratory axisymmetric flameholders and conventional gas turbine combustors, are extended to dump combustor ramjet geometries. The general efficiency model includes effects of fluid mechanics, spray evaporation, and finite chemical kinetics, and its application to ramjets requires inclusion of choked flow due to the downstream nozzle. For the work reported on here, test data employing liquid fuel injection far upstream of the flameholder are utilized, so that the configuration is modeled as prevaporized and premixed. The model successfully correlates these data, which include variations in combustor geometry, nozzle area ratio, and overall equivalence ratio. The resulting correlation allows the prediction of combustion efficiency for the special case examined to date. Work with the lean blowoff model is limited to comparison of the original model with results presented in the literature.
Internet Basic Training: Teaching Networking Skills in Higher Education

The Internet computer network is not yet an intuitive or an easily understood environment in which to work. Therefore, new network users in higher education need basic instruction on what the Internet offers and how it can be utilized. Basic training can include an overview of the major academic networks, how to use the networks, how to discover networked information resources, and where to get more information. A conceptual framework of the various operating systems and programs that they will need to connect to a networked information resource may help users understand which command is appropriate and when it is appropriate. Academic librarians are uniquely qualified to offer this instruction because networked information resources are merely another “format” of information and because librarians are skilled at presenting complex information in a straightforward manner.
Polymorphic microsatellite loci for the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) designed using a cost‐ and time‐efficient method

We describe a cost- and time-efficient method for designing new microsatellite markers in any species with substantial genomic DNA sequence data available. Using this technique, we report 14 new polymorphic dinucleotide microsatellite loci isolated from the common marmoset. The relative yield of new polymorphisms was higher with less labor than described in previous marmoset studies. Of 20 loci initially evaluated, 14 were polymorphic and amplified reliably (70% success rate). The number of alleles ranged from 3 to 9 with heterozygosity varying from 0.48 to 0.83.
Columbus: Configuration Discovery for Clouds

Low-cost, accurate and scalable software configuration discovery is the key to simplifying many cloud management tasks. However, the lack of standardization across software configuration techniques has prevented the development of a fully automated and application independent configuration discovery solution. In this work, we present Columbus, an application-agnostic system to automatically discover environmental configuration parameters or Points of Variability (PoV) in clustered applications with high accuracy. Columbus uses the insight that even though configuration mechanisms and files vary across different software, the PoVs are encoded using a few common patterns. It uses a novel rule framework to annotate file content with PoVs and a Bayesian network to estimate confidence for annotated PoVs. Our experiments confirm that Columbus can accurately discover configuration for a diverse set of enterprise and cloud applications. It has subsequently been integrated in three real-world systems that analyze this information for discovery of distributed application dependencies, enterprise IT migration and virtual application configuration.
Vegetable oil-based polymeric materials: synthesis, properties, and applications

The use of vegetable oils as renewable raw materials for the synthesis of various monomers and polymeric materials is reviewed. Vegetable oils are generally considered to be the most important class of renewable resources, because of their ready availability and numerous applications. Recently, a variety of vegetable oil-based polymers have been prepared by free radical, cationic, olefin metathesis, and condensation polymerization. The polymers obtained display a wide range of thermophysical and mechanical properties from soft and flexible rubbers to hard and rigid plastics, which show promise as alternatives to petroleum-based plastics.
The perils of prescription: Economics and the macroeconomic policy adviser

Abstract The professional economist has had a checkered career since the war. His star rose high for roughly the first 20 years of the postwar era, when an activist government role in economic affairs was generally welcomed and the economist's advice readily sought. In the ensuing 20 years, a period characterized by severe economic dislocation and turbulence, the economist's fortunes fell precipitously, as he was seen unable to provide ready answers to complex problems, and his forecasts were off the mark. The economist can and does play a useful role, but his effectiveness is subject to many limitations and restraints — especially in the areas of prediction and prescription — and these must be recognized by both his employer and himself.
The United States and its Atlantic partners: the evolution of American grand strategy

The Cold War's end posed immediate challenges to the Atlantic alliance, but a variety of factors, many of them temporary, conspired to mask this shift for more than a decade. In the longer term, the absence of a common foe has allowed previously suppressed tensions within the Atlantic community to play a more prominent role than in the past. Interests, and especially security interests, within the Alliance are less convergent now than during the Cold War. The challenge for the Allies in the future will be to cooperate absent the discipline once imposed by their respective international situations.
Associations of sociodemographic, psychosocial, and behavioral factors with sexual risk and sexually transmitted diseases in teen clinic patients

