cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prevalence and Severity of Sesame Allergy in the United States

Importance Sesame allergy is of growing concern in the United States. The US Food and Drug Administration recently issued a request for epidemiological data on the prevalence and severity of sesame allergies in the United States to inform possible regulatory action requiring sesame to be labeled as an allergen on packaged foods. Objective To provide current estimates of the prevalence, severity, distribution, and clinical characteristics of sesame allergy in the United States. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional study assessed findings of web- and telephone-based food allergy questionnaires. Study participants were first recruited from NORC (National Opinion Research Center) at the University of Chicago’s probability-based AmeriSpeak panel, and additional participants were recruited through Survey Sampling International. Surveys were administered to a nationally representative sample of 51 819 US households from October 1, 2015, through September 31, 2016. Responses for 40 453 adults and 38 408 children were included in the analysis. Data were analyzed from January 1, 2017, through May 1, 2019. Exposures Demographic and allergic characteristics of participants. Main Outcomes and Measures Self-reported sesame allergy was the main outcome and was considered convincing if reported symptoms to sesame-allergic reactions were consistent with an IgE-mediated reaction. Diagnostic history of specific allergens and use of food allergy–related health care services were also primary outcomes. Results Using survey responses from 78 851 individuals, an estimated 0.49% (95% CI, 0.40%-0.58%) of the US population reported a current sesame allergy, whereas 0.23% (95% CI, 0.19%-0.28%) met symptom-report criteria for convincing IgE-mediated allergy. An additional 0.11% (95% CI, 0.08%-0.16%) had a sesame allergy reported as physician diagnosed but did not report reactions fulfilling survey-specified convincing reaction symptoms. Among individuals with convincing IgE-mediated sesame allergy, an estimated 23.6% (95% CI, 16.9%-32.0%) to 37.2% (95% CI, 29.2%-45.9%) had previously experienced a severe sesame-allergic reaction, depending on the definition used, and 81.6% (95% CI, 71.0%-88.9%) of patients with convincing sesame allergy had at least 1 additional convincing food allergy. Roughly one-third of patients with convincing sesame allergy (33.7%; 95% CI, 26.3%-42.0%) reported previous epinephrine use for sesame allergy treatment. Conclusions and Relevance These data indicate a substantial burden of sesame allergy and provide valuable context to physicians and policy makers in their efforts to evaluate and reduce the public health burden of sesame allergy. Moreover, the relatively low rates of physician diagnosis observed among individuals with convincing IgE-mediated sesame allergy seem to indicate the need for clear diagnosis and appropriate management.
ADULT-ONSET HYPOPHOSPHATASIA: BEFORE AND AFTER TREATMENT WITH ASFOTASE ALFA.

ABSTRACT Objective To review the diagnosis and clinical course of a woman with hypophosphatasia who is being treated with newly approved enzyme replacement therapy, asfotase alfa. Methods Clinical and laboratory data are presented. Results This is a unique report of a woman with debilitating adult-onset hypophosphatasia who was successfully diagnosed with low alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels and elevated vitamin B6 levels. Treatment with asfotase alfa resolved her chronic bony pain symptoms and quadrupled her daily pedometer step count. Furthermore, whole body scans before and after treatment showed less focal uptake overall, suggesting fracture healing after enzyme replacement therapy. Conclusion Improvement in patient reported symptoms, daily pedometer count, and whole body scans was noted after treatment of adult-onset hypophosphatasia with asfotase alfa enzyme replacement therapy. The significance of increased ALP levels after treatment is currently unknown.
Chemical Process Scheduling under Disjunctive Uncertainty Using Data-Driven Multistage Adaptive Robust Optimization

Process scheduling is one key layer of decision hierarchy for process industries to optimize their production schedule in order to gain the long-term economic viability. A main challenge of process scheduling lies in the treat of uncertainties when approaching the multistage adaptive robust optimization of the scheduling problem. In this work, we introduce the non-parametric Bayesian inference technique to construct the data-driven disjunctive uncertainty set to alleviate the over-conservatism issue faced by most commonly used fixed-shaped uncertainty sets, and utilized the piecewise linear decision rule to generate solutions for the multistage batch scheduling optimization. Based on improvement in uncertainty set construction and decision rule flexibility, we demonstrated with an industrial process case study that the proposed approach with the disjunctive uncertainty set and decision rule is capable of generating usually better process scheduling optimization solutions in comparison to those obtained by conventional adaptive robust optimization approaches.
Mesoscale Modeling of High Burn-Up Structure Formation and Evolution in UO2

