cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Percutaneous Aortic Stent Placement for Life Threatening Aortic Rupture Due to Metastatic Germ Cell Tumor

AbstractPatients with testicular carcinoma frequently present with advanced disease and symptoms resulting from metastatic lesions. We report an unusual case of successful emergency management of a massive rupturing aortic pseudoaneurysm midway through systemic chemotherapy for stage III germ cell tumor by percutaneous trans-luminal placement of an aortic bypass stentgraft. Unstable hemorrhage was controlled, allowing our patient to complete chemotherapy and undergo elective retropertineal lymph node dissection with resection of the pseudoaneurysm and residual disease after normalization of tumor markers. Final pathological evaluation revealed only fibrosis in the resected tissue. Followup angiography demonstrated a patent stentgraft and the patient was without evidence of disease 1 year after retroperitoneal lymph node dissection.
VETA-I x-ray detection system

The alignment and X-ray imaging performance of the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF) Verification Engineering Test Article-I(VETA-I) was measured by the VETA-I X-Ray Detection System (VXDS). The VXDS was based on the X-ray detection system utilized in the AXAF Technology Mirror Assembly (TMA) program, upgraded to meet the more stringent requirements of the VETA-I test program. The VXDS includes two types of X-ray detectors: (1) a High Resolution Imager (HRI) which provides X-ray imaging capabilities; and (2) sealed and flow proportional counters which, in conjunction with apertures of various types and precision translation stages, provide the most accurate measurement of VETA-I performance. Herein we give an overview of the VXDS hardware including X-ray detectors, translation stages, apertures, proportional counters and flow counter gas supply system and associated electronics. We also describe the installation of the VXDS into the Marshall Space Flight Central (MSFC) X-Ray Calibration Facility (XRCF). We discuss in detail the design and performance of those elements of the VXDS which have not been discussed elsewhere; translation systems, flow counter gas supply system, apertures and thermal monitoring system.
WHEN THE LITERARY EXPERIENCE IS A DIFFICULT EXPERIENCE: IMPLICATIONS OF READER‐RESPONSE THEORY FOR LESS PROFICIENT READERS

I examine the difficulties some readers face when reading literary works. I draw from reader‐response theory to emphasize that in literary transactions readers play vital roles as active interpreters of meaning. By integrating their past literary and life experiences with the world of the text and by using their imaginative powers, readers breathe life into literary works. From the research on proficient and less proficient readers’ responses to text, I highlight the difficulties that researchers have observed some readers to have during this creative process. I then discuss classroom approaches to literature that can help readers develop their ability to become an active partner with the text in creating meaning from literature.
Cultural Politics and the Irish Theatre: Samuel Beckett and the New Biology

Lawrence Stone, Princeton Professor Emeritus of History, has recently declared that ‘every cultural enterprise, even science, is at least in part a social construction’. Biologist Jay Gould vehemently agrees. ‘Science’, says Gould, ‘is done by individuals, whose conclusions are influenced by the beliefs they bring with them.’ The contamination factor is unavoidable. On the other hand, Erwin Schrodinger, the renowned quantum physicist, brought to biology experimental truths that may take us to the edge of the universe. For him, the contamination factor was intentional. Beginning in the 1940s, his work had a direct effect on the writings of Samuel Beckett.
PARASITISM AND THE UNIONACEA (BIVALVIA)

Summary It is proposed that the incorporation of a unique parasitic stage in the life-cycle of unionaceans which involves an obligate relationship between a vertebrate host, usually a fish, and a highly modified larval stage, the glochidium, has had far-reaching consequences with respect to overall morphology, extent of species' geographic ranges, and rate of speciation in the group. Glochidia are separable into three main types with respect to overall shape and attachment features, and are retained in variously modified brood pouches. When mature, glochidia are released in several different ways which reflect various adaptations involved in either attracting the fish host and/or increasing the probability of attachment. Glochidia do not seem capable of host selection, and the reaction of the host to the parasite seems to be the main factor in determining specificity. Release of glochidia is synchronized to correspond to periods of predictable host availability, such as during spawing migrations and nesting behaviour. Other adaptations include modifications of glochidial conglutinates to mimic host food items, and modifications of the unionacean mantle edges to attract hosts. In all cases, a good correlation exists between the type of lure used and host food preferences, but, despite these adaptations, host specificity among unionaceans seems low. Parasitism among unionaceans is postulated to be mainly advantageous in terms of predictability of dispersal by habitat-specific hosts, but parasitism is hypothesized to entail constraints in terms of the degree to which shell shape and life-habit can be diversified among unionaceans. The type of host parasitized is considered to affect the rate of diversification among populations and speciation among unionaceans: those that parasitize strictly freshwater hosts are more likely to exhibit highly individualistic populations in different drainages with respect to molecular genetic and soft-part characters, while those that parasitize anadromous or saltwater-tolerant hosts show little differentiation among widely distributed populations.
Wavespeed analysis: Approximating Arrhenius kinetics with step-function kinetics

