cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A new real-time non-coherent to coherent light image converter - The hybrid field effect liquid crystal light valve

A new, high-performance device has been developed for application to real-time coherent optical data processing. The new device embodies a CdS photoconductor, a CdTe light-absorbing layer, a dielectric mirror, and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between indium-tin-oxide transparent electrodes deposited on optical quality glass flats. The noncoherent image is directed onto the photoconductor; this reduces the impedance of the photoconductor, thereby switching the ac voltage that is impressed across the electrodes onto the liquid crystal to activate the device. The liquid crystal is operated in a hybrid field effect mode. It utilizes the twisted nematic effect to create a dark off-state and the optical birefringence effect to create the bright on-state. The liquid crystal modulates the polarization of the coherent read-out light so an analyzer must be used to create an intensity modulated output beam.
Two-dimensional and 3-D images of thick tissue using time-constrained times-of-flight and absorbance spectrophotometry

Reconstructing deep-tissue images in real time using spectrophotometric data from optically diffusing thick tissues has been problematic. Continuous wave applications (e.g., pulse oximetry, regional cerebral saturation) ignore both the multiple paths traveled by the photons through the tissue and the effects of scattering, allowing scalar measurements but only under limited conditions; interferometry works poorly in thick, highly-scattering media; frequency- modulated approaches may not allow full deconvolution of scattering and absorbance; and pulsed-light techniques allow for preservation of information regarding the multiple paths taken by light through the tissue, but reconstruction is both computation intensive and limited by the relative surface area available for detection of photons. We have developed a picosecond times-of-flight and absorbance (TOFA) optical system, time-constrained to measure only photons with a narrow range of path lengths and arriving within a narrow angel of the emitter-detector axis. The delay until arrival of the earliest arriving photons is a function of both the scattering and absorbance of the tissues in a direct line between the emitter and detector, reducing the influence of surrounding tissues. Measurement using a variety of emitter and detector locations produces spatial information which can be analyzed in a standard 2-D grid, or subject to computer reconstruction to produce tomographic images representing 3-D structure. Using such a technique, we have been able to demonstrate the principles of tc-TOFA, detect and localize diffusive and/or absorptive objects suspended in highly scattering media (such as blood admixed with yeast), and perform simple 3-D reconstructions using phantom objects. We are now attempting to obtain images in vivo. Potential future applications include use as a research tool, and as a continuous, noninvasive, nondestructive monitor in diagnostic imaging, fetal monitoring, neurologic and cardiac assessment. The technique may lead to real-time optical imaging and quantitation of tissues oxygen delivery.
Hiatal Hernia After Esophagectomy: Analysis of 2,182 Esophagectomies From a Single Institution

Background Esophageal resection is a complex operation often associated with morbidity. Hiatal hernia after esophagectomy is an unusual complication. We reviewed our experience with this complication. Methods From February 1988 through February 2009 we performed 2,182 esophagectomies. Fifteen (0.69%) patients experienced a hiatal hernia. We reviewed our prospective database for demographics, presentation, operative approaches, and outcomes. Results There were 14 men and 1 woman with a mean age of 59 years. Hernia developed after Ivor Lewis approach in 9, transhiatal in 5, and substernal colon interposition in 1. Presenting symptoms included pain in 7 patients, obstructive symptoms in 5, high chest tube output in 2, shortness of breath in 2, diarrhea in 1, and cough with dysphagia in 1. Two patients were asymptomatic. Radiographic studies revealed bowel in the left chest in 11 patients, right chest in 2, bilaterally in 1, and posterior mediastinum in 1. Hernia repair was through the abdomen in 14 patients and left chest in 1. All had reduction of the herniated contents and closure of the defect; 2 required mesh. There was no early mortality. Complications included wound infection, deep venous thrombosis, chylothorax, urinary retention, sacral decubiti, atrial arrhythmias, respiratory failure, and empyema. Mean follow-up was 34 months. Ten patients are still alive. There have been two hernia recurrences. Conclusions Hiatal hernia after esophagectomy is rare. Repair can be accomplished with low mortality; however, there is substantial morbidity. Because of the increased risk of incarceration or strangulation, these herniae should be repaired. Long-term outcome is usually excellent.
Chemoorientation of eastern tent caterpillars to trail pheromone, 5β-Cholestane-3,24-dione

Chemoorientation behavior of the larval eastern tent caterpillar,Malacosoma americanum, was studied using the synthetic trail pheromone 5β-cholestane-3,24-dione. Divergent arms of Y mazes were treated with various concentration ratios of the pheromone. At application rates of 10−10-10−9 g/mm of trail, larvae showed a significant preference for stronger trails when concentration ratios differed by as little as 4:1. At application rates of 10−8 and greater there was no significant difference in trail choice even when trails differed in strength by a full order of magnitude. Other studies showed that the caterpillars abandon the pattern of choosing stronger over weaker trails when they repeatedly fail to find food at the end of a stronger trail. Experiments in which larvae were required to choose trails separated by a gap demonstrated orientation by chemoklinotaxis. Caterpillars that had one of the maxillary palps ablated looped in the direction of their intact chemo-receptor when placed on filter paper treated uniformly with pheromone, indicating that they may also orient by tropotaxis. The relevance of these findings to the tent caterpillar communication system is discussed.
Disorder driven metal-insulator transition in BaPb(1-x)Bi(x)O₃ and inference of disorder-free critical temperature.