A phase-field model was developed to simulate the high burn-up structure formation and evolution in UO2. The model takes into account the interfacial energies of grain boundaries and bubble surfaces, the strain energy associated with dislocations, and the chemical energy of gas atoms. This enables the model to simulate the formation and growth of sub-grains and bubbles in a self-consistent manner. The model results demonstrate strong effects of dislocation density (its magnitude and distribution), grain boundary energy, and bubble radius and number density on the formation of the sub-grains. For polycrystalline UO2, the model predicts the average size of the recrystallized grains to lie within the range of 0.3–0.5 µm corresponding to a dislocation density range of $$ \rho = (2.5 \times 10^{15} - 2.65 \times 10^{15} ) \;{\text{m}}^{ - 2} $$ or equivalent to 70–75 GWd/tHM burn-up. These predictions agree reasonably well with data reported in the literature.
Characterization of Zirconium Oxides Part II: New Insights on the Growth of Zirconia Revealed Through Complementary High-Resolution Mapping Techniques

Abstract Raman mapping, scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy (SKPFM), and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) were combined to investigate oxidized zirconium alloys. Raman provided spatially resolved phase composition and relative stress state. When coupled with SKPFM, phase composition was correlated to Volta potentials differences. The potential of tetragonal zirconia was lower than the metal zirconium, making the tetragonal phase favorable for reaction with diffusing species, thus hindering further oxidation of the relatively cathodic metal. This provides new insight to the theory of the tetragonal phase being an oxidation barrier.
Carbon Strategies: De-risking Exposures

Some strategies can decouple energy consumption from revenue, profits, and other financial indicators. At the nexus of finance, energy, and carbon, the constraints, strategies, risks, and opportunities in one system will also affect the other systems. Thus, one can seek strategies that affect all three attributes simultaneously. For instance, carbon emissions can be used as an internal indicator of waste and inefficiency. Alternatively, emissions can be used as an external indicator of climate risk exposures. The energy strategist needs to know the decisions and prioritizations that can reduce carbon risk exposure as well as decouple carbon emissions from financial indicators.
From “ Public Journalism” to “ Engaged Journalism”: Imagined Audiences and Denigrating Discourse

At a moment of intense uncertainty within the news industry, a growing number believe the key to the profession’s survival depends on journalists improving their relationship with the public. As a result, many news practitioners, funders, and scholars have begun advocating for journalists to “engage” with their audiences, thus expanding the audience’s role in the news production process. In this study, we use a textual analysis of metajournalistic discourse from journalism trade magazines to reveal that although the specific language surrounding “engaged” journalism is new, its reconceptualization of the journalist–audience relationship traces back to the public journalism movement of the 1990s. Our findings illustrate that these movements are remarkably similar in their motivations, their goals, and—most importantly—the way in which their advocates imagine the news audience. The results are interpreted with an eye toward of the future of the industry and the potential effects of these interventions.
Photostable and Proteolysis-Resistant Förster Resonance Energy Transfer-Based Calcium Biosensor

Molecular sensors from protein engineering offer new methods to sensitively bind to and detect target analytes for a wide range of applications. For example, these sensors can be integrated into pr...
Robust Modeling of Tropospheric Delay Dynamics for Sequential Positioning

In this paper, we develop robust stochastic models of tropospheric delay accounting for uncertainty in residual tropospheric error time-correlation. This work is intended for time-sequential positioning and fault detection algorithms including, for example, integrated inertial navigation systems and dual-frequency, multi-constellation Advanced Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (ARAIM).
Stability and Oscillations

The pupil reflex to light falls into the category of control devices called servomechanisms. The feedback pathway which characterizes servosystems necessitates a system analysis in order to elucidate its physiology. By this is meant that there are certain properties such as stability and oscillations which cannot be attributed to any individual component of this system, but are properties of the entire system [34, 36]. In the particular example to which this study is devoted, the nature of “induced pupillary hippus”becomes comprehensible when considered as the sustained oscillations in a pupil servosystem made unstable experimentally by greatly increasing the gain of the loop. Further, the nature of the servo approach permits the design of quantitative experiments to test predictions based on these concepts. The experiments to be described are of this type.
Ensuring Continued Professional Growth

This chapter builds upon the basics in Chap. 7 and further describes concepts that support ensuring continued professional growth such as leadership development, keeping current in one’s specialty area, strategies for ongoing professional development, and networking. Strategies for exploring leadership development, keeping current, ongoing professional development will be described. Through suggested activities throughout the chapter, the reader will build upon the goals identified in Chap. 2 and incorporate leadership development, keeping current, and ongoing professional development into their goals. Sample vignettes depicting an example of continued professional growth will be included. Novice and senior nursing student assessment strategies will both be addressed in this chapter.
Inflammatory Disorders: Acne Vulgaris, Atopic Dermatitis, Seborrheic Dermatitis, Lupus Erythematosus, Dermatomyositis, and Scleroderma

Common inflammatory disorders of the skin may have unique morphologies and clinical or therapeutic considerations in individuals with skin of color. These include acne vulgaris, atopic dermatitis, and seborrheic dermatitis. In addition, several multi-system inflammatory disorders with cutaneous manifestations – such as lupus erythematosus, dermatomyositis, and scleroderma – are more prevalent in populations of African ancestry. Recognizing racial/ethnic variations in the clinical presentation and approach to treatment of these disorders is key to optimizing patient outcomes.
A preliminary study of the relationship between working memory, language experience, and grammatical skill in dual language learners:

