cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analysis of a Commercial Insurance Policy to Deny Coverage for Emergency Department Visits With Nonemergent Diagnoses.

Importance Insurers have increasingly adopted policies to reduce emergency department (ED) visits that they consider unnecessary. One common approach is to retrospectively deny coverage if the ED discharge diagnosis is determined by the insurer to be nonemergent. Objective To characterize ED visits that may be denied coverage if the ED coverage denial policy of a large national insurer, Anthem, Inc, is widely adopted. Design, Setting, and Participants A cross-sectional analysis of probability-sampled ED visits from the nationally representative National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey ED subsample occurring from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2015, was conducted. Visits by commercially insured patients aged 15 to 64 years were examined. Those with ED discharge diagnoses defined by Anthem’s policy as nonemergent and therefore subject to possible denial of coverage were classified as denial diagnosis visits. The primary presenting symptoms among denial diagnosis visits were identified, and all visits by commercially insured adults presenting with these primary symptoms were classified as denial symptom visits. Main Outcomes and Measures Each visit cohort as a weighted proportion of commercially insured adult ED visits. The proportion of each visit cohort that received ED-level care, defined as visits where patients were triaged as urgent or emergent, received 2 or more diagnostic tests, or were admitted or transferred, was also examined. Results From 2011 to 2015, 15.7% (95% CI, 15.0%-16.4%) of commercially insured adult ED visits (4440 of 28 304) were denial diagnosis visits (mean [SD] patient age, 36.6 [14.0] years; 2592 [58.7%] female and 2962 [63.5%] white). Among these visits, 39.7% (95% CI, 37.1%-42.3%) received ED-level care: 24.5% (95% CI, 21.7%-27.4%) were initially triaged as urgent or emergent and 26.0% (95% CI, 23.8%-28.3%) received 2 or more diagnostic tests. These denial diagnosis visits shared the same presenting symptoms as 87.9% (95% CI, 87.3%-88.4%) of commercially insured adult ED visits (24 882 of 28 304) (mean [SD] patient age, 38.5 [14.1] years; 14 362 [57.9%] female and 17 483 [68.7%] white). Among these denial symptom visits, 65.1% (95% CI, 63.4%-66.9%) received ED-level care: 43.2% (95% CI, 40.2%-46.4%) were triaged as urgent or emergent, 51.9% (95% CI, 50.0%-53.9%) received 2 or more diagnostic tests, and 9.7% (95% CI, 8.8%-10.6%) were admitted or transferred. Conclusions and Relevance Anthem’s nonemergent ED discharge diagnoses were not associated with identification of unnecessary ED visits when assessed from the patient’s perspective. This cost-reduction policy could place many patients who reasonably seek ED care at risk of coverage denial.
Chapter 4 - Research and Resource at the National Submicron Facility

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses research and resource at the national submicron facility. Microstructure science and engineering is a diverse field that draws its practitioners and their techniques from a wide range of disciplines. Such a field needs one or more national centers where research workers from different backgrounds can come together, where appropriate experimental equipment can be concentrated, and where information can be gathered to serve the nation's research community. As the field developed without such a center, a very noticeable gap opened between university research on the one hand and the accomplishments of industrial laboratories on the other, a gap mainly because of the expensive equipment and the interdisciplinary nature of microstructure science and engineering that universities found difficult, if not impossible, to support. The facility should be viewed mainly as equipment and technical resource rather than a financial one, as very few funds are available from the facility for direct support of user research projects. While no charges are presently levied for the use of equipment or facilities in the laboratories, users should, in general, expect to secure support from other sources for the operating costs of their projects, such as expendables, materials, travel, and personnel.
Characterization of glutamyl-tRNA-dependent dehydratases using nonreactive substrate mimics.

The peptide natural product nisin has been used as a food preservative for 6 decades with minimal development of resistance. Nisin contains the unusual amino acids dehydroalanine and dehydrobutyrine, which are posttranslationally installed by class I lanthipeptide dehydratases (LanBs) on a linear peptide substrate through an unusual glutamyl-tRNA–dependent dehydration of Ser and Thr. To date, little is known about how LanBs catalyze the transfer of glutamate from charged tRNAGlu to the peptide substrate, or how they carry out the subsequent elimination of the peptide-glutamyl adducts to afford dehydro amino acids. Here, we describe the synthesis of inert analogs that mimic substrate glutamyl-tRNAGlu and the glutamylated peptide intermediate, and determine the crystal structures of 2 LanBs in complex with each of these compounds. Mutational studies were used to characterize the function of the glutamylation and glutamate elimination active-site residues identified through the structural analysis. These combined studies provide insights into the mechanisms of substrate recognition, glutamylation, and glutamate elimination by LanBs to effect a net dehydration reaction of Ser and Thr.
Restrictions and Barriers Confronted by Mexican Americans with Unauthorized Immigrant Family Members

