cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Moderated mediation analysis: An illustration using the association of gender with delinquency and mental health.

Purpose – When researchers find an association between two variables, it is useful to evaluate the role of other constructs in this association. While assessing these mediation effects, it is important to determine if results are equal for different groups. It is possible that the strength of a mediation effect may differ for males and females, for example – such an effect is known as moderated mediation. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Participants were 2,532 adolescents from diverse ethnic/racial backgrounds and equally distributed across gender. The goal of this study was to investigate parental respect as a potential mediator of the relationship between gender and delinquency and mental health, and to determine whether observed mediation is moderated by gender. Findings – Parental respect mediated the association between gender and both delinquency and mental health. Specifically, parental respect was a protective factor against delinquency and mental health probl...
Long-Distance Dispersal Potential for Onion Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) and Iris yellow spot virus (Bunyaviridae: Tospovirus) in an Onion Ecosystem

Onion thrips, Thrips tabaci Lindeman, is a worldwide pest of onion whose feeding damage and transmission of Iris yellow spot virus (IYSV) may reduce onion yields. Little is known about the seasonal dynamics of T. tabaci dispersal, the distance of dispersal, or the movement of thrips infected with IYSV during the onion-growing season. To address these questions, T. tabaci adults were collected using transparent sticky card traps in commercial onion fields three times during the onion-growing season (June, July, and late August) at varying heights above the canopy (0.5-6 m above soil surface) and with trap-equipped unmanned aircraft (UAVs) flying 50-60 m above onion fields during August sampling periods in 2012 and 2013. Randomly selected subsamples of captured T. tabaci were tested for IYSV using RT-PCR. Most T. tabaci adults were captured in late August and near the onion canopy (<2 m) throughout the season. However, 4% of T. tabaci adults captured on sticky cards were at altitudes ≥2 m, and T. tabaci were also captured on UAV-mounted traps. These data strongly suggest that long-distance dispersal occurs. More T. tabaci captured on sticky cards tested positive for IYSV in August (53.6%) than earlier in the season (2.3 to 21.5% in June and July, respectively), and 20 and 15% of T. tabaci captured on UAV-mounted traps tested positive for IYSV in 2012 and 2013, respectively. Our results indicate that T. tabaci adults, including viruliferous individuals, engage in long-distance dispersal late in the season and likely contribute to the spread of IYSV.
Statistics of particle trajectories at short time intervals reveal fN-scale colloidal forces.

We describe and implement a technique for extracting forces from the relaxation of an overdamped thermal system with normal modes. At sufficiently short time intervals, the evolution of a normal mode is well described by a one-dimensional Smoluchowski equation with constant drift velocity $v$, and diffusion coefficent $D$. By virtue of fluctuation dissipation, these transport coefficients are simply related to conservative forces, $F$, acting on the normal mode: $F={k}_{B}Tv/D$. This relationship implicitly accounts for hydrodynamic interactions, requires no mechanical calibration, makes no assumptions about the form of conservative forces, and requires no prior knowledge of material properties. We apply this method to measure the electrostatic interactions of polymer microspheres suspended in nonpolar microemulsions.
Guidance and counseling in Pakistan

This article traces the development of the guidance and counseling movement in Pakistan. Guidance and counseling services in the educational and vocational domains emerged as a result of the efforts of the Pakistan Federation of University Women and other organizations (both national and international). The article presents the development of a philosophical base and how this movement is changing the perception of what education should entail in the schools, the college, and university. The educational and vocational guidance and counseling movement is on the brink of becoming a national reality at all educational levels.
Diagnosis of usual interstitial pneumonia and distinction from other fibrosing interstitial lung diseases

Usual interstitial pneumonia is an almost uniformly fatal form of fibrosing interstitial lung disease. It is the most common idiopathic interstitial pneumonia, and currently, there is no effective therapy. Lung biopsy is often needed for diagnosis, and pathologists must be able to recognize its features and distinguish it from other interstitial lung diseases that have a better prognosis and a more favorable response to therapy. This review is an attempt to clarify the diagnostic pathologic features of usual interstitial pneumonia and to provide guidelines for its distinction from other interstitial lung diseases that enter the differential diagnosis.
Malignant bone and soft-tissue sarcomas of the hand

Abstract Primary malignant bone and soft-tissue tumors of the hand are rare. Optimal treatment requires appropriate staging, biopsy examination, and definitive surgical treatment. Early referral to a cancer center is indicated particularly in those patients requiring multidisciplinary or systemic treatment.
Simultaneous multi-vehicle control and obstacle avoidance using supervised optimal planning

This paper presents a novel approach to control the formation of a group of unmanned ground vehicles in an outdoor environment. Using Lyapunov stability analysis, a closed loop control law for a differential-drive vehicle is derived to maintain its target position in the formation. This control law is combined with an optimal control strategy to avoid obstacles. A simple fuzzy logic supervisor balances the weight each algorithm has on the output control signals by gradually allowing the obstacle avoidance to take over the steering as obstacles become close. Simulations have shown this supervised optimal control strategy to be an effective algorithm that seamlessly allows the group of vehicles to temporarily break formation to avoid obstacles.
A versatile directional reflectance model for natural water bodies, submerged objects, and moist beach sands

