cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of age and neurofibromatosis type 1 status on white matter integrity in the optic radiations.

Background Adults with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) have decreased white matter integrity, but differences in children with NF1 have not been described. Defining normal values for diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measures, especially in the optic radiations, is important to the development of DTI as a potential biomarker of visual acuity in children with optic pathway glioma. This study examines the effect of age and NF1 status on DTI measures in children. Methods In this retrospective study, MR imaging including DTI was conducted in 93 children (40 children with NF1 and 53 healthy controls) between 0 and 14 years of age. Regression models of age, sex, and NF1 status on DTI measures were evaluated, and tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) compared DTI measures in age-matched NF1 to non-NF1 cohorts. Results Fractional anisotropy, radial diffusivity, and mean diffusivity in white matter tracts of the optic radiations varied with age and were best modeled by a logarithmic function. Age-related DTI measure change was different in NF1 versus non-NF1 subjects. Normal values and 95% confidence intervals for age 0.5-12 years were derived for both groups. Differences in DTI measures between NF1 and non-NF1 groups at a range of ages were shown diffusely throughout the cerebral white matter using TBSS. Conclusions Children with NF1 demonstrate increased diffusion throughout the brain compared to children without NF1 suggesting a potentially altered developmental trajectory of optic radiation microstructure. Defining normal values for white matter integrity in children with NF1 may help target early intervention efforts in this vulnerable group.
General perceptions of police mediate relationships between police contact and anticipated police behavior in imagined roadside encounters

Previous experiences with police can influence civilian perceptions of police, and in turn their expectations for future encounters. According to theories on intergroup contact, positive contact predicts positive attitudes toward the outgroup and unpleasant contact predicts negative attitudes. In the case of police-civilian encounters, pleasant interactions with the police are associated with favorable police attitudes among civilians, whereas unpleasant encounters are associated with negative attitudes. In four studies (N = 826) we assessed contact among police and civilians as related to civilian general perceptions of police and (novel to this research area) anticipated officer behavior in an imagined roadside encounter. Across studies and contact type, general perceptions mediated relationships between contact and anticipated behavior. These studies provide preliminary evidence of a process by which contact shapes general perceptions, in turn impacting anticipated police behavior.
Hematology and Biochemistry Panel Reference Intervals for Captive Saddleback Clownfish Amphiprion polymnus and Tomato Clownfish A. frenatus.

Reference intervals of blood analytes are important diagnostic tools that clinicians use as a basis for making clinical decisions and that have been documented for many fish species. Although the effects of dietary supplementation on hematology and blood biochemistry variables in clownfish have been shown, there are no published reference intervals to date for routine hematology and blood biochemistry panels for these popular cultured marine fish (including Amphiprion spp.). The objective of this study was to establish de novo reference intervals for selected hemogram data and, using whole-blood analysis, commonly utilized chemistry analytes in two species of aquacultured clownfish: the Tomato Clownfish Amphiprion frenatus and Saddleback Clownfish A. polymnus. This study is based on blood samples from 25 clinically normal Tomato Clownfish and 38 clinically normal Saddleback Clownfish from two clownfish production facilities in Florida. Guidelines by the American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology were followed to generate robust reference intervals from the data collected. We report descriptive statistics and reference intervals for several hematology (n = 12) and biochemistry (n = 8) analytes using a small sample size and a small amount of blood per sample. The blood analyte data from this study are comparable with hematology and biochemistry data that have been reported in other teleost species. These results provide baseline health data for clownfish species that can be used in various clinical settings while also serving as a springboard for further research studies.
Who’s related to whom? Use published phylogenies and make customized tree-thinking assessments

A phylogeny depicts the hypothesized evolutionary relationships among taxa as a nested hierarchical branching diagram. Interpreting the relationships among taxa on a phylogeny is part of a set of skills called tree-thinking. Because published phylogenies are not constructed for the purpose of tree-thinking pedagogy, the information can be difficult for students to interpret and explicit instruction is required for mastery of the tree-thinking skill-set. We present a process to construct customizable assessment questions using published phylogenies, to assess a key tree-thinking skill, determining relatedness among taxa on a phylogeny. We detail how to construct two types of forced-choice questions: binary-choice and four-choice. In both question types, students are presented with a phylogeny and are instructed to determine which taxon from a list of taxa is most closely related to a focal taxon. The list of taxa includes distracters as possible responses explicitly selected based on common alternative strategies (similarity, proximity, node counting), in addition to the correct response. Instructors can select taxa of their own choosing in order to customize assessments. These assessment questions can be utilized during instruction as a formative assessment to enhance learning or in a summative assessment.
Time-resolved size, velocity, and temperature statistics of aluminum combustion in solid rocket propellants

