cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
What's Happening During Home Visits? Exploring the Relationship of Home Visiting Content and Dosage to Parenting Outcomes.

Introduction Research has documented modest positive impacts of early childhood home visiting programs. However, understanding more about what home visitors do during visits and how much time they spend on specific topics may provide insight into the variability in effectiveness of services. Methods Outcome data were collected via parent survey at program enrollment and 12 months from 123 women in three MIECHV-funded home visiting models. Home visitors completed weekly home visit content and activity logs. Results Families received an average of 28 visits during the study (3.1 visits per month). Of ten content areas, the three most often discussed were early childhood development, physical care of children, and the parent–child-relationship. Multivariate regression models were used to explore the association of home visit dosage, home visit content and cumulative risk factors on parenting outcomes. Women whose visits were focused more on parenting topics reported lower parenting-related stress at follow-up compared to those whose visits had less parenting content. Additionally, higher-risk women who received greater numbers of home visits showed larger reductions in their attitudes about harsh punishment over time, compared to high-risk women with fewer home visits. Discussion Receiving home visits that emphasize parenting content may contribute to reduced parenting-related stress. For high-risk women in particular, receiving more visits overall may be important to achieving positive outcomes. Implications for practice include working to engage and retain high-risk families. Future home visiting research calls for improved methods for collecting data on content/activity during visits, the necessity for long-term follow-up, and testing for the effectiveness of varied and flexible visit schedules/content focus for women and families with trauma exposure.
Designing in use: bridging the design time - use time divide

Meta-design theory emphasizes that future use can never be entirely anticipated at design time, as users shape their environments in response to emerging needs. Systems should therefore be designed to adapt to future conditions in the hands of end users, empowering end-user development to take place in a continuous, participatory manner. In our increasingly complex technological environments, tomorrow's meta-designers must be able to anticipate the environment in which the end users will work in order to provide the flexibility for users to craft and develop their tools. By exploring and projecting forward current trends in technology use, I have identified key principles for metadesigners and suggest that using them as design heuristics will aid metadesigners in crafting systems for future end-users to employ in designing and developing their future environments. This paper describes my doctoral research, aimed towards validating and critiquing these meta-design principles.
Plant Layout and Design

The capital investment for a new plant in the structural clay products industry is considerable. Because the unit price for the product is low, there is a minimum size for a plant and its daily output in order to be profitable. Modern brick and structural-tile factories are usually designed in production units of 100,000 standard brick-equivalents per day, and pipe plants should have a minimum output of 120 tons of ware per day. Probably the economic break-even point for face-brick production is about 60,000 units per day.
Using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator in Field Education Supervision.

This article provides a framework for using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) to help social work field instructors work effectively with students of a variety of personality types. The article describes the MBTI and includes strategies for using it to assess students' needs, determine issues in supervisory style, and enhance supervisor-student relationships. Within the framework are strategies for respecting and responding to type differences and for learning to act against preference to work effectively with students of different types. The authors emphasize the ethical use of the MBTI in field instruction and limitations of its use.
NEUROCHEMICAL AND METABOLIC DYSFUNCTION FOLLOWING CONCUSSIVE BRAIN INJURY

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses neurochemical and metabolic dysfunction following concussive brain injury. Following a fluid percussion brain injury, there is an increase in extracellular concentrations excitatory amino acid glutamate, which is accompanied with an increase in extracellular potassium. The liberation of potassium from cells would produce an ionic imbalance across the membrane, requiring the energy to activate pumping mechanisms to reinstate the ionic balance. In addition, this injury-induced ionic flux may also be exacerbated by an increase in intracellular calcium. An increase in calcium accumulation has been seen following spinal cord contusion and cerebral ischemia. By placing a large energy demand on cells immediately following injury, the metabolic processes of these cells may be significantly altered. This alteration in metabolic processes may compromise the normal functioning of these cells, rendering them vulnerable to any secondary perturbation.
RF sputtering of insulators

The deposition of insulating thin films by reactive sputtering has been practised for many years. The newly developed technique of radio frequency sputtering allows the direct sputtering of virtually any insulating material. This paper discusses in detail the conditions and apparatus necessary to optimize both the deposition rate and film quality. For example, it has been found that a superimposed magnetic field enhances and stabilizes the glow to a considerably greater extent than under comparable DC conditions. Insulators sputtered to date include quartz, alumina, mullite, boron nitride and a variety of glasses. Deposition rates up to 2000 a/min have been obtained and a thickness uniformity of about 1 per cent over an area 4 in. diameter has been achieved. Techniques used to evaluate the films included electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, dielectric and optical measurements and standard pin-hole etch techniques. It was found that, in terms of the above criteria, films resembled the starting material from which they were sputtered remarkably closely with any differences between bulk and film being greatest when the latter had been deposited onto cold substrates. An unexpected result of these investigations was the fact that sputtered glass films were found to be about twice as strong, mechanically, as films of the same material prepared by sedimentation and firing. Measurements of the sputtering yields of a number of insulating materials were also performed as part of this study. Preliminary results indicate that the sputtering yields of boron nitride, aluminium oxide and silicon dioxide are in the ratio 1:1, 13:4.
Objective PDF-Shaping-Based Economic Dispatch for Power Systems with Intermittent Generation Sources via Simultaneous Mean and Variance Minimization*