Abstract Purpose: To examine the influence of sociodemographic characteristics, sexually transmitted disease (STD)/human immunodeficiency virus knowledge, and psychosocial and behavioral risk factors on sexual risk and STDs in adolescents using constructs from the Information, Motivation, and Behavioral Skills model (IMB). Methods: A convenience sample of 303 sexually experienced, racially diverse adolescents (mean age 16.7 years, 57.9% female) who were seeking health care at a general health maintenance organization teen clinic were recruited for the study and completed a self-reported questionnaire which assessed sociodemographic, knowledge, and psychosocial factors, risk behaviors, and history of STDs. Multiple regression analyses were used to assess factors associated with sexual risk behavior and STD history. Results: Many of the study participants were at risk for STDs; 43.8% had four or more lifetime sexual partners, 62.8% did not consistently use condoms, 21.1% had a history of pregnancy or impregnation, and 28.2% had a history of STDs. A multiple linear regression model to assess factors associated with sexual risk behavior (a nine-item index) indicate that perceptions of higher STD risk, perceptions that friends engage in risk behaviors, perceptions that friends will not support their STD risk-reduction efforts, knowing someone of a similar age who has had an STD, and having no intention of using condoms in the future are significantly associated with sexual behavioral risk ( R 2 = .22, p Conclusions: Sociodemographic factors and constructs of the IMB model are associated with adolescents' risk and acquisition of STDs. Teens with such risk profiles should be targeted for risk-reduction intervention.
Perk Is Essential for Translational Regulation and Cell Survival during the Unfolded Protein Response

Malfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) inhibit translation initiation. This response is believed to be mediated by increased phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2alpha (eIF2alpha) and is hypothesized to reduce the work load imposed on the folding machinery during stress. Here we report that mutating the gene encoding the ER stress-activated eIF2alpha kinase PERK abolishes the phosphorylation of eIF2alpha in response to accumulation of malfolded proteins in the ER resulting in abnormally elevated protein synthesis and higher levels of ER stress. Mutant cells are markedly impaired in their ability to survive ER stress and inhibition of protein synthesis by cycloheximide treatment during ER stress ameliorates this impairment. PERK thus plays a major role in the ability of cells to adapt to ER stress.
WL-CSP reliability with various solder alloys and die thicknesses

Abstract WL-CSP is a low profile, true chip size package that is entirely built on a wafer using front-end and back-end processing. A new wafer level chip-scale package (WL-CSP) technology has been evaluated using a test vehicle, which has a 0.5 mm pitch of an 8 × 8 array of bumps on a 5 × 5 mm 2 die. The bump structure and package geometry have been optimized using simulation and validated by experimentation. The board used for reliability testing is a 1.2 mm thick, 2-layer FR-4 board with non-soldermask defined landpads with OSP (organic solderability preservative). The landpads are the same diameter as the 250 μm redistribution dielectric via size. Reliability data will be presented for three solder alloys and two wafer thicknesses. The first evaluation compares the reliability of solder alloys SnPbAg and two Pb-free alternatives: SnAgCu and SnCu. The second evaluation evaluates the potential reliability improvement of WL-CSPs by thinning the wafers. Standard thickness WL-CSP wafers are 27-mils. Wafers were thinned down to 4-mils thickness using two techniques. The first method is standard wafer backgrinding. The second is plasma etching, which results in a damage-free surface and improves wafer and die strength.
Superoxide‐mediated lysis of erythrocytes: The role of colloid‐osmotic forces

Although superoxide anions are a well-known mediator of cytotoxicity, their mechanism of target cell lysis is not clearly understood. In the present study we have used an exogenous source of superoxide to study erythrocyte cytolysis. RBC lysis was studied in buffers containing the cations Li+, Na+, K+, Rb+, and Cs+; superoxide anions were produced and available in these buffers. During this model superoxide-dependent cytolytic process, erythrocytes underwent a shape change from biconcave disk to sphere as shown by scanning electron microscopy. Soret band transmitted light microscopy has confirmed this shape change and shown that it precedes cytosolic oxidation. This evidence is consistent with a colloid-osmotic type lytic mechanism. Erythrocyte lysis was studied by 51Crrelease and light scattering methods. Superoxide-mediated target cytolysis was characterized by: (1) a sigmoidal dose-response curve and (2) a lag time in cytolysis after superoxide addition in kinetic light scattering experiments. The efficacy of cytolysis followed the rank order Cs+ > Rb+ > Na+, Li+ > sucrose = raffinose, which provides additional support for a colloid-osmotic lytic mechanism. Furthermore, the rank order potency correlates with the cations' hydration numbers. We suggest that oxidative events trigger the formation of colloid-osmotic pores ∼I nm in diameter. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Metalorganic chemical vapor deposition of Bi2Se3 thin films for topological insulator applications