A directional reflectance model is derived that is based upon the same multiple scattering concepts as were employed in a previously published vegetation reflectance model. The scattering phase functions utilize the “model equivalent” Lambertian panel approximation for each scattering species. The model exhibits the property of optical reciprocity and offers consistent procedures for calculating directional reflectance of turbid water bodies of any depth, particulate content, and bottom vegetation cover, as well as the apparent reflectance of an isolated submerged object, such as a Secchi disc. Moist beach sands are considered to be extremely turbid water where air voids are also a scattering species.
Properties of Electrons in Semiconductor Inversion Layers with Many Occupied Electric Subbands. I. Screening and Impurity Scattering

Recently, experiments on the properties of electrons in semiconductor inversion layers have been carried out at very high electric fields. These fields correspond to electronic occupation of more than one of the discrete electric subbands created for motion perpendicular to the surface. Previous theoretical investigation on the problem was limited to the case when one subband is populated. In this paper we examine the more general case of having many subbands occupied, studying in detail two particular properties of the system. The first is the electron screening of an external potential described very conveniently by a matrix dielectric function. The second is the scattering of electrons by screened charged impurities and its contribution to the surface conductivity.
Limitations on the Fraenkel-Mostowski Method of Independence Proofs

The Fraenkel-Mostowski method has been widely used to prove independence results among weak versions of the axiom of choice. In this paper it is shown that certain statements cannot be proved by this method. More specifically it is shown that in all Fraenkel-Mostowski models the following hold: 1. The axiom of choice for sets of finite sets implies the axiom of choice for sets of well-orderable sets. 2. The Boolean prime ideal theorem implies a weakened form of Sikorski's theorem.
The risk of death from heart disease in patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer who receive postoperative radiotherapy: analysis of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database.

BACKGROUND. This study was designed to investigate whether the mortality from heart disease, a manifestation of intercurrent disease after postoperative radiotherapy (PORT), has decreased over time for patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS. The 17-registry 1973 to 2003 dataset from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program was used to create a cohort of patients with NSCLC who had evidence of ipsilateral lymph node involvement diagnosed from 1983 to 1993 and who underwent pnuemonectomy/lobectomy (n = 6148 patients). Heart disease mortality was the primary endpoint: Deaths from other causes were censored, and surviving patients were censored at 10 years. The independent variable was PORT use, and adjustment variables included age at diagnosis, sex, race, year of diagnosis, laterality, location, histology, and the operation performed. RESULTS. Multivariate analysis revealed that PORT use was associated with an increase in heart disease mortality (hazards ratio [HR], 1.30; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.04–1.61; P = .0193) along with older age, male sex, African-American race, and earlier year of diagnosis. The association was confirmed in the cohort that was diagnosed from 1983 to 1988 (HR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.11–2.01 [P = .0090]) but not for the cohort that was diagnosed from 1989 to 1993 (HR, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.79–1.48 [P = .6394]). CONCLUSIONS. The results from this study demonstrated that the risk of heart disease mortality associated with PORT has declined in more recent years. This may be secondary to improvements in the treatment planning and delivery of thoracic radiotherapy. Properly designed, prospective, adjuvant trials will be needed to verify these findings. Cancer 2007; 110:911–7. © 2007 American Cancer Society.
The role of flexibility and molecular shape in the crystallization of proteins by surface mutagenesis.

Proteins are dynamic systems and interact with their environment. The analysis of crystal contacts in the most accurately determined protein structures (d < 1.5 A) reveals that in contrast to current views, static disorder and high side-chain entropy are common in the crystal contact area. These observations challenge the validity of the theory that presumes that the occurrence of well ordered patches of side chains at the surface is an essential prerequisite for a successful crystallization event. The present paper provides evidence in support of the approach for understanding protein crystallization as a process dependent on multiple factors, each with its relative contribution, rather than a phenomenon driven by a few dominant physicochemical characteristics. The role of the molecular shape as a factor in the crystallization of proteins by surface mutagenesis is discussed.
Computational study of bond dissociation enthalpies for lignin model compounds: β-5 Arylcoumaran

The biopolymer lignin is a potential source of valuable chemicals. The $$\beta$$-5 linkage comprises $$\sim$$10\% of the linkages in lignin. Density Functional Theory (DFT) was used to calculate the $$\alpha$$C-O and $$\alpha$$C-$$\beta$$C bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs) for $$\beta$$-5 models with varied substituents, which are important for understanding initial lignin decomposition. The $$\alpha$$C-O ($$\alpha$$C-$$\beta$$C) BDEs were in the range of 40-44 (57-62) kcal/mol. The products resulting from either homolysis are bi-radicals with multi-determinant character in the singlet electronic state. Multiconfiguration self-consistent field (MCSCF) theory results were used to verify that unrestricted DFT and broken-symmetry DFT were sufficient to study these reactions.
Engineered nonlinear optical structures based on metal nanocomposite photonic crystals