We performed point-contact spectroscopy tunneling measurements on single crystal ${\mathrm{BaPb}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Bi}}_{x}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ for $0\ensuremath{\le}x\ensuremath{\le}0.28$ at temperatures $T=2--40\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{K}$ and find a suppression in the density of states at low bias voltages that is characteristic of disordered metals. Both the correlation gap and the zero-temperature conductivity are zero at a critical concentration ${x}_{c}=0.30$. Not only does this suggests that a disorder driven metal-insulator transition occurs before the onset of the charge disproportionated charge density wave insulator, but we also explore whether a scaling theory is applicable. In addition, we estimate the disorder-free critical temperature and compare these results to ${\mathrm{Ba}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{K}}_{x}{\mathrm{BiO}}_{3}$.
On a special class of regularized central paths for semidefinite programs

We present a special class of regularized central paths for standard primal-dual semidefinite program (SDP) that can be used to design path-following algorithms for finding the projection of any symmetric matrix/vector onto the solution set of the SDP. We will study the existence, convergence, and analytical properties of these paths.
Brief Update on the Burden of Diabetes in South Carolina

Diabetes is a serious disease, which is often accompanied by complications, such as blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, strokes and amputations. High blood pressure and abnormal cholesterol levels are frequent comorbidities. Diabetes has an immense impact on public health and medical care. In South Carolina (SC), medical costs rise with increased duration of the disease, and lifespan is shortened by 5 to 10 years in most patients. To describe the burden of diabetes in SC, we examined the public health surveillance systems available to estimate the prevalence, mortality and hospitalization rates and some disability statistics and hospital charges. Diabetes is the 7 leading cause of death in SC, directly or indirectly claiming more than 3,000 lives annually, and the 5 leading cause of death in blacks, claiming about 1,200 black lives each year. Minorities, predominantly blacks, experienced a substantially higher death rate and more years of potential life lost than whites. The racial disparity in mortality has widened over the past 10 years. People with diabetes are at increased risk for blindness, lower extremity amputation, kidney failure, nerve disease, hypertension, ischemic heart disease and stroke. Approximately 450,000 South Carolinians are affected by diabetes, many of whom were still undiagnosed in 2010. One of every 5 patients in a SC hospital has diabetes, and 1 in every 10 visits to a SC emergency room is diabetes related. The total charges for diabetes and diabetes-related hospitalizations and emergency room visits were more than $4.2 billion in 2010.
SMART syndrome: a reversible complication after radiation therapy and surgery for brain tumors.

troke-like migraine attack after radiation therapy (SMART syndrome) is a rare clinical entity (1, 2, 6, 11). It is charS acterized by a past medical history of cranial radiation therapy (1, 2, 11). The clinical features include migraine-like symptoms and may be accompanied by a diverse range of neurological deficits including confusion, seizures, hemiparesis, hemisensory changes, and aphasia. Radiological features seen on neuroimaging studies are diffuse, predominantly cortical enhancement of the cerebral gyri with relative sparing of the underlying white matter. Such changes on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) are seen in the previous treatment volume of the radiation therapy and are transient. SMART syndrome is a diagnosis of exclusion in that one must rule out tumor recurrence, leptomeningeal spread, and focal ischemia (1, 2, 11).
Far-infrared generation by optical mixing

Optical mixing is a process in which two or more optical waves interact and generate new frequency components. This review begins with a brief theoretical description of the problem and points out computational difficulties. Then the experimental observations of far-infrared generation by optical mixing in transparent crystals are discussed. Subsequent sections describe the frequency dependence of nonlinear susceptibilities and far-infrared output, theoretical extension to generation by stimulated polariton scattering (with experimental results), tunable far-infrared generation by optical mixing via spin-flip transitions, far-infrared generation by optical mixing in a crystal through optical rectification by absorbing impurities and in a metal vapor through resonantly enhanced third-order nonlinearity, and use of optical mixing as a spectroscopic technique. 14 figures, 1 table, 78 references. (RWR)
Standardization of a model to study revaccination against Marek's disease under laboratory conditions.

