cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Integrated Evacuation Network Optimization and Emergency Vehicle Assignment

Three treatments are combined in the design of evacuation network operating plans: reversing lanes, eliminating intersection crossings, and reserving lanes for use by emergency vehicles. An optimization approach is taken and casts the problem as a form of discrete network design, with constraints imposed by emergency vehicle lane assignment. What have previously been separate strands of work examining ways of configuring road networks for effective evacuation performance are integrated. A case study for a network around a nuclear power plant illustrates the usefulness of this integrated approach.
Modeling the diurnal tide with dissipation derived from UARS/HRDI measurements

This paper uses dissipation values derived from UARS/HRDI observations in a recently published diurnal-tide model. These model structures compare quite well with the UARS/HRDI observations with respect to the annual variation of the diurnal tidal amplitudes and the size of the amplitudes themselves. It is suggested that the annual variation of atmospheric dissipation in the mesosphere-lower thermosphere is a major controlling factor in determining the annual variation of the diurnal tide.
Were We Better Off Without the Invention of Tracking Stocks?: The Wealth Effects of the Elimination of Tracking Stock Structures

Tracking stocks split a company’s operations into two (or more) equity claims, but allows them to remain as wholly owned segments of the parent. Like conventional common stocks, they legally represent an equity stake in the parent corporation. Despite that, they were designed to trade on the fundamentals of a particular business unit. They gained popularity in the 1990s, and were mostly gone by 2007. The announcement of their issuance created positive abnormal market returns, but the post-issuance performance had significant negative returns for the parent stock (-220.74%) and the tracking stock (-318.26%). Many firms opted to retire the structures, and this study focuses on the market reaction to their elimination. On average, the announcement to retire the structure resulted in a significant and positive excess return of 4% to the parent and 10% to the tracking stocks. The announcement excess returns are followed by a statistically significant 1.7% for the parent and 2.2% for the tracking stock on the retirement date. This is consistent with what transpires for carve-outs, which often also fail. We found substantial differences in the reaction of some tracking and parent stocks to retirement which suggests that the tracking stock successfully separates a firm into distinct economic entities and indicates that a tracking stock structure leads to conflicts of interest between tracking and parent shareholders, highlighting that the tracking stock structure may not be the best choice.
Caregiver stability and toddlers' attachment-related behavior towards caregivers in day care

Abstract The responses of toddlers to stable and nonstable caregivers in the daily routine of day care were observed. Distressed toddlers more often initiated attachment-related behaviors (proximity and contact seeking, distance interaction) towards stable than nonstable caregivers, and stable caregivers were also more effective in quieting distressed children. In nondistressed contexts, which typically involved routine play, toddlers made more initiatives towards stable than nonstable caregivers indicating that they may use stable caregivers more often as a “secure base.” These data are consistent with the notion that stability fosters the development of attachment bonds between children and caregivers thus improving the capacity of caregivers to serve as attachment figures for children in day care.
The Effect of Assessment Criteria on Inter-rater Variability in the Evaluation of Skin Reactions following Breast Cancer Radiation Therapy

Purpose: Although the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) grading scales are utilized to assess adverse reactions to radiation therapy, few studies have investigated their reliability. In our previously reported image-based retrospective study, variability between caregivers (radiation oncologists, nurses) in assessing skin reactions in breast cancer radiation therapy using this scale was found to fall within a “moderate” range of concordance (Fleiss kappa score 0.43) per the Landis-Koch criteria. In this work, the potential impact of specific toxicity assessment terms documented by raters in our previous study on overall scale reliability was evaluated.
Glucocorticoid negative feedback in sheep corticotrophs: a comparison with AtT-20 corticotroph tumor cells

Early glucocorticoid feedback in sheep anterior pituitary (AP) cells was compared and contrasted with that in mouse pituitary tumor AtT-20 cells. Dexamethasone (DEX) inhibited corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)-stimulated adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) release in a concentration- and time-dependent manner with similar potency amongst cell types. This inhibition was mediated through type II glucocorticoid receptors and required the synthesis of new protein. However, stimulation of protein kinase C with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) resulted in greater ACTH release and greater inhibition by DEX in sheep AP cells. In contrast to sheep AP cells, AtT-20 cells were insensitive to glucocorticoids when secretion was stimulated by KCl depolarization or the voltage-dependent calcium channel agonist, maitotoxin (MTX). In both cell types, CRH-, KCl-, and MTX-stimulated ACTH release was inhibited by the calcium channel blocker, nifedipine (NIF). Whereas NIF also inhibited PMA-induced ACTH secretion in AtT-20 cells, it did not in sheep AP cells. These data demonstrate that early glucocorticoid feedback is operative in sheep corticotrophs and that AtT-20 cells appear to serve as an appropriate mechanistic model for aspects of negative feedback when the CRH-protein kinase A pathway is activated but may not be appropriate when ACTH secretion is activated via other intracellular signaling pathways.
NONOBSTRUCTIVE LEFT MAIN CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE ON CORONARY CT ANGIOGRAPHY AND RISK FOR MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION

Patients with obstructive left main (LM) disease (≥50% stenosis) are at high risk for future adverse cardiovascular events. However, outcomes among those with nonobstructive LM (1-49% stenosis) are not well defined. In the prospective COronary CT Angiography EvaluatioN For Clinical Outcomes: An
Surveys, Records, and the Study of Incarceration in Families.