We demonstrate a three-fold increase in the nonlinear optical absorption of an engineered metal-nanocomposite based photonic crystal as compared to a single metal-nanocomposite film of comparable thickness using Z-scan measurements.
Effect of Ligand Conformation on Melanoma Cell α3β1 Integrin-Mediated Signal Transduction Events: Implications for a Collagen Structural Modulation Mechanism of Tumor Cell Invasion†

The importance of three-dimensional interactions between receptors with their respective ligands has been extensively explored during the binding process, but considerably less so for postbinding events such as induction of signaling pathways. Tumor cell receptor association with basement membrane proteins is believed to facilitate the metastatic process. Melanoma and ovarian carcinoma cells have been shown to utilize the α3β1 integrin to bind to models of the α1(IV)531−543 sequence from basement membrane (type IV) collagen [Miles, A. J., et al. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 30939−30945; Miles, A. J., et al. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 29047−29050]. In the present study, the effects of ligand three-dimensional structure on possible signal transduction pathways induced by α3β1 integrin binding have been evaluated. Human melanoma cell binding to type IV collagen resulted in Tyr phosphorylation of p125FAK, consistent with prior studies correlating β1 integrin subunit binding to collagen and p125FAK Tyr phosphory...
On the Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities of supersonic shear layers

Analytical consideration is given to a Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in a finite width supersonic shear layer with linear and sinusoidal velocity profiles in the transition region. An analogy is explored between the pressure perturbation and the bound and scattering wave states of the one-dimensional Schroedinger equation. A numerical model is obtained for generating contour maps of the real and imaginary parts of the perturbation frequency in the (A,B)-plane. A comparison is made between the numerical results and analytical expressions derived for very small Mach numbers. Two unstable regimes are characterized in the (A,B)-plane. The method is concluded useful for both laboratory and astrophysics problems.
High-Content Drug Screening with Engineered Musculoskeletal Tissues

Tissue engineering for in vitro drug-screening applications based on tissue function is an active area of translational research. Compared to targeted high-throughput drug-screening methods that rapidly analyze hundreds of thousands of compounds affecting a single biochemical reaction or gene expression, high-content screening (HCS) with engineered tissues is more complex and based on the cumulative positive and negative effects of a compound on the multiple pathways altering tissue function. It may therefore serve as better predictor of in vivo activity and serve as a bridge between high-throughput drug screening and in vivo animal studies. In the case of the musculoskeletal system, tissue function includes determining improvements in the mechanical properties of bone, tendon, cartilage, and, for skeletal muscle, contractile properties such as rate of contraction/relaxation, force generation, fatigability, and recovery from fatigue. HCS of compound banks with engineered tissues requires miniature musculoskeletal organs as well as automated functional testing. The resulting technologies should be rapid, cost effective, and reduce the number of small animals required for follow-on in vivo studies. Identification of compounds that improve the repair/regeneration of damaged tissues in vivo would have extensive clinical applications for treating musculoskeletal disorders.
Passivation effects of silicon nanoclusters

We employ density functional and quantum Monte Carlo calculations to show that significant changes occur in the gap of fully hydrogenated nanoclusters when the surface contains impurity passivants such as atomic oxygen. Our results show that quantum confinement is only one mechanism responsible for visible photoluminescence (PL) in silicon nanoclusters and that the specific surface chemistry must be taken into account in order to interpret experimental results. In the case of oxygen, the gap reduction computed as a function of the nanocluster size provides a consistent interpretation of several recent experiments. Furthermore, we predict that other double bonded groups also significantly affect the optical gap, while single bonded groups have a minimal influence.
Teaching Note: James Michaels (A) and (B)

This teaching note is an accompaniment to the case “James Michaels (A) and (B).” It is designed specifically for management educators to use as a guide when assigning the aforementioned case for written analyses and class discussion. In addition to a detailed synopsis and a revealing epilogue, specific teaching strategies based on the problem-based learning (PBL) method are presented. The case itself provides students a unique situation, yet one that is applicable to all types of organizational contexts. With this teaching note, management educators can further enhance their students' learning and appreciation for the topics of employment law, homophobic harassment, organizational justice, power dynamics, or political behavior, among others. The versatility of this case invites the exploration of other applicable topics in human resource management, organizational behavior, and leadership that may emerge from student inquiry and problem solving.
Identification of the genes in multicopy plasmids affecting ompC and ompF expression in Escherichia coli

