cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
REVERSE TRIIODOTHYRONINE/TRIIODOTHYRONINE RATIO: A BIOLOGICAL MARKER FOR GESTATIONAL AGE

Biological significance of reverse triiodothyronine (rT3) is yet to be identified. Cord blood values reflect the fetal thyroid state as one of rT3, excess and triiodothyronine (T3) deficiency. Postnatally, T3 levels progressively rise and rT, levels fall. In an attempt to correlate thyroid function and gestational age, TSH, T4, T3, and rT3, concentrations were measured by RIA on 50 cord blood samples. Infant gestational ages (GA) ranged from 29-42 weeks by the Ballard criteria; birth weights from 650-3870 grams. Results show a significant positive correlation between gestational age, T3, and T4, and significant negative correlation between gestational age, rT3, and TSH. However, the rT3/T3 ratio offered the best coefficient of correlation as shown in the graphs In conclusion, rT3/T3, ratio appears to represent a biological marker for gestational age.
Cellular Automation Approach to Model Aircraft Corrosion Pit Damage Growth

The pitting corrosion damage growth in aircraft aluminum is investigated. The main objective is to develop a corrosion pit damage growth process model using the local rules governing the electrochemical reactions and simulate them as a discrete dynamic system using cellular automata approach. The results of corrosion damage growth obtained from simulation are compared qualitatively as well as quantitatively to the experimental data obtained from Center for Materials Diagnostics at the University of Dayton Research Institute, Dayton, Ohio. The effect of various electrochemical parameters on the damage growth are obtained from the simulation are presented and discussed. The results presented illustrate the new approach using cellular automata to model pit damage growth in aircraft aluminum materials. The simulation program is developed in JAVA environment for ease of portability and usability.
Rovibrational Energy Transfer in Ne−Li2(A1Σu+,v=0): Comparison of Experimental Data and Results from Classical and Quantum Calculations†

Absolute rate constants for rotational and rovibrational energy transfer in the system Ne−Li2(A1Σu+) were measured by a dispersed fluorescence technique following excitation of the (v = 0,j = 18) initial level of Li2(A1Σu+). The rate coefficients for Δv = 0 processes decline monotonically with increasing |Δj|. The Δv = 1 rate coefficients are also peaked near Δj = 0 but show a broad shoulder extending to approximately Δj = 30. Classical trajectory calculations and accurate quantum mechanical close-coupled calculations were used to compute theoretical rate constants from an ab initio potential surface. The agreement between the classical and quantum calculations is very good. The calculations slightly overestimate the measured rate constants for Δv = 0, Δj ≤ 6 processes but underestimate those for Δv = 0, Δj ≥ 20, implying that the anisotropy of the ab initio surface is too small at short range and too large at long range. For Δv = 1 collisions, the calculations agree well with experiment for Δj ≤ 0 and sh...
Walk the line: Active Moms define corporate social responsibility

While many have suggested that corporate social responsibility is in part a response to stakeholders, little research has been done that gives primacy to the targeted publics’ voice, interpretations, and responses to corporate social responsibility. This research examines the meaning and attributes that Active Moms, an often targeted stakeholder group, assign to corporate social responsibility. In nine focus groups (N = 72), participants suggested that authentic CSR (a) is a combination of socially responsible business practices and campaigns to engage issues which impact their lives, (b) must be marked by longevity and consistency, (c) makes the most sense when linked to core business practices, (d) is distinct from philanthropy, and (e) is evaluated using a blend of rationality and emotionality.
The effect of sympathomimetic amines on femoral arterial blood flow in the cat.

Abstract : Changes in the blood flow through the unopened femoral arteries of anaesthetized cats after the local intra-arterial and intravenous injection of adrenaline, noradrenaline, phenylephrine, metaraminol, methylamphetamine, mephentermine, methoxamine and isoprenaline have been determined by an electromagnetic method. The simultaneous recording of mean aortic pressure enabled changes in femoral vascular resistance to be calculated. Local intraarterial injection of isoprenaline reduced, while noradrenaline, phenylephrine, metaraminol, methoxamine and methylamphetamine increased, femoral vascular resistance. Adrenaline and mephentermine produced variable resistance changes. Those agents which increased femoral vascular resistance when given intra-arterially frequently reduced resistance when given intravenously. This reduction accompanied the rise in systemic arterial pressure, but in many animals adrenaline, noradrenaline, phenylephrine and metaraminol frequently induced a further reduction in resistance as the pressor effect declined. These observations are discussed in relation to the current theories of the mechanism of vasodilatation produced by sympathomimetic amines. (Author)
Viability analysis of reef fish populations based on limited demographic information.