The accuracy of using step-function approximations to the Arrhenius exponential in computing the wavespeed in combustion wave propagation is investigated. Gaseous and gasless combustion, and first- and second-order reactions are included in the study. The theoretical analysis is based on Melnikov theory from dynamical systems. The error is shown to be small in most instances. The analytical results are supported with numerical simulations.
Seasonal variations of waters in the northern Gulf of Alaska

Abstract Oceanographic data from the northern shelf of the Gulf of Alaska from December 1970 to October 1972 give evidence of an annual cycle in the water mass characteristics to depths in excess of 250 m. Minimum sea surface temperatures were less than 2°C in spring (March–April) with summer maxima in excess of 11°C. The vertical temperature structure contains both warm and cold water cores. Seasonal variations of sea surface salinitis, in excess of 7%, decrease rapidly with distance from the coastline. A southwestward surface current of slightly less than 1 km h −1 was observed and calculated geostrophically. Variations in the temperature and salinity of the nearbottom waters on the continental shelf indicate that surface heating and dilution are not the only mechanisms significantly influencing the water masses in the region. The dominant process is the annual change in Ekman transport caused by the shift in the atmosphere from a low in winter to a summer high. Intense winter downwelling flushes the shelf with relatively cold, low salinity waters, whereas weak summer upwelling brings warm, more saline waters on to the shelf.
Student Engagement in Higher Education: Theoretical Perspectives and Practical approaches for Diverse Populations. (2nd edition)

excluded AAPI, Latinos, and Native Americans from discussions related to improving the educational experiences of men of color (Perez II, 2014; Teranishi, 2010; Torres & Bitsoi, 2011). This book offers a persuasive critique of deficit-oriented paradigms that often guide interventions intended to increase the success of students of color in higher education. Men of Color in Higher Education is a must-read for researchers and educators committed to fostering the success of AAPI, Black, Latino, and Native American men. Although some readers may contend that this book essentializes the experiences of men of color, I disagree. The contributors make a compelling case for understanding and addressing the detrimental effects of patriarchal masculinity on communities of color. The feminist perspectives infused throughout this text, provide readers with the knowledge needed to recognize and deconstruct patriarchy. Additionally, readers have much to gain from integrating anti-deficit perspectives into research, policies, and practices to increase the success of men of color. A concluding chapter that outlines implications for policy and practice would broaden the scope of this publication. Learning to recognize and capitalize on the assets men of color bring with them to higher education advances the agenda of this book. Future editions of this scholarly text could focus exclusively on women of color as well as AAPI, Latino, and Native American men in higher education.
IDEOLOGY AND EDUCATION: A FRESH APPROACH FOR RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

(1985). IDEOLOGY AND EDUCATION: A FRESH APPROACH FOR RELIGIOUS EDUCATION. Religious Education: Vol. 80, No. 3, pp. 331-344.
Nonstationary shock models

Abstract This paper extends results obtained by Esary, Marshall and Proschan [10]. Life distribution properties of a device subject to shocks governed by a nonhomogeneous Poisson process are related to corresponding properties of the probability of failing after experiencing a given number of shocks. Physically motivated models are analyzed in which shocks cause damage to a set of components, the damages accumulate additively, and when the accumulated damage exceeds a critical threshold (possibly random) for any of the components, the device fails. Bounds are obtained on the moments of the life length of the device.
Prognostic value of noninvasive risk stratification in younger and older patients referred for evaluation of suspected coronary artery disease

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this investigation is to explore the relationship of patient gender and age on coronary artery disease diagnostic evaluation and to assess the impact of noninvasive testing results on coronary revascularization rates and cardiac event-free survival. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective observational cohort. PARTICIPANTS: From a series of 5322 consecutively tested patients from a Midwestern university tertiary medical center, a hospital cohort of 1345 patients with clinically suspected coronary artery disease was enrolled from 1988 through 1989. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Cardiac risk factor and symptom profiles were worse in women, whereas rates of positive test results were similar in both sexes. Multivariable-adjusted risk for follow-up diagnostic testing was 1.8 and 1.9 times greater, respectively, for men ≤ and > 65 years of age than for women (P .20). Overall cardiac event rates were 2.3, 7.4, 16.7, and 20.2% for young men, young women, older women, and older men, respectively. Initial screening was delayed 2 to 7 times longer for older and younger women compared with men (P < .001); the greatest delays were observed for younger women. Diagnostic follow-up and subsequent cost of total care from initial evaluation through 2 years of follow-up were higher for men than for women (P < .0001), with older women having the lowest rate of subsequent diagnostic and interventional follow-up. In the highest risk patients, subsequent utilization rates were 40 and 20% higher for younger and older men than for similarly aged women. In particular, diabetics were less likely to undergo follow-up diagnostic testing and revascularization (67% younger women). CONCLUSIONS: Age appears to significantly and differently influence decisions regarding noninvasive and invasive medical service utilization in men and women and may partially account for variable outcomes in this and previous gender-based comparisons.
In vitro interfacial relationship between human dentin and one-bottle dental adhesives.

