cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Public Health Is Essential: COVID-19's Learnable Moment for Medical Education.

The COVID-19 pandemic, an unprecedented challenge for this generation of physicians and for the health care system, has re-awakened calls to strengthen the United States' public health systems. This global event is also a "learnable moment" for medical education-an opportunity to decisively incorporate public health, including public health systems, through the continuum of medical education. Although medical educators have made progress in integrating public health content into medical curricula, "public health" is not a phrase that is consistently used in curricular standards, and public health colleagues are not identified as unique and essential partners to improve and protect health. The COVID-19 crisis has demonstrated how a strong public health system is necessary to support the health of patients and populations, as well as the practice of medicine. Partnerships between medical and public health communities, through individual- and population-based interventions, can also more effectively combat more common threats to health, such as chronic diseases, health inequities, and substance abuse.To achieve a more effective medicine-public health relationship in practice, curricula across the continuum of medical education must include explanations of public health systems, the responsibilities of physicians to their local and state governmental public health agencies, and opportunities for collaboration. Medical education should also prepare physicians to advocate for public health policies, programs, and funding in order to improve and protect the health of their patients and communities. Pandemic COVID-19 demonstrates with laser focus that all physicians are part of public health systems, and that public health content has a distinct and critical place across the continuum of medical education to prepare physicians to participate in, collaborate with, and advocate for public health systems.
Critically Ill Pediatric Case Exposure During Emergency Medicine Residency.

Abstract Background Eighty-eight percent of pediatric emergency department (ED) visits occur in general EDs. Exposure to critically ill children during emergency medicine (EM) training has not been well described. Objective The objective was to characterize the critically ill pediatric EM case exposure among EM residents. Methods This is a secondary analysis of a multicenter retrospective review of pediatric patients (aged Results There were 31,552 children seen by 51 residents across all programs; 434 children (1.3%) had an ESI of 1. The median patient age was 8 years (interquartile range [IQR] 3–12 years). The median overall pediatric critical case exposure per resident was 6 (IQR 3–12 cases). The median trauma and medical exposure was 2 (IQR 0–3) and 3 (IQR 2–10), respectively. For 13 out of 20 diagnostic categories, at least 50% of residents did not see any critical care case in that category. Sixty-eight percent of residents saw 10 or fewer critically ill cases by the end of training. Conclusion Pediatric critical care exposure during EM training is very limited. These findings underscore the importance of monitoring trainees’ case experience to inform program-specific curricula and to develop strategies to increase exposure and resident entrustment, as well as further research in this area.
Donnan, Dunn, and Their Civic Education Implications

This chapter will discuss the actual influence of Donnan on Dunn’s career, and why his rearticulation of her curriculum failed, due to his adherence to social efficiency. It will also use the example of Laura Donnan’s enacted epistemological practices to think about the underlying implications of Donnan’s work, and the concepts of epistemology and agency. Her epistemology guided her agency and led to innovative practices that engaged generations of students.
Scale-Up of Chemical Looping Combustion

The use of chemical looping combustion (CLC) for power generation is a possible pathway to meet demands for developing clean and efficient fossil fuel-based energy systems. CLC is an advanced technology that captures CO2 inherently and could prove to be an advantageous next electricity generation technology in a carbon-constrained energy scenario. Fluidized bed reactors are used in CLC. The scale-up of laboratory-scale or prototype CLC reactors is necessary to develop an understanding of the potential and efficiencies of CLC because commercial installations would be large, requiring huge amounts of infrastructure, equipment, and investment. In this study, scaling laws were used as a guide to design and then build two different-sized CLC reactors. Testing of the reactors involved a focus on chemical similarities. Comparisons of the performance of both reactors, including the fuel conversion and temperature change, showed good correlations.
Overcoming economic barriers to health care.

(1975). Overcoming Economic Barriers to Health Care. Health Education: Vol. 6, No. 6, pp. 7-10.
Transcription Factors C/EBPα, C/EBPβ, and CHOP (Gadd153) Expressed During the Differentiation Program of Keratinocytes In Vitro and In Vivo

CCAAT-enhancer binding proteins (C/EBP) are basic region/leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factors selectively expressed during the differentiation of liver, adipose tissue, blood cells, and the endocrine pancreas. Here we show that C/EBP isoforms are differentially expressed in the skin. BALB/MK keratinocytes incubated in 0.12 mM calcium medium undergo a differentiation program featuring growth-arrest at 24–48 h, keratin K10 gene expression beginning at 24 h, and apoptosis commencing at 48 h. Within this framework, western immunoblot analysis and immunohistochemistry reveal that C/EBPα increases 5-fold at 1–2 d and remains elevated, C/EBPβ rises 2-fold at 2–4 d and gradually falls, and CHOP rises 9-fold in the first 24 h then returns rapidly to baseline. Several products of alternative translation are observed in BALB/MK cells, i.e., 42 kDa and 30 kDa forms of C/EBPα, and 32 kDa and 20 kDa forms of C/EBPβ. By immunohistologic examination of human, rat, and mouse skin, all three transcription factors are highly expressed within epithelial compartments in a spatially restricted distribution. C/EBPα is concentrated in the upper epidermis in a predominantly cytoplasmic location within cells, whereas the highest levels of C/EBPβ and CHOP are seen in the mid-epidermis, mainly within nuclei. High levels of C/EBPβ and CHOP (but not C/EBPα) are also observed in hair follicles and sebaceous glands. The identity of these factors in the epidermis is confirmed by western immunoblot analyses. In summary, C/EBP are expressed in a differentiation-associated manner in the skin, and may play an important role in regulating one or more aspects of the epidermal differentiation program.
Increased blood-brain transfer in a rabbit model of acute liver failure