Marine protected areas (MPAs) that allow some degree of artisanal fishing have been proposed to control the overexploitation of marine resources while allowing extraction by local communities. Nevertheless, the management of MPAs is often impaired by the absence of data on the status of their resources. We devised a method to estimate population growth rates with the type of data that are usually available for reef fishes. We used 7 years of spatially explicit abundance data on the leopard grouper (Mycteroperca rosacea) in an MPA in the Gulf of California, Mexico, to construct a matrix population model that incorporated the effects of El Nino/La Nina Southern Oscillation on population dynamics. An environmental model that estimated different demographic estimates for El Nino and La Nina periods performed better than a single-environment model, and a single-habitat model performed better than a model that considered different depths as different habitats. Our results suggest that the population of the leopard grouper off the main island of the MPA is not viable under present conditions. Although the impact of fishing on leopard grouper populations in the MPA has not yet been established, fishing should be closed as a precautionary measure at this island if a priority of the MPA is to ensure the sustainability of its fish populations.
Self: A living vibrancy

This study offers a construct for self which honors both structural and process realities. In recognizing both fluidity and stability as characteristics of self, both the subjective and objective contributors toward self-construction and self-maintenance are acknowledged. The study concludes by offering an ontological prescription of the fulfillment sought by self.
Acute coronary syndromes: Treatment for low-risk patients with STEMI--challenges remain.

Mineralocorticoid-receptor antagonists (MRAs) have been shown to reduce adverse cardiovascular outcomes in high-risk patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Preliminary data suggest that MRAs might improve natriuretic-peptide profiles in patients with STEMI who do not have heart failure, but their clinical efficacy in this patient population requires further study.
Towards the optimal design of an assistive communication interface with neural input

Brain Computer Interfaces (BCIs) directly connect the brain to an external device. Since neural signals encoding movement in tetraplegic individuals may remain robust, BCIs can utilize this signal for external device control. By recording activity in the motor cortex, intracortically-based BCIs have converted this neural signal to perform useful and intended motor functions [1]. The BrainGate2 Neural Interface System (NIS) is an investigational device that has allowed individuals with physical disability to interact directly with a computer, enabling them to navigate the screen with a cursor, click, and type. Simulating neural cursor control is useful for comparing the potential user performance of different communication interfaces. These simulations can be used to improve neurally controlled communication interface design towards restoring reliable communication for individuals with tetraplegia.
Parallel but temporally displaced visual half-field metacontrast functions

Using a classic letter-ring metacontrast paradigm, left and right visual field meta-contrast functions were separately determined. The parallel U-shaped recognition functions for both half-fields were found to interact differentially with stimulus onset asynchrony, the left visual field function being displaced by 13 ms toward longer test stimulus-masking stimulus separations. This result was consistent with the hypothesis of longer processing time requirements for verbal stimuli delivered to the right than to the left hemisphere. This indicates that the neural locus (loci) responsible for left visual field verbal processing delay is (are) capable of mediating metacontrast phenomena. It was tentatively concluded that a relative processing delay within the right hemisphere underlies the differing visual half-field metacontrast interaction with stimulus onset asynchrony.
SiGe alloys and superlattices for optoelectronics

Abstract Important advances in materials science and technology are opening the field of optoelectronics to device structures based on silicon and germanium. Optoelectronics offers new functionality to silicon integrated circuits which previously were thought to be limited to strictly electronic applications. In this paper we review recent achievements in optical modulators, detectors and light emitters fabricated from silicon and germanium. These devices hail the entry of silicon technology into a niche previously reserved for compound semiconductors. Innovations in materials growth and processing of silicon-based heterostructures are the locomotive driving this important development into optoelectronic materials.
Social communicative behaviours of language-disordered Mexican- American students:

The purpose of this study was to provide a qualitative description of the similarities and differences in the observed social communicative be haviours of three Mexican-American children, aged 7 to 9 years, identified as language handicapped. This research used primarily diary notes of daily observations, language samples of the children in their daily classroom interactions, and interviews with significant informants over a four-month period. Results indicated that two of the children had social communicative abilities that were different from the third child. These two children had friends who were from diverse achievement groups and who initiated conversations with them; they had the ability to initiate games, and used discreet gestures during communication with peers; and they had numerous group interactions. These two children's communication skills were not like those described in the literature for children interacting within the classroom and who have a language disorder.
In vitro incorporation of selenium into tRNAs of Salmonella typhimurium.