Revaccination, the practice of administering Marek's disease (MD) vaccine a second time, has been used in commercial poultry flocks for many years. The rationale is largely anecdotal as the few published reports have failed to provide support for the value of the practice. In the present work, we have standardized a model to study MD revaccination under laboratory conditions. Nine bird experiments were conducted to evaluate homologous revaccination (same vaccine administered twice) and heterologous revaccination (administration of two different vaccines) with various challenge models. Our results demonstrated that heterologous revaccination (with a second vaccine more protective than the first vaccine) but not homologous revaccination provided a beneficial increase in protection. Administration of the first vaccine at 18 days of embryonation followed by a more protective second vaccine at hatch reproduced systematically the benefits of revaccination. In addition, our results show that revaccination protoc...
Birth order and delivery interval: Analysis of twin pair perinatal outcomes

Objective. To determine whether second-born twins (B) have higher morbidity and mortality than first-born twins (A), using a paired analysis.Study design. We conducted a retrospective analysis of b...
Social Movements, Civil Society, and Radical Adult Education: John D. Holst; Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey, 2002, 115 pages

As the title suggests, this book focuses on “radical adult education” and its role in social movements and civil society. Underlying this is a Marxist approach and a theoretical concern over the “C...
Cervical vertebral bone mineral density changes in adolescents during orthodontic treatment.

Introduction The cervical vertebral maturation (CVM) stages have been used to estimate facial growth status. In this study, we examined whether cone-beam computed tomography images can be used to detect changes of CVM-related parameters and bone mineral density distribution in adolescents during orthodontic treatment. Methods Eighty-two cone-beam computed tomography images were obtained from 41 patients before (14.47 ± 1.42 years) and after (16.15 ± 1.38 years) orthodontic treatment. Two cervical vertebral bodies (C2 and C3) were digitally isolated from each image, and their volumes, means, and standard deviations of gray-level histograms were measured. The CVM stages and mandibular lengths were also estimated after converting the cone-beam computed tomography images. Results Significant changes for the examined variables were detected during the observation period ( P ≤0.018) except for C3 vertebral body volume ( P = 0.210). The changes of CVM stage had significant positive correlations with those of vertebral body volume ( P ≤0.021). The change of the standard deviation of bone mineral density (variability) showed significant correlations with those of vertebral body volume and mandibular length for C2 ( P ≤0.029). Conclusions The means and variability of the gray levels account for bone mineral density and active remodeling, respectively. Our results indicate that bone mineral density distribution and the volume of the cervical vertebral body changed because of active bone remodeling during maturation.
Security of IEEE 802.16 in Mesh Mode

IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX) has been seen as a promising technique for future mesh networks to provide broadband wireless access. Meanwhile, its security is becoming a critical issue with the proliferation of wireless threats in current IEEE 802.11 systems. Though incorporating some security methods in conventional one-hop networks, IEEE 802.16 is still vulnerable to malicious attacks in multihop environments such as mesh networks. In this paper, we analyze the security of IEEE 802.16 standard in its Mesh mode, point out some security holes, and propose some solutions to deal with attacks to IEEE 802.16 mesh networks.
Metal chelates in the storage and transport of neurotransmitters: interactions of metal ions with biogenic amines.

— Equilibrium studies on the interaction of biogenic amines with iron (Fe2+ and Fe3+) and magnesium (Mg2+) were undertaken in an attempt to correlate the stabilities of metal-amine chelates and the reported granule-binding affinities of the biogenic amines. By means of potentiometric equilibrium measurements at 25°C and an ionic strength of 10 (KNO3) the formation constants of the Fe2+ chelates with norepinephrine (NE) and adenosine-S-triphosphate (ATP) were determined. Possible structures were derived for the co-ordinate binding of Fe2 + with NE. The interactions of Fe2+ and Fe2+-ATP with NE were investigated and the formation of Fe2+-NE-ATP (1:1:1) mixed ligand ternary chelate was proposed on the basis of the equilibrium data. Information obtained from chelation studies of Fe2+ with pyrocatechol and ethanolamine taken together with the data obtained on the Fe2+-NE system indicated that the binding of Fe2+ by NE was probably via the pyrocatechol moiety. Equilibrium constants for the binding of tyramine (TA) dopamine (DA) and NE with Mg2+ were also determined. The equilibrium data obtained on the Mg2+-amine systems indicated a correlation between the metal-amine binding affinities and the structure and amine-release (and storage) activities of the biogenic amines. A consideration of the stabilities of the Fe2+ and Mg2+ chelates together with the occurrence of these metal ions in synaptosomes suggests their possible involvement in the intra vesicular amine-binding and storage sites.
Density matrix and polarized particle physics.

Applying the density matrix in the context of helicity amplitude techniques for using Feynman perturbation theory, some straightforward and general demonstrations of polarization properties in particle collisions are presented. Among these properties, by using longitudinal modes and classifying the transverse polarizations as being either entirely within the scatter plane or perpendicular to the scatter plane, certain asymmetries are shown to be sensitive to higher-order corrections; double-spin asymmetries with only one transverse polarization are also shown to vanish in many situations, while related asymmetries which were zero in the single-spin case obtain nonzero Born level contributions. Such results may be interpreted in a similar fashion whether the particles be photons, gluons, quarks, or leptons in the initial or final state.
A Study of Mesh-Fed Slot Film Cooling