Abstract Objectives One-bottle dentin adhesives combine primer and adhesive resin into a single solution. This study was conducted to determine the bond strengths to dentin of four one-bottle bonding systems and to evaluate their SEM interfacial morphology. The hypothesis to be tested was that the water-based bonding system would produce lower bond strengths and less complete penetration into dentin than other bonding systems that are dissolved in organic solvents. Methods Forty extracted molars were ground to expose middle dentin and were randomly assigned to four groups (n = 10): Group 1 - Experimental Single Bond (3M Dental Products Division); Group 2 - PrimeB Group 3 - Syntac Single-Component (Vivadent); Group 4 - Tenure Quik with Fluoride (Den-Mat Co.) The surfaces were treated according to manufacturers' instructions. After 24 h in water, the specimens were thermocycled, and the bond strengths were measured in shear. The data were analyzed with ANOVA and Duncan's test at a confidence level of 95%. Further, the adhesives were also applied to 600 pm thick dentin disks. After preparing polished cross sections, the bonded interfaces were demineralized, deproteinized, and observed under a FE-SEM. The morphological appearance of the resin-dentin interface surfaces was compared by screening the entire resin-dentin interface for each specimen. Results Two morphological characteristics were evaluated:1) the depth of resin penetration into the tubules and 2) the thickness and density of the resin-dentin interdiffusion zone. Single Bond showed statistically higher mean shear bond strengths (p Significance Bonding to dentin remains unpredictable using one-bottle bonding systems. The chemistry of each individual material may be more important than the type of solvent.
Recycling isoelectric focusing and isotachophoresis

Abstract A new apparatus for large scale preparative isoelectric focusing in free solution is described. Its main characteristic is rapid fluid recirculation with but short residues times in the electric field. For the first time the recycling principle was also applied to preparative isotachophoresis, by incorporating into the system a computer controlled leader counterflow. The rapid recirculation permits application of unusually high electrical power for rapid resolution, as it suppresses fluid flow instabilities arising from electrohydrodynamic effects.
Test-retest reliability of the sensory organization test in noninstitutionalized older adults

The purpose of this study was to determine the 1-week test-retest reliability of the Sensory Organization Test (SOT), using computer-generated scores and loss of balance (LOB) episodes in noninstitutionalized older adults. The SOT was administered to each subject on two separate days 1 week apart in an out-patient clinic. A volunteer sample of 40 individuals who were at least 65 years of age participated in this study. The main outcome measures were computer-generated scores for the first trial and the average of the three trials in each of the six sensory conditions of the SOT; computer-generated composite score of the six conditions; LOB on the first trial and any of three trials in each condition. The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for the SOT first trial data ranged from .15 in Condition 3 to 0.70 in Condition 5. The ICCs for the SOT average of three trials ranged from 0.26 in Condition 3 to 0.68 and 0.64 in Conditions 5 and 6. Percent agreement was 77% to 100% for LOB on the first trial, as well as LOB on any of three trials of Conditions 1 through 6. As the conditions became more difficult, an increasing number of subjects experienced LOB. Analysis revealed fair to good test-retest reliability for computer-generated scores and good reliability for LOB across some conditions of the SOT. A modification to the current scoring system is suggested which would improve the reliability of the computer-generated scores of the SOT.
Geometry of saccular, side-branch cerebral aneurysms: implications for treatment.

Background Saccular, side-branch aneurysms are cerebral aneurysms that occur at the junction between a major intracranial artery and a smaller vessel that originates from this parent artery. The geometry of this group of aneurysms was investigated to determine the location of the side branch in relation to the parent vessel or aneurysm neck. Methods From a series of microsurgically clipped cerebral aneurysms, 121 side-branch aneurysms had detailed imaging studies and operative records that could be analyzed to determine side-branch vessel origin in relation to the aneurysm neck. Results The distribution of aneurysms (N) and the number in which the side-branch originated from the parent artery (PA) were: internal carotid ophthalmic (N = 37; PA = 11); internal carotid-superior hypophyseal (N = 2; PA = 2); internal carotid-posterior communicating (N = 28; PA = 11); internal carotid-anterior choroidal (N = 5; PA = 1); main stem of the middle cerebral artery (N = 13; PA = 6); main stem of the anterior cerebral artery (N = 7; PA = 6); secondary branch of the middle cerebral artery (N = 8; PA = 7); secondary branch of the anterior cerebral artery (N = 1; PA = 0); vertebral-posterior inferior cerebellar artery (N = 11; PA = 5); basilar-anterior inferior cerebellar artery (N = 2; PA = 1); and basilar-superior cerebellar artery (N = 7; PA = 5). Conclusions Regardless of whether these observations reflect the universe of cerebral aneurysms, a certain percentage of this group of aneurysms will have the side-branch vessel originate from the aneurysm neck. This incidence will likely be influenced by aneurysm location and other factors. Protection of these important vessels from occlusion during endovascular management will require sophisticated endovascular techniques. If these measures are either unavailable or prove unsuccessful, then clipping will be needed if the side-branch vessel originates from the aneurysm neck and its preservation is critical.
Athermal metal-free planar waveguide concave grating demultiplexer

