cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Polymer underlayer assisted dewetting of a top metal nanofilm

We demonstrated polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) polymer underlayer assisted, focused-ion-beam (FIB)-induced dewetting of a top Au nanofilm where we found that the underlayer played a prominent and, in some cases, a useful role in the dewetting of the top layer. For an Au nanofilm deposited on a thick uniform PMMA underlayer, where the underlayer is stable and therefore does not dewet, irregularly spaced Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) were formed as expected by raster-scanning of a focused Ga-ion beam. On the other hand, topographically pre-patterned thin PMMA film provided heterogeneous nucleation sites for both the Au top layer and the PMMA underlayer to initiate dewetting at and guidance for forming regularly spaced AuNPs with much narrower size distribution at significantly lower ion dose levels when compared to the thick, uniform underlayer case. We also found that the underlayer assisted dewetting in this case relaxes the restriction on pre-pattern periodicity to obtain a single NP per pattern period, which is a noteworthy departure from the pre-patterned solid substrate case. FIB-induced AuNP areas can have sharp boundaries and can be positioned on a selected area of a substrate with high positional accuracy, which is important for the implementation of devices in sensing, nano-optics/photonics, and optoelectronic applications.
Contrast media in intussusception.

Pediatric radiologists in 40 children’s hospitals in North America were interviewed to determine their choice of contrast media in the diagnosis and treatment of intussusception. The respondents indicated that barium was utilized in the vast majority of instances. Almost all indicated that they would proceed with barium enema even if there is unequivocal evidence of small bowel obstruction on the plain film examination. In over 14,000 cases of intussusception, there were 55 perforations, an incidence of approximately 1 in 250. The perforations in general were well tolerated, although there was one death.
Riparian vegetation communities change rapidly following passive restoration at a northern Utah stream

a b s t r a c t Riparian vegetation may recover quickly from disturbance when the disturbance vector is removed or reduced. Grazing is a disturbance that removes plant biomass through herbivory, while overgrazing is a more severe disturbance that can deplete plant propagule pools and inhibit plant community recovery. We tested the hypothesis that riparian vegetation communities can shift quickly from ruderal grasslands to hydrophytic shrubs and graminoids when grazing is largely eliminated from riparian areas. We used a before-after-control study design to collect vegetation community data at six restored reaches and two grazed control reaches prior to and immediately following the construction of a cattle exclosure. We identified trends in Carex and Salix species abundance and quantified shifts in riparian vegetation community composition across time at each reach using PERMANOVA, multi-level pattern analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling. Vegetation composition changed rapidly in the four years following removal of grazing disturbance. Indicator species for all impact reaches shifted away from grazing tolerant graminoids and forbs, and toward hydrophytic graminoid and shrub species. Over the same timespan control reach indicator species remained grazing-tolerant graminoids and forbs. There was little change in Salix abundance over time at control or impact reaches but Carex abundance increased at restored reaches. We conclude that herbaceous plant communities may recover rapidly following the removal of grazing disturbance, but that woody species may lag in recovery without active vegetation manipulation. We postulate that low woody-species recruitment may affect the potential of the riparian zone to quickly shade stream channels and facilitate undercut bank formation, common riparian restoration objectives. To prevent halted riparian succession, designers should proactively identify potential limitations to woody vegetation colonization. We close discussing active approaches to overcome stalled riparian ecosystem development and suggest metrics for assessing woody species recovery. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Soret effect in solid—II

Abstract Atomistic features of the Soret effect in multi-component systems, especially those in binary systems, are treated by the path probability method of irreversible statistical mechanics based on a rigid lattice model as an extension of our earlier treatment of the effect in one-component systems. While in one-component systems, particles tend to accumulate toward the low temperature side in the present model, in two-component systems, the constituent components can accumulate on opposite sides as long as the vacancy concentration is low. Explanations of the features in the multi-component Soret effect which do not appear in one-component systems are specifically given. The difference between the Soret effect and the demixing effect under a temperature gradient is also discussed.
Correlation for the ratio of limiting activity coefficients for binary liquid mixtures

Abstract It is shown that for a wide variety of binary systems, limiting activity coefficients can be related through pure-component properties and, for mixtures containing one alcohol, through a self-association, chemical equilibrium constant. The proposed relation introduces two modifications into the van Laar-Hildebrand-Scatchard theory. The modifications are a molecular-shape correction to account for molecular nonsphericity, and a “chemical” correction to account for self-association of alcohols. Calculated and experimental results are compared for 297 data points for 65 binary systems.
Fluorescence fluctuation analysis of mixed chromophores from a line-scanning hyperspectral imaging system