Osmoregulation of the porin genes, ompF and ompC of Escherichia coli, occurs at the level of transcription through the action of EnvZ and OmpR proteins as well as at the level of translation through micF antisense RNA. In this study, we used a genetic screening approach to identify new genes which interfere with the expression of ompC or ompF. Using an E. coli genomic library in pUC19, we identified three clones whose products altered expression of ompC and ompF in response to medium osmolarity. One clone carrying the secB gene was found to block ompC and inhibit ompF expression. One clone carrying gcvA, a transcriptional regulator for the gvcA operon, was found to block ompF expression at high osmolarity and elevate ompC expression at low osmolarity. One clone carrying rbsR, a repressor for the rbs operon, was found to block ompF expression at both low and high osmolarities and elevate ompC expression at low osmolarity. These results suggest that ompF and ompC expression is associated with other physiological regulating systems in addition to osmoregulation.
3D Arterial Trace Reconstruction From Biplane Multi-Valued Projections

An automatic algorithm for reconstructing arterial center lines in three dimensional (3D) space from two orthogonal angiographic views is presented. As a result of representing projected center lines by, cubic spline polynomials, corresponding points in both views are automatically determined. A previous paperl showed automatic positional reconstruction to be possible when the projected center line can be expressed as a single-valued function. This algorithm generalizes the method to include cases where the center lines are described by multi-valued functions. Three dimensional curves, representing arterial center lines, were sampled and projected onto two orthogonal planes to simulate the projected vessel center line in each view. Gaussian noise of different magnitudes was added to the projected coordinates in both views to simulate vessel center line estimation errors. Stenosed segments were simulated by deleting sections of the projected center lines. Positional reconstruction accuracy for various mean centering errors (MCE) and stenosis lengths are presented.
Levamisole: A new treatment for recurrent aphthous stomatitis☆

Abstract Fifty patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis were treated with levamisole, an anthelmintic which has been found to increase immune responses. The subjects had previously been refractory to all modalities of treatment other than prednisone, and 92 per cent had experienced monthly or continuous attacks of aphthae. The responses were grouped into three categories: 6 per cent appeared to go into permanent remission, 56 per cent were improved, and 38 per cent showed no response. Levamisole appeared to have a definite enhancing effect on the immune system, as measured by skin test reactivity, but did not affect in vitro parameters of cellular immunity.
The Army and the Founding of the Turkish Republic

Modern Turkish history furnishes numerous examples of active participation by the military in politics. The so-called “Young Turk Revolution” of 1908, in fact, may well be regarded as the prototype of Near Eastern military coups of this century. A decade later, Mustafa Kemal [Ataturk] and other army officers took the lead in creating a nationalist Turkish Republic out of the ruins of the multinational Ottoman Empire. Since the proclamation of the Republic in 1923, however, the Turkish army has abstained from any such obvious role on the political stage.
Comment on "Fast and accurate modeling of molecular atomization energies with machine learning".

A Comment on the Letter by M. Rupp et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., 108, 058301 (2012). The authors of the Letter offer a Reply.
An ecological study of the effectiveness of mammography in reducing breast cancer mortality

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine the relation of screening mammography to breast cancer incidence and case fatality. METHODS: In a sample of White female Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized in 1990-1991, age-adjusted breast cancer incidence and 2-year case fatality rates were estimated and compared with the frequency of mammographic screening from a population-based survey. RESULTS: The average rates for incidence, case fatality, and mammography within 5 years in 29 states were 414/100,000, 18.8%, and 59.2%, respectively. There was a positive state-level correlation between mammography rates and incidence and an inverse correlation between mammography and case fatality. CONCLUSIONS: High screening mammography rates in some states are associated with reduced breast cancer case fatality rates, presumably as a result of diagnosis of earlier stage cancers.
Life and Work of Bhaskar Kumar Ghosh

Abstract Bhaskar Ghosh, affectionately used to be addressed as Kumar by his colleagues and friends, died at an age of 72, of a heart problem on August 3, 2008. He is survived by his three daughters, Monica, Anita, and Rebecca; his wife Hedwig Graf passed away a year earlier. I have the privilege of knowing Bhaskar from our college days back in the early 1950s, collaborating with him in some statistical research, and more so in editorial activities. I take this opportunity to write a short biography of Bhaskar and appraise some aspects of his contributions to statistics with special emphasis on sequential methods. In particular, this journal, Sequential Analysis, was founded largely through the untiring efforts of Bhaskar, and I am proud to be a founding editor jointly with him. We (at least I) will miss him for quite sometime.
Tensile strength determination of the interface between porcelain fused to gold

Synopsis A method of testing the tensile strength of the porcelain-gold bond has been developed. Tensile strengths of the bond are improved primarily by the formation of an oxide layer on the gold before baking the porcelain and not by the degree of gross surface roughness. The oxide layer may act either as a transition ayer or it may create microsurface roughness. The gross surface roughness probably complicates the wetting action of the porcelain on the gold. Whether the actual bond is of a chemical nature, physical nature, or both, remains uncertain. The use of enamel-metal composite structures in dentistry is increasing rapidly. As a result, there has been considerable interest in the nature and the strength of the junction formed between porcelain baked onto metals. During the last decade, many investigators have studied the bond strength between the cast structure and enamel baked onto it. Shell and Nielson,' in their work with a pull-through shear-type test, have found the effect of different variables on the bond strength. According to their study, an addition of trace metals to gold alloys triples the strength of the bond. They also found that roughness of the metal surface does not influence the bond strength apprecialy. This test seems to be rather complex and involves compressive residual stresses, as well as forces of adhesion. Johnston et a1.,2 with an adhesive-bonding test that consists of two rods of cast gold held in axial alignment and joined by porcelain, obtained a mean value of 5620 psi. However, in each case the porcelain fractured in porcelain
Innovative format using television and teaching assistants in a heavily-enrolled electrical engineering service course