This investigation demonstrates the potential improvement in adiabatic film effectiveness that can be achieved through the use of mesh-fed surface slot film cooling. Mesh, or in-wall network, cooling is composed of fairly compact arrays of pedestals sized to fit within the limited wall thickness of a turbine airfoil. When the coolant discharge from such a mesh is along a shallow ramp to the airfoil aerodynamic surface (ie. like an angled film hole), the resulting film effectiveness from this combined geometry can be very high. The in-wall mesh network acts as the structural means for obtaining the slot geometry. In this study, flat plate warm wind tunnel testing has been conducted on two mesh-fed film geometries and compared against data for a row of axial round film holes, as well as a row of shaped diffuser film holes. The mesh-fed geometries are composed of pedestal arrays with height-to-diameter ratios of 0.2 exiting onto 20-degree inclines to the surface. The mesh slot exit film blowing ratios tested ranged from M = 0.1 to 0.7, while round and shaped film hole conditions covered 0.5 to 1.2. The mesh-fed film effectiveness results indicate a performance greater than that of shaped diffuser holes, but less than that of a more idealistic two-dimensional slot film geometry. The mesh-fed film effectiveness was as much as 25% higher than that for shaped holes in the near-hole region of x/Ms 50.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Cervical Cancer Screening: Benefits and Barriers

Abstract Cervical cancer screening has been underutilized, despite its early detection benefits. Due to the cancer's long latency period, proper screening techniques and high patient participation can prevent up to 90 percent of invasive cases. The Papanicolaou (Pap) smear is currently the most widely used technique for detecting abnormal cervical cytology. Level of comfort experienced by women remains low, contributing to the low compliance rate. In addition to women's ambivalence about the Pap smear, several demographic factors have been negatively associated with non-compliance, including levels of income, education, and socioeconomic status (SES). Compliance rates differ among Caucasian, African American, and Hispanic women, depending on age and other factors. This article provides an overview of studies that have examined cervical cancer screening. It sheds light on the behavioral aspect of screening and key emotional issues that must be studied in greater detail. Implications of various health educa...
Functional modular contact lens

Tear fluid offers a potential route for non-invasive sensing of physiological parameters. Utilization of this potential depends on the ability to manufacture sensors that can be placed on the surface of the eye. A contact lens makes a natural platform for such sensors, but contact lens polymers present a challenge for sensor fabrication. This paper describes a microfabrication process for constructing sensors that can be integrated into the structure of a functional contact lens in the future. To demonstrate the capabilities of the process, an amperometric glucose sensor was fabricated on a polymer substrate. The sensor consists of platinum working and counter electrodes, as well as a region of indium-tin oxide (ITO) for glucose oxidase immobilization. An external silver-silver chloride electrode was used as the reference electrode during the characterization experiments. Sensor operation was validated by hydrogen peroxide measurements in the 10- 20 μM range and glucose measurements in the 0.125-20 mM range.
Is Degos' disease a clinical and histological end point rather than a specific disease?

Abstract Degos' disease is described as a rare disorder, with approximately 100 cases detailed in the literature. Nearly all are characterized by the near "pathognomonic" appearance of porcelain-white, atrophic papules with peripheral erythema and telangiectases. Many Degos' disease variants have been described including benign cutaneous Degos' disease, familial Degos' disease, atrophie blanche with Degos'-like features, and connective tissue diseases with similar findings. The course, prognosis, and treatment have substantially varied. We present four patients: the first carries a diagnosis compatible with classic Degos' disease, the second and third demonstrate cutaneous and histological findings of Degos' disease but laboratory evidence suggestive of lupus erythematosus, while the fourth has dermatomyositis with Degos'-like lesions. Because of broad overlap in clinical and histological findings, we contend that Degos' disease may not be a specific entity, but rather, may represent a common end point to a variety of vascular insults, many of which have not been fully elucidated.
Breaking the begging bowl: morals, drugs, and madness in the fate of the Muslim faqīr

This article follows a set of developments that transformed the meaning and value of begging as a religious pursuit in colonial India. Focusing on the Muslim faqīrs, the article argues that missionaries, colonial officials, and physicians joined together in a moral and then medical critique of the faqīrs as venerated idlers and sanctified drug users. The moral dimensions of the critique were then taken up by Muslim and Hindu reformists. Positioned at the centre of an immoral nexus, for their British critics the faqīrs were key to the spread of drug abuse and in turn insanity among their followers. For Indian reformists and then nationalists, this nexus also connected the faqīrs to the moral, economic, and physical weakening of the nation. In both of these critical visions, the begging mendicant was seen as an actively harmful figure whose misdeeds ranged from promoting the inversed morality of an anti-work ethic to peddling the evils of drug addiction and rousing the riotous masses on holy days. By drawin...
Estimation of Average Annual Removal Efficiencies of Wet Detention Ponds Using Continuous Simulation