This research study investigates the experience of college educated Mexican-American young adults (ages 18–29) with an unauthorized immigrant nuclear or extended family member. Of the 11 participan...
Carboxymethylation of hemicellulose isolated from poplar (Populus grandidentata) and its potential in water-soluble oxygen barrier films

Hemicelluloses, the second most abundant class of biopolymers, have emerged as an immense renewable resource of biopolymers that are recognized as currently being underutilized. Carboxymethyl carbohydrates are valuable products for thickeners, viscosity control, food additive and others. Hemicellulose isolated from poplar was converted to carboxymethyl hemicellulose using sodium chloroacetate (SCA) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The significance of the effects of carboxymethylation conditions in an 80% ethanol/water medium on the degree of substitution (DS) and reaction efficiency (RE) was evaluated using a definitive screening design model. There was strong evidence that the dosage of SCA and NaOH, and temperature have a significant effect on DS. A significant interaction between SCA and NaOH was also statistically confirmed. The RE resulting from the ethanol/water medium was lower than 50%. A higher RE of 72% with a DS 1.08 was achieved in a 90% tert-butyl alcohol/water medium, which was conducted at 85 °C with 120 min, 1.5 mol/mol anhydroxylose unit (AXU) of NaOH and 1.5 mol/mol AXU of SCA. The potential of using hemicellulose and carboxymethyl hemicellulose as materials to produce water-soluble films was evaluated. Due to the increased water solubility, the processing of carboxymethyl hemicellulose in water and the production of films were more facile than with unmodified hemicellulose. All of the films demonstrated significant oxygen barrier characteristics, with low oxygen permeability ranging from 0.28 to 0.55 cm3 µm/(m2 d kPa). The films did not display effective water vapor barrier characteristics, with high water vapor permeability ranging from 4.8 to 6.5 g mm/(m2 d kPa). Carboxymethylation of HC decreased the tensile strength, increased the elongation at break, and decreased the water vapor and oxygen barrier properties of the produced films. Both hemicellulose and carboxymethyl hemicellulose films could offer a bio-based and biodegradable alternative to existing synthetic oxygen barrier materials. The hemicellulose and carboxymethyl hemicellulose materials might be exploited in water-soluble films, washable fruit coating or used in composites or multilayer films in conjunction with hydrophobic layers.
Effect of mouth closure on upper airway obstruction in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea exhibiting mouth breathing: a drug-induced sleep endoscopy study

Snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) exhibit multifactorial aetiologies; mouth breathing increases airway obstruction and upper respiratory tract resistance. Of the many published studies, few have evaluated sleeping subjects. We explored how mouth breathing affected the upper respiratory tract anatomy and OSA during sleep. Eighteen patients with OSA, confirmed via full-night polysomnography, were enrolled in this study. We performed drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) and defined obstruction sites before and after mouth closure using commercial mouth strips. We evaluated obstruction sites in two ways, i.e. by grading obstructions using our DISE grading system and measuring the affected areas. Patients who improved by at least one DISE grade were defined as responders. Areas were measured based on DISE videos analysed using ImageJ software. The apnoea–hypopnoea index (AHI) and body mass index (BMI) were recorded. Based on the DISE grade, 40% (7/18) of patients showed obstruction site improvement. When assessed areally, the mean number of pixels improved significantly at both the retropalatal (p = 0.045) and retrolingual (p = 0.019) levels. However, DISE non-responders exhibited no areal improvements. Responders and non-responders did not differ significantly in terms of AHI or BMI (both p < 0.05). Mouth closure improves or at least does not lead to further deterioration of the upper airway. Improvements were evident at the retropalatal and especially retrolingual levels. Neither the BMI nor the AHI differed between the two groups. However, responders tended to have a higher AHI than non-responders (39.4 vs. 32.8 events/h).
Renin angiotensin system inhibition attenuates adipocyte-breast cancer cell interactions.

Abstract Obesity is a significant breast cancer (BC) risk factor and is associated with 20–40% increased risk in obese post-menopausal women compared to their lean counterparts. Several obesity-related metabolic dysregulations have been linked to BC risk, including overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). Currently, RAS inhibitors including angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEi) and AT1 receptor blockers (ARBs), are used as safe and effective anti-hypertensive therapies in BC patients. However, it is uncertain how inhibition of RAS in adipose tissue impacts obesity-BC crosstalk. We hypothesized that adipose RAS inhibition will reduce BC cell motility and inflammation. We determined (1) the direct effects of Ang II, ACEi (captopril; Cap) or ARB (telmisartan; Tel) on receptor positive MCF-7 and receptor triple negative MDA-MB-231 cells; and (2) the effects of conditioned media (CM) from human mesenchymal stem cells differentiated into adipocytes, which were pretreated with RAS inhibitors, on BC cells. We demonstrated that direct treatments of BC cells with Ang II, Cap or Tel did not alter inflammatory cytokines in either BC cell line. However, CM from Ang II-pretreated adipocytes significantly increased secretion of pro-inflammatory markers at protein level. RAS inhibitors reduced their secretion in MDA-MB-231, but not in MCF-7 cells. Additionally, CM from adipocytes treated with RAS inhibitors significantly reduced markers of inflammation, fat synthesis, and angiogenesis in both BC cell lines. Furthermore, CM from ACEi pretreated adipocytes reduced cell motility in both BC cell lines. Findings from our study indicate an important role of adipose RAS inhibition in adipocyte and BC cell crosstalk.
Distilling the Key Elements of Pediatric Appendicitis Clinical Practice Guidelines.

