cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Appearance Management Behavior and the Five Factor Model of Personality

Personality and appearance management variables such as clothing interest and appearance orientation have been the topic of previous studies. The purpose of the present research was to investigate the relationship between personality and appearance emphasis. A sample of undergraduate female college students completed a questionnaire measuring five personality factors and accompanying facets. Students also completed a questionnaire that included nine appearance emphasis items. Linear regression demonstrated a relationship exists between certain personality variables and appearance emphasis variables. Neuroticism, extraversion, and openness to experience were found to be moderate predictors for appearance emphasis. The findings of this investigation have theoretical implications regarding the social-psychological aspects of appearance and dress and personality research.
Family 18 chitolectins: Comparison of MGP40 and HUMGP39

Abstract Glycosidase and lectins both bind sugars, but only the glycosidases have catalytic activity. The glycosidases occur among over 100 evolved protein families and Family 18 is one of the two chitinases (EC 3, 2.1.14) families. Interestingly, lectins are also in this evolutionary group of Family 18 glycosidase proteins. The proteins belonging to the enzymatically inactive class are referred to as chitolectins and have a binding site that is highly similar to the catalytic Family 18 enzymes. We present a comparison of the recently obtained structures of two Family 18 chitolectins, MGP40 [A.K. Mohanty, G. Singh, M. Paramasivam, K. Saravanan, T. Jabeen, S. Sharma, S. Yadav, P. Kaur, P. Kumar, A. Srinivasan, T.P. Singh, Crystal structure of a novel regulatory 40 kDa mammary gland protein (MGP-40) secreted during involution, J. Biol. Chem. 278 (2003) 14451–14460.] and HumGP39 [F. Fusetti, T. Pijning, K.H. Kalk, E. Bos, B.W. Dijkstra, Crystal structure and carbohydrate-binding properties of the human cartilage glycoprotein-39, J. Biol. Chem. 278 (2003) 37753–37760; D.R. Houston, D.R. Anneliese, C.K. Joanne, D.M.V. Aalten, Structure and ligand-induced conformational change of the 39 kDa glycoprotein from human articular chondrocytes, J. Biol. Chem. 278 (2003) 30206–30212.] with a focus on the glycosidase active site. We compare the sequence and the structure of these two Family 18 protein classes. The difference between the active and inactive protein is a glutamic acid which acts as the essential acid/base residue for chitin cleavage and is replaced with leucine or glutamine in the chitolectins. Furthermore, a mechanism for the interaction between the chitolectin and oligosaccharides was proposed.
Two-point distortion bounds for biholomorphic mappings of the ball in Cn

Abstract Lower and upper two-point distortion bounds for families F of biholomorphic mappings on the unit ball B of C n are given in terms of the (trace) order of the linear-invariant family generated by F , bounds on ratios involving the derivative and Jacobian of the mappings in F , and the Caratheodory distance on B . (By two-point distortion bounds, we mean estimates on ‖ f ( b ) − f ( a ) ‖ for a , b ∈ B and f ∈ F .) This immediately results in growth bounds for such mappings. A contrast is drawn between these bounds and two-point distortion bounds in terms of the norm order of the generated linear-invariant family. As part of our work, we develop a lower distortion bound for automorphisms of B that may be of independent interest.
Pulmonary irradiation-induced expression of VCAM-I and ICAM-I is decreased by manganese superoxide dismutase-plasmid/liposome (MnSOD-PL) gene therapy.

Abstract Pulmonary toxicity is a major complication of total body irradiation used in preparation of patients for bone marrow transplantation. The mechanism of the late pulmonary damage manifested by fibrosis is unknown. In C57BL/6NHsd mice, manganese superoxide dismutase-plasmid/liposome (MnSOD-PL) intratracheal injection 24 hours prior to 20 Gy single-fraction irradiation to both lungs significantly reduced late irradiation damage. Single intratracheal injections of MnSOD-PL, at concentrations as low as 250 microg of plasmid DNA, in a constant volume of 78 microL of liposomes, reduced late damage. To determine whether a slowly proliferating population of cells in the lung was responsible for initiation of fibrosis and was altered by MnSOD-PL therapy, 20 Gy total lung-irradiated mice were examined at serial time points for bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) uptake in sites of cell division. There was low-level, but nonsignificant, increased cell proliferation detected at 80 days, with a significant increase at 100 days, 120 days, and at the time of death. Immunohistochemical assay for up-regulation of adhesion molecules associated with recruitment, transendothelial migration, and proliferation of bronchoalveolar macrophages revealed significant up-regulation of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) at 100 days with further increases up to the time of death. Increases were first detected in endothelin-positive endothelial cells. MnSOD-PL administration prior to irradiation decreased both BrdU incorporation and delayed expression of VCAM-1 and ICAM-1. The data indicate that the appearance of late irradiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis is associated with the up-regulation of adhesion molecules and suggest that potential targets for intervention may focus on the pulmonary vascular endothelium. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2002;8(4):175-87.
The Role of Synaptic GTPase-Activating Protein in Neuronal Development and Synaptic Plasticity