Abstract The study of time-resolved aluminum combustion mechanisms is essential for understanding the deflagration of ammonium perchlorate-based metalized solid rocket propellants. In order to gain further insight into the performance of solid propellants, spatially and temporally resolved aluminum agglomerate particle dynamics are obtained by combining digital in-line holography (DIH) and two-color imaging pyrometry with high-speed acquisition at up to 20 kHz. Holography is used to find the size, three-dimensional position, and three-dimensional velocity evolution of agglomerates over time. Then, the temperature of individual particles is extracted from the high-speed imaging pyrometry. This diagnostic technique not only produces joint size, position, velocity, and temperature statistics over time, but also captures the combustion histories for thousands of particles per experiment. For the first time, these spatial and temporal dynamics of individual aluminum particulates are examined while they travel away from the propellant surface. Initial results demonstrate how aluminum agglomerates of similar size exhibit varying initial acceleration but similar steady-state velocities. Average velocity also decreases as particle size increases, which is consistent with viscous flow dynamics of small particles in convective flow. As they move further away from the propellant surface, large agglomerates also show a convergence to an average projected temperature between the melting point of aluminum oxide and the boiling point of aluminum. The average projected particle surface temperatures were measured to be 2494 ± 231 K. The method outlined in this work demonstrates a new capability for gathering the evolution of joint statistics for aluminum agglomerates in solid-rocket propellants. Future applications of this technique can be used to evaluate the detailed combustion mechanisms of existing or new propellant formulations.
A new FRET-based platform to track substrate ubiquitination by fluorescence.

Post-translational modification of protein by ubiquitin (Ub) alters the stability, subcellular location, or function of the target protein, thereby impacting numerous biological processes and directly contributing to myriad cellular defects or disease states, such as cancer. Tracking substrate ubiquitination by fluorescence provides opportunities for advanced reaction dynamics studies and for translational research including drug discovery. However, fluorescence-based techniques in ubiquitination studies remain underexplored at least partly because of challenges associated with Ub chain complexity and requirement for additional substrate modification. Here we describe a general strategy, FRET diubiquitination, to track substrate ubiquitination by fluorescence. This platform produces a uniform di-Ub product depending on specific interactions between a substrate and its cognate E3 Ub ligase. The diubiquitination creates proximity between the Ub-linked donor and acceptor fluorophores, respectively, enabling energy transfer to yield a distinct fluorescent signal. FRET diubiquitination relies on Ub–substrate fusion, which can be implemented using either one of the two validated strategies. Method 1 is the use of recombinant substrate–Ub fusion, applicable to all substrate peptides that can bind to E3. Method 2 is a chemoenzymatic ligation approach that employs synthetic chemistry to fuse Ub with a substrate peptide containing desired modification. Taken together, our new FRET-based diubiquitination system provides a timely technology of potential to advance both basic research and translation sciences.
The Verification of a Distributed System: A practitioner’s guide to increasing confidence in system correctness

Leslie Lamport, known for his seminal work in distributed systems, famously said, "A distributed system is one in which the failure of a computer you didn’t even know existed can render your own computer unusable." Given this bleak outlook and the large set of possible failures, how do you even begin to verify and validate that the distributed systems you build are doing the right thing?
Objective postoperative pain assessment using incentive spirometry values: a prospective observational study.

Aim: Determine if incentive spirometry (IS) values correlate with postoperative pain control. Design: Prospective observational study. Setting & participants: A total of 100 patients undergoing major abdominal procedures at the University of North Carolina Medical Center. Interventions: Patients studied as a single cohort. All patients received thoracic epidural analgesia preoperatively. Outcome: Preoperative and daily postoperative numeric pain scores, subjective pain description and IS values were collected for all patients. Results: There was a strong correlation with IS values relative to baseline for both the numeric pain scores (p < 0.0001), postoperative day (p < 0.0001) and the subjective pain score (p < 0.0007). Conclusion: IS values are an objective surrogate data point for pain control after surgery, particularly when followed over time and compared with a preoperative baseline value.
Multimodal x-ray microscopy: the kinetics of Cu in CdTe absorbers

The behavior of solar cells is very often limited by inhomogeneously distributed nanoscale defects. This is the case throughout the entire lifecycle of the solar cell, from the distribution of elements and defects during solar cell growth as well as the charge-collection and recombination during operation, to degradation and failure mechanisms due to impurity diffusion, crack formation, and irradiation- and heat-induced cell damage This has been known for a while in the field of crystalline silicon, but inhomogeneities are far more abundant in polycrystalline materials, and are the limiting factor in thin-film solar cells where grain sizes are often on the order of the diffusion length. We will show that the high penetration of hard X-rays combined with the high sensitivity to elemental distribution, structure, and spatial resolution offers a unique avenue for highly correlative studies at the nanoscale. We will present results on Cu-doped CdTe, where carrier collection is directly correlated to the kinetics of Cu inside the absorber and the particular Cu-phases at the ZnTe/CdTe interface. We will complement the results with modeling using PVRD-FASP and PyCDTS.
Four Futures for U.S. Pandemic Policy