Purpose:This study examined the relationship between verbal short-term and working memory, language experience, and English tense-marking skill in Spanish L1-English L2 dual language learners (DLLs...
Pressure Cell Observations—Garrison Dam Project

Pressure cells installed under a powerhouse and stilling basin indicate a reasonable agreement between the design assumptions and the observed values of stress distribution and seem to support the theoretical concept of high edge pressure. The pressure cells were installed to determine the relationship between vertical loads and the resulting foundation stresses in the Fort Union clay-scale. The results cover the period of construction and approximately 5 yr of operation after the completion of construction. The initial stress distribution is fairly equal under the structure, but as time passes, the edge pressures tend to increase, and their is a decrease of pressure in the central part of the foundation. The qualitative results since completion of the powerhouse indicate a reasonable agreement between the observed stress pattern and two assumed design stress patterns, one determined by rigorous analysis, and the other by an approximation.
A Variational Approach to Crystalline Triple-Junction Motion

A variational description is given for curves with triple junctions for the motion with normal velocity v=M(C+κΦ), where κΦ stands for the crystalline curvature as determined by the curves and by the crystalline (polygonal Wulff shape) surface free energy functions Φ for each interface, C is constant on each interface, and M is a compatible normal-dependent mobility function for each interface. This variational formulation is based on the idea that the motion should be gradient flow, in the L2 inner product, for the sum of the surface free energy and the bulk free energy. If the surface free energy functions Φ are identically zero, the motion is that given by Taylor (1995). If the surface free energy functions are positive and crystalline, then the motion is that given by Taylor (1993). Finally, if the surface free energy functions are written as Φ=eΦ0, then the limiting motion as e↓0 is in general different from the motion for e=0 [and hence different from that given by Taylor (1993); the limiting motion is presumably that given by Reitich and Mete Soner (1996)].
Complete Categorical Deduction for Satisfaction as Injectivity

Birkhoff (quasi-)variety categorical axiomatizability results have fascinated many scientists by their elegance, simplicity and generality. The key factor leading to their generality is that equations, conditional or not, can be regarded as special morphisms or arrows in a special category, where their satisfaction becomes injectivity, a simple and abstract categorical concept. A natural and challenging next step is to investigate complete deduction within the same general and elegant framework. We present a categorical deduction system for equations as arrows and show that, under appropriate finiteness requirements, it is complete for satisfaction as injectivity. A straightforward instantiation of our results yields complete deduction for several equational logics, in which conditional equations can be derived as well at no additional cost, as opposed to the typical method using the theorems of constants and of deduction. At our knowledge, this is a new result in equational logics.
Detecting self-harming activities with wearable devices

In the United States, there are more than 35, 000 reported suicides with approximately 1, 800 of them being psychiatric inpatients. Staff perform intermittent or continuous observations in order to prevent such tragedies, but a study of 98 articles over time showed that 20% to 62% of suicides happened while inpatients were on an observation schedule. Reducing the instances of suicides of inpatients is a problem of critical importance to both patients and healthcare providers. In this paper, we introduce SHARE — A Self-Harm Activity Recognition Engine, which attempts to infer self-harming activities from sensing accelerometer data using smart devices worn on a subject's wrist. Preliminary classification accuracy of 80% was achieved using data acquired from 4 subjects performing a series of activities (both self-harming and not). The results, application, and proposed technology platform are discussed in-depth.
Platform Contracting and Exclusivity

Platforms care about the quality of components they host. For example, a computer operating system is more popular - and thus more profitable - when the software is high quality. Some platforms offer special arrangements to high-quality firms - for example, Apple promotes high-quality Macintosh software on the Apple website. Others shut out low-quality firms completely. Nintendo has established a reputation for screening out low quality games from their game console. Finally, some platforms require exclusive contracts, whereby a component cannot be made available on any other platform, many TV sports programming contracts are designed this way. We study the contract design options of a platform owner offering a screening contract to a component developer who should be incentivized to deliver a particular quality level. When dealing both with adverse selection (component quality types are not known to the platform ex ante) and moral hazard (efforts to improve the component or offer customer service are not observable to the platform), the platform will use additional allocative distortion compared to the standard screening contract. Of particular interest is our finding that under exclusivity, when high-quality components require a higher participation rent, there is less allocative distortion, permitting a new interpretation of countervailing incentives in a platform-contracting environment.
DVT Prophylaxis in Orthopedic Trauma

KW is a 45-year-old man who is a restrained passenger in a high-speed motor vehicle accident (MVA). He has been hospitalized 5 days, and underwent open reduction and internal fixation of his acetabular fracture 2 days ago and intramedullary nailing of his left femur 4 days ago. His other injuries include a very small subdural hematoma (SDH), which has been stable and is being followed by neurosurgery consultants.
Cadmium uptake by the rat embryo as a function of gestational age