Synaptic GTPase-activating protein (SynGAP) is a neuronal RasGAP (Ras GTPase-activating protein) that is selectively expressed in brain and highly enriched at excitatory synapses, where it negatively regulates Ras activity and its downstream signaling pathways. To investigate the physiological role of SynGAP in the brain, we have generated mutant mice lacking the SynGAP protein. These mice exhibit postnatal lethality, indicating that SynGAP plays a critical role during neuronal development. In addition, cell biological experiments show that neuronal cultures from mutant mice have more synaptic AMPA receptor clusters, suggesting that SynGAP regulates glutamate receptor synaptic targeting. Moreover, electrophysiological studies demonstrated that heterozygous mutant mice have a specific defect in hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP). These studies show that the regulation of synaptic Ras signaling by SynGAP is important for proper neuronal development and glutamate receptor trafficking and is critical for the induction of LTP.
Computational prediction of RNA-protein interaction partners and interfaces

v CHAPTER 1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1 Overall Goals 2 Dissertation Organization 3 References 5 CHAPTER 2. COMPUTATIONAL TOOLS FOR INVESTIGATING RNA-PROTEIN INTERACTION PARTNERS 7 Abstract 7 Introduction 8 RNA-Protein Partner Prediction Methods and Web Servers 9 Web servers for partner prediction 14 RNA-Protein Interface Prediction Methods 15 Sequence and structural motifs in RNA-protein interfaces 17 RNA-Protein Interaction Databases 18 PRD 20 NPInter 21 RPIntDB 21 PRIDB 22 RBPDB 22 Future Directions 23 Acknowledgements and Funding 24 Supplementary materials 25 Machine Learning Classifiers 25 Performance Evaluation Metrics 26 Comparison of RPISeq classifier with Wang et al.’s method 28 References 29 CHAPTER 3. PREDICTING RNA-PROTEIN INTERACTIONS USING ONLY SEQUENCE INFORMATION 34 Abstract 34 Background 34 Results 34 Conclusions 35 Background 35 Results 37 RPISeq classifiers can reliably predict RNA-protein interactions 39 Comparison with other methods for predicting RNA-protein interactions 41 Predicting ncRNA-protein interaction networks 43 Discussion 49 Sequence-based prediction of RNA-protein interactions 49
Effect of corticosteroid on the antitumor activity of lymphokine-activated killer cells and interleukin 2 in mice.

The adoptive transfer of lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells combined with low dose interleukin 2 (IL-2) mediates the regression of established pulmonary metastases in mice and has efficacy in the treatment of human cancer. Systemic administration of high dose IL-2 alone can mediate tumor regression. Cortisone acetate (CA), 25–75 mg/kg, was administered daily to mice receiving high dose IL-2 for 10 days. CA significantly reduced the toxicity induced by IL-2; 38 of 48 mice receiving CA survived compared to 0 of 30 controls ( P < 0.0001). In addition, CA administration caused a decrease in IL-2-induced 125I-labeled albumin leakage in mouse organs. However, CA abrogated the in vivo antitumor effect of high dose IL-2, and to a lesser extent the therapeutic effect of exogenous LAK cells plus lower dose IL-2. Mice treated with 100,000 units of IL-2 showed 98, 63, and 33% reductions of pulmonary metastases in Hanks' balanced salt solution, 25 mg Ca/kg, and 75 mg Ca/kg groups, respectively; treatment with LAK and 7,500 units of IL-2 resulted in reductions of 94, 77, and 57% in these same groups. CA treatment of animals did not affect LAK generation, although the absolute number of LAK precursors was greatly reduced. These results show that although CA can reduce the toxic effect(s) of IL-2, it can be detrimental to successful immunotherapy using this approach.
User-guided 3D active contour segmentation of anatomical structures: Significantly improved efficiency and reliability

Active contour segmentation and its robust implementation using level set methods are well-established theoretical approaches that have been studied thoroughly in the image analysis literature. Despite the existence of these powerful segmentation methods, the needs of clinical research continue to be fulfilled, to a large extent, using slice-by-slice manual tracing. To bridge the gap between methodological advances and clinical routine, we developed an open source application called ITK-SNAP, which is intended to make level set segmentation easily accessible to a wide range of users, including those with little or no mathematical expertise. This paper describes the methods and software engineering philosophy behind this new tool and provides the results of validation experiments performed in the context of an ongoing child autism neuroimaging study. The validation establishes SNAP intrarater and interrater reliability and overlap error statistics for the caudate nucleus and finds that SNAP is a highly reliable and efficient alternative to manual tracing. Analogous results for lateral ventricle segmentation are provided.
Community development efforts offer a major opportunity to advance Americans' health.