The growth of thin Bi 2 Se 3 films on (0001) sapphire substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) was investigated. A two-heater configuration was employed to pre-crack the metalorganic sources upstream of the substrate while maintaining a low substrate temperature ( 2 Se 3 films with (006) x-ray rocking curve full-width-at-half-maximum values on the order of 160 arcsecs were obtained at growth rates of ~6 nm/min or lower while higher growth rates resulted in polycrystalline films. The background electron concentration of the films was found to depend strongly on the substrate temperature and Se/Bi inlet ratio. Bi 2 Se 3 films with a room temperature electron concentration of 6.7x10 19 cm -3 and mobility of 155 cm 2 /Vs were obtained at 200°C with a Se/Bi ratio of 80. Higher substrate temperature and lower Se/Bi ratios resulted in an increase in electron concentration and corresponding reduction in mobility. The results demonstrate the potential of MOCVD for the growth of Bi 2 Se 3 and related materials for topological insulator studies.
Microstructure of CdTe thin films after mixed nitric and phosphoric acids etching and (HgTe, CuTe)-graphite pasting

Abstract We report on our investigation of the microstructure and composition of the surface of CdTe films after mixed nitric and phosphoric (NP) acids etching, (HgTe, CuTe)-graphite pasting, and thermal annealing. We find that after this process, a thin layer of Cd x Hg 1− x Te forms between the CdTe and Te-rich layers, giving a structure of CdTe/Cd x Hg 1− x Te/Te. High-resolution electron microscopy reveals that the Cd x Hg 1− x Te layer has an epitaxial relationship with the CdTe. Bromine/methanol-etched samples or samples with intentionally deposited Te layers do not form the Cd x Hg 1− x Te layer after (HgTe, CuTe)-graphite pasting and thermal annealing, indicating that they cannot act as fully as the NP etching.
Household transitions in the migrations of Dominicans and Colombians to New York.

Using life-history survey data the migrations of Dominican and Colombian men and women to the US are examined from the perspective of the composition of their co-residential households at 3 points in time--prior to migration just after migration and at the time of the survey. The household transitions of men and women and of Dominicans and Colombians reflect considerable heterogeneity though they do conform to a general tendency to move towards nuclear households. Background and migration characteristics influence the household transitions but fail to explain the ethnic and gender differences. Demonstrating a strong tendency to move towards spouse-absent households the migration process of Dominican women stands out clearly. (authors)
Variability in the upper ocean during MILE. Part I: The heat and momentum balances

Abstract The Mixed Layer Experiment (MILE) was an examination of the upper ocean carried out near Ocean Weather Station P during a 20-day period in the autumn of 1977 characterized by two wind events. In this paper the variability of temperature and velocity observed at two moorings are described and related to the surface heat flux and wind forcing. A one-dimensional upper layer heat budget is found to close acceptably and it is shown that this success depends on having well-sampled temperature records and a method of accounting for vertical velocities in the seasonal thermocline. A similar budget of momentum is also reasonably accurate, but it is necessary to account for the effects of quasi-geostrophic velocities in the upper layer inferentially. Internal waves are found to be a major source of variability, dominating velocity records even at 5-m depth, well within the mixed layer. In the seasonal thermocline there is a high-frequency cut-off of internal wave energy well below the local buoyancy frequency. High-frequency internal wave ‘events’ are identified in the seasonal thermocline. Shear in the upper layer, and its response to wind, have some features in accord with models taking slab flow in the mixed layer, but the agreement is far from complete. Observations in the thermocline indicate that velocity differences in the vertical are maintained only if there is sufficient density stratification to make the Richardson number exceed a critical value.
A meta-analysis of the Dark Triad and work behavior: A social exchange perspective.