The blood-to-brain transfer of [14C]alpha-aminoisobutyric acid was investigated by quantitative autoradiography in normal rabbits and rabbits with acute liver failure induced by the selective hepatotoxin galactosamine. The blood-to-brain transfer of alpha-aminoisobutyric acid was similar in control animals and animals 2 and 7 h after galactosamine injections, but was increased five- to tenfold in certain gray-matter areas of the brain in animals 11 and 18 h after galactosamine treatment. No detectable differences in white-matter uptake of [14C]alpha-aminoisobutyric acid were found between the control and treated groups. The increase in alpha-aminoisobutyric acid transfer within the gray-matter areas suggested that a general or nonspecific increase in brain capillary permeability occurred in these areas. No clinical signs of early hepatic encephalopathy were observed in the treated rabbits, except for 1 animal from the 18-h postgalactosamine group. Thus, enhanced blood-brain transfer of alpha-aminoisobutyric acid preceded the development of overt hepatic encephalopathy. The distribution of radioactivity after the intravenous administration of [14C]galactosamine showed that virtually none of the hepatotoxin localized in the brain, suggesting that the drug itself does not have a direct effect upon the blood-brain barrier or the brain. The increased uptake of alpha-aminoisobutyric acid at 11 and 18 h implies that the transfer of other solutes would also be enhanced, that central nervous system homeostasis would be compromised, and that the resulting changes in brain fluid composition could contribute to or cause hepatic encephalopathy.
Generation of a ultrawideband electromagnetic response through a Laguerre expansion using early time and low frequency data

The objective of this paper is to generate a ultrawideband and long temporal response for three-dimensional structures. This is accomplished through the use of a hybrid method that involves generation of early time and low frequency information for the electromagnetic structure of interest utilizing computational available conventional electromagnetic codes. These two, early time and low frequency information, are mutually complementary and contain all the necessary information for an ultrawideband response for a sufficient record length. The time domain response is modeled as a Laguerre series expansion. The frequency domain response is also expressed in an analytic form using the same expansion coefficients used in the modeling of the time domain response. The data in both the domains is used to solve for the polynomials coefficients in a data fitting procedure. Once the polynomial coefficients are known, the available data is simultaneously extrapolated in both domains. This approach is attractive because expansions with a few terms give good extrapolation in both the time and frequency domains. The computation involved to generate a ultrawideband response is minimal with this method.
Federal Preemption and Consumer Financial Protection: Past and Future

Starting in 1995 and throughout the subprime boom during the next decade, Congress failed to take action to curb predatory mortgage lending. Many states and cities filled the void by passing anti-predatory lending laws of their own. Lenders, worried about potential liability, quickly organized a full-scale attack on the state and local initiatives. Their most potent strategy lay in challenging the laws and ordinances under federal preemption rules for national banks and federal savings associations that precluded states from enforcing their anti-predatory lending laws. The Dodd-Frank Act curtailed the preemption rules by establishing that state consumer financial laws can only be preempted if they discriminate against state-chartered depository institutions relative to, or prevent or significantly interfere with the powers of, national banks or federal savings associations.Dodd-Frank's preemption standards became effective on July 21, 2011, at which point the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) should have conformed its preemption rulings to the new law. Instead, on that date, the OCC issued a new rule that preempted broad swaths of existing state laws using its old preemption precedents, bypassing the Dodd-Frank procedures along the way. We contend that the OCC's actions are not consistent with Congress's intent and predict that there will be legal challenges to the substance of the OCC's new preemption rule and to the process the OCC employed when adopting the rule.
Curved Wiener Space Analysis

The purpose of these notes is to first provide some basic background to Riemannian geometry and stochastic calculus on manifolds and then to cover some of the more recent developments pertaining to analysis on “curved Wiener spaces.” Essentially no differential geometry is assumed, however, it is assumed that the reader is comfortable with stochastic calculus and differential equations on Euclidean spaces. Here is a brief description of what will be covered in the text below.
Being Shaped by the Ritual Practices of Others: a Classroom Reflection