Large differences in the opportunities and resources that Americans have to be healthy have led to sizable variations in health by geography, race and ethnicity, income level, and education. By enhancing the opportunities for good health in the places where we live, learn, work, play, and worship, community development initiatives can be important drivers of improved health. As articles in this month’s issue of Health Affairs attest, community development and public health are two forces that often have the same goals. Because there has been little research to date documenting which aspects of community development could have the greatest impact on health, it will be increasingly necessary to rigorously evaluate the impact of various interventions to guide policy makers in identifying the most important measures to take in an environment of constrained financial resources.
Tax Amnesties and Tax Revenues

This article examines some unexplored and unresolved issues surrounding the Abstract impact of tax amnesties on tax revenues. The results indicate that amnesties can have a positive impact on compliance and tax collections, if the amnesty makes individuals see that paying taxes is the norm and if individuals anticipate a future amnesty that will have a tougher enforcement package than the current regime. However, the results also suggest that amnesties can reduce compliance if the individual jointly chooses the amount of past evasion to report in the amnesty and the amount of current income to declare to the authorities, or if the taxpayer anticipates another future amnesty with lax enforcement. In sum, the overall impact of tax amnesties on tax collections is uncertain.
Toward energy-efficient 1G-EPON and 10G-EPON with sleep-aware MAC control and scheduling

To rapidly meet increasing traffic demands from subscribers, the IEEE 802.3av task force was charged to study the 10G-EPON system to increase the data rate to 10 times the line rate of 1G-EPON. With the increase of the line rate, the energy consumption of 10G-EPON increases accordingly. Achieving low energy consumption with 10G-EPON has attracted broad research attention from both academia and industry. In this article we first briefly discuss the key features of 10G-EPON. Then, from the perspective of MAC-layer control and scheduling, we discuss challenges and possible solutions to put optical network units into low-power mode for energy saving. More specifically, we detail sleep-mode control and sleep-aware traffic scheduling schemes in two scenarios: sleep for over one DBA cycle, and sleep within one DBA cycle.
Applications of monolithic columns in liquid chromatography‐based clinical chemistry assays

Monolithic columns have slowly been applied to HPLC methods for clinical chemistry testing in the last 10 years. The application areas include therapeutic drug monitoring, drugs of abuse, vitamins, porphyrins, and steroids. In comparison with conventional particulate columns, the monolithic columns may offer shorter chromatography time, more robustness, and better resolution for certain analytes. The potential drawback of large mobile phase consumption may be improved with smaller id columns, which are currently on the market. Methods covered in this review are those searchable in PubMed up to December 2010. This review highlights the emergence of monolithic column technology in HPLC methods used for clinical chemistry testing. The goals of this review are threefold: (i) To identify the areas of clinical chemistry that analytical monolithic columns have been used in HPLC methods. (ii) To demonstrate the application of analytical monolithic columns in HPLC methods using different detection systems. (iii) To discuss the advantages and limitations of the monolithic columns compared with particulate columns in the clinical chemistry applications.
Neutralization of Endotoxin by a Phospholipid Emulsion in Healthy Volunteers

BACKGROUND An approach to endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide [LPS]) blockade makes use of the ability of lipoproteins, via surface phospholipids, to bind and neutralize LPS. The aim of the present study was to determine whether the intravenous administration of a protein-free, phospholipid-rich emulsion is an effective method for neutralizing the effects of LPS in healthy persons. METHODS This was a double-blind, placebo-controlled study in 20 volunteers. Volunteers received Escherichia coli endotoxin (2 ng/kg) intravenously 2 h into a 6-h infusion of either emulsion (210 mg/kg) or placebo (Intralipid diluted 1 : 64). RESULTS The volunteers who received emulsion had a lower mean clinical score (P<.01), temperature (P<.05), pulse rate (P<.05), neutrophil count (P<.05), tumor necrosis factor- alpha level (P<.05), and interleukin-6 level (P<.05) than did the volunteers who received placebo. Response was related to serum phospholipid level. The greatest effects were observed in the volunteers achieving phospholipid levels of approximately 500 mg/dL or higher. CONCLUSION Phospholipid emulsion attenuates the clinical and laboratory effects associated with the administration of LPS in humans, suggesting a novel approach to the treatment of endotoxemia.
Functional Antibodies to the O-Acetylated Pneumococcal Serotype 15B Capsular Polysaccharide Have Low Cross-Reactivities with Serotype 15C

The 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide (Ps) vaccine offer protection against vaccine serotypes, but its cross-protection against vaccine-related serotypes is variable. We have demonstrated that the functional antibodies to serotype 15B are specific to the O-acetylated 15B-Ps and that they have low cross-reactivity with serotype 15C. Demonstration of functionally cross-reactive antibodies to vaccine-related serotypes is important for surveillance and vaccine development.
When gauges fail and clouds are tall, we miss the horizon most of all: General Aviation pilot responses to the loss of attitude information in IMC

Sixty pilots were exposed to a vacuum-system failure during a flight simulation, 48 in a Piper Malibu simulator and 12 in a simulated Cessna 172. Instrumentation failure was varied for the five display configurations such that 12 pilots (1) lost head-down heading and attitude indicator (AI), (2) lost only the primary AI (horizontal situation indicator, HSI, was electric), (3) lost the primary AI but had the HSI plus a back-up electric AI, (4) lost the AI and directional gyro (DG), or (5) lost the AI but had an HSI (only in the Cessna 172 simulator). Primary panel (loss of AI and DG) showed the highest loss rate (83%). The proposed back-up AI in place of turn coordinator produced a 33% loss rate. Standard Malibu instrumentation (HSI) produced a 25% loss rate. Having all options (HSI, TC, back-up AI) reduced loss rate to just 8%. Data suggest that the presence of a back-up attitude indicator can ameliorate the rate of loss of control, but that the presence of the HSI had a similar effect. Combining the two ...
Apoptosis regulating proteins as targets of therapy for haematological malignancies.