We reviewed studies of the Dark Triad (DT) personality traits--Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy-and meta-analytically examined their implications for job performance and counterproductive work behavior (CWB). Relations among the DT traits and behaviors were extracted from original reports published between 1951 and 2011 of 245 independent samples (N = 43,907). We found that reductions in the quality of job performance were consistently associated with increases in Machiavellianism and psychopathy and that CWB was associated with increases in all 3 components of the DT, but that these associations were moderated by such contextual factors as authority and culture. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that the DT explains moderate amounts of the variance in counterproductivity, but not job performance. The results showed that the 3 traits are positively related to one another but are sufficiently distinctive to warrant theoretical and empirical partitioning.
Characterization of the G-quadruplexes in the Duplex Nuclease Hypersensitive Element of the PDGF-A Promoter and Modulation of PDGF-A Promoter Activity by TMPyP4

The proximal 5′-flanking region of the human platelet-derived growth factor A (PDGF-A) promoter contains one nuclease hypersensitive element (NHE) that is critical for PDGF-A gene transcription. On the basis of circular dichroism (CD) and electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), we have shown that the guanine-rich (G-rich) strand of the DNA in this region can form stable intramolecular parallel G-quadruplexes under physiological conditions. A Taq polymerase stop assay has shown that the G-rich strand of the NHE can form two major G-quadruplex structures, which are in dynamic equilibrium and differentially stabilized by three G-quadruplex-interactive drugs. One major parallel G-quadruplex structure of the G-rich strand DNA of NHE was identified by CD and dimethyl sulfate (DMS) footprinting. Surprisingly, CD spectroscopy shows a stable parallel G-quadruplex structure formed within the duplex DNA of the NHE at temperatures up to 100°C. This structure has been characterized by DMS footprinting in the double-stranded DNA of the NHE. In transfection experiments, 10 μM TMPyP4 reduced the activity of the basal promoter of PDGF-A ∼40%, relative to the control. On the basis of these results, we have established that ligand-mediated stabilization of G-quadruplex structures within the PDGF-A NHE can silence PDGF-A expression.
Ikaros is required to survive positive selection and to maintain clonal diversity during T-cell development in the thymus

The zinc-finger protein Ikaros is a key player in T-cell development and a potent tumor suppressor in thymocytes. To understand the molecular basis of its function, we disabled Ikaros activity in vivo using a dominant negative Ikaros transgene (DN-IkTg). In DN-IkTg mice, T-cell development was severely suppressed, and positively selected thymocytes clonally expanded, resulting in a small thymus with a heavily skewed T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire. Notably, DN-IkTg induced vigorous proliferation concomitant to downregulation of antiapoptotic factor expression such as Bcl2. Ikaros activity was required during positive selection, and specifically at the CD4(+)CD8(lo) intermediate stage of thymocyte differentiation, where it prevented persistent TCR signals from inducing aberrant proliferation and expansion. In particular, DN-IkTg induced the accumulation of CD4 single-positive (SP) thymocytes with a developmentally transitional phenotype, and it imposed a developmental arrest accompanied by massive apoptosis. Thus, we identified an in vivo requirement for Ikaros function, which is to suppress the proliferative potential of persistent TCR signals and to promote the survival and differentiation of positively selected thymocytes.
A randomized trial of postoperative wound irrigation with local anesthetic for pain after cesarean delivery.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of continuous local anesthetic infusion system for pain control after cesarean delivery. STUDY DESIGN: This was a randomized prospective double-blind study. Patients who underwent cesarean delivery had a pain system implanted subcutaneously after closure of the fascia. Patients were randomized to receive an infusion of either 0.25% bupivacaine (n = 20) or normal saline solution (n = 16) into the wound for 48 hours. Postoperative pain (determined with a visual analog scale) and postoperative morphine use were assessed at 12, 24, and 48 hours. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in patient demographics or visual analog pain scores at any time interval between the bupivacaine versus the placebo group. However, narcotic requirements to produce this amount of pain relief were significantly less in patients who received bupivacaine infusion rather than normal saline solution at all time intervals. CONCLUSION: The continuous local anesthetic infusion system appears to be effective in reducing postoperative morphine use after cesarean delivery. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2002;186:1188-91.)
Solid-state laser spectral narrowing using a volumetric photothermal refractive Bragg grating cavity mirror