An athermal metal-free planar waveguide concave grating demultiplexer is proposed. We designed the dielectric mirror at the grating facet instead of coating with the metal on the back wall of the grating facet. The transfer-matrix method is introduced to design the dielectric mirror and the reflectance spectral responses of the 2D waveguide structure are simulated using the FDTD software (RSoft, Inc.). To reduce the temperature sensitivity of the device, the three-focal-point method is introduced. We use the design example to show the high-reflectance bandwidth of the dielectric mirror. The fabrication errors are also taken into consideration. By using the numerical model of the scalar diffraction theory, the flat-top spectral responses of the channels are simulated.
Automatic cryo-EM particle selection for membrane proteins in spherical liposomes

Random spherically constrained (RSC) single particle reconstruction is a method to obtain structures of membrane proteins embedded in lipid vesicles (liposomes). As in all single-particle cryo-EM methods, structure determination is greatly aided by reliable detection of protein “particles” in micrographs. After fitting and subtraction of the membrane density from a micrograph, normalized cross-correlation (NCC) and estimates of the particle signal amplitude are used to detect particles, using as references the projections of a 3D model. At each pixel position, the NCC is computed with only those references that are allowed by the geometric constraint of the particle’s embedding in the spherical vesicle membrane. We describe an efficient algorithm for computing this position-dependent correlation, and demonstrate its application to selection of membrane-protein particles, GluA2 glutamate receptors, which present very different views from different projection directions.
Preparing Occupational Therapy Students for the Complexities of Clinical Practice

This paper examined the effect of a unique amalgam of adult learning methodologies near the end of the occupational therapy (OT) students’ didactic education as a means to enhance readiness for clinical practice. Results of quantitative and qualitative data analysis indicated that the use of standardized patients, in combination with a sequential, semistructured, and progressively challenging series of client cases, in an OT adult practice (intervention) course, improved the students’ self-perception of their level of comfort and skill on various foundational, yet essential, OT-related competencies.
Combining multiple thresholding binarization values to improve OCR output

For noisy, historical documents, a high optical character recognition (OCR) word error rate (WER) can render the OCR text unusable. Since image binarization is often the method used to identify foreground pixels, a body of research seeks to improve image-wide binarization directly. Instead of relying on any one imperfect binarization technique, our method incorporates information from multiple simple thresholding binarizations of the same image to improve text output. Using a new corpus of 19th century newspaper grayscale images for which the text transcription is known, we observe WERs of 13.8% and higher using current binarization techniques and a state-of-the-art OCR engine. Our novel approach combines the OCR outputs from multiple thresholded images by aligning the text output and producing a lattice of word alternatives from which a lattice word error rate (LWER) is calculated. Our results show a LWER of 7.6% when aligning two threshold images and a LWER of 6.8% when aligning five. From the word lattice we commit to one hypothesis by applying the methods of Lund et al. (2011) achieving an improvement over the original OCR output and a 8.41% WER result on this data set.
Slow Passage through a Homoclinic Orbit with Subharmonic Resonances

The slow passage through a homoclinic orbit is analyzed for a periodically forced and weakly damped strongly nonlinear oscillator corresponding to a double-well potential. Multiphase averaging fails at an infinite sequence of subharmonic resonance layers that coalesce on the homoclinic orbit. An accurate phase of the strongly nonlinear oscillator after passage through each subharmonic resonance is obtained using a time shift and a constant phase adjustment. Near the unperturbed homoclinic orbit, the solution is a large sequence of nearly homoclinic orbits in which one saddle approach is mapped into the next. The method of matched asymptotic expansions is used to relate the solution in subharmonic resonance layers to the solution near the unperturbed homoclinic orbit. In this way, we determine an asymptotically accurate analytic description for the boundaries of the basins of attraction corresponding to capture into each well.
War, Politics, and Radical Pluralism

Since Heraclitus proclaimed that “war is king of all” the ontological foundations of war and peace have been seriously neglected, even though war and peace as social phenomena have been a daily concern.1 Furthermore, the philosophical or ontological status of politics has been equally neglected in spite of a plenitude of proposals within political theory regarding the foundations of government and suggestions for the organization of society, which seldom offered a philosophical analysis of the essential nature of the political itself. This essay is concerned with these neglected foundations of war, peace, and politics by way of an analysis of the social philosophy of a leading French phenomenologist, Emmanuel Levinas. It is fortunate that in this decade there is already a significant rebirth of social philosophy among professional philosophers after a long period of professional neglect. It is especially to be noted hat within the phenomenological movement unique and creative suggestions appear regarding the nature and foundation of social reality and human community.2 Likewise phenomenology is receiving increased attention from social scientists for, since Husserl’s analysis of the European crisis, it has offered creative interpretation of the person and the phenomenon of intersubjectivity.3
Smelling the difference: controversial ideas in insect olfaction

