cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Role of Constituent Configuration on Shock-Induced Reactions in a Ni+Al Powder Mixture

Ultra-fast reactions initiated within or immediately behind the shock front in powder mixtures are of importance in the synthesis of high-pressure phases and next-generation energetic materials. Reactions in nickel and aluminum powder mixtures and the establishment of a reaction threshold have been the source of many studies over the last 20 years. Prior work has suggested that the criterion for reaction is most probably mechanochemical in nature, in which shock loading environment plays a larger role than absolute shock energy input. The mechanisms responsible for intimate mixing of fresh reactants are however still unclear. In this work we are investigating the role of particle size and morphology on the loading, mixing, and their subsequent shock-induced reaction behavior, by performing shock-compressibility experiments on equi-volumetric mixtures of nickel and aluminum powders, with variations in nickel particle size (micron and nano-scale) and shape (spherical and flake). Determination of shock states is accomplished through time-resolved in situ PVDF gauge measurements of input shock stress and shock propagation speed obtained from transit time through the thickness of powder mixture. The reaction product shock-compressibility state is also being calculated based on constant pressure approximations to allow correlation with measured states for inference of the occurrence of shock-induced chemical reactions. The results of this study suggest that powder configuration in the nickel-aluminum system can be modified to encourage or discourage reaction.
Rapid Facilitation of Ultrasound Production and Lordosis in Female Hamsters by Horizontal Cuts Between the Septum and Preoptic Area

Horizontal cuts between the septum and preoptic area (anterior roof deafferentation, or ARD) dramatically affect sexual behavior, and in ways that could explain a variety of differences across behavioral categories (precopulatory, copulatory), species, and the sexes. Yet little is known about how these effects develop. Such information would be useful generally and could be pivotal in clarifying the mechanism for ultrasonic vocalization in female hamsters. Ultrasounds serve these animals as precopulatory signals that can attract males and help initiate mating. Their rates can be increased by either ARD or lesions of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMN). If these effects are independent, they would require a mechanism that includes multiple structures and pathways within the forebrain and hypothalamus. However, it currently is not clear if they are independent: VMN lesions could affect vocalization by causing incidental damage to the same fibers targeted by ARD. Fortunately, past studies of VMN lesions have described a response with a very distinctive time course. This raises the possibility of assessing the independence of the two lesion effects by describing just the development of the response to ARD. To accomplish this, female hamsters were observed for levels of ultrasound production and lordosis before and after control surgery or ARD. As expected, both behaviors were facilitated by these cuts. Further, these effects began to appear by two days after surgery and were fully developed by six days. These results extend previous descriptions of the ARD effect by describing its development and time course. In turn, the rapid responses to ARD suggest that these cuts trigger disinhibitory changes in pathways that differ from those affected by VMN lesions.
The photomagneton B (3) and longitudinal ghost field B (3) of electromagnetism

The concepts are introduced of the longitudinal ghost fieldB(3) and photomagnetonB(3)) of electromagnetism:B(3) = 〈B(3)〉 =B(0)〈Ĵ〉/ħ, whereB(0) is the magnetic flux density amplitude andĴ the angular momentum operator of a photon beam. The major implication is that the individual photon hasthree degrees of polarization, the longitudinal one being accompanied by the ghost fieldB(3) which has no energy or linear momentum, and is generated from the angular momentum of the photon.
Real-time transrectal 3D ultrasound using synthetic aperture

In previous work, we investigated 3-D synthetic aperture imaging with 2-D array designs for real-time rectilinear volumetric imaging of targets near the transducer such as the breast and carotid artery. Here we present results for cylindrical 3-D imaging for 3-D transrectal ultrasound (TRUS). The major benefit of this design is the interconnect where an expensive multilayer flex circuit is no longer required. The interconnect uses a row-column addressing scheme to enable different groups of elements. Over 256 transmissions, this design is capable of synthesizing a 256 x 256 = 65,536 element fully sampled 2-D cylindrical array if desired. In receive, the echoes from individual elements along a row are recorded by the system receive channels. For faster volume acquisition time, we present a design where all elements of the 2-D array transmit simultaneously, and signals are recorded one row at a time. For a depth of 6 cm, a volume rate of 50 volumes/s can be achieved. We have performed computer simulations of a 10 MHz 256 x 256 synthetic cylindrical 2-D array with a radius of curvature of 10 mm to determine the radiation pattern. For an 128 x 128 subaperture, the on-axis case (x,y,z) = (0,0,20) mm showed a narrow beam down to -40 dB. In the transversal direction, on-axis lateral beamwidths at -6, -20, and -40 dB were 0.47 mm, 0.81 mm, and 2.54 mm, respectively. As for the longitudinal direction, the beamwidths are slightly narrower than in transversal direction, giving 0.39 mm, 0.72 mm, and 1.51 mm for the same corresponding dB levels.
Failure of fat cell proliferation, mitochondrial function and fat oxidation results in ectopic fat storage, insulin resistance and type II diabetes mellitus.