With the ever increased penetration of renewables in power grid, economic power dispatch faces a challenge in terms of minimizing the generation cost which is increasingly affected by random factors and constraints subjected to random inputs. In this context, the cost functions are random for which the widely used mean value based minimization can only achieve limited profit gain. Indeed, as the probability density function (PDF) is a comprehensive measure of characteristics of any random variables, the desired optimization should address the shaping of the PDF of the generation cost function rather just its mean value. Through a simple case study, this paper firstly reveals the long tail PDF shape of the cost function when the traditional mean-value based optimization is used. This is then followed by the development of a novel PDF-shaping-based method that optimizes both the mean and variance of the PDF of the cost function. It has been shown that the proposed approach can reshape the PDF of the generation cost function so as to make it as left and as narrow as possible, leading to a significant low risk for high generation cost. Generic PDF shaping based optimization in [22] has also been described. Simulation tests have been included to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach and encouraging results have been obtained.
Does Type of Mechanical Circulatory Support as Bridge to Heart Transplant Affect Outcomes

Purpose Bridge to transplant (BTT) with left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is associated with repeat sternotomy, risk of adverse events, and allosensitization. Consequently intra-aortic balloon pump (IABPs) have been increasingly used as BTT despite a paucity of data comparing the two strategies. We aim to compare pre- and post- heart transplant (HTx) outcomes in patients supported by LVAD and IABP as BTT. Methods This retrospective cohort study included all patients BTT by LVAD (n=115) and IABP (n=32) at a single medical center between 7/2010 and 4/2018. Results Twenty-three (20%) patients bridged with LVAD and 3 (9%) bridged with IABP died on the waiting list (p=0.03), whereas 83 (72%) LVAD patients and 23 (72%) IABP patients underwent HTx after 373 (median, IQR 184;743) and 18 (12;31) days of support, respectively. Six (19%) patients with IABP crossed over to LVAD. Patients BTT with LVAD had higher weight (86.3 +/- 20.5 vs 77.7 +/- 16.5, p=0.05) and albumin (3.7 +/- 1.5 vs 2.9 +/- 0.5, p Conclusion BTT with IABP compared to LVAD was associated with longer post-HTx hospital stay, lower rejection score, similar renal function, and similar short-term survival. Additional studies are needed to compare these two strategies with respect to patient outcomes as well as overall cost effectiveness.
Are Democrats Really the Party of the Poor? Partisanship, Class, and Representation in the U.S. Senate

Scholars have identified partisan differences in policy representation—with Republicans more often found to represent the rich, while Democrats align with the preferences of less affluent voters. T...
In Situ Investigation of Performance Reference Compound-Based Estimates of PCB Equilibrated Passive Sampler Concentrations and C free in the Marine Water Column

Low-density polyethylene sheets are used as passive samplers for aquatic environmental monitoring to measure the freely dissolved concentration (Cfree ) of hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs). Freely dissolved HOCs in water will partition into the polyethylene until a thermodynamic equilibrium is achieved; that is, the HOC's activity in the passive sampler is the same as its activity in the surrounding environment. One way to evaluate the equilibrium status or estimate the uptake kinetics is by using performance reference compounds (PRCs). A fractional equilibrium (feq ) can be determined for target HOCs, under the assumption that PRC desorption from the passive sampler occurs at the same rate as for the unlabeled target HOCs. However, few investigations have evaluated how effectively and accurately PRCs estimate target contaminant Cfree under in situ conditions. In the present study, polyethylene passive samplers were preloaded with 6 13 C-labeled polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as PRCs; deployed in New Bedford Harbor, Massachusetts, USA; and collected after 30-, 56-, 99-, and 129-d deployments. Using this unique temporal sampling design, PRC results from each deployment were fit to a diffusion model to estimate the Cfree of 27 PCB congeners and compare the results between the different deployment times. Smaller PCBs had variable concentrations over the 4 deployments, whereas mid-molecular weight PCBs had consistent Cfree measurements for all deployments (relative standard deviation <20%). High-molecular weight PCBs had the largest Cfree estimates after 30 d; these estimates and their standard deviations decreased with longer deployment times. These findings suggest that when targeting PCBs with more than 6 chlorines or contaminants with a log octanol-water partition coefficient ≥6.5, a deployment time longer than 30 d may be prudent. Environ Toxicol Chem 2020;39:1165-1173. © 2020 SETAC.
Predicting the fatigue performance of an additively manufactured Ti-6Al-4V component from witness coupon behavior

