cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Properties of metal-dielectric codeposited films

Abstract Optical, electrical, mechanical and corrosion properties have been investigated in the following codeposited metal-dielectric systems: CrSiO 2 , CuSiO 2 and (Cu, Zn)SiO 2 . The studies were performed in a compositional range of 9–95% Cr, 17–87% Au, 87–99% Cu and 65–85% brass. The films were codeposited in an NRC triode sputtering unit where a variable target aperture was used to control the composition during a single pumpdown. The composite film thicknesses ranged from 200 to 1500 A. The scratch and corrosion resistance and hardness of the composite films showed considerable improvement over the metal component alone. Marked changes were observed in the reflectance and transmittance spectra with relatively small compositional changes. The data on the optical properties including solar reflectance factors DW (nm) and P %, sheet resistance, scratch and corrosion resistance are presented as a function of composition and thickness of the codeposited films.
Progress in fully functionalized organic photorefractive materials

A highlight of the recent advances in the study of fully functionalized organic photorefractive materials based on polymers, oligomers and small organic molecules is presented.© (2002) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The roles staff play in the social networks of elderly institutionalized people

This paper concerns different ways in which nursing home residents interpret their relationships with institution staff. The research on which it is based involved an anthropological social network analysis. Analysis revealed different patterns of resident-staff interaction that are described in relation to four types of personal networks. Their meaning is interpreted in terms of the tensions between residents' common needs for attachment and autonomy and their limited means to achieve satisfaction.
T Cell Immunoglobulin Mucin-3 Crystal Structure Reveals a Galectin-9-Independent Ligand-Binding Surface

Summary The T cell immunoglobulin mucin (Tim) family of receptors regulates effector CD4 + T cell functions and is implicated in autoimmune and allergic diseases. Tim-3 induces immunological tolerance, and engagement of the Tim-3 immunoglobulin variable (IgV) domain by galectin-9 is important for appropriate termination of T helper 1-immune responses. The 2 A crystal structure of the Tim-3 IgV domain demonstrated that four cysteines, which are invariant within the Tim family, form two noncanonical disulfide bonds, resulting in a surface not present in other immunoglobulin superfamily members. Biochemical and biophysical studies demonstrated that this unique structural feature mediates a previously unidentified galectin-9-independent binding process and suggested that this structural feature is conserved within the entire Tim family. The current work provided a graphic example of the relationship between sequence, structure, and function and suggested that the interplay between multiple Tim-3-binding activities contributes to the regulated assembly of signaling complexes required for effective Th1-mediated immunity.
Nucleolus: A Center of RNA Methylation

The ubiquitously distributed complex of enzymes, the RNA methylases, the apparent function of which is the alteration of the structure of transfer RNA at the macromolecular level by the introduction of methyl groups into the component bases, are concentrated in the nucleolus, an organelle previously implicated in RNA synthesis.
Brief communication: oxygen isotopes as a biomarker for sickle-cell disease? Results from transgenic mice expressing human hemoglobin S genes.

The origins of sickle-cell disease (SCD) are well understood, as are its evolutionary pressures on humans and pathological presentation. However, because it has not been possible to identify SCD in archaeological contexts, its biocultural effects on past populations are unknown. Previous research investigating oxygen iso- tope fractionation during respiration among anemics suggests that oxygen isotopes in bone apatite may pro- vide a biological marker for SCD in skeletal remains. This pilot study reports d 18 O ratios in bone apatite of transgenic laboratory mice expressing human SCD glo- bins and compares them to healthy control mice. The d 18 O ratios of sick mice are significantly lower than those of healthy mice (25.6% vs. 24.5%; P 5 0.002), and the sickest mice exhibit the lowest ratios of all (mean d 18 O 52 5.8%). These preliminary results sug- gest that this method may be usefully applied to skeletal materials of past human populations whose diets and water sources do not differ substantially. Am J Phys Anthropol 145:495-498, 2011. V V C 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc. This preliminary investigation determines whether stable oxygen isotope ratios in bone apatite may provide a biomarker for sickle-cell disease (SCD) in mice trans- genic for mutant hemoglobin S (HbS) genes. The etiology and origin of SCD are well documented. However, its presence in past human populations is difficult to assess, because it is not clearly visible in archaeological sam- ples. Here, an isotopic method for identifying SCD in bones from transgenic laboratory mice is examined. This study is the first assessing use of stable oxygen isotope ratios to identify SCD in bone. When verified, this method may be useful for identifying SCD in human skeletal remains.
Optimal Control of Tandem Cold Rolling Using A Pointwise Linear Quadratic Technique With Trims