Maternal blood, liver, kidney, and placental and fetal (embryo) accumulation of cadmium (Cd), a known embryotoxic trace element, was investigated following a single oral dose of various amounts of Cd (10 to 1,000 μg/rat) as CdCl2 containing 109Cd at days 6, 10, 14, and 17 of gestation. Twenty-four hours after Cd administration the rats were killed and the various tissues were counted in a gamma well counter for determination of 109Cd activity. Maternal liver and kidneys were the main target organs of Cd accumulation at all stages of gestation. Embryo levels of Cd were highest prior to formation of the functional placenta. After placental formation, fetal Cd levels were decreased, while placental accumulation of Cd increased with increasing gestational age. The results indicate that the embryo accumulates the greatest percentage of ingested Cd between implantation and placentation, the early period of organogenesis. The placenta apparently protects the fetus from exposure to this element during the last third of gestation.
Multi-Object geodesic active contours (MOGAC)

An emerging topic is to build image segmentation systems that can segment hundreds to thousands of objects (i.e. cell segmentation \ tracking, full brain parcellation, full body segmentation, etc.). Multi-object Level Set Methods (MLSM) perform this task with the benefit of sub-pixel precision. However, current implementations of MLSM are not as computationally or memory efficient as their region growing and graph cut counterparts which lack sub-pixel precision. To address this performance gap, we present a novel parallel implementation of MLSM that leverages the sparse properties of the algorithm to minimize its memory footprint for multiple objects. The new method, Multi-Object Geodesic Active Contours (MOGAC), can represent N objects with just two functions: a label mask image and unsigned distance field. The time complexity of the algorithm is shown to be O((M^d)/P) for M^d pixels and P processing units in dimension d={2,3}, independent of the number of objects. Results are presented for 2D and 3D image segmentation problems.
An expert system for autoclave curing of composites

A rule based expert system was developed for controlling the autoclave temperature and pressure during cure of fiber reinforced thermosetting matrix composites. Rules were established which are needed to adjust the autoclave heater, cooler and pressure controllers. Software and hardware were developed for collecting and processing data, for applying the rules, and for controlling the autoclave. The software and hardware were integrated into a control system designated as SECURE which performs the cure without the need of human interaction. The overall control strategy, the rules, and the resulting SECURE system were validated by employing SECURE in simulated as well as in actual cures. The tests showed that SECURE performed all its required functions well. Most importantly, the cure time with SECURE was less than that with conventional curing methods which had been optimized by the CURE model. In addition, the mechanical properties of laminates cured by SECURE were as good or better than the mechanical properties of laminates cured by the optimized conventional method.
Molecular Conservation and Novelties in Vertebrate Ear Development

Evolution shaped the vertebrate ear into a complicated three-dimensional structure and positioned the sensory epithelia so that they can extract specific aspects of mechanical stimuli to govern vestibular and hearing-related responses of the whole organism. This information is conducted from the ear via specific neuronal connections to distinct areas of the hindbrain for proper processing. During development, the otic placode, a simple sheet of epidermal cells, transforms into a complicated system of ducts and recesses. This placode also generates the mechanoelectrical transducers, the hair cells, and sensory neurons of the vestibular and cochlear (spiral) ganglia of the ear. We argue that ear development can be broken down into dynamic processes that use a number of known and unknown genes to govern the formation of the three-dimensional labyrinth in an interactive fashion. Embedded in this process, but in large part independent of it, is an evolutionary conserved process that induces early the development of the neurosensory component of the ear. We present molecular data suggesting that this later process is, in its basic aspects, related to the mechanosensory cell formation across phyla and is extremely conserved at the molecular level. We suggest that sensory neuron development and maintenance are vertebrate or possibly chordate novelties and present the molecular data to support this notion.
Extraction of Anthocyanins from Black Bean Canning Wastewater with Macroporous Resins

This study investigated purification of anthocyanins from black bean canning wastewater by column chromatography with 5 types of macroporous resins (Diaion Hp20, Sepabeads Sp70, Sepabeads Sp207, Sepabeads Sp700, and Sepabeads Sp710). By-product of canned black beans was partially purified by filtration, in anticipation of higher performance during column chromatography. Equilibrium adsorption isotherms were measured and analyzed using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. Both Langmuir (all R² ≥ 0.98) and Freundlich (all R² ≥ 0.97) models can describe the adsorption process of anthocyanins from black bean canning wastewater using the tested resins. The adsorption and desorption behaviors of anthocyanins were studied using a dynamic method on the 5 types of resins, and Sp700 presented the highest adsorption capacity (39 ± 4 mg/g; P < 0.05) as well as desorption capacity (19 ± 2%; P < 0.05), indicating that of the resins examined, Sp700 is a better candidate for purification of anthocyanins from black bean canning wastewater.
Dynamics of a traveling density wave model for earthquakes.