Abstract Background Use of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) have been shown to reduce care delays, optimize resource utilization, and improve patient outcomes. We conducted a systematized review to identify key elements that should be included in an evidence-based CPG for pediatric appendicitis. Methods We characterized key decision points and content areas from CPGs developed from 2000 to 2019 that were identified using publicly available platforms and manual search/personal communications. Results Twenty-seven CPGs were reviewed with content saturation achieved after reviewing eight. We found 16 key elements spanning from triage to postoperative care. Elements with high accord among CPGs included use of laparoscopy and delay of postoperative imaging for abscess screening until postoperative day seven. For simple appendicitis, all CPGs endorsed antibiotic cessation, diet advancement, and early activity, and 11 CPGs included same-day discharge. Elements with heterogeneity in decision-making included antibiotic selection/duration for perforated appendicitis, criteria defining perforation, and utility of postoperative laboratory evaluations. Conclusions Development of an evidence-based CPGs for pediatric appendicitis requires attention to a finite number of key decision points and content areas. Existing literature demonstrates improved patient outcomes with CPG implementation.
Timing of Introduction of Complementary Foods and Beverages to Infants of Low-Income Women

Background: Although rates of complementary food and beverage (CFB) consumption among infants under 4 to 6 months of age have been declining, they remain well above the American Academy of Pediatri...
Dural fistulas

The treatment of dural fistulas is varied and complex. Treatment decisions require consideration of the nature of the symptoms, the location of the lesion, the complexity of the angioarchitecture, and the risk of progression. Standard treatment modalities include compression therapy, endovascular embolization, neurosurgery, and radiosurgery. Complex lesions will often require multiple different interventions. Because dural fistulas may present with a variety of neurologic and ophthalmologic problems, a team of neurologists, neuro-ophthalmologists, neuroradiologists, and neurosurgeons should develop a comprehensive treatment plan.
A modified model predictive control method for frequency regulation of microgrids under status feedback attacks and time-delay attacks

Abstract As a promising technology to integrate renewable energy and enable decentralized energy management, microgrid (MG) offers an appealing network architecture due to its potential economic, environmental, and technical benefits. However, with the increasing deployment of intelligent devices and the growing network interconnectivity, communication channels and controllers for MGs become more vulnerable to emerging cyber threats. Two types of attacks are considered in this paper, including the data integrity attacks on the system status feedback and time-delay attacks which may disrupt the control of the MGs and lead to adverse consequences. A modified model predictive control (MPC) scheme is proposed for the secondary frequency control of MGs based on the online status switching method and generalized cross correlation (GCC) estimation to detect the real system status and time delay injected to the control system. The Euclidean metric is used in the online status switching method to obtain the real system states. Meanwhile, the GCC based delay estimation is developed to detect and track the time delay posed by attacks in the real-time operation. Case studies under different scenarios of the attacks are conducted, and the simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed MPC scheme under the cyberattacks.
Uniform Central Limit Theorems

Preface 1. Introduction: Donsker's theorem, metric entropy and inequalities 2. Gaussian measures and processes sample continuity 3. Foundations of uniform central limit theorems: Donsker classes 4. Vapnik-Cervonenkis combinatorics 5. Measurability 6. Limit theorems for Vapnik-Cervonenkis and related classes 7. Metric entropy, with inclusion and bracketing 8. Approximation of functions and sets 9. Sums in general Banach spaces and invariance principles 10. Universal and uniform central limit theorems 11. The two-sample case, the bootstrap, and confidence sets 12. Classes of sets or functions too large for central limit theorems Appendices Subject index Author index Index of notation.
Optimal control of solid-fuel ignition model using SQP method

Design and implementation of a sequential quadratic programming method (SQP) for optimal control of an unsteady solid-fuel ignition model are investigated. The SQP methods are second order and considered superior due to their ability to take advantage of the current PDE solver techniques and their ability to parallelize well. The feasibility and efficiency of the proposed numerical algorithms are shown on an optimal control problem in a closed domain where the control is effected through a heat source inside the domain.
DEGRADATION OF DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID AND ALTERATION OF NUCLEIC ACID METABOLISM IN SUSPENSION CULTURES OF L-M CELLS INFECTED WITH EQUINE ABORTION VIRUS