Fluorescence fluctuation analysis of dilute biomolecules can provide a powerful method for fast and accurate determination of diffusion dynamics, local concentrations, and aggregation states in complex environments. However, spectral overlap among multiple exogenous and endogenous fluorescent species, photobleaching, and background inhomogeneities can compromise quantitative accuracy and constrain useful biological implementation of this analytical strategy in real systems. In order to better understand these limitations and expand the utility of fluctuation correlation methods, spatiotemporal fluorescence correlation analysis was performed on spectrally resolved line scanned images of modeled and real data from mixed fluorescent nanospheres in a synthetic gel matrix. It was found that collecting images at a pixel sampling regime optimal for spectral imaging provides a method for calibration and subsequent temporal correlation analysis which is insensitive to spectral mixing, spatial inhomogeneity, and photobleaching. In these analyses, preprocessing with multivariate curve resolution (MCR) provided the local concentrations of each spectral component in the images, thus facilitating correlation analysis of each component individually. This approach allowed quantitative removal of background signals and showed dramatically improved quantitative results compared to a hypothetical system employing idealized filters and multi-parameter fitting routines.
FORUM: Eco-Labeling and ISO 14000: An Analysis of US Regulatory Systems and Issues Concerning Adoption of Type II Standards

/ Current private and public regulatory systems may not provide an optimal degree of regulation for labels bearing environmental information, and established institutions may detract from efforts to provide for better environmental management. The advent of ISO 14000 offers new opportunities for making eco-labeling a meaningful tool to encourage environmental stewardship. While new federal legislation offers the best vehicle to introduce these standards into US law, the slow pace of the legislative process may recommend an alternative system. Multinational and civic-minded firms may be expected to employ private programs to nurture benevolent environmental management practices until more definitive governmental institutions can be put in place.KEY WORDS: Eco-labels; Environmental labeling; International standards; ISO 14000
An Assessment of the Operating Characteristics of Farm Wineries, and Managerial Perspectives of Farm Winery Owners Who Use Distributors

Hypotheses that concern operating characteristics of farm wineries, and managerial perspectives of farm winery owners are developed and tested empirically. Key results focus on the tendency of farm winery owners who use distributors to abdicate key marketing functions, particularly that of brand management. Such abdication appears to debilitate the competitive position of such wineries, and sow the seeds of conflict between the wineries and their distributors.
Idiopathic Hypertrophic Subaortic Stenosis Clinical Analysis of 126 Patients with Emphasis on the Natural History

While considerable information concerning the hemodynamic and angiographic features of idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis (IHSS) is available, data concerning the natural history of the disease are limited. The clinical courses of 126 patients with hemodynamically documented IHSS, examined repeatedly for up to 12 years, were analyzed. The older patients tended to be more severely symptomatic. Although the course was extremely variable, the patients who were asymptomatic initially tended to remain so, while those who were more disabled generally deteriorated, died, or improved spontaneously. Bacterial endocarditis occurred in three patients. Ten patients died as a consequence of the natural history of IHSS; six of these deaths were unexpected. Sudden deaths occurred usually in patients with no or mild obstruction, and in patients with both the familial and sporadic forms of the disease. Atrial fibrillation was observed in 8% of the patients, and abnormalities of atrioventricular conduction, in 30%....
‘Diabolists and decadents’: Lovecraft's gothic puritans

(1994). ‘Diabolists and decadents’: Lovecraft's gothic puritans. Lit: Literature Interpretation Theory: Vol. 5, Horror, pp. 45-51.
Neighborhood poverty, aspirations and expectations, and initiation of sex.

Abstract Background Cross-sectional research has demonstrated associations between neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics and adolescents' initiation of heterosexual intercourse. Prospective designs are needed to move toward causal inference, and to identify mediating and moderating influences to inform policies and programs. Methods Among 5,838 nonsexually active participants in wave I (1994–1995) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, multilevel logistic regression analyses were used to predict initiation of sex by wave II (1996); models were stratified by gender and age group (11–14 and 15–17 yr). Predictors measured at wave I included census tract-level (neighborhood) poverty concentration, family-level income, parental education, race/ethnicity, and family structure. Adolescent college aspirations and life expectations were tested as possible mediators or moderators of the neighborhood poverty-sexual initiation association. Results Neighborhood poverty concentration predicted older (15–17 yr) girls' and boys' sexual initiation, after considering individual-level covariates. However, adolescent college aspirations and life expectations were not found to mediate the prediction relationship. Moderating effects were identified for girls (college aspirations) and boys (positive life expectations) in high-poverty neighborhoods, paradoxically reflecting increased risk. Conclusions In this longitudinal study, moderating effects generally considered protective against sexual initiation were not protective or were harmful for adolescents living in high-poverty neighborhoods. Subsequent research to understand how to reduce the health risks of living in poor neighborhoods must examine an even wider range of variables and/or use different methodologies.
Hymenolepis diminuta : Glucose and glycogen gradients in the adult tapeworm