Abstract Broken-cell preparations of Salmonella typhimurium rapidly incorporated 75Se from 75SeO3(2-) into tRNA by an ATP-dependent process. Selenium incorporation in the presence of 50 microM 75SeO3(2-) (0.8-1 pmol per A260 unit) was enhanced by the selenocysteine precursor, O-acetyl-L-serine (to 3.7 pmol per A260 unit). This increase in incorporation was a function of O-acetyl-L-serine concentration. Neither O-acetyl-L-homoserine nor O-phospho-L-serine stimulated the incorporation of selenium into tRNA. The incorporation of 75Se from 75SeO3(2-) was decreased by adding L-selenocysteine but not by adding the D isomer. When homologous bulk tRNA was added to the broken-cell preparations, an increased rate of 75Se labeling was observed. The supernatant fraction of the broken-cell preparation contained all of the enzymes required for this process. Reversed-phase HPLC analysis of labeled bulk tRNA digested to nucleosides showed the presence of a labeled compound that coeluted with authentic 5-methylaminomethyl-2-selenouridine.
Sources of variation in floral nectar production rate in Epilobium canum (Onagraceae): implications for natural selection

Sources of variation in floral nectar production were investigated in a natural population of Epilobium canum (Onagraceae), a hummingbird-pollinated herbaceous shrub. Field measurements showed significant phenotypic variation among plants in floral nectar production rates. Average variance among flowers within plants was approximately one-third to one-half as great as variance among plants, with coefficients of variation among flowers ranging from 6.5% to 116.7%. A greenhouse experiment using clonally propagated ramets from field plants showed significant genetic variation for nectar production rates; broad sense heritability was estimated to have a maximum value of 0.64. In the greenhouse, plants grown under low water or low light conditions produced approximately 25% less nectar on average than those grown under control conditions. However, significant genotype-environment interactions indicated that genets differed in their responses to the changes in conditions. Rank correlations for genet mean nectar production rates across environmental conditions were low, and in two out of three comparisons were not different from zero. It is concluded that although the opportunity for natural selection on nectar production rates exits in this population, the response to selection will likely be slow, and the opportunity for selection of a narrow-optimum nectar production phenotype may be limited.
Dielectronic capture processes in highly charged uranium ions.

Dielectronic capture processes in highly charged uranium ions are studied in the isolated-resonance, distorted-wave approximation. A fully relativistic Dirac-Fock method is employed to calculate resonant transfer and excitation cross sections for collisions of ${\mathrm{U}}^{90+}$ and ${\mathrm{U}}^{89+}$ with ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$ and dielectronic recombination cross sections associated with the 2p\ensuremath{\rightarrow}2s stabilizing transition of ${\mathrm{U}}^{89+}$. A semirelativistic method based on the previously developed autostructure code is found to give cross sections in good agreement with the Dirac-Fock method in all cases. When the Dirac-Fock method is further extended to include the effect of the two-body Breit interaction, substantial changes are found in certain low-energy cross sections associated with K-shell resonant transfer and excitation, but little change is found in the \ensuremath{\Delta}n=0 dielectronic recombination cross sections.
Evidence for an uncommon microsatellite instability on mouse chromosomes 2 and 4 and its possible role in radiation leukemogenesis.

Abstract ABSTRACT: Although microsatellite instability (MSI), usually detected by DNA length polymorphisms, has been implicated in the induction of solid tumors in both humans and animals, its role in leukemogenesis is unclear. The goal of this study was to investigate whether there is an association between MSI and radiation leukemogenesis in CBA/Ca mice. Microsatellite lengths at 55 loci, mapped to eight different mouse chromosomes, were examined in two groups of DNA samples: 1) 10 normal DNA samples collected from the bone marrow cells of control male CBA/Ca mice, and 2) 17 DNA samples isolated from the spleens of mice that developed myeloid leukemia (ML) after exposure to neutrons, or X rays, or γ rays. Microsatellite markers were amplified using the non-radioisotopic multiplex-touchdown PCR protocols developed in our laboratory, and the sizes of amplicons were examined on 6% non-denaturing polyacrylamide gels. Although no correlation between microsatellite length polymorphisms and radiation leukemogenesis was observed at the 55 CBA/Ca mouse loci tested in this study, an uncommon MSI, manifested as the absence of DNA bands after PCR amplification at 2 loci (D2MIT140 and D4MIT104), was observed in both control and ML samples. However, the frequency of ML samples showing this type of MSI is statistically significant ( p ). Although there is no direct evidence that this type of MSI predisposes mice to the development of leukemia, the results suggests that genes flanking the D2MIT140 and D4MIT104 are susceptible to spontaneous mutation and perhaps to damage caused by ionizing radiation.
Design characteristics and performance of a liquid hydrogen tank system for motor cars

Abstract A liquid hydrogen storage system for a hydrogen-powered motor car has been successfully designed, built and tested. Special emphasis was given to low fuel losses caused by parasitic heat input and high mechanical stability. Thermodynamic analysis during cooldown, filling and operation showed very satisfactory performance with an overall loss rate of 1.3% per day.
Autoimmunity to Collagen