More than 2 million American children have a parent incarcerated, making the consequences of parental incarceration for families a critical concern. A growing literature documents significant challenges not only among incarcerated men, but also among their spouses, partners, and children. Much remains to be learned about these experiences, however; and the data available for doing so are limited. In this article, we demonstrate how the quality of available data on paternal incarceration can be improved by supplementing a leading population-based survey of families with administrative records on criminal history from a state criminal justice agency. This administrative supplement provides only a low-end estimate of the extent of criminal justice involvement in our sample, but still increases the number of fathers identified with criminal histories by more than 20 percent. Building on such a supplement—in our current survey or future ones—could improve the identification of justice-involved fathers on a bro...
INTRINSIC REINFORCERS WITH STUDENTS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION

In a token program the use of back-up reinforcers which are natural to the classroom environment is increasing. Several studies have reported the successful use of such natural (intrinsic) back-up reinforcers to control a wide variety of behaviors (McLaughlin, 1975 ) . However, a recent study by Evans, Horvath, Sanders, and Dolan (1974) found that having a teacher's assistant was more effective than a token reinforcement program for increasing academic achievement and attention in a special education classroom. The purpose of the present study was ro examine the effectiveness of token reinforcement on the rate of correct tracing of the letter g on dittoed sheets in a daily 4-min. session. The ages of the nine special education students, enrolled in a classroom for the emotionally and neurologically handicapped, ranged from 9 yr., 4 mo. to 10 yr., 9 mo. The classroom was managed by a token program which utilized natural school activities such as recess as back-up reinforcers. The effects of awarding tokens (points) were examined in a multiple-baseline design across subjects and introduced at random for each pupil. A Rn test (Revusky, 1967) was employed to determine the significance of the intervention. The over-all results indicated that, when token reinforcement was introduced, the frequency of correct letters traced increased. This effect was significant (R. = 16, p = .02). The findings were in conflict with those reported by Evans, et al. (1974), but this may be related to the choice of dependent variable, or back-up reinforcers. Additional research may have to determine which types of intrinsic reinforcers are the most effecrive with children in special education.
Rigidity and Non-rigidity Results on the Sphere

It is a simple consequence of the maximum principle that a superharmonic function u on Rn(i. e. ∆u ≤ 0) which is 1 near infinity is identically 1 on Rn (throughout this paper, n ≥ 3). Geometrically this means that one can not conformally deform the Euclidean metric in a bounded region without decreasing the scalar curvature somewhere. In fact there is a much stronger result: one can not have any compact deformation of the Euclidean metric without decreasing the scalar curvature somewhere, i. e. , if g is a metric on Rn which has nonnegative scalar curvature and is the Euclidean metric near infinity, then g is the Euclidean metric on Rn. This is a simple version of the positive mass theorem ([9, 12]). Another implication of the positive mass theorem is the following rigidity theorem for the unit ball in Rn.
Maternofetal passage of leukocytes and platelets in man.

Human maternal whole blood was treated with Atabrine in vitro, and the cellular portion returned to the maternal circulation within 15 hours of the time of delivery in nine cases. In three cases no fluorescent forms were found in the cord blood. In six cases fluorescent forms were observed in the cord blood, in four instances platelets, in four granulocytes, and in three lymphocytes. Three normal controls received the supernatant, Atabrine-containing plasma from 350 ml. of their own whole blood to which had been added 50 or 100 mg. of Atabrine. No fluorescent forms were found in the buffy coats of these individuals over a 24-hour period. The data are interpreted as suggesting human transplacental passage, from mother to fetus, of small numbers of leukocytes and platelets. Particular interest is thought to attach to the identification of labeled lymphocytes in the cord blood because of the evidence that some mononuclear leukocytes which normally circulate are still capable of multiplication and pluripotentiality. The possibility of human lymphocytic chimerism on the basis of maternofetal transplacental passage is suggested, although no evidence for permanent colonization and immunologic function is presented. The relation of this concept to those human diseases in which autoimmunity is thought to play a major role is discussed.
Second-Trimester 3-Dimensional Placental Sonography as a Predictor of Small-for-Gestational-Age Birth Weight