Randall, Charles C. (University of Mississippi School of Medicine, Jackson) and Barbara M. Walker. Degradation of deoxyribonucleic acid and alteration of nucleic acid metabolism in suspension cultures of L-M cells infected with equine abortion virus. J. Bacteriol. 86:138-146. 1963.-Metabolic alterations in log-phase suspension cultures infected with equine abortion virus (EAV) were determined in L-M cells simultaneously labeled or prelabeled with H(3)- or C(14)-thymidine. Although infection produced an early stimulation of the uptake of labeled thymidine (TdR) into the acid-soluble fraction of concurrently labeled cells, incorporation of the isotope into deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was progressively inhibited. The specific activity of infected-cell DNA was 48% of the control at 24 hr. The rate of incorporation of isotope from 12 to 24 hr was 43 and 13 counts per min per mug of DNA per hr for control and infected cultures, respectively. Owing to degradation of DNA, synthesis could not be accurately determined with the concurrently labeled cells. On the other hand, with prelabeled cells, quantitative isotopic methods could be used to determine the amount of DNA synthesized by measuring dilution of specific activity, even though infection triggered degradation of DNA into acid-soluble components. With this method, the DNA synthesized in infected cultures for 24 hr was approximately five times greater than the slight net increase determined by the diphenylamine reaction. The specific activity of infected-cell DNA decreased and then remained fixed after 24 hr, with 53% of the radioactivity appearing in the medium by 48 hr. No radioactive CO(2) was detected as a consequence of DNA degradation. Infected cells lost ribonucleic acid (RNA) as well as DNA; RNA and DNA were reduced by 64 and 50%, respectively, at 48 hr. The degradation of DNA was effectively inhibited by chelating agents in situ and is thought to be due to a deoxyribonuclease. Preliminary experiments with extracts of infected cells support this observation. The relationship of deoxyribonuclease to the synthesis of viral DNA remains to be determined.
H2 cycling in N2 fixation: Past, present, and future outlook

H2 production by nitrogenase is a major factor limiting the efficiency of biological N2 fixation. This production appears to be an integral part of the reaction mechanism leading to the reduction of N2 (i.e., N2 reduction by nitrogenase cannot occur in the absence of H2 production) and it would appear unlikely that this inefficiency can be improved at the source. The H2 produced by nitrogenase can either be lost to the environment or oxidized by hydrogenase. H2 oxidation typically benefits the system and results in an increased efficiency of N2 fixation. This process of H2 production by nitrogenase followed by H2 oxidation via hydrogenase is referred to as “hydrogen cycling”. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an historical account of the major accomplishments which have led to our current view of H2 cycling in N2 fixing microorganisms. Such an account will also serve to focus attention on the contributions of Dr. Harold Evans and his colleagues during the last 15 years of rapid development in this field.
Conceptual design of a 0.1 W magnetic refrigerator for operation between 10 K and 2 K

The design of a magnetic refrigerator for space applications is discussed. The refrigerator is to operate in the temperature range of 10 K — 2 K, at a 2 K cooling power of 0.10 W. As in other magnetic refrigerators operating in this temperature range GGG has been selected as the refrigerant. Crucial to the design of the magnetic refrigerator are the heat switches at both the hot and cold ends of the GGG pill. The 2 K heat switch utilizes a narrow He II filled gap. The 10 K heat switch is based on a narrow helium gas gap. For each switch, the helium in the gap is cycled by means of activated carbon pumps. The design concentrates on reducing the switching times of the pumps and the switches as a whole. A single stage system (one magnet; one refrigerant pill) is being developed. Continuous cooling requires the fully stationary system to have at least two stages running parallel/out of phase with each other. In order to conserve energy, it is intended to recycle the magnetic energy between the magnets. To this purpose, converter networks designed for superconducting magnetic energy storage are being studied.
Cultural Continuity and Variable Adaptation of the Historic Period Muscogee of the Southeastern United States

Many researchers of the native people from the southeastern United States have tended to segregate studies of historic period Native Americans from prehistoric period Native Americans because of the assumption that historic period native people were significantly different from their pre-European contact ancestors. This article describes recent archaeological, ethnographic, and historical research on the Muscogee Creek that indicates that they were often resilient and variable in their response to culture change during the Historic Period. Archaeological and ethnohistoric measures of settlement show that the Muscogee Creek people maintained regional town settlement alliances as well as internal town settlement layout throughout the Historic Period. The botanical portion of the diet and pottery styles remained resilient to change for hundreds of years while other aspects of the economy changed. These variable responses to economic and material culture change may reflect gender differences in response to Eu...
Low-Loss Coupling Between Single-Mode Optical Fibers with Very Different Mode-Field Diameters

We show that short segments of graded-index optical fiber can provide broadband, very low-loss coupling between single-mode optical fibers with very different mode-field diameters.
The antitermination activity of bacteriophage lambda N protein is controlled by the kinetics of an RNA-looping-facilitated interaction with the transcription complex