An instruction format is described which includes short, professionally produced television modules that are presented to classes by teaching assistants (TAs) who answer questions, guide discussions and exercises, and administer quizzes. The viability of this course (entitled Electrical Circuits and Power Distribution) depends not only on the combination of TV and TA, but also on the attention given to testing procedures, the written materials provided for students, careful scheduling, and the professor's long-term commitment not only to the operation of the course but also to continuing evaluation and updating of the course materials and operating procedures. >
High-throughput screen for poly-3-hydroxybutyrate in Escherichia coli and Synechocystis sp. strain PCC6803

A novel, quantitative method for detecting poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) amounts in viable cells was developed to allow for high-throughput screening of mutant libraries. The staining technique was demonstrated and optimized for the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC6803 and the eubacterium Escherichia coli to maximize the fluorescence difference between PHB-accumulating and control cells by flow cytometry. In Synechocystis, the level of nonspecific dye binding was reduced by using nonionic stain buffer that allowed quantitation of fluorescence levels. In E. coli, the use of a mild sucrose shock facilitated uptake of Nile red without significant loss of viability. The optimized staining protocols yielded a linear response for the mean fluorescence against (chemically measured) PHB. The staining protocols are novel methods useful in the high-throughput evaluation of combinatorial libraries of Synechocystis and E. coli using fluorescence-activated cell sorting to identify mutants with increased PHB-accumulating properties.
Comparative heights of mothers and fathers whose children are short.

• This study was designed to investigate and compare the heights of mothers and fathers whose children had various forms of short stature. The heights of parents of a total of 341 children were grouped by their children's diagnoses into three groups: group 1, genetic short stature; group 2, a constitutional delay of growth; and group 3, normal "short" stature (children in the fifth to 25th percentile). Analysis indicated that the data were gaussian in distribution and that no significant skewing or kurtosis was noted in any group for either maternal or paternal heights. The mean height of mothers in group 1 (mean±SD, 157.7±6.8 cm) was less than (F=14.36) the mean height of mothers in either group 2 (mean±SD, 161.1 ±6.9 cm) or group 3 (mean±SD, 162.5±6.6 cm). In contrast, the mean heights of fathers were not significantly different (F=2.13) among the three groups (mean±SD, 173.3±7.5, 173.8±8.3, and 176.0±9.6 cm). Thus, a significant shift to greater shortness in mothers' heights than in fathers' heights for the parents of children with genetic short stature was noted. Such a differential shortness was not detected in the parents of children with a constitutional delay of growth. (AJDC. 1990;144:995-997)
Comparative effectiveness of intravenous and intra-arterial fibrinolysin therapy.

Abstract The rate of lysis of induced coronary and carotid artery thrombi is not significantly affected by the intravenous administration of human fibrinolysin. Intra-arterial administration was successful. These findings indicate that segmental injection of the fibrinolysin near the site of the clot is necessary to obtain effective in vivo lysis of arterial thrombi. Preliminary observations support the view that the intra-arterial route is the mode of choice for administering fibrinolysin in the treatment of acute arterial thrombosis or embolism.
National Cancer Institute Clinical Trials Program in Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer will be diagnosed in approximately 150,000 patients in the USA this year. Chemotherapy has recently been shown to improve survival when given as adjuvant therapy to surgery in patients with stage III colorectal cancer. Demonstration of this benefit required large, randomized controlled trials. Either 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and leucovorin for 6 months or 5-FU and levamisole for 12 months are currently considered standard adjuvant treatment for stage III colorectal cancer. However, current adjuvant trials are comparing continuous infusion and intravenous bolus 5-FU regimens and oral uracil/Ftorafur with intravenous 5-FU and leucovorin, as well as studying the timing of chemotherapy in the adjuvant setting. Subsequent adjuvant trials will examine newer regimens with activity in advanced colorectal cancer, as well as the efficacy of monoclonal antibodies. Other trials will study which type of surgery is optimal and whether adjuvant therapy is helpful in stage II colon cancer. Trials in metastatic disease will focus on combinations of newer agents which may improve survival in this patient group. Studies in rectal cancer will focus on determining which agents are optimal in combination with radiation therapy in the adjuvant setting. Molecular characteristics of tumor cells are being defined, which may guide therapy in the future. Careful, logically designed clinical trials will hopefully provide more efficacious therapy for this common cancer.
Maternal time and the care of disabled children

Caring for disabled children has become increasingly the responsibility of parents, even when the medical care is complex. To assess the time commitment required, 133 mothers of disabled children were asked to estimate by specific task categories the extra time required to care for the children. Total average daily care time was reported at 12 hours and 6 minutes, with 6 hours and 30 minutes consumed in «vigilant» tasks (i.e., watching a child who cannot be left alone and/or providing emotional support). Multiple regression analysis showed an increase in total caregiving hours associated with a younger child who was more physically and mentally impaired, and who required more medical treatments
Effects of Rootstock and Budding Height on Bacterial Canker in French Prune.