The tandem cold rolling of metal strip is a complex multivariable process whose control presents a significant engineering challenge because of the complex interaction between the process variables, the nonlinearities (which change with operating conditions), and the interstand time delays (which change significantly with the mill speed). The present technology generally relies on a control structure that has been successful in producing an acceptable output, but has limited capability for improvement in performance. This paper describes a new strategy for control of the mill that overcomes many limitations of the present controllers. The new strategy is based on a pointwise linear quadratic technique wherein a state-dependent algebraic Riccati equation is solved pointwise to establish a control law for a multiinput-multioutput controller, with appropriate trimming functions. For this application, the features of this novel strategy compare favorably to those of other techniques for control of nonlinear systems in the areas of simplicity of implementation, provision for the use of physical intuition in the design process, and strong robustness to disturbances and uncertainties. During simulations using the new controller coupled to a nonlinear model of the process, the tolerance in mill exit thickness was ∼0.2% for several rolling schedules using mild steel during operations at steady speed and during speed changes, and in the presence of typical disturbances with uncertainties in modeling and measurement. This offers the potential for improvement over present industrial controllers, which typically hold the tolerance in mill exit thickness to within 0.5-0.8%. In addition, excursions in the individual mill stand output thicknesses and interstand tensions are reduced, which contributes to the stability of the rolling process.
The interaction of mitochondrial translational initiation factor 2 with the small ribosomal subunit.

Abstract Bovine mitochondrial translational initiation factor 2 (IF-2 mt ) is organized into four domains, an N-terminal domain, a central G-domain and two C-terminal domains. These domains correspond to domains III–VI in the six-domain model of Escherichia coli IF-2. Variants in IF-2 mt were prepared and tested for their abilities to bind the small (28S) subunit of the mitochondrial ribosome. The binding of wild-type IF-2 mt was strong ( K d ∼10–20 nM) and was not affected by fMet-tRNA. Deletion of the N-terminal domain substantially reduced the binding of IF-2 mt to 28S subunits. However, the addition of fMet-tRNA stimulated the binding of this variant at least 2-fold demonstrating that contacts between fMet-tRNA and IF-2 mt can stabilize the binding of this factor to 28S subunits. No binding was observed for IF-2 mt variants lacking the G-domain which probably plays a critical role in organizing the structure of IF-2 mt . IF-2 mt contains a 37-amino acid insertion region between domains V and VI that is not found in the prokaryotic factors. Mutations in this region caused a significant reduction in the ability of the factor to promote initiation complex formation and to bind 28S subunits.
Consumers in a multichannel environment: Product utility, process utility, and channel choice

We present a conceptual framework that clarifies the utilities that consumersusing a channel derive from both the purchase process and the purchased products, and the mutual influences between these process and product utilities. Drawing on interviews with customers, we examine how the following factors influence product and process utilities, and hence consumers’ choice and use of channels: (a) their economic goals, (b) their quest for self-affirmation, (c) their quest for symbolic meaning associated with the product and with the shopping process, (d) their quest for social interaction and experiential impact, and (e) their reliance on schemas and scripts for shopping. We examine how these factors may influence channel choice at the following three stages of the purchase process—forming a consideration set, choosing a product, and buying the product. Consumers may navigate between channels when they use distinct channels across these stages. Our analysis yielded implications for researchers examining consumer behavior in the multichannel environment and recommendations for marketing managers operating in that environment.
Comparative Characteristic Analyses of On-Campus Resident and Off-Campus Video-Based Engineering Graduate Students and Their Implications

With research now fully supporting the ability of video to disseminate off-campus graduate engineering education, it is useful to review other factors impacting on program quality. One key issue is the quality of off-campus students, particularly in comparison to their on-campus peers. The following compares on-and off-campus engineering graduate students for traditionally accepted quantitative characteristics. These include: chronological age, age of undergraduate degree, scores on the GRE Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytic test, and undergraudate quality point average.
Immune system impairment and hepatic fibrosis in mice lacking the dioxin-binding Ah receptor

The aryl hydrocarbon (Ah) receptor (AHR) mediates many carcinogenic and teratogenic effects of environmentally toxic chemicals such as dioxin. An AHR-deficient (Ahr-/-) mouse line was constructed by homologous recombination in embryonic stem cells. Almost half of the mice died shortly after birth, whereas survivors reached maturity and were fertile. The Ahr-/- mice showed decreased accumulation of lymphocytes in the spleen and lymph nodes, but not in the thymus. The livers of Ahr-/- mice were reduced in size by 50 percent and showed bile duct fibrosis Ahr-/- mice were also nonresponsive with regard to dioxin-mediated induction of genes encoding enzymes that catalyze the metabolism of foreign compounds. Thus, the AHR plays an important role in the development of the liver and the immune system.
Tolerance of the skull to blunt ballistic temporo-parietal impact