Objectives We previously reported the association between first-trimester 3-dimensional (3D) placental measurements and small-for-gestational-age (SGA) neonates. In this study, we sought to determine whether second-trimester measurements further contribute to the antenatal detection of SGA and preeclampsia. Methods We prospectively collected 3D sonographic volume sets and uterine artery pulsatility indices of singleton pregnancies at 18 to 24 weeks. Placental volume, placental quotient (placental volume/gestational age), mean placental diameter and chorionic diameter, placental morphologic index (mean placental diameter/placental quotient), placental chorionic index (mean chorionic diameter/placental quotient), and placental growth (volume per week) were assessed and evaluated as predictors of SGA and preeclampsia as a composite and alone. Results Of 373 pregnancies, the composite outcome occurred in 67 (18.0%): 36 (9.7%) manifested SGA alone; 27 (7.2%) developed preeclampsia alone, and 4 (1.1%) developed both. The placental volume, placental quotient, mean placental diameter, mean chorionic diameter, and volume per week were significantly smaller, whereas the placental morphologic index and chorionic index were significantly larger in pregnancies with the composite outcome (P < .01). Further analyses revealed that the significant associations with placental parameters were limited to the SGA outcome. Each placental measure remained significantly associated with SGA after adjusting for confounders. The mean uterine artery pulsatility index was not associated with either outcome. Placental parameters were moderately predictive of SGA, with adjusted areas under the curve ranging from 0.72 to 0.76. Sensitivity for detection of SGA ranged from 32.5% to 45.0%, with positive predictive values ranging from 17.3% to 22.7%. Conclusions Second-trimester 3D placental measurements can identify pregnancies at risk of SGA. However, there appears to be no significant improvement compared to those obtained in the first trimester.
Tummy Time: The Infant Microbiota-IgA Connection.

Dirty diapers do not often come to mind when thinking about cutting-edge biomedical research. However, in a recent Nature paper, Planer et al. (2016) report results from a longitudinal study examining gut microbiota maturation and corresponding intestinal immune responses in healthy twin pairs over the first 3 years of life.
Optically scanned phase sensitive microscope

Optical microscopy is widely used as a method of evaluating small-scale surface features. In examining these features, quantitative information about both the lateral dimensions and height is of Interest.
Urethral meatal stenosis in a girl causing severe hydronephrosis.

AbstractWe report on a girl with urethral meatal stenosis that produced severe bilateral hydroureteronephrosis.
Quantum Statistical Analysis of Superflourescence and Amplified Spontaneous Emission in the Dense Atomic Systems

Cooperative emission from a collection of atoms prepared in an initial state of complete inversion has been studied extensively in the past. In the studies, where propagational effects are involved, the assumption has been made that the density range is such that there are never more than a fraction of an atom per cubic resonance wavelength on the average. The effects of the induced dipole-dipole interaction among the atomic constituents is, therefore, negligible and plays no role. The situation is quite different, however, when the density range includes a regime characterized by a large average number of atoms per cubic resonance wavelength. Under such conditions, effects of the induced dipole-dipole interaction among neighboring atoms cannot be ignored. Recently, it has been shown that the analysis of the effects of such interatomic interaction in a dense system can lead to several kinds of new and novel nonlinear effects1,2. Results for two-level systems indicate that a set of modified Maxwell-Bloch equations is obtained where the effects of the dipole-dipole interactions appear as a nonlinear inversion-dependent renormalization of the atomic resonance frequency.
Temperature Dependence of the Complex Index of Refraction

Publisher Summary This chapter emphasizes on the temperature-dependence of optical phonons. In specific, the chapter discusses the temperature dependence of one and multiphonon processes. Temperature dependence is crucial for many current applications—such as the thermal lensing by the high-power laser windows, which requires knowledge of both absorption and index of refraction as a function of temperature. The range of window materials transparency is also temperature dependent. The temperature, frequency, and dependence of the real part of the index of refraction are determined by the dominant physical processes. The temperature and frequency dependence of the imaginary part of the index of refraction is more involved and requires consideration of not only the dominant physical processes but also higher-order processes, impurities, and defects. Further, the chapter briefly presents the extrinsic scatter in polycrystalline materials, which are observed to be constant with temperature for low-expansion materials and the impurity and defect absorption, which are highly material and manufacturing-process dependent.
Abstract 4318: Reversal of BRCA-1 CpG hyperthylation by genistein and (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate in human breast cancer cells with activated AhR