This reflection offers a glimpse into a Masters' level practical theology course in “wisdom formation” for its potential implications and contributions in multifaith education. Instigated by an unexpected companionship between the two instructors – an eighth-generation rabbi, leader of CLAL (the Center for Learning and Leadership) and a Presbyterian practical theologian in a free-standing United Methodist seminary – this elective course was developed for Christian and Jewish ministry students, though it eventually evolved into a required Masters of Divinity course in theologies of religious pluralism and interreligious/intercultural encounter. The course's structure and implementation are described, followed by difficulties faced and potential implications for multifaith education, specifically those in disciplinary formation, institutional stewardship, and the diverse contexts and questions for teaching and learning.
Polarization and the Decline of the American Floating Voter

The observed rate of Americans voting for a different party across successive presidential elections has never been lower. This trend is largely explained by the clarity of party differences reducing indecision and ambivalence and increasing reliability in presidential voting. American National Election Studies (ANES) Times Series study data show that recent independent, less engaged voters perceive candidate differences as clearly as partisan, engaged voters of past elections and with declining rates of ambivalence, being undecided, and floating. Analysis of ANES inter-election panel studies shows the decline in switching is present among nonvoters too, as pure independents are as reliable in their party support as strong partisans of prior eras. These findings show parties benefit from the behavioral response of all Americans to polarization. By providing an ideological anchor to candidate evaluations, polarization produces a reliable base of party support that is less responsive to short-term forces.
Animal models for AIDS pathogenesis.

Publisher Summary Individuals who harbor naturally attenuated HIV do not escape disease, but, like the rhesus macaques, they experience a delay in its onset. In order for a live attenuated vaccine to succeed, additional control or elimination of persistent proviral copies is necessary. The primate lentiviruses have differential pathogenesis; not all combinations of virus and hosts produce disease. Pathogenesis is a function of both viral and host determinants. Even within a species susceptible to disease caused by an AIDS virus, variability in manifestations of the disease exists. A molecular cloned virus contains the total genetic information for the virus on a proviral DNA copy. That copy can, by itself, program the production of the virus; in fundamental nature the virus life cycle can be started in the absence of complete virus. Thus, pure DNA encoding viral information can be used to test whether the virus causes AIDS or whether some contaminating substance copurifying in the virus preparation is necessary to produce the disease.
State-space modelling of hysteresis-based control schemes

The paper develops a state-space model for the aggregate power drawn by a group of plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) chargers under hysteresis-based charging. The aggregate response of the PEV charging loads to changes in the hysteresis deadband is nonlinear, requiring detailed analysis to accurately capture the dynamics. Related work, which focused on thermostatically controlled loads (TCLs), addressed state-space modelling by dividing the hysteresis deadband into equally sized bins and keeping track of the inter-bin migration of loads. A system of PEV chargers can be treated similarly. A new modelling paradigm has been developed to allow for fast variation of the hysteresis deadband. This model tracks the distribution of PEV chargers within the hysteresis deadband, with the inter-bin migration of chargers used to capture the aggregate dynamics.
Maritime transport chain choice by carriers, ports and shippers

Abstract A maritime transport chain is a network over which carriers, ports and shippers are involved in the movement of cargo. This paper formally deduces that the port choice literature is included in the maritime transport chain choice literature. Specifically, it demonstrates that determinants of the port choice by shipping lines and shippers found in the literature and determinants of shipping line and shipper choice by ports are also determinants of maritime transport chain choice. Further, a maritime transport chain is formalized as an equilibrium model. Existence and uniqueness results for the proposed maritime transport chain model are derived.
Some Lexical Problems in the Interpretation and Textual Criticism of Beowulf (Verses 414a, 845b, 986a, 1320a, 1375a)

To those who teach Beowulf, the magnificent glossary in Frederick Klaeber's edition (1950a) is both a blessing and a deeply troubling problem—so troubling that for some it amounts to a disincentive...
Profile-guided microarchitectural floorplanning for deep submicron processor design

As process technology migrates to deep submicron with feature size less than 100nm, global wire delay is becoming a major hindrance in keeping the latency of intra-chip communication within a single cycle, thus decaying the performance scalability substantially. An effective floorplanning algorithm can no longer ignore the information of dynamic communication patterns of applications. In this paper, using the profile information acquired at the architecture/microarchitecture level, we propose a "profile-guided microarchitectural floorplanner" that considers both the impact of wire delay and the architectural behavior, namely the inter-module communication, to reduce the latency of frequent routes inside a processor and to maintain performance scalability. Based on our simulation results, the profile-guided method shows a 5% to 40% average IPC improvement when clock frequency is fixed. From the perspective of instruction throughput(in BIPS), our floorplanner is much more scalable than a conventional wire length based floorplanner.
A SYSTEM FOR CONTINUOUS THERMAL PROCESSING OF FOOD POUCHES USING MICROWAVE ENERGY

— A system for continuous microwave sterilization of foods packaged in plastic pouches has been designed, constructed and tested. Air pressure was used to prevent pouch rupture. Pouches containing food for use in military rations were sealed and introduced through an air lock on to a conveyor inside a plastic pipe within a microwave cavity. Microwave energy was supplied up to 10 kw at 2,450 MHz. Conveyor speed and power were regulated to provide the process time and temperature. Cooling was achieved in a cooling bath. Pouches were overpackaged in a foil laminate for additional protection. Several food products were processed. Total process times of 9–14 min were achieved.
Type I diabetes mellitus: a predictable autoimmune disease with interindividual variation in the rate of beta cell destruction.