Less-lethal ballistic projectiles are used by police personnel to temporarily incapacitate suspects. While the frequency of these impacts to the head is low, they account for more serious injuries than impacts to any other body region. As a result, there is an urgent need to assess the tolerance of the head to such impacts. The focus of this study was to investigate the tolerance of the temporo-parietal skull to blunt ballistic impact and establish injury criteria for risk assessment. Seven unembalmed isolated cadaver heads were subjected to fourteen impacts. Specimens were instrumented with a nine-accelerometer array as well as strain gages surrounding the impact site. Impacts were performed with a 38 mm instrumented projectile at velocities ranging from 18 to 37 m/s. CT images and autopsies were performed to document resulting fractures. Peak fracture force for the seven resulting fractures was 5633+/-2095 N. Peak deformation for fracture-producing impacts was 7.8+/-3.2 mm. The blunt criterion (BC), peak force and principal strain were determined to be the best predictors of depressed comminuted fractures. Temporo-parietal tolerance levels were consistent with previous studies. An initial force tolerance level of 2346 N is established for the temporo-parietal region for blunt ballistic impact with a 38 mm diameter impactor.
Early Vascular Access Blood Flow as a Predictor of Long-term Vascular Access Patency in Incident Hemodialysis Patients

The long-term clinical benefits of vascular access blood flow (VABF) measurements in hemodialysis (HD) patients have been controversial. We evaluated whether early VABF may predict long-term vascular access (VA) patency in incident HD patients. We enrolled 57 patients, of whom 27 were starting HD with arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) and 30 with arteriovenous grafts (AVGs). The patients' VABF was measured monthly with the ultrasound dilution technique over the course of the first six months after the VA operation. During the 20.4-month observational period, a total of 40 VA events in 23 patients were documented. The new VA events included 13 cases of stenosis and 10 thrombotic events. The lowest quartile of average early VABF was related to the new VA events. After adjusting for covariates such as gender, age, hypertension, diabetes, VA type, hemoglobin levels, body mass index, parathyroid hormone, and calcium-phosphorus product levels, the hazard ratio of VABF (defined as <853 mL/min in AVF or <830 mL/min in AVG) to incident VA was 3.077 (95% confidence interval, 1.127-8.395; P=0.028). There were no significant relationships between early VABF parameters and VA thrombosis. It is concluded that early VABF may predict long-term VA patency, particularly VA stenosis.
ANTIBODIES TO A SPECIFIC SURFACE ANTIGEN OF T CELLS IN HUMAN SERA INHIBITING MIXED LEUKOCYTE CULTURE REACTIONS

Surface radioiodination of lymphocytes by the lactoperoxidase procedure has permitted demonstration of an assortment of different antibodies to lymphocytes in the sera of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. One type of antibody proved of special interest because it appeared to be associated with inhibition of the responder cells in the mixed leukocyte culture reactions. This reacted with an antigen on T cells and thymocytes which on sodium dodecyl sulfate acrylamide gel electrophoresis showed a molecular weight of approximately 15,000 daltons. The possible relation of this antigen to T cell receptors and products of immune response genes is discussed.
Library instruction and information literacy – 2000

This year’s annual bibliography includes materials reflecting various aspects of library instruction and information literacy. The academic literature continues to generate the greatest number of citations in these areas, but a small increase in the special libraries area was noted for 2000. The themes of standards for information literacy and assessment were apparent in all areas of the literature.
Motexafin gadolinium: a novel radiosensitizer for brain tumors

Despite advances in the field of oncology, progress for patients with brain metastases and most primary brain tumors has been slow. New efforts to enhance the therapeutic index of radiation therapy are under way, including the use of radiosensitizers. Motexafin gadolinium (Xcytrin) is one such novel agent with several unique properties that enhance the cytotoxic potential of radiation therapy, as well as several chemotherapeutic agents, and possibly has independent cytotoxicity in certain lymphoid malignancies. Motexafin gadolinium is very well tolerated with tumor specific uptake. The rationale for the use of this drug as well as its current and future role as a radiation enhancer in the management of brain tumors is reviewed.
Loss of Telomerase Activity During Male Germ Cell Differentiation