Failure of fat cell proliferation, mitochondrial function and fat oxidation results in ectopic fat storage, insulin resistance and type II diabetes mellitus
Applications of the radon transform to representations of semisimple lie groups.

Abstract From the point of view of the duality between points and horocycles in a symmetric space, the counterparts to the spherical functions on the symmetric space are the conical distributions on the manifold of horocycles. While the conical functions are closely related to certain finite-dimensional representations of semisimple Lie groups, in the present work the conical distributions are found to play various roles in the principal series of infinitedimensional representations of these groups.
Dancing with Giants: Wimpy Kernels for On-Demand I/O Isolation

To be trustworthy, security-sensitive applications must be small and simple--or wimpy. Because of their limited size and functions, they must securely compose with large, untrusted commodity systems--or giants--to survive. A security architecture based on a wimpy kernel can provide on-demand isolated I/O channels for wimp applications without bloating the underlying trusted computing base.
Comparison of single-electron removal processes in collisions of electrons, positrons, protons, and antiprotons with hydrogen and helium.

We present and compare total cross sections for single-electron removal in collisions of electrons, positrons, protons, and antiprotons with atomic hydrogen and helium. These cross sections have been calculated using the classical trajectory Monte Carlo technique in the velocity range of 0.5\char21{}7.0 a.u. (6.25\char21{}1224 keV/u). The cross sections are compared at equal collision velocities and exhibit differences arising from variations in mass and sign of charge of the projectile. At low and intermediate velocities these differences are large in both the ionization and charge transfer channels. At high velocities the single-ionization cross section for each of these singly charged particles becomes equal. However, the differences in the single-charge-transfer cross sections for positron and proton impact persist to very large velocities. We extend our previous work [Phys. Rev. A 38, 1866 (1988)] to explain these mass and sign of the charge effects in single-electron removal collisions.
On the implementation of some models of document retrieval

Recently several models of the search process in a document retrieval system have been proposed and retrieval experiments have shown that they will improve system performance. These include models which use relevance judgements to rank documents in order of probability of relevance and models of retrieval from clusters of documents. In this paper various models are compared in terms of the ease with which they could be implemented. An important consideration is how this implementation would be affected by the introduction of new hardware such as content-addressable memories. The main conclusion is that models which concentrate on improving the effectiveness of the search process are not rendered redundant by the availability of new hardware. However, the efficiency of their implementation would be improved.
Quantitative determination of engine water ingestion

A nonintrusive optical technique is described for determination of liquid mass flux in a droplet laden airstream. The techniques were developed for quantitative determination of engine water ingestion resulting from heavy rain or wheel spray. Independent measurements of the liquid water content (LWC) of the droplet laden airstream and of the droplet velocities were made at the stimulated nacelle inlet plane for the liquid mass flux determination. The LWC was measured by illuminating and photographing the droplets contained within a thin slice of the flow field by means of a sheet of light from a pulsed laser. A fluorescent dye introduced in the water enchanced the droplet image definition. The droplet velocities were determined from double exposed photographs of the moving droplet field. The technique was initially applied to a steady spray generated in a wind tunnel. It was found that although the spray was initially steady, the aerodynamic breakup process was inherently unsteady. This resulted in a wide variation of the instantaneous LWC of the droplet laden airstream. The standard deviation of ten separate LWC measurements was 31% of the average. However, the liquid mass flux calculated from the average LWC and droplet velocities came within 10% of the known water ingestion rate.
Modeling the effects of developmental variation on insect phenology.

Phenology, the timing of developmental events such as oviposition or pupation, is highly dependent on temperature; since insects are ectotherms, the time it takes them to complete a life stage (development time) depends on the temperatures they experience. This dependence varies within and between populations due to variation among individuals that is fixed within a life stage (giving rise to what we call persistent variation) and variation from random effects within a life stage (giving rise to what we call random variation). It is important to understand how both types of variation affect phenology if we are to predict the effects of climate change on insect populations. We present three nested phenology models incorporating increasing levels of variation. First, we derive an advection equation to describe the temperature-dependent development of a population with no variation in development time. This model is extended to incorporate persistent variation by introducing a developmental phenotype that varies within a population, yielding a phenotype-dependent advection equation. This is further extended by including a diffusion term describing random variation in a phenotype-dependent Fokker–Planck development equation. These models are also novel because they are formulated in terms of development time rather than developmental rate; development time can be measured directly in the laboratory, whereas developmental rate is calculated by transforming laboratory data. We fit the phenology models to development time data for mountain pine beetles (MPB) (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins [Coleoptera: Scolytidae]) held at constant temperatures in laboratory experiments. The nested models are parameterized using a maximum likelihood approach. The results of the parameterization show that the phenotype-dependent advection model provides the best fit to laboratory data, suggesting that MPB phenology may be adequately described in terms of persistent variation alone. MPB phenology is simulated using phloem temperatures and attack time distributions measured in central Idaho. The resulting emergence time distributions compare favorably to field observations.
Attenuation of transmission through glomeruli of olfactory bulb on paired shock stimulation