We propose a unifying new framework for friction and earthquakes. Predictions from theory include (1) scaling exponents, and (2) metastable lifetimes for nucleating slip droplets. Earthquake simulations produce Gutenberg-Richter distributions of events with b values similar to observed declustered values, and populations of characteristic earthquakes, with associated aftershocks. Time is a relevant scaling field, justifying statistical time-to-failure analyses. When applied to integrate-and-fire neurons, the theory yields an explicit equation for the cell potential.
Optical processing of structural contour maps

Optical processing is a fast, easy, economical, and reliable method of quantifying map patterns. A reduced transparency of a zebra-like pattern, obtained by blackening in alternate contour bands of a map, is used as input to an optical system of a laser source and objective lens to produce Fourier transforms. By sampling the intensity distribution across the transform, information about the spatial frequency (periodicity) and orientation in the original map can be inferred. Parameters used for comparing the map images are the values of intensity distribution in the transform. These intensities are normalized and subjected to comparison using various similarity methods. Cross-multiplication of the intensities is suggested as a measure of vectorial comparison of the orientations. By plotting the directional intensities into a polar coordinate system, rose diagrams are prepared for visual comparison. Optically derived parameters are independent of scale and other restrictive and limiting requirements as demanded in techniques of map analyses based on numerically derived parameters. The technique can be used in analyzing other pictorial data including aerial photographs, rock-fabric diagrams, and thin sections.
Galaxy-cluster masses via 21st-century measurements of lensing of 21-cm fluctuations

We discuss the prospects to measure galaxy-cluster properties via weak lensing of 21-cm fluctuations from the dark ages and the epoch of reionization (EOR). We choose as a figure of merit the smallest cluster mass detectable through such measurements. We construct the minimum-variance quadratic estimator for the cluster mass based on lensing of 21-cm fluctuations at multiple redshifts. We discuss the tradeoff among frequency bandwidth, angular resolution, and the number of redshift shells available for a fixed noise level for the radio detectors. Observations of lensing of the 21-cm background from the dark ages will be capable of detecting $M\ensuremath{\gtrsim}{10}^{12}{h}^{\ensuremath{-}1}{M}_{\ensuremath{\bigodot}}$ mass halos, but will require futuristic experiments to overcome the contaminating sources. Next-generation radio measurements of 21-cm fluctuations from the EOR will, however, have the sensitivity to detect galaxy clusters with halo masses $M\ensuremath{\gtrsim}{10}^{13}{h}^{\ensuremath{-}1}{M}_{\ensuremath{\bigodot}}$, given enough observation time (for the relevant sky patch) and collecting area to maximize their resolution capabilities.
Generation mean analysis to identify and partition the components of genetic resistance to Septoria nodorum in wheat

Foliar symptom severity of seedlings artificially inoculated with S. nodorum were used to idenify the type of gne action controlling resistance to this pathogen in the early generations of two wheat crosses. In both crosses a resistant spring wheat cultivar was crossed to a susceptible cultivar. Reciprocal crosses were included in the analysis to determine if the cytoplasm contributed in any significant degree to the level of resistance present.
Family-Centered Practice with Lesbian and Gay Families

The author reviews the strengths of lesbian- and gay-headed families as well as some of the special issues they face. A family-centered, strengths-oriented approach to working with lesbian and gay families that draws on cultural, constructionist, and narrative ideas is presented.
Experimental Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis in the Hamster: Correlation of Age with Chronic Inclusion-Cell Encephalitis

A hamster-adapted viral agent of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis was inoculated intracerebrally into weanling and adult hamsters. Acute encephalitis was followed by chronic neurologic disease in some weanling animals. Infectious, cell-free virus was obtained from brains of weanling hamsters during the first eight days of infection; however, defective or cell-associated virus was demonstrated by cocultivation techniques for as long as 81 days after inoculation. Immunofluorescent studies showed specific measles antigen in focal areas of brain up to 55 days after inoculation. In brains collected from animals between the 21st and 120th days after inoculation, focal lesions containing perivascular inflammatory cells, plasma cells, increased astrocytes, and cells bearing eosinophilic nuclear inclusions were noted. The HAI-antibody response to measles virus, although variable, was often markedly elevated in the sera of animals with histologic lesions characteristic of chronic infection. Adult hamsters did not develop clinical disease; however, virus was recoverable through the 12th day after inoculation. Acute inflammatory reactions with eosinophilic intranuclear inclusions developed early but disappeared by the 21st day after inoculation. The HAI-antibody response to measles virus in the sera of adult animals was moderate and decreased after the 30th day.
A Reevaluation of the Effects of Forest Fragmentation on Rates of Bird-Nest Predation.