Abstract The relationship between the reported fatigue performance of an aerospace laser powder bed fused (L-PBF) Ti-6Al-4V component and witness coupons is examined. Traditional deterministic fatigue life models calibrated to witness coupon fatigue data are found capable of predicting the trend in median component fatigue performance, motivating deeper analysis with a probabilistic fatigue life model. A weakest link model is formulated that is applicable to heterogeneous stress states and the transition in failure mode that occurs in Ti-6Al-4V. After calibrating to the witness coupon data, the model is found capable of predicting key trends in the reported component data. After a discussion of the predicted variability and uncertainty, the model is utilized to illuminate how variations in crack initiation site density, e.g. build defects, might impact fatigue performance at the coupon and component level. By comparing to additional literature data, a wide range of sensitivity to initiation site density is illustrated, and subsequently explained via an approximate expression of the model that shows a dependence of sensitivity on the nature of the material and its initiation sites, as well as the level of inspection that is performed.
Can You Hear Me Now? The Influence of Perceived Media Richness on Executive Coaching Relationships

The leadership development industry has drawn scrutiny for being simultaneously costly and ineffective at developing effective leaders. Executive coaching has been demonstrated as one method of eff...
Open Treatment for Unstable Osteochondritis Dissecans of the Knee: Autologous Bone Grafting and Bioabsorbable Fixation

Osteochondritis dissecans is a common osteochondral abnormality affecting the knee. In unstable lesions, the underlying bone can be significantly abnormal and necessitate treatment. Although many techniques exist, we favor an open surgical approach to ensure that the bone is properly managed. Autologous bone graft can easily be obtained locally and used to restore the bony architecture. The subsequent use of bioabsorbable implants provides a robust means of fixation that allows for single-stage surgery. This Technical Note describes a straightforward but reliable approach to a challenging pathology.
Vote.com and Internet Politics: A Comment on Dick Morris's Version of Internet Democracy

S CHWARTZ - FINAL DRAFT ( AUTHOR ). DOC 5/30/01 5:07 PM VOTE.COM AND INTERNET POLITICS: A COMMENT ON DICK MORRIS’S VERSION OF INTERNET DEMOCRACY Paul M. Schwartz * A much sought-after political advisor, Dick Morris is also a successful Internet entrepreneur. His popular website VOTE.com sponsors informal polls on political issues and hosts discussion of nonpolitical topics such as travel, technology, business, and sports. Already 1.2 million people have registered at this site, which also features insightful analysis of politics by Morris. As Morris has designed VOTE.com, when one votes on a discrete opinion poll, an e-mail is sent to the concerned political leaders. As an example, the result of the pre-election poll, “Is George W. Bush Smart Enough to be President?” was forwarded to both George W. Bush and Al Gore. 1 As I will discuss below, however, this fashion of testing public opinion is loaded with troubling forms of systematic bias. In Direct Democracy and the Internet, Dick Morris assumes yet another role, that of Internet prophet. Yet, his provocative essay demonstrates that even the most politically astute observer faces difficulties in predicting the Internet’s impact on the future of American politics. In his essay, as well as in his recently published book VOTE.com, Morris portrays a dramatically improved post- Internet political landscape, which he develops in three predictions. * Professor of Law, Brooklyn Law School. I am grateful for comments on this Essay by Christine Daigneault, Edward Jacob Janger, Eli Richman, Stefanie Schwartz, and Peter J. Spiro. Helpful responses to it were also made by participants at the “Internet Voting and Democracy” Symposium at Loyola Law School and, in particular, by my co-panelists Elizabeth Garrett and Dick Morris. 1. See Is George Bush Smart Enough to be President?, VOTE.com, at http://www.vote.com/archivevotes.html (last visited Nov. 7, 2000).
以赛亚·伯林的自由观 (Isaiah Berlin's Conception of Freedom)

Chinese Abstract: 本文为伯林的自由观略加澄清与辩护。在前两节中，我首先说明伯林并非许多人眼中的“消极自由的鼓吹者”，并将这种误解的源头追溯到伯林的文本含混与理论张力之中；后三节则展开重构伯林自由观背后的价值多元论框架，尽力勾勒出最有望用以化解前述理论张力的资源与策略，以便为未来进一步的探讨与反思奠定基础。 English Abstract: This paper clarifies and defends Isaiah Berlin's conception of freedom. The first two sections argue against the common perception of Berlin as an "advocate for negative liberty", and trace the origins of this misconception to the textual ambiguities and theoretical tensions within Berlin's own work. The next three sections reconstruct the value-pluralist framework underlying Berlin's conception of freedom, and explore the various resources and strategies within this framework that could help solve the aforementioned theoretical tensions.
A Precedent for the Unprecedented

Historical Reflections on Plague, Quarantine, and Islamic Law in Morocco, written as part of the 2020 Roundtable on pandemics.
Modern, Darwinian Antisemitism: The Racist Misuse of Evolutionary Pseudoscience

