cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Magnetoconductance of the quantum spin Hall state

We study numerically the edge magnetoconductance of a quantum spin Hall insulator in the presence of quenched nonmagnetic disorder. For a finite magnetic field $B$ and disorder strength $W$ on the order of the bulk gap ${E}_{g}$, the conductance deviates from its quantized value in a manner which appears to be linear in $|B|$ at small $B$. The observed behavior is in qualitative agreement with the cusplike features observed in recent magnetotransport measurements on HgTe quantum wells. We propose a dimensional crossover scenario as a function of $W$, in which for weak disorder $Wl{E}_{g}$ the edge liquid is analogous to a disordered spinless one-dimensional (1D) quantum wire, while for strong disorder $Wg{E}_{g}$, the disorder causes frequent virtual transitions to the two-dimensional (2D) bulk, where the originally 1D edge electrons can undergo 2D diffusive motion and 2D antilocalization.
A new fluorimetric method for measurement of oxidase-catalyzed reactions

Abstract The oxidase-catalyzed oxidation of glucose consumes dissolved oxygen, the rate of disappearance of which is monitored by oxygen quenching of the fluorescence of pyrene in a 1:1 water—ethanol medium. The relationship between the rate of increase of fluorescence and concentration is linear for 10 μg-1 mg of glucose in the optical cell.
Effect of sotalol on clinical arrhythmias

Abstract Sotalol (MJ 1999) was administered to 20 patients for the treatment of 22 episodes of supraventricular and 6 episodes of ventricular arrhythmias. The dose range was 9 to 50 mg intravenously and 20 to 80 mg orally given every 6 hours. In 4 of 6 patients supraventricular tachycardia was converted to normal sinus rhythm. In 4 with episodic supraventricular tachycardia, Sotalol prevented further recurrences in all. In 1 patient atrial flutter was converted to normal sinus rhythm. In 3 others with atrial flutter, and in 3 with atrial fibrillation, Sotalol slowed the ventricular response from an average rate of 125 to 72 beats/min. In 1 patient with episodic atrial fibrillation and another with episodic ventricular tachycardia, Sotalol prevented further recurrences. In 1 of 2 patients Sotalol decreased the frequency of premature atrial contractions; in 5 patients with premature ventricular contractions, it abolished them in 2 and reduced their frequency in the other 3. Side effects included transient hypotension in 3 patients and bradycardia sufficient to require reducing the dose of Sotalol in 4. It is concluded that Sotalol is a moderately effective antiarrhythmic drug which may be preferable to other beta adrenergic blocking agents because of its lack of substantial myocardial depressant effects.
On calculating the electron-phonon mass enhancement lambda for compounds

A technique is presented for calculating the electron mass-enhancement factor for compounds, lambda , which should be particularly accurate for binary materials where one constituent is much heavier than the other. It is found that lambda decomposes into a sum of terms from each independent site in the unit cell. Each term involves an electron-phonon interaction factor and a phonon spectrum moment which is weighted by the amplitude of vibration of the atom in question. The contribution to lambda from the heavy atom involves electron coupling to the acoustic phonons, while the light atom couples to the optic phonons. A comparison of the calculations for the refractory carbides and the palladium hydrogen system indicates that the proposed formulation gives reliable results.
Children's Understanding of Personal Dispositions and Its Relationship to Behavior.

Abstract Previous research suggests that children's understanding of dispositions (i.e., personality traits and abilities) changes as they grow older. Even though they may apply dispositional labels to individual behaviors, younger children do not seem to view dispositions as stable characteristics that produce consistent patterns of behavior, at least not to the same extent that older children and adults do. In the present studies we examined how an unstable versus stable view of dispositions might affect the motivational consequences of children's (7–8 year olds) success and failure experiences (Study 1) and their self-concept and impressions of other persons (Study 2). Both studies indicate that the different views of dispositions have important consequences for behaviors and perceptions, and they suggest that coming to view dispositions as stable characteristics may be an important clement of social development.
Revisiting the phylogenetic relationships, biogeography, and taxonomy of spider monkeys (genus Ateles) in light of new molecular data

Abstract Spider monkeys (Ateles) are one of the most endangered groups of primates in the Neotropics. The genus is widely distributed from Mexico to the north of Bolivia and includes many morphologically distinct forms in terms of pelage color and patterning. The taxonomy, phylogenetic relationships, and biogeographic history of the genus have been subject to much debate, making scientific communication difficult and creating challenges for conservation actions. We extracted DNA from samples of all currently recognized species of spider monkeys collected from across the geographic range of the genus, sequenced ∼3.5 kilobases of coding sequence from the mitochondrial genome, and used this large dataset to (a) infer the phylogenetic relationships among the different forms of spider monkeys, (b) evaluate whether currently recognized species of spider monkeys form reciprocally monophyletic groups that are concordant with contemporary classifications, and (c) estimate divergence dates among the different lineages of Ateles. We found that all proposed species of spider monkeys for which we have samples from multiple localities indeed appear to form monophyletic groups. However, in contrast to previous studies, several of our analyses robustly inferred Ateles marginatus from northeast Brazil as the sister taxon to all other spider monkeys. A Bayesian dating analysis suggests that the most recent common ancestor of extant Ateles dates to ∼6.7 Ma, in the late Miocene, and most species-level splits within the genus took place in the late Pliocene, suggesting that the modern diversity in spider monkeys cannot be explained principally by isolation and divergence of populations in forest refugia during the Pleistocene. Based on our new phylogenetic inference and dating analysis, we propose a revised biogeographic scenario for the evolution of this genus.
Numerical methods for fully nonlinear elliptic equations of the Monge-Ampère type