Protein N of bacteriophage lambda activates the lytic phase of phage development in infected Escherichia coli cells by suppressing the activity of transcriptional terminators that prevent the synthesis of essential phage proteins. N binds tightly to the boxB RNA hairpin located near the 5' end of the nascent pL and pR transcripts and induces an antitermination response in the RNA polymerase (RNAP) of elongation complexes located at terminators far downstream. Here we test an RNA looping model for this N-dependent "action at a distance" by cleaving the nascent transcript between boxB and RNAP during transcript elongation. Cleavage decreases antitermination, showing that an intact RNA transcript is required to stabilize the interaction of boxB-bound N with RNAP during transcription. In contrast, an antitermination complex that also contains Nus factors retains N-dependent activity after transcript cleavage, suggesting that these host factors further stabilize the N-RNAP interaction. Thus, the binding of N alone to RNAP is controlled by an RNA looping equilibrium, but after formation of the initial RNA loop and in the presence of Nus factors the system no longer equilibrates on the transcription time scale, meaning that the "range" of antitermination activity along the template in the full antitermination system is kinetically controlled by the dissociation rate of the stabilized N-RNAP complex. Theoretical calculations of nucleic acid end-to-end contact probabilities are used to estimate the local concentrations of boxB-bound N at elongation complexes poised at terminators, and are combined with N activity measurements at various boxB-to-terminator distances to obtain an intrinsic affinity (K(d)) of approximately 2 x 10(-5) M for the N-RNAP interaction. This RNA looping approach is extended to include the effects of N binding at nonspecific RNA sites on the transcript and the implications for transcription control in other regulatory systems are discussed.
MOTOR VEHICLE FATALITIES IN THE UNITED STATES CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

A death certificate-based surveillance system was used to identify 2144 work-related motor vehicle fatalities among civilian workers in the United States construction industry over the years 1980-92. Construction workers were twice as likely to be killed by a motor vehicle as the average worker, with an annual crude mortality rate of 2.3/100,000 workers. Injury prevention efforts in construction have had limited effect on motor vehicle-related deaths, with death rates falling by only 11% during the 13-year period, compared with 43% for falls, 54% for electrocutions and 48% for machinery. In all industries combined, motor vehicle fatality rates dropped by 47%. The largest proportion of motor vehicle deaths (40%) occurred among pedestrians, with construction accounting for more than one-fourth of all pedestrian deaths. A minimum of 54 (6%) of these pedestrian fatalities were flaggers or surveyors. Flaggers accounted for half the 34 pedestrian fatalities among women, compared with only 3% among men. Along with previous studies and recent trends in the amount and type of road construction, these results underscore the need for better traffic control management in construction work areas to reduce pedestrian fatalities. As the second leading cause of traumatic death in construction, with an annual average share of 15% of the total deaths, exceeded only by falls, prevention of work-related motor vehicle research should become a greater priority in the construction industry.
Experimental methods enabling the efficient control of high pressure microwave discharges

High pressure microwave discharges (150 Torr to one atmosphere) have been the focus of numerous recent experimental investigations such as microwave plasmoid/microwave fireball investigations1, microwave plasma assisted combustion2, and microwave plasma assisted gas reforming, and also recent commercial applications such as CVD diamond synthesis3. In each of these experiments discharge control and the coupling efficiency become very important as the pressure is increased. This is especially true as applications move toward commercial realization.
Reverse-phase protein array analysis to identify biomarker proteins in human pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States. The high mortality rate of patients with pancreatic cancer is primarily due to the difficulty of early diagnosis and a lack of effective therapies. There is an urgent need to discover novel molecular targets for early diagnosis and new therapeutic approaches to improve the clinical outcome of this deadly disease. We utilized the reverse-phase protein assay (RPPA) to identify differentially expressed biomarker proteins in tumors and matched adjacent, normal-appearing tissue samples from 15 pancreatic cancer patients. The antibody panel used for the RPPA included 130 key proteins involved in various cancer-related pathways. The paired t test was used to determine the significant differences between matched pairs, and the false discovery rate-adjusted p values were calculated to take into account the effect of multiple comparisons. After correcting for multiple comparisons, we found 19 proteins that had statistically significant differences in expression between matched pairs. However, only four (AKT, β-catenin, GAB2, and PAI-1) of them met the conservative criteria (both a q value <0.05 and a fold-change of ≥3/2 or ≤2/3) to be considered differentially expressed. Overexpression of AKT, β-catenin, and GAB2 in pancreatic cancer tissues identified by RPPA has also been further confirmed by western blot analysis. Further analysis identified several significantly associated canonical pathways and overrepresented network functions. GAB2, a newly identified protein in pancreatic cancer, may provide additional insight into this cancer’s pathogenesis. Future studies in a larger population are warranted to further confirm our results.
Normal and accelerated sinking of phytoplankton in the sea