For hundreds of years, the large, gentile nations have been reacting to the Jewish communities within them as “hosts” would to “parasites.” In recent years, Kevin MacDonald (MacDonald, A people that shall dwell alone: Judaism as a group evolutionary strategy, Praeger, Westport, CT, 1994, MacDonald, Separation and its discontents: Toward an evolutionary theory of anti-semitism, Praeger, Westport, CT, 1998a, MacDonald, The culture of critique: An evolutionary analysis of Jewish involvement in twentieth-century intellectual and political movements, Praeger, Westport, CT, 1998b) put what appears to be a new twist on the host–parasite, gentile–Jew metaphor. In this version, Jews are portrayed as inherently superior beings, possessing traits that are actually considered admirable, e.g., diligence, high motivation for achievement, high levels of altruism to other members of the group, and a high level of investment in their children. However, this is merely a modernized, deceptive version of the host–parasite metaphor. The positive attributes MacDonald ascribes to Jews are used to bolster his claim to scientific objectivity, arguing that this theory cannot be racist antisemitism if it says positive things about Jews. In the end, MacDonald’s Jew is a superior competitor whose (unfair) success inevitably instigates an often violent, antisemitic reaction. Individualistic gentiles are out-competed by Jews who don’t play according to the same rules. In contrast to the individualistic gentile who plays fair, the Jews are more collectivistic, i.e., they are biologically more ingroup-identified, more strongly favor members of their own group, and are closed and hostile to non-Jews. The gentiles then react with violent hatred to prevent total domination by the superior, collectivistic Jew. Antisemitism—even in its ugliest, genocidal forms—is merely a natural, adaptive reaction of one group (white, European gentiles) to being unfairly beaten in the competition between groups over resources. Violent antisemitism is then seen as an ugly but extremely predictable and adaptive reaction to Jewish success based on unfair advantages. MacDonald’s misunderstanding and misrepresentation of evolutionary biology has been readily embraced by white nationalists and other antisemites. In this article MacDonald’s errors in logic and science are elucidated, revealing a pseudoscientific dressing on ancient antisemitism.
User Interfaces for Character Animation and Character Interaction

The heart of visual storytelling is the performances of characters. Through their performances, they express the story, demonstrate their emotions, personality and motivation, and ultimately entertain people. However, design of appealing performances for characters and interaction with the animated characters are key for artists to enhance the experience of the storytelling. In this paper, we present user interfaces that allow efficient creation of animated content and the enhancement of the interactive experience. Specifically, we will describe recent progress on three main issues of character animation and interaction: motion capture, animation design, and interactive control.
Overview of Neurocutaneous Syndromes

The neurocutaneous syndromes are a heterogeneous group of conditions affecting the nervous system and the skin, as well as other organ systems including the eyes, kidneys, and heart. This section discusses the most common inherited syndromes, neurofibromatosis and tuberous sclerosis. Diagnosis of these disorders is based on clinical criteria. Genetic testing may assist diagnosis and give information for family members. Genetic counseling is complicated by the frequent presence of de novo mutations, mosaicisms, and variable expression and severity. Additionally patients often experience stigma and discrimination, and may have psychiatric symptoms. All of these factors should be considered during counseling.
A Growing Book for Distance Learning

The Growing Book is an ever-expanding body of knowledge created by a team of experts. It is an electronic book co-developed by a group of teachers who are geographically dispersed throughout the world and collaborate in teaching and research. Since the course materials are constantly evolving, the Growing Book must be constantly updated. The Growing Book is used by each teacher both in the local classroom as well as in the distance learning environment and accessible by multilingual students. Each chapter of he Growing Book is owned by an instructor who may utilize different tools for distance learning, self learning and assessment. A macro university framework provides the experimental test bed to investigate how to design and manage the growing book so that it can be accessed by people with different linguistic skills for effective teaching and research. We describe the basic operations such as Match, Abstract, Weave and Customize, which can be used to extract and organize information from the multi-level, multimedia, multi-lingual book.
Investigation of a Novel Air Brazing Composition for High‐Temperature, Oxidation‐Resistant Ceramic Joining

One of the challenges in developing a useful ceramic joining technique is in producing a joint that offers good strength under high temperature and highly oxidizing operating conditions. Unfortunately many of the commercially available active metal ceramic brazing alloys exhibit oxidation behaviors which are unicceptable for use in a high temperature application. We have developed a new approach to ceramic brazing, referred to as air brazing, that employs an oxide wetting agent dissolved in a molten noble metal solvent, in this case CuO in Ag, such that acceptable wetting behavior occurs on a number of ceramic substrates. In an effort to explore how to increase the operating temperature of this type of braze, we have investigated the effect of ternary palladium additions on the wetting characteristics of our standard Ag-CuO air braze composition.
Tax Abuse - Lessons from Abroad

How does a government distinguish between tax planning and tax abuse? Most democratic societies agree that citizens have a right to limit their tax liability through tax planning. However, governments generally also agree that this right does not extend to tax abuse. Tax abuse substantially reduces government tax revenues and weakens the integrity of our tax systems and the efficiency of our economy. Thus, making this distinction between tax planning and tax abuse is critical. In an attempt to identify and counter tax abuse and its detrimental effects, the United States recently enacted an anti-abuse rule in Section 7701(o) of the Internal Revenue Code. Because tax abuse is difficult to legislatively define, Section 7701(o) relies heavily on the judiciary to make the ultimate determination of which transactions are abusive. This Article contends that the international experience with similar general anti-avoidance rules indicates that Section 7701(o) will not be a universal cure for tax abuse but can be an effective anti-abuse tool if certain judicial, legislative and administrative steps are taken. Therefore, it proposes a reform to Section 7701(o) that would counter the textualist trend and other judicial approaches that potentially undermine the statute while simultaneously increasing the statute’s fairness and predictability.
Amine oxidase. XIV. Isolation and characterization of the multiple beef liver amine oxidase components.

