cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Mixture Model for Unidirectionally Fiber-Reinforced Composites

Abstract : A binary mixture theory with microstructure is constructed for unidirectionally fiber-reinforced elastic composites. Model construction is based on a asymptotic scheme with multiple scales and the application of Reissner's new mixed variational principle (1984). In order to assess the accuracy of the model, comparison of the mixture model predictions with available experimental data on dispersion of harmonic waves is made for boron/epoxy and tungusten/aluminum composites. Formulas for the effective moduli are also presented, and the results are compared with the test data and other available predictions.
An Incidental Teaching Approach to Early Intervention for Toddlers with Autism.

In an effort to move incidental teaching research to practical applications for toddlers with autism, a comprehensive early intervention model was developed for use in the natural environments of a childcare center and children's homes. Based on the premise that social readiness will best be achieved by providing early social learning opportunities, the center based component of the model targets the developmental needs of an inclusive group of children with and without autism. The home based component involves parents of children with autism as key participants in their children's learning and prepares them to be effective advocates in their children's futures. The curriculum addresses what it is that toddlers need to learn, what environmental arrangements provide the most powerful teaching opportunities, and how teachers and parents can most effectively teach children to progress at their optimum pace. Outcome data are presented that documents an impact on the language and social behavior of participati...
A historic review of canard configurations

The first human-powered flight was achieved by a canard-configured aircraft (Wright Brothers). Although other canard concepts were flown with varying degrees of success over the years, the tail-aft configuration has dominated the aircraft market for both military and civil use. This paper reviews the development of canard aircraft with emphasis on stability and control, handling qualities, and operating problems. The results show that early canard concepts suffered adversely in flight behavior because of a lack of understanding of the sensitivities of these concepts to basic stability and control principles. Modern canard designs have been made competitive with tail-aft configurations by using appropriate handling qualities design criteria.
ADCS Prevention Instrument Project: behavioral measures in primary prevention trials.

Background: There is an urgent need for the development of inexpensive, reliable, and valid instruments that can be used in large-scale primary prevention trials of compounds aimed at ameliorating progression from normal aging to mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer disease. The Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study launched a Prevention Instrument Project to develop such methodologies. Behavioral changes are common in diseases causing dementia and may occur prior to a point when cognitive changes are sufficiently severe to allow diagnosis of a dementia syndrome. Experimental behavioral measures were included in the protocol to examine this hypothesis. Methods: Six hundred forty-four individuals with CDR 0 or 0.5 were randomly assigned to receive a brief in-clinic behavioral assessment or telephonic administration of the same assessment. The questions were asked to the individual and their research partner. The Prevention Instrument Project included behavioral measures of depression, anxiety, irritability, and apathy. Results: All measures demonstrated acceptable test-retest reliability at 3-month intervals except for the single-item depression screen by the subjects' research partner. Behavioral changes are significantly more common among patients with Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scores of 0.5 compared with CDR scores of 0. Behavioral alterations including irritability, anxiety, and apathy are more common among ethnic minorities than among the White population. Depression, irritability, anxiety, and apathy are significantly correlated with each other. Conclusions: Behavioral changes are common among those with mild degrees of cognitive compromise (CDR 0.5). Telephonic assessment of behavioral changes is feasible. The predictive value of these alterations for progression to Alzheimer disease or other dementias will be assessed longitudinally.
Viscosities of molten polymer blends

Pairs of four thermoplastic resins, polystyrene, poly(methyl methacrylate), acetal homopolymer, and nylon-12, were intensively melt-blended in nine proportions from 0 to 100 percent. Capillary rheometry at 210°C was done on each blend; melt densities were also measured on most of them. The dependence of shear stress on Rabinowitsch-corrected shear rate was accurately represented, for all the blends, by a simple empirical model. The dependence of viscosity, at particular shear rates between 5 and 1000 s−1, on blend composition was examined and we fitted two viscosity-composition models to all the systems by least-squares procedures. The character of the dependence of blend viscosity on composition varied widely for the five binary systems studied, two being monotonic over the whole range of shear rate, two exhibiting clear minima and one displaying mixed behavior, with both a minimum and maximum viscosity seen at shear rates near 250 s−1. The McAl lister three-body model satisfactorily describes the viscositycomposition dependence in all five systems. A simpler blend rule was useful only in the monotonic systems, and even there it was inferior to the McAllister model.
Proximal compact spaces are Corson compact

Abstract J. Bell defined a topological space X to be proximal if X has a compatible uniformity with respect to which the first player has a winning strategy in a certain ω -length game. As noted by P.J. Nyikos, it follows easily from Bell's results that Corson compact spaces are proximal. We answer a question of Nyikos by showing that a compact space is proximal iff it is Corson compact.
A statistical feature based decision tree approach for hand gesture recognition