Thirty-one patients with seronegative psoriatic arthritis, 27 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, 10 with psoriasis alone, and 20 normal volunteers were studied for autoimmunity to human collagens. Cellular and humoral responses were frequently observed in the 2 groups with arthritis, but the subjects without arthritis did not display reactivity to native collagens. These data demonstrate that collagens function as autoantigens in both psoriatic and rheumatoid arthritis.
Identification of firefighter safety zones using lidar

Safety zones protect wildland firefighters from dangerous heat exposure, and are separated from fuels by a safe separation distance (SSD) derived from flame height. In this study, we describe a model for automated identification of safety zones using decision rules based on lidar-measured vegetation height, flame height, and terrain slope. Inputs included lidar and orthoimage data collected over a study area in the southern Sierra Nevada, USA. Safety zones were required to be large enough to shelter 20 firefighters and two vehicles, and distance to the closest road was measured to determine ease of access. Safety zones comprised less than 0.5% of the study area at 4 m flame height (16 m SSD). As flame height increased, the number and size of safety zones decreased. This model provides a flexible framework for identification of safety zones, which should assist firefighters and reduce potential for injury and loss of life.
SpecMonitor: Toward Efficient Passive Traffic Monitoring for Cognitive Radio Networks

Passive monitoring by distributed wireless sniffers has been used to strategically capture the network traffic, as the basis of automatic network diagnosis. However, the traditional monitoring techniques fall short in cognitive radio networks (CRNs) due to the much larger number of channels to be monitored and the secondary users' channel availability uncertainty imposed by primary user activities. To better serve CRNs, we propose a systematic passive monitoring framework, i.e., SpecMonitor, for traffic collection using a limited number of sniffers in Wi-Fi-like CRNs. We jointly consider primary user activity and secondary user channel access pattern to optimize the traffic capturing strategy. In particular, we exploit a nonparametric density estimation method to learn and predict secondary users' access pattern in an online fashion, which rapidly adapts to the users' dynamic behaviors and supports accurate estimation of merged access patterns from multiple users. We also design near-optimal monitoring algorithms that maximize two levels of quality-of-monitoring goals based on the predicted channel access patterns. The simulations and experiments show that SpecMonitor outperforms the existing schemes significantly.
Effect of postreconstruction filter strength on microcalcification detection at different imaging doses in digital breast tomosynthesis: human and model observer studies

Improved visibility of microcalcifications (MCs) and masses in tomographic breast imaging is a major concern in the medical imaging community, with intense research activity considering both hardware and processing approaches to the problem. Much of the research involves digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT). In this paper, we present results of human-observer studies that investigated the effects of postreconstruction filter strength on MC detection in DBT images generated at various dose levels. The use of human observers poses severe limitations on objective-assessment studies involving multiple parameters and this paper also discusses our continued development of a visual-search mathematical model observer as a substitute for humans. In this work, DBT images were created using a rigorous computer simulation applied to realistic breast phantoms. Acquisitions with 0.7, 1.0 and 1.5 mGy doses were modeled and the Feldkamp FBP algorithm was used for reconstructions. A set of 3D Butterworth filters with cutoffs representing moderate (0.2 cycles/pixel, with pixel size = 100 microns) to no (0.5 cycles/pixel) postfiltering were tested. LROC studies were conducted with four observers. As expected, MC detectability fell off with reduced dose. At the same time, the best MC detection for a given dose was obtained with unfiltered images, suggesting that the increased noise levels associated with lower dose cannot be overcome with postfiltering. The model observer showed promising results in terms of agreement with the human observers. The causes for some points of disagreement merit examination.
Spectroelectrochemical Sensing Based on Multimode Selectivity Simultaneously Achievable in a Single Device. 15. Development of Portable Spectroelectrochemical Instrumentation

A portable spectroelectrochemical instrument capable of performing in situ sensing has been developed, extending the applicability of spectroelectrochemistry for chemical sensing. All components of the instrument were designed to facilitate real-time simultaneous display of optical and electrochemical data for remote spectroelectrochemical measurements. Prior to this point in time, spectroelectrochemical measurements were confined to a laboratory setting, and remote analysis was not possible using custom or commercially available instrumentation. The novel instrumentation includes a software package for a portable computer, a small (paperback book sized) optical and electrochemical control unit, and an even smaller remote potentiostat. When the remote potentiostat is operated using fiber optic communication coupled with nine volt battery operation, the unit may operate for finite amounts of time at distances limited only by the attenuation of light in the optical fiber. Comparative studies of the custom instrument with commercially available electrochemical instrumentation were performed and showed excellent agreement. This unit was also tested using the ferricyanide/ferrocyanide reversible electrochemical couple by comparing it to bench top spectroelectrochemical instrumentation previously developed by our group.
Breast cancer survival among women under age 50: is mammography detrimental?