can forest-nesting passerines, many of which migrate to the Neotropics to winter (Hagan & Johnson 1992). The effects of fragmentation of North American forests have become a central issue in discussions of songbird conservation. In particular, forest fragmentation is claimed to increase the incidence of cowbird (Molothrus ater) parasitism (Brittingham & Temple 1983; Robinson 1992) and to increase rates of nest predation (Wilcove 1985). The evidence that forest fragmentation increases rates of nest predation comes from studies that have used artificial nests baited with quail or chicken eggs (Wilcove 1985; Small & Hunter 1988; Yahner & Scott 1988). These studies have found negative correlations between the incidence of predation on quail eggs and increasing forestfragment size. Although most authors acknowledge that quail-egg experiments do not precisely reflect rates of predation on real nests, quail-egg experiments have been interpreted as reflecting the relative pattern of predation on real nests in different fragment sizes. Wilcove's (1985) conclusion that "nest predation is an important cause of the decline of neotropical migrants" has therefore been widely accepted (Terborgh 1992; B6hningGaese et al. 1993). Here I present data indicating that the trends reported by quail-egg experiments do not constitute compelling evidence that forest fragmentation increases rates of predation on passerine nests. There are many biases and problems associated with the use of artificial nests to study nest predation (Martin 1987; Willebrand & Marcstrom 1988; Reitsma et al. 1990; Sieving 1992). I discuss just one of these. Chipmunks (Tamias striatus) are unable to break the quail eggs used to bait artificial nests (Haskell 1995). Indeed,
Unipolar versus bipolar radiofrequency treatment of rhytides and laxity using a mobile painless delivery method.

Background Previous studies have shown that radiofrequency (RF) energy is a safe and effective treatment for rhytide-reduction. Objective This randomized, blinded, split-face study assesses the safety and efficacy of the unipolar versus bipolar handpieces on an RF device with a mobile delivery method for the treatment of rhytides and laxity using quantitative grading. Methods In this randomized, blinded, split-face design study, 10 subjects (aged 18–75 years) with a clinically observable excess of rhytides and laxity (minimum grade 2 out of 4) on the face received four treatments at 1-week intervals with random assignment of unipolar RF to one side and bipolar RF to the contralateral side. Each side received approximately four passes per treatment delivered in a mobile continuous manner. Results were evaluated by two blinded investigators of photographs employing a comprehensive 4-point grading scale at baseline, and 1- and 3-month follow-up visits after the final treatment. Results All subjects completed and responded to treatment. The blinded evaluations demonstrated the following mean percent improvements in grading scores of rhytides and laxity: for the unipolar side 6.0±4.6% and 4.6±4.8% versus the bipolar side 4.4±2.5 and 7.3±3.5%. The degree of improvement approached but did not achieve statistical significance for either handpiece, but demonstrated a trend toward improvement (P = 0.5599 unipolar vs. 0.1108 bipolar). The treatment was painless (rated 0 out of 10 by all subjects) and side effects included minimal erythema which resolved within 1–3 hours. No crusting, dyspigmentation or scarring was observed. Conclusion This randomized, split-face study with blinded evaluations employing a quantitative grading scale demonstrated that minimal pass, mobile energy delivery serial treatments with either the unipolar or bipolar handpieces of a novel RF device appears to safe and painless. Each handpiece demonstrated minimal clinical efficacy which was not statistically significant, but with a trend toward improvement in rhytides and laxity of facial skin. Lesers Surg. Med. 40:446–453, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Can private airport competition improve runway pricing? The case of San Francisco Bay area airports

Abstract Travelers and airlines are frustrated by long and costly travel delays at public airports that are attributable to runway charges that do not account for aircraft congestion. Because the inefficient charges are likely to persist, we explore whether private airport competition could lead to more efficient charges that improve travelers' welfare, increase airlines' profits, and enable the airports to be profitable. We use the San Francisco Bay Area for our assessment and identify important conditions to achieve those outcomes, including competition among separately owned airports, bargaining between airports and airlines, and the ability of airports to differentiate prices and service.
Racial/ethnic differences in the use of surgery for ovarian cancer in the United States

ABSTRACT Purpose This study provides an assessment of patterns of both hysterectomy and other surgeries among ovarian cancer patients in the United States according to race/ethnicity. Methods Analyses are based on data from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program, 2002 through 2006. Results About 75% of ovarian cancer patients received surgery, with most undergoing unilateral or bilateral (salpingo-) oophorectomy with omentectomy or debulking (cytoreductive surgery). Black and Hispanic patients were significantly less likely to receive surgery after adjusting for age, marital status, and tumor stage and grade at diagnosis. Among cases aged 15–44 with localized disease, 35% selected fertility-conservative management. The percentage receiving fertility-conservativemanagement fell from 57% in ages 15–29 to 12% in ages 40–44. There was no significant difference among women of childbearing age across racial/ethnic classifications in their use of fertility-conservative management. Among the 88% of patients aged 45 years or older at diagnosis, treatment with surgery was generally high: 90% for ages 45–59, 81% for ages 60–69, 68% for ages 70–79, and 38% for ages 80 and older. Conclusion Black and Hispanic patients are less likely to receive surgery, but in women of childbearing age with locally staged disease there is no difference among racial/ethnic groups in fertility-conservative management.
Spine distribution of the layer V pyramidal cell in man: a cortical model.