A large body of data generated during the past two decades has led to the ability to predict the development of Type I diabetes in the majority of relatives of diabetics. In particular we have recently proposed a dual parameter linear model to aid in predicting the onset of diabetes [years to diabetes = 1.5 + .03(IVGTT insulin secretion) - 0.008 (concn of insulin autoantibodies)]. The concentration of insulin autoantibodies in prediabetics appears to remarkably correlate with the age at which diabetes develops and the rate at which islet cell antibody-positive individuals progress to diabetes. Children developing diabetes before Age 5 often express more than 1000 nU/ml of such antibodies with the upper limit of normal of 39 nU/ml. Each prediabetic appears to be set at a characteristic level of insulin autoantibodies which does not consistently vary prior to the development of diabetes. During the prodromal phase preceding diabetes first phase insulin secretion is progressively lost, and the combination of insulin release which appears to reflect beta cell damage and the level of insulin antibodies accounts for more than 75% of the variation in time to diabetes over a 6-year interval. A subset of NOD mice also expresses insulin autoantibodies, and in addition essentially all NOD mice, but not F1 crosses of NOD by BALB/c, have antibodies to a target antigen of a RIN islet line protein (termed "polar antibodies"). In addition patients but not NOD mice have cytoplasmic islet cell antibodies which appear to react with a glycolipid islet target antigen. In the NOD mice the inheritance of disease is multigenic with a gene on chromosome 9, linked to the T cell marker theta, determining the bulk of islet cell destruction. In crosses of NOD mice with a series of normal strains, inheritance overt diabetes is correlated with inheritance of the NOD's unique I-A beta gene, though the bulk of islet destruction and insulitis can occur independent of MHC inheritance. Until the additional genes outside of the MHC, associated with the development of Type I diabetes, are identified for man, the NOD mouse, and the BB rat, one can only speculate concerning pathogenic mechanisms. To date islet cell destruction appears to be independent of polymorphic genes acting at the level of the islet target, and crucially dependent upon bone marrow precursor cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Reference Range of Urinary Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin in Very Low-Birth-Weight Infants: Preliminary Data

We sought to determine the reference range for urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (UNGAL) in very low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants with uncomplicated clinical courses. Samples of urine from 53 VLBW infants between 3 and 28 days of life were prospectively collected weekly for measurement of UNGAL. A subset of 22 infants with uncomplicated medical courses without risk factors for renal impairment was selected for study. Mean +/- standard deviation and range for birth weight and gestational age of study infants were 1156 +/- 191, 790 to 1440 g and 29 +/- 2, 27 to 33 weeks, respectively. The 95th and 99th percentiles for UNGAL concentration from this group of infants were 25 ng/mL and 75 ng/mL, respectively. Bootstrapped mean 95th and 99th percentile values and their standard errors and 95 percent confidence intervals in ng/mL were 33.1 +/- 13.0 (7.7, 58.6) and 67.5 +/- 15.1 (37.9, 97.1), respectively. These values fall within the adult reference range. UNGAL values were stable across the ranges of gestational and postnatal age of the study infants. A preliminary reference range for UNGAL in VLBW infants has been established. Further investigation with more frequent urine collections in a larger population of VLBW infants that includes those with birth weights < 750 g and gestational ages < 27 weeks is necessary to confirm this reference range.
Enhanced flight delay data for ASQP carriers

The objective of this study was to investigate itinerary generation procedures and their effect on delay. In order for a National Airspace System (NAS) model to propagate delay, the flights within the demand set must be linked together. Currently, when modeling or analyzing the NAS, an analysis has two primary data sources to use in generating a demand set - ASQP and TFMS. Both of those datasets have their benefits and limitations. The ASQP dataset includes scheduled and actual flight data for scheduled nonstop passenger operations, as well as well as information about which aircraft operated a particular flight and causes of delay. However, the ASQP dataset only contains domestic flights operated by the largest U.S. carriers, currently only sixteen. The TFMS dataset contains a much larger set of flights, but does not contain a unique aircraft identifier or causes of delay. Linking individual flights is best done with a unique identifier. Because the ASQP dataset only contains domestic flights and the TFMS dataset does not include a unique aircraft identifier, tracking the daily movement of an aircraft becomes complicated. The ASQP recorded flights may suggest that an aircraft teleported from one airport to another or that it sat at an airport an unexpectedly long time, when the aircraft actually flew to an international destination and either moved on to another domestic airport (teleportation) or returned to the original airport (long aircraft turnaround time). Within this investigation, we developed a process for enhancing existing flight delay data by determining an appropriate aircraft tail numbers for domestic and international flight operations for a limited set of carriers. Our method uses a greedy algorithm to determine the possible international flights within the TFMS dataset that can fill the holes in the ASQP dataset created by a teleportation or a long sit time. We tested our process on one year of scheduled flights. We then compared the delay resulting from that set of itineraries with the delay resulting from a set of itineraries generated with a different methodology. The itineraries, generated using our new process, were more realistic than those generated with the other method. They also produced delays more similar to the actual delays.
Numerical relativity: maximizing the scientific payoff from gravitational wave detection