A lot of work has been done in the field of sign language recognition all over the world. The main focus of such work is to make the life of vocally impaired people more comfortable. It also bridges the communication gap between the normal and the abnormal people. The deaf and dumb people need not only learn the standard sign language but the core issue is that they can communicate with the normal people of society. It is also not possible for all the normal people that they learn the sign language to understand whatever is said through gestures. So the communicational gap still stays there even after teaching deaf and dumb people with sign language. In this paper, an approach has been presented in which statistical features are extracted from the hand signs and are then fed to the decision tree for the recognition of the hand gestures. In this research the English alphabet gestures data set has been used and the recognized hand gestures are then represented as both the alphabetical and voice forms. This would help the impaired people to communicate with normal people in the way that they can understand.
Phase diagram of Hg(1−x)CdxTe∗

Abstract The Hg(1−x)CdxTe (T,x) phase diagrams of T.C. Harman and A.J. Strauss and of B. Ray and P.M. Spencer are examined. The apparent discrepancy between them is resolved by presenting a (P,T) phase diagram for Hg0.8Cd0.2Te and showing that each (T,x) curve can be fitted at x = 0.2 by appropriate choices by PHg. Segregation coefficient data are presented which help identify the more practical (T,x) curves.
Effect of thawing time on fertility of bovine spermatozoa in French straws.

Abstract Thawing times of 9 and 40s were compared in a 6-mo fertility experiment involving 18,057 first service inseminations to 23 Holstein bulls. Semen extended in Tris-yolk and packaged in . 5-ml French straws was thawed in warm water baths (32 to 35°C) for either 9 or 40s on alternate days. Based on 75-day nonreturn rates in log-linear models, fertility was significantly higher when semen was thawed for 40s (66.3%) than for 9s (64.4%). The improvement with longer thawing was not affected significantly by montli (January through June). Thus, warming of semen in straws to a temperature approaching body temperature provided a slight increase in fertility even during cold weather.
Graft-versus-host reactions by NZB lymphoid cells exposed to major or minor histocompatibility antigens in irradiated adult mice☆

Abstract The ability of NZB or NZB F1 hybrid lymph node cells (LNC) or spleen cells to exert graft-versus-host (GVH) reactions in irradiated adult allogeneic hosts was compared with that of similar cells from H-2-identical BALB/c, DBA/2, or DBA/2 F1 hybrid donors. Proliferation of GVH cells was determined by measuring splenic or nodal uptake of 5-[ 125 I]iodo-2′-deoxyuridine 3 to 6 days after cell transfer into lethally irradiated hosts. NZB and NZB F1 hybrid LNC and spleen cells proliferated better than control cells, even when taken from donors as old as 68 weeks. NZB LNC proliferated extensively in H-2-identical DBA/2 or BALB/c host mice, whereas DBA/2 LNC grew to a much less extent. Similarly, NZB and NZB F1 hybrid spleen and lymph node cells were superior in inducing lethal GVH disease in irradiated adult CAF1 ( H-2 d H-2 a ) or in H-2 d -identical BALB/c recipient mice. The findings contrast with those indicating that NZB spleen cells lose the ability to induce GVH reactions in unirradiated neonatal mice. It would appear that different GVH reactions have separate cellular requirements.
The treatment of behavior disorders in children with tolserol

Summary 1.Elixir Benadryl was administeredto forty-four children with behavior disorders. 2.Sixty-one per cent of the patientsshowed some improvement. 3.Children with primary behaviordisorders, especially those with manifest anxiety, were most benefited. 4.Benadryl is of value in the treatment of certain acutely disturbing situations in children. 5.No toxic symptoms were observed in children from the administration of Elixir Benadryl.
Studying the Effect of pH Variation on the Incorporation of the Antipsychotic Drug Clozapine into Dyed and Non-Dyed Hair Samples Using Micro-Attenuated Total Reflection Spectroscopy

Antipsychotic drugs are among the mostly widely used medications and are usually taken for prolonged periods of time. Due to its accumulation and trapping of drugs, hair can provide a useful indication of long-term exposure. Of interest also is what if any changes in the structural components of hair occur as a result of the drug binding process. Micro-attenuated total reflection (ATR) spectroscopy is able to examine the structural changes of hair samples by the application of sufficient pressure and without microtoming the hair (A. Kocak and S. L. Berets, Appl. Spectrosc. 62, 803 (2008)). In this investigation, we examined changes resulting from exposure of dyed and undyed hair to external clozapine as a function of the pH of the exposing solution. Single samples from different individuals and in one case from different regions of the scalp from the same individual were analyzed. The results demonstrated that pH related differences exist between drug-exposed dyed and non-dyed samples.
Fossil Lipids for Life-Detection: A Case Study from the Early Earth Record