Proceedings: AACR 107th Annual Meeting 2016; April 16-20, 2016; New Orleans, LA Sporadic breast cancers, which represent the vast majority (∼90%) of breast tumor cases, do not have mutations in the tumor suppressor gene, BRCA-1 but have absent or markedly reduced levels of BRCA-1 similar to those observed in hereditary BRCA-1 tumors. Therefore, understanding the non-mutational mechanisms that contribute to repression of BRCA-1 has important implications for the prevention of both hereditary and sporadic breast tumors. Agonists of the aromatic hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) are ubiquitous in the environment and include dietary compounds, metabolites of fatty acids, industrial pollution, and photoproducts generated in the skin from ultraviolet radiation. In cultured estrogen-receptor (ER)α-positive MCF-7 breast cancer cells, we found that activation of the AhR with the prototype ligand 2, 3, 7, 8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) repressed by 50% estradiol-induced BRCA-1 expression. Conversely, the post-treatment with the soy isoflavone genistein and tea (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) at physiological doses (1 μM) rescued within 24 to 48 h BRCA-1 expression to levels ∼2.0 to 3.0-fold higher than those measured in cells treated with estradiol alone. Genistein and EGCG reversed BRCA-1 promoter hypermethylation in AhR-activated MCF-7 cells. In ERα-negative and AhR-overexpressing UACC-3199 breast cancer cells, genistein (1 μM) reactivated BRCA-1 expression. The post-treatment of AhR-activated MCF-7 cells with genistein and EGCG antagonized the recruitment of DNA-methyl transferase-1 (DNMT-1) enzyme to the BRCA-1 promoter. These results suggest the involvement of epigenetic mechanisms in the repression of BRCA-1 and reversal effects of genistein and EGCG against breast tumorigenesis associated with activation of the AhR. Citation Format: Ornella I. Selmin, Andreas J. Papoutsis, Donato F. Romagnolo. Reversal of BRCA-1 CpG hyperthylation by genistein and (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate in human breast cancer cells with activated AhR. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 4318.
A cellular automata model of the soluble state

Cellular automata models of solubilities in a solvent (water) have been dynamically synthesized. Rules relatingwater‐water, water‐solute, and solute‐solute relationships have been systematically varied in order to assess their influence on the emergent property of solubility. The results reveal the prominent influence of rules governing the probabilities of solute‐water joining and breaking. This influence manifests itself in significant changes in the emergent properties of relative solubility and solubility changes with water“temperature”. The study demonstrates the validity and potential value of cellular automata to model solution phenomena.
Psychometric Properties of the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale in Treatment-Seeking Post-9/11 Veterans

Although evidence suggests deployment-related stress impacts parenting, few measures of parenting competency have been validated in returning post-9/11 veterans. As part of clinical care in a multidisciplinary clinic serving veterans and military families, 178 treatment-seeking OEF/OIF/OND veterans completed measures including the 16-item Parenting Sense of Competence Scale (PSOC), a widely-used measure of parental efficacy and satisfaction; the Family Assessment Device—general functioning subscale; and the depression, anxiety, and stress scale. Utilizing data from an IRB-approved de-identified data repository, we examined the psychometrics and factor structure of the PSOC. According to a proposed clinical cut-off, 10 % of our clinical sample of veterans exhibited low self-confidence in parenting. A confirmatory factor analysis of the 2-factor structure introducing correlated error terms between items 3 and 9, and between items 10 and 11, revealed to be a satisfactory fit to the data (Χ 2 /df = 1.57, RMSEA = 0.056 [90 % CI 0.039–0.073]; CFI = 0.928; TLI = 0.914; SRMR = 0.055). In addition, the PSOC exhibited good convergent validity with measures of parental distress (r = −.22, p < 0.01 with anxiety symptoms, and r = −.33, p < .001 with depressive symptoms) and family functioning (r = −.53, p < .0001), very good temporal stability (r = .81, p < .0.0001), and excellent internal consistency (α = .85). The PSOC exhibited satisfactory psychometric properties in treatment-seeking veterans and may be used by clinicians and researchers to assess parenting sense of competence, including satisfaction and sense of efficacy, in this population.
An ultrahigh-performance chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry quantitative method for trace analysis of potential endocrine disrupting steroid hormones in estuarine sediments.

Rationale Estuaries are dynamic ecosystems, providing vital habitat for unique organisms of great ecological and commercial importance. The influx of natural and synthetic steroid hormones into estuaries poses risks to these organisms and to broader ecosystem health. However, detecting these trace level pollutants in estuarine water and sediment requires improved analytical techniques. Methods We describe an optimized ultrahigh-performance chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC/MS/MS) method for simultaneous quantitation of four classes of steroid hormones (estrogens, glucocorticoids, androgens and progestins) in sediment samples collected from an Alabama estuary. Sediment samples were homogenized using Hydromatrix (HM) sorbent and extracted with methanol and water (70%, v/v). Centrifuged extracts were purified using an Agilent Bond Elut QuEChERS dispersive-SPE kit to eliminate interfering substances that could negatively influence the ionization process. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a Poroshell 120 Phenyl-Hexyl column using an Agilent 1290 Infinity II UHPLC pump. Quantitation was carried out using an Agilent triple quadrupole mass spectrometer equipped with a JetStream/ESI source in dual mode. Results Chromatographic separation and better peak resolution were accomplished on an Agilent Poroshell 120 Phenyl-Hexyl column using a binary gradient method with a mobile phase consisting of 1 mM ammonium fluoride in water and a mixture of methanol/acetonitrile. A dynamic multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) method was developed by optimizing various MS parameters. The method was used to analyze target steroid hormones in estuarine sediments. A total of ten steroid hormones were detected at trace amounts in estuarine sediments. Conclusions The optimized analytical method described here involves reasonably simple sample preparation and simultaneous trace level quantitation of four classes (estrogens, glucocorticoids, androgens and progestins) of steroid hormones in a single experimental run. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Worth the Wait? Using Past Patterns to Determine Wait Periods for E-Books Released After Print