Most chemotherapeutic agents used in the treatment of haematological malignancies cause cell death by inducing apoptosis through undefined means. The discovery of the proteins involved in apoptosis and the description of apoptotic pathways suggest new potential targets for therapeutic intervention. Both ‘intrinsic’ and ‘extrinsic’ pathways can be activated separately, but activation of caspases appears central to most apoptotic pathways. Novel approaches attempt to induce apoptosis by directly targeting a portion of an apoptotic pathway. Agents that trigger signalling of Fas or tumour necrosis factor- (TNF-) related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) receptor seek to induce the extrinsic pathway at the cell surface. The BCL-2 family of proteins seems central to the regulation of those apoptotic pathways that involve mitochondrial sequestration or the release of cytochrome c, with subsequent activation of Apaf-1, caspase-9 and caspase-3. The activity of this family may depend upon both the phosphorylation s...
Pile Design: Special Situations

The chapter discusses pile design. It begins with the discussion of timber pile design, in which the engineer needs to make sure that the timber is of good sound quality, free from decay, and without damage during transportation and insect attack. Timber piles contain knots and need to be observed. Local codes may provide guidelines on acceptable and nonacceptable knots. Acceptable knot size is dependent on the type of timber. The chapter discusses a case study on bridge pile design. It also discusses the auger cast pile design, in which the bearing capacity is low compared with that of size-driven piles. The volume of grout depends on the applied pressure. If grout is pumped at a higher pressure, more volume of grout will be pumped. In most cases, the volume of grout pumped is more than the volume of the hole. The chapter provides a case study which illustrates the comparison between bored piles and driven piles.
Prospecting for new physics in the Higgs and flavor sectors

We explore two directions in beyond the standard model physics: dark matter model building and probing new sources of CP violation. In dark matter model building, we consider two scenarios where the stability of dark matter derives from the flavor symmetries of the standard model. The first model contains a flavor singlet dark matter candidate whose couplings to the visible sector are proportional to the flavor breaking parameters. This leads to a metastable dark matter with TeV scale mediators. In the second model, we consider a fully gauged SU(3)3 flavor model with a flavor triplet dark matter. Consequently, the dark matter multiplet is charged while the standard model fields are neutral under a remnant Z3 which ensures dark matter stability. We show that a Dirac fermion dark matter with radiative splitting in the multiplet must have a mass in the range [0:5; 5] TeV in order to satisfy all experimental constraints. We then turn our attention to Higgs portal dark matter and investigate the possibility of obtaining bounds on the up, down, and strange quark Yukawa couplings. If Higgs portal dark matter is discovered, we find that direct detection rates are insensitive to vanishing light quark Yukawa couplings. We then review flavor models and give the expected enhancement or suppression of the Yukawa couplings in those models. Finally, in the last two chapters, we develop techniques for probing CP violation in the Higgs coupling to photons and in rare radiative decays of B mesons. While theoretically clean, we find that these methods are not practical with current and planned detectors. However, these techniques can be useful with a dedicated detector (e.g., a gaseous TPC). In the case of radiative B meson decay B0 → (K* → Kππ) γ, the techniques we develop also allow the extraction of the photon polarization fraction which is sensitive to new physics contributions since, in the standard model, the right(left) handed polarization fraction is of O( ΛQCD=mb) for $$\bar{B}^{0}$$(B0) meson decays.
Bioenergy and Biofuels from Soybeans

Publisher Summary Vegetable oils and animal fats provide some of nature's most concentrated sources of energy. Plants and animals utilize this energy through metabolic processes but non-food uses for these materials currently focus on combustion to produce heat or work. Historically, food uses have kept the price of Soybean Oil (SBO) high enough that it was not economical for use as a fuel even when rendered fats and greases were viable alternatives to petroleum. Higher petroleum prices and government incentives have produced conditions where SBO can be used as fuel, usually in the form of biodiesel. The decline in the supply of inexpensive petroleum-based fuels and the rise of concern for global climate change are driving the search for sustainable energy sources. Carbohydrate energy sources are attractive because of their widespread availability but with the exception of starch-based ethanol, the technology to produce the liquid fuels needed for transportation from these materials is not commercially viable. In contrast, the high energy density and minimal processing requirements of fats and oils have made them an attractive option. Although the interaction of fuel and food production involves social and political issues that have not been resolved, it is likely that lipid-based fuels will play an increasing role in the world's energy future. In the United States, the source of these fuels will be predominately SBO for the foreseeable future.
Guns, Children and Congress

“Guns, Children and Congress” examines the law, history and politics of gun violence. It considers the huge number of child murders at high schools, colleges and homes over the last 20 years because of over 280 million guns afloat in the United States. Rejecting the Second Amendment to the Constitution, Professor Vandall argues for greatly expanded gun control, including universal registration, armories for automatic weapons and restricting guns to the home. In order to encourage corporate insight, he calls for reversal of the Gun Manufacturers Immunity Bill of 2005. Over the last 20 years the United States has dutifully followed the mantra of the National Rifle Association (NRA): buy a gun. This flawed advice has produced a nation that is flooded with guns.The NRA's argument has failed to make us safe. The truth is we are more at risk with a gun in the home. Columbine, Virginia Tech and Tucson make it clear that the NRA’s thesis is horribly wrong. The opposite is more accurate. We must begin to reduce the number of guns that are sold and readily available.Guns are hugely dangerous in the home, can be used to murder children and shoot presidents and Congresswomen. But of critical importance, they may be far less important for a revolution. Social media and picture cell phones have won the day.
Predictors of Mild Hazing, Severe Hazing, and Positive Initiation Rituals in Sport