For many of the proposed LIGO sources, we are currently unable to produce reliable theoretical waveforms or event rates. Usually the difficulty is in performing numerical simulations. These problems seriously undermine our ability to extract science from LIGO, or in some cases even to detect sources at all. We describe two sources where these problems are present: the merger of a binary black hole system, and a newborn neutron star unstable to r-modes. We explain the origin of the difficulties, and how they might be overcome.
Resistive switching in single vertically-aligned ZnO nanowire grown directly on Cu substrate

We report unipolar resistive switching measurements from single vertical ZnO nanowires grown directly on a copper substrate. Electrical measurements using a conductive atomic force microscope show conductive filament formation at 30 kV/cm, which is an order of magnitude lower field than that for bulk films and suggest a preferential filament formation likely on the surface of the nanowires. A high resistive ratio of three orders of magnitude was observed between the high and low resistive memory states.
Determinants of per commercial and industrial customer electricity consumption in the United States for the period 2001 to 2005

This empirical study focuses on identifying the key economic factors and other conditions that have influenced the per customer commercial and industrial consumption of electricity in the United States during recent years. Unlike most previous studies, this study uses a 5-year state-level panel data set for the period 2001 to 2005. The Panel Least Squares (PLS) estimation provided in this study implies that per commercial and industrial customer electricity consumption is an increasing function of the annual number of Cooling Degree Days (CDDs), per capita real disposable income (a de facto ‘control’ variable) and the peak summer electricity-generating capacity. Furthermore, per commercial and industrial customer electricity consumption is a decreasing function of the average real unit price of electricity to commercial and industrial enterprises and the degree of each state's commitment to energy efficiency programmes, as reflected in an ‘LEEP’ score, where the term ‘LEEP’ stands for Level of Energy Effi...
Functional influences on orienting a reference frame

Spatial relational terms likeabove are defined with respect to a reference frame. Reference frames are imposed on reference objects and define the space in which to search for a located object. Reference frames have a number of parameters that must be set during spatial term assignment, including origin, scale, and orientation. Previous research has shown that a functional relationship between objects in the scene influences the selection of a reference frame (Carlson-Radvansky & Radvansky, 1996). However, because this work operated at the level of the reference frame, generalizing across various spatial terms, it is unclear how function had its influence. One possibility is that function influences how the parameters of a reference frame are set. Consistent with this idea, Carlson-Radvansky, Covey, and Lattanzi (1999) showed an influence of function on where the origin of a reference frame was imposed. The present paper demonstrates that function also influences how the orientation of the axes of a reference frame is set. The implications for setting multiple parameters of a reference frame are discussed.
Metabolic insecticide defenses in the boll weevil compared to those in a resistance-prone species

Abstract Activities of cytochrome P-450-dependent microsomal monooxygenases (PMSO) are up to 46-fold higher in insecticide-susceptible fifth instar tobacco budworm larvae than in adult boll weevils. Glutathione transferase and esterase activities are likewise higher in susceptible tobacco budworm larvae than in adult boll weevils, the life stages of the two species that are exposed to selection pressure from insecticide treatments. Good metabolic defenses may facilitate insecticide resistance development in the tobacco budworm. Differences in ecological, biological, and other biochemical factors, not quantified in this study, are also likely to contribute to the observed differences in resistance development in the two species. PSMO activities as well as glutathione transferase and esterase activities are 3- to 11-fold higher in boll weevil larvae than in adults. Exposure of the life stage with the weakest metabolic defenses to insecticide selection pressure in the boll weevil may contribute to its relative lack of resistance development.
PAM6: COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF ROFECOXIB VERSUS NSAIDS IN THE TREATMENT OF OSTEOARTHRITIS