This paper asks if there is an optimal wait period for e-books that balances libraries’ desire to acquire books soon after their publication with the frequent desire to purchase books electronically whenever feasible. Analyzing 13,043 titles that Temple University Libraries received on its e-preferred approval plan in 2014–15, the author looks at the delays from the publication of print books to publication of their electronic versions. The analysis finds that most books on the approval plan are published electronically within a week of the print. Recommended wait periods are provided for different subjects.
Experiential Learning through Group Work and Theater

ABSTRACTThis article highlights the positive attributes of group work and the arts in higher education, outlining a specific approach to group work using theater during a family violence class in undergraduate social work education, which provides compelling results from faculty and student reports. The article provides an overview of the project, including script development, rehearsals, performance, audience participation, facilitator responsibilities, results, and implications for practice.
Case Reports: Trial Dysphagia Interventions Conducted via Telehealth

The diagnosis of dysphagia, defined as swallowing dysfunction or difficulty, is estimated to affect 40-60% of the institutionalized geriatric population, and is the leading cause of aspiration pneumonia, one of the primary contributors of geriatric mortality. In the United States, statistics suggest that at least 50% of these individuals have limited access to treatment due to mobility, distance, and socioeconomic constraints. While "tele-dysphagia intervention" - the delivery of dysphagia therapy services via telecommunications technology - may provide a solution, there is limited research investigating its validity or reliability. The following three case reports of individuals successfully participating in trial tele-dysphagia therapy sessions lend credibility to this service delivery approach, and highlight the need for future research.
Just Another Acute Chest Pain? Case of Contained Rupture of a Saphenous Venous Graft Pseudo-Aneurysm Mimicking Acute Coronary Syndrome

Rupture of a saphenous vein graft (SVG) pseudo-aneurysm presenting as a non-ST elevation myocardial infarction is a rarely reported, but serious complication of prior coronary artery bypass graft surgery. We present a case of a 76-year-old man who presented with severe chest pain and elevated cardiac biomarkers, and was found to have a contained pseudo-aneurysm rupture at the site of anastomosis of a 15-year SVG with the ascending aorta requiring surgical repair. We also review presenting symptoms, the current literature and treatment approaches for SVG pseudo-aneurysm. J Med Cases. 2017;8(1):17-19 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jmc2705w
Identification of the regulatory subunit of a cAMP-dependent protein kinase in Dictyosteliumdiscoideum

Abstract The occurrence of a cytosolic cAMP-binding protein of an approximate molecular weight of 41,000 daltons was monitored in vegetative and developing amoebae of Dictyostelium discoideum by the use of the photoaffinity probe (32P) 8N3-cAMP. There was a large apparent increase in the amount of this binding protein during development; its molecular weight remained constant, if appropriate methods were employed for the disruption of the amoebae. Comigration during electrophoresis on two-dimensional gels identifies this cAMP-binding protein, photoaffinity-labeled in crude extracts, as the regulatory subunit of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase of D. discoideum .
Roll-bonding of metal-polymer-metal sandwich composites reinforced by glass whiskers at the interface

Abstract Metal-polymer laminate composites are widely used in various industries, including automobile, aerospace, marine and civil construction because of their high specific stiffness and strength, and excellent fatigue and corrosion properties. In this study, glass whisker dispersed metal-polymer-metal laminated composites have been fabricated using the warm roll-bonding (WRB) process as roll bonding can provide advantages over other techniques due to its simplicity and scaling capability. The reinforcing effects of the glass whisker on the adhesion strength and shear resistance were analyzed. A small punch test (SPT), single lap shear test, and T-peel test were used to evaluate the mechanical and bonding properties, and electron microscopy was employed to analyze the fracture behavior of the whisker-reinforced laminate composites. The shear strength of the glass whisker reinforced sandwich composite improved nearly 40% when compared with the unreinforced samples. The SPT results showed increase in the ultimate load, specific load, and specific fracture energy for the samples with glass whiskers incorporated between the roll-bonded layers.
Endovascular Treatment of Pelvic Arteries and Inguinal Arteries

Iliofemoral arterial occlusive disease is a commonly encountered pattern of peripheral artery disease (PAD) in patients with claudication or critical limb ischemia (CLI). Technical advances and clinical trial results have improved the endovascular approach to iliac and superficial femoral artery (SFA) disease, with recent emerging data supporting common femoral artery (CFA) interventions as well. This chapter reviews the background, techniques, data, and advances for treating proximal arterial disease in symptomatic patients.
Modified Pull Test for the Testing of Very Adherent Films