Abstract Pappas, P. W., Barley, A. J., and Wardrop, S. M. 1999. Hymenolepis diminuta: Glucose and glycogen gradients in the adult tapeworm. Experimental Parasitology 91 , 315–326. Adult (20-day-old) Hymenolepis diminuta were cut into 12 pieces of equal length, and the individual pieces of the tapeworm's strobila were analyzed. There was a continuous gradient of decreasing concentrations of glucose (mM) and decreasing levels of glycogen (μg/mg wt) in the strobila. The ethanol extracts of the individual pieces of strobila contained four compounds tentatively identified as disaccharides; the distributions of these compounds were different from those of glucose and glycogen. The distributions of glucose, glycogen, and the “disaccharides” changed when tapeworms were incubated for 1 h in saline or glucose. When compared, on a per-weight basis, to the most posterior sections of the strobila, the anterior sections absorbed more glucose and incorporated more glucose into glycogen. There was a continuous gradient of decreasing values along the tapeworm's strobila of the V max for glucose uptake, while the K t values for glucose uptake changed only slightly. The data indicate that glucose and glycogen metabolism are most active in the anterior part of the tapeworm's strobila where new proglottids are produced and the initial stages of organogenesis occur.
Bandwidth measurement and management for end-to-end connectivity over IP networks

The paper describes a policy-based model for cost-effective ‘data connectivity’ provisioning between session-level end-points. The connectivity provider (SP) may employ an architecture for end-to-end QoS control between data aggregation points. It involves: i) maintaining multiple diffserv-type connections between end-points with parameterizable QoS differentiation between them, and ii) admission control at end-points with intserv-type bandwidth management over connections. (ii) aggregates data flows with closely-similar QoS needs over a single end-to-end connection. (i) apportions the available infrastructure bandwidth between various end-to-end connections that carry (aggregated) data flows with distinct QoS levels. Flow aggregation over a connection allows reaping the statistical multiplexing gains in bandwidth, i.e., meets the SP's revenue incentives. Whereas, connection-level bandwidth allocation allows meeting the QoS needs of data flows, i.e., guarantees the end-user's utility. The management functions of SP monitor the changes and/or outages in network bandwidth in a dynamic setting (as in IP-based networks), and maps them onto the connectivity costs incurred for QoS control. Our model allows installing policy functions at end-points for cost-optimal connectivity provisioning.
Barrett's Esophagus—Is It Bad for Your Health?

Barrett's esophagus is a clearly recognized risk factor for the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma. Despite the rapidly increasing incidence rate of esophageal adenocarcinoma, the vast majority of patients with Barrett's esophagus will never go on to develop this cancer. Furthermore, esophageal adenocarcinoma is a rare cause of death in Barrett's esophagus patients, and most of these patients die from other causes. While some studies demonstrate that the overall survival of patients with Barrett's esophagus is no different than that of the general population, others have suggested that Barrett's esophagus may be associated with increased mortality. Work by Solaymani-Dodran et al., in the current issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology, found that all cause mortality was increased by 37% and mortality from causes other than esophageal cancer was increased by 23% compared to the general population, differences that were eliminated when adjusted for ischemic heart disease. Findings such as these point out the need for large, well-done epidemiologic studies of Barrett's esophagus cohorts in order to develop a better understanding of the natural history of this disease.
Spectroscopic Studies on Cobalt(II)-Substituted Metallo-β-lactamase ImiS from Aeromonas veronii bv. sobria†

In an effort to probe the structure of a group Bb metallo-beta-lactamase, Co(II)-substituted ImiS was prepared and characterized by electronic absorption, NMR, and EPR spectroscopies. ImiS containing 1 equiv of Co(II) (Co(II)(1)-ImiS) was shown to be catalytically active. Electronic absorption studies of Co(II)(1)-ImiS revealed the presence of two distinct features: (1) an intense sulfur to Co(II) ligand to metal charge transfer band and (2) less intense, Co(II) ligand field transitions that suggest 4-coordinate Co(II) in Co(II)(1)-ImiS. (1)H NMR studies of Co(II)(1)-ImiS suggest that one histidine, one aspartic acid, and one cysteine coordinate the metal ion in Co(II)(1)-ImiS. The addition of a second Co(II) to Co(II)(1)-ImiS did not result in any additional solvent-exchangeable NMR resonances, strongly suggesting that the second Co(II) does not bind to a site with histidine ligands. EPR studies reveal that the metal ion in Co(II)(1)-ImiS is 4-coordinate and that the second Co(II) is 5/6 coordinate. Taken together, these data indicate that the catalytic site in ImiS is the consensus Zn(2) site, in which Co(II) (and by extrapolation Zn(II)) is 4-coordinate and bound by Cys221, His263, Asp120, and probably one solvent water molecule. These studies also show that the second, inhibitory metal ion does not bind to the consensus Zn(1) site and that the metal ion binds at a site significantly removed from the active site. These results give the first structural information on metallo-beta-lactamase ImiS and suggest that the second metal binding site in ImiS may be targeted for inhibitors.
Asymptomatic internal carotid artery origin stenosis