In animals, the sense of smell is often used as a powerful way to attract potential mates, to find food and to explore the environment. Different animals evolved different systems to detect volatile odorants, tuned to the specific needs of each species. Vertebrates and nematodes have been used extensively as models to study the mechanisms of olfaction: the molecular players are olfactory receptors (ORs) expressed in olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) where they bind to volatile chemicals, acting as the first relay of olfactory processing. These receptors belong to the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily; binding to odorants induces the production and amplification of second messengers, which lead to the depolarization of the neuron. The anatomical features of the insect olfactory circuit are similar to those of mammals, and until recently it was thought that this similarity extended to the ORs, which were originally annotated as GPCRs. Surprisingly, recent evidence shows that insect ORs can act like ligand-gated ion channels, either completely or partially bypassing the amplification steps connected to the activation of G proteins. Although the involvement of G proteins in insect olfactory signal transduction is still under question, this new discovery raises fascinating new questions regarding the function of the sense of smell in insects, its evolution and potential benefits compared with its mammalian counterpart.
Packaging of DNA into T4 bacteriophage: exclusion of host DNA despite the absence of both host DNA degradation and nuclear disruption.

Abstract High molecular weight (greater than 10 8 –10 9 ) host DNA present in Escherichia coli cells infected with nuclear disruption-deficient and host DNA degradation-negative T4 bacteriophage multiple mutants is not packed into T4 progeny particles.
Aspect mining using model-based clustering

Legacy systems contain critical and complex business code that has been in use for a long time. This code is difficult to understand, maintain, and evolve, in large part due to crosscutting concerns: software system features, such as persistence, logging, and error handling, whose implementation is spread across multiple modules. Aspect-oriented techniques separate crosscutting concerns from the base code, using separate modules called aspects and, thus, simplify the legacy code. Aspect mining techniques identify aspect candidates so that the legacy code can then be refactored into aspects. This study shows that model-based clustering using a carefully selected vector-space of features can be more effective than extant aspect mining methods based on heuristic methods as such hierarchical or partitional clustering. Three model-based algorithms were experimentally compared against existing heuristic methods, such as k-means clustering and agglomerative hierarchical clustering, using six different vector-space models. Model-based algorithms performed better in not spreading the methods of the concerns across the multiple clusters and were significantly better at partitioning the data such that, given an ordered list of clusters, fewer clusters and methods were needed to be analyzed to find all the concerns. In addition, model-based algorithms automatically determined the optimal number of clusters, a great advantage over the heuristic-based algorithms. Lastly, the newly defined vector-space models performed better, relative to aspect mining, than the previously defined vector-space models
Lung-protective ventilation strategies in acute lung injury.

Objectives: To review the challenges of providing mechanical ventilatory support for respiratory failure while avoiding ventilator-associated lung injury in patients with acute lung injury. To review the results of several randomized clinical trials of lung-protective ventilation strategies using conventional mechanical ventilators. Data Sources: Published reports of clinical trials comparing clinical outcomes of patients with acute lung injury, randomized to mechanical ventilation with either a lung-protective or a control, conventional, standard, or traditional approach. Data Extraction and Synthesis: Lung-protective mechanical ventilation strategies are designed to prevent injury from overdistention by using lower tidal volumes and lower inspiratory pressures (volume- and pressure-limited ventilation) or injury from ventilation with atelectasis and alveolar flooding at end-expiration (open-lung ventilation). In one trial, clinical outcomes were better in the study group that received combined volume-and pressure-limited and open-lung strategies compared with the study group that received a conventional approach. Of four trials focusing on volume- and pressure-limited ventilation alone, three did not demonstrate improvements in clinical outcomes, whereas one demonstrated a substantial reduction in mortality and an increase in ventilator-free days. The different results in these four trials may be attributable to differences in tidal volumes between the study groups, chance variation, or differences in the management of respiratory acidosis. Conclusions: Evidence supports the use of a volume- and pressure-limited approach to mechanical ventilation in patients with acute lung injury. It is not yet clear whether the open-lung approach will further reduce mortality in patients receiving volume- and pressure-limited ventilation support.
Innovation and constraints in health manpower policy: A case history of medical education development in Cameroun

Abstract In attempting to achieve a broader distribution of basic health services, a central policy dilemma arises: how to reform medical education in order to provide appropriate health manpower in reformed health services systems. The University Center for Health Sciences in Cameroun developed a medical education program to train workers in locally relevant skills. However, pressures toward more traditional forms of medical education at the outset of the program posed major obstacles to achieving the school's original objectives. The author concludes that both health services and medical education reforms are probably necessary for providing broader distribution of appropriate care.
Effects of Age and Water Content on Drag Reduction in Aluminium Disoap-hydrocarbon Solutions