Abstract Single shock stimulation of the primary olfactory nerve (PON) activates a long-lasting and cumulative alteration in transmission through the glomeruli from the PON. This is best displayed by paired shock stimulation, in which the amplitude of a test response is attenuated by the occurence of a preceding conditioning response. The attenuation process is localized to the glomerular layer, because lateral olfactory tract (LOT) stimulation does not induce it, and responses to LOT input are not affected by it, although LOT input is subject to another kind of non-linear interaction. The attenuation process is not affected by deafferentation of the bulb or by section of the bulbar stalk, so it is not dependent on the receptors or on centrifugal input to the bulb. Provided the test and conditioning stimulus electrodes are separated by at least 500 μm, the two distributions of axons excited by paired shock PON stimulation are non-overlapping. Attenuation of test responses occurs when the conditioning and test stimuli are delivered at electrodes separated from 0 to 1260 μm or more, so the attenuation process cannot be attributed to delayed recovery of the PON axon terminals carrying the conditioning volley. The attenuation process reaches a maximum at test intervals between 25 and 50 msec. Thereafter it decays exponentially without overshoot or rebound supernormal excitability. The magnitude of the attenuation effect (up to 80%) and the decay rate of the attenuation process (up to 20/sec) both increase with increasing stimulus intensity.
Clinical sequelae associated with squaric acid dibutylester topical sensitization.

Abstract Background: Squaric acid dibutylester (SADBE) is a potent topical sensitizer used in the treatment of various cutaneous conditions. Currently, there are no standardized protocols defining safe sensitization methods or treatment regimens following sensitization. Objective: This is a literature review of the clinical use of SADBE and a report of our experience with SADBE therapy and its potential hazards. Methods: SADBE was applied with a cotton swab to the forearm of 14 patients to induce contact dermatitis. Results: Ten of 14 patients (71%) had severe eczematous reactions at the site of sensitization, and 9 of 14 (64%) developed disseminated reactions. Conclusion: Standard protocols delineating safe methods of sensitization and treatment with SADBE need further development.
The physiological and molecular regulation of lipoprotein assembly and secretion

Triglycerides are insoluble in water and yet are transported at milligram per millilitre concentrations in the bloodstream. This is made possible by the ability of the liver and intestine to assemble lipid-protein emulsions (i.e. lipoproteins), which transport hydrophobic molecules. The assembly of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins requires the coordination of protein and lipid synthesis, which occurs on the cytoplasmic surface of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and their concerted assembly and translocation into the luminal ER secretory pathway as nascent lipoprotein particles. The availability of lipid substrate for triglyceride production and the machinery for lipoprotein assembly are highly sensitive to nutritional, hormonal, and genetic modulation. Disorders in lipid metabolism or an imbalance between lipogenesis and lipoprotein assembly can lead to hyperlipidemia and/or hepatic steatosis. We selectively review recently-identified machinery, such as transcription factors and nuclear hormone receptors, which provide new clues to the regulation of lipoprotein secretion.
Clinical and Immunologic Components of Sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disease of unknown etiology that affects the lungs and the lymphatic system. It is seen by specialists in allergy, rheumatology, and pulmonary disease. Although there are no clues to etiology, an environmental basis has been implicated primarily on the basis of epidemiologic and anecdotal data. The majority of patients are very readily diagnosed and should not be confused with other pulmonary disorders. Sarcoidosis can become an issue if it occurs in the presence of other significant pulmonary disease, such as patients with asthma or hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Most patients remain asymptomatic and many are diagnosed when picked up on a routine screenign exam. Steroids can be used to manage some patients but caution should be exercised to choose the appropriate dose and to treat patients for a limited period of time to avoid the complications of steroids. A minority of patients do progress to significant disease, including morbidity and mortality, and further research is needed to determine more appropriate and specific therapy for such situations.
Regional differences in mortgage rates: An updated examination

This paper examines the question of regional differences in mortgage rates, using a nationwide sample of individual loan closings obtained from the National Association of Realtors, Mortgage Lending Survey ( s ), 1984–1987. It presents estimates of a model of mortgage contract rates that draws on the recent work of Hendershott, Van Order, and others. The magnitudes of regional differences is found to be small and statistically insignificant. The paper also shows that mortgage points are negatively related to contract rates. One point is shown to equate to a reduction in the contract rate of 19 basis points.
The earliest ultrastructural development of the tangential vestibular nucleus in the chick embryo.