The geological preservation of lipids from the cell membranes of organisms bestows a precious record of ancient life, especially for the Precambrian eon (>542 million years ago) when Earth life was largely microbial. All organisms produce lipids that, if the lipids survive oxidative degradation, become molecular fossils entrained with information on biological diversity, environmental conditions, and post-depositional alteration history. As with most biosignatures, the molecular fossil record that is indigenous (of the same place) and syngenetic (of the same age) to host rocks can be compromised by the introduction from and reaction with foreign or younger materials (e.g., petroleum or endolithic life). Deciphering the resulting complex pool of organic signals requires tests for the provenance of molecular fossils and the overall quality of the geobiological record itself. This paper reviews the basis for the very existence of a molecular fossil record from lipid biochemistry to mechanisms of organic-matter preservation and geochemical alteration. A systematic approach to resolving the provenance of molecular fossils and historical qualities of the record is presented in a case study of an early Earth record. This example demonstrates the value of geological context and the integration of independent geobiological parameters, which are critical to the detection and understanding of the ecological processes responsible for records of life.
A Note on the Tenth Commandment

T MUST strike the modem man as strange that the Ten Commandments end with a prohibition against coveting, something which is neither criminal nor punishable in any society, including ancient Hebrew society. We understand all right the Commandments against stealing and adultery acts which are punishable in nearly all legal systems, including ancient Israel's. But no one has ever proposed that people be jailed or fined for coveting, as long as it has not led to actual theft of the other fellow's property or adultery with the other fellow's wife. In fact, we can go farther. Coveting is recognized as necessary for success in modem society. A man who does not want to raise his standard of living to that enjoyed by the other fellow is considered ambitionless, and as such reprehensible. To be sure, if coveting results only in unconstructive greed, ostentation, or pushiness (e. g., "keeping up with the Joneses"), and therefore entails an unseemly response to the potentially desirable stimulus of coveting, it may be frowned upon. But when coveting impels us to greater effort, so that we may rise constructively toward the level of our more affluent neighbors, we are on the path that universally leads to approbation. Why, then, does the Bible make a great issue of coveting, grouping it with such evil offenses as murder?
An epidemiologic study of neural tube defects in Los Angeles County I. Prevalence at birth based on multiple sources of case ascertainment.

Epidemiologic studies of the neural tube defects (NTDs), anencephalus and spina bifida, have for the most part been based on single sources of case ascertainment in past studies. The present investigation attempts total ascertainment of NTD cases in the newborn population of Los Angeles County residents for the period 1966 to 1972. Design of the study, sources of data, and estimates of prevalence rates based on single and multiple sources of case ascertainment are here discussed. Anencephalus cases totaled 448, spina bifida 442, and encephalocele 72, giving prevalence rates of 0.52, 0.51, and 0.08 per 1000 total births, respectively, for these neural tube defects - rates considered to be low. The Los Angeles County prevalence rates are compared with those of other recent North American studies and support is provided for earlier suggestions of low rates on the West Coast.
Gender Differences in Time Spent on Parenting and Domestic Responsibilities by High-Achieving Young Physician-Researchers

This survey asked young physician researchers about time spent on professional and domestic activities. Among married couples with children, the authors found that women spent more time on domestic...
Book review/reform and punishment

Michael Tonry and Franklin E. Zimring, eds., Reform and Punishment: Essays on Criminal Sentencing Chicago, Ill.: The University of Chicago Press, 1983, viii + 210 pp.
Entropy-Driven online active learning for interactive calendar management

We present a new algorithm for active learning embedded within an interactive calendar management system that learns its users' scheduling preferences. When the system receives a meeting request, the active learner selects a set of alternative solutions to present to the user; learning is then achieved by noting the user's preferences for the selected schedule over the others presented. To achieve the goals of presenting solutions that meet the user's needs while enhancing the preference-learning process, we introduce a new approach to active learning that makes online decisions about the technique to use in selecting the schedules to present in response to each meeting request. The decision is based on the entropy of the available options: a highly diverse set of possible solutions calls for a selection technique that chooses instances that are different from one another, maximizing coarse-grained learning, whereas a set of possible solutions containing little diversity is met with a selection strategy that promotes fine-grained learning. We present experimental results that indicate that our entropy-driven approach provides a better balance between learning efficiency and user satisfaction than static selection techniques.
Costs of recruiting couples to a clinical trial

Multiple barriers contribute to the slow recruitment of participants to research studies, which in turn extends the time required to translate promising scientific discoveries into proven therapeutic interventions. A small but growing literature is developing on the extraordinary costs of recruiting participants to studies, and thereby demonstrating that underestimating the cost of participant recruitment can contribute to these recruitment problems. These recruitment challenges and costs are exacerbated when the participants' study eligibility is determined by relatively narrowly defined illness parameters. Recruitment challenges are further compounded when dyads (two individuals engaged in a sociologically significant relationship, such as husbands and wives, siblings or extended families) must be recruited to an illness-focused study. For these latter groups, there are no data to guide researchers in how to anticipate those participant recruitment costs. This paper describes the staff costs for a variety of strategies used to recruit participants to a randomized supportive care study for couples who were within 18 months of a prostate cancer diagnosis. Pegged to the value of the U.S. dollar for the period, the average cost of staff time was $288 per recruited and enrolled dyad, plus a promised additional $100 incentive for study retention. Within the strategies used, the staff costs per recruited dyad ranged from $152 to $1688. Accrual per strategy ranged from 0 to 107 enrolled couples. When asked for secondary sources of information about the study, many participants reported more than one source of study referral, reflective of the multifaceted recruitment strategies deployed. In spite of innovative, culturally competent, and broad based recruitment methods, attainment of a diverse sample was difficult to accomplish in this study. Having estimates of the actual cost of recruiting dyads to research studies can help investigators prepare realistic study budgets.
Pediatric laparoscopic splenectomy using the lateral approach