The COVID-19 pandemic is probably not the last time that a new and deadly infectious disease will sweep the planet. What can the United States do to improve its changes of averting large-scale loss of life the next time? This essay—prepared for The University of Chicago Legal Forum’s symposium issue on “Law for the Next Pandemic”—envisions four “futures” for the United States’ pandemic response and considers the advantages and drawbacks of each. One approach, the Mass Surveillance strategy, relies on widespread population monitoring, rigorous contact tracing, and enforced isolation of the infected. That strategy has enabled several East and Southeast Asian countries to keep case counts low without instituting long lockdowns. In the United States, the Mass Surveillance approach would face surmountable constitutional hurdles but potentially insurmountable cultural obstacles. A second option, the Fortress strategy, combines lockdowns to stop community transmission with border closures to prevent reintroduction of the infection. Australia and New Zealand illustrate the Fortress approach’s lifesaving potential, but their examples will be difficult to replicate in a country with a much larger population and long land borders. A third approach, the Internationalist strategy, emphasizes global cooperation with the goal of preventing animal-to-human transmission and containing any outbreak quickly. That approach is appealing—and worth pursuing—but it faces the high probability that it won’t work. A fourth approach, the Early Vaccination strategy, would truncate the clinical trial process and boost vaccine production capacity so that a large portion of the U.S. population could be vaccinated within several months of an outbreak. This, too, is worth a try, but even a rapidly developed vaccine is unlikely to protect us from a pandemic’s first wave. Ultimately, the essay recommends that the United States follow an all-of-the-above approach—preparing to pursue the Mass Surveillance, Fortress, Internationalist, and Early Vaccination strategies—without being overly optimistic about the prospect that any single one of these strategies will succeed.
The efficacy of Lewis affinity scale metrics to represent solvent interactions with reagent salts in all-inorganic metal halide perovskite solutions

Solvents employed in the solution processing of metal halide perovskites are known to play a key role in defining the morphology and properties of the resulting thin film, and thus the performance of perovskite solar cell devices. Accurate metrics are needed that are capable of differentiating among candidates, finding solvents that adequately solubilize the various precursor species in solution and facilitate the nucleation and growth of these materials. Existing metrics such as the unsaturated Mayer bond order (UMBO) and the Gutmann donor number (DN) have been tested for lead iodide perovskite systems; but there has yet to be a comprehensive study on their transferability to lead-free perovskite solutions. We use ab initio methods (density functional theory) and regression analysis tools to study the usefulness of DN and BF3 affinity scales in this regard. We compared the relative effectiveness of these scales to describe interactions between solvents and BXn perovskite salts of lead (Pb2+), tin (Sn2+ and Sn4+), germanium (Ge2+), bismuth (Bi3+), and antimony (Sb3+ and Sb5+). The DN proved to be a better representation than the BF3 of such interactions, reflecting the closer similarity of these species to the “parent” SbCl5 Lewis acid than to BF3. In addition, we have uncovered the usefulness of the lithium cation affinity metric (LCA) to describe the strength of interactions between solvents and A-site cations (e.g. Na+, K+, Rb+ and Cs+) in all-inorganic metal halide perovskite solutions. We find that the coordination strengths of solvents towards species in all-inorganic metal halide perovskite solutions are best described by two different metrics with distinct modes of action: DN differentiates among BXn salt complexes, and LCA among A-site cation species. This revelation can help guide the choice of solvent to optimize processing conditions. It also emphasizes the importance of selecting solvents whose DN and LCA optimize coordination to key Lewis acid species in all-inorganic perovskite solutions.
Folic acid to prevent spina bifida and anencephaly

Abstract Folate or folic acid, also known as vitamin-B9, is an essential micronutrient needed for the formation of neural tube early in pregnancy. Spina bifida and anencephaly are two most common types of neural tube defects (NTDs) affecting births worldwide. Maternal folate insufficiency is a major risk factor for spina bifida and anencephaly, and supplementing mother’s diet with adequate folic acid in the periconceptional period significantly reduces the risk. Blood folate concentrations in the women of reproductive age are useful biomarkers and can help predict the prevalence of NTDs in the population. Mandatory folic acid fortification of commonly consumed foods is deemed to be the best strategy for primary prevention of spina bifida and anencephaly, and it is cost-effective and safe. Preventing spina bifida and anencephaly will remarkably reduce neonatal, infant, and under-five mortality and assist countries in reaching their 2030 Sustainable Development Goals on child mortality reduction and other indicators.
Determinants of Insider Trading Windows

We use observed insider trading data to estimate the start and end points of quarterly open trading windows, and find that voluntary insider trading restrictions reflect concerns about information asymmetry, the strength of external monitoring, and executives’ liquidity needs. We also identify the existence and determinants of event-specific “ad hoc blackout windows,” where insiders are largely prohibited from trading when firms are engaged in material corporate events. Although these windows are associated with contemporaneously higher information asymmetry, they are followed by increased trading volume and higher stock returns, suggesting investors may not immediately incorporate information conveyed by these unscheduled restrictions.
Who Is Still Receiving Blood Transfusions After Primary and Revision Total Joint Arthroplasty