Although the activity of telomerase, an enzyme which synthesizes telomeres de novo and stabilizes telomere length has been demonstrated in the testis, the precise expression of activity in different germ cell types is not known. We examined telomerase activity using a PCR-based telomeric repeat amplification protocol during development of the rat testis from birth to adulthood. Telomerase activity was relatively high from birth to the 4th week of age, and then low between the 5th to 10th week, suggesting that the type A spermatogonial stem cells may be the population which is expressing the highest levels of telomerase activity. To ascertain which germ cells expresses the telomerase activity, purified populations of type A spermatogonia from 9-day old rats, and pachytene spermatocytes, round spermatids and epididymal spermatozoa from adult rats were isolated. While type A spermatogonia expressed very strong telomerase activity, the fractions containing pachytene spermatocytes and round spermatids also expressed telomerase activity, but at comparatively lower levels. Telomerase activity was totally absent in epididymal spermatozoa. Thus, it appears that the telomerase activity is expressed at high levels in the type A spermatogonial stem cells, is down-regulated during spermatogenesis, and is absent in the differentiated spermatozoa.
ESTIMATION OF ENDOCRANIAL VOLUME THROUGH THE USE OF EXTERNAL SKULL MEASURES IN THE CARNIVORA (MAMMALIA)

Abstract Allometric relationships of brain and body size in the mammalian order Carnivora have been studied with respect to the pattern and timing of brain-size evolution and aspects of life history, adaptation, and ecology. Analyses of character evolution are aided by inclusion of relevant fossil data; however, endocranial volumes for fossil taxa have been limited to a few cases of extraordinary preservation, reducing the power of analyses. A method for estimating the volume of the brain from external braincase measurements of extant carnivorans is developed here. Multiple linear regression, combined with Akaike information criterion–based model averaging, was employed to predict endocranial volume from 3 external skull measures for 825 museum specimens of 126 extant terrestrial taxa spanning the Carnivora. The AIC-averaged model accurately predicted endocranial volumes for carnivoran taxa (R2 = 0.983), and the results were robust to potential sampling problems. Moreover, the model did not reflect phylog...
The Circadian Clock in Oral Health and Diseases

Most physiological processes in mammals display circadian rhythms that are driven by the endogenous circadian clock. This clock is comprised of a central component located in the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus and subordinate clocks in peripheral tissues. Circadian rhythms sustain 24-hour oscillations of a large number of master genes controlling the correct timing and synchronization of diverse physiological and metabolic processes within our bodies. This complex regulatory network provides an important communication link between our brain and several peripheral organs and tissues. At the molecular level, circadian oscillations of gene expression are regulated by a family of transcription factors called “clock genes”. Dysregulation of clock gene expression results in diverse human pathological conditions, including autoimmune diseases and cancer. There is increasing evidence that the circadian clock affects tooth development, salivary gland and oral epithelium homeostasis, and saliva production. Th...
The critical radius in CDMA ad hoc networks

In ad hoc networks, it is necessary to suppress transmissions by nodes around the desired receiver in order to achieve successful communication. This minimum separation, the critical radius, has important implications on carrier sensing and other MAC-level protocols. Previously, the critical radius has not been well understood. The critical radius is investigated in CDMA ad hoc networks, with non-spread spectrum ad hoc networks being a special case where the spreading gain is unity. It is shown that the size of this exclusion zone has a large impact on the transmission capacity of ad hoc networks, and an optimal critical radius is found using stochastic geometry.
Expression of proteins that inhibit calcium oxalate crystallization in vitro in the urine of normal and stone-forming individuals.

The factors precipitating clinically active calcium oxalate (CaOx) urolithiasis are not known. This study examined the relationships between urinary proteins that inhibit CaOx crystallization in vitro and the incidence of CaOx urolithiasis. The first hypothesis is that levels of urinary CaOx crystallization inhibitors differ between clinically active stone formers (SFs) and normal individuals. The second hypothesis is that lower levels of urinary CaOx crystallization inhibitors contribute to the two- to threefold greater incidence of CaOx urolithiasis in males compared with females. These hypotheses were derived from previous observations on the expression of urinary inter-a-trypsin inhibitor trimer (IaTI-trimer) in normal and stone-forming individuals. The proteins of void urine samples from normal volunteers (24 males, 19 females) and CaOx-SFs (26 males, 16 females) were resolved by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Immunoreactive IaTI-trimer, osteopontin, and prothrombin were detected by immunoblot plus enhanced chemiluminescence; the relative densities of the bands were then determined. With the exception of IaTI-trimer ( P ≤ 0.026, approximately twofold), there was no difference in the relative densities of CaOx crystallization inhibitors in the urine of normal and CaOx stone-forming individuals. Thus, there does not appear to be a generalized increase or decrease in levels of CaOx crystallization inhibitory proteins between normal and CaOx stone-forming individuals. The relative density of IaTI-trimer was approximately threefold greater in females than in males ( P ≤ 0.001). Differences in the relative densities of the other CaOx crystallization inhibitors were small and of questionable physiological importance. These data do not support the hypothesis that males have a greater incidence of CaOx urolithiasis because of a generalized decrease in urinary CaOx crystallization inhibitory protein levels.
Possible mechanisms underlying pregnancy-induced changes in uterine artery endothelial function