Laparoscopic splenectomy in children has been shown to be safe, to reduce postoperative pain and hospital stay, and to accelerate return to full activities. We describe our experience with a four-port "lateral" approach in 18 patients. Patients were placed in the lateral decubitus position and the table was flexed to separate the left subcostal margin and iliac crest. The camera port was inserted at the umbilicus and additional ports were placed in the epigastrium and left lower quadrant. After mobilization of the splenic flexure a port was inserted in the left flank below the 12th rib for elevation of the spleen. A 30 degrees laparoscope was used and the splenic vessels were controlled with an endo-GIA and/or clips. The spleens were placed in a bag, morcellated, and extracted through a port site. Eight females and 10 males with a median age of 12.5 years (5-17 years) and weight of 55.5 kg (17-124 kg) underwent splenectomy of idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpora (10), spherocytosis (6), elliptocytosis (1), and Hodgkin's disease (1). The median operating time was 160 min (90-300 min) and median blood loss was 105 ml (5-350 ml). Accessory spleens were removed in four cases. Three patients required extensions of a port site to remove large spleens which could not be placed in a bag. The sole complication was a transient pancreatitis with associated pleural effusion. The median postoperative hospital stay was 2 days (1-11 days) and time to full activities was 8 days (3-25 days). The lateral approach affords excellent visualization of the splenic vessels, pancreas, and accessory spleens. This approach is safe and reliable and is our preferred approach for laparoscopic splenectomy in children.
Lead concentrations in pine voles from two Virginia orchards

Pine voles Microtus pinetorum trapped from two Virginia orchards (one maintained, one abandoned) at two times of the year (November and January) had lead concentrations in their carcasses measured. Lead concentrations were significantly greater in adult voles (P < 0·01) and in voles captured in January (P < 0·05), indicating that accumulations increased with age.
Pioglitazone was associated with lower risk for adverse cardiovascular events than rosiglitazone in older patients

Source Citation Juurlink DN, Gomes T, Lipscombe LL, et al. Adverse cardiovascular events during treatment with pioglitazone and rosiglitazone: population based cohort study. BMJ. 2009;339:b2942. 19...
D-optimal (0,1)-weighing designs for eight objects

Abstract Let G ( m , n ) = max { det W T W | W ∈ M m , n ( 0 , 1 ) } . A matrix W ∈ M m , n ( 0 , 1 ) with det W T W = G ( m , n ) is called D-optimal. Here we determine G ( m , 8 ) for m large with the help of a variation of Mitchell’s DETMAX algorithm, and describe the D-optimal examples.
EMERGENCE OF CRACKS BY MASS TRANSPORT IN ELASTIC CRYSTALS STRESSED AT HIGH TEMPERATURES

Single crystals are used under high temperatures and high stresses in hostile environments (usually gases). A void produced in the fabrication process can change shape and volume, as atoms migrate under various thermodynamic forces. A small void under low stress remains rounded in shape, but a large void under high stress evolves to a crack. The material fractures catastrophically when the crack becomes sufficiently large. In this article three kinetic processes are analyzed : diffusion along the void surface, diffusion in a low melting point second phase inside the void, and surface reaction with the gases. An approximate evolution path is simulated, with the void evolving as a sequence of spheroids, from a sphere to a pennyshaped crack. The free energy is calculated as a functional of void shape, from which the instability conditions are determined. The evolution rate is calculated by using variational principles derived from the balance of the reduction in the free energy and the dissipation in the kinetic processes. Crystalline anisotropy and surface heterogeneity can be readily incorporated in this energetic framework. Comparisons are made with experimental strength data for sapphire fibers measured at various strain rates.
Redundant multitrack (d, k) codes

Multitrack run-length-limited (d, k) modulation codes were recently introduced as a method to increase storage densities in magnetic and optical recording systems. These codes are a generalization of the usual run-length-limited (d, K) codes and provide for increased storage density by relaxing the k-constraint and encoding multiple tracks in parallel. Previously, n-track (d, K) codes used all n tracks to satisfy the K constraint causing synchronization to be completely intolerant of faulty tracks. The authors present multitrack (d, k) codes which allow for r faulty tracks by mandating that all subsets of n-r tracks satisfy the K constraint. >
Silica-induced apoptosis mediated via scavenger receptor in human alveolar macrophages