Abstract In this article, we discuss the numerical solution of the Dirichlet problem for the Monge–Ampere equation in two dimensions. The solution of closely related problems is also discussed; these include a family of Pucci’s equations, the equation prescribing the harmonic mean of the eigenvalues of the Hessian of a smooth function of two variables, and a minimization problem from nonlinear elasticity, where the cost functional involves the determinant of the gradient of vector-valued functions. To solve the Monge–Ampere equation we consider two methods. The first one “reduces”the Monge–Ampere equation to a saddle-point problem for a well-chosen augmented Lagrangian; to solve this saddle-point problem we advocate an Uzawa–Douglas–Rachford algorithm. The second method combines nonlinear least-squares and operator-splitting. This second method being simpler to implements, we apply variants of it to the solution of the other problems. For the space discretization we use mixed finite element approximations, closely related to methods already used for the solution of linear and nonlinear bi-harmonic problems; through these approximations the solution of the above problems is, essentially, reduced to the solution of discrete Poisson problems. The methods discussed in this article are validated by the results of numerical experiments.
Renormalizing the effective potential for spontaneously broken gφ4 field theory

We determine the renormalized effective potential V[φ] for φ4 field theory when there is spontaneous symmetry breakdown. We show how to obtain an expression for V[φ] which at the one-loop level is real and convex by summing over all the minima at finite volume of the classical action with euclidean lagrangian given by 12(∂μφ)2+14g(φ2−a2)2−jφ. Our method of determining Z[j] cures the two diseases of the “naive” one-loop effective potential of being complex and non-convex. We give a new prescription for renormalization which is consistent with our calculational procedure.
Mutations in ZIC3 and ACVR2B are a common cause of heterotaxy and associated cardiovascular anomalies.

BACKGROUND Heterotaxy syndrome is caused by left-right asymmetry disturbances and is associated with abnormal lateralisation of the abdominal and thoracic organs. The heart is frequently involved and the severity of the abnormality usually determines the outcome. METHODS We performed a direct sequence analysis of the coding sequence of genes including Zinc Finger Protein of the Cerebellum 3, Left-Right Determination Factor 2, Activin A Receptor Type IIB, and Cryptic in 47 patients with laterality defects and congenital cardiac disease. RESULTS Of the 47 patients, 31 (66%) had atrioventricular septal defects, 34 (72%) had abnormal systemic venous return, 25 (53%) had transposed or malposed great arteries, and 20 (43%) had pulmonary venous abnormalities. We identified two novel genetic changes in Zinc Finger Protein of the Cerebellum 3, and these variants were not present in 100 ethnically matched control samples. One previously reported missense mutation in Activin A Receptor Type IIB was identified in two unrelated subjects. The genetic changes identified in this study are all located in conserved regions and are predicted to affect protein function in left-right axis formation and cardiovascular development. CONCLUSIONS Mutations in Zinc Finger Protein of the Cerebellum 3 and Activin A Receptor Type IIB were identified in 4 of the 47 patients with heterotaxy syndrome for a yield of approximately 8.5%. Our results expand the mutation spectrum of monogenic heterotaxy syndrome with associated cardiac anomalies and suggest that there are other causes of heterotaxy yet to be identified.
Further developments in determining the dynamic contact law

A force/strain relation (incorporating shear effects) for the transverse impact of beams is established in the frequency domain. Inversion by use of a fast-Fourier-transform (FFT) algorithm is shown to allow the force history to be determined. The effects of sampling rate and size are considered when analyzing experimental data.
Extending the Performance and Energy-Efficiency of Shared Memory Multicores with Nanophotonic Technology

As the number of cores increases exponentially on a single chip, the design and integration of both the on-chip network facilitating intercore communication, and the cache coherence protocol for enabling shared memory programming have become critical for improved energy-efficiency and overall chip performance. With traditional metal interconnects facing stringent energy constraints, researchers are currently pursuing disruptive solutions such as nanophotonics for improved energy-efficiency. Cache coherence in multicores can be enforced effectively by snoopy protocols; however, broadcasting every cache miss can limit the scalability while consuming excess energy. In this paper, we propose PULSE, a nanophotonic broadcast tree-based network for snoopy cache coherent multicores. To limit the energy-penalty from broadcasting (and thereby splitting) optical signals, we direct the optical signal from the external laser such that only the subset of requesters can receive the optical signal. Furthermore, as cache blocks are shared by a few cores, we propose a multicast version of PULSE called multi-PULSE that predicts the sharers' for each L2 miss and morphing the broadcast to a multicast network. We evaluate the energy and performance using CACTI and SIMICS on 16-core and 64-core versions of PULSE and multi-PULSE for Splash-2, PARSEC, and SPEC CPU2006 benchmarks and compare to electrical networks, optical networks, and another cache filtering techniques. Our results indicate that PULSE outperforms competitive electrical/optical networks by 60 percent in terms of execution time, and multi-PULSE reduces average energy from 10 to 80 percent even with a few mispredictions.
Patient with a parotid mass.