ABSTRACT Bacterial canker is one of the most economically important diseases of stone fruit trees, including ‘French’ prune (Prunus domestica). Field trials were conducted to evaluate the effect of rootstock selection and budding height on the incidence and severity of bacterial canker in four orchards with low to high disease pressure. Treatments included French prune scions low-grafted on ‘Lovell’ peach (Prunus persica) rootstocks as well as Myrobalan 29C (Prunus cerasifera) plum rootstocks grafted at 15, 50, and 90 cm above the rootstock crown. Another treatment consisted of growing Myrobalan 29C plum rootstocks in the field for one growing season, then field-grafting French prune buds onto rootstock scaffolds. Lovell peach rootstock provided the greatest protection from bacterial canker as measured by disease incidence and tree mortality in all orchards. Field-budded rootstocks and rootstocks grafted at the highest budding height provided moderate levels of resistance to bacterial canker. These treatm...
Consumer patronage and risk perceptions in Internet shopping

Abstract Internet shopping has become the fastest-growing use of the Internet; most online consumers, however, use information gathered online to make purchases off-line. A number of authors have attributed consumers' reluctance to purchase online to apparent barriers; however, such barriers have not been examined within a theoretical context. This study examined the nature of perceived risks associated with Internet shopping and the relationship between types of risk perceived by Internet shoppers and their online patronage behaviors within a perceived risk theoretical framework. The research examined four types of perceived risk that were of concern to Internet shoppers and browsers — financial, product performance, psychological, and time/convenience loss risk, the relationship between the types of risk perceived and selected demographics, and the effect of perceived risks on Internet patronage behaviors. Findings suggest that perceived risk is a useful context to explain barriers to online shopping. A model for examining Internet patronage behavior from a perceived risk framework is proposed; management implications and propositions for future research are also presented.
Thermodynamics of binary phase diagrams with a miscibility gap and a congruently melting compound and binary phase diagrams with two miscibility gaps

The thermodynamics of phase diagrams with a miscibility gap and a congruently melting compound and phase diagrams with two miscibility gaps are treated using the Hoch-Arpshofen solution model and the Schottky- Wagner disorder model. We extended the Schottky-Wagner disorder model to the liquid phase. In phase diagrams with two miscibility gaps, a liquid compound between the two miscibility gaps must be present to obtain consistent thermodynamic data. We treated the Rb-I2, Au-Se, and Sn-S binary systems.
Bone Marrow Transplantation Shows Superior Atheroprotective Effects of Gene Therapy With Apolipoprotein A-I Milano Compared With Wild-Type Apolipoprotein A-I in Hyperlipidemic Mice

OBJECTIVES We tested the hypothesis that gene therapy using apolipoprotein A-I Milano (apoA-IMilano) is more effective than that using wild-type apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) in reducing atherosclerosis. BACKGROUND Apolipoprotein A-I Milano is a naturally occurring mutant with established antiatherogenic activity; however, its relative antiatherogenic efficacy compared with that of wild-type apoA-I remains unclear. METHODS We performed bone marrow transplantation in female double-knockout mice lacking both the apoE and apoA-I genes using male donor mice-derived bone marrow that had been transduced with a retroviral vector alone or retroviral vector expressing wild-type apoA-I or apoA-IMilano gene under the control of macrophage-specific scavenger receptor A promoter. Mice were fed a high-cholesterol diet and killed 24 weeks after transplantation, at which time the extent of aortic atherosclerosis was determined. RESULTS Compared with vector control (n = 12), apoA-IMilano gene therapy (n = 15) reduced aortic atherosclerosis by 65% (p < 0.001) and plaque macrophage immunoreactivity by 58% (p < 0.0001), whereas wild-type apoA-I (n = 11) reduced atherosclerosis by 25% (p = 0.1) and plaque macrophage immunoreactivity by 23% (p < 0.05). The apoA-IMilano gene therapy was significantly more effective in reducing atherosclerosis (p < 0.05) and macrophage immunoreactivity (p < 0.001) compared with wild-type apoA-I. The circulating levels of cholesterol, lipoprotein profile, and apoA-IMilano or wild-type apoA-I were comparable among the groups. Apolipoprotein A-I Milano was more effective than wild-type apoA-I in promoting macrophage cholesterol efflux. CONCLUSIONS Macrophage-specific expression of the apoA-IMilano gene is more effective than wild-type apoA-I in reducing atherosclerosis and plaque inflammation despite comparable circulating levels of the transgene and lipid profile.
The Political Is Psychoanalytic: On Same-Sex Marriage