AbstractA curve-number-based, planning level, macrospreadsheet model wet pond annual efficiency simulation model (WEANES) has been developed to predict the average annual removal efficiencies (AARE) of wet detention ponds based on mass pollutant loadings. The model can be used as a design, planning, and permitting tool. WEANES uses the following three processes: (1) converts daily rainfall hyetographs to hydrographs using the curve-number (CN)—based Santa Barbara urban hydrograph method; (2) converts the inflow hydrograph to an outflow hydrograph from the wet pond outlet structure through routing; and (3) calculates annual inflow and outflow pollutant loads and pond efficiency. The model uses historical, site-specific, multiyear, rainfall data available from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration climatological stations. Required input parameters are: (1) watershed parameters (drainage area, pervious CN, directly connected impervious area, and time of concentration); (2) pond parameters (control ...
Transient friction and form loss factors in turbulent and laminar flow; a brief review

Abstract During pump coastdown steady state friction and form loss factors are currently used to calculate pressure drop. Both transient turbulent and laminar flow can exist in a typical LMFBR during the transition to natural convection and circulation. Existing transient friction and form loss data are very sparse. Nevertheless when existing deceleration rates in an LMFBR were compared with transient friction factor data it was concluded that use of steady state friction and form loss correlations is valid during pump coastdown.
RNA template-specific polymerase chain reaction (RS-PCR): a novel strategy to reduce dramatically false positives.

Abstract We report a novel modification of the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction method that we have dubbed RNA template-specific PCR (RS-PCR). With this approach, the 5′ end of the first strand is tagged with a unique nucleotide sequence during reverse transcription which may then be exploited to amplify preferentially RNA-derived sequences. In our hands, RS-PCR greatly reduces the frequency of false positives and virtually eliminates carryover contamination from DNA fragments amplified in previous experiments.
The Pragmatics of Educational Systems Design: A Critical Examination

The author critically examines educational systems design (ESD) through the lens of pragmatism. Examining ESD through a lens of pragmatism draws to the foreground issues related to Banathy's (1991, 1996, 2001) idealized systems design for social and societal systems. The author addresses the complex and dynamic nature of systems design, focusing on the systemic processes in which user-designers are continually challenged to inquire, communicate, and consider choices, and make design decisions concerning the nature of the system being designed. The power of social systems design (SSD) lies in the ability to consider the ideal image of a social and/or societal system, critically and pragmatically in relation to creating a new system that will contribute to the evolutionary betterment of society and a sustainable future for humankind. Following an introduction, the author examines pragmatism. Then the author applies a lens of pragmatism, critically, to examine educational systems design in relation to generating change and creating the ideal educational system. The author then argues the pragmatics of educational systems design, concluding the paper with final reflections on ESD as a process.
Thymidine kinase as a predictor of response to chemotherapy in advanced breast cancer

Cytosols from breast cancers were measured for estrogen receptor (ER) and thymidine kinase (TK) activity. There was no correlation between ER and TK in 137 primary breast cancers studied. The results of TK from 57 metastatic breast cancers were correlated with the response or failure to subsequent hormonal therapy or chemotherapy. TK did not predict the responses to hormonal therapy in 12 patients. Of the 45 patients treated with chemotherapies, 13 of 15 tumors with TK over 80 pmol/mg/min responded (86%), while only 4 of the 30 tumors (13%) with TK below 80 pmol/mg/min responded (p<0.001). TK appears to be useful in predicting the responses to chemotherapy.
Developmentally regulated expression of an exon containing a stop codon in the gene for glutamic acid decarboxylase.

Abstract In the adult rat brain, the gene for glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD; L-glutamate 1-carboxy-lyase, EC 4.1.1.15) is expressed predominantly as a 3.7-kilobase transcript. Earlier data showed that embryonic brain expresses an RNA transcript distinct from the adult form; however, the exact structure of this form was not elucidated. Here, transcripts expressed in the embryonic but not the adult brain were cloned and analyzed. These transcripts include an exon not expressed in the adult inserted into coding sequence. The embryonic exon contains a stop codon that is in-frame with the coding sequence. The exon is found in genomic DNA within the GAD gene where it is flanked by introns with conventional splice sites. On the basis of these structural data, we propose the hypothesis that, early in brain development, transcripts encoding a truncated form of GAD are expressed. The deduced protein cannot function as a decarboxylase because the stop codon in the embryonic exon occurs upstream of the binding site for pyridoxal phosphate, an essential cofactor. Thus, alternative splicing plays a crucial role in the pathway leading to the development of functional GABAergic neurons. The central nervous system-derived cell lines B65 and C6 express a mixture of the adult and embryonic forms of GAD mRNA. They therefore are useful clonal models of central nervous system cells in the early phases of differentiation.
EnronOnline and Informational Efficiency in the U.S. Natural Gas Market

We investigate the impact of the introduction and exit of EnronOnline on the efficiency of the U.S. natural gas market. In particular , we examine the natural gas market informational efficiencies by investigating the time-series properties of natural gas prices: changes in natural gas price long-term dependency , comovement of the spot and futures prices , and changes in volatility patterns in the futures prices and spot prices at representative trading hubs. We find evidence that the introduction and demise of EOL coincided with the improvement and worsening in the degree of the market informational efficiency.
Integrating a family-focused approach into child obesity prevention: Rationale and design for the My Parenting SOS study randomized control trial