The contemporary workup of a patient with a solitary parotid mass is discussed. This discussion is directed, with a limited review of the current literature, and is meant to provide a succinct topic review and to facilitate additional study of the topic.
The UTD/UCLA high resolution gamma ray telescope

Abstract The UTD/UCLA collaboration is developing and testing a high resolution large area gamma ray telescope to be employed in space for studying diffuse and point like sources of cosmic gamma rays in the 1 MeV to 20 GeV energy range. The major objectives of this program are (1) the Study of new point like sources of MeV and GeV gamma rays, (2) observation of characteristic angular variations in the diffuse gamma rays to identify their primary origin, (3) search for gammas from the decay and annihilation of cold dark matter particles, (4′ search for bursts from exotic objects, and (5) search for a massive black hole in the center of our galaxy.
The Historical Archaeology of Native Americans

▪ Abstract Historical archaeologists have given relatively scant attention to the study of Native Americans. Despite the potential to contribute to new understandings about Native peoples during and after European contact, the research commitment has been ambivalent at best. In this review, I ground this relationship in early debates about the field's subject matter and concurrent discussions in anthropology about direct-historical and acculturation models. In addition, I highlight currents in research that have refined these approaches as well as those that have charted new directions. The latter are notable for helping comprehend the role of place and tradition in Native peoples' lives, but also for reminding us of the complexities of identity construction in America after European contact. I reason that historical archaeology's use of multiple sources, if linked creatively, can be crucial in producing knowledge about the past that illuminates the rich diversity of experiences among Native Americans. “D...
Renal scarring and primary reflux in adults.

Abstract Twelve of 20 adults with primary reflux had radiographic features of pyelonephritis. Six of the 12 patients had no history of urinary tract infection during childhood. The severity of renal scarring did not correlate with a positive childhood history. The pathophysiologic aspects of renal scarring and therapeutic implications are discussed.
Factors affecting the performance, energy consumption, and carbon footprint for ultra low temperature freezers: case study at the National Institutes of Health

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recognises an opportunity to significantly reduce the energy consumption and its carbon footprint from plug load equipment can be realised by managing –86°C ultra low temperature (ULT) freezers. Energy meters were installed on ULT freezers operating in actual laboratory conditions to determine how their energy consumption is influenced by various factors. Ambient temperature, freezer condition, age, capacity, and set point temperature were the factors that were examined. Based on the study, ultra low temperature freezers operated efficiently when they are: well maintained, operating in ambient temperatures less than 25°C, less than ten years old, are operating at a set point higher than –80°C, and have an internal capacity greater than 23 ft3. The results of the case study are presented and discussed. Freezer performance was assessed to determine how ambient temperature and the freezer condition influenced the freezer’s ability to reach set point temperature. The results of the study indicate a freezer that is not maintained and operating in ambient temperatures above 32°C produce cabinet temperatures 12.5°C warmer than the desired set point temperature.
Metabolism of lactose by Lemna minor L. (Duckweed) callus

Abstract The callus of Lemna minor L. (duckweed) is capable of heterotrophic assimilation of galactose and β-lactose, whereas the intact plant is not. Sucrose-grown callus adapted rapidly, uniformly, and reversibly to utilization of galactose or lactose in heterotrophic growth. Single-nutrient deficiencies of callus growth medium were corrected fully by milk whey; the lactose of milk whey was utilized. Lemna callus grows well at pH 4·0–6·5 and tolerates 0·05% (5·5 m M ) lactic acid at pH 5·0 with slowed growth. Preliminary data using crude extracts of callus revealed higher specific activities of enzymes of lactose and galactose metabolism: β-galactosidase, galactokinase, UDP gal pyrophosphorylase, and inorganic pyrophosphorylase.
Two-Photon Absorption And Nonlinear Refraction In Isotropic Liquid Crystals

Picosecond nonlinear absorption and nonlinear refraction studies are presented for isotropic phase liquid crystals. These materials exhibit a large two-photon absorption coefficient (f3) at 532 nm, with values as large as 0.6 cm/GW. Nonlinear refraction was also observed and the nonlinear refractive index (n9) was measuv.qd at 1064 nm usiAg an external self-focusing arrangement. Values of n2 range from 6 x 10-13 esu to 17 x 10-13 esu.
Signal degradation through module pins in VLSI packaging