The tangential nucleus is a primary vestibular nucleus located where the vestibular fibers enter the medulla. It is composed of neurons that migrate between 5 and 8 days in the chick embryo. Although primary vestibular fibers enter the medulla at 3 days, the first synapses are formed at 5 days on the processes of neuron precursors by longitudinally coursing fibers. Since the major components, or their precursors, are present at 3 days within the presumptive nucleus, we are interested in determining what cellular interactions occur among these structures following their entry and during the time leading up to synapse formatio. At 2 days, prior to the appearance of VIIth and VIIIth nerve fibers in the medulla, the tangential nucleus anlage contained processes and endfeet of primitive epithelial cells, separated from each other by enlarged extracellular spaces. Longitudinal fibers first appeared within these spaces coincident with the appearance of root fibers, including some identified VIIth motor axons, associated with the primordial VII/VIIIth ganglia. By 3 days, some vestibular and VIIth nerve fibers could be identified by their ultrastructure and relative positions within the marginal zone and nerve roots. However, it was not until 4 days that the presumptive tangential nucleus acquired its orderly, characteristic organization. Although synapses were rare from 2 to 4 days, attachment plaques and coated pits were observed commonly between structures, especially between future synaptic structures. Thus, we confirm that synapse formation begins at 5 days. This represents the first detailed ultrastructural study of cranial sensory nerve ingrowth into the medull.
The Cardiac Content of Sarcoplasmic Reticulum in the Rat Determined by Calcium Uptake Rate, Calcium Oxalate Capacity, Ryanodine Binding and Thapsigargin Titration

Abstract The amount of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum in rat hearts was estimated by comparing marker activities in the isolated SR fraction with their activities in the homogenate. Four distinguishable markers were measured: the oxalate-supported rate of calcium uptake, the calcium oxalate capacity, 3 H-ryanodine binding and the thapsigargin equivalents. The calcium uptake rate and capacity and thapsigargin equivalents were determined in the presence and absence of SR Ca 2+ channel blockade with high concentrations of ryanodine. All of these activities are believed to be located only in the SR. However, the calculation of the heart content of SR was somewhat different for the four markers. The calcium uptake rate gave 8.4 mg SR protein per g tissue in the absence of ryanodine, and 9.6 mg per g in its presence; calcium oxalate capacity gave similar numbers, 9.9 mg per g in the absence of ryanodine and 8.0 mg per g in its presence. The thapsigargin titration gave similar equivalent with or without ryanodine, indicating that the homogenate contained about 8.0 mg of SR per g tissue. Using 3 H-ranodine binding as a marker, the cardiac content of SR was calculated to be 16.7 mg per g. These differences are attributed to the non-ideal behavior of these markers. Some of the Ca 2+ uptake activity is not thapsigargin sensitive, and some of the 3 H-ryanodine binding does not fractionate with the SR Ca 2+ uptake activity.
Cobalt-Substituted γ-Fe 2 O 3 as a High-Density Recording Tape

In this study we investigated the recording performance of a surface composed of Co-substituted γ-Fe2O3 particles. These particles were cubic in shape with edge length of 500 to 1000 A, and coercivity of 500 to 600 Oe. This high coercivity is due primarily to the large magnetocrystalline anisotropy of the cobalt cation in the spinel lattice. The recording surface exhibited higher output, better dynamic range, and considerably smaller half-pulse width than typical acicular γ-Fe2O3 surfaces. Coercivity and squareness were found to decrease dramatically with increasing temperature, and with adverse consequences affecting recording performance. Heating a prerecorded tape to 150°C results in a 50 percent loss of signal; the conventional γ-Fe2O3 tapes experience no loss.
Load tap changer capability tests

IN THE DESIGN of load tap changer mechanisms for large power and regulating transformers, the possibility of their operation during system short-circuits is an important design consideration. Interrupting tests to determine the capability for such operation are necessary in order that the switch may be properly applied.
Electrical transport characteristics of Aplysia californica intestinal epithelium

Abstract 1. 1. Replacing chloride (Cl − ) with sulfate (SO 4 2− ) in the bathing medium drastically reduced the mucosal membrane potential difference (ψ m ). 2. 2. The voltage divider ratio was significantly greater than one. 3. 3. Mucosal d -glucose decreased the input resistance of the intestinal epithelium. 4. 4. Addition of furosemide to the mucosal bathing medium inhibited transepithelial potential difference and short-circuit current. 5. 5. Addition of SITS to the mucosal bathing medium partially inhibited transepithelial potential difference and short-circuit current. 6. 6. Diffusion potentials in the intestinal epithelium were symmetrical.
Kinetic analysis of penicilloic acid and penicilloamides in combination: Application to products of reaction of penicillin with tromethamine (tris) and poly-l-lysine