Abstract Background Incidence of blood transfusions after primary and revision total hip and knee arthroplasty (primary total hip arthroplasty [pTHA], revision THA [rTHA], primary total knee arthroplasty [pTKA], and revision TKA [rTKA]) has been decreasing for a multitude of reasons. The purpose of this study was to assess whether transfusion rates have continued to decline and evaluate patient factors associated with transfusions. Methods The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program was queried to identify patients undergoing pTHA, pTKA, rTHA, and rTKA between 2011 and 2019. Patients undergoing bilateral procedures and arthroplasty for fracture, infection, or tumor were excluded. Trends in blood transfusions were assessed. Patient factor association with blood transfusions was evaluated using 2018 and 2019 data. Results Transfusion rates decreased from 21.4% in 2011 to 2.5% in 2019 for pTHA (P Conclusion Transfusions after both primary and revision total joint arthroplasty have continued to decrease. Studies of arthroplasty complications should account for decreasing transfusions when assessing overall complication rates. Future studies should consider interventions to further reduce transfusions in revision arthroplasty.
Kudla umndeni kwothamele izibankwa: reflections of an African scholar

This paper details my efforts as an Indigenous African scholar to indigenize the research process – from conception to publication – across three data collection sites in South Africa. To respect t...
d-Penicillamine and Retinopathy of Prematurity

To the Editor.— Gladstone et al1 compared microbial colonization, cord separation, and user satisfaction using the following cord care regimens: triple dye once, triple dye daily, triple dye once followed by daily alcohol, povidone-iodine once, povidone daily, silver sulfadiazine daily, or bacitracin daily. The cords treated with daily povidone-iodine separated a few days earlier, and the user satisfaction rate was high. Average duration of use of povidone was 9.6 days. There was no difference in microbial activity between treatments.
Proper theoretical analysis of the oxygen wash-in kinetics of circle breathing systems

Objective To correctly define the theoretical treatment of oxygen wash-in kinetics in circle breathing systems and reevaluate previously published results for the rate of change of oxygen concentration in a large animal circle breathing system. Study design Theoretical analysis of previously published data. Animals None. Methods Previously published data for the rate of change of oxygen concentration in a large animal circle breathing system with two reservoir bag sizes (40 and 20 L) at three different flow rates (3, 6, and 10 L minute −1 ) were obtained from the original publication, via digital extraction, and analyzed to determine system time constants. The results of this analysis were compared to those originally reported and the level of mathematical agreement between experiment and theory was quantified. Results Theoretical time constants for the system with 40 L reservoir bag with flow rates of 3, 6, and 10 L minute −1 were 16.4, 8.2, and 4.9 minutes, respectively. Experimentally derived time constants for this system with flow rates of 3, 6, and 10 L minute −1 were 18.1, 9.2, and 5.4 minutes, respectively. Percent differences between experimental and theoretical time constants for this system with flow rates of 3, 6, and 10 L minute −1 were 10.4, 12.2, and 10.2%, respectively. For the system with a 20 L reservoir bag and 6 L minute −1 flow rate, the theoretical and experimentally derived time constants were 5.5 and 5.6 minutes, respectively, with a 1.8% difference. The average relative deviations between theory and experiment for the system at 6 L minute −1 flow with a 40 or 20 L reservoir bag were 1.3% and 3.0%, respectively. Conclusions and clinical relevance Proper theoretical analysis of experimentally obtained data for the wash-in kinetics of oxygen into a large animal circle breathing system leads to improved mathematical agreement between theory and experiment when compared to the originally published results. Application of this method should allow more accurate prediction of the rate of change of oxygen concentration in anesthetic circuits.
Probing the Galactic Disk with Gravitational Microlensing

Millions of stars in the Galactic bulge can be observed at galactic latitude -8° < b < -6°, where the interstellar extinction is relatively small and the star density is still very large. At any time one Bulge star out of ≈ 3 x 106 should have its brightness increased by at least 0.3 magnitudes through gravitational microlensing by the main sequence stars in the Galactic disk. The expected duration of such events should be a few weeks. If there exists a large population of brown dwarfs in the disk then it should produce microlensing events lasting a few days. Approximately 10% of all events should have very complicated light curves because of a binary nature of the lensing star. There is even a possibility to discover planets around the lensing disk stars through the effect they should have on the light curves. A more detailed description is given by Paczynski (1991) and by Mao and Paczyfiski (1991).
Teacher Perceptions of Teacher Assessment

How helpful is teacher assessment? Do teachers have adequate observation and feedback to foster improved instruction? What are the typical procedures in teacher evaluation? These and other questions were recently addressed in a study conducted at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida. Over two hundred teachers from the central Florida area, enrolled in graduate courses during the fall semester 1989, responded to a survey to identify teacher perceptions concerning observation and assessment. We wished to discover which aspects about the current practices teachers like, which they dislike, and what teachers would like changed or improved. In addition, questions related to peer observation-both observing and being observed-were asked to ascertain whether teachers would be interested in the process of obtaining objective, nonevaluative feedback.
College Is Not a Restaurant: Challenging Cultural Hegemony in the US Classroom

In the post 9/11 world, a nonnative US teacher who attempts to challenge existing cultural assumptions may easily trigger hostility and suspicion in the classroom. This chapter conveys the experience of a college professor whose approach often deliberately crosses that line.
COX-2: promoting tolerance.