This paper investigates chip-to-chip communication through the modules and board in VLSI packaging. Transmission line models and frequency-dependent transmission line parameters are used in finding the frequency response. The time-domain solution is then obtained through the inverse Fast Fourier Transform. The results show that uncoated module pins, even of relatively short length, can cause severe signal degradation because of their magnetic property. The signal behavior is improved dramatically, however, when the module pins are coated with nonmagnetic conductive material.
Doppler-free backward-fluorescence spectroscopy in vapors

A new laser-spectroscopy technique, requiring neither a continuously tunable laser nor a tunable optical transition, is demonstrated. The method involves measuring the fluorescence antiparallel to the laser beam by a scanning Fabry–Perot interferometer. The resulting Doppler-free measurement features a doubled-frequency separation between hyperfine transitions.
Skeletal muscle fiber splitting with weight‐lifting exercise in rats

Adult male albino rats were assigned randomly to control (CON) and weight-lifting (WL) groups. The WL rats were subjected to a progressive weight-lifting program against high resistance for 8 weeks. During the last 2 weeks, each WL rat lifted a load equal to 130% of its body weight. The mean weight of the adductor longus muscle was significantly increased in the WL group ( p < 0.05). This increased muscle weight was shown to be due to an increase in the number of fibers per unit cross-sectional area ( p < 0.05), and the mean sizes of both fast-twitch oxidative glycolytic and slow-twitch oxidative fibers were significantly smaller in the WL rats than in the CON rats (p < 0.05). Light and electron microscopic examination showed that five out of eight WL rats exhibited longitudinally split muscle fibers, while only one CON rat had a few centrally placed nuclei. The splitting process appeared as either a "pinching-off" of a small segment from the parent fiber or an invagination of the sarcolemma deep into the muscle fiber in a plane parallel to the sarcomeres. There were preliminary indications that this work-induced fiber-splitting process may be a physiological adaptation of muscle to the stress of exercise.
Cryosurgery for the treatment of cancer

Cryosurgery is that branch of cryobiology and surgery which deals with the therapeutic application of cold at profoundly low temperatures (those below 0°C) for the purpose of destroying tissues in selected target sites. The freezing process induces coagulation necrosis and is confined to the tissues within the region of the probe application and the ice ball. The degree and extent of tissue destruction depend largely on the size of the ice ball and the temperatures within it. Various types of equipment and probes are commercially available for cryosurgery, but it was only after the development of reliable, versatile cryosurgical systems cooled by liquid nitrogen that numerous applications for cryosurgery were proposed, including therapy for cancer. In the treatment of cancer, clinical success with cryosurgery has led to the more widespread application of this modality in selected patients. Cryosurgery has been used for readily accessible lesions in specific anatomic areas, most frequently the skin and oral cavity. It is an attractive alternative to extirpative surgery, particularly in the head and neck, where removal of large portions of the mandible or maxilla are often required to control cancer. Therefore, it is not surprising that many of the pioneering efforts in the treatment of cancer have been conducted by otorhinolaryngologists. The full theoretic potential of cryotherapy was somewhat slow to be realized because many early endeavors were directed toward palliation, especially of accessible tumors of the skin and oral cavity, after failure of tumor control by radiation or surgery or both. This limited application during the early period of evaluation reflected a naturally timorous course that was taken by those who introduced the new modality into clinical practice. This period paralleled the development of new apparatus, early clinical trials, and the assessment of the clinical potential of cryosurgery in patients with incurable cancer — those whose conditions were deemed hopeless. Today, cryosurgery is selectively applied for the treatment of patients with tumors involving structures such as bone, oropharyngeal mucosa, temporal bone, skin, brain, retina, prostate, uterine cervix, and tracheobronchial tree. Although general guidelines for the application of cryosurgery to cancer can be gleaned from various clinical reports, the optimal conditions of freezing have not been specifically defined. Animal experiments are necessary to study the variables methodically and in detail. The temporal and physical conditions for cryogenic necrosis of cancer require delineation so that cell death can be predictably and consistently reproduced. This is the thrust of this paper.
Electronic Stopping Power for Low Energy Ions

A procedure to be used in ion implantation calculations has been developed to determine the stopping power of an ion at low energy as a function of its effective charge. The ion effective charge accounts for screening of the ion and has been found to have considerable effect on the stopping power through its dependence on the target electron density. Steps in the procedure include: the calculation of the Fermi momentum of the target, calculation of the relative velocity between the projectile and target electron cloud, determination of the screening distance for the ion, and calculation of the proton stopping power Sp according to the density-functional formalism. The ion stopping power is then ${\rm{S}}\left({{{\rm{Z}}_1}} \right) = {\left({{\rm{\bar Z}}_1^*} \right)^2}{\rm{Sp}}$ , where ${\rm{\bar Z}}_1^*$ is the ion effective charge. The procedure can be applied to semiconductors and metals. Comparisons are reported with the predictions of the Firsov and Lindhard methods which do not include any effective charge or shell structure considerations. The computer program MARLOWE has been modified to include this method for calculating the stopping power. Results in the form of implanted boron profiles in silicon will be presented.
Motivated Reasoning in Outcome-Bias Effects