Abstract Great uncertainty exists about the benefit of detecting breast cancer by mammography in women under 50 years of age. We have reviewed the survival of patients aged 49 years or less whose cancers were detected by mammography alone. 117 women under the age of 50 years were diagnosed with breast cancer between 1978 and 1991 based only on an abnormal mammogram. Ductal carcinoma in-situ (DCIS) was found in 47 (40%) of these women, whilst 70 (60%) had infiltrating ductal or infiltrating lobular carcinomas. During the same interval, 928 women in this age group presented with palpable breast cancer. DCIS was diagnosed in 82 (9%) of these women, whilst 846 (91%) had infiltrating carcinoma. Among the infiltrating cancers detected by mammography alone, 50% were stage I, whilst only 30% of the women with palpable cancers were stage I. Five-year survival for all mammographically detected cancer patients was 95%, whereas for women with palpable cancers the survival was 74% (p Our data contradict the suggestion that women under 50 are put at a survival disadvantage by undergoing mammography. We believe that investigators who have reported negative results in this age group must examine other causes for their results.
Using Qualitative Methods to Assess the Social-Communicative Competence of Young Handicapped Children:

A qualitative research methodology was employed to examine the social-communicative interactions of young handicapped children in a public school-based preschool program and discem the utility of p...
Liquid, glass, gel: The phases of colloidal Laponite

Laponite is a synthetic disc-shaped crystalline colloid that is widely used to modify rheological properties of liquids in applications such as cosmetics, paints, and inks so that understanding its flow properties and aging behavior is of considerable practical as well as fundamental importance. However, some recent studies of the liquid–glass and sol–gel transitions in aqueous Laponite suspensions have produced results that do not fully agree with each other. Because Laponite is sensitive to sample preparation procedures, it is not straightforward to compare results reported by different groups. We have begun a study of the dynamics of Laponite suspensions during aging using photon correlation spectroscopy to explore the consequences of specific sample preparation procedures which may underlie these differences, including: (1) filtration of the sample through filters with different pore sizes before beginning the experiments, (2) adjusting and monitoring the pH of the solution, (3) varying the Laponite concentration, (4) carrying out the sample preparation in either ambient air or dry nitrogen atmospheres, (5) baking the ‘dry’ powder to remove adsorbed water, and (6) modifying the ion concentration by the addition of salts. We will compare the effects of different methods of preparation on the intermediate scattering function F(q, t) and its time evolution. In this report we will describe experiments that explore (1)–(3). The other three will be discussed in a future publication.
On the theory of the optical potential

Abstract We consider elastic scattering of a projectile by a complex many-body system. The incident energy is assumed high enough so that closure may be used on the target, and the problem is reduced to computing the target ground-state expectation value of the scattering amplitude from A fixed scattering centers. We solve for this A -body scattering amplitude exactly, using a model of a sum of separable potentials (the approach is extended to a more general class of potentials in an appendix). The exact amplitude exhibits many interesting properties. We then make a multiple scattering expansion of this amplitude, and simultaneously, an expansion of the ground-state density in terms of single-particle densities, two-particle densities, and so on. By comparing the resulting multiple scattering amplitude term by term with the scattering series from a one-particle Schrodinger equation for the projectile, we can identify an equivalent, or optical potential. We identify a lowest-order optical potential, stating precisely under what conditions it will generate the correct scattering amplitude. By summing additional classes of multiple scattering graphs, we include modifications due to two-particle correlations and multiply-struck target particles (“local field” corrections). The limiting cases of S -wave scattering and very high energy projectiles are discussed in detail. Some calculations of the high-energy optical potential based on more realistic elementary-particle scattering amplitudes are presented. The effects of spin and isospin are discussed, and an appendix is included on center-of-mass motion.
Skin and Blood Vessels of the Snout of the Australian Lungfish, Neoceratodus forsteri, and their Significance for Interpreting the Cosmine of Devonian Lungfishes

Improved structural and functional interpretations regarding the dermal skeleton of Paleozoic lungfishes (Dipnoi) can be derived from a direct comparison of Recent and fossil tissues. In particular, skin from the snout of adult Australian lungfish (Neoceratodus forsteri) contains horizontal plexuses and vertical capillary loops which resemble in structure, size and density components of the cosmine layer in such Paleozoic lungfishes as Dipterus valenciennesi and Chirodipterus australis. In addition to these dermal papillae, the skin of the snout also contains ampullary electroreceptors, goblet cells, compound mucus glands, and terminal branches and openings of the mechanoreceptive lateral line system. Pore canal systems of fossil lungfishes previously have been interpreted as housing electroreceptors or other cutaneous sense organs of the lateral line system. In contrast, we regard pore canal systems as evidence of a complex cutaneous vasculature involved in the deposition of mineralized tissues. Prevailing ideas on the structure and biological role of cosmine are reinterpreted, including the theory that electroreceptors played an important part in the origin of the dermal skeleton.
Responding to the Immunoglobulin Shortage: A Case Study