Transgenic mouse studies designed to explore T cell-mediated immunity in the gut (page 900) uncover another function for COX-2.
Globalizing Our Innovation

The discussion in this book is applicable to both domestic and international markets, but without a global innovation culture, this fragile planet would be facing difficult times. Each country and international firm must pursue its innovation possibilities, and American innovation must be diffused globally. This chapter discusses globalization of innovation.
Effect of α-methyl-p-tyrosine on the circadian variation of plasma corticosterone in rats

Abstract Alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine (α-MT) increased plasma corticosterone in most rats tested, and at all times of day. Hypothalamic catecholamine content fell in rats in which α-MT increased plasma corticosterone, but not in rats in which it did not. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that an adrenergic neural system inhibits ACTH secretion.
Application of Embedded Dual-Loaded Modulated Scatterer Technique (MST) to Multilayer Structures

Health monitoring of infrastructure and other critical components composed of complex composite materials is an important ongoing concern. The embedded modulated scatterer technique (MST) has shown potential for evaluating electrical (i.e., complex dielectric) properties of bulk materials. This paper investigates its potential utility for evaluating properties of layered composite structures. The approach is based on irradiating an MST probe with an electromagnetic wave. This incident wave induces a current along the length of the thin dipole probe as a function of its load impedance and the material surrounding it, including boundaries within a layered structure. Consequently, the MST sensor may be placed at a specific location or boundary such that the probe response can be monitored over time for critical changes in the geometrical or the material property of the structure. In order to use MST for evaluating important characteristics of layered structures, this application must be fully investigated, and its limitations established. This paper presents an inclusive study of the application of MST for the evaluation of layered materials through pertinent electromagnetic simulations as well as experimental corroboration of the simulation results. The experimental results show that embedded MST is capable of detecting boundaries between layers within a layered structure and is also sensitive to the distance to the boundary.
Exchange of Alkyl and Tris(2-mercapto-1-t-butylimidazolyl)hydroborato Ligands Between Zinc, Cadmium and Mercury.

Abstract The tris (2-mercaptoimidazolyl)hydroborato ligand, [ T m B u t ] , has been used to investigate the exchange of alkyl and sulfur donor ligands between the Group 12 metals, Zn, Cd and Hg. For example, [ T m B u t ] 2 Zn reacts with Me 2 Zn to yield [ T m B u t ] ZnMe , while [ T m B u t ] CdMe is obtained readily upon reaction of [ T m B u t ] 2 Cd with Me 2 Cd. Ligand exchange is also observed between different metal centers. For example, [ T m B u t ] CdMe reacts with Me 2 Zn to afford [ T m B u t ] ZnMe and Me 2 Cd. Likewise, [ T m B u t ] HgMe reacts with Me 2 Zn to afford [ T m B u t ] ZnMe and Me 2 Hg. However, whereas the [ T m B u t ] ligand transfers from mercury to zinc in the methyl system, [ T m B u t ] HgMe/M e 2 Zn , transfer of the [ T m B u t ] ligand from zinc to mercury is observed upon treatment of [ T m B u t ] 2 Zn with HgI 2 to afford [ T m B u t ] HgI and [ T m B u t ] ZnI . These observations demonstrate that the phenomenological preference for the [ T m B u t ] ligand to bind one metal rather than another is strongly influenced by the nature of the co-ligands.
Simple Technique for Preparing High Purity α-Lactalbumin

Abstract A simple technique is described for preparing highly purified α -lactalbumin by adding 30% (weight/volume) polyethylene glycol 6000 to acid whey and fractionating the nonprecipitated proteins on DEAE Sephadex A-25. Disc. acrylamide gel electrophoresis confirmed the bimodal elution of highly purified α -lactalbumin from the column.
Gaseous film cooling at various degrees of hot-gas acceleration and turbulence levels

Abstract An experimental and analytical investigation of gaseous film cooling at various rates of hot-gas acceleration and variable free-stream turbulence intensity is presented. The acceleration rate was varied through the convergence angle (0, 30, 45 and 60°) and the free-stream turbulence intensity (3.2–22 per cent) was varied by cross-flow grids upstream of the film coolant slot. The hot-gas stream consisted of 1000°F nitrogen with ambient temperature (70°F) nitrogen used as film coolant. Quantitative results as to detrimental effects of increased free-stream turbulence and wall convergence angle on film cooling effectiveness along converging walls are given. Correlation of the data is accomplished in a form suggested by a newly derived mixing model, which considers compressibility and allows for a variable degree of mixing.
A Fatality: “My Brother was a Schaliah, a Messenger”