Abstract By modifying a previously published purification procedure, three fractions of liver mitochondrial amine oxidase were isolated in sufficient yields to characterize them. All components were bright yellow and showed a pH optima near 9.2. None of the components was inhibited by aldehyde reagents and all components showed similar substrate specificities. The sedimentation coefficients were 14.4 and 20.6, and the molecular weights about 405,000 and 1,280,000, respectively, for components 1 and 2. Component 1 contained 4 and component 2 contained 12 FAD or FAD-like substance per mole of enzyme. In addition, components 1 and 2 contained 24 and 106 moles of phospholipid per mole of enzyme, respectively. The studies indicate that a part of the multiplicity of the enzyme reported by other workers is due to the isolation of the enzyme in different molecular weight forms. In fact component 2 may be a trimer of component 1. Since the higher molecular weight form has a higher specific activity as well as a higher phospholipid content, it may represent a larger fragment from the outer membrane of the mitochondria.
Differential Expectations? Predicting Grades for Black Students in Five Types of Colleges.

This article discusses the prediction of college grades for a national sample of black students attending a wide variety of colleges. When men and women were grouped in five types of colleges, stat...
Design and implementation of a security framework for industrial control systems

We address the problems of network and reconfiguration attacks on an industrial control system (ICS) by describing a trustworthy autonomic interface guardian architecture (TAIGA) that provides security against attacks originating from both supervisory and plant control nodes. In contrast to the existing security techniques which attempt to bolster perimeter security at supervisory levels, TAIGA physically isolates trusted defense mechanisms from untrusted components and monitors the physical process to detect an attack. Trusted components in TAIGA are implemented in programmable logic (PL). Our implementation of TAIGA integrates a trusted safety-preserving backup controller, and a mechanism for preemptive switching to a backup controller when an attack is detected. A hardware implementation of our approach on an inverted pendulum system illustrates how TAIGA improves resilience against software reconfiguration and network attacks.
Technology and Community Behavior in Online Environments

The literature on virtual or online communities contains two largely disjoint bodies of scholarship. One, which we call the “communities” literature, is concerned primarily with the social and psychological processes observable within groups of people that interact regularly in online environments. The other, concerned primarily with the effects of technological environments on individual and group behavior, we call the “environments” literature.
Under-recognition of Low Blood Pressure Readings in Patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a recessive sex-linked hereditary disorder, is characterized by degeneration, atrophy, and weakness of skeletal and cardiac muscle. The purpose of this study was to document the prevalence of abnormally low resting BP recordings in patients with DMD in our outpatient clinic. The charts of 31 patients with DMD attending the cardiology clinic at Rush University Medical Center were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic data, systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressures along with current medications, echocardiograms, and documented clinical appreciation and management of low blood pressure were recorded in the form of 104 outpatient clinical visits. Blood pressure (BP) was classified as low if the systolic and/or mean BP was less than the fifth percentile for height for patients aged ≤17 years (n = 23). For patients ≥18 years (n = 8), systolic blood pressure (SBP) <90 mmHg or a mean arterial pressure (MAP) <60 mmHg was recorded as a low reading. Patients with other forms of myopathy or unclear diagnosis were excluded. Statistical analysis was done using PASW version 18. BP was documented at 103 (99.01 %) outpatient encounters. Low systolic and mean BP were recorded in 35 (33.7 %) encounters. This represented low recordings for 19 (61.3 %) out of a total 31 patients with two or more successive low recordings for 12 (38.7 %) patients. Thirty-one low BP encounters were in patients <18 years old. Hispanic patients accounted for 74 (71.2 %) visits and had low BP recorded in 32 (43.2 %) instances. The patients were non-ambulant in 71 (68.3 %) encounters. Out of 35 encounters with low BP, 17 patients (48.6 %) were taking heart failure medication. In instances when patients had low BP, 22 (66.7 %) out of 33 echocardiography encounters had normal left ventricular ejection fraction. Clinician comments on low BP reading were present in 11 (10.6 %) encounters, and treatment modification occurred in only 1 (1 %) patient. Age in years (p = .031) and ethnicity (p = .035) were independent predictors of low BP using stepwise multiple regression analysis. Low BP was recorded in a significant number of patient encounters in patients with DMD. Age 17 years or less and Hispanic ethnicity were significant predictors associated with low BP readings in our DMD cohort. Concomitant heart failure therapy was not a statistically significant association. There is a need for enhanced awareness of low BP in DMD patients among primary care and specialty physicians. The etiology and clinical impact of these findings are unclear but may impact escalation of heart failure therapy.
Known Radio Pulsars Do Not Contribute to the Galactic Center Gamma-Ray Excess