In this research, we examine the conditions under which outcomes bias judgments, and we provide insights on the processes underlying such bias effects. A series of three studies identified motivated reasoning as a major determinant of when outcomes would bias judgments. The processes underlying outcome bias effects also varied depending on the motivational goal. Accuracy goals minimized outcome bias based on objective elaboration. Defense goals enhanced outcome bias by promoting selective processing of the outcome when it was preference consistent. Finally, impression goals increased the perceived diagnosticity of outcomes and biased the subsequent systematic processing resulting in outcome-biased judgments.
PRR5 regulates phosphorylation, nuclear import and subnuclear localization of TOC1 in the Arabidopsis circadian clock

Many core oscillator components of the circadian clock are nuclear localized but how the phase and rate of their entry contribute to clock function is unknown. TOC1/PRR1, a pseudoresponse regulator (PRR) protein, is a central element in one of the feedback loops of the Arabidopsis clock, but how it functions is unknown. Both TOC1 and a closely related protein, PRR5, are nuclear localized, expressed in the same phase, and shorten period when deficient, but their molecular relationship is unclear. Here, we find that both proteins interact in vitro and in vivo through their conserved N-termini. TOC1–PRR5 oligomerization enhances TOC1 nuclear accumulation two-fold, most likely through enhanced nuclear import. In addition, PRR5 recruits TOC1 to large subnuclear foci and promotes phosphorylation of the TOC1 N-terminus. Our results show that nuclear TOC1 is essential for normal clock function and reveal a mechanism to enhance phase-specific TOC1 nuclear accumulation. Interestingly, this process of regulated nuclear import is reminiscent of similar oligomeric pairings in animal clock systems (e.g. timeless/period and clock/cycle), suggesting evolutionary convergence of a conserved mechanism across kingdoms.
n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids differentially modulate oncogenic Ras activation in colonocytes

Ras proteins are critical regulators of cell function, including growth, differentiation, and apoptosis, with membrane localization of the protein being a prerequisite for malignant transformation. We have recently demonstrated that feeding fish oil, compared with corn oil, decreases colonic Ras membrane localization and reduces tumor formation in rats injected with a colon carcinogen. Because the biological activity of Ras is regulated by posttranslational lipid attachment and its interaction with stimulatory lipids, we investigated whether docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), found in fish oil, compared with linoleic acid (LA), found in corn oil, alters Ras posttranslational processing, activation, and effector protein function in young adult mouse colon cells overexpressing H-ras (YAMC-ras). We show here that the major n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) constituent of fish oil, DHA, compared with LA (an n-6 PUFA), reduces Ras localization to the plasma membrane without affecting posttranslational lipidation and lowers GTP binding and downstream p42/44(ERK)-dependent signaling. In view of the central role of oncogenic Ras in the development of colon cancer, the finding that n-3 and n-6 PUFA differentially modulate Ras activation may partly explain why dietary fish oil protects against colon cancer development.
Polarization coupling in y-cut titanium in-diffused lithium niobate planar waveguides

This paper describes polarization coupling in Ti:LiNbO/sub 3/ waveguides: a source of polarization dependent loss and potentially a source of noise in integrated-optical devices. We are developing a methodology for the fabrication and testing of waveguide lenses made by titanium in-diffusion and proton-exchange in y-cut lithium niobate. One unexpected result of this work has been the observation of polarization coupling in Ti:LiNbO/sub 3/ slab waveguides. When transverse electric field (TE) polarized light is coupled into waveguide modes propagating along the crystal's x-axis, transverse magnetic field (TM) radiation modes radiate from the waveguide sample. Since this polarization coupling occurs for a propagation direction that is along the crystal axis, the observed TM radiation can be distinguished from the TM radiation that would result from leaky modes propagating off-axis in an anisotropic waveguide. When the polarization of the input was changed to TM, we did not observe polarization coupling into TE polarized radiation modes. >
Cerebral microvascular changes in permeability and tight junctions induced by hypoxia-reoxygenation.

Cerebral microvessel endothelial cells that form the blood-brain barrier (BBB) have tight junctions (TJ) that are critical for maintaining brain homeostasis and low permeability. Both integral (cla...
Medium-Bore Helical-Coil Electromagnetic Launcher with A Liquid Nitrogen Cooled Armature

Continued investigations of medium-bore helical coil electric launchers (HCEL) at the University of Missouri-Columbia are presented and discussed. The HCEL under investigation has an armature diameter of 40 mm and a stator length of 750 mm. The HCEL inductance gradient is 150 muH per meter and is a factor of 300 times greater than the inductance gradient of a conventional railgun. The HCEL armature forms the projectile and is typically on the order of 500 grams. The HCEL is powered by an eight module, 125 kJ sequentially fired pulse forming network that can deliver 10 to 15 kA peak current pulses over an 8 ms period. In this investigation, HCEL performance enhancements accomplished with a liquid nitrogen cooled armature are quantified and compared to theoretical predictions. The liquid nitrogen cooled armature winding is constructed with commercial grade aluminum wire. Measurements have shown that liquid nitrogen cooling produces a factor of 8 decrease in armature resistive losses. Theoretical predictions show that with a factor of 2 decrease in total resistive loss (i.e., armature plus stator resistance), an LNCA operating at a velocity of 150 m/s should produce an overall electrical to kinetic energy conversion efficiency of 30%. The experimental results confirm these theoretical predictions.
Joining Together: A Faculty-Student Experience in Political Campaigning