Abstract The sinking and deposition of phytoplankton remains lead to sediment varving, the formation of sedimentary oozes, and the transport of partially decomposed and viable, autotrophic cells to great depths. Some specific examples are discussed, and the associated settling rates, depositional characteristics and individual species responses are examined in relationship to experimentally determined sinking rates of both living and dead, intact phytoplankton. The data include field and experimental observations on the sinking behavior for the same species. The in vitro rates are too low, and a mechanism or mechanisms causing accelerated rates of phytoplankton sinking in situ seems necessary to account adequately for some of the observed transport of phytoplankton remains to great depths and to the sea floor. Various potential mechanisms of heightened diatom, dinoflagellate and coccolithophorid sinking rates are then outlined and examined quantitatively. These include density inversion plumes, downwelling, and fecal pellet sinking. Sinking rates of naturally occurring fecal pellets and those produced by cultured zooplankton are presented. The importance of fecal pellet settling as a means of accelerated sinking of phytoplankton remains to depth, and their subsequent contribution to the fossil record and organic content of ocean floor sediments are then discussed.
Review and Projections of Integrated Cooling Systems for Three-Dimensional Integrated Circuits

In an effort to increase processor speeds, 3D IC architecture is being aggressively pursued by researchers and chip manufacturers. This architecture allows extremely high level of integration with enhanced electrical performance and expanded functionality, and facilitates realization of VLSI and ULSI technologies. However, utilizing the third dimension to provide additional device layers poses thermal challenges due to the increased heat dissipation and complex electrical interconnects among different layers. The conflicting needs of the cooling system requiring larger flow passage dimensions to limit the pressure drop, and the IC architecture necessitating short interconnect distances to reduce signal latency warrant paradigm shifts in both of their design approach. Additional considerations include the effects due to temperature nonuniformity, localized hot spots, complex fluidic connections, and mechanical design. This paper reviews the advances in 3D IC cooling in the last decade and provides a vision for codesigning 3D IC architecture and integrated cooling systems. For heat fluxes of 50‐100W/cm 2 on each side of a chip in a 3D IC package, the current single-phase cooling technology is projected to provide adequate cooling, albeit with high pressure drops. For future applications with coolant surface heat fluxes from 100 to 500W/cm 2 , significant changes need to be made in both electrical and cooling technologies through a new level of codesign. Effectively mitigating the high temperatures surrounding local hot spots remains a challenging issue. The codesign approach with circuit, software and thermal designers working together is seen as essential. The through silicon vias (TSVs) in the current designs place a stringent limit on the channel height in the cooling layer. It is projected that integration of wireless network on chip architecture could alleviate these height restrictions since the data bandwidth is independent of the communication lengths. Microchannels that are 200lm or larger in depth are expected to allow dissipation of large heat fluxes with significantly lower pressure drops. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4027175]
Revisiting Loïc Wacquant's Urban Outcasts

Loic Wacquant's Urban Outcasts compares poor and working-class neighborhoods in Chicago and Paris, and concludes that American racism has combined with advanced capitalism to create hyperghettos, whereas Parisian banlieues are heterogeneous anti-ghettos that are nonetheless destabilized by labor market and political forces that render low-skilled workers simultaneously superfluous and without a state safety net. This review revisits Chicago in the 2000s and argues that Wacquant both overstates the collective revulsion directed at disadvantaged neighborhoods and understates contemporary processes of erasure. It also suggests that using Chicago's marginalized neighborhoods as archetypes masks the diversity of race and class settlements in the US. This review agrees with the importance of uncovering the role of the state in shaping cities, and ultimately highlights areas of convergence and divergence in US and French housing policy as it relates to urban public and social housing. Resume Urban Outcasts (Parias urbains) de Loic Wacquant compare les quartiers desherites et ouvriers de Chicago et de Paris, concluant que le racisme americain s'est conjugue au capitalisme avance pour creer des hyperghettos, tandis que les ‘banlieues’ parisiennes constituent des anti-ghettos heterogenes qui sont neanmoins destabilises par les mecanismes du marche du travail et de la politique, lesquels rendent superflus les ouvriers peu qualifies et les privent du filet de securite de l'Etat. Ce commentaire critique revisite le Chicago des annees 2000 et affirme que, d'une part, Wacquant exagere la repugnance collective a l'encontre des quartiers defavorises et, d'autre part, qu'il minimise les processus contemporains d'effacement. De plus, prendre pour archetypes des quartiers marginalises de Chicago dissimule la diversite d'implantation des races et des classes aux Etats-Unis. Convenant qu'il est important de reveler le role de l'Etat dans la conformation des villes, cette critique termine en soulignant les domaines de convergence et de divergence en matiere de politique du logement aux Etats-Unis et en France pour ce qui est du logement public et social dans les villes.
Dynamic speckle bandwidth and characterization of vibration frequency and amplitude using a CO 2 laser vibrometer

The speckle bandwidth in a CO2 laser radar return is measured by applying a tilt motion to a diffuse target which is also driven with a piston motion by a loudspeaker. The speckle bandwidth vs. tilt frequency is reported. The frequency and amplitude characteristics of a glint target undergoing piston motion only are also described.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Action in Cheese Ripening of an Enzyme Preparation from Chicken Proventriculi, including Manufacture of a New Type Cheese—Savoureux*