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to examine the cost-effectiveness (CE) of rofecoxib versus NSAIDs in the treatment of osteoarthritis. METHODS: The authors used decision-analysis from a societal perspective to model a hypothetical cohort of osteoarthritis patients on long-term NSAID therapy. Incremental cost per QALY (C/QALY) estimates were calculated for a hypothetical trial population and for patients at high risk of G.I. adverse events. High-risk patients were defined in the literature as having four risk factors combined: history of G.I. bleeds, history of peptic ulcer, cardiovascular disease and age 75 years or greater. All costs were expressed in 1997 prices. Utility estimates were obtained from a separate analysis of pharmacy claims data including the Health Utilities Index Mark 2 from a large HMO. Confidence intervals were assessed using the maximum and minimum values from the literature. Univariate sensitivity and threshold analysis were conducted. RESULTS: The C/QALY range is $5,658 to $108,831 for osteoarthritis patients; base case C/QALY is $103,597 for all osteoarthritis patients, −$9,374 for high-risk patients. Rofecoxib is cost-effective (C/QALY <=$50,000) if the incidence of perforations, ulcers and bleeds (PUB) is 0.098 per year or greater. Sensitivity: the most sensitive parameters were: symptomatic dyspepsia utility; rofecoxib price; symptomatic peptic ulcer utility; incidence of G.I. symptoms; NSAID price and incidence of PUBs. However, the parameters with greatest uncertainty and variability in the literature are incidence of PUBs and G.I. symptoms. CONCLUSION: The point estimate C/QALY of rofecoxib for all osteoarthritis patients varies from very cost-effective to not cost-effective depending on assumptions for the probability of PUBs and G.I. symptoms. Rofecoxib is cost saving for patients at high risk of developing G.I. complications.
Diagnosis and treatment planning ofpatients with asymmetries

The diagnosis, treatment planning, and design of mechanics for the asymmetric patient requires the differentiation between problems of dental and skeletal origin. Although much information can be gleaned from a cephalometric analysis, the clinical examination and study models offer important clues in establishing the diagnosis of skeletal discrepancy. Abnormal and asymmetric axial inclinations can either produce a dental asymmetry or, if compensatory in nature, may mask an underlying skeletal problem. The role of axial inclination in diagnosis is applied to the following situations: subdivision cases, unilateral crossbites, midline discrepancies, arch form deviations, and frontal cants to the occlusal plane. The management of axial inclination asymmetries depends on the treatment plan. Nonextraction patients may require maintenance of asymmetric compensatory axial inclinations. Surgical and extraction patients can be treated to a more ideal symmetry.
Multi-Agent Based Reconfiguration of an Electric Propulsion System for All Electric-Ships

Although its high efficiency, fast response, and increasing reliability, current protection schemes for shipboard power systems do not consider vital load satisfaction and power balance problems that occur with fault isolation and reconfiguration. A reconfiguration system is needed to solve power balance problems and try to satisfy vital loads as much as possible. Current reconfiguration techniques include mathematic programming, meta-heuristics, and knowledge-based programming. All of which are centralized methods and cannot meet the Navy's needs for fight-through survivability and high reliability. This paper presents a multi-agent system (MAS) to reconfigure the ship electric propulsion system, which is an important part of ship power systems. The MAS has no global control and agents have to collaborate with each other to achieve the reconfiguration objective. Due to its decentralized feature, the MAS-based reconfiguration is preferable over centralized reconfiguration methods and can increase fight-through survivability and reliability.
Idiopathic peripheral necrotizing keratitis after femtosecond laser in situ keratomileusis

We report a case of necrotizing peripheral keratitis after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) using the low-energy Femto LDV femtosecond laser in a 31-year-old helicopter pilot with no history of medical or ocular disease. The severe peripheral flap inflammation resulted in stromal necrosis that was unresponsive to intensive topical steroid but improved rapidly on oral prednisone. The uncorrected distance visual acuity was maintained at 20/15 in both eyes, and the flaps were left undisturbed rather than attempting a more aggressive intervention such as a flap lift with culture and antibiotic irrigation. Identification of sterile corneal infiltration must be distinguished from infectious etiologies as the treatment is distinctly different. Although increased corneal infiltration has been reported with increasing femtosecond laser energy level for flap creation, to our knowledge this is the first report of necrotizing sterile corneal infiltration after LASIK with the low-energy femtosecond laser. Financial Disclosure Neither author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.
On the “type II superconductor” model of self-trapped laser filaments

Abstract Self-trapped laser filaments are interpreted as the “photon superfluid” analog of the Abrikosov state in type II superconductors. The principle of local gauge invariance is used to derive Landau-Ginzburg equations for the filaments.
Light inactivation of focus formation by chicken embryo fibroblasts infected with avian sarcoma virus in the presence of 5-bromodeoxyuridine.