Background: More than 20% of US children ages 2-5 yrs are classified as overweight or obese. Parents greatly influence the behaviors their children adopt, including those which impact weight (e.g., diet and physical activity). Unfortunately, parents often fail to recognize the risk for excess weight gain in young children, and may not be motivated to modify behavior. Research is needed to explore intervention strategies that engage families with young children and motivate parents to adopt behaviors that will foster healthy weight development. Methods: This study tests the efficacy of the 35-week My Parenting SOS intervention. The intervention consists of 12 sessions: initial sessions focus on general parenting skills (stress management, effective parenting styles, child behavior management, coparenting, and time management) and later sessions apply these skills to promote healthier eating and physical activity habits. The primary outcome is change in child percent body fat. Secondary measures assess parent and child dietary intake (three 24-hr recalls) and physical activity (accelerometry), general parenting style and practices, nutrition- and activity-related parenting practices, and parent motivation to adopt healthier practices. Discussion: Testing of these new approaches contributes to our understanding of how general and weightspecific parenting practices influence child weight, and whether or not they can be changed to promote healthy weight trajectories. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00998348
Porous Polymersomes with Encapsulated Gd-labeled Dendrimers as Highly Efficient MRI Contrast Agents

The use of nanovesicles with encapsulated Gd as magnetic resonance (MR) contrast agents has largely been ignored due to the detrimental effects of the slow water exchange rate through the vesicle bilayer on the relaxivity of encapsulated Gd. Here, the facile synthesis of a composite MR contrast platform is described; it consists of dendrimer conjugates encapsulated in porous polymersomes. These nanoparticles exhibit improved permeability to water flux and a large capacity to store chelated Gd within the aqueous lumen, resulting in enhanced longitudinal relaxivity. The porous polymersomes, ∼130 nm in diameter, are produced through the aqueous assembly of the polymers, polyethylene oxide-b-polybutadiene (PBdEO), and polyethylene oxide-b-polycaprolactone (PEOCL). Subsequent hydrolysis ofthe caprolactone (CL) block resulted in a highly permeable outer membrane. To prevent the leakage of small Gd-chelate through the pores, Gd was conjugated to polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers via diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid dianhydride (DTPA dianhydride) prior to encapsulation. As a result of the slower rotational correlation time of Gd-labeled dendrimers, the porous outer membrane of the nanovesicle, and the high Gd payload, these functional nanoparticles are found to exhibit a relaxivity (R1) of 292 109 mM -1 s -1 per particle. The polymersomes are also found to exhibit unique pharmacokinetics with a circulation half-life of >3.5 h and predominantly renal clearance.
Synchronization of Lorenz systems by adaptive observation

In this paper, synchronization of a Lorenz-system transmitter is studied under the assumption that one of the three state variables is not transmitted and that transmitter parameters are not known a priori. An adaptive algorithm is proposed to estimate both the state and system parameters. It is shown by Lyapunov arguments and persistent excitation analysis that asymptotic stability of state and parameter estimation is guaranteed. Simulation results are included to demonstrate properties of the algorithm.
Frequencies, Microclimate and Root Properties for Three Codominant Perennials in the Northwestern Sonoran Desert on North-vs.South-facing Slopes

Abstract At a site in the northwestern Sonoran Desert the percent ground cover for the C 3 subshrub Encelia farinosa was eight-times higher on more arid 20° south-facing slopes than on 20° north-facing slopes at 820 m elevation, and was six-times higher on north-facing slopes at a 300-m-lower elevation, also the more arid condition. The ground cover of the C 4 bunchgrass Pleuraphis rigida decreased over 50% from 20° north-facing slopes to the more arid conditions of a 36° north-facing slope, a 20° south-facing slope and a 20° north-facing slope at a 300-m-lower elevation. The CAM leaf succulent Agave deserti also had greater ground cover for the 20° north-facing slopes at 820 m compared with 520 m. For these three codominants that averaged 58% of the total ground cover, the key for the relative frequency of E. farinosa was apparently its greater root growth on the warmer slopes during the winter. The key for the other two species was most likely soil water availability, especially during the seedling stage for A. deserti . The wetter soil conditions on 20° north-facing slopes at 820 m apparently led to individual plants of P. rigida that were twice as large as on south-facing slopes. Thus root properties may exert the primary influence on relative plant frequency in this desert ecosystem for which soil temperature and water availability are crucial.
Maternal MCG Interference Cancellation Using Splined Independent Component Subtraction