Studies of chemical reactions related to penicillin allergy often require an assay for both penicilloic acid and penicilloamides in reaction mixtures. Previous assays were based on conversion of these substances, with HgCl2, to penamaldates which have an absorption maximum at 282 mμ. Differentiation of the two compounds was accomplished by taking advantage of the lower stability of the penamaldate of penicilloic acid using only the absorbance initially and after 10 min. The present work describes an improved method based on the fact that decay of penamaldate can be resolved kinetically into its two components. Extrapolation to zero time yields very accurate estimates of molar extinction coefficients. The method was applied to products of reaction of tromethamine (Tris) with penicillin which is catalyzed by poly-L-lysine (PLL). In absence of tromethamine both penicilloic acid and penicilloyl-PLL are formed while at high tromethamine concentration the product is almost entirely N-(penicilloy1)-tromethamine. Calculated rates show that PLL catalyzes hydrolysis of penicillin to penicilloic acid as well as aminolysis by tromethamine. These results confirm the previously proposed reaction mechanism.
The Identification of Empirically Derived Goals for Program Development in Environmental Interpretation

Abstract A broad framework of goals for environmental interpretation was produced, and these goals were revised and validated on the basis of input from a national panel of interpretive experts. Several tasks were accomplished. First, an intensive review of interpretive literature was conducted that produced over 100 principles, goals, and objectives in interpretation. An analysis of the key words and phrases used in these principles, goals, and objectives yielded categories of directives for environmental interpretation. A review of research studies related to environmental behavior paradigms was conducted. Following this review, the Hungerford and Volk (1990) model of variables involved in responsible environmental behavior was used as the basis for a framework for environmental interpretation goals related to behavior change. This integration produced an initial set of Goals for Program Development in Environmental Interpretation. The goals comprised 3 hierarchical levels: entry-level goals, ownership ...
The mechanism of the reversible reaction: 2C2H2⇇vinyl acetylene and the pyrolysis of butadiene

It is shown that kinetic data on the polymerization of acetylene to vinyl acetylene and benzene can be reconciled with the formation of a 1,4 biradical which can isomerize by a 1-3, H-atom shift to the molecular product. Since the biradicals have a negligibly small life-time in the system the overall process appears to be a concerted bimolecular reaction. The labile isomer CH2 C: which had been suggested as being the reactive intermediate, is argued on energy considerations not to be a plausible intermediate. Data on the reverse pyrolysis of vinyl acetylene to acetylene are consistent with the model. Extending the model to butadiene explains the observed molecular nature of its decomposition to ethylene and acetylene. Reactions of other oligomers of acetylene are discussed.
A comparison of administrative and physiologic predictive models in determining risk adjusted mortality rates in critically ill patients.

Background Hospitals are increasingly compared based on clinical outcomes adjusted for severity of illness. Multiple methods exist to adjust for differences between patients. The challenge for consumers of this information, both the public and healthcare providers, is interpreting differences in risk adjustment models particularly when models differ in their use of administrative and physiologic data. We set to examine how administrative and physiologic models compare to each when applied to critically ill patients. Methods We prospectively abstracted variables for a physiologic and administrative model of mortality from two intensive care units in the United States. Predicted mortality was compared through the Pearsons Product coefficient and Bland-Altman analysis. A subgroup of patients admitted directly from the emergency department was analyzed to remove potential confounding changes in condition prior to ICU admission. Results We included 556 patients from two academic medical centers in this analysis. The administrative model and physiologic models predicted mortalities for the combined cohort were 15.3% (95% CI 13.7%, 16.8%) and 24.6% (95% CI 22.7%, 26.5%) (t-test p-value<0.001). The r2 for these models was 0.297. The Bland-Atlman plot suggests that at low predicted mortality there was good agreement; however, as mortality increased the models diverged. Similar results were found when analyzing a subgroup of patients admitted directly from the emergency department. When comparing the two hospitals, there was a statistical difference when using the administrative model but not the physiologic model. Unexplained mortality, defined as those patients who died who had a predicted mortality less than 10%, was a rare event by either model. Conclusions In conclusion, while it has been shown that administrative models provide estimates of mortality that are similar to physiologic models in non-critically ill patients with pneumonia, our results suggest this finding can not be applied globally to patients admitted to intensive care units. As patients and providers increasingly use publicly reported information in making health care decisions and referrals, it is critical that the provided information be understood. Our results suggest that severity of illness may influence the mortality index in administrative models. We suggest that when interpreting “report cards” or metrics, health care providers determine how the risk adjustment was made and compares to other risk adjustment models.
Polypoid gastric heterotopia causing small bowel intussusception.