When RNA tumour viruses infect cells growing in the presence of 5BUdR, exposure to visible light inactivates the virus. This confirms that synthesis of DNA from viral RNA is necessary for viral transformation.
The influence of saprophytic competition on nematode predation by nematode-trapping fungi

Competivive stress imposed by common soil saprophytes may cause an increase in predation by the nematode-trapping fungi, Arthrobotrys oligospora and Monacrosporium cionopagum, on the bacteria-feeding nematode Acrobeloides buetschli. Nematode-trapping species grown with saprophytic competitors in an artificial soil substrate increased their trapping activity compared to control cultures. The results support the hypothesis that competition stimulates the predatory activity of nematode-trapping fungi as an adaptation to overcome their low competitive saprophytic ability.
The Prevalence of Cestodes in Raccoons (Procyon lotor) from North-Central Texas

Over 9 mo, 2,280 cestodes were collected and identified from 35 raccoons (Procyon lotor) in Archer and Wichita counties of north-central Texas. Overall prevalence of total cestode species was 71.4%. Three taxa of tapeworms were identified, including Atriotaenia procyonis, Mesocestoides sp., and immature Taenia pisiformis. This is the first record of the genus Taenia from P. lotor in North America. Atriotaenia procyonis was the most prevalent cestode, comprising 86.9% of all cestodes found in P. lotor. The number and species of cestodes found were compared by host sex, weight, age, and season of capture. Season of capture played an important role in the total number and species of cestodes isolated from the hosts, with the winter season having significantly lower counts than summer. Mesocestoides sp. was most abundant in spring and winter, whereas A. procyonis was most abundant in summer, although mixed infections were apparent. Host weight and sex played no significant role in the number or species of cestodes found. Host age class played no significant role in total cestode or in A. procyonis counts but was marginally significant regarding Mesocestoides sp. counts. The seasonal differences in number of A. procyonis and Mesocestoides sp. is likely due to seasonal fluctuation in intermediate host abundance and may reflect the seasonal shifting of foraging habits of raccoons in north-central Texas.
Functional Anthropometry in Automotive Design

This paper describes the philosophy and development of several functional anthropometric tools currently used in automotive workspace design. These functional tools are statistical models which describe the probabilistic location of the driving population's body landmarks within vehicle space as a function of the vehicles' packaging parameters. Such tools provide a more realistic alternative to selection of the so called ‘representative 5th percentile female and 95th percentile male’ used in the past to qualify accommodation of a given vehicle workspace. They end the ‘guestimation’ procedure of trying to apply the structural dimensions of single individuals of certain stature percentiles to a complex workspace arrangement to define its accommodation. Although the tools described in this paper are specific to automotive workspace design, the philosophy and methodology for development of such functional models can have universal application.
The utility and accuracy of computed tomography in the diagnosis of occipitocervical dissociation

Abstract Background context Atlantooccipital dislocation (AOD) results in profound patient morbidity and mortality and is difficult to accurately diagnose using current evaluation techniques. Purpose To evaluate the utility of computed tomography (CT) images in the diagnosis of AOD and compare the revised occipital condyle–C1 interval (CCI) and the condylar sum to the current radiographic criteria used to detect AOD. Study design Retrospective review to evaluate the sensitivity, specificity, and the interobserver reliability of eight radiographic criteria as applied to CT imaging. Patient sample Ten cases of clinical AOD and 10 cases of non-AOD cervical injury. Outcome measures Measured values: revised CCI, Wholey basion-dens interval (BDI), and Harris basion-axis interval (BAI). Calculated values: Sun interspinous ratio, Powers ratio, and condylar sum. Assessment of Lee X-line and atlantooccipital joint asymmetry. Methods A board certified neuroradiologist, two orthopedic spine surgeons, and two medical students reviewed the CT images for each patient in the series and applied the aforementioned criteria. Results Average sensitivity between all reviewers for CCI, condylar sum, and atlantooccipital asymmetry was highest at 1.0, 1.0, and 0.96, respectively. Basion-dens interval, X-line, Sun ratio, BAI, and Powers ratio had sensitivities of 0.72, 0.54, 0.32, 0.26, and 0.26, respectively. Revised CCI and condylar sum had significantly better sensitivity than any other test (vs. BDI, p=.014, all others, p .99). Specificity for all measurements was 0.78 or greater, except X-line at 0.38. Interobserver reliabilities were the greatest for CCI, condylar sum, atlantooccipital asymmetry, and BDI. Conclusions The revised CCI (>2.5 mm abnormal) and condylar sum (≥5 mm abnormal) are highly sensitive and reliable radiographic criteria for the detection of AOD when applied to CT imaging.
AGAINST JOINT CUSTODY: A DISSENT TO THE GENERAL BULLMOOSE THEORY

With the exception of the opening section, which is all my own, this article has been written in a kind of collaboration with authors from whose works and reports I have borrowed liberally, with permission. These include the majority report of the 1987–88 Executive Committee of the Child Custody Committee, Family Law Section of the American Bar Association, Professor Carol S. Bruch of the Martin Luther King, Jr. School of Law, University of California, Davis: Joanne Schulman, a gifted attorney who has researched, written and spoken extensively on the subject and the report of the Women's Legal Defense Fund on Joint Custody. Others are cited in footnotes.
High temperature elastic properties of polycrystalline niobium, tantalum, and vanadium