Psychoanalysis should attend to same-sex marriage for two reasons: (1) Exclusion from marriage harms the mental health of same-sex couples and their children and (2) psychoanalysis is the science of irrationality, and the arguments about same-sex marriage are often highly irrational. The arguments against same-sex marriage, made by senior judges in the United States, are best understood by the von Domarus principle: If homosexuals are allowed to be married, and I am married, then I may be a homosexual. And if I make it impossible for homosexuals to marry, and I am married, then I will make it impossible for me to be a homosexual.
Gamma radiation from neutron irradiated U-235

Abstract A U-235 scatterer has been irradiated with neutrons in the 100- to 500-keV range. Preliminary production cross sections have been determined for gamma rays following neutron inelastic scattering and for gamma rays originating in isomeric states of fission fragments.
Fistule duodéno-cave par pénétration d'un filtre de veine cave inférieure se présentant comme un saignement gastro-intestinal inférieur

La penetration asymptomatique de la paroi de la veine cave inferieure (IVC) par les filtres temporaires n'est pas rare. De temps en temps, ceci peut etre une cause de morbidite, et rarement de mortalite. Nous presentons un cas de fistule duodeno-cave, secondaire a la penetration d'une contrefiche d'un filtre IVC temporaire a l'origine d'un saignement gastro-intestinal inferieur et discutons la prise en charge. Bien que les filtres temporaires de nouvelle generation permettent un plus long delai pour la recuperation, ils sont associes a une plus grande incidence de penetration de la paroi de l'IVC, de migration caudale, et parfois de presentation symptomatique, rendant necessaire une intervention chirurgicale. Un suivi etroit est justifie, et l'ablation rapide de tels dispositifs devrait etre faite quand leur utilisation n'est plus indiquee.
Development and validation of an internet use attitude scale

This paper describes the development and validation of a new 40-item Internet Attitude Scale (IAS), a one-dimensional inventory for measuring the Internet attitudes. The first experiment initiated a generic Internet attitude questionnaire, ensured construct validity, and examined factorial validity and reliability. The second experiment further analyzed the results of the first experiment to verify criterion validity and reliability using a different sample group. The results of the first and second experiments illustrated that this newly Internet Attitude Scale is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring Internet attitudes.
Paleolongitudinal estimates for paleocontinents derived from interplate distances based on Late Ordovician bivalves

Abstract The geographic distribution of 293 Modern bivalve genera has been analyzed and found to be statistically correlated with distance. In particular, a least-squares regression analysis of the data indicates that the distance between faunal realms (D) in kilometers can be estimated using the equation D = (ln(d) + 0.4233)/−0.00013, where d is the Dice coefficient of faunal similarity. Analysis of 59 genera of Late Ordovician bivalves indicates that the above equation also describes their biogeographic distribution. Using this formula, the distance between Laurentia and Scotland/Northwest Ireland was estimated to be 5500 kilometers. This is consistent with the reconstruction of a connection among these areas during the Late Ordovician based on brachiopod and graptolite biogeographic data. Paleomagnetic and paleoclimatic data also suggest that Avalonia, Baltica, and Laurentia were at tropical latitudes. Distances between these paleocontinents can therefore be used to estimate paleolongitudes. If the l...
Extensions under development for the HEVC standard

This paper discusses standardization activities for extending the capabilities of the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard – the first edition of which was completed in early 2013. These near-term extensions are focused on three areas: range extensions (such as enhanced chroma formats, monochrome video, and increased bit depth), bitstream scalability extensions for spatial and fidelity scalability, and 3D video extensions (including stereoscopic/multi-view coding, and probably also depth map coding and combinations thereof). Standardization extensions on each of these topics will be completed by mid-2014, and further work beyond that timeframe is also discussed.
A new two-parameter lifetime distribution with bathtub shape or increasing failure rate function

Some probability distributions have been proposed to fit real life data with bathtub-shaped failure rates. In this article, a new two-parameter lifetime distribution is given. The distribution has increasing or bathtub-shaped failure rate function. Exact confidence intervals and exact joint confidence regions for the parameters are discussed based on type-II censored samples.
Electron colliders at CERN

This contribution, a personal recollection by the author, is part of a special issue CERN’s accelerators, experiments and international integration 1959–2009. Guest Editor: Herwig Schopper [Schopper, Herwig. 2011. Editorial. Eur. Phys. J. 36: 437]
A 'Sound' Policy? The RIAA and The Copyright Act