A case of polypoid heterotopic gastric mucosa in the jejunum presenting as intussusception is presented and the pertinent literature is reviewed.
P4.080 Understanding the Influence of Individual and Partner-Specific Sexual Sealth on Sexual Risk Behaviour Among Adolescent Women

Background Sexual health identifies both individual and partner-specific factors as important elements in public health approaches to STI prevention among adolescents, yet little empirical evidence links them to specific STI-related health outcomes. Method Data were individual and partner-specific quarterly interviews from a cohort of young women in Indianapolis (N = 387, 14–17 yrs.). Using an existing sexual health definition (WHO, 2002) we created two standardised, multi-item sexual health scales: individual sexual health (sexual positivity, absence of genital pain, family communication, family connexion) and partner-specific sexual health (relationship satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, condom use self-efficacy, pregnancy prevention attitudes, sexual communication, partner’s connexion to family) (both α ≥ 0.85). Outcomes were: used a condom at last sex (no/yes), ratio of condom-protected coital events , any sexual coercion (no/yes), current number sex partners (2+/1), future number of sex partners (next 90-days: 2+/1). Analyses were multi-level logistic and linear regression (HLM, 7.0; all p 0.05), overall and by current number of sexual partners. Results Individual (OR = 1.22) and partner-specific (OR = 1.87) sexual health predicted condom use at last sex; partner-specific sexual health predicted no sexual coercion (OR = 0.69), a higher ratio of condom-protected coital events (b = 0.12), as well as having one sexual partner currently and for the anticipated future. Higher partner-specific sexual health predicted condom use at last sex in currently single (OR = 1.70) and in currently multiple partner relationships (OR = 2.22), a higher ratio of condom protected coital events in currently single (b = 0.15) and in currently multiple partner relationships (b = 3.66), and absence of sexual coercion (OR = 0.19) in currently multiple-partner relationships. Conclusion Individual and partner-specific sexual health are separately linked to key STI-related public health indicators. These data suggest that different elements may require emphasis to more fully support effective sexual health approaches to reducing STI in adolescents.
Managed Mental Health Care: Implications for Social Work Practice and Social Work Education

ABSTRACT Managed care has rapidly developed as the most common model of delivery of health care in this country. This article examines the implications of new demands brought to bear on social workers. This research compares six managed health care plans operating regionally and nationally and demonstrates the cumbersome application process. Fee schedules for each of the plans are listed. Ethical concerns regarding the client's right to self-determination, confidentiality, primacy of the client's interests, and the client's right to services are discussed. Variation and ability to obtain treatment is demonstrated. Theinterrelatedness between the effects on practice patterns and the social work values arenoted. Implications for social work education are outlined in understanding the personalaffects of political policy.
Distribution patterns of satellite associations in human lymphocytes relative to age and sex

Using ammoniacal silver for differential staining of satellites, associations from 1,668 human metaphases were studied from lymphocyte cultures of 167 normal individuals and were correlated with age and sex. There is a peak in satellite association frequency up to age 20 years in males and to 25 in females. With older ages there is a decline in association frequencies. No associations with four or more chromosomes were found in newborns. Furthermore, association in newborns, as well as in individuals older than 50 years, are significantly low compared to in-between age groups. Females have a higher frequency of satellite associations than males between the ages of 3 and 50 years. Typically, females have greater multiple associations, while males have more single associations. Randomness or non-randomness of occurrence of associations fluctuates for different age groups within and between the two sexes.
Oncogenes and RNA splicing of human tumor viruses

Approximately 10.8% of human cancers are associated with infection by an oncogenic virus. These viruses include human papillomavirus (HPV), Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV), human T-cell leukemia virus 1 (HTLV-1), Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV). These oncogenic viruses, with the exception of HCV, require the host RNA splicing machinery in order to exercise their oncogenic activities, a strategy that allows the viruses to efficiently export and stabilize viral RNA and to produce spliced RNA isoforms from a bicistronic or polycistronic RNA transcript for efficient protein translation. Infection with a tumor virus affects the expression of host genes, including host RNA splicing factors, which play a key role in regulating viral RNA splicing of oncogene transcripts. A current prospective focus is to explore how alternative RNA splicing and the expression of viral oncogenes take place in a cell- or tissue-specific manner in virus-induced human carcinogenesis.
KRAS testing of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer in a community-based oncology setting: a retrospective database analysis.

In 2009, treatment guidelines were updated to recommend KRAS testing at diagnosis for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). We investigated KRAS testing rates over time and compared characteristics of KRAS-tested and not-tested patients in a community-based oncology setting. Adult patients with a diagnosis of mCRC from 2008–2011 were selected from the ACORN Data Warehouse (ACORN Research LLC, Memphis, TN). Text mining of physician progress notes and full chart reviews identified KRAS-tested patients, test dates, and test results (KRAS status). The overall proportion of eligible patients KRAS-tested in each calendar year was calculated. Among KRAS-tested patients, the proportion tested at diagnosis (within 60 days) was calculated by year. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to compare patient characteristics at diagnosis between tested and not-tested cohorts, and to identify factors associated with KRAS testing. Among 1,363 mCRC patients seen from 2008–2011, 648 (47.5%) were KRAS-tested. Among newly diagnosed mCRC patients, the rate of KRAS testing increased from 5.9% prior to 2008, to 13.9% in 2008, and then jumped dramatically to 32.3% in 2009, after which a modest yearly increase continued. The proportions of KRAS-tested patients who had been diagnosed in previous years but not tested previously increased from 17.7% in 2008 to 27.0% in 2009, then decreased to 19.0% in 2010 and 17.6% in 2011. Among patients who were KRAS-tested, the proportions tested at the time of diagnosis increased annually (to 78.4% in 2011). Patients more likely to have been tested included those with lung metastases, poor performance status, more comorbidities, and mCRC diagnosis in 2009 or later. The frequency of KRAS testing increased over time, corresponding to changes in treatment guidelines and epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor product labels; however, approximately 50% of eligible patients were untested during the study period.
Integration of textual and graphic languages for real-time programming