Dramatic spectral narrowing of two normally broadband lasers, Ti:sapphire and Cr:LiSAF, was achieved by simply replacing the output mirror with a reflective, volumetric Bragg grating recorded in photothermal refractive glass. The output power of each laser was unchanged from that obtained using dielectric coated output mirrors with the same output coupling as the Bragg grating while spectral brightness increased by 3 orders of magnitude.
Liquid Courage: Alcohol Fosters Risky Sexual Decision-Making in Individuals with Sexual Fears

The interaction of sexual fear and acute alcohol intoxication on the likelihood of risky sexual behavior was explored. Participants (Ps; N = 115) completed a measure of sexual fears and were randomly assigned to no-, low-, or high-dose alcohol conditions. Ps then read an eroticized vignette, where they were the protagonist, and rated their likelihood of sex with a new partner when no condom was available. Controlling for gender and social desirability, compared to sober Ps, highly intoxicated Ps indicated that they were more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors. Sexual fear was modestly negatively related to risky sex likelihood among sober or mildly intoxicated Ps but strongly positively related to risky sex likelihood among highly intoxicated Ps. Findings underscore the notion that alcohol affects different types of individuals differently and indicate that alcohol may foster sexual risk-taking, in part, by attenuating or counteracting fear or anxiety.
Multidetector Row CT of the Small Bowel

Multidetector row CT (MDCT) has become an imaging technique of choice to study routinely the small bowel. Thin collimation and fast scanning allow coverage of the entire abdomen within a single suspended respiration phase allowing the use of multiple enhancement phases after intravenous contrast administration. MDCT of the small bowel can identify and stage most of the common diseases of the small bowel. MDCT is changing the paradigm for diagnosing small bowel disease by becoming the first diagnostic line for almost all small bowel diseases. MDCT has the needed sensitivity and specificity, the availability, and the safety for a front-line diagnostic method.
Teenage Mothers in Parenting Programs: Exploring Welfare Outcomes during Early Transition to Parenthood:

This article compares welfare participation and economic well-being among 849 teenage mothers who received case management services from the Adolescent Parenting Program (APP) with a comparison group of 700 teenage mothers. A higher proportion of APP participants received welfare either as a child or after giving birth to their first baby.However, the findings do not reveal any significant associations with APP participation and the likelihood of longer welfare cash assistance receipt. Programs for adolescent mothers may be helpful in connecting them with welfare assistance when they are at most in need of such services, in keeping with the intended shortterm use of the welfare program. Implications for practice with adolescent mothers and recommendations for future research are discussed.
A selective, briefly annotated bibliography of works on data security and privacy

Abstract This is a special bibliography listing of works in the field of computer security. Many of the articles, books and reports contain other bibliographic references which are not included in this list for several reasons as specified within the Introduction. A specialized Descriptive Key, included in section 2 of this article, is used to identify the topics covered by the volumes in the bibliographic listing. In addition, a special noteworthy categorization is used for some articles, such as one which is a survey of a field, a landmark work in its fields, outstandingly well-written and competently prepared, etc.
Framing the Discussion: Nanotechnology and the Social Construction of Technology--What STS Scholars Are Saying

The emergence of nanotechnology, with all its promises of economic, social, and medical benefits, along with dire predictions of environmental, health, and safety threats, has occasioned an active debate in the Science and Technology Studies field, in which we have seen five distinct conversations that frame the discussion. The topical threads include ethics, regulation, opportunities and threats including utopian/dystopian visions of the future, public perception, public participation. These conversational distinctions are not absolutes with firm borders as they clearly overlap at many points. Nonetheless, common to all is a strong sense that control and consequence are significant problems that have yet to be addressed adequately by the promoters of nanotechnology. A final section addresses articles on nanotechnology that exemplify the social construction theory of technology. We include herein a selective summary of this recent body of science, technology, and society (STS) journal literature focused on the social and ethical interactions of nanotechnology (SEIN) that has emerged in the last few years. The intent is not to be encyclopedic in coverage, but rather to seek to understand, in a general way, the key issues and concepts STS scholars are discussing. It is clear that STS-oriented scholars are well poised to grapple explicitly with the cultural, socio-political, and ethical dimensions of nanotechnology. Drawing on understandings of earlier socio-technical areas of interest and concern—nuclear power, genetically modified organisms, the human genome—such scholars have moved well beyond the questions of whether and where nanotechnology intersects society. More important is their effort to seek an understanding in depth of exactly how they are socio-politically, culturally, and ethically interconnected. In doing so, SEIN studies have at the same time become increasingly diverse and more sophisticated and mature over the course of the past decade. Scholars have quite rightly recognized the inadequacies of blanket ideas of moratoria versus non-regulatory environments, utopian versus dystopian futures, and whether or not the public has a role to play in nanotechnology decision making. Rather, a more sophisticated, often case specific, flexible understanding of the societal context of a given issue or concern is called for.
Development of a 16-bit microprogrammable computer as a senior course project: a teamwork approach to engineering education