Hazing is any degrading or abusive behavior required to be socially accepted on a sports team. Theoretically, hazing is a symptom of the hierarchy and social dominance of the sport environment. The current study examined the influence of competitive level, gender, athletic identity, sport type, and team norms on participating in mild hazing, severe hazing, and positive initiations. High school (n = 126) and college athletes (n = 161) from a variety of sports completed an online survey. Approximately 50% of the sample participated in either a mild and/or severe hazing act. Three logistic regression analyses indicated that greater team norms and being a college student increased the odds of experiencing a mild hazing, severe hazing, or a positive initiation ritual. Sport psychology consultants and coaches need to proactively work to change degrading norms of hazing to joyful norms emphasizing respect and unity.
Anthocyanidins and related compounds—VIII

Abstract Crystalline phloroglucinol and resorcinol condensation products with 5,7,3′,4′-tetramethoxyflavan-3,4-diol have been prepared. The structures of these products have been confirmed by extensive analytical and nuclear magnetic resonance spectral measurements.
Financial impact of a pharmacist-managed clinic for long-acting injectable antipsychotics.

Nonadherence or partial adherence to antipsychotic medications contributes to long-term dysfunction and loss of autonomy. It has been associated with relapse and rehospitalization, which significantly increases the cost of treatment, as hospitalization is responsible for up to 40% of direct costs
A longitudinal study of changes in religious belief and behavior as a function of individual differences in adult attachment style.

Four years after responding to a newspaper survey on attachment and close relationships, 146 women completed a follow-up survey on changes in their religious belief and experience during the interim period. Logistic regression analyses were used to predict Time 2 religion variables prospectively from adult attachment styles as measured at Time 1, statistically controlling for Time 1 religious commitment. Insecure-avoidant and insecure-anxious women, as measured at Time 1, were more likely than secure women to report having found a new relationship with God in the subsequent four-year period, and insecure-anxious women were more likely than both other groups to report a religious experience or conversion during that period. Results are interpreted in terms of religious beliefs serving a compensatory role for individuals lacking secure interpersonal attachments.
Active Control of High Temperature Supersonic Impinging Jets

The Supersonic impinging jets such as those occurring in short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft, generate a highly oscillatory flow with high unsteady loads on the nearby structures and the landing surfaces. These high-pressure and acoustic loads are also accompanied by a dramatic loss in lift during hover, severe ground erosion of the landing surface and hot gas ingestion into the engine inlets. In the past we have examined impinging jets at cold conditions; the present study is a step toward examining this flowfield and assesses the effectiveness of microjet control at increasingly realistic conditions. An ideally expanded, Mach 1.5 primary jet was heated up to a total temperature of ~500K and issued from an axisymmetric nozzle. Temperature and pressure measurements were made on lift plate, representative of the undersurface of an aircraft and on the ground plane, over a range of nozzle-to-plate distances (representing aircraft hover conditions). In addition to temperature and pressure, near-field noise was measured using a microphone. Velocity field of impinging jets for both cold and hot conditions was mapped using particle image velocimetry. The results show that the temperature recovery factor is strongly dependent on the temperature ratio and nozzle to plate distance. The hover lift loss at high temperatures is significantly high, as large as 76% of the primary jet thrust at small nozzle to plate distances. The pressure fluctuations generated by hot impinging jets are substantially higher than cold jets and persist over a larger extent of nozzle to plate distances. The activation of microjet control shows a substantial reduction in pressure fluctuations both in terms of overall sound pressure levels and the attenuation of discrete, impinging tones. PIV results explain the increase in lift loss due to high entrainment velocities for hot impinging jets.
Incorporation of Nitrogen Atoms at Si/SiO 2 Interfaces of Field Effect Transistors (FETs) to Improve Device Reliability

Incorporation of N-atoms at the Si-Si02 interface in field effect transistors, FETs, with ultrathin dielectrics (≤ 5.5 nm) improves device reliability. Four aspects of our recent research on nitrided Si-Si02 interfaces are discussed in this paper: i) the low-temperature/low-thermal budget process by which interface chemistry is controlled, and optimized; ii) the use of on-line and off-line diagnostics to determine the spatial confinement and concentration of interfacial N-atom incorporation; iii) comparisons of device properties for non-nitrided and nitrided interfaces; and iv) the proposal of an atom-scale model for the role that interfacial N-atoms play in improving device reliability.
Epidemic Analysis of Hand-foot-mouth Disease in Hedong District of Tianjin City