Abstract Exposure to silica dust can result in lung inflammation thatmay progress to fibrosis, for which there is no effective clinical treatment. The mechanisms involved in the development of pulmonary silicosis have not been well defined; however, most current evidence implicates a central role for alveolar macrophages (AM) in this process. We propose that the fibrotic potential of a particulate depends upon its ability to cause apoptosis in AM. In this study, human AM were treated with fibrogenic, poorly fibrogenic, and nonfibrogenic model particulates, such as silica (133 μ g/ml), amorphous silica (80 μ /ml), and titanium dioxide (60 μ g/ml), respectively. Cells were treated with these particulates in vitro for 6 and 24 hr and examined for apoptosis by morphological analysis, DNA fragmentation, and levels of cytosolic histone-bound DNA fragments (cell death ELISA assays). Treatment with silica resulted in morphological changes typical of apoptotic cells, enhanced DNA fragmentation (a characteristic feature of programmed cell death), and significant alveolar macrophage apoptosis as observed by cell death ELISA assays. In contrast, amorphous silica and titanium dioxide demonstrated no significant apoptotic potential. To elucidate the possible mechanism by which silica causes apoptosis, we investigated the role of the scavenger receptor (SR) in silica-induced apoptosis. Cells were pretreated with and without SR ligand binding inhibitor, polyinosinic acid (poly(I), 500 μ g/ml), for 10 min prior to silica treatment. Pretreatment with poly(I) resulted in complete inhibition of silica-induced apoptosis as measured by cell death ELISA. Further, we examined the involvement of interleukin-converting enzyme (ICE) in silica-mediated apoptosis using an ICE inhibitor, Z -Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethyl ketone. Z -Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethyl ketone inhibited silica-induced apoptosis and IL-1 β release. These results suggest that fibrogenic particulates, such as silica, caused apoptosis of alveolar macrophages and that this apoptotic potential of fibrogenic particulates may be a critical factor in initiating an inflammatory response resulting in fibrosis. Additionally, silica-induced apoptosis of alveolar macrophages may be due to the interaction of silica particulates with the SR, initiating one or a number of signaling pathways involving ICE, ultimately leading to apoptosis.
Diabetic patients have a decreased incidence of acute respiratory distress syndrome

ObjectiveOur ability to predict which critically ill patients will develop acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is imprecise. Based on the effects of diabetes mellitus on the inflammatory cascade, we hypothesized that a history of diabetes might alter the incidence of ARDS.DesignA prospective
Temporal patterns of the responses of auditory-nerve fibers to low-frequency tones

Abstract The temporal response patterns of auditory-nerve fibers to low-frequency tones were studied in anesthetized cats using period histograms. ‘Peak-splitting’ was observed mostly in fibers with lower characteristic frequencies (CF
A RHEUMATOID FACTOR SPECIFIC MIMOTOPE IDENTIFIED BY A PEPTIDE DISPLAY LIBRARY

We screened a 10 amino acid peptide display library in filamentous phage with B'20, a monoclonal high affinity IgM rheumatoid factor (RF) expressing the VkIIIa-dependent 4C9 idiotype. Using direct and indirect selection techniques, 12 B'20 reactive peptides were identified, 9 of which belonged to one of two motifs. Binding of B'20 to phage-bearing peptides was inhibited by both IgG and 4C9 antiidiotype. Synthetic peptides corresponding to the two motifs inhibited the Fc binding of a low avidity IgA B'20 construct. Purified IgM from 6/8 RF-positive RA patients and 8/11 monoclonal RFs with VkIII-encoded light chains bound to the phage, whereas none of the four monoclonal RFs with VkI or VkII encoded light chains bound. Phage binding appeared to be RF specific. Three 4C9 positive/RF negative cell lines from RA patients did not bind to phage nor did three B'20 mutants that had lost RF specificity, whereas two mutants that retained RF specificity also retained phage binding. We propose that there is a common epitope(s) recognized by VkIII encoded RFs that is mimicked by the structure of these peptides. Such mimotopes might be exploited to design novel agents that interfere with autoantibody binding.
Why bats hang upside down: a biomechanical hypothesis.

Abstract In a size series of bats, we find the femora so delicately built as to not fit engineering models for minimal weight support. Since the legs cannot withstand compression stress, hanging is advantageous. Evolutionary reduction of weight for flight may have precipitated this remodelling. Quadrupedal vampires are an exception and fit elastic similarity models.
Modification of digitalis inotropism by a lactam derivative

Se describe la sintesis y prueba de estructura del 3-acetato de (20 S, 21 R)-3β-hidroxi-21-amino-14β, 21-oxidonorcolan-23-oico acido lactama, el cual es el derivativo lactama de digitoxigenina. Dicho compuesto posee insignificantes efectos inotropicos, pero inhibe o retarda la accion inotropica positiva del 3-acetato de digitoxigenina cuando se ensaya en atria izquierda aislada de cochinillo de Indias o conejo.
Percutaneous retrograde left ventricular assist support for interventions in patients with aortic stenosis and left ventricular dysfunction.