Proper therapy for patients with internal carotid artery stenosis requires a precise pathophysiologic diagnosis that includes characterization and localization of ischemic disease of the brain and knowledge of the arterial disease and the collateral cerebral circulation. Noninvasive techniques such as duplex ultrasound and transcranial Doppler, magnetic resonance angiography, and CT angiography allow precise determination of the stroke subtype and parent arterial pathology. Antiplatelet agents prevent the formation of thrombus on carotid artery atherosclerotic plaque. 3-Hydroxy-3-methyglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors may help stabilize carotid plaques by altering the plaque morphology and reducing inflammation. Carotid endarterectomy, which is the only procedure proven to be beneficial for patients with asymptomatic disease, should be considered primary intervention. Until ongoing trials for interventional procedures are completed, carotid artery angioplasty and stenting should be considered only in patients with contraindications to carotid endarterectomy. It can be argued that an ideal clinical trial in a high-risk population has not yet been completed. This factor has become even more important with the development of stenting procedures. We have long advocated a trial of only treating patients with hemodynamically significant stenotic lesions (70% to 99%).
Creating State and National Networks for Adolescent Literacy and Coaching: An Interview With Nancy L. Shanklin

Nancy L. Shanklin, an associate professor at the University of Colorado Denver, is the former director of the Literacy Coaching Clearinghouse, a joint project of the International Reading Association and National Council of Teachers of English. She advocates secondary-school coaching programs that apply what can be learned from experienced coaches then determine their impacts on teachers' practices and students' achievement. Her development with Colorado educators of a state-level network promoting adolescent literacy is attracting teachers from outside the state. She believes research on secondary educators' actions relative to Common Core standards and RTI can be productive directions to take. Research also is needed into the language and literacy that students use across the curriculum.
Partial amino acid sequence of an IgA2 human immunoglobulin heavy chain

The amino acid sequence of the heavy chain of an IgA2, AIm(1) polymeric myeloma protein (Avil) was studied. Altogether, sequence data were obtained for some 130 residues. Including the amino acids placed by homology with IgA1, this accounts for some 170 residues, thus representing more than one-third of the alpha2 chain. The sequence includes 26 amino acids from the amino-terminal end (V-H III), and 25 residues at the "hinge" region. Of a total of 17 cysteine residues, 14 were located in regions of the molecule which were identical or homologous in the alpha1 and alpha2 chains. These striking homologies, together with the results obtained by diagonal maps of classes of IgA. Study of the cysteine-containing peptides of the J chain are consistent with the conclusion that the J chains associated with different classes of immunoglobulins are identical.
Price forecasting and evaluation: An application in agriculture

Because of the high volatility of prices of agricultural commodities over the past decade, the importance of accurate price forecasting for decision makers has become even more acute. This paper reviews literature on forecasting and evaluation. An application with forecasting U.S. hog prices is presented which includes both economic and statistical evaluation measures. Seven forecasting approaches are described and their performances are examined over 24 quarters from 1976 to 1981. These methods include exponential smoothing, an autoregressive integrated moving average process, an econometric model, expert judgement, and a composite forecasting approach. The application gives results which support previous findings in the forecasting literature and suggests that forecasting methods can provide valuable information to the decision maker.
Damaged merchandise? a review of experiments that compare usability evaluation methods

An interest in the design of interfaces has been a core topic for researchers and practitioners in the field of human-computer interaction (HCI); an interest in the design of experiments has not. To the extent that reliable and valid guidance for the former depends on the results of the latter, it is necessary that researchers and practitioners understand how small features of an experimental design can cast large shadows over the results and conclusions that can be drawn. In this review we examine the design of 5 experiments that compared usability evaluation methods (UEMs). Each has had an important influence on HCI thought and practice. Unfortunately, our examination shows that small problems in the way these experiments were designed and conducted call into serious question what we thought we knew regarding the efficacy of various UEMs. If the influence of these experiments were trivial, then such small problems could be safely ignored. Unfortunately, the outcomes of these experiments have been used to justify advice to practitioners regarding their choice of UEMs. Making such choices based on misleading or erroneous claims can be detrimental--compromising the quality and integrity of the evaluation, incurring unnecessary costs, or undermining the practitioner's credibility within the design team. The experimental method is a potent vehicle that can help inform the choice of a UEM as well as help to address other HCI issues. However, to obtain the desired outcomes, close attention must be paid to experimental design.
Comparison of volatile emissions and structural changes of melt reprocessed polypropylene resins