Signal distortion is commonly observed when using independent component analysis (ICA) to remove maternal cardiac interference from the fetal magnetocardiogram. This can be seen even in the most conservative case where only the independent components dominated by maternal interference are subtracted from the raw signal, a procedure we refer to as independent component subtraction (ICS). Distortion occurs when the subspaces of the fetal and maternal signals have appreciable overlap. To overcome this problem, we employed splining to remove the fetal signal from the maternal source component. The maternal source components were downsampled and then interpolated to their original sampling rate using a cubic spline. A key aspect of the splining procedure is that the maternal QRS complexes are downsampled much less than the rest of the maternal signal so that they are not distorted, despite their higher bandwidth. The splined maternal source components were projected back onto the magnetic field measurement space and then subtracted from the raw signal. The method was evaluated using data from 24 subjects. We compared the results of conventional, i.e., unsplined, ICS with our method, splined ICS, using matched filtering as a reference. Correlation and subjective assessment of the P-wave and QRS complex were used to assess the performance. Using ICS, we found that the P-wave was adversely affected in 7 of 24 (29%) subjects, all having correlations less than 0.8. Splined ICS showed negligible distortion and improved the signal fidelity to some extent in all subjects. We also demonstrated that maternal T-wave interference could be problematic when the fetal and maternal heartbeats were synchronous. In these instances, splined ICS was more effective than matched filtering.
Hyperglycaemia as a factor affecting κ‐opiate agonist‐induced inhibition of the gastrointestinal transit in mice

The effects of highly selective kappa-opiate agonists were assessed on the gastrointestinal motility in normoglycaemic and hyperglycaemic conditions in mice. Chronic hyperglycaemia was induced by streptozocin injection (200 mg kg-1 i.p.), 7-8 days before the experiment. Acute hyperglycaemia was induced by glucose injection (5 g kg-1 i.p.) at the time of opiate administration. The kappa-opiate agonists, U-50488H and U-69593 (1, 3 and 10 mg kg-1) were injected (i.p.) just before the charcoal meal. The animals were killed 45 min later and the distance travelled by the test meal was measured. In the normoglycaemic mice, both kappa-agonists significantly (P less than 0.05) inhibited the meal transit and this effect was significantly (P less than 0.05) augmented in acute hyperglycaemic animals. However, in chronic hyperglycaemic animals U-50488H failed to inhibit the charcoal meal transit, while U-69593 produced anti-transit effect comparable to that observed in normoglycaemic mice. These results demonstrate that kappa-opiate agonists produce anti-transit effects in mice that these effects are enhanced during acute hyperglycaemia. The disparity of anti-transit effects of kappa-opiate agonists in acute vs chronic hyperglycaemia supports the hypothesis that elevated glucose levels are not the primary mechanism for the altered response to opiates observed in the experimental models of diabetes.
Open Questions and Recent Guidance Regarding the Life Settlement Industry

Billions of dollars are being made available by investors from all over the world who are looking to participate in the life settlement industry. For investors who can develop reliable actuarial models and establish long-term business processes, this option presents a means of diversifying a portfolio with non-correlated assets. Despite the number of willing investors and the frequency with which these transactions are occurring, no “cookie cutter” transaction type, or business structure, is predominant in the industry. That is, there is a variety of participants in terms of form of entity, domestic and foreign locale, degrees of active participation in the operation of the “business,” sophistication and needs as to actuarial and business modeling, and expectations regarding buying and holding and securitizing the policies. Among the more significant drivers of this variation in structuring is a given investor’s identification and understanding of the numerous tax issues that are potentially involved. The problem, however, has been the apparent lack of guidance as to how to apply potentially applicable tax rules that were not drafted with this evolving industry in mind. In May 2009, the Internal Revenue Service released two revenue rulings (Revenue Ruling 2009-13 and Revenue Ruling 2009-14) that answer many of the questions that taxpayers have been asking in this area—or do they?
Advances in diagnostic imaging for peripheral arterial disease.

Refinements in both noninvasive and invasive imaging techniques have led to significant improvements in both the diagnosis and treatment of peripheral arterial disease. Multiple complementary imaging modalities are available for evaluating these patients. This article reviews the advantages, disadvantages and recent advances in the commonly used clinical applications of duplex ultrasonography, magnetic resonance angiography, computed tomographic angiography, digital subtraction angiography and intravascular ultrasound for arterial imaging in the lower extremities. It also discusses experimental imaging techniques more recently applied to peripheral arterial disease such as PET, hyperspectral imaging and molecular imaging of atherosclerosis. As more is understood about both lesion and patient characteristics that affect their response to peripheral interventions, clinician selection of the various imaging modalities as well as different peripheral interventions will allow for more effective treatment of pa...
Biofeedback: A Practitioner's Guide

Type of Book: A multiauthored textbook on the modem clinical practice of biofeedback and applied psychophysiology. Scope of Book: A comprehensive review of current knowledge relative to the practice of biofeedback, with emphasis on clinical application for various medical disorders.
Impact of amiodarone on the ability of anterior fat pad retention to prevent postcoronary arterial bypass grafting atrial fibrillation incidence: a substudy of the AFIST III (Atrial Fibrillation Suppression Trial III)