Abstract Programming languages for real-time control are tools provided to the control engineers to apply sophisticated control systems to control problems in understandable terms. The need for integration of several real-time control programs is illustrated by reviewing the different levels of the control system development procedure and the personnel involved at each level. Standard languages developed by task force 3 of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)subcommittee 65A on Standards for Programmable Controllers for real-time control applications are shown to have the features required to meet the requirements of the real-time control problem. Real-time control strategy may be conveyed easily to all levels of personnel participating in the control system development by integrating the different languages into the control program. Implementation of integrating different languages to real-time control applications has been slow. However, with the emphasis on productivity at all levels in the production process, more attention will be given to this programming technique in the future.
9,9-Dimethyl-8,10-dioxapentacyclo[5.3.0.02,5.03,5.03,6]decane and naphthotetracyclo[5.1.0.01,6.02,7]oct-3-ene: new substituted [1.1.1]propellanes as precursors to 1,2,3,4-tetrafunctionalized bicyclo[1.1.1]pentanes

Abstract Two new substituted [1.1.1]propellanes have been generated from the corresponding bicyclo[1.1.0]butanes in either single-step ( 1a ) or four-step procedures ( 1b ). The observed degree of double lithiation of the bicyclo[1.1.0]butanes is discussed in the context of DFT computational results. Addition reactions across the central C(1)–C(3) bonds of the propellanes were studied. Only the propellane 1b gave the biacetyl addition product.
High-density, low-enriched uranium fuel for nuclear research reactors

The objective of the Reduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactor program is to enable the conversion of test reactors using fuel containing high-enriched uranium to fuel that employs low-enriched uranium. This paper describes the development of this low-enrichedfuel, including fabrication, characterization, and testing of the fuel.
Nitric oxide inhibits peroxide-mediated endothelial toxicity.

Background. Oxidant molecules and nitric oxide (NO) have each been implicated as mediators of endothelial cell damage, but the biologic effect of these molecules acting in concert is incompletely understood. Materials and methods. We studied the effects of an NO donor,S-nitroso-acetyl-d,l-penicillamine (SNAP), in combination with the peroxidantstert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBH) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on rabbit aortic endothelial cells in culture. Cell viability was assessed using Alamar blue, a nontoxic dye indicator of cell metabolism. Lipid peroxidation was assessed using a chemiluminescent single-photon counting technique. Results. After 90 min exposure to test reagents, there was concentration-dependent cytotoxicity for both TBH and H2O2. Peroxidant-induced cytotoxicity was significantly ameliorated by SNAP (10−4–10−3M).N-Acetylpenicillamine and NO-depleted SNAP failed to demonstrate a cytoprotective effect against peroxidant cellular injury, thus implicating NO as the agent responsible for the protective effect. SNAP reduced lipid peroxidation caused by 10−3M TBH in a dose-dependent manner. Preincubation of cells with SNAP before exposure to peroxidants alone had no effect on toxicity. Conclusions. NO is cytoprotective to the endothelium in the presence of peroxidants through a reduction of lipid peroxidation.
A pharmacokinetic approach to preterm labor inhibition

In this article, we will review the pharmacokinetics and pharmacology of the most frequently used labor inhibiting agents with a view toward optimizing efficacy and minimizing adverse side effects.
Characterization of polycrystalline silicon carbide films grown by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition on polycrystalline silicon

X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy were used to characterize the microstructure of polycrystalline SiC films grown on as-deposited and annealed polysilicon substrates. For both substrate types, the texture of the SiC films resembles the polysilicon at the onset of SiC growth. During the high temperature deposition process, the as-deposited polysilicon recrystallizes without influencing the crystallinity of the overlying SiC. An investigation of the SiC/polysilicon interface reveals that a heteroepitaxial relationship exists between polysilicon and SiC grains. From this study, a method to control the orientation of highly textured polycrystalline SiC films has been developed.
Refining landscape change models through outlier analysis in the Muskegon watershed of Michigan