THE behaviour of solutions of aluminium disoaps in hydrocarbons in reducing drag in turbulent flow is well known, but the effects of concentration, soap type, preparation techniques, ageing and third components have only recently been studied1–5. In this communication I shall report the effects of high wall stresses and the interaction of age and water content on two drag reducing aluminium disoap–hydrocarbon systems.
Tobacco use among Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders, and mixed-race individuals: 2002–2010

Background Non-Hispanic Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders (NHs/PIs), and mixed-race individuals are the fastest growing segments of the US population. We examined prevalences and correlates of tobacco use among these understudied groups. Prevalences among whites were included as a comparison.
Optimal random coding

We consider a stochastic method for representing a real number x by a finite sequence of bits. The method is symmetrical with respect to interchange of the bits: it is characterized by a single function p(x) which gives the probability that any particular bit is on as a function of the real number x that is being encoded. We then consider the problem of reconstructing x from its representation. In the limiting case in which the number of bits is large, we determine the function p(x) that minimizes the expected k-th power of the absolute error in this reconstruction. The optimal choice of p(x) is independent of k.
Ammonium Bicarbonate Transport in Anion Exchange Membranes for Salinity Gradient Energy

Many salinity gradient energy technologies such as reverse electrodialysis (RED) rely on highly selective anion transport through polymeric anion exchange membranes. While there is considerable interest in using thermolytic solutions such as ammonium bicarbonate (AmB) in RED processes for closed-loop conversion of heat energy to electricity, little is known about membrane performance in this electrolyte. The resistances of two commercially available cation exchange membranes in AmB were lower than their resistances in NaCl. However, the resistances of commercially available anion exchange membranes (AEMs) were much larger in AmB than in NaCl, which would adversely affect energy recovery. The properties of a series of quaternary ammonium-functionalized poly(phenylene oxide) and Radel-based AEMs were therefore examined to understand the reasons for increased resistance in AmB to overcome this performance penalty due to the lower mobility of bicarbonate, 4.59 × 10–4 cm2/(V s), compared to chloride, 7.90 × 10...
Shaping organs by a wingless-int/Notch/nonmuscle myosin module which orients feather bud elongation

How organs are shaped to specific forms is a fundamental issue in developmental biology. To address this question, we used the repetitive, periodic pattern of feather morphogenesis on chicken skin as a model. Avian feathers within a single tract extend from dome-shaped primordia to thin conical structures with a common axis of orientation. From a systems biology perspective, the process is precise and robust. Using tissue transplantation assays, we demonstrate that a “zone of polarizing activity,” localized in the posterior feather bud, is necessary and sufficient to mediate the directional elongation. This region contains a spatially well-defined nuclear β-catenin zone, which is induced by wingless-int (Wnt)7a protein diffusing in from posterior bud epithelium. Misexpressing nuclear β-catenin randomizes feather polarity. This dermal nuclear β-catenin zone, surrounded by Notch1 positive dermal cells, induces Jagged1. Inhibition of Notch signaling disrupts the spatial configuration of the nuclear β-catenin zone and leads to randomized feather polarity. Mathematical modeling predicts that lateral inhibition, mediated by Notch signaling, functions to reduce Wnt7a gradient variations and fluctuations to form the sharp boundary observed for the dermal β-catenin zone. This zone is also enriched for nonmuscle myosin IIB. Suppressing nonmuscle myosin IIB disrupts directional cell rearrangements and abolishes feather bud elongation. These data suggest that a unique molecular module involving chemical–mechanical coupling converts a pliable chemical gradient to a precise domain, ready for subsequent mechanical action, thus defining the position, boundary, and duration of localized morphogenetic activity that molds the shape of growing organs.
A Lifecycle-Cost Model of Concept Testing

This paper presents a lifecycle-cost model of concept testing, with and without learning. In the lifecycle-cost model, product lifecycle is divided into four stages: marketing, concept generation, prototyping, and product lifecycle after prototyping. Engineers minimize the expected lifecycle cost to find the optimum number of prototypes that engineers develop to test concepts. The optimum number of prototypes is a function of unit costs in these stages. The optimum number of prototypes depends not on the absolute cost of prototyping one concept, but on prototyping cost relative to the other stage costs. In the lifecycle-cost model with learning, engineers can more accurately choose good concepts that they test as prototypes once they gain experience in developing similar products or as they learn more effectively from their experiences. As engineers gain more experience or improve their learning capability, the optimum number of prototypes decreases.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Degradation of Environmental Contaminants with Water-Soluble Cobalt Catalysts: An Integrative Inorganic Chemistry Investigation.