The authors describe an educational experiment in computer engineering at the University of Washington. Eight senior students work together to design and fabricate a 16-bit general-purpose microprogrammable computer system and support software. The project was developed in a capstone hardware design course in electrical engineering. In parallel with other demands of the course, students collaborated on such tasks as architectural specification and research, design and wirewrapping, and testing of the system. >
Evaluation of decision criteria for detection of spinal cord compression based on cervical myelography in horses: 38 cases (1981–2001)

Summary Reasons for performing study: Different criteria have been described based on height reduction of the total myelographic contrast column and components of it as tests for compression of the spinal cord due to cervical stenotic myelopathy (CSM). Fifty percent height reduction of the dorsal myelographic column (DMC), <2 mm empiric height of the DMC and a 40% reduction of the ratio of stenosis calculated based on the height reduction of the entire dural diameter (DD) have been described as decision criteria for considering the test result positive. The reasons for selecting these decision criteria or their accuracies have rarely been reported. Objectives: To evaluate the accuracy of diagnostic criteria based on reduced height of the total myelographic column and components of it for diagnosing extradural spinal cord compression using different decision criteria, and make recommendations for consistent myelographic interpretation in horses suspected of having CSM. Methods: Four measurements were obtained by 2 readers in a retrospective sample population of 38 horses in which both cervical myelography and histopathological examination of the cervical spinal cord were performed. The prevalence of CSM in the sample was 50%. At intervertebral sites, the minimum heights of the DD and DMC were measured. At intravertebral sites, the maximum heights of the entire DD and DMC were obtained. Percent height reductions of the DMC and DD were determined as the ratio of minimum intervertebral height to maximum intravertebral height within the next cranial vertebra. Histological examination was used as the gold standard for determining the actual site of spinal cord compression. Sensitivity and specificity for the diagnostic criteria were estimated at each site in neutral and flexed neck positions using several different decision criteria. Conclusions: At C6-C7, in neutral or flexed neck position and using 20% reduction of DD, the test was highly sensitive and specific for CSM. At other sites, reduced height of the myelographic column generally was not accurate for diagnosing extradural spinal cord compression. Using 20% reduction of DD in neutral position at the mid-cervical sites, the test had only low sensitivity and high specificity. Flexion of the neck appeared to increase detection of spinal cord compression in the mid-cervical region, but also substantially increased the frequency of false-positive diagnoses. Potential relevance: By using the reported sensitivity and specificity estimates, readers may decide on a decision criterion for diagnosis of extradural spinal cord compression due to CSM. However, in planning a surgical correction, it is difficult to define a decision criterion that combines acceptable sensitivity and specificity, especially at the mid-cervical sites.
Rainfall variability, carbon cycling, and plant species diversity in a mesic grassland

Ecosystem responses to increased variability in rainfall, a prediction of general circulation models, were assessed in native grassland by reducing storm frequency and increasing rainfall quantity per storm during a 4-year experiment. More extreme rainfall patterns, without concurrent changes in total rainfall quantity, increased temporal variability in soil moisture and plant species diversity. However, carbon cycling processes such as soil CO2 flux, CO2 uptake by the dominant grasses, and aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) were reduced, and ANPP was more responsive to soil moisture variability than to mean soil water content. Our results show that projected increases in rainfall variability can rapidly alter key carbon cycling processes and plant community composition, independent of changes in total precipitation.
Kinetic modelling of crosslinking reactions for cycloaliphatic epoxides with hydroxyl- and carboxyl-functionalized acrylic copolymers : 1. pH and temperature effects