On June 1, 1989, the FDR Drive viaduct along the East Side on Manhattan’s Lower East Side failed at 20th Street. Concrete collapsed from the underside of the bridge, smashing into a car passing below. The driver was killed. Benjamin and Sandra Bernstein lived in Brooklyn, but worked in Manhattan. They had two grown children aged 20 and 23. Benjamin Bernstein was a dental technician and teacher at New York University Dental Center. Sandra Bernstein, a former public school teacher, followed her husband into the field of dentistry, enrolling as a student at the New York University School of Dentistry. Sandra’s studies often kept her at school at night. Benjamin did not want her to ride the subway home at a late hour so he drove into Manhattan to pick his wife up at the Kriser Dental Center located at First Avenue and East 24th Street. Bernstein’s route took him over the Brooklyn Bridge and north on the FDR Drive where he got off on the ramp leading to the 23rd Street exit. For several blocks the exit led cars north on the service road beneath the FDR Drive viaduct, a steel and concrete bridge structure which runs from 14th to 30th Street along the East River. On June 1, 1989, Bernstein made his trip into Manhattan to pick up his wife. He exited the FDR Drive, and began the short drive north beneath the FDR Drive ramp to 23rd Street. At 9:10 p.m., as Bernstein passed beneath the FDR viaduct, a 9-foot by 3-foot slab of concrete 2–3 inches thick, and weighing 400–500 pounds, fell from the underside of the FDR Drive. It hit Bernstein’s 1983 Plymouth directly over the driver’s seat, crushing the windshield and roof. The car careened north until it came to a stop near 23rd Street against concrete barriers on the right shoulder of the road. The impact between the falling concrete and moving automobile smashed the slab into hundreds of pieces, leaving a trail of broken concrete on the roadway. When the Plymouth came to rest, large chunks of concrete debris covered it. Driving alone in the car, Bernstein took the blow directly on his head and upper body. Emergency Service personnel pried open the driver’s door, removed Bernstein from the car, and rushed him to nearby Bellevue Hospital emergency room at First Avenue and 29th
Key escrow from a safe distance: looking back at the Clipper Chip

In 1993, the US Government proposed a novel (and highly controversial) approach to cryptography, called key escrow. Key escrow cryptosystems used standard symmetric- and public- key ciphers, key management techniques and protocols, but with one added feature: a copy of the current session key, itself encrypted with a key known to the government, was sent at the beginning of every encrypted communication stream. In this way, if a government wiretapper encountered ciphertext produced under a key escrowed cryptosystem, recovering the plaintext would be a simple matter of decrypting the session key with the government's key, regardless of the strength of the underlying cipher algorithms. Key escrow was intended to strike a "balance" between the needs for effective communications security against bad guys on the one hand and the occasional need for the good guys to be able to recover meaningful content from (presumably) legally-authorized wiretaps. It didn't quite work out that way.
Sex Steroid Modulation of Gonadotropins in Normal Men and in Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome

Abstract The respective roles of androgens and estrogens in the modulation of LH and FSH secretion in men have not been clearly defined. In this study, we compared gonadotropins basally and after stimulation with gonadotropin-releasing hormone in four states characterized by different sensitivity to sex steroids: 1) in five normal men (intact sensitivity to both androgens and estrogens), 2) in two patients with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS; selective androgen insensitivity), 3) in normal men treated with clomiphene citrate (selective estrogen insensitivity), and 4) in AIS patients treated with clomiphene (combined androgen and estrogen insensitivity). Basal LH levels were increased in selective androgen and selective estrogen insensitivities; LH levels were elevated further in combined androgen and estrogen insensitivities. The elevated LH levels in AIS were suppressible by exogenous administration of estradiol benzoate. Basal FSH was not increased in selective androgen insensitivity, but...
Early-life antibiotic use is associated with wheezing among children with high atopic risk: a prospective European study.

AbstractBackground: Little is known about the relationship between antibiotic use and asthma in the children with a higher risk of allergic sensitization. We examine the association between the use of specific therapeutic antibiotics in the first year of life and development of wheezing by 36 months among children with a higher risk of allergic sensitization. Methods: A multi-center prospective cohort study was conducted among children at high risk for allergic sensitization. A validated questionnaire was used to prospectively collect information on antibiotic use and potential risk factors for wheezing from parents or guardians of 606 children from three European countries at 6, 12, 24 and 36 months of age. Multivariate linear and logistic regression models were used to adjust for potential confounders and effect modifiers and to estimate the association of antibiotic use with the development of early childhood wheezing. Results: Of the antibiotics assessed, only macrolide use in the first year of life w...
The emergence of computed tomography as a cardiovascular diagnostic technique.