Abstract The social worker has a professional obligation to be politically active. This paper reviews current research on social work's involvement in politics, considers the preparation that students receive in this area, and describes the participation of social work students in a local political campaign. Drawing upon the experiences of this campaign, the author concludes that students do benefit from direct involvement in a political campaign. Their willingness to work in other campaigns is enhanced, as is their interest in political events. In addition, student voting patterns seem to be positively affected. Local politics appear to provide both advantages and disadvantages as a preparation ground for social work students interested in learning more about the political process.
Biomimetic Processing of Calcium Carbonate-Chitosan Composites

Ceramic-polymer composites produced by natural organisms are known to have properties far beyond those that can be achieved in present technological materials [1]. The mollusk shell, for example, starting with relatively weak structural ingredients calcium carbonate and chitin is one such ceramic-polymer composite. In nacre, the overall composite is more than 95 volume percent calcium carbonate, with the remainder an organic matrix of protein and chitin. The inorganic phase consists of highly oriented aragonite platelets forming the bricks and the organic matrix forming the mortar in between [1]. Even though nacre consists of a high amount of the inorganic component, it has excellent fracture toughness and high strength. Studies have been conducted to understand the factors which control the nucleation and orientation of crystallization [2-4]. However, very limited knowledge about the ceramic polymer interfaces, structure, chemistry and whether the interfacial interaction involves ion-binding is known.
Comparison of the once-daily levofloxacin-containing triple therapy with the twice-daily standard triple therapy for first-line Helicobacter pylori eradication: a prospective randomised study.

Summary Background/Aims: Simple compound of Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy may improve drug compliance of patients. The aims of this study were to compare the efficacy and tolerability of a simple combination containing levofloxacin 7-day once-daily with standard twice-daily triple therapy. Patients and Methods: This was a prospective, randomised, open-label trial. A total of 189 consecutive patients diagnosed with peptic ulcer and H. pylori infection were enrolled. Patients were randomly divided into two groups: LEC group – levofloxacin 500 mg, esomeprazole 40 mg and clarithromycin 500 mg once daily for 7 days; AEC group – amoxicillin 1 g, esomeprazole 40mg and clarithromycin 500 mg twice daily for 7 days. Results: There were 90 patients in the LEC group and 99 patients in the AEC group. By intention-to-treat and per-protocol analysis, the H. pylori eradication rate was 78.9% [71/90; 95% confidence interval (CI), 70.3–87.5%] and 83.5% (71/85; 95% CI, 75.5–91.6%) respectively, in the LEC group; and 74.8% (74/99; 95% CI, 66.0–83.5%) and 86.0% (74/86; 95% CI, 78.6–93.5%) respectively, in the AEC group. The incidence and tolerability of side effects were similar between these two groups. Conclusion: The efficacy and tolerability of once-daily levofloxacin-containing triple therapy are equal to those of the standard twice-daily triple therapy in this study. However, none of the treatment regimens evaluated achieved enough eradication efficacies to be considered as a recommendable first-line treatment.
Next steps: envisioning a research agenda.

The topic of diagnostic error is a relatively new one in the academic arena and lacks an organized research agenda. Participants at “Diagnostic Error in Medicine— 2008” formally considered this issue and provided initial suggestions. Recommendations were made to standardize taxonomies and definitions, especially in regard to what constitutes a delay in diagnosis. Error discovery needs emphasis, especially with autopsies becoming a rarity. Developing standardized tools to study diagnostic error in laboratory-like conditions was viewed as a top priority. Many issues were reviewed in regard to error generation (what conditions are error-prone, what is the role of the clinicians expertise, etc.), and error reduction. These included both system-level and cognitive interventions, with specific suggestions for each dimension.
A Mathematical Model to Predict Length of Stay in Pediatric ATV Accident Victims

BACKGROUND: Children under age 12 y represent 15% of all-terrain vehicle (ATV)-related deaths, and those under 16 y old represent >36% of deaths nationwide. In recent years, this has accounted for an increasing proportion of pediatric trauma victims and longer hospitalizations secondary to worsened injuries. We believe it is possible to create a simple mathematical model that can be used to predict hospital length of stay. METHODS: A retrospective review of the trauma registry was performed for all pediatric patients who were involved in ATV accidents from January 2000 to December 2009. Four hundred twenty pediatric patients were identified. A model to predict for total LOS in pediatric patients involved in ATV accidents was constructed. SPSS ver. 17 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL) was utilized to conduct all statistical analyses. Statistical significance of regression coefficients was assumed at a P Language: en
Short-term delay of puberty causes a transient reduction in bone strength in growing female rats.