Objectives To evaluate feasibility and technical outcomes in patients with aortic stenosis (AS) who have undergone high-risk procedures with continuous flow left ventricular (LV) assist, with the Impella 2.5 system (Abiomed, Danvers, MA). Background In preparation for transcatheter aortic valve implantation, an increasing number of high-risk patients with severe AS and left ventricular dysfunction are currently considered for percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) and balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV). Hemodynamic support may be required in some patients. Methods We reviewed procedural and clinical findings and 30-day outcomes in patients with symptomatic AS who underwent high-risk percutaneous procedures supported by the Impella 2.5 system. All patients carried a high-risk of operative mortality. Impella was used during PCI, BAV, and for hemodynamic support during emergencies. Results Over a 14-month period, 21 patients with AS underwent insertion of Impella prior to high-risk PCI (n = 3), BAV with subsequent PCI (n = 8), BAV alone (n = 7), or during cardiac arrest immediately following BAV (n = 3). The mean Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) predicted mortality risk was 14% (range 7.3–24.7%). Impella was inserted successfully in all patients attempted. Retrograde advancement of two catheters across the aortic valve (for concomitant BAV in 15 patients) was technically feasible. Retrograde continuous flow LV assist produced a reduction in LV end-diastolic pressure and an increase in arterial pressure. Periprocedural complications occurred in 19% (n = 4) patients, with no periprocedural deaths. Mortality at 30 days was 14.2%. Conclusion Our data suggests that continuous flow LV assist with Impella 2.5 can be used in high-risk patients with severe AS who require periprocedural hemodynamic support. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
ULTRASTRUCTURAL CHANGES IN DEFATTED SOY FLOUR INDUCED BY NONEXTRUSION TEXTURIZATION

A Korean “textured” snack food press (Hand Press) was used to produce nonextrusion soy products. Constant processing conditions were plate temperature, top and bottom (190°C); pressure (21.1 kg/cm2); raw material moisture (30%) and premoistened sample mass (25g). The varying condition was retention time (2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 sec). The present study was initiated to investigate the sequence of cellular and sub-cellular changes taking place during the development of texture in defatted soy flour. Ultrastructural changes produced during nonextrusion texturization occurred in the following well-defined stages: two (2) set stage, fusion of flour components; 2–8 sec stage, protein bodies deformed, ruptured and fused with carbohydrates forming a protein carbohydrate matrix and final, 10 sec stage, fibrillation of the protein-carbohydrate matrix.
Evaluating the Impact of Science-Enrichment Programs on Adolescents' Science Motivation and Confidence: The Splashdown Effect.

The impact of summer science-enrichment programs on high-school students' science motivation and confidence was evaluated in a 7-month period following program completion. The programs took place on a college campus. The splashdown effect was defined as program-related changes the program graduates recognized in themselves that became apparent to them after reentry to their home high school. The effect was studied in a group of 88 gifted girls and boys from 38 high schools. On qualitative and quantitative measures obtained during private interviews, students reported a strong splashdown effect after returning to their high school. Results supported the validity of the splashdown concept. Splashdown motivation and splashdown confidence (i.e., recognition of program-related gains in motivation and confidence that occurred after high-school reentry) predicted change in corresponding science attitudes during the follow-up period. As predicted by social comparison theory, the intensity of the splashdown effect was associated with average school achievement in the student's home high school. Students from academically weaker schools reported stronger splashdown effects. Implications for enhancing and evaluating the effect of science-enrichment programs on students' science attitudes are discussed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 42: 359–375, 2005
Race, Ethnicity, and Sex Affect Risk for Polyps >9 mm in Average-Risk Individuals

Background & Aims Colorectal cancer risk differs based on patient demographics. We aimed to measure the prevalence of significant colorectal polyps in average-risk individuals and to determine differences based on age, sex, race, or ethnicity. Methods In a prospective study, colonoscopy data were collected, using an endoscopic report generator, from 327,785 average-risk adults who underwent colorectal cancer screening at 84 gastrointestinal practice sites from 2000 to 2011. Demographic characteristics included age, sex, race, and ethnicity. The primary outcome was the presence of suspected malignancy or large polyp(s) >9 mm. The benchmark risk for age to initiate screening was based on white men, 50−54 years old. Results Risk of large polyps and tumors increased progressively in men and women with age. Women had lower risks than men in every age group, regardless of race. Blacks had higher risk than whites from ages 50 through 65 years and Hispanics had lower risk than whites from ages 50 through 80 years. The prevalence of large polyps was 6.2% in white men 50−54 years old. The risk was similar among the groups of white women 65−69 years old, black women 55−59 years old, black men 50−54 years old, Hispanic women 70−74 years old, and Hispanic men 55−59 years old. The risk of proximal large polyps increased with age, female sex, and black race. Conclusions There are differences in the prevalence and location of large polyps and tumors in average-risk individuals based on age, sex, race, and ethnicity. These findings could be used to select ages at which specific groups should begin colorectal cancer screening.
Five-Factor Model Personality Traits and the Retirement Transition: Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional Associations