In fall 1997, a shortage of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) developed in the United States because of increased demand for the product, reduced supply, and product recalls. This shortage is a useful model for understanding how our health care system responds to scarcity. Although the U.S. government took steps to inform the medical community of the shortage, with few exceptions, the government did not respond to the shortage in a timely or effective manner. Instead, it took a relatively passive role, leaving IVIG manufacturers and distributors, health care institutions, and clinicians to fend for themselves. The shortage likely had an uneven impact on patients, based on the relative market strength of the health care institutions in which they received care and the individual patient's ability to absorb the increasing out-of-pocket costs of scarce IVIG. Market mechanisms have now largely alleviated the shortage and significantly reduced its detrimental impact on patients. However, future shortages of IVIG or other scarce medical products, such as vaccines and antibiotics, would benefit from more immediate and coordinated efforts not only to make sure that scarce health care resources are distributed in a just manner but also to identify and remedy the sources of health product supply problems.
Design and statistical aspects of the management of clinical trials to assess antihypersensitivity product efficacy

This paper discusses the design of clinical trials for testing the efficacy of therapeutic products for hypersensitive teeth with emphasis on statistical considerations. The preparation of a proper protocol is essential to the successful outcome of any clinical study. Key considerations in this regard are the criteria for patient selection, the size of the sample, the method of stratification of subjects into various test and control groups, the methods to be used for assessing sensitivity, and the statistical treatment of the data generated. The importance of other factors such as the requirement for a quiet, relaxed atmosphere and allowing adequate time for the examiner to establish a rapport with the subject, and the need to comply with institutional review board regulations, are stressed.
The latency, accuracy, and battery (LAB) abstraction: programmer productivity and energy efficiency for continuous mobile context sensing

Emerging mobile applications that sense context are poised to delight and entertain us with timely news and events, health tracking, and social connections. Unfortunately, sensing algorithms quickly drain the phone's battery. Developers can overcome battery drain by carefully optimizing context sensing but that makes programming with context arduous and ties applications to current sensing hardware. These types of applications embody a twist on the classic tension between programmer productivity and performance due to their combination of requirements.This paper identifies the latency, accuracy, battery (LAB) abstraction to resolve this tension. We implement and evaluate LAB in a system called Senergy. Developers specify their LAB requirements independent of inference algorithms and sensors. Senergy delivers energy efficient context while meeting the requirements and adapts as hardware changes. We demonstrate LAB's expressiveness by using it to implement 22 context sensing algorithms for four types of context (location, driving, walking, and stationary) and six diverse applications. To demonstrate LAB's energy optimizations, we show often an order of magnitude improvements in energy efficiency on applications compared to prior approaches. This relatively simple, priority based API, may serve as a blueprint for future API design in an increasingly complex design space that must tradeoff latency, accuracy, and efficiency to meet application needs and attain portability across evolving, sensor-rich, heterogeneous, and power constrained hardware.
Retinal manifestations of neurofibromatosis. Diagnosis and management.

• Five patients presented with vision-threatening retinal tumors and systemic signs of neurofibromatosis, including neurofibromatosis type 1 (four patients) and familial cafe-au-lait spots (one patient). These tumors included large retinal astrocytic hamartomas, multiple retinal capillary hemangiomas, and combined hamartomas of the retina and retinal pigment epithelium, which resulted in rubeotic glaucoma, vitreous hemorrhage, and retinal detachment. Surgical therapy included retinal cryopexy, xenon and argon photocoagulation, scleral buckling, and pars plana vitrectomy with excisional retinal biopsy. Retinal tumors may result in marked visual loss in patients with neurofibromatosis, and vitreoretinal surgery may restore useful vision in some of these patients.
Unfettered capitalism: why it is neither efficient nor just

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to argue that free market capitalism is neither efficient nor just. This is in spite of the claims made by its proponents who, utilizing Adam Smith's doctrine of invisible hand or the fundamental theorem of welfare economics, assume that it is efficient, just, smooth functioning, and self‐regulating.Design/methodology/approach – The paper utilizes conceptual/theoretical research and arguments that have emerged in the literatures of public economics and welfare economics.Findings – In addition to proving the above, the paper also finds that Adam Smith is actually a moral egalitarian, thus he could not have agreed with Nozick and Friedman regarding the nature of capitalism. To the extent that Smith supported free market capitalism, it was because he thought, in contrast to mercantilist policies, that free markets would lead to equity and justice.Originality/value – The paper is an original/valuable contribution since it rescues Adam Smith from the extreme proponents of...
Making sense of race and racial classification