Multiple factors affect the structural development of the skeleton; in particular, estrogen levels during growth are an important factor in the pathogenesis of bone fragility. The delay of menarche and infrequent menstrual cycles decrease estrogen levels during adolescence and decrease peak bone mass. The aim of this study was to determine if delayed puberty through administration of a GnRH antagonist initiated prior to the onset of the first estrus cycle would delay the increase in estrogen levels and impede bone strength development in female rats. Twenty-three-day-old female Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly assigned to one of four groups; 1) short-term control group (C-ST) (n = 12), 2) long-term control (C-LT) (n = 12), 3) short-term GnRH antagonist group (G-ST) (n = 12) and 4) long-term GnRH antagonist group (G-LT) (n = 12). Injections (0.2 ml) of either saline or GnRH antagonist (100 μg/day) (Cetrotide™, Serono, Inc) were given intraperitoneally for a duration of 18 days. Pubertal and gonadal development was retarded as indicated by a delay in vaginal opening (an indicator of pubertal onset), lower ovarian and uterine weights and lower estradiol levels in the short-term experimental animals (G-ST). However, at maturity (G-LT), there were no significant differences found in these measures. A delay in the timing of puberty significantly attenuated the development of femoral bone strength at 6 weeks of age. Peak moment, yield moment and stiffness in the G-ST group were all significantly less than the C-ST group. Cortical width was significantly attenuated due to the increased percentage of marrow area per total bone area in the G-ST group. However, femoral bone strength was recovered at maturity (G-LT). In summary, a transient delay in pubertal timing has short-term effects on bone strength development. In the current animal model of delaying puberty through GnRH antagonist injections, there appears to be no long-term effects on bone strength.
Emergence of GABAergic-dependent regulation of input-specific plasticity in the adult rat prefrontal cortex during adolescence

Objective The prefrontal cortex (PFC) receives multiple cortical and subcortical afferents that regulate higher order cognitive functions, many of which emerge late in adolescence. However, it remains unclear how these afferents influence PFC processing, especially in light of the protracted, late adolescent maturation of prefrontal GABAergic function. Here we investigated the role of PFC GABAergic transmission in regulating plasticity elicited from the ventral hippocampus and basolateral amygdala, and how such modulation undergoes functional changes during adolescence in rats.
Dielectric breakdown of polymeric insulation films under AC, DC and pulsed voltages

Polymeric insulation materials are widely used in power generation and energy storage apparatuses. Several examples are: dielectric films for capacitors and resistors; encapsulations for electronic components and devices; insulations for power cables and electrical machines. The dielectric breakdown behaviors of these insulation materials are dependent of electrical stress conditions, chemical structures and their application environment, such as temperature. In this paper, the electrical stress and chemical structure effects on breakdown strength of some typical insulation films are presented and discussed.
Spreadsheets and Sarbanes-Oxley: Regulations, Risks, and Control Frameworks

The Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) forced corporations to examine their spreadsheet use in financial reporting. Corporations do not like what they are seeing. Surveys conducted in response to SOX show that spreadsheets are used widely in corporate financial reporting. Spreadsheet error research, in turn, shows that nearly all large spreadsheets contain multiple errors and that errors of material size are quite common. The first round of Sarbanes-Oxley assessments confirmed concerns about spreadsheet accuracy. Another concern is spreadsheet fraud, which also exists in practice and is easy to perpetrate. Unfortunately, few organizations maintain effective controls to deal with either errors or fraud. This paper examines spreadsheet risks for Sarbanes-Oxley (and other regulations) and discusses how general and IT-specific control frameworks can be used to address the control risks created by spreadsheets.
Pandemic Preparedness: Implementation of Infection Prevention Emergency Plans

The H1N1 influenza pandemic provided a real-world test of hospital disaster plans. Challenges to hospitals included inconsistent use of isolation precautions; changing and conflicting guidelines; lack of available supplies, including N95 respirators and medications; and overwhelming amounts of information that required sifting. Further research is needed regarding pandemic planning.
Psychology of the scientist: LXXI. Attitudes of practitioners in human resource management toward information from academic research

This study identified three specific attitudes that underlie Human Resource Management practitioners' negative perceptions of information found in academic sources. Data were collected from 201 directors, and the analyses suggested that specific attitudes related to relevance, credibility, and valid bases of knowledge may contribute to their negative perceptions. Degree status and experience were significantly related to practitioners' attitudes. The three types of attitudes were significantly correlated with practitioners' frequency of use of academic sources. Three organizational variables (time constraints, budgetary constraints, and organization size) were also significantly related to the frequency of use of academic information sources. The findings and their possible implications are discussed.
Short answer question case series: unique chest x-ray following blunt trauma.