The authors examined associations between 5-factor personality traits and retirement in a diverse community sample. Longitudinal analyses (n = 367) compared personality trajectories of participants who remained employed and participants who retired. Personality at baseline did not predict future retirement, but compared to participants who remained employed, retirees increased in Agreeableness and decreased in Activity, a facet of Extraversion. In cross-sectional analyses among retirees (n = 144), those low in Neuroticism and high in Extraversion reported higher retirement satisfaction, and those high in Extraversion reported higher postretirement activity levels. Findings suggest that the trait perspective contributes to the understanding of the retirement process.
Molecular Mapping of the Leaf Rust Resistance Gene Lr17a in Wheat

Wheat leaf rust, caused by Puccinia triticina Eriks., infects millions of acres of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and causes leaves to senesce prematurely, which in turn decreases yield by reducing the plant’s ability to complete kernel fi ll. Lr17a, a leaf rust resistance gene in wheat, is present in many wheat varieties available today. The objective of this research was to identify molecular markers linked to Lr17a. Microsatellite markers were used on a mapping population of 161 F 2 lines made from a cross of Chinese Spring and Thatcher-Lr17a. Capillary fragment analysis was performed and eight markers were linked to Lr17a, of which Xgwm614 and Xwmc407 fl anked Lr17a at genetic distances of 0.7 and 2.5 cM, respectively. An evaluation of cultivars with and without Lr17a, and grown in the midwestern United States, revealed that multiple alleles were present for all markers and little correspondence between alleles of closely linked markers and Lr17a was observed. Therefore, caution must taken when using them for marker-assisted selection.
The Association Between Nulliparity and Gestational Hypertension

The association between nulliparity and gestational hypertension was examined by analysis of the 1988 National Maternal and Infant Health Survey. Gestational hypertension was defined as the occurrence of two consecutive diastolic blood pressure readings > or = 90 mm Hg after 20 completed weeks gestation in the absence of proteinuria in subjects normotensive prior to pregnancy. Preeclampsia was defined as gestational hypertension in the presence of significant proteinuria. Using logistic regression, 110 subjects with gestational hypertension and 34 subjects with preeclampsia were compared with 4371 subjects free of all hypertensive disorders. Nulliparity was weakly associated with an increase in the risk of gestational hypertension among whites (odds ratio, 95% confidence interval: 1.58 [0.92-2.74]) and not associated with risk among blacks (1.09 [0.51-2.35]). Preeclampsia was strongly associated with increased risk among whites (2.86 [0.94-8.73]) and blacks (2.94 [0.94-9.18]). The small increase in risk of gestational hypertension associated with nulliparity in contrast with the large increase in risk of preeclampsia suggests that these disorders may have a different etiology.
A carcinogenicity study of the pesticide dieldrin in hamsters

Syrian golden hamsters were fed for their lifespan a diet containing 0, 20, 60 and 180 parts per million (ppm) Dieldrin. Tumour-bearing animals totaled 13% among control females and ranged between 3-15% in treated females. Eight per cent of male controls had tumours and between 16-23% of treated males. Incidences of endocrine organ tumours were comparable in all groups. A hepatoma was found in 1 female and 1 male led 180 ppm Dieldrin. The present results show that hamsters tolerate higher doses of Dieldrin than do mice and rats. No significant tumour incidence was observed in treated versus control Syrian golden hamsters.
The impact of temperature on nitrification rate in fixed film biofilters

Abstract The impact of temperature on nitrification rate was evaluated in this study through experimental tests, mathematical modeling and sensitivity analysis. The results show that the impact of temperature on fixed film nitrification rate is less significant than that predicted by the van't Hoff–Arrhenius equation. In a fixed film biofilter, the impact of temperature on nitrification rate due to DO (dissolved oxygen) limitation is different from that due to TAN (total ammonia nitrogen) limitation. Sensitivity analysis indicated that a temperature increment at 20 °C resulted in nitrification rate increase of 1.108% per °C and 4.275% per °C under DO and TAN limited conditions, respectively. Diffusion mass transport plays an important role in fixed film nitrification processes. Consequently, the effect of temperature on nitrification rate due to bacterial growth rate change in fixed film processes is greatly reduced compared with that of suspended growth processes. When oxygen is limited, the decrease in saturation DO concentration as temperature increases results in a negative temperature impact upon the nitrification rate.
First amendment theory and conceptions of the self