Abstract Balancing natural resource protection and urban development is of concern to researchers, planners and citizens who are aware of the environmental, social and economic impacts of urban land use. Land-use change models can assist in finding this balance. An objective of this research was to build a better model of land-use change by integrating quantitative and qualitative techniques. A modelling approach is presented that combines statistical logistic regression with field-based outlier analysis. To this end, a collaborative effort between researchers, who are adept at building models, and local experts, who better understand the dynamics of landscape change in their communities, was undertaken. The findings indicate that this modelling approach is successful in improving overall model performance, as measured by pseudo r-squared value, and identifying additional drivers of land-use change, namely zoning, soil suitability and distance to highway interchange. Most importantly, this collaborative m...
Secondary Prevention of Overt Strokes in Sickle Cell Disease: Therapeutic Strategies and Efficacy

Overt strokes, previously one of the most common neurological complications in sickle cell disease (SCD), have become far less frequent with routine transcranial Doppler (TCD) assessment followed by regular blood transfusion therapy. Nevertheless, children and adults with SCD continue to have overt strokes, and in the foreseeable future will continue to require secondary prevention of strokes. With the exception of the most recently completed "Stroke With Transfusions Changing to Hydroxyurea" Trial (SWiTCH; NCT00122980), randomized trials providing best evidence for long-term management of overt strokes in SCD is lacking. Instead of randomized clinical trials, a series of observational and single-arm studies have predominated. This review assesses the best available evidence for acute and chronic management of overt stroke and the efficacy of regular blood transfusion therapy, hydroxyurea therapy, and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), including matched sibling donor and unrelated HSCT.
Audit Committee Characteristics and the Quality of Financial Reporting: An Empirical Analysis

In this paper, we empirically examine the relationship between two audit committee characteristics - the composition (expertise and independence) and size of the audit committee - and the quality of financial reporting. We show that after controlling for firm size, board composition, a measure of management's commitment to transparency (the existence of an ethics program) and institutional ownership, the percentage of audit committee members having expertise in accounting or financial management is positively related to financial reporting quality. We also find some evidence of a positive relationship between the size of the audit committee and financial reporting quality. However, audit committee independence is not related to financial reporting quality. We also verify that our results are robust across different measures of financial reporting quality. Our results suggest that mandating greater expertise on audit committees rather than simply requiring one expert on the audit committee may be beneficial to investors. In addition, our results also provide weak support for the recommendation of the Blue Ribbon Committee that firms devote significant directorial resources to the audit committee. Given the prior evidence of a negative relationship between financial reporting quality and cost of capital, firms could improve their reporting quality by appropriately structuring their audit committees, thus reducing their cost of capital.
Family Religious Involvement, Parenting Practices and Academic Performance in Adolescents

This project investigated the impacts of family religious involvement and family religious affiliations on parenting practices and academic performance. This study utilized data from the base-year and first follow-up of the Education Longitudinal Study: 2002/2004 (ELS). A series of statistical techniques were incorporated to examine the nature of the overall associations. The results revealed that parents' religious involvement with their children is related to their parenting practices and their children's academic performance, but this link is mediated by the parents' religious affiliation. Significant associations among religious involvement, parenting practices for family socialization and academic performance suggest that a higher level of family religious participation indicates a level of social impact on education that leads to better academic performance. Implications for researchers and parents were discussed.
Visualizing the spatial and temporal distribution of user interaction data collected in three-dimensional virtual worlds

This paper reports work in progress on the analysis and visualization of the spatial and temporal distribution of user interaction data collected in three-dimensional (3D) virtual worlds. Two tools are introduced. The "WorldMapper" reads in a so-called propdump file and creates a 2D clickable map showing the layout of the world as well as interaction possibilities such as teleports and clickable web links. The second tool visualizes user interaction data such as navigation, chatting, and Web access activity overlaid on the world map. Resulting visualizations are meant to support social navigation, design evaluation and optimization, and the study of virtual communities. Both tools are demonstrated on a 19-person information treasure hunt for information in a 3D virtual world. The paper concludes with a discussion and an outlook.
Metabolic reprogramming, caloric restriction and aging

Caloric restriction (CR) without malnutrition slows the aging process and extends lifespan in diverse species by unknown mechanisms. The inverse linear relationship between calorie intake and lifespan suggests that regulators of energy metabolism are important in the actions of CR. Studies in several species reveal tissue-specific changes in energy metabolism with CR and suggest that metabolic reprogramming plays a critical role in its mechanism of aging retardation. We herein describe common signatures of CR and suggest how they can slow aging. We discuss recent advances in understanding the function of key metabolic regulators that probably coordinate the response to altered nutrient availability with CR and how the pathways they regulate can retard the aging process.
The Police Legitimacy Crisis and Police Law Reform in China: Part I:

In 1978 the third plenary session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CCCP) set a new course of development for China, ie modernisation by way of economic reform and ...