Observations using the Fermi Large Area Telescope (Fermi-LAT) have found a significant gamma-ray excess surrounding the center of the Milky Way (GC). One possible interpretation of this excess invokes gamma-ray emission from an undiscovered population of either young or recycled pulsars densely clustered throughout the inner kiloparsec of the Milky Way. While these systems, by construction, have individual fluxes that lie below the point source sensitivity of the Fermi-LAT, they may already be observed in multiwavelength observations. Notably the Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF) catalog of radio pulsars includes 270 sources observed in the inner 10 degrees around the GC. We calculate the gamma-ray emission observed from these 270 sources and obtain three key results: (1) point source searches in the GC region produce a plethora of highly significant gamma-ray "hotspots", compared to searches far from the Galactic plane, (2) there is no statistical correlation between the positions of these gamma-ray hotspots and the locations of ATNF pulsars, and (3) the spectrum of the most statistically significant gamma-ray hotspots is substantially softer than the spectrum of the GC gamma-ray excess. These results place strong constraints on models where young pulsars produce the majority of the gamma-ray excess, and disfavor some models where millisecond pulsars produce the gamma-ray excess.
Dramatic vapor-phase modulation of the characteristics of graphene field-effect transistors

Here we report on dramatic and favorable changes to the operating characteristics in monolayer graphene field-effect transistors (FETs) exposed to vapor-phase, polar organic molecules in ambient. These changes include significant reduction of the Dirac voltage, accompanied by both an increase in electron and hole mobility, μ, and a decrease in residual carrier density, N0, to < 3 × 1011 cm−2. In contrast to graphene FET modulation with various liquid- and solid-phase dielectric media present in the literature, we attribute these changes to screening by polar vapor-phase molecules of fields induced by charged impurities and defects, nimp, in or near the active layer. The magnitude of the changes produced in the graphene FET parameters scales remarkably well with the dipole moment of the delivered molecules. These effects are reversible, a unique advantage of working in the vapor phase. The changes observed upon polar molecule delivery are analogous to those produced by depositing and annealing fluoropolymer coatings on graphene that have been reported previously, and we attribute these changes to similar charge screening or neutralization phenomena.
Complexes of the lanthanides with hexamethylphosphoramide

COMPLEXES OF THE LANTHANIDES WITH HEXAMETHYLPHOSPHORAMIDE Martin T. Durney and Robert S. Marianelli Chemistry Department University of Nebraska Lincoln, Nebraska 68508 ~ e c e i v e d 17 July 1970) It has been recently reported by DONOGHUE et al (i) and by GIESBRECHT and ZINNER (2) that the Lanthanides (Ln) form cationic complexes with hexamethylphosphoramide (~PA), 0 = P(N(CH3)2) 3, of the type Ln(CIO4)~ 6 HMPA. It was concluded by DONOGHUE et el, on the basis of analytical, infrared (i.r.) and conductivity data that the complexes were hexacoordinated with six bonded HMPA ligands and therefore should be written as [Ln(HMPA)6][CI04] 3. In an attempt to prepare some of these complexes following DONOGHUE'S method (i), we repeatedly obtained a product whose analyses were not in agreement with the reported stoichiometry. For Ln = La, Gd and Dy, light tancolored precipitates a were obtained which darkened noticeably on standing in a desiccator in the light. Analyses of these products did not agree with any reasonable stoichiometric assignment for the complex. GIESBRECHT and ZINNER's procedure (2) also did not yield the reported complexes. We wish to report the preparation and characterization of a series of stable, perchlorate-bonded lanthanide complexes of the type [Ln(HMPA)4(OCI03)2] [CIO4] , (Ln = La, Nd, Gd, Dy and Yb). Experimental Preparation of Complexes The corresponding Ln203 was dissolved in an excess of concentrated perchloric acid (~3M). The resulting solution was adjusted to pH 4-5 with potassium hydroxide. The potassium perchlorate was filtered and the filtrate was evaporated to dryness at reduced pressure (~20 mm). The hydrated perchlorate was then dissolved in absolute ethanol and this
Perinatal life history traits in New World monkeys

Gestation length, neonatal and maternal body weight, and neonatal and adult brain weight data were collected for New World monkeys in an attempt to establish typical patterns of perinatal life history. This study attempts to illuminate the most accurate values from the available data, which suggest that gestation length and prenatal growth rate are broadly conserved in relation to maternal size in New World monkeys. Exceptions to the patterns evident in the data point to derivations in life history strategies. In particular, this study suggests that the extended gestation length of callitrichines is a function of minimum viable neonate size and not exclusively energy minimization associated with simultaneous lactation. Cebus is shown to undergo more postnatal brain growth relative to other New World monkeys, but not as much as previously believed. Alouatta is shown to be relatively small brained at birth as well as in adulthood. Saimiri is shown to present the most unusual package of perinatal life history traits, in which precocial neonates are gestated for a relatively long time and at a slightly faster growth rate than is typical for New World monkeys. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Real and imaginary index-of-refraction measurements for RP-1 rocket fuel