The cardiologist has sought to be like Superman, using x-ray vision to look inside someone and see all there is to visualize. Two principles have guided the search for and development of cardiovascular imaging techniques, high quality image resolution, and minimum risk to the patient. Presently cardiovascular angiography, radioisotope imaging, and echocardiography are the established methods. None are perfect because of limited image resolution or risk to the patient. Consequently the search for better cardiovascular imaging methods continues. Computed x-ray transmission tomography (CT) has become an extensively used diagnostic tool for the evaluation of a number of organ systems. Until recently, cardiac motion has prevented the use of this modality for evaluating cardiovascular disorders. However, CT body scanners with lto 5 second scan times are now available and CT is emerging as a clinically useful cardiovascular imaging technique. The densities of blood, myocardium, and blood vessels are similar; therefore, in order to differentiate these structures, contrast enhancement of the blood pool is necessary. Contrast enhancement during cardiovascular CT scanning is achieved by two methods: an intravenous bolus of contrast medium (usually 20 to 25 ml) hand-injected into a peripheral vein or a gravity drip infusion of 1.5 ml/kg of contrast medium over several minutes. Rapid backto-back scanning is usually performed with the bolus method of contrast enhancement and is known as dynamic scanning. The interscan interval with dynamic scanning is usually 1 second and 12 scans are often obtained during the bolus’ transit through
Optically and thermally stimulated luminescence in MgO

Abstract Following illumination with 250 nm light, samples of neutron irradiated and thermochemically reduced MgO emit either green luminescence (≈ 540 nm), when heated above room temperature, or blue luminescence (≈ 400 nm), when stimulated with 1064 nm light from a Nd: YAG laser. The luminescence mechanisms appears to involve F-type centers and traps such as Fe.
The Value of Fieldwork and Service Learning

Colleges of education must instantiate their candidates’ knowledge, skills, and dispositions for accreditation. Professors often have candidates reflect on field experience as a way to enhance their learning. This study examines reflections of 43 candidates over a 2-year period. Candidates engaged in an after-school enrichment program as service volunteers and participated with content area teachers in a professional development site to teach lessons as part of an introductory course to middle-level education. Each week candidates met in small groups to share their thoughts and wrote up summaries of their experiences. By reflecting on both, the benefits and value of field experiences and service learning their responses have been examined in light of the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) Specialty Area Standards. Ultimately, this research suggests that field experiences and service learning are needed to develop candidates’ knowledge, skills, and dispositions.
Theory of elastic plates in the reference state.

Stress tensor analysis of elastic plates in reference state, noting nonlinear plate theory and variational principle
Tribological properties of Ag/Ti films on Al2O3 ceramic substrates

Ag solid lubricant films, with a thin Ti interlayer for enhanced adhesion, were sputter deposited on Al2O3 substrate disks to reduce friction and wear. The dual Ag/Ti films were tested at room temperature in a pin-on-disk tribometer sliding against bare, uncoated Al2O3 pins under a 4.9 N load at a sliding velocity of 1 m/s. The Ag/Ti films reduced the friction coefficient by 50 percent to about 0.41 compared to unlubricated baseline specimens. Pin wear was reduced by a factor of 140 and disk wear was reduced by a factor of 2.5 compared to the baseline. These films retain their good tribological properties including adhesion after heat treatments at 850 C and thus may be able to lubricate over a wide temperature range. This lubrication technique is applicable to space lubrication, advanced heat engines, and advanced transportation systems.
Vortices and Streams Caused by Sound Waves

As shown by Rayleigh, a considerable number of acoustic phenomena are known which involve the viscosity of the medium and require the solution of the hydrodynamic equations to a higher degree of approximation than is customary in elementary treatments of the theory of sound. Among these are the fluid streams that occur near intense sources of sound (e.g.: the "quartz wind").The general equations of these second-order acoustic phenomena are developed in a systematic manner. When viscous forces are neglected, the effects are of three kinds: (1) those that can be ascribed to the inertia of acoustic energy, (2) those arising from radiation pressure, and (3) those caused by the variable compressibility of the medium. All of them result in the production of overtones of the fundamental vibration. In certain cases, this distortion can become very large, being unlimited except by the viscous forces. However, even when the average value of the gradient of the radiation pressure does not vanish, it does not, on the average, cause an acceleration of the fluid. Such gradients are balanced by the elastic rather than by the viscous forces.When the latter are introduced into the calculation, a fourth effect appears: the irrotational motion in the sound wave generates vorticity as a second-order effect. This vortex motion will ultimately approach a steady state, being generated and resisted by forces that are independent of the time. Both generating and resisting forces are viscous, and consequently the steady motion is independent of the magnitude of the coefficient of viscosity. However, the resisting forces depend only on the shear viscosity of the medium, while the generating forces depend also on the bulk viscosity. It is suggested that the ratio of the bulk and shear coefficients of viscosity can be determined by studying these phenomena.Calculations of the velocity of the stream generated by a beam of sound show that it is proportional (1) to $b=(\frac{4}{3})+(\frac{{\ensuremath{\nu}}^{\ensuremath{'}}}{\ensuremath{\nu}})$, where ${\ensuremath{\nu}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ and $\ensuremath{\nu}$ are the bulk and shear viscosities, (2) to the power being radiated in the beam, (3) inversely to the square of the wave-length, and (4) inversely to ${\ensuremath{\rho}}^{2}{c}^{3}$, where $\ensuremath{\rho}$ is the density and c the sound velocity of the medium. The maximum value of the steady-streaming velocity depends on the resistance offered by the walls of the vessel or room in which the experiment is performed. The time required to set up the steady state is, of course, inversely proportional to this resistance, and the flow is apt to become turbulent when the resistance is low.
Evidence for Schiff base formation in the addition of amino alcohols to the Eu(III) chelates of benzoylacetone and dibenzoylmethane