A pulse-echo technique has been used to measure the temperature variation of the velocity of extensional and torsional acoustic waves in polycrystalline Nb(Cb), Ta, and V up to ∼2000 K. The concomitant temperature variation of the elastic moduli do not show any anomalies which would be consistent with a “lattice softening” theory for the departure from linearity of the Arrhenius plots for the diffusivity of interstitial atoms in the Group V metals.
Noble-Gas Loss in Alkali Rf-Discharge Lamps and Its Possible Dependence on Electron Temperature

The optically pumped, vapor-cell atomic clock is a work horse of precise timekeeping, finding applications onboard global navigation satellites as well as at cellular communications base stations. At the heart of the device is the relatively simple alkali rf-discharge lamp, which enables the production of the atomic-clock signal and the sensing of the atoms' response to resonant microwaves. In the lamp, electrons extract energy from an rf-field via elastic collisions with noble-gas buffer atoms; the energetic electrons then ionize Rb atoms; finally, resonant light for optical pumping is produced through Rb + /electron recombination at the lamp's glass walls. Unfortunately, recent research has shown that alkali rf-discharge lamps slowly lose their buffer gas, giving rise to a life-limiting mechanism for the rf-discharge lamp and hence the atomic clock. Here, we review the literature on buffer-gas loss in alkali rf-discharge lamps and discuss a likely mechanism for the process. We then discuss the dependence of the discharge's electron temperature on rf-frequency, and how this might be used as a critical test of the proposed mechanism.
Microemulsion Templating of Siliceous Mesostructured Cellular Foams with Well-Defined Ultralarge Mesopores

Siliceous mesostructured cellular foams (MCFs) with well-defined ultralarge mesopores and hydrothermally robust frameworks are described. The MCFs are templated by oil-in-water microemulsions and are characterized by small-angle X-ray scattering, nitrogen sorption, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetry, and differential thermal analysis. The MCFs consist of uniform spherical cells measuring 24−42 nm in diameter, possess BET surface areas up to 1000 m2/g and porosities of 80−84%, and give, because of their pores with small size distributions, higher-order scattering peaks even in the absence of long-range order. Windows with diameters of 9−22 nm and narrow size distribution interconnect the cells. The pore size can be controlled by adjusting the amount of the organic swelling agent that is added and by varying the aging temperature. Adding ammonium fluoride selectively enlarges the windows by 50−80%. In addition, the windows can be enlarged by postsynthesis treatm...
Robust estimation via minimum distance methods

Given a fixed parametric family {P θ } it is desired to estimateθ. However, due to contaminations of various sorts, the data actually collected by the statistician follow a distribution that is close to, but possibly distinct from, theP θ 's. It is proved that, under these conditions and in an appropriate asymptotic framework, the minimum distance estimators of the Cramer-von Mises type are robust. Specification of a Cramer-von Mises weight functionH defines a notion of distance; each such choice ofH then delineates the kind of contamination possible, and leads to an estimator which defends optimally against it. When the theory is specialized to location models, various choices ofH lead to estimators asymptotically equivalent to such familiar ones as trimmed mean, median, Hodges-Lehmann estimator, and so forth. The framework developed herein provides some guidelines for choosing among the possible estimators, and suggests that the standard Cramer-von Mises estimator of location is probably as good a robust estimator as any.
Understanding context governing energy consumption in homes

The key to designing better home energy management systems is in-depth understanding of the context underlying energy usage. The common method of inferring the underlying context is data collection through extensive sensor deployments and then deriving contextual ties between factors like occupancy and energy consumption. There is, therefore, a lack of studies that use first principle approaches like interviewing households to understand the major factors that influence energy consumption. In this work-in-progress paper, we present preliminary results from an interview-based study on households in low-income neighborhoods in Baltimore City. We show that there are several factors like house insulation, use of old appliances, and specific activities that influence energy consumption. Moreover, we have found that households in these neighborhoods are willing to volunteer their homes as testbeds for collecting contextual data and are primarily incentivized by reduction in their electricity bill.
Toxicity of tetrafluorohydrazine

Abstract Exposure to 10,000 ppm tetrafluorohydrazine (N 2 F 4 ) for 25 or more min was lethal to rats. If N 2 F 4 did not decompose prior to inhalation, lethal concentrations caused oxidation to methemoglobin of as much as 65% of total hemoglobin. Decomposed N 2 F 4 was approximately as lethal, however, with only moderate formation of methemoglobin. The LD50 of the gas injected ip was about 0.5 mmole/kg, with limited methemoglobinemia. The chemistry of N 2 F 4 decomposition in air is reviewed in the context of toxic atmospheres expected after accidental release of the agent; as long as intact N 2 F 4 remains in an atmosphere, the principal degradation products present will be NO and HF. With the disappearance of N 2 F 4 , NO 2 will accumulate. The significance of these compounds in the overall toxicity of N 2 F 4 is discussed.