[Objective]To analyze the incidence of hand-foot-mouth disease(HFMD)in Hedong District of Tianjin City in 2008,to explore the epidemic law,and provide scientific evidence for the preventive strategy.[Methods]The reported epidemic data of hand-foot-mouth disease were collected and analyzed epidemiologically.[Results]A total of 295 cases of HFMD were reported,the incidence was 36.53/100 000.Cases increased significantly in May,reaching a peak in July,then declined markedly.Among 295 cases,there were 130 cases of children in childcare(44.07%).Most children infected HFMD under 6 years,accounted for 80.34%;4-year-old age group had the largest number of HFMD cases.[Conclusion]Children under 6 years,especially the kindergarten children,are the focus population for HFMD control and prevention.
Analysis and Countmeasures of Rain Flashover of 500 kV Transformer Bushing Shed

According to a rain flashover fault of a 500 kV main transformer bushing in Guangxi power grid,factors such as local weather condition,bushing shed characteristics and installation pattern and so on are considered to analyze the reason of the fault.It is considered that the bushing that has smaller diameter at the top and bigger diameter at the bottom and the inclination installation are main reasons of the fault under the weather condition of extremely heavy rain.Modifications for such type of transformer bushing including adding auxiliary shed,spraying PRTV and so on are proposed,and the demand of device choice is also proposed.
Radiation Therapy Versus Delayed Androgen Deprivation for Stage C Carcinoma of the Prostate

AbstractSeventy-three patients with prostatic adenocarcinoma who were believed to have disease limited to the pelvis without evidence of node or bone extension were assigned randomly to either full-field pelvic radiation (40) or delayed hormonal therapy (33). The interval to first evidence of treatment failure was used as the end point of the study. Failures occurred in 13 patients who received radiation therapy and 11 who received delayed hormonal therapy. No difference in disease response could be identified between the 2 treatment groups.
Intraoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Neurosurgeons have become reliant on image-guidance to perform safe and successful surgery both time-efficiently and cost-effectively. Neuronavigation typically involves either rigid (frame-based) or skull-mounted (frameless) stereotactic guidance derived from computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that is obtained days or immediately before the planned surgical procedure. These systems do not accommodate for brain shift that is unavoidable once the cranium is opened and cerebrospinal fluid is lost. Intraoperative MRI (ioMRI) systems ranging in strength from 0.12 to 3Tesla (T) have been developed in part because they afford neurosurgeons the opportunity to accommodate for brain shift during surgery. Other distinct advantages of ioMRI include the excellent soft tissue discrimination, the ability to view the surgical site in three dimensions, and the ability to “see” tumor beyond the surface visualization of the surgeon’s eye, either with or without a surgical microscope. The enhanced ability to view the tumor being biopsied or resected allows the surgeon to choose a safe surgical corridor that avoids critical structures, maximizes the extent of the tumor resection, and confirms that an intraoperative hemorrhage has not resulted from surgery. Although all ioMRI systems allow for basic T1- and T2-weighted imaging, only high-field (>1.5T) MRI systems are capable of MR spectroscopy (MRS), MR angiography (MRA), MR venography (MRV), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and brain activation studies. By identifying vascular structures with MRA and MRV, it may be possible to prevent their inadvertent injury during surgery. Biopsying those areas of elevated phosphocholine on MRS may improve the diagnostic yield for brain biopsy. Mapping out eloquent brain function may influence the surgical path to a tumor being resected or biopsied. The optimal field strength for an ioMRI-guided surgical system and the best configuration for that system are as yet undecided.
Classroom Nuclear Magnetic Resonance System

A low-field classroom NMR system was developed that will enable hands-on learning of NMR and MRI concepts in a Biological Engineering laboratory course. A permanent magnet system was built to produce a static field of B0 = 0.133 Tesla. A single coil is used in a resonant probe circuit for both transmitting the excitation pulses and detecting the NMR signal. An FPGA is used to produce the excitation pulses and process the received NMR signals. This research has led to the ability to observe Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. Relaxation time constants of glycerin samples can easily be measured. Future work will allow further MRI exploration by incorporating gradient magnetic field coils.
Cheap Talk in Operations: Role of Intentional Vagueness

Provision of real-time information by firms to their customers has become prevalent in recent years in both the service and retail sectors. Service providers use delay announcements to inform customers about anticipated service delays, whereas retailers provide the customers with information about the inventory level and the likelihood of a stockout. Often, this information cannot be credibly verified by the customers. The question of which information should the firm share with its customers is a complex one, and its answer depends among other things on the dynamics of the underlying operations and the customer behavior.
Ghost Marriage in Twentieth-Century Chinese Literature: Between the Past and the Future

This article examines the adoption of ghost marriage (冥婚) as a literary theme in twentieth-century Chinese literature, arguing that this theme reflects a set of changes in perceptions of temporality from the premodern to the modern period. As a traditional ritual of holding marriage for the dead, ghost marriage embodies premodern views of time and space wherein the living and the dead are perceived as coexisting in parallel spaces, and the boundary of life and death is seen as transcendable through the extension of kinship. In this way, the dead are kept within the family, maintaining the warmth of familial relationships that transcend being and non-being. Modern authors, promoting a linear view of time, have taken up ghost marriage as an anchoring point of nostalgia for an unrecoverable ethics-based society. For instance, Yan Lianke’s 阎连科 1994 novella Searching for the Land (寻找土地) announces the utter corruption—and therefore the death—of ethics-based society, suggesting that the only alternative is to confront the future as a road to hope rather than indulge in an illusion of the past. Through an analysis of Yan’s novella, this essay discusses how the theme of ghost marriage fits into the broader literary context of the early 1990s while also anticipating some of the distinctive elements of Yan Lianke’s subsequent novels.
Transport of Single-Layered Graphene Oxide Nanosheets through Quartz and Iron Oxide–Coated Sand Columns