We present an integrative laboratory investigation incorporating skills from inorganic chemistry, analytical instrumentation, and physical chemistry applied to a laboratory-scale model of the environmental problem of chlorinated ethylenes in groundwater. Perchloroethylene (C2Cl4, PCE) a common dry cleaning solvent, undergoes sequential replacement of Cl with H to trichloroethylene (C2HCl3) and subsequently cis-dichloroethylene (C2H2Cl2) through catalytic reductive dechlorination with water-soluble cobalt complexes. PCE degradation is monitored by gas chromatography and the first-order rate constants are determined. Experimental conditions may be varied to optimize chlorinated ethylene dechlorination and explore the important parameters governing degradation. Students work with reduction−oxidation active compounds and analyze “real-world” kinetic data sets.
Dissociation of aminoacyl tRNA from the complex of EF-Tu--GTP--aminoacyl tRNA by extracts of Escherichia coli

Abstract Ribosome-free extracts of freshly-grown cells contain a heat-labile, nondialyzable component which causes the dissociation of aminoacyl tRNA from the ternary complex of EF-Tu--GTP--aminoacyl tRNA. This activity does not dissociate EF-Tu--GTP, deacylate aminoacyl tRNA, or degrade GTP, and is not due to EF-Ts.
Three-dimensional triple-quantum-filtered imaging of 0.012 and 0.024 M sodium-23 using short repetition times.

The gradient-selected triple-quantum-filtered (GS3Q) esperiment, developed to improve the contrast in NMR imaging of sodium-23 (23Na) in the human brain, is limited by low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). We have analyzed the GS3Q experiment and show here that the improvement in GS3Q-filtered 32Na SNR as the repetition time (TR) decreases is accompanied by the appearance of spurious one-quantum (1Q) 23Na signals. An improved filter with better suppression of spurious 1Q 23Na signals is obtained by adding a preparatory crusher gradient and two-step phase cycling to a conventional GS3Q filter. The relative contributions of 3Q coherence and spurious 1Q coherences to the conventional and modified-GS3Q-filtered signals are calculated, providing a measure of the effectiveness of each GS3Q filter. The filters were implemented on a 2.35 T medium-bore spectrometer and their predicted properties verified. SNR measurements from GS3Q-filtered three-dimensional images of an agarose gel phantom indicate that 0.012 M23Na images in the human brain can be acquired with 8 cm3 voxels and SNR of 10 in 30 minutes at 2.35 T, assuming similar relaxation times.
Autonomous replication in Drosophila melanogaster tissue culture cells.

This study addresses the ability of DNA fragments from various sources to mediate autonomous DNA replication in cultured Drosophila melanogaster cells. We created a series of plasmids containing genomic DNA fragments from the Ultrabithorax gene of Drosophila and tested them for autonomous replication after transfection into Schneider line 2 cells. We found that all plasmids containing Drosophila DNA fragments were able to replicate autonomously, as were plasmids containing random human and Escherichia coli genomic DNA fragments. Most of the plasmids were detectable 18 days after transfection in the absence of selection, suggesting that transfected DNA is maintained in Drosophila cells without rapid loss or degradation. The finding that all plasmids containing Drosophila, human, or bacterial DNA replicate autonomously in Drosophila cells suggests that the signals that direct autonomous replication in Drosophila contain a low degree of sequence specificity. A two-dimensional gel analysis of initiation on one of the plasmids was consistent with many dispersed initiation sites. Low sequence specificity and dispersed initiation sites also characterize autonomous replication in human cells and Senopus eggs and may be general properties of autonomous replication in animal cells.
HOW DO CASH BALANCE PLANS AFFECT THE PENSION LANDSCAPE

The dominant story in the pension world for much of the past decade has been the shift in coverage from defined benefit plans to 401(k)s and other defined contribution plans. The percentage of households covered solely by a defined benefit plan dropped by nearly half between 1992 and 2001, while those covered solely by a defined contribution plan increased nearly 50 percent. Still, 40 percent of households covered by a pension have some form of defined benefit plan. At the same time, a notable shift has also occurred within defined benefit pensions - away from traditional plans and towards hybrid plans, such as cash balance plans. The changing face of defined benefit plans is the focus of this issue in brief. This brief explains how cash balance pension plans work, why firms have adopted them, and what their impact will be on employees and employers.
Butyrate transcriptionally enhances peptide transporter PepT1 expression and activity

Background PepT1, an intestinal epithelial apical di/tripeptide transporter, is normally expressed in the small intestine and induced in colon during chronic inflammation. This study aimed at investigating PepT1 regulation by butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid produced by commensal bacteria and accumulated inside inflamed colonocyte. Results We found that butyrate treatment of human intestinal epithelial Caco2-BBE cells increased human PepT1 (hPepT1) promoter activity in a dose- and time-dependent manner, with maximal activity observed in cells treated with 5 mM butyrate for 24 h. Under this condition, hPepT1 promoter activity, mRNA and protein expression levels were increased as assessed by luciferase assay, real-time RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. hPepT1 transport activity was accordingly increased by approximately 2.5-fold. Butyrate did not alter hPepT1 mRNA half-life indicating that butyrate acts at the transcriptional level. Molecular analyses revealed that Cdx2 is the most important transcription factor for butyrate-induced increase of hPepT1 expression and activity in Caco2-BBE cells. Butyrate-activated Cdx2 binding to hPepT1 promoter was confirmed by gel shift and chromatin immunoprecipitation. Moreover, Caco2-BBE cells overexpressing Cdx2 exhibited greater hPepT1 expression level than wild-type cells. Finally, treatment of mice with 5 mM butyrate added to drinking water for 24 h increased colonic PepT1 mRNA and protein expression levels, as well as enhanced PepT1 transport activity in colonic apical membranes vesicles. Conclusions Collectively, our results demonstrate that butyrate increases PepT1 expression and activity in colonic epithelial cells, which provides a new understanding of PepT1 regulation during chronic inflammation.
Distributed Computer Vision Algorithms