In many applications, the effectiveness of a thin film on a substrate depends largely on the degree of adhesion of the film to its substrate. Because of this, much effort has been put into developing reproducible, quantitative adhesion tests (for reviews see references 1–6). The pull test is a direct measure of the tensile force required to remove the test film normal to the substrate surface. Pins or studs with flat ends are attached to the film surface and then pulled off by a calibrated instrument that measures the force of removal.
Regional Approach to Training Nuclear Medicine Technologists: The Rochester Experience

A university-based baccalaureate nuclear medicine program with a consortium of 11 hospital clinical training sites has been developed in Western New York State to meet the manpower needs in the region. A multifaceted clinical rotation schedule was designed into the program in order to provide students with the broadest possible learning experiences in a variety of hospital and training environments. The success of this educational consortium has depended heavily upon the open channels of communication established among the program’s many constituents. The regional demand for technologists is being met as 64% of the graduates take their first job in New York State.
Automatic Planning and Control of Robot Natural Motion Via Feedback

A feedback control strategy for the command of robot motion includes some limited automatic planning capabilities. These may be seen as sequential solution algorithms implemented by the robot arm interpreted as a mechanical analog computer. This perspective lends additional insight into the manner in which such control techniques may fail, and motivates a fresh look at requisite sensory capabilities.
Subluxation of the sternoclavicular joint secondary to pseudarthrosis of the first and second ribs: A case report

Anterior subluxation of the sternoclavicular joint is an uncommon but well-documented orthopaedic condition. It rarely occurs spontaneously in adolescents, and it usually has a benign clinical course, resolving when treated by rehabilitation and skillful neglect1,2. Occasionally, the subluxation may be caused by an underlying congenital condition. In this report, we present the case of a patient who had spontaneous subluxation of the sternoclavicular joint secondary to pseudarthrosis of the first and second ribs. A fourteen-year-old girl presented with a painful right sternoclavicular joint with no history of trauma. She first noted the discomfort when she was participating in marching-band activities at school, but it progressed to the point where it was elicited by activities of daily living. Physical examination revealed prominence of the medial aspect of the right clavicle, which was symptomatic on palpation ( Fig. 1 ). The sternoclavicular joint could not be reduced manually and was not clinically mobile. The patient had no neurologic or vascular compromise on provocative testing. She was treated with restriction of activity, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, and physical therapy. After six months of treatment, she still had pain, and a computed tomographic …
The identification of several prostaglandin moieties in Crassostrea virginica and Mytilus edulis by radioimmunoassay and high performance liquid chromatography.

Abstract The presence of prostaglanin-like compounds was examined by radioimmunoassay and isochratic step-elution high performance liquid chromatography in two commercially important molluscs, the American oyster Crassostrea virginica , and the edible mussel Mytilus edulis . Radioimmunoassays for prostaglandins F2α and E2, and 6-keto F1α (the stable hydrolysis product of prostacyclin) demonstrated mean ±S.D. levels of 3.19 ± 2.l, 13.08 ± 5.4, and 1.5 ± 0.42 nanograms of prostaglandin equivalents, respectively, in C. virginica extracts. Levels of PGF2α, PGE2, and 6-keto PGF1α were 4.0 ± 2.2, 33.34 ± 3.5, and 7.18 ± 2.3, respectively, in M. edulis samples. Chromatographic analyses of organic extracts of these bivalues demonstrated the presence of one or more moieties possessing retention times similar to, or identical with, standards of PGF2α, PGE2, and 6-keto PGF1α. The immunological and chromatographic data, as well as the polyenoic fatty acid profiles of these species, suggest the presence of immunoactive prostanoids of the 2- and 3-series. These findings are discussed in the context of present knowledge of eicosanoid biochemistry and physiology in marine invertebrates.
Data Acquisition System Upgradation at Engine Test Cell

A flexible, easily configurable data acquisition system (DAS) is designed and built for the testing of engine. It is an Ethernet based data acquisition system. Primary requirements that necessitate the upgradation was the ability to easily configure, save, recall, and modify test configurations, The ability to configure the gain, channel name, and engineering units for each analog channel and to design and develop a DAS that was user friendly and could be operated easily by test cell operators. This is achieved by selecting and installing the appropriate data acquisition software and hardware at Test Cells. The hardware selection comprises the computer type, data acquisition hardware (Opto and Gantner), instrumentation (thermocouple, transducers etc.) and software selection focus on operating system and different application software. Raw data readings (Voltage, Current etc.) are made through data acquisition equipment and those are changed over to engineering units (weights, temperatures, speeds, PSI and so on) by software application to calculate various performance parameters of engine. This data is also checked for the range of acceptable limits (flag, abort, emergency stop) to trigger necessary alarm messages or buzzer where applicable. Test data are stored and archived for future analysis. The described system is intended to set up a fast operating and configurable DAS at low cost consisting of various sensors, acquisition hardware and software applications for acquisition and processing. This system gives improved methods of collecting, recording, and reducing test data for increased test cell utilization at engine test cell. This system provides better data, faster, and at a lower cost.
The Buffering Effects of Human Capital Resources on Firm Recession Performance