Complex index of refraction values of RP-1 liquid rocket fuel are reported at laser wavelengths of 0.193 micrometers (ArF excimer), 0.5145 micrometers (argon-ion), 0.532 micrometers (Nd-YAG, frequency doubled), 1.064 micrometers (Nd-YAG), and 10.5915 micrometers (CO2). The imaginary part of the index of refraction (k) was determined by the traditional transmission method. The real part (n-r)) is determined by reflectance measurements, critical angle, Mueller matrix, and Michelson interferometer techniques. Reflectance measurements are used to obtain nr at a wavelength of 0.193 micrometers . Critical angle method is used to determine nr at 0.5145 micrometers and 0.532 micrometers . The real part of the refractive index is obtained from Snell's law by measuring the critical angle. The real part of the refractive index at 1.064 micrometers is derived based on elements of the Mueller matrix. Specular measurements were performed using a TMA scatterometer to obtain the Mueller matrix. A Michelson interferometer is used to determine nr at 10.5915 micrometers .© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Migration from plastics into foodstuffs under realistic conditions of use

The analytical approach of stable isotope dilution GC‐MS is described, whereby measurements with a high sensitivity and specificity of low levels of organic species in foods can be made with good precision. This technique can be applied to determining levels of low molecular weight components arising in food by migration from plastics, or of higher molecular weight materials such as oligomers where these can be degraded to their monomeric units. In this paper a number of examples are outlined to illustrate the diversity of organic species originating from food packaging materials that can be measured in real foods. Plastics components considered are the monomeric plasticizer acetyltributyl citrate, a polymeric plasticizer, the plasticizer and secondary heat stabilizer epoxidized soya bean oil and oligomers from poly(ethylene terephthalate). Conditions of use of the plastics range from ambient storage to high‐temperature exposure during microwave cooking, for foods as diverse as alcoholic beverages, cheese...
Renal Venous Thrombosis in Neonates

Neonatal renal vein thrombosis (RVT) is associated with potentially serious morbidities. Almost 80% of cases of RVT present within the first postnatal month. The most common risk factors for RVT are birth asphyxia/ in utero fetal distress, being the infant of a diabetic mother, volume contraction and coagulation abnormalities. Thrombus formation may be initiated by vascular injury, diminished vascular flow, increased blood viscosity, hyperosmolality or underlying thrombophilia. The classic triad of RVT includes gross hematuria, flank mass (unilateral or bilateral enlargement of kidneys) and thrombocytopenia. Laboratory tests may reveal hematuria, proteinuria, polycythemia, hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia and possibly acute kidney injury. The etiology for a hypercoagulable state should be investigated. Renal ultrasound with Doppler may show increased size of the affected kidney, increased echogenicity and loss of corticomedullary differentiation. Renal venography remains the gold standard for the diagnosis of RVT. Other causes of renal enlargement must be considered. Supportive treatment includes correction of fluid and electrolyte disturbances and treatment of infection and underlying pathophysiologic abnormalities. Use of unfractionated heparin (UFH) or low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) should be considered if there is evidence of disseminated intravascular coagulation. Conventional anticoagulants may attenuate hypercoagulability and decrease the risk for thrombus progression and embolism. Surgery is rarely indicated unless there is bilateral involvement with involvement of the IVC. RVT carries the risk of hypertension and chronic kidney disease.
Skill-specific spoken dialogs in a reading tutor that listens

Project LISTEN's Reading Tutor listens to children read aloud. A controlled study indicates that the Reading Tutor helps children's reading comprehension. However, the results for word attack (decoding) skills and word identification skills were not statistically better than in the control condition. Our thesis therefore proposes to develop skill-specific dialogs based on cognitive skill models and successful tutoring strategies. These dialogs will be dynamically assembled by the Reading Tutor and include text, speech, illustrations, and dialog parameters. We hypothesize that such dialogs will improve elementary students' reading abilities.
Thermochromic Absorption and Photoluminescence in [Pt(ppy)(μ-Ph2pz)]2

The temperature effects on the spectral properties and photophysics of a new d8−d8 dinuclear PtII chromophore, [Pt(ppy)(μ-Ph2pz)]2 (ppy is 2-phenylpyridine and Ph2pz is 3,5-diphenylpyrazolate), have been investigated. The thermochromic shifts are tentatively ascribed to intramolecular σ interactions between the two pseudocofacial dz2 orbitals. Substantial emission profile changes occur in the solid state, solution, and doped polymer films.
CXC-Type Chemokines Promote Myofibroblast Phenoconversion and Prostatic Fibrosis