Summary Chicken proventriculi contain a milk-coagulating enzyme that is readily obtained in a form that can be used in coagulating milk for cheese. With a modified edam process, the enzyme preparations gave a type of cheese that is rather distinct in its general properties, the outstanding character being the soft, waxy body which permits spreading when the cheese is not too cold. The cheese is believed to have commercial possibilities, and the name SAVOUREUX is suggested for it.
Utilising discursive positioning in counselling

ABSTRACT Foucault's concern with the production of subjectivity has led to the development of positioning theory, as it has been called by Bronwyn Davies, Rom Harre and Luk van Langenhove. The concept of discursive positioning has particular value for counselling because it shows how people are positioned in discourse in particular moments by their own and by others’ utterances. Positioning theory also points to the efforts people make to resist and refuse discursive positions they are called into in conversation. This article demonstrates how listening to the nuances of discursive positioning in a conversation can enrich professional practice. I shall use several examples from narrative counselling conversations in order to demonstrate these principles in action.
Using attitude and social influence to develop an extended trust model for information systems

This research extends an initial trust model proposed and empirically tested by McKnight, Choudhury, and Kacmar (2002) in an e-commerce context. This trust model is extended by the addition of two key constructs: trusting attitude and subjective norm. These added constructs improve the theoretical foundation of this model by more closely aligning it with the theory of reasoned action. The extended trust model is applied to the context of information systems, specifically a national identity system. Survey data collected in an experimental setting were used to test and compare the extended trust model against the initial trust model. Empirical results indicate that the additional constructs of trusting attitude and subjective norm explain significantly more variance in initial trusting intentions.
Stress in sputtered films of near-equiatomic TiNiX on (100) Si: Intrinsic and extrinsic stresses and their modification by thermally activated mechanisms

The development of intrinsic and extrinsic stresses in TiNi and TiNiHf thin films, and their relaxation during isochronal and isothermal annealing, has been studied in both crystalline and amorphous materials sputtered onto (100) silicon. The development of intrinsic compressive stress was sensitive to both deposition pressure and temperature, and to film thickness, and was thermally stable below the deposition temperature. Kinetic parameters for isothermal stress relaxation and isothermal crystallization were determined. A two-stage process for both isochronal and isothermal stress relaxation was identified, with an initial stress change governed by a structural modification mechanism characterized by large activation volume and energy, giving way to a slower, diffusion-controlled relaxation mechanism. Tensile stresses developed during isothermal crystallization were found to relax at rates that depended on deviation of the film composition from stoichiomelry. The results are important with respect to the deployment of shape-memory thin films in microelectro-mechanical systems (MEMS), in which large extrinsic tensile stresses can be exploited to enable reversible high-energy mechanical actuation.
Migma IV High Energy Fusion Apparatus

In order to study the scattering-dominated regime in a migma high energy fusion device, several improvements were made to the experimental apparatus. The injected beam current was increased; protective systems and cooled beam stops were installed to handle the beam power. The migma diagnostics include rf pickup electrodes for continuous monitoring of orbit distributions, silicon surface barrier detectors for observation of fusion products in coincidence and a charge-exchange neutral particle detector.
Correlates of mothers' use of medications for their children☆

This study examines the extent, determinants and quality of mothers' independent use of medications for treating their children's symptoms. Data on mother-initiated medication behavior (MIMB) were obtained from a stratified systematic random sample of 500 mothers of children presenting for a well child visit at two pediatric ambulatory care sites. Six expert pediatric judges each rated every reported medication use (N = 3908) along three dimensions (usefulness, correctness and harmfulness or helpfulness) and also evaluated the overall appropriateness of each mother's MIMB. Results indicate that: (1) mothers keep available and use for children a considerable variety of different medications and medical applicances; (2) a positive linear relationship exists between mothers' socioeconomic status (SES) and degree of MIMB; (3) mothers' attitudes toward medications and toward their children's health are associated with the number of categories of medications and applicances they possess and use; (4) the combination of SES and attitudinal characteristics accounts for substantial portions of the variance in MIMB; and (5) judges' ratings show only minimal-level support of MIMB (extending to mothers in all SES groups) and are linearly related to SES (P less than 0.001). These findings emphasize the need for health care providers to review MIMB, and to provide advice concerning use and misuse of mother-initiated treatments.
Pancreatic adenocarcinoma induces bone marrow mobilization of myeloid-derived suppressor cells which promote primary tumor growth