The last 10 years has seen a dramatic increase in our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the pregnancy-specific adaptation in cardiovascular function in general and the dramatic changes that occur in uterine artery endothelium in particular to support the growing fetus. The importance of these changes is clear from a number of studies linking restriction of uterine blood flow (UBF) and/or endothelial dysfunction and clinical conditions such as intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and/or preeclampsia in both humans and animal models; these topics are covered only briefly here. The recent developments that prompts this review are twofold. The first is advances in an understanding of the cell signaling processes that regulate endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in particular (Govers R and Rabelink TJ. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 280: F193-F206, 2001). The second is the emerging picture that uterine artery (UA) endothelial cell production of nitric oxide (NO) as well as prostacyclin (PGI2) may be as much a consequence of cellular reprogramming at the level of cell signaling as due to tonic stimuli inducing changes in the level of expression of eNOS or the enzymes of the PGI2 biosynthetic pathway (cPLA2, COX-1, PGIS). In reviewing just how we came to this conclusion and outlining the implications of such a finding, we draw mostly on data from ovine or human studies, with reference to other species only where directly relevant.
An application of the WKBJ technique to the on-surface radiation condition

The on-surface radiation condition method and the WKBJ method for approximating solutions to differential equations are used to derive an analytic formula for the surface currents on a two-dimensional perfectly conducting convex target. The currents are induced by an incident TE-polarized plane wave. The case of a circular cylinder is used to demonstrate the usefulness of the combined methods. It is shown that a two-term expansion yields good results for the surface currents and excellent results for the ensuing bistatic radar cross section. >
FERMENTATION OF SOYMILK WITH COMMERCIAL FREEZE-DRIED STARTER LACTIC CULTURES

Fresh soymilk was prepared with 9:1 and 7:1, water:dry soybeans ratio, and fermented with commercial freeze-dried starter cultures comprising three lactics, L. acidophilus. S. thermophilus, and L. bulgaricus. pH and titratable acidity reached their lowest and highest values, respectively, after 8 h of incubation at 43° C. Addition of sucrose did not influence pH or titratable acidity, and utilization of carbohydrate was 0.4%, (expressed as sucrose), irrespective of the initial sucrose level in the soymilk. Taste testing indicated that soy yogurt (4% sucrose, 8 h of incubation), with a final pH of 4.5 and titratable acidity of < 0.5%, expressed as lactic acid, was the most acceptable product. Its storage stability at 5°C exceeded 3 weeks.
Metastatic renal cell carcinoma presenting as a parotid tumor: A case report with immunohistochemical findings and a review of the literature

Renal cell carcinoma presenting as an asymptomatic parotid mass is rare. Only 15 cases have been reported. We describe a 72-year-old man with widespread metastatic renal cell carcinoma presenting with a 2-year history of a slowly enlarging left parotid mass. Needle biopsy revealed a clear cell neoplasm. Immunoperoxidase studies for carcinoembryonic antigen were negative while those for vimentin and keratin were positive, consistent with a renal cell carcinoma. This is the first case reported in which the immunohistochemical findings of positive staining for vimentin and keratin have confirmed the presence of metastatic renal cell carcinoma. The histochemical features of various parotid clear cell tumors, as well as a review of renal cell tumors presenting as a parotid mass, will be discussed.
Intensity dependence of light-induced states in transient absorption of laser-dressed helium measured with isolated attosecond pulses