Abstract The crosslinking kinetics and reaction mechanism of cycloaliphatic epoxides with both hydroxyl and carboxyl functional groups were studied by using cyclohexene oxide, methanol and acetic acid as model compounds. The reactions of cyclohexene oxide with methanol and acetic acid were performed as a function of pH and temperature. The major products isolated from the reaction system were trans -2-acetoxyl cyclohexanol and trans -2-methoxyl cyclohexenol. However, none of the corresponding cis isomer was observed. The reaction order was determined to be first order in acetic acid and cyclohexene oxide for trans -2-acetoxyl cyclohexenol, and first order in methanol, cyclohexene oxide and proton concentration for trans -2-methoxyl cyclohexenol. The reaction rate constants, reaction orders, activation energies, activation enthalpies and entropies for the formation of the products in the reactions were determined for the competitive system. Based upon the stereochemistry of the products and the kinetic data, an A-2 type mechanism is proposed for both major products.
The Time Factor in the Production of Gastric Lesions on Low Calcium Diets

SummaryKeeping rats for longer periods of time on low calcium diets accentuates the ulcerative as well as the hyperplastic and hemorrhagic character of the antrum lesions as against the conditions produced in 4 weeks. It also brings out a generalized tendency to bleeding. No perceptible change, however, is produced with regard to penetration, the lesions remaining superficial.
Lipopolysaccharide-Binding Alkylpolyamine DS-96 Inhibits Chlamydia trachomatis Infection by Blocking Attachment and Entry

Vaginally delivered microbicides are being developed to offer women self-initiated protection against transmission of sexually transmitted infections such as Chlamydia trachomatis. A small molecule, DS-96, rationally designed for high affinity to Escherichia coli lipid A, was previously demonstrated to bind and neutralize lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from a wide variety of Gram-negative bacteria (D. Sil et al., Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 51:2811–2819, 2007, doi:10.1128/AAC.00200-07). Aside from the lack of the repeating O antigen, chlamydial lipooligosaccharide (LOS) shares general molecular architecture features with E. coli LPS. Importantly, the portion of lipid A where the interaction with DS-96 is expected to take place is well conserved between the two organisms, leading to the hypothesis that DS-96 inhibits Chlamydia infection by binding to LOS and compromising the function. In this study, antichlamydial activity of DS-96 was examined in cell culture. DS-96 inhibited the intercellular growth of Chlamydia in a dose-dependent manner and offered a high level of inhibition at a relatively low concentration (8 μM). The data also revealed that infectious elementary bodies (EBs) were predominantly blocked at the attachment step, as indicated by the reduced number of EBs associated with the host cell surface following pretreatment. Of those EBs that were capable of attachment, the vast majority was unable to gain entry into the host cell. Inhibition of EB attachment and entry by DS-96 suggests that Chlamydia LOS is critical to these processes during the developmental cycle. Importantly, given the low association of host toxicity previously reported by Sil et al., DS-96 is expected to perform well in animal studies as an active antichlamydial compound in a vaginal microbicide.
Decidable problems for powerful programs

Two of the most powerful classes of programs for which interesting decision problems are known to be solvable are the class of finite-memory programs and the class of programs that characterize the Presburger, or semilinear, sets. In this paper, a new class of programs that presents solvable decision problems similar to the other two classes of programs is introduced. However, the programs in the new class are shown to be computationally more powerful (i.e., capable of defining larger sets of input-output relations).
Diffusion Coefficients and Nuclear Magnetic Susceptibility of Dilute He 3 -He II Solutions

Measurements of the spin-diffusion coefficient and the nuclear magnetic susceptibility of ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$-He II solutions of molar concentrations between 0.030 and 3.0% have been made at temperatures above 0.4\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. The diffusion measurements show that the reciprocal of the spin-diffusion coefficient varies linearly with ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$ concentration. The constant term is identified as the reciprocal of the binary diffusion coefficient. Results for the binary diffusion coefficient are in agreement with the results of other measurements where comparison can be made. Between 0.8 and 1.6\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K, the binary diffusion coefficient varies exponentially with the reciprocal of the temperature, in a manner consistent with the roton excitation energy of 8.65\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. The susceptibility exhibits only small deviations from perfect-Fermi-gas behavior. A calculation of the effect on the susceptibility of the direct interaction between ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$ quasiparticles made by utilizing an effective potential indicates that deviations from perfect-Fermi-gas behavior are small. There is reasonably good agreement between the measured and the calculated temperature dependence of the susceptibility.