The development of distributed computer vision algorithms promises to significantly advance the state of the art in computer vision systems by improving their efficiency and scalability (through the efficient integration of local information with global optimality guarantees) as well as their robustness to outliers and node failures (because of the use of redundant information). However, in order for this promise to be fulfilled, a number of fundamental challenges to the existing technology in computer vision, distributed optimization, and wireless sensor networks (WSNs) must be addressed.
Regulation of Creb by Moderate Hypoxia in PC12 Cells

The mechanisms by which excitable cells adapt and respond to changes in O2 levels remain largely unknown. We have investigated the effect of hypoxia on the cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB) transcription factor. PC 12 cells were exposed to moderate levels of hypoxia (5% O2) for various times between 20 min and 6 hr. We found that hypoxia rapidly and persistently induced ser133 phosphorylation of CREB. This effect was more robust than that produced by exposing PC 12 cells to either forskolin, KCl, or NGF. This effect was not due to activation of any of the previously known CREB kinases, including PKA, CaMK, PKC, p70s6k, or MAPKAP kinase-2. Thus, hypoxia may induce activation of a novel CREB kinase. To test whether phosphorylation of CREB was associated with an activation of CRE-dependent gene expression, cells were transfected with wild type and mutated regions of the 5’-flanking region of the tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) gene fused to a CAT reporter gene. Mutation of the CRE element in a TH reporter gene reduced, but did not abolish, the effects of hypoxia on TH gene expression. However, hypoxia did not induce transactivation of a GAL4-luciferase reporter by a GAL4-CREB fusion protein. Thus, the mechanism by which hypoxia regulates CREB is distinct, and more complex, than that induced by forskolin, depolarization, or nerve growth factor.
Findings from the NSF-ACM strategic summit on computing education in community colleges

At the request of and funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the ACM Committee for Computing Education at Community Colleges (www.acmccecc.org) conducted the Strategic Summit on the Computing Education Challenges at Community Colleges. The Report of Findings from the Summit will help provide the impetus for future grant proposals to available funding sources. The objective of this poster session is to share the Report of Findings from the Summit. The presenters will facilitate a discussion on an individual basis with computing educators on topics from the report centered on the major challenges and associated opportunities. Attendees should come away from the session with ideas for crafting future funding proposals.
Reliability Assessment of the Embedded DRAM Technology with PMOSFET Transfer Transistor and High-K Dielectrics (Ta2O5) MIM Capacitor

In this paper, wafer level and product level reliability characteristics of embedded DRAM technology with high-K dielectric Ta 2O5 MIM capacitors have been analyzed. It is found although hot carrier injection can induce more apparent gate-induced-drain-leakage (GIDL) current than off-state bias temperature (BT) stress docs, BT stress still dominate the failure bit count increase in real circuit operation. In addition, it is also found the competition between gate-induced-drain-leakage (GIDL) current and the MIM dielectric leakage dominate the failure bit count (FBC) evolution behavior after reliability stress. With transistor doping profile optimization, a new phenomenon of FBC reduction with burn-in time can be observed, and it is attributed to the leakage reduction of MIM capacitor with high-K dielectric Ta2O5 after stress
EVALUATING SELF-CARE ACTIVITIES:COMPARISON OF A SELF-REPORTED QUESTIONNAIRE WITH AN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST INTERVIEW

Accurately evaluating a patient's ability to perform self-care activities is important for clinical and research purposes. We compared assessments of self-care activities obtained from a patient self-administered questionnaire and an occupational therapist interview. Forty-five rheumatoid arthritis patients admitted to a multidisciplinary rheumatology rehabilitation unit were evaluated by both methods for their ability to bathe, dress, perform toileting and general hand activities. Patients reported requiring more assistance with self-care activities in a self-administered questionnaire than they did in an occupational therapist interview. For example, 78% of patients reported requiring no assistance with bathing in the therapist's interview, whereas 31% reported no assistance on the questionnaire. Patients appear more willing to admit difficulties with self-care activities in a self-administered questionnaire than in a personal interview.
An Interdisciplinary Approach to Teaching Introductory Courses in Psychology, Biology, and Philosophy:

This paper describes a n introductory psychology course taught in conjunction with introductory biology and philosophy. This "triad" arrangement allows for an interdisciplinary treatment of various issues without diluting the presentation o f content specific to the individual disciplines. Information on evaluation of the courses is also presented.