Light-induced states in He atoms were characterized using attosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. A 400 as pulse covering the 20–24 eV spectral range serves as the probe pulse, and the effect of a few-cycle near infrared pulse (12 fs, 780 nm) on the absorption spectrum is measured as a function of time delay and near-infrared intensities varying from (5.0 ± 2) × 1010 to (1 ± 0.4) × 1013 W/cm2. Light-induced states resulting from near-infrared coupling of 1s2p to 1s2s, 1s3d, and 1s3s states are observed. Absorption features that likely result from coupling of 1s3p to 1s4s, 1s4d, 1s5s, and 1s5d states are also observed. The light-induced states with the smallest detunings (1s3d and 1s3s) from the dressing frequency may shift to higher frequencies as the dressing intensity is increased.
Relation of early childhood growth and wheezing phenotypes to adult lung function

Rationale Several studies have reported associations between indicators of birth size and postnatal growth rates with levels of pulmonary function achieved as adults. The objective of this study was to determine if levels and/or rates of weight gain, measured in early life (birth-6 years), are associated with FVC or FEV1 levels achieved in young adulthood and if these associations differ by early childhood wheezing phenotypes. Methods We used data from participants in the Tucson Children's Respiratory Study (CRS), a prospective birth cohort study. Weight was measured quarterly up to age 3 years and again at age 6 years. Pulmonary function was assessed at ages 16 and 22. Mean weight and slope of weight growth between 3 and 6 years were estimated using standardized residuals. Longitudinal models were used to determine predictors of FVC and FEV1 at ages 16 and 22 years. Results There were 127 non-Hispanic white subjects that had at least four weight measures and one or more pulmonary function measures as young adults. After adjusting for sex, height, and age, the standardized slope of weight growth (between 3 and 6 years) was positively associated with higher levels of FVC at age 16 and 22 years (P = 0.0001) among subjects who did not have preschool wheezing. However, this association was completely absent among subjects who had wheezing lower respiratory tract illnesses in the first 3 years of life. Similar trends were found for FEV1. Conclusion The rate of weight gain between 3 and 6 years is significantly positively related to adult FVC and FEV1 and this association is modified by early wheezy phenotypes. Pediatr. Pulmonol. 2011; 46:956–963. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Occupational injury in America: An analysis of risk factors using data from the General Social Survey (GSS).

Abstract Introduction Although much is known about the distribution of occupational injury in terms of various job and employment factors, considerably less is known about other possible risk factors, particularly those involving psychosocial and organizational factors. These factors have not been emphasized in most injury surveillance systems or large scale, population based surveys. Method In this study, data from the 2002 General Social Survey (GSS) and NIOSH Quality of Work Life (QWL) module were used to examine the risk of occupational injury in terms of socio-demographic factors, employment characteristics, and organizational factors. Results The most informative results were obtained from Poisson regression analyses, which identified race, occupational category, and work-family interference as risk factors, and safety climate and organizational effectiveness as protective factors for occupational injury. These results provide guidance for targeting interventions and protective measures to curtail occupational injury in the United States.
An interaction framework for multiagent systems

A multiagent system is a system that is composed of multiple autonomous agents. Autonomous agents are given the right and the responsibility to make decisions based on their perceptions and goals. Agents are also constrained by their capabilities, the environment and the system with which they reside. An agent within the system may need to coordinate with another agent in the system. This coordination may allow the agent to give updates from sensor readings, communicate updated map information or allow the agent to work on a cooperative task such as lifting an object. To coordinate agents must be able to communicate with one another. To communicate agents must have a communication medium. The medium is the conduit through which the information flows. Additionally there must be a set of rules to govern which agent talks at what time. This set of rules is called a communication protocol. To effectively and efficiently communicate all agents participating in the communication must be using compatible protocols. Robotic agents can be placed in diverse environment and there are multiple avenues for communication failure. Current multiagent systems use fixed communication protocols to allow agents to interact with one another. Using fixed protocols in an error prone environment can lead to a high rate of system failure. To address these issues, I propose that a formal framework for interaction be defined. The framework should allow agents to choose new interaction protocols when the current protocol they are using fails. A formal framework allows automated tools to reason over the possible choices of interaction protocols. The tools can enumerate the protocols that will allow the agent to achieve its desired goal.
Rotation invariant texture classification based on a directional filter bank

This paper presents a rotation invariant texture classification method using a special directional filter bank (DFB). The new method extracts a set of coefficient vectors from the directional subband domain, and models them with multivariate Gaussian density. Eigen-analysis is then applied to the covariance metrics of these density functions to form rotation invariant feature vectors. Classification is based on the distance between known and unknown feature vectors. Two distance measures are studied in this work, including the Kullback-Leibler distance and the Euclidean distance. Experimental results have shown that this DFB is very effective in capturing directional information of texture images, and the proposed rotation invariant feature generation and classification method can in fact achieve high classification accuracy on both non-rotated and rotated images
Evaluating the evaluation: a case study using the TREC 2002 question answering track