Polypropylene (PP), as a commodity recyclable thermoplastic, was studied in this research to evaluate the potential environmental impact resulting from volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted during multiple melt reprocessing. Unstabilized PP (U-PP) and stabilized PP (S-PP) resins, simulating recycled materials prone to degradation, were evaluated for total VOC emissions generated during multiple melt reprocessing by injection molding and extrusion, respectively. Results show that the maximum amount of total VOCs from each cycle (up to six cycles for extrusion and up to ten for injection molding) did not significantly change, while the cumulative VOCs increased with increasing processing cycle for both materials. A good correlation between cumulative VOC increases and melt flow index increase for the U-PP and weight-average molecular weight Mw decrease for the S-PP were obtained. Reprocessing in all cases was accompanied by decreases in Mw and melt viscosity as a result of thermooxidative degradation. FTIR data considering increases in carbonyl content and degree of unsaturation suggest that at equivalent cycle numbers, degradation appears to be more severe for the extruded material in spite of the longer oxidative induction time of the “as received” pellets used in extrusion. The onset and type of structural changes are shown to depend on cycle number and reprocessing method. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 21: 235–242, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/adv.10027
Creativity in Design

The ability to develop new problem descriptions to enable new solutions has been related to the creative capability by many who have examined creative processes. This has been called problem re-structuring in architectural design and has been documented using models and methods of human information processing. In the realm of engineering, a similar phenomenon exists. The solution engineers have adopted to deal with uncertainties of problem redefinition involves the use of standards. Problems approached in this manner are routine problems. Non-routine problems tend to produce signature designs while routine ones lead to anonymous designs. Looking at human creativity through problem restructuring, so far, has led to interesting insights. If pursued further, this approach is likely to offer more research results and questions that can benefit our understanding of the role of creativity in professional practice and related decision-making.
Model-based reconstructive elasticity imaging of deep venous thrombosis

Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and its sequela, pulmonary embolism, is a significant clinical problem. Once detected, DVT treatment is based on the age of the clot. There are no good noninvasive methods, however, to determine clot age. Previously, we demonstrated that imaging internal mechanical strains call identify and possibly age thrombus in a deep vein. In this study the deformation geometry for DVT elasticity imaging and its effect on Young's modulus estimates is addressed. A model-based reconstruction method is presented to estimate elasticity in which the clot-containing vessel is modeled as a layered cylinder. Compared to all unconstrained approach in reconstructive elasticity imaging, the proposed model-based approach has several advantages: only one component of the strain tensor is used; the minimization procedure is very fast; the method is highly efficient because an analytic solution of the forward elastic problem is used; and the method is not very sensitive to the details of the external load pattern-a characteristic that is important for free-hand, external, surface-applied deformation. The approach was tested theoretically using a numerical model, and experimentally on both tissue-like phantoms and all animal model of DVT. Results Suggest that elasticity reconstruction may prove to be a practical adjunct to triplex scanning to detect, diagnose, and stage DVT.
Bottlenecks and strategies of green mold compounds

The mold compound protects integrated circuit (IC) devices from the environmental attacks (e.g., moisture, contaminants) for its lifetime. Driven by market pressure, environmental regulations, the electronics industry is migrating to provide environmental friendly ("green") products and systems. Two major changes associated with this migration are elimination of lead and toxic halogens from the products. Thus, the halogen-free mold compound will be a part of the "green" IC package. The migration to lead-free electronics impacts the current nongreen IC packaging technology, cost and reliability of manufacturers. This article presents the technology challenges and development trend that manufacturers and end users are facing right now with the introduction of green mold compounds.
Contributions to the foundations of uncertain inference in AI

Basic aspects of a conditional logic compatible with probability theory are presented, for reasoning with uncertainty. A conditional logic is a logic in which the basic objects are conditionals. >
Noise-optimal capture for high dynamic range photography

Taking multiple exposures is a well-established approach both for capturing high dynamic range (HDR) scenes and for noise reduction. But what is the optimal set of photos to capture? The typical approach to HDR capture uses a set of photos with geometrically-spaced exposure times, at a fixed ISO setting (typically ISO 100 or 200). By contrast, we show that the capture sequence with optimal worst-case performance, in general, uses much higher and variable ISO settings, and spends longer capturing the dark parts of the scene. Based on a detailed model of noise, we show that optimal capture can be formulated as a mixed integer programming problem. Compared to typical HDR capture, our method lets us achieve higher worst-case SNR in the same capture time (for some cameras, up to 19 dB improvement in the darkest regions), or much faster capture for the same minimum acceptable level of SNR. Our experiments demonstrate this advantage for both real and synthetic scenes.
Group scheduling in systems software