Abstract The specific aims of this study were to examine with an appropriate experimental design the main and interaction effects of the tranquilizer haloperidol (HPD) and electric shock on head and limb tremors in relation to changes in dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) concentrations in the caudate nuclei of 36 squirrel monkeys. Head and limb tremors were not observed in 6 control, 6 stress, or monkeys injected (i.m.) with 0.1 mg/kg HPD during 30 days of testing. Transient head and limb tremors lasting from 2 to 4 h after drug injection were observed in 30% of the monkeys of the higher 1.0 mg/kg HPD group. These tremors increased significantly in total incidence from 30 to 50%, and in the extent of the number of extremities affected from 2.8% to 11.1% in the drug-stress interaction group. Thirty days of HPD did not affect DA or NE concentrations in the caudate. Daily electric shock for 30 days decreaed DA but not NE concentrations. Although the 1.0 mg/kg HPD-stress interaction resulted in a higher incidence and extent of tremors, it did not produce a greater decrease in DA than electric shock alone. Since DA concentrations were very high and NE concentrations were low and not affected by drugs or stress, it was concluded that DA may play the more significant role in the caudate of the corpus striatum in primates.
Open Tubular Anion Exchange Chromatography. Controlled Layered Architecture of Stationary Phase by Successive Condensation Polymerization

The preparation and performance of a multilayered stationary phase for open tubular anion exchange chromatography in relatively large bore (75 μm diameter) columns are described. The inner surface of a fused-silica capillary tube is coated with up to 25 successive porous polymeric layers formed by condensation polymerization of a primary amine with a diepoxide. Each layer of the anion exchange stationary phase consists of copolymer of methylamine (MA) and 1,4-butanedioldiglycidyl ether (BDDE). The polymer layers are sufficiently porous or permeable; each successive layer of the stationary phase incrementally increases the observed column capacity and chromatographic performance in the open tubular mode. Even though the column inner diameter is far from optimum for open tubular liquid chromatography, we demonstrate the baseline separation of a suite of inorganic anions (F-, Cl-, NO2-, Br-, NO3-) in a 5 m × 75 μm column coated with 25 layers of the anion exchange polymer using 1 mM KOH eluent and suppressed...
Mediation vs pseudomediation in kindergarten children

Mediated positive transfer for kindergarten children was tested by means of the A-B, B-C, A-C paradigm, with all three stages being experimentally acquired in immediate succession. Additional conditions were included to control for the occurrence of pseudomediation as a possible confounding factor in mediational transfer conditions. The evidence supported the occurrence of mediated positive transfer in young children. No evidence was found for the presence of pseudomediation.
EFFECT OF PROCESSING ON BACTERIA ASSOCIATED WITH TURKEY GIBLETS.

Abstract THE effect of flowing water in reducing bacterial populations on the surfaces of poultry has been demonstrated by several workers. Gunderson et al. (1946) found that washing birds after they were eviscerated reduced the total bacterial count, but did not eliminate coliforms. According to May (1961), the transfer station for moving chicken carcasses from the picking to the evisceration line was the most consistent source of increases in bacterial counts, probably because there were no hand washing facilities at this station. He also found that final washing by a spray washer after evisceration reduced total counts significantly. Kotula et al. (1962) noted that a significant decrease occurred in bacterial populations on the skin of chickens chilled in a continuous counterflow-tumbler chiller. This was believed to be due to the fact that fresh coolant was added to the chill unit and water overflowed continuously from the chiller, resulting in dilution and…
The value of writing a “how‐to” book to reduce the writing apprehension of secondary preservice science and mathematics

Abstract The promise of writing in science and mathematics instruction will not be realized without teachers who enjoy writing and understand its potential. The purpose of this paper is to describe the effect of a nontraditional writing assignment, a “how‐to” book (which describes a process or how to do something) in a secondary content area literacy course, to decrease the writing apprehension of secondary preservice science and mathematics teachers. The 38 secondary preservice teachers in the study had significantly higher prewriting apprehension scores than their 136 preservice teacher classmates majoring in other subject areas. A MANCOVA analysis revealed that there was a statistically significant decrease in the writing apprehension of preservice mathematics and science teachers after authoring a “how‐to” book. Preservice teachers’ pre and postsurvey comments describe their change in attitude about writing and its value in their future instruction.
Microvolume index of refraction determinations by interferometric backscatter.