Abstract As social scientists, race scholars, and demographers, how do we begin to make sense of recent changes in the Census Bureau’s system of racial classification, as well as of the popular response to those changes? This paper explores the lacuna between popular and scientific understandings of race. It reviews the theoretical understanding of race as a social construct, providing a brief history of racial classification in the United States. In addition, it examines the concepts of race mixing and racial ambiguity as a function of the peculiar and distinctive construction of race in the United States. Finally, the essay critically assesses how race is currently used in social research and how race might be more accurately represented and effectively employed in that research.
Couple Strains in Communal Households: A Four-Factor Model of the Separation Process

A four-factor model is proposed for understanding the separation process of couples living in urban communes. The factors influencing separation are considered to be contextual conduciveness, systemic strain, generalized beliefs, and precipitating events. Case studies of separating couples who were members of a larger sample living in communal households are presented to illustrate ways in which couples exhibited each of the above factors. Separation is seen as dependent on these factors, singly and in combination. The ways in which communal households deal with separation are also discussed.
Pulse Crops Improve Energy Intensity and Productivity of Cereal Production in Montana, USA

Energy consumption, intensity, and productivity are indicators of agricultural sustainability in the face of fossil energy scarcity and price volatility. In this study, budgets of energy embodied in crop production inputs were compiled for 14 paired pulse (annual grain legume)-wheat and wheat-wheat crop sequences using data collected from Montana farmers. We report two energy performance metrics: net energy yield (NEY), the energy content of harvested crop minus energy required to produce it, and energy intensity (EI), the ratio of input energy to mass of crop harvested. Nitrogen fertilizer accounted for 58% of the energy used in wheat production, and its absence largely accounted for the 53% reduction in energy inputs to pulses relative to wheat. EI of pulses was lower than for wheat, and pulse crops also resulted in reduced EI and increased NEY for the subsequent wheat crop compared to wheat grown following wheat. The largest component of the improved energy performance of wheat following pulses was inc...
Sex guilt and sex behavior in college students.

Summary The relationship between sex guilt and sex behavior was examined among college students. The two variables were assessed by means of self report instruments and were found to be inversely related. Sex guilt was positively related to religious activity, whereas sex behavior and religious activity were negatively related. Although females reported a higher level of sex guilt than males, both sexes reported equal involvement in sex behavior. Females with high sex guilt and low sex behavior seemed to prefer G and GP rated movies and described themselves as reading fewer “obscene/pornographic” books. This relationship also tended to obtain for males.
The ‘lie-in-wait’ feeding mode of a cryptic teleost,Synanceia verrucosa

The foraging strategy of the stonefish, Synanceia verrucosa was investigated. Using regular- and high-speed cinematography (32–1,000 fps), experiments were designed to test the idea that the stonefish utilizes a functional repertoire of feeding modes that depend on prey location. A kinematic profile of each feeding mode is described and illustrated. Foraging in this cryptic predator with a consideration of its associated ambush site is discussed.
The JS-graphs of Join and Split Trees

Let f be a continuous function defined on a topological space. As we increase the function value, connected components in the level set of f appear, disappear, merge, or split, and the Reeb graph tracks these changes. The join and split trees of f track the changes of connected components in the sublevel and superlevel set respectively. If the Reeb graph is loop-free, then it is a tree called the contour tree. Given a piecewise linear function f defined on a simplicial complex K, Carr, Snoeyink and Axen proposed a simple and elegant algorithm to compute the contour tree of f by "merging" its join and split trees in near-linear time. In practice, there are often scenarios where one applies the algorithm of Carr et al. hoping to obtain a tree output, even if the Reeb graph of the input scalar field may have loops. This is particular common when handling high dimensional unorganized point clouds data. In this paper, we explore the validity of applying the algorithm of Carr et al. to any join and split tree and suggest modifications. We show that if the Reeb graph of f is not a tree, then the algorithm sometimes fails to produce a tree which reflects the input join and split trees. We introduce the concept of a JS-graph as a generalization of the contour tree. The JS-graph is a single graph which fully encodes the information in both join and split trees. A join tree, TJ, and split tree, TS, may have more than one JS-graph. We provide a characterization for all JS-graphs of TJ and TS. While the Reeb graph of f is a JS-graph, constructing the Reeb graph of f requires building and using the 2-skeleton of K. Our algorithm, based on the algorithm of Carr et al., constructs a JS-graph with at most 2(n−1) edges in O(n log2 n) time from just the join and split trees of K, where n is the number of vertices in K.
Utilization review and Quality Assurance: Staying in the black and working with the blues

Utilization review (UR), Quality Assurance (QA), and Peer Review (PR) have become essential aspects in the practice of general hospital psychiatry. This article first defines and elaborates the basic elements of UR, QA, and PR and then outlines the development of a program for these professionally initiated and maintained methods of problem seeking and solving as it occurred on a short-term voluntary inpatient psychiatric unit. Finally, current trends and conflicts inherent to QA, UR, and PR are discussed, with a view towards the future.
Abstract 5259: Non-invasive determination of in vivo myeloperoxidase activity in ovarian cancer mouse model