Abstract The adduct formation between Eu(DBM)3 (DBM = dibenzoylmethane) and Eu(BZAC)3 (BZAC = benzoylacetone) has been studied by means of circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) spectroscopy. The Eu(III) chelates were titrated with small amounts of chiral substrates (phenylalkylamines and phenylalkylamino alcohols) and it was found that the spectra drastically changed both sign and magnitude during the course of the CPL titrations. The presence of Schiff base ligands resulting from condensation of the β-diketone ligands and the added amino alcohols was established from infrared spectra of the products. This Schiff base is capable of being formed even if the β-diketone is already coordinated to the Eu(III) ion.
Managing process innovation through incremental improvements: Empirical evidence in the petroleum refining industry

Abstract This paper developed a present value index (PVI) model to offer a new solution to differing the effects of radical innovation and incremental improvement. After comparing the return from an initial-radical-process innovation and the return from the incremental changes in petroleum refining processes, it was found that incremental improvements generated higher returns than from its initial innovations. The findings suggest that, in contrast to a conventional research and development (R&D) strategy with a focus on state-of-art innovations, manufacturing companies should place sufficient emphasis on incremental capital and operating improvements to fully exploit economic benefits from an innovation.
Second Harmonic Generation Of Slab Lasers

Techniques and results for high second harmonic conversion efficiencies (>60%) of solid state lasers, using a single KD*P crystal are presented. This 60% approaches the theoretical limit for beams with both a Gaussian temporal and spatial profile. Designs using segmented transverse flow cooled plates, which are capable of handling the high average powers available from slab laser systems, are also discussed.
Which antithrombin for whom? Identifying the patient population that benefits most from novel antithrombin agents.

Anticoagulation has proven to be a key component in the management of acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Pharmacological agents with various modes of action are utilized to reduce thrombus development by impairing thrombin formation, platelet activation, and platelet aggregation. The optimal management of these patients is to achieve maximal anti-ischemic benefit while avoiding bleeding complications. Synthetic “novel” agents have been developed to specifically target factor Xa or thrombin to achieve this goal. A growing amount of data show that these agents provide a net clinical benefit in the setting of stable ischemic heart disease, unstable angina, non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), and ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).
Reactor Paper The Impact of Recent Changes in the Epidemiology of Dental Caries on Guidelines for the Use of Dental Sealants: Clinical Perspectives

Summary When used properly, sealants result in improved dental health. However, their use on all occlusal tooth surfaces for preventive reasons will result in wasted dental care resources. To optimize the preventive effects of sealants, a delivery model should be initiated that uses specially trained dental hygienists or dental assistants who visit schools to explain oral health-related issues, conduct visual inspections of clinical oral health status, identify patients at risk for dental caries, and generate a central database for program operation. When a high-risk patient is identified, auxiliary personnel could place sealants and recall the patient for a new visual inspection six months later. If caries is suspected at that time, the patient could be sent to a dentist for additional treatment. To offset the negative effects caused by overutilization of sealants, their usage should be divided into two categories. First, a preventive option should be available, and the fee for use of sealants in this option should be lower compared to the fees used today. By using specially trained auxiliary personnel to place such sealants, the fee could be kept reasonably low. Second, a sealant treatment option that targets treatments of incipient lesions also should be available. The fee for such a treatment should be close to that of the traditional occlusal restoration, and the application should be by a dentist. By using such a fee structure based on market forces, one would expect that sealant usage would increase among patients suffering from early carious lesions, while the usage of preventive sealants would remain the same or decline. This utilization pattern for dental sealants would contribute to improved efficiency of sealant usage in the treatment of dental caries, particularly at a time when caries frequency is declining. The improved efficiency could release dental care resources that should be used to target risk groups with improved education in dental health. By using such a strategy, the long-term effect would be not only the placement of fewer restorations, but an improvement in dental health among adolescents and adults.