A 31-year-old African–American male with no significant past medical history presents to the emergency department via emergency medical services with chest pain and shortness of breath following a direct, broadside motor vehicle collision at high speed. Initial vital signs included a pulse of 130 beats/min, blood pressure 125/95 mm Hg, respiratory rate of 35 times/minute with a pulse oximetry of 92% on room air. On physical exam, he has decreased breath sounds on the left, pain to palpation of left ribcage, minor abrasions of left wrist and elbow. His Glasgow Coma Scale is 15. 1. Before looking at the chest x-ray, what are your differential diagnoses for chest pain and shortness of breath in blunt thoraco-abdominal trauma? 2. What other findings are in figure 1? 3. Does figure 1 narrow down your differential diagnosis or change it in any way? 4. What key thing needs to occur in the emergency department? See figure 2. 5. What was …
Different costimulatory and growth factor requirements for CD4+ and CD8+ T cell-mediated rejection

Costimulatory signals and growth factor signals play a key role in commanding T cell activation and T cell effector function. However, how costimulatory signals and growth factor signals interact and integrate into the activation program of CD4 + and CD8 + T cells during the allograft response remains poorly defined. In the present study we found that either CD4 - or CD8 -deficient mice can vigorously reject the skin allografts. Blocking rapamycin-sensitive growth factor signals produced long term skin allograft survival in CD4 -deficient mice (mean survival time, >120 days), but not in CD8 -deficient mice (mean survival time, 20 days). Analysis of CFSE-labeled cells proliferating in the allogeneic hosts revealed that clonal expansion of CD4 + T cells in vivo was more resistant to growth factor blockade than that of CD8 + T cells. However, blockade or genetic absence of CD28/CD154 costimulatory molecules rendered CD4 + T cell-mediated rejection sensitive to rapamycin, and long term skin allograft survival can be readily induced by rapamycin in the absence of CD28/CD154 signals (>100 days). Furthermore, blocking OX40 costimulation induced long term skin allograft survival in CD4 -deficient mice and CD8 -deficient mice when both CD28 and CD154 were transiently blocked. We conclude that CD4 + and CD8 + T cells exhibit distinct sensitivity to growth factor blockade in transplant rejection, and CD28/CD154-independent rejection is sensitive to rapamycin and appears to be supported by OX40 costimulation.
Does certificate of need really contain hospital costs in the United States

Objective This study examines the impact of certificate of need (CON) regulation on hospital costs.Design A modified structure—conduct—performance paradigm was applied to a national sample of US hospitals in order to investigate the impact of CON regulation on hospital costs.Methods Secondary data for 1957 US acute care hospitals in 301 standard metropolitan statistical areas (SMSAs) from the American Hospital Association's Annual Survey of Hospitals in 1991 were used. The dependent variable was hospital costs per adjusted admission in 1991. Predictor variables were the existence of a CON law in each hospital's state and the dollar limit (if any) required for CON approval. Control variables were environmental, market, and institutional characteristics. Associations between predictor and dependent variables were investigated using multiple regression analyses.Results The results indicate that CON laws had a positive, statistically significant relationship to hospital costs per adjusted admission. Conclusio...
Energizing type III secretion machines: what is the fuel?

Bacterial type III secretion machines have adapted to carry out numerous functions, ranging from locomotion to protein delivery into nucleated cells. One of the most intriguing issues is the source of energy that fuels their activities. Despite recent advances, there are still many questions to be resolved.
Embourgeoisement among Blue-collar Workers?*

This paper examines the notion that blue-collar workers have been converting from working-class to middle-class orientations as a consequence of gains in income and education over the past few decades. Cross-sectional analysis of survey data for white workers and spouses reveals that a considerable manual-nonmanual subjective class schism persists when remaining differences in income and education are taken into account. The gap is maintained both by an adherence to working-class identification among blue-collar workers at all socioeconomic levels and by a weaker tendency for these workers, compared with white-collar workers, to use income and educational status as criteria for self-placement in the class system. Longitudinal analysis further indicates that embourgeoisement among blue-collar workers has been slight and suggests that the manual-nonmanual gap in class orientations is widening.
DIRECTED GROWTH OF SINGLE-WALLED CARBON NANOTUBES

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are grown by thermal chemical vapor deposition at 900°C using methane. Application of an electric field (0.4 V/μm) in situ during the growth process results in directed growth of SWNTs on a horizontal plane bridging a distance as long as 25 μm. This approach is useful in the fabrication of nanotube based transistors.
New aspects of the equilibrium pole tide

A new spherical harmonic algorithm is developed for the calculation of the loading and self-gravitating equilibrium pole tide. Based on a suggestion of Dahlen (1976), this approach minimizes the distortions in tide height caused by an incomplete representation of the ocean function. With slight modification this approach easily could be used to compute self-gravitating and loading lunisolar tides as well. Using the algorithm, the static pole tide is compared with tide observations at a variety of locations around the world, and statistically significant evidence for pole tide enhancements is found in midocean as well as the shallow seas. Also included is a reinvestigation of the effect of the static tide on the Chandler-wobble period. The difference between the wobble period of an oceanless elastic earth with a fluid core (Smith and Dahlen, 1981) and the period of an earth minus static oceans yields a 7.4-day discrepancy. It is concluded from tide observations that much of the discrepancy can probably be accounted for by nonequilibrium pole-tide behavior in the deep oceans.