Summary form only given. Previous system scheduling approaches have focused primarily on system-level abstractions for scheduling decision functions and the mechanisms used to implement them. We introduce a new abstraction called group scheduling that focuses primarily on the progress of application-level computations and on organizing system-level scheduling abstractions to ensure that progress. We make three contributions to system scheduling research. First, it defines a model for group scheduling that augments and complements hierarchical scheduling models. Second, it describes how a computation's progress semantics can be mapped to scheduling mechanisms at the operating system and middleware levels. Third, it presents preliminary empirical studies of the performance of group scheduling in a realistic system environment.
Respiratory Tract Infections: Advances in Diagnosis, Management and Prevention

ec li ni cs .c om Respiratory tract infections are common and remain a major source of morbidity, mortality, and economic cost worldwide, despite advances in modern medicine. In fact, often as a consequence of progress in acute and chronic disease management, we have created patient populations at increased risk for immune impairment and for one specific respiratory infection, pneumonia. In 2004, pneumonia, along with influenza, was the eighth leading cause of death in the United States, the sixth leading cause of death in those over age 65, and the number one cause of death from infectious diseases. Patients at risk for pneumonia include not only previously healthy individuals, as well as the elderly with complex chronic illnesses, but also patients hospitalized for other illness, as well as those with novel forms of immunosuppressive illness as the result of new pharmacologic therapies, organ transplantation, or infection with the HIV virus. In addition to our need to face increasingly complex hosts, we must also confront organisms causing respiratory infection that continue to evolve, with new pathogens being recognized (particularly epidemic viruses) andmanyorganisms that were previously easily managed with antimicrobial agents, now being resistant to commonly used therapies. At the same time, few new antibiotics are being developed, making it necessary to get the most from our current therapies. This can bedone through abetter understanding of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, more vigilant
Mental Health Recovery in the Patient-Centered Medical Home

Objectives. We examined the impact of transitioning clients from a mental health clinic to a patient-centered medical home (PCMH) on mental health recovery.Methods. We drew data from a large US County Behavioral Health Services administrative data set. We used propensity score analysis and multilevel modeling to assess the impact of the PCMH on mental health recovery by comparing PCMH participants (n = 215) to clients receiving service as usual (SAU; n = 22 394) from 2011 to 2013 in San Diego County, California. We repeatedly assessed mental health recovery over time (days since baseline assessment range = 0–1639; mean = 186) with the Illness Management and Recovery (IMR) scale and Recovery Markers Questionnaire.Results. For total IMR (log-likelihood ratio χ2[1] = 4696.97; P < .001) and IMR Factor 2 Management scores (log-likelihood ratio χ2[1] = 7.9; P = .005), increases in mental health recovery over time were greater for PCMH than SAU participants. Increases on all other measures over time were similar...
Adaptive control of left ventricular assist devices

This paper presents a computer based adaptive control system for left ventricular assist devices consisting of air driven diaphragm pumps. The system will maintain both the aortic and left atrial pressures of the recipient precisely at desired levels. The system design includes a two-input-two-output adaptive control algorithm which determines the values of the control variables which become inputs to a servo-loop controlled pneumatic pressure source. The performance of the system has been demonstrated by in vitro experiments on a mock circulatory system. The results demonstrate that the assist system will maintain the essential blood pressures precisely at desired levels. Furthermore, when major changes in the output of the mock loop left ventricle occur, the algorithms retunes itself and restores the pressures to desired levels within 10 beats. Hence, we conclude that the system has performance characteristics which are highly desirable for clinical applications.
A new approach for signal synthesis from smoothed versions of the Wigner distribution

A pseudo-simulated annealing (PSA) technique for signal synthesis from smoothed versions of the Wigner distribution is proposed. The PSA adopts a deterministic local search strategy to complement the global search of traditional simulated annealing and accomplish a faster convergence. The squared-error in the joint time-frequency domain is minimized with relation to the real sample sequence directly and, thereby, reduces the phase ambiguity to either 0 or pi . Simulation results are provided to indicate the effectiveness of this approach. >
Color point cloud registration with 4D ICP algorithm