Background: In the AFIST III (Atrial Fibrillation Suppressions Trial III), anterior fat pad (AFP) retention did not decrease the incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF), but prophylaxis with amiodarone did. In order to examine the inter-relationship between amiodarone with AFP retention on POAF, we performed a planned subgroup analysis of AFIST III. Methods: Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patients were randomized to AFP maintenance or removal with prophylactic amiodarone used via the discretion of the caregiver. Patients were categorized into four groups: AFP retention alone, AFP retention plus amiodarone, AFP removal alone and AFP removal plus amiodarone. Multivariate logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals for development of POAF. Results: Amiodarone was used in 28% of the 178 patients (mean age = 66 ± 10, 80% male, 5% previous atrial fibrillation) undergoing CABG surgery. The overall POAF occurrence rate, regardless of subgroup des...
Wave pipelining using self reset logic

This study presents a novel design approach combining wave pipelining and self reset logic, which provides an elegant solution at high-speed data throughput with significant savings in power and area as compared with other dynamic CMOS logic implementations. To overcome some limitations in SRL art, we employ a new SRL family, namely, dual-rail self reset logic with input disable (DRSRL-ID). These gates depict fairly constant timing parameters, specially the width of the output pulse, for varying fan-out and logic depth, helping accommodate process, supply voltage, and temperature variations (PVT). These properties simplify the implementation of wave pipelined circuits. General timing analysis is provided and compared with previous implementations. Results of circuit implementation are presented together with conclusions and future work.
Formation of carbonyl compounds from UV‐induced photodegradation of humic substances in natural waters: Fate of riverine carbon in the sea

Low-molecular-weight (LMW) carbonyl compounds, e.g. formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and the a-keto acid glyoxylate, were produced in a wide variety of natural waters upon irradiation with sunlight. Production rates were linearly related (r2 > 0.98) to initial absorbance at 300 nm and initial fluorescence (360/460 nm) in all waters tested. Photochemical production was also linearly related to loss (photobleaching) of absorbance and fluorescence during irradiation, irrespective of irradiation time and prior photobleaching history of the sample. These results were attributed to absorption of light by humic substances in the waters, as determined by experiments where purified humic and fulvic extracts were added to open-ocean water. The wavelengths in the solar spectrum responsible for photoproduction of LMW carbonyl compounds and bleaching of dissolved organic matter light absorbance are in the UV-B region (280-320 nm). These results, plus results from time-course irradiations, suggest that photoproduction of carbonyl compounds from humic substances is closely related to photobleaching of absorbance. Based on our photoproduction rates of LMW carbonyl compounds, we estimate that the half-life of humic-rich riverine dissolved organic C in the oceanic mixed layer is 5-l 5 yr.
The Role of Institutional Sedimentation, Regulatory Ambiguity and Institutional Footholds in Shaping Alcohol Governance in California and Pennsylvania

AbstractChange in the social organization of markets involves the state, economic actors, and civil society in a mutually conditioning and dynamic relation. While much is known about this relation, the processes and mechanisms used by economic actors to influence regulatory institutions to shape their economic spaces over time remain insufficiently specified. Based on a most-different case approach of wine in California and Pennsylvania across time, we explain why and how these states adopted very different regulatory frameworks for alcohol governance: a license and state control system, respectively. Our findings indicate that winemakers who created and effectively deployed ‘institutional footholds’ during periods of ‘regulatory ambiguity’ were better positioned to exert influence over regulatory outcomes. Here we define ‘institutional footholds’ as mechanisms used to create spaces of political traction within the state apparatus. A form of critical juncture, ‘regulatory ambiguity’ refers to moments of u...
Genetic (Co)Variances for Milk and Fat Yield in California, New York, and Wisconsin for an Animal Model by Restricted Maximum Likelihood

Abstract Two samples of data from approximately 4000 Holstein cows were analyzed by REML with a multivariate (milk and fat yields) animal model for first lactations started in 1970 through 1977 and in 1978 through 1985 and also for first lactation records started in low, middle, and high production herds in 1978 through 1985 separately for California, New York, and Wisconsin herds. Heritability estimates for milk yield (similar for fat yield) ignoring category of herd production were .29 for 1978 and later and .34 for 1977 and earlier. Estimates for low, middle, and high production herds were .23, .29, and .36. Estimates of genetic correlation between milk and fat averaged .62 for 1978 and later and .73 for 1977 and earlier; for 1978 and later these estimates were greater for California than for New York and Wisconsin, .70 vs. .58 overall. Phenotypic and environmental variances associated with low production herds were less than for middle and high production herds, but differences between middle and high herds varied by state and sample. The pattern of estimates of genetic and environmental parameters suggests that differences between California, New York, and Wisconsin are not very important for genetic evaluation procedures. Production of herds does seem important.
C-H Bond Functionalization in Complex Organic Synthesis

Direct and selective replacement of carbon-hydrogen bonds with new bonds (such as C-C, C-O, and C-N) represents an important and long-standing goal in chemistry. These transformations have broad potential in synthesis because C-H bonds are ubiquitous in organic substances. At the same time, achieving selectivity among many different C-H bonds remains a challenge. Here, we focus on the functionalization of C-H bonds in complex organic substrates catalyzed by transition metal catalysts. We outline the key concepts and approaches aimed at achieving selectivity in complex settings and discuss the impact these reactions have on synthetic planning and strategy in organic synthesis.