Domestic and global companies alike have experienced a significant economic downturn during the "great recession." Using a 10-wave discontinuous longitudinal random coefficient growth modeling, we ...
Unexpected high inelastic phonon transport across solid-solid interface: Modal nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations and Landauer analysis

As a crucial part in thermal management, interfacial thermal transport is still not well understood. In this paper, we employ the newly developed modal nonequilibrium molecular dynamics to study the Si/Ge interfacial thermal transport and clarify several long-standing issues. We find that the few atomic layers at the interface are dominated by interfacial modes, which act as a bridge that connects the bulk Si and Ge modes. Such bridging effect boosts the inelastic transport to contribute more than 50% to the total thermal conductance even at room temperature. The apparent inelastic transport can even allow effective four-phonon processes across the interface when the mass difference between the two materials is large. Surprisingly, optical phonon modes can contribute equal or more thermal conductance than the acoustic modes due to the bridging effect. From the modal temperature analysis, we find that the phonon modes are in strong thermal nonequilibrium near the interface, which impedes the thermal transport. The widely used Landauer approach that does not consider the phonon nonequilibrium can lead to inaccurate results. We have modified the Landauer approach to include the inelastic transmission and modal thermal nonequilibrium. The approach is used to analyze our modal NEMD results, and the mode-dependent phonon transmission function that includes inelastic scattering has been derived. Our results unveil the fundamental thermal transport physics across interfaces and will shed light on the future engineering in thermal management. It provides a method of calculating modal phonon transmission functions that includes inelastic scattering from molecular dynamics.
Electrochemical oxidation of trivalent americium using a dipyrazinylpyridine modified ITO electrode

We present here the electrochemical oxidation of Am(iii) to AmVO2+ and AmVIO22+ in pH 1 nitric acid using a mesoporous tin-doped indium oxide electrode modified with a covalently attached dipyrazinylpyridine ligand. The applied potential affects the distribution of Am oxidation products. At potential 1.8 V, only Am(v) is observed, while increasing the potential to as much as 2.0 V, results in oxidation of Am(iii) to Am(v) and subsequent oxidation of Am(v) to Am(vi). At applied potentials >2.0 V, Am(iii) is oxidized to Am(v), while Am(vi) is reduced to Am(v). The latter reduction reaction is likely due to the increased rate of hydrogen peroxide formation from the 2-electron oxidation of water at the electrode at these high potentials. The development of future ligand modified electrodes for actinide oxidations must consider how they facilitate Am oxidations while disfavoring unwanted or competing reactions.
The Bubble Noise Technique for Speech Perception Research

Purpose The “bubble noise” technique has recently been introduced as a method to identify the regions in time–frequency maps (i.e., spectrograms) of speech that are especially important for listene...
Schistosome TRP channels: An appraisal

Ion channels underlie electrical excitability in cells and are essential for a variety of functions, most notably neuromuscular and sensory activity. They are also validated targets for a preponderance of approved anthelmintic compounds. Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels constitute an ion channel superfamily whose members play important roles in sensory signaling, regulation of ion homeostasis, organellar trafficking, and other key cellular and organismal activities. Unlike most other ion channels, TRP channels are often polymodal, gated by a variety of mechanisms. Furthermore, TRP channels fall into several classes or subtypes based on sequence and structure. Until recently, there had been very little investigation of the properties and functions of TRP channels from parasitic helminths, including schistosomes, but that situation has changed in the past few years. Indeed, it is now clear that at least some schistosome TRP channels exhibit unusual pharmacological properties, and, intriguingly, both a mammalian and a schistosome TRP channel are activated by praziquantel, the current antischistosomal drug of choice. With the latest release of the Schistosoma mansoni genome database, several changes in predicted TRP channel sequences appeared, some of which were significant. This review updates and reassesses the TRP channel repertoire in S. mansoni, examines recent findings regarding these potential therapeutic targets, and provides guideposts for some of the physiological functions that may be mediated by these channels in schistosomes.
Simple model for the electric field and spatial distribution of ions in a microdroplet.