AbstractSingle-layered graphene oxide (SLGO) nanosheets are distinguished from other colloids by their extreme anisotropy, which likely exerts a strong control on their transport behavior. Hence, this study investigates the influence of both environmentally relevant pH and ionic strength on the transport of SLGO nanosheets through saturated quartz or iron oxide–coated sands. Both the nanosheets and quartz sands are negatively charged throughout the experimental conditions, resulting in very little nanosheet deposition onto the quartz sands. However, increasing ionic strength and decreasing pH did cause measurable increases in nanosheet deposition, likely due to decreases in the magnitude of negative charges near the respective surfaces. Conversely, nanosheets and iron oxide–coated sands are oppositely charged throughout the experimental conditions, resulting in significant nanosheet deposition onto the iron oxide–coated sands. These trends suggest that nanosheet deposition is largely controlled by electro...
Slip Distance as an Objective Criterion to Determine the Dominant Parameter between Static and Dynamic Cofs

Dynamic friction seems to be more appropriate as a measure of floor slipperiness. However, static friction has been more commonly used and has been a good measure for non-slippery conditions. Therefore, an experiment was conducted to find the dominant COF (static or dynamic) in non-slippery floors and correlating slip distance with each COF. As a result, slip distance was found to be a good measure to represent floor slipperiness because it was exponentially related with static and dynamic COFs. In conclusion, static COF can be a good parameter in non-slippery conditions for prevention of slips and falls.
Phosphanyl)phosphaketenes as building blocks for novel phosphorus heterocycles

Although BH3 simply coordinates the endocyclic P of (phospholidino)phosphaketene 1Dipp , the bulkier B(C6F5)3 gives rise to a zwitterionic diphosphirenium, which is a novel type of 2π-electron aromatic system as shown by the calculated NICS values. While the reaction of 1Dipp with Na[PCO(dioxane) x ] is unselective, the same reaction with the sterically bulky (phospholidino)phosphaketene 1Ar** [Ar** = 2,6-bis[di(4-tert-butylphenyl)methyl]-4-methylphenyl selectively affords a sodium bridged dimer containing a hitherto unknown λ3,λ5,λ3-triphosphete core. The latter formally results from "P-" addition to a 1,3-P/C-dipole. Similarly, adamantyl isonitrile adds to 1Dipp giving a 4-membered phosphacycle. In contrast to 1, the phosphaketene derived from the electrophilic diazaphospholidine-4,5-dione is unstable and reacts with a second molecule of Na[PCO(dioxane) x ] to afford a 1,3,4-oxadiphospholonide derivative.
Industrial applications of laser micro/nano material processing

As a high density and precision energy source, laser has been a powerful tool in microscale material processing, such as micro channel fabrication, micro hole drilling, micro milling of 3D structures, 3D micro deposition, etc. This paper reviews how to achieve the desired spatial resolutions, highlights some of the emerging industrial applications of laser micro/nano material processing, followed by the discussion of practical challenges.As a high density and precision energy source, laser has been a powerful tool in microscale material processing, such as micro channel fabrication, micro hole drilling, micro milling of 3D structures, 3D micro deposition, etc. This paper reviews how to achieve the desired spatial resolutions, highlights some of the emerging industrial applications of laser micro/nano material processing, followed by the discussion of practical challenges.
Enhancing family functioning to buffer risk during middle school transition: Development of the Multiple Family Group Weekend Retreat

ENHANCING FAMILY FUNCTIONING TO BUFFER RISK DURING MIDDLE SCHOOL TRANSITION: DEVELOPMENT OF THE MULTIPLE FAMILY GROUP WEEKEND RETREAT By Robert S. Broce, Ph.D. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2011. Major Director: Dr. Melissa L. Abell Associate Professor, Social Work Children experience changes in multiple levels of their social ecologies when they transition into middle school (Eccles, 1999; Jozefowicz-Simbeni, 2008). These biological, psychological, social, and environmental changes create increased risk for dropout and other factors related to academic adjustment (Cataldi, Laird & KewalRamani, 2009). For lowincome minority children these risks can be magnified by environmental and social factors (Ge et al., 2002). Healthy family functioning, including balanced levels of cohesion and flexibility, has been shown to buffer these risks (Burchinal, Roberts, Zeisel & Rowley, 2008; Olson, 2010; Wampler, Munsch, & Adams, 2002) and was targeted by a Multiple Family Group (MFG) intervention. The Multiple Family Group Weekend Retreat intervention, adapted from a previous version to address the family support needs of children transitioning to middle school, was tested in a feasibility study as a method for increasing family functioning. 14 families of rising 6 th grade students from public schools on the South side of Richmond, VA participated in one of three MFG retreats. The intervention consisted of a series of group components focused on building knowledge and skills in areas of trust, communication, stress and coping, family organization, and family unity. Key evaluation objectives included measuring changes in children‘s family functioning and academic adjustment and collecting fidelity data to assess feasibility and further clarify the intervention. No significant outcomes were found between pretest and follow-up.
New angle on cosmic rays.