This paper presents methodologies to accelerate the registration of 3D point cloud segments by using hue data from the associated imagery. The proposed variant of the Iterative Closest Point (ICP) algorithm combines both normalized point range data and weighted hue value calculated from RGB data of an image registered 3D point cloud. A k-d tree based nearest neighbor search is used to associated common points in {x, y, z, hue} 4D space. The unknown rigid translation and rotation matrix required for registration is iteratively solved using Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) method. A mobile robot mounted scanner was used to generate color point cloud segments over a large area. The 4D ICP registration has been compared with typical 3D ICP and numerical results on the generated map segments shows that the 4D method resolves ambiguity in registration and converges faster than the 3D ICP
Estimation of land surface temperature-vegetation abundance relationship for urban heat island studies

Remote sensing of urban heat islands (UHIs) has traditionally used the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) as the indicator of vegetation abundance to estimate the land surface temperature (LST)–vegetation relationship. This study investigates the applicability of vegetation fraction derived from a spectral mixture model as an alternative indicator of vegetation abundance. This is based on examination of a Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) image of Indianapolis City, IN, USA, acquired on June 22, 2002. The transformed ETM+ image was unmixed into three fraction images (green vegetation, dry soil, and shade) with a constrained least-square solution. These fraction images were then used for land cover classification based on a hybrid classification procedure that combined maximum likelihood and decision tree algorithms. Results demonstrate that LST possessed a slightly stronger negative correlation with the unmixed vegetation fraction than with NDVI for all land cover types across the spatial resolution (30 to 960 m). Correlations reached their strongest at the 120-m resolution, which is believed to be the operational scale of LST, NDVI, and vegetation fraction images. Fractal analysis of image texture shows that the complexity of these images increased initially with pixel aggregation and peaked around 120 m, but decreased with further aggregation. The spatial variability of texture in LST was positively correlated with those in NDVI and in vegetation fraction. The interplay between thermal and vegetation dynamics in the context of different land cover types leads to the variations in spectral radiance and texture in LST. These variations are also present in the other imagery, and are responsible for the spatial patterns of urban heat islands. It is suggested that the areal measure of vegetation abundance by unmixed vegetation fraction has a more direct correspondence with the radiative, thermal, and moisture properties of the Earth’s surface that determine LST.
Language Acquisition as Rational Contingency Learning

This paper considers how fluent language users are rational in their language processing, their unconscious language representation systems optimally prepared for comprehension and production, how language learners are intuitive statisticians, and how acquisition can be understood as contingency learning. But there are important aspects of second language acquisition that do not appear to be rational, where input fails to become intake. The paper describes the types of situation where cognition deviates from rationality and it introduces how the apparent irrationalities of L2 acquisition result from standard phenomena of associative learning as encapsulated in the models of Rescorla and Wagner (1972) and Cheng and Holyoak (1995), which describe how cue salience, outcome importance, and the history of learning from multiple probabilistic cues affect the development of ‘learned selective attention’ and transfer. This article considers how fluent language users are rational in their language processing, rational in the sense that their unconscious language representation systems are optimally prepared for comprehension and production. In this view, language learners are intuitive statisticians, weighing the likelihoods of interpretations and predicting which constructions are likely in the current context, and language acquisition is contingency learning, that is the gathering of information about the relative frequencies of form‐function mappings. These arguments are well supported by the psycholinguistic evidence relating to first language. But there are important aspects of second language acquisition that do not appear to accord with this characterization, those aspects where despite massive experience of naturalistic input and usage, the system fails to become optimally tuned to represent the second language forms, their functions, and their contextualized likelihoods of occurrence. The article builds the framework for an explanation of the seeming irrationalities of L2 acquisition in terms of standard phenomena of associative learning involving ‘learned selective attention.’ In order to place L1 and L2 in the context of a rational analysis of language learning, I first illustrate the problem by considering the design of word processors of a more mechanical kind than is the ultimate goal of our inquiry. Having thus set a concrete stage, I outline the process of the rational analysis of learning and memory (Anderson 1989, 1991b; Anderson and Milson 1989; Anderson and Schooler 2000). Next I describe some statistical
Regulation of Growth Hormone Secretion in Acromegaly

ABSTRACT In 3 acromegalic patients plasma growth hormone (GH) concentrations fluctuated widely when measured frequently throughout the day and night. In 2 of these patients occasional plasma GH concentrations were within the normal range. The expected normal rise of plasma GH with the onset of sleep did not occur. Significant rises in plasma GH occurred on at least one occasion to the following provocative stimuli: hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia and arginine infusion. The variability of plasma GH concentration is consistent with persistent hypothalamic regulation, which had not been suppressed by high plasma GH concentrations.
All-optical storage of a picosecond-pulse packet using parametric amplification