The Recording Industry of America (RIAA) has made headlines 1 and garnered a fair amount of criticism in recent years, both for the first jury trial against an individual copyright infringer 2 and for its litigation tactics. 3 In the midst of the RIAA‘s aggressive litigation, issues related to proof have come to the forefront, particularly regarding the use of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses 4 to determine the identity of alleged copyright infringers. 5 Additionally, the RIAA and other organizations have sought to hold individuals owning unsecured wireless routers 6 liable for any illegal file-sharing that takes place through the individual‘s router. 7 The RIAA, in their vigilant defense of copyrighted material, has gone too far and legislative action is needed to provide protection for unwary consumers from the aggressive tactics of the RIAA.
Sartre on the individual in the historical dialectic

It is clear from this brief analysis that Sartre the Existentialist is alive and well, even as a self-proclaimed Marxist. In his later work he fuses Marxism with Existentialism, giving to the former a strong dose of individuality which has been prescribed by Western humanists for decades. Thus far I have given only the bare outline of Sartre's view. It needs to be followed up with a further analysis of his stand on groups and classes, which takes up the bulk of theCritique. But the essential direction of his work is already clear. Sartre reminds us that the contradictions of the dialectic first live in the minds and careers of individuals. He finds Marxist literature fraught with the view that man is inert in the historical process, and he hopes that his work helps to correct this failure. It remains to be seen how much impact Sartre's challenge to Marxist dogmatism will have both on his fellow Marxists, who are no doubt uncomfortable with his brand of Marxism, and on the Western liberal who is both attracted to and repulsed by Marx.
Effects of smokes on atmospheric ionization

Abstract It is the purpose of this paper to report some of the initial results in the investigation of the effects of smokes on the emission of ions from hot filaments under atmospheric conditions; and to describe the special equipment developed for this purpose.
Fluid Simulation of Beryllium Transport in the ITER Gaseous Divertor

The transport of either intrinsic or injected impurities will play a crucial role in the energy loss mechanisms in the ITER gaseous/cold plasma target divertor. Both 1-D and 2-D multi-charge state fluid codes are used to model the transport of beryllium in the ITER SOL. Our major conclusion is that in order to model the containment of impurities, the background flow field must be known in detail. Comparing 1-D and 2-D solutions, hydrogen flow reversal plays an important role in the entrainment process. Further, the flow of particles from the core plasma also has a strong impact on the resultant entrainment of the impurities in both 1-D and 2-D. It is imperative that those components of poloidal velocity due to ExB and diamagnetic drifts be included in the models.
Nondestructive detection of cavities by an inverse elastostatics boundary element method

Abstract The elastostatics boundary element method is applied in an inverse problem approach to the nondestructive detection of subsurface cavities in structures. The boundary conditions at the exposed surface are overspecified: tractions are specified and displacements are used as additional data for solving the inverse problem. In the developed iterative procedure, an initial guess is made for the shape of the cavity and a grid pattern is laid out. The use of this pattern allows one of the coordinates of the interior nodes to be fixed thus reducing the number of unknowns at each cavity node to one. The initial guess will not correspond to the actual cavity, consequently, the BEM solution will yield displacements which do not agree with the reference displacements. This leads to residuals at each node. The cavity is then located by iteratively driving these residuals to zero. Newton's method and the steepest descent method are considered in this effort. Iterative updates of the cavity geometry are kept within a physically realistic feasible region. Validation cases are presented for the detection of single circular and elliptic holes located at various positions within a rectangular plate. Numerical results demonstrate the successful detection of subsurface cavities by this method, Finally, results are presented for an experiment in which the surface displacements are determined by a laser speckle photography technique. A centrally located circular hole is successfully located using these surface displacement data.
In Vitro Fertilization Affects Growth and Glucose Metabolism in a Sex-Specific Manner in an Outbred Mouse Model

The preimplantation period is a time of reprogramming that may be vulnerable to disruption. This question has wide clinical relevance since the number of children conceived by in vitro fertilization (IVF) is rising. To examine this question, outbred mice (CF1 × B6D2F1) conceived by IVF and cultured using Whitten medium and 20% O2 (IVFWM group, less optimal) or K simplex optimized medium with amino acids and 5% O2 (IVFKAA group, more optimal and similar to conditions used in human IVF) were studied postnatally. We found that flushed blastocysts transferred to recipient mice provided the best control group (FB group), as this accounted for the effects of superovulation, embryo transfer, and litter size. We observed that many physiological parameters were normal. Reassuringly, IVFKAA offspring did not differ significantly from FB offspring. However, male IVFWM mice (but not females) were larger during the first 19 wk of life and exhibited glucose intolerance. Male IVFWM mice also showed enlarged left heart despite normal blood pressure. Expression of candidate imprinted genes (H19, Igf2, and Slc38a4) in multiple adult tissues did not show differences among the groups; only Slc38a4 was down-regulated following IVF (in both culture conditions) in female adipose tissue. These studies demonstrate that adult metabolism is affected by the type of conditions encountered during the preimplantation stage. Further, the postnatal growth trajectory and glucose homeostasis following ex vivo manipulation may be sexual dimorphic. Future work on the long-term effects of IVF offspring should focus on glucose metabolism and the cardiovascular system.