Recent studies from our group suggest that extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition and fibrosis characterize the peri-urethral prostate tissues of some men suffering from Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS) and that fibrosis may be a contributing factor to the etiology of LUTS. Fibrosis can generally be regarded as an errant wound-healing process in response to chronic inflammation, and several studies have shown that the aging prostate tissue microenvironment is rich with inflammatory cells and proteins. However, it is unclear whether these same inflammatory proteins, particularly CXC-type chemokines, can mediate myofibroblast phenoconversion and the ECM deposition necessary for the development of prostatic tissue fibrosis. To examine this, immortalized and primary prostate stromal fibroblasts treated with TGF-β1, CXCL5, CXCL8, or CXCL12 were evaluated morphologically by microscopy, by immunofluorescence and qRT-PCR for αSMA, collagen 1, vimentin, calponin, and tenascin protein and transcript expression, and by gel contraction assays for functional myofibroblast phenoconversion. The results of these studies showed that that immortalized and primary prostate stromal fibroblasts are induced to express collagen 1 and 3 and αSMA gene transcripts and proteins and to undergo complete and functional myofibroblast phenoconversion in response to CXC-type chemokines, even in the absence of exogenous TGF-β1. Moreover, CXCL12-mediated myofibroblast phenoconversion can be completely abrogated by inhibition of the CXCL12 receptor, CXCR4. These findings suggest that CXC-type chemokines, which comprise inflammatory proteins known to be highly expressed in the aging prostate, can efficiently and completely mediate myofibroblast phenoconversion and may thereby promote fibrotic changes in prostate tissue architecture associated with the development and progression of male lower urinary tract dysfunction.
Mechanism of Ammonia Retention on Graphite Oxides: Role of Surface Chemistry and Structure†

Graphite oxide (GO) was synthesized from commercial graphite and modified by calcinations at 350 °C. The samples were used as adsorbents of ammonia at dry and moist conditions. Their surface before...
Effects of Day 1 castration on aggressive behaviors of rats

No rats killed mice in a group of adult male rats which had been castrated on the first day of life; in samples of intact adult males the percentages of killers were consistently between 20%-30%. The percentage of killers among females was slightly higher than in the castrated male group. Testosterone injections had a slight effect in that three castrates began to kill after adult treatment with TP. Electric shock failed to induce stereotyped attacks on mice in castrates, who were also reliably subordinate in shock-elicited fights with intact conspecifics.
Electrocardiographic changes in uremia associated with a high concentration of serum potassium: Report of three cases

Abstract Serial observations were made in three cases in which severe renal insufficiency and uremia developed. The study included clinical, biochemical, electrocardiographic, and pathologic observations. Consistent observations were a marked increase of the concentration of potassium in the blood serum and the development of an intraventricular conduction defect shortly before death from cardiac failure. These results support the thesis that death in these cases was due to potassium intoxication.
Finite Volume Scheme for Double Convection-Diffusion Exchange of Solutes in Bicarbonate High-Flux Hollow-Fiber Dialyzer Therapy

The efficiency of a high-flux dialyzer in terms of buffering and toxic solute removal largely depends on the ability to use convection-diffusion mechanism inside the membrane. A two-dimensional transient convection-diffusion model coupled with acid-base correction term was developed. A finite volume technique was used to discretize the model and to numerically simulate it using MATLAB software tool. We observed that small solute concentration gradients peaked and were large enough to activate solute diffusion process in the membrane. While CO(2) concentration gradients diminished from their maxima and shifted toward the end of the membrane, HCO(3)(-) concentration gradients peaked at the same position. Also, CO(2) concentration decreased rapidly within the first 47 minutes while optimal HCO(3)(-) concentration was achieved within 30 minutes of the therapy. Abnormally high diffusion fluxes were observed near the blood-membrane interface that increased diffusion driving force and enhanced the overall diffusive process. While convective flux dominated total flux during the dialysis session, there was a continuous interference between convection and diffusion fluxes that call for the need to seek minimal interference between these two mechanisms. This is critical for the effective design and operation of high-flux dialyzers.
Poverty, health, and social justice: the importance of public health approaches

The focus of this paper is to discuss issues related to social injustice. Following a discussion on social justice and poverty and the connection between poverty and health, four areas are discussed. They are as follows: (1) individual change versus social change (public health and economic policy, food subsidies, recreational facilities, and access to primary care); (2) public health approaches to promoting social justice (three models: locality development, technical, and social action); (3) ethical issues in public health practice; and (4) public health and education: missed opportunities for collaboration. There is a need for greater collaboration between public health and education and other factions. We all share similar goals. However, as our efforts tend to be duplicative and scattered, the end results are less than what could be accomplished in moving toward a more socially just society.
An operations research information system (ORIS)

Abstract The ORIS identifies the type of data required by different analytical techniques (linear programming, simulation modeling, statistical analysis, etc.) to address manufacturing concerns within specific areas. The ORIS methodology forces the collection of more and better quality data. With the existence of an ORIS, the application of analytic decision techniques can become the norm not the exception as it is now. The taxonomy is easily understood and used and, therefore, provides ready access for all levels of management. Included is a summary of a case study performed at the Ryobi Motor Products Company in Anderson, South Carolina.
EXCITATORY AMINO ACIDS (NMDA) ALTER HYPOXIC PULMONARY VASOCONSTRICTION (HPV) IN THE ISOLATED SALT PERFUSED RAT LUNG. † 249

EXCITATORY AMINO ACIDS (NMDA) ALTER HYPOXIC PULMONARY VASOCONSTRICTION (HPV) IN THE ISOLATED SALT PERFUSED RAT LUNG. † 249