A new method has been applied to the determination of fluid bulk properties in small detection volumes. Through the use of an unfocused He–Ne laser beam and a cylindrical tube of capillary dimensions, relative refractive-index measurements are possible. The backscattered light from the illumination of a tube of capillary dimensions produces an interference pattern that is spatially defined and that contains information related to the bulk properties of the fluid contained in the tube. Positional changes in the intensity-modulated beam profile (interference fringes) are directly related to the refractive index of the fluid in the tube. The determination of dn/n at the 10−7 level is possible in probe volumes of 350 pL. The technique has been applied to tubes as small as 75 μm inner diameter and as large as 1.0 mm inner diameter. No modification of the simple optical bench is required for facilitating the determination of refractive index for the complete range of tube diameters.
Novel small interfering RNA cotargeting strategy as treatment for colorectal cancer

Background RNA interference has the potential to be more selective than small molecule inhibitors and can be used to target proteins, such as Ras, that are currently undruggable. The purpose of our study was to determine the optimal cotargeting strategy of the commonly mutated PI3K/AKT/mTOR and Ras pathways by a selective RNA interference approach in colorectal cancer cell lines possessing coexistent PIK3CA and KRAS mutations. Methods Human colorectal cancer cell lines HCT116 and DLD-1 were treated with a panel of small interfering RNAs directed against the PI3K/AKT/mTOR and Ras pathways; proliferation, apoptosis, and protein expression were assessed. Combined treatment with small interfering RNA and 5-fluorouracil was then evaluated. Results PIK3CA and KRAS small interfering RNAs were most effective as single treatments; combined treatments with PIK3CA and KRAS small interfering RNA resulted in a more pronounced inhibition of colorectal cancer cell proliferation. Either KRAS small interfering RNA alone or combined PIK3CA and KRAS small interfering RNA treatments increased apoptosis in HCT116 cells but not in the DLD-1 cell line. Inhibition of 4E-BP1 phosphorylation correlated with increased apoptosis. In addition, small interfering RNA treatment combined with 5-fluorouracil further inhibited colorectal cancer cell proliferation. Conclusion Combined PIK3CA and KRAS small interfering RNA treatments offer an effective therapy against colorectal cancer cells with coexisting mutations in both pathways. Decreased 4E-BP1 phosphorylation correlates with increased apoptosis and may provide a biomarker indicative of treatment success. In addition, small interfering RNA directed to PIK3CA and KRAS may be used to enhance the effects of current chemotherapy.
Single electron effects in silicon quantum dots in a MOSFET structure

We have fabricated silicon quantum dot devices based on a dual gate technique. Two lateral gates deplete the inversion layer which is induced by a top gate, thus forming a quantum dot located between the source and drain of a long channel MOSFET. Lithographic dimensions of the dots ranged from 40 nm to 200 nm. Measurements at low temperatures indicate that electrostatic confinement reduces the dot size to 15 nm. We observe evidence of quantum effects as we step the fermi energy by the top gate as well as magnetic field.
Antibodies to cardiac tissue in acute ischemic heart disease

Abstract Serially collected sera of 117 patients with acute ischemic heart disease were studied for the presence of antibodies to cardiac tissue by the passive hemagglutination technic. The average titer of these antibodies in 71 patients with acute myocardial infarction increased severalfold from admission to a peak after two to four weeks of hospitalization, and then declined. Sera of 46 patients with acute coronary insufficiency showed on the average a less pronounced rise and an earlier peak. Of 50 patients with acute myocardial infarction, 23 (46%) showed a fourfold or more increase in titer during the first month, while of the 33 patients with acute coronary insufficiency, 14 (42%) showed a similar rise. Maximum titers of 80 or higher were found in 20 of the 50 patients (40%) with acute myocardial infarction and 9 of 33 patients (27%) with acute coronary insufficiency. Many patients showed low titers at all times. Only 1 patient in the series had clinical features suggesting the postmyocardial infarction syndrome. He had high titers during the acute stage of his infarct, but no sera were obtained during the convalescent period. The postmyocardial infarction syndrome did not develop in any of the 11 patients who had titers of 80 beyond the first month. The observation of the development of circulating antibodies to cardiac tissue in acute ischemic heart disease does not in itself permit conclusions regarding the pathogenetic significance of such antibodies.
The Transnational Project and its Implications for Migrant Civil Society in Bangladesh

AbstractIn Bangladesh, overseas labor migration plays a vital role in the development strategy promoted by government agencies, international donor organizations and civil society organizations. Civil society organizations facilitate the migration process, respond to exploitation facing migrants while overseas and assist migrants upon their return to Bangladesh. Organizations in Bangladesh are pursuing a ‘transnational project,’ whereby their activities, missions, and objectives are now focused around transnational work in order to assist migrants. The transnational project is driven by foreign development agencies and the legitimating actions of local migrant organizations. This paper demonstrates the different ways transnationalism has moved from a radical concept to a banal development practice, by critically analyzing contemporary development practices of migrant civil society organizations in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Also addressed are the implications of the transnational project on migrant organizations,...