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is an inflammatory heme protein present in myeloid cells- neutrophils, microglia, and macrophages. The enzyme activity of MPO utilizes hydrogen peroxide in the process of reactive oxygen species generation. Myeloperoxidase has been suggested recently as a likely marker in ovarian carcinoma. This relationship between the MPO and ovarian cancer however was deduced primarily from data obtained from in vitro studies using cancer cell lines and from immunostaining of ovarian carcinoma paraffin blocks. Therefore, a real-time determination of in vivo MPO activity in the tumor and during the progression of ovarian cancer will be valuable to assess the role of innate immune process in ovarian cancer progression, in cancer treatment, and the proper management of current therapies. Here, we developed non invasive methodologies to determine the MPO activity in intraperitoneal ovarian cancer tumor mouse model. Tri-modal non invasive imaging of the metastatic ovarian cancer in athymic mice model were performed to obtain fluorescence, luminescence, and X-ray images at different time points during the progression of the intraperitoneal tumor metastasis. Progression of the tumor metastasis was monitored using fluorescence; simultaneously MPO activity was obtained by luminescence imaging. The MPO activity was detected by i.p injection of Luminol (5-amino-2,3-dihydro-1,4-phthalazine-dione) in physiological buffered saline (5 mg / 25gm mice). Luminol a redox-sensitive compound emits blue luminescence upon exposure to oxidizing agents, and in vivo, and has been established to have unique specificity to MPO activity. The fluorescence and luminescence images were overlaid on planar X-ray images for anatomical coregistration. The results show a robust increase in MPO activity in the mouse with the tumor development as compared to the control mice of the same cohort. Increase in MPO activity as a result of neutrophil activation was observed in the early phase of the ovarian cancer progression, and this increase subsides in the latter stages. However, the lumiscence signal intensities vary between the tumors, and near negligible MPO activity was observed in some tumors indicating a differential tumor microenvironment within the mouse. Further, the activity is far greater, at least in the initial stages, at the lung, nasal and other distal regions when compared to the intraperitoneal tumors. These real-time monitoring methodologies of MPO activity by in vivo imaging will greatly enhance the understanding of the tumor microenvironment during ovarian cancer progression, and contribute significantly in the development of better cancer treatments. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5259. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-5259
Effect of oral acetyl L-carnitine arginate on resting and postprandial blood biomarkers in pre-diabetics

Background Resting and postprandial oxidative stress is elevated in those with metabolic disorders such as diabetes. Antioxidant supplementation may attenuate the rise in oxidative stress following feeding. Therefore we sought to determine the effects of acetyl L-carnitine arginate (ALCA) on resting and postprandial biomarkers of glucose and lipid metabolism, as well as oxidative stress.
Gel electrophoretic analysis of cellular and secreted proteins from resting and activated rat alveolar macrophages treated with pentamidine isethionate

Pneumocystic carinii pneumonia, which is a major cause of death among patients suffering from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, has often been treated successfully with pentamidine isethionate. This study examines pentamidine effects on cellular and secreted proteins from rat alveolar macrophages by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and computerized image analysis. Over 100 secreted proteins were detected by fluorography. Fluorography showed pentamidine diminished tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-1 release along with other proteins. Effects of combined bacterial lipopolysaccharide and pentamidine were more pronounced on secreted versus cellular proteins in protein amount and pattern difference. Thus pentamidine exhibited a general repressive effect on cellular and secreted protein expression in resting and activated macrophages.
Olfactory Predator Discrimination in Yellow-Bellied Marmots

The mechanism underlying olfactory predator identification may be relatively experience-independent, or it may rely on specific experience with predators. A mechanism by which prey might identify novel predators relies on the inevitable creation of sulfurous metabolites that are then excreted in the urine of carnivorous mammals. We tested whether free-living, yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris) and mid-sized herbivores that fall prey to a variety of carnivorous mammals could discriminate herbivore (elk—Cervus elephas) urine from predator (red fox—Vulpes vulpes, coyote—Canis latrans, mountain lion—Felis concolor, wolf—Canis lupus) urine, a novel herbivore (moose—Alces alces), and a distilled water control. We further asked how specific this assessment was by testing whether marmots responded differently to predators representing different levels of risk and to familiar vs. unfamiliar predators. We found that marmots responded more to urine from coyotes (a familiar predator on adults), mountain lions (a potentially unfamiliar predator that could kill adults) and wolves (a locally extinct predator that could kill adults) than to elk urine (a non-predator). Red fox (a predator that poses a risk only to recently emerged marmot pups) urine elicited a less substantial (but not significantly so) response than coyote urine. Marmots can identify predators, even novel ones, using olfactory cues, suggesting that experience with a specific predator is not required to identify potential threats.