It is well established that the chemistry in microdroplets has been found to be radically different from reactions in bulk, particularly in the case of water. It has also been established that there is a threshold size for microdroplets to behave differently than droplets near the 10 µm diameter range. We present a three-dimensional electrostatic treatment in the spirit of the Gouy–Chapman model for double layers at interfaces. Our treatment predicts a strong concentration of charged molecules toward the surface of the droplet. As the droplet size deceases, the majority of the volume of the liquid experiences a large DC electric field. Such electric fields are highly unusual in a conducting fluid such as water. We believe that this unique environment helps to explain the reaction rate acceleration and new chemistry that have been observed in microdroplets compared to bulk phase.
Measuring Egocentrism as a Trait-Like Personality Attribute: The Development and Validation of the Egocentrism Scale

Egocentrism, which has traditionally been studied within a developmental cognitive perspective, has been somewhat overlooked in the personality literature. Accordingly, the purpose of the present investigation was to develop a scale to assess individual levels of egocentrism as a personality trait that continues to influence behavior into the adult years. Across three independent samples (both student and community samples), we provide evidence for the structural, convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity of a newly developed measure of egocentrism that is suitable for measuring egocentrism across different age groups from adolescence to late adulthood. We report considerable evidence for the scale’s convergent and discriminant validity and for its ability to predict one’s likelihood of engaging in a wide range of egocentric behaviors. In general, the Egocentrism Scale was a better predictor of the behaviorally focused outcome variables than was the most widely used contemporary measure of egocentrism (i.e., the Adolescent Egocentrism Scale).
Room-Temperature Mechanical Resonator with a Single Added or Subtracted Phonon.

A room-temperature mechanical oscillator undergoes thermal Brownian motion with an amplitude much larger than the amplitude associated with a single phonon of excitation. This motion can be read out and manipulated using laser light using a cavity-optomechanical approach. By performing a strong quantum measurement (i.e., counting single photons in the sidebands imparted on a laser), we herald the addition and subtraction of single phonons on the 300 K thermal motional state of a 4 GHz mechanical oscillator. To understand the resulting mechanical state, we implement a tomography scheme and observe highly non-Gaussian phase-space distributions. Using a maximum likelihood method, we infer the density matrix of the oscillator, and we confirm the counterintuitive doubling of the mean phonon number resulting from phonon addition and subtraction.
‘The Cookie’: a recipe for effective collaboration through communities of practice

Communities of Practice (CoP) have the potential to transform the workplace into learning organisations that prioritise each and every child’s learning and foster collective responsibility, encoura...
Midpoint Regularization: From High Uncertainty Training Labels to Conservative Classification Decisions.

Label Smoothing (LS) improves model generalization through penalizing models from generating overconfident output distributions. For each training sample the LS strategy smooths the one-hot encoded training signal by distributing its distribution mass over the non-ground truth classes. We extend this technique by considering example pairs, coined PLS. PLS first creates midpoint samples by averaging random sample pairs and then learns a smoothing distribution during training for each of these midpoint samples, resulting in midpoints with high uncertainty labels for training. We empirically show that PLS significantly outperforms LS, achieving up to 30% of relative classification error reduction. We also visualize that PLS produces very low winning softmax scores for both in and out of distribution samples.
Cache Timing Attacks Revisited: Efficient and Repeatable Browser History, OS and Network Sniffing

Cache Timing Attacks (CTAs) have been shown to leak Web browsing history. Until recently, they were deemed a limited threat to individuals’ privacy because of their narrow attack surface and vectors, and a lack of robustness and efficiency. Our attack implementation exploits the Web Worker APIs to parallelise cache probing (300 requests/second) and applies time-outs on cache requests to prevent cache pollution. We demonstrate robust cache attacks at the browser, operating system and Web proxy level. Private browsing sessions, HTTPS and corporate intranets are vulnerable. Through case studies of (1) anti-phishing protection in online banking, (2) Web search using the address bar in browsers, (3) publishing of personal images in social media, and (4) use of desktop search, we show that CTAs can seriously compromise privacy and security of individuals and organisations. Options for protection from CTAs are limited. The lack of effective defence, and the ability to mount attacks without cooperation of other websites, makes the improved CTAs serious contenders for cyber-espionage and a broad consumer and corporate surveillance.
Binomial Option Pricing with Skewed Asset Returns

This research presents a method for estimating the parameters of the binomial option pricing model necessary to appropriately price calls on assets with asymmetric end-of-period return distributions. Parameters of the binomial model are shown to be a function of the mean, variance, and skewness of the underlying return distribution. It is also shown that failure to incorporate skewness results in the mispricing of the call.
Transcendental Affinity — Kant’s Answer to Hume

Kant’s rather obscure and scattered references to the doctrine of transcendental or objective affinity in the first edition version of the Transcendental Deduction are generally regarded as directed against Hume, and specifically against the latter’s sceptical reflections on the principle of the uniformity of experience, i.e. the claim that future associations of events will necessarily conform to past ones.1The gist of Hume’s contention is that this principle is neither demonstrable a priori (since its opposite is conceivable) nor a valid empirical inference (any such inference being obviously circular). But since these are the only two ways of acquiring knowledge, Hume concludes that we can have no rational insight into the necessity of this uniformity, and that our belief therein is due solely to custom or habit. As Kant himself was well aware, Hume’s argument is not directed against the practical necessity or indispensability of this belief, but against its objective validity or foundation in reason. From Hume’s sceptical standpoint this uniformity, and consequently the continued conformity of experience to our custom- induced expectations remains a brute and inexplicable fact in which we must believe, but can never understand.