Evaluating competing technologies on a common problem set is a powerful way to improve the state of the art and hasten technology transfer. Yet poorly designed evaluations can waste research effort or even mislead researchers with faulty conclusions. Thus it is important to examine the quality of a new evaluation task to establish its reliability. This paper provides an example of one such assessment by analyzing the task within the TREC 2002 question answering track. The analysis demonstrates that comparative results from the new task are stable, and empirically estimates the size of the difference required between scores to confidently conclude that two runs are different.
Preventing race condition attacks on file-systems

Race condition attacks occur when a process performs a sequence of operations on a file, under the assumption that the operations are being executed "atomically". This can be exploited by a malicious process which changes the characteristics of that file between two successive operations on it by a victim process, thus, inducing the victim process to operate on a modified or diflerent file. In this paper we present a practical approach to detect and prevent such race condition attacks. We monitor file operations and enforce policies which prevent the exploitation of the temporal window between any consecutive file operations by a process. Our approach does not rely on knowledge of previously known attacks. In addition, our experiments on Linux demonstrated that attacks can be detected with false alarms of less than 3% with performance overheads less than 8% of the processes execution time.
Trends in Educational Assortative Marriage From 1940 to 2003

This paper reports trends in educational assortative marriage from 1940 to 2003 in the United States. Analyses of census and Current Population Survey data show that educational homogamy decreased from 1940 to 1960 but increased from 1960 to 2003. From 1960 to the early 1970s, increases in educational homogamy were generated by decreasing intermarriage among groups of relatively well-educated persons. College graduates, in particular, were increasingly likely to marry each other rather than those with less education. Beginning in the early 1970s, however, continued increases in the odds of educational homogamy were generated by decreases in intermarriage at both ends of the education distribution. Most striking is the decline in the odds that those with very low levels of education marry up. Intermarriage between college graduates and those with “some college” continued to decline but at a more gradual pace. As intermarriage declined at the extremes of the education distribution, intermarriage among those in the middle portion of the distribution increased. These trends, which are similar for a broad cross section of married couples and for newlyweds, are consistent with a growing social divide between those with very low levels of education and those with more education in the United States.
Ozonation for the chemical modification of carbon surfaces in fly ash

1 Brown University, Providence RI, 2 Electric Power Research Institute, 3 PCI-WedecoKEYWORDS: concrete, beneficiation, LOI, air entrainmentINTRODUCTIONA practical problem with fly ash concrete is the tendency of residual carbon in ash tointerfere with the air entrainment process. Porous carbon adsorbs the chemicalsurfactants (air entraining admixtures, or AEAs) used to generate and stabilize a micro-void system in concrete pastes, as shown by Helmuth (1987), Freeman et al. (1997),and Hill et al. (1997). Without a sufficient network of sub-millimeter air bubbles,concrete fails under internal pressure generated by the freezing and expansion oftrapped residual water. About two-thirds of the concrete in North America is airentrained (Dolch, 1995), and this surfactant adsorption phenomenon is the primarydriving force for national and regional regulations limiting the carbon content of ashused in concrete. Recent work by Freeman et al. (1997), Gao et al. (1998), and Yu etal. (2000) clearly demonstrate great variability in the extent to which field ash samplesadsorb AEAs. This recent work has identified the following four primary factorsgoverning ash adsorptivity:1. the mass fraction carbon2. the total surface area of the carbon3. the accessibility of that surface, as governed by particle size and pore size distribution4. the carbon surface chemistry.The inorganic fraction of ash is found to play a minor role in AEA adsorption.The role of carbon surface chemistry is particularly apparent from the behavior of ashduring thermal oxidation in air. Introduction of surface oxides by exposure to air at 350-450 C has been observed by Hachmann et al (1998) to significantly reduce subsequentAEA adsorption without consuming a measurable amount of carbon. In contrast,treatment in inert gas at temperatures sufficient to drive-off many pre-existing surfaceoxides (900 o C) has been observed to
Renal venous diversion: An unusual treatment for renal vein thrombosis

Renal venous thrombosis most commonly occurs in the setting of nephrotic syndrome, hypercoagulability, or dehydration. This can usually be treated with systemic anticoagulation, and the diversion is via natural draining tributaries, eg, adrenal, lumbar, or gonadal veins. Occasionally, renal venous thrombosis results from extension of a thrombotic process, such as a large renal cell carcinoma with tumor thrombus extension into the infrahepatic inferior vena cava resulting in thrombosis of the inferior vena cava and contralateral renal vein. Herein, we report a case of left renal vein thrombosis relieved by diversion through the inferior mesenteric vein.
Purified By Supervenience: A Case Study in the Uses of Supervenience in Confirmation