Cosmic rays are nuclei that have been accelerated to relativistic velocities by astrophysical sources, arriving at Earth after traversing the space between us and the source. As electrically charged particles, they are deflected by magnetic fields, which scramble their directions in space ( 1 ). Finding deviations from the highly isotropic angular distribution of high-energy cosmic rays in the sky has long been a prime goal of cosmic-ray researchers. Marginal detections have been reported in the past that failed to hold up. On page 1266 of this issue, The Pierre Auger Collaboration ( 2 ) report a strong detection of a pronounced anisotropy in the arrival directions of cosmic rays with energies ( E ) of ≥8 EeV (8 × 1018 electron volts), indicating that they are of extragalactic origin.
A Fairytale of a Lurking Evil Fungus, Paecilomyces, and the Knight, Itraconazole

Paecilomyces lilacinus is a fungal species that is found in a great array of habitats. This fungus is known to cause subcutaneous swelling in infected individuals. Most other cases of an infection with Paecilomyces are in conjunction with another set of symptoms but rarely with an immunocompetent host. Patients infected with Paecilomyces are most often prescribed Itraconazole for 6 months, but few have undergone surgery for the removal of the fungus.Would it be possible to remove rest of the abstract? The delete option will not work, an error message pops up stating "unauthorized". Thank you Once upon a time, Princess Andromeda of the Central Lands was offered a magical pill, Bayer® aspirin, on her 48th birthday by a roaming wizard, named Dr. Stukup. When she consumed this magical pill, she went into anaphylactic shock. She nearly died! The wizard quickly defended himself and claimed he was not trying to poison the princess, but she was still outraged. She was about to sentence the wizard to a lifelong imprisonment, when the wizard offered a solution. He explained that after his procedure, there would be no harmful side effects; he called it desensitization. The princess agreed and was misguided once more. He desensitized her to aspirin, but she was required to take a daily aspirin for the rest of her life. However, for the next 2 years, she was itchy and tired. The royal family’s healer, Orion, consistently drew blood for 2 years and always found an abnormally elevated eosinophil count. Orion worried for her health and directed the princess to travel East, where the legendary Dr. Szema resided. Upon arrival, Dr. Szema immediately discontinued her daily aspirin, and she was cured! Her itch and fatigue never recurred. Dr. Szema later treated the princess by re-desensitizing her to aspirin in the ICU, and peace had returned to the Central Lands (Fig. 9.1).
Wingspan stent delivery catheter fracture and the TRAP technique for endovascular salvage

Background Intracranial atherosclerotic disease may result in ischemic infarction and has a high rate of recurrent ischemic strokes despite medical therapy. Patients who fail medical therapy may undergo endovascular treatment with cerebral artery angioplasty and possible Wingspan stent placement. We present a unique case of Wingspan delivery microcatheter fracture that resulted in a retained foreign body and an endovascular salvage maneuver. Case description An elderly patient presented with an acute ischemic stroke due to a severe stenosis in the proximal left middle cerebral artery (MCA). The patient failed non-invasive medical treatment and underwent endovascular treatment with angioplasty and Wingspan stent placement. Following Wingspan stent deployment, the stent delivery catheter fractured, and the retained catheter fragment resulted in MCA occlusion. The foreign body was retrieved by balloon catheter inflation within an intermediate catheter adjacent to the proximal end of the fractured catheter and removal of the entire construct (TRAP technique). Conclusions Wingspan delivery microcatheter fracture is a rare event. The TRAP technique may be used for successful retrieval of a retained foreign body.
Elementary Set Theory

As indicated in our section on axiomatics (Chapter 3, especially Section 3.1.1),“set”is one of our undefined terms. We simply say that a set is a collection of objects. Examples are: • the set of all footballs; • the set of all monogamous ocelots; • the set of all real numbers; • the set of all ordered pairs of integers with first entry positive.
Thiol–ene click chemistry: a modular approach to solid-state triplet–triplet annihilation upconversion

The advancement of triplet–triplet annihilation based upconversion (TTA-UC) in emerging technologies necessitates the development of solid-state systems that are readily accessible and broadly applicable. Here, we demonstrate that thiol–ene click chemistry can be used as a facile cure-on-demand synthetic route to access elastomeric films capable of TTA-UC. Photopolymerization of multifunctional thiols in the presence of a thiol-functionalized 9,10-diphenylanthracene (DPA) emitter results in covalent DPA integration and homogenous crosslinked polymer networks. The palladium(II) octaethylporphyrin (PdOEP) sensitizer is subsequently introduced into the films through solution immersion. Upon excitation at 544 nm, green-to-blue upconversion is observed with compositional tuning resulting in an optimal upconverted emission intensity at 1.0 wt% DPA and 0.02 wt% PdOEP. The effectiveness of thiol–ene networks to function as robust host materials for solid-state TTA-UC is further demonstrated by improved photostability in air.