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) are a heterogeneous population of immunosuppressive cells that are upregulated in cancer. Little is known about the prevalence and importance of MDSC in pancreas adenocarcinoma (PA). Peripheral blood, bone marrow, and tumor samples were collected from pancreatic cancer patients, analyzed for MDSC (CD15+CD11b+) by flow cytometry and compared to cancer-free controls. The suppressive capacity of MDSC (CD11b+Gr-1+) and the effectiveness of MDSC depletion were assessed in C57BL/6 mice inoculated with Pan02, a murine PA, and treated with placebo or zoledronic acid, a potent aminobisphosphonate previously shown to target MDSC. The tumor microenvironment was analyzed for MDSC (Gr1+CD11b+), effector T cells, and tumor cytokine levels. Patients with PA demonstrated increased frequency of MDSC in the bone marrow and peripheral circulation which correlated with disease stage. Normal pancreas tissue showed no MDSC infiltrate, while human tumors avidly recruited MDSC. Murine tumors similarly recruited MDSC that suppressed CD8+ T cells in vitro and accelerated tumor growth in vivo. Treatment with zoledronic acid impaired intratumoral MDSC accumulation resulting in delayed tumor growth rate, prolonged median survival, and increased recruitment of T cells to the tumor. This was associated with a more robust type 1 response with increased levels of IFN-γ and decreased levels of IL-10. MDSC are important mediators of tumor-induced immunosuppression in pancreatic cancer. Inhibiting MDSC accumulation with zoledronic acid improves the host anti-tumor response in animal studies suggesting that efforts to block MDSC may represent a novel treatment strategy for pancreatic cancer.
PROBLEMS IN COMPUTER SIMULATION OF DIFFUSION

SERIOUS STUDY OF T H E DIFFUSION OF IDEAS is something tha t has long been discussed but until the decade of the 1950's lit t le substant ial was accomplished. This paper explores some of the problems involved in developing adequate computer p rograms for predict ing the diffusion of innovations in rural areas. Diffusion is a process, and computer simulation of process is not new. Nor is s imulat ion of distance effects new, for this has been done in epidemiology. I Wha t is new here is the explicit a t tent ion paid to the spatial distribution of a spreading innovation. The pioneer work of s imulat ing in 2-space the diffusion of an innovation or a new idea was done by Tors ten H~igerstrand 2 in Sweden. I have recent ly been working upon the diffusion of hand t ractors in Japan, and have developed for the H~gers t rand model a pa ramete r for communicat ion over distance in rural Shikoku. I t is the p rogramming of H~igerstrand's Model I I I wi th its a t tendant problems and a l ternate possible solutions that is of concern here. H~igerstrand's Model I I I supplies rules for s imulat ing in a Monte Carlo fashion. Given are 1) locations of the recipient population (Figure 1); 2) locations of the first several persons, or "knower s , " having adopted the innovation (Figure 2); 3) an empir ical ly determined measure of local propensi ty to communicate over d is tance-the mean information field (Figure 3); and 4) the locations of physical barr iers (Figure 1) such as lakes and hills. Assumed are 5) constants for diminished communicat ion across the physical barriers; and 6) a normal curve of psychological resistance to innovation (Figure 4). Operat ing rules are in three steps, each involving the Monte Carlo operation of choosing or genera t ing a random number, and branching according to the p rogrammed instruction at the address of that number. A generation is defined as that sequence during which each knower becomes a teller by contact ing one person in the recipient population. These steps were followed by H~igerstrand:
Incorporated probability that a fleet meets a given permissible value for the hull girder section modulus loss

The paper presents a study on the incorporated probability that a tanker fleet meets a given permissible value of hull girder strength loss. The analysis was based on a database of hull girder section modulus (HGSM) for as-gauged girth belts of tankers. It was found that its mean value is below 5% over the entire life span of the analyzed tanker fleet. The Weibull probabilistic distribution was found to best represent the time-varying HGSM loss. A method was developed for calculating the incorporated safety of a fleet. As an example, the IMO requirement for a maximum HGSM reduction of 10% relative to its required value was analyzed, accounting for time-variant HGSM loss and including a probabilistic model for coating longevity.
Does neurotoxic conditioning accelerate nerve regeneration

The prototype environmental neurotoxin, 2,5-hexanedione(2,5-HD), induces changes in somata of sensory ganglia that are morphologically similar to chromatolysis; this study assessed the functional significance of neuronal alterations. Experimental rats were exposed 6 weeks to 2,5-HD, and after 1 week without treatment were then subjected to experimental crush of the sciatic nerve (paired controls were unintoxicated). Nerve regeneration was assayed by the pinch test 4 to 13 days after crush. These preliminary results did not show an accelerated rate of axonal outgrowth; however, there was a small but significant (P < 0.05) decrease in the initial delay.
The susceptibility of wood-cutting tools to corrosive wear

Abstract The machining of green (wet) wood results in unique cutting tool problems. The non-homogeneous multicomponent nature of cutting tools and the water and water solubles in the wood result in electrochemical action. Both mechanical and corrosive tool wear mechanisms are thus active in such wood cutting. The relative magnitudes of mechanical and electrochemical effects were determined by analyzing tool life data in terms of simple models of the individual wear mechanisms. It was demonstrated that under conditions conducive to electrochemical action the major part of the total wear was due to corrosion. Some of the factors determining the corrosion susceptibility of cemented carbide tools were studied by measuring the electrical potentials developed between tool components in solutions typical of those found in various woods. The results of these tests indicate that electrochemical action can be influenced by changing the tool binder material, the relative percentage of the tool binder material in the tool and the carbide grain size.