We demonstrate all-optical storage of a picosecond- pulse packet of ones and zeros in a fiber buffer in which loss is compensated by parametric amplification. An all-fiber phase-sensitive parametric amplifier, which exploits a nonlinear Sagnac loop made of standard polarization-maintaining fiber to provide gain, regenerates the stored pulses on each round-trip. The parametric amplifier and the storage fiber combine to form a non-self-starting degenerate optical parametric oscillator. In such a device, the zeros do not build up from noise, and the phase-sensitive nature of the amplifier provides stability to the ones. In our experiment, 32-bit packets with different bit patterns are loaded and stored in the buffer. Storage for periods of time up to 1 ms has been observed and single-shot loading of the data packet is demonstrated. Data packets of 10’s of kilobits could be stored in this device with use of a higher repetition-rate pump source.
The Logic of the Inventory

Through this introductory chapter I want to accomplish six objectives: (1) describe the intellectual context of this inventory; (2) define its boundaries; (3) explain the literature search processes that produced it; (4) present the conceptual framework into which study findings were grouped; (5) discuss the major limitations of the inventory and the risks of its use; and (6) outline briefly the logic and content of the remaining nine chapters. As with each of these, the last section of this chapter is a selected bibliography listing works of special relevance.
Transforming Marriage: The Transformation of Intimacy and the Democratizing Potential of Love

Whether for moral, economic or, as in Richard II, political reasons, the law has a long history of interfering with love relationships. Today in the United States, this interference is often clothed in Family Law doctrine, but interference it remains. Particularly through the laws of marriage and divorce, but through more indirect ways as well, Family Law renders a collection of judgments about who is appropriate to love and how that love should be enacted both structurally and sexually.Such an idea clashes with neo-romantic notions of love. People like to believe that choices about whom and how to love take place in idealized isolation, far from the confines of the state. Though the private/public struggle in Family Law is well-recognized, it is less recognized that this struggle also affects love itself by influencing social norms about which types of love are appropriate. In turn, shifting social norms about love caused by other causes, such as the women's movement, have often led to Family Law reforms. Marriage, for all the greatly exaggerated reports of its death, is still the primary way in which love is organized in our culture, but the way love plays out in marriage is now up for grabs. Family Law could help insure that love relationships, and thus marriages themselves, will become more equal. So what is love, what should it be, and why should it matter to the state? In this paper, I argue that love, aside from being the primary emotional bond of marriage, is also a political force. Democratizing marriages carries with it the possibility of increasing democracy in the state as a whole. By encouraging more egalitarian marriages, Family Law has the power to make society itself more egalitarian. To increase democracy in marriage, Family Law must account for the continuing power differentials that exist between men and women because of social inequality by filtering policy through an egalitarian lens. That is, only doctrine that increases sex equality should be preserved. In addition to helping equalize heterosexual marriages, this model has implications for same-sex relationships because when the primary focus of Family Law is egalitarianism, most of the justifications for preventing gay marriage fall away.
Pneumatic Breakwaters to Protect Dredges

Curtain of air bubbles from submerged pipe will materially reduce heights of waves that are not longer than 5 times their depth; tests of pneumatic breakwaters and models indicate their inability to protect dredges from long ocean swells off New Jersey shore; British air distributor might improve performance; results of model tests and full scale tests.
The effect of singing on the intonation of middle school flute players.

THE EFFECT OF SINGING ON THE INTONATION OF MIDDLE SCHOOL FLUTE PLAYERS Ashley M. Mattingly April 25, 2012 The purpose of this study is to measure the effect of listening to and singing a tuning pitch on a flute player's intonation. This investigation determines if these two variables-hearing and singing-will have an effect on playing a single pitch, particularly among beginning flutists. Participants (N = 33) were middle school flute players with between one and four years experience playing their instrument. Participants were sampled from a major school district in the Southeast. Participants were asked to tune a control instrument to a pre-recorded Bb chord and a single Bb pitch as played by an electric piano. After resetting the instrument to the original position, participants heard the same chord and pitch but they were then asked to sing the Bb note on the neutral syllable "la" before adjusting the flute and playing a second time. Results were measured in cents using computer. The differences in intonation between the tuning of the Bb without singing showed no significant difference from when the participants sang the pitch before tuning. Suggestions for future research applications are included.
A method of detection of fumonisins in corn samples associated with field cases of equine leukoencephalomalacia.

Fumonisin ft{ and B2, members ofa new class of mycotoxins, were measured in culture material of Fusarium moniliforme MRC826, and in two corn samples associated with field cases of equine leukoencephalomalacia. The compounds were detected by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) with confirmation by liquid secondary ion-mass spectrometry (SIMS) and by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Reference standards were isolated from cultures of F. moniliforme on corn. The level of fumonisin B! was about 600 mg/kg in the culture material and 150 and 20 mg/kg in the two naturally contaminated samples.