Free speech theory is built upon certain notions of the individual person and his or her rights that derive from early expositors of liberalism. This picture of the human person—the “liberal self"—has come under attack from a variety of theoretical perspectives, including communitarians, feminists, literary theorists, and critical legal studies scholars. This article examines the rival conceptions of the self and analyzes the possible effects on First Amendment theory of these critiques of the liberal self.
Cervical Remodeling/ripening At Term And Preterm Delivery: The Same Mechanism Initiated By Different Mediators And Different Effector Cells

Background: Premature cervical remodeling/ripening is believed to contribute to preterm delivery (PTD), the leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. Despite considerable research, the causes of term and PTD remain unclear, and there is no effective treatment for PTD. We previously demonstrated that complement activation plays a causative role in cervical remodeling that leads to PTD in mice. Methodology/Principal Findings: Here we found that complement activation is not required for the physiological process that leads to term delivery in mice. Neither increased C3 cervical deposition nor increased C3a and C5a serum levels were observed at term. In addition, macrophages infiltration was found in PTD in contrast to term delivery were no leukocytes were found. Despite the different role of complement and different cellular effector cells, PTD and term delivery share a common dowsntream pathway characterized by increased metalloproteinases (MMPs) release and increased collagen degradation. However, different sources of MMPs were identified. Macrophages are the source of MMPs in PTD while cervical fibroblasts and columnar epithelial cells synthesize MMPs at term delivery. A dramatic diminution in serum progesterone levels precedes parturition at term but not in PTD, suggesting that progesterone withdrawal initiates cervical remodeling at term. On the other hand, MMPs release in PTD is triggered by C5a. Conclusion and Significance: In conclusion, preterm and term cervical remodeling occur through the same mechanism but they are initiated by different mediators and effector cells. That complement activation is required for PTD but not for the physiological process that leads to term delivery, suggests that complement is a potential specific biomarker and selective target to prevent PTD and thus avert neonatal mortality and morbidity.
Evaluation of CAMEL — comprehensive areal model of earthquake-induced landslides

Abstract A new comprehensive areal model of earthquake-induced landslides (CAMEL) has been developed to assist in planning decisions related to disaster risk reduction. CAMEL provides an integrated framework for modeling all types of earthquake-induced landslides using fuzzy logic systems and geographic information systems. CAMEL is designed to facilitate quantitative and qualitative representation of terrain conditions and knowledge about these conditions on the likely areal concentration of each landslide type. CAMEL has been empirically evaluated with respect to disrupted landslides (Category I) using a case study of the 1989 M = 6.9 Loma Prieta, CA earthquake. In this case, CAMEL performs best in comparison to disrupted slides and falls in soil. For disrupted rock fall and slides, CAMEL's performance was slightly poorer. The model predicted a low occurrence of rock avalanches, when none in fact occurred. A similar comparison with the Loma Prieta case study was also conducted using a simplified Newmark displacement model. The area under the curve method of evaluation was used in order to draw comparisons between both models, revealing improved performance with CAMEL. CAMEL should not however be viewed as a strict alternative to Newmark displacement models. CAMEL can be used to integrate Newmark displacements with other, previously incompatible, types of knowledge.
SU-E-T-309: Dosimetric Study and Clinical Implementation of an HDR Applicator of SAVI for Partial Breast Irradiation.

Purpose: To present clinical implementation and quality assurance for a new HDR applicator of Strut‐Adjusted Volume Implant (SAVI) for partial breast irradiation and the higher‐order DVH examined. Methods: The SAVI applicator with multi‐peripheral struts can be differentially loaded with the HDR source for a conformal dose distribution to the lumpectomy cavity. The treatment plan is evaluated by a dose volume histogram (DVH) as follows: V90 > 90%, V150 < 50 cc, and V200 < 20 cc. A higher‐order DVH which may reflect radiation‐induced toxicity, such as V300, was studied. The SAVI device status was verified by the 3D CTimages and imagefusion.Tissue invagination was investigated using an ion chamber and film with the cavity filled with air and water merged into a water phantom. Results: Twenty‐nine patients to date at Mercy Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland were treated with SAVI device. The dosimetric data demonstrated the achievements of greater than 90% coverage for V90 at 96.8% and 94.1% for V95 while keeping a low V150 at 33.9 cc and V200 at 16.5 cc. V300 was found to be 2.7 cc in average. Potential uncertainties introduced by the SAVI applicator motion were a 3% variation in dose caused either by a 3‐mm} translation or a rotation of 3 degree. Conclusions: Multiple catheters of the SAVI applicator allows for optimal and conformal dose distribution around a lumpectomy cavity while minimizing the dose to adjacent normal structures such as skin and ribcage. Multiple imaging techniques are capable to verify cavity variation, strut collapse or relative motion, and device shift. A nearly fully loaded dwell source position produced the discrepancy of less than 3% and allow for optimal and conformal dose distribution to a lumpectomy cavity. Advantages of the SAVI applicator have been shown in treating breast cancer with the shallower, elliptical, and asymmetric cavity.