This paper explores the use of supervenience in clarifying and elucidating debates about empirical arguments surrounding the mind-body problem and mental causation. In particular, it examines William James’s famous evolutionary argument against epiphenomenalism, and shows that concepts associated with supervenience—in combination with Bayesianism—can transform our understanding of how the evidence the argument adduces should be handled. After providing a thorough critique and updating of the traditional argument using the tools provided by supervenience, objections to the general approach are also addressed.
Disturbances in Renal Autoregulation and the Susceptibility to Hypertension-Induced Chronic Kidney Disease

The risk of developing chronic kidney disease in the setting of hypertension varies among patient populations. Black hypertensive patients have an increased risk of developing hypertension-induced chronic kidney disease even after taking into account socioeconomic factors. There is evidence to suggest that the kidney is intrinsically more susceptible to the damaging effects of hypertension in black patients. This susceptibility can be traced to disturbances in the way the kidney autoregulates. Impaired renal autoregulation may be the renal manifestation of a more widespread abnormality in endothelial function. Other conditions that can impair renal autoregulation and add to the risk of chronic kidney disease include low birth weight, obesity, insulin resistance, hyperuricemia, and hypercholesterolemia. To minimize the risk of chronic kidney disease in patients with impaired renal autoregulatory capability, strict blood pressure control is required. There is indirect evidence that blocking the renin-angiotensin system may improve renal autoregulation.
The Manpower Situation in Southern Agriculture

AMAJOR share of the national interest in manpower problems long ago turned to the South as a region and to southern agriculture as a particular feature of the regional perspective. An imbalance of resources is generally assumed to prevail in the South, but perhaps the real magnet of interest in recent years has been the dynamics of adjustment. Industrial development, inter-regional migration, and farm technology have combined to make of the South a laboratory for the study of basic economic change. It is not possible in this paper to do an exhaustive analysis of the varied implications of the whole, resurgent southern economy. Rather, an attempt is made here to measure some of the major realignments in manpower use in southern agriculture and to appraise a few outstanding consequences. Sufficient data never are available even for so limited an objective. But the main sources have been tapped for a factual presentation. Besides the Censuses, these include the farm employment and wage rate series of the Bureau of Agricultural Economics and the results of a program of farm manpower research carried out by BAE in cooperation with the Bureau of Employment Security and Land-Grant colleges. Between 1940 and 1952 farm employment in the United States decreased by more than 2,000,000 workers, or about one-fifth. The decrease took place among all categories of farm workers, including farm operators, unpaid family workers, and hired farm workers. This substantial decline was the result of extensive migration from farms under war and postwar conditions of full employment in the economy as a whole, widespread gains in mechanization of agriculture, and a reduction in the number of farms. During these same years, however, total farm output increased by some 30 percent and farm output per man hour of labor rose by more than half over that in 1940.
An adaptive MAC for HomePlug Green PHY PLC to support realistic smart grid applications

HomePlug Green PHY (HPGP), designed to address the needs of Smart Grids, uses the carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) scheme to define its multiple access control (MAC). Similar to the IEEE 802.11, the MAC efficiency of HPGP protocol degrades when the number of users increases. This paper examines a comprehensive high-load simulation of the IEEE 802.11 DCF backoff mechanism, compares the performance of this mechanism with the performance of P1901/HomePlug MAC, and introduces a constant contention window MAC — a novel MAC protocol that maximizes efficiency in a heavily-loaded smart grid environment. In the proposed MAC protocol, every node generates a run-time channel traffic estimation and an adaptive contention window size adjustment. We demonstrate that, whereas the HPGP's MAC efficiency drops down to about 15%, the proposed adaptive MAC protocol retains its efficiency at about 81% with up to 100 users.
In the Eye of the Beholder [Turnstile]

Discusses the concepts and philosophical issues expressed in the book, "Finding Nature’s Deep Design" by Frank Wilczek (winner of the 2004 Nobel Prize).
Inhibitory effect of nitrogen mustard (bis beta-chloroethyl amine) on lesions of experimental serum hypersensitiveness.

SummaryPeriodic intravenous injections of the nitrogen mustard, bis beta-chloroethyl amine, suppressed both antibody formation and the development of vascular lesions in rabbits injected intravenously with a massive dose of horse serum. The incidence of vascular lesions was directly correlated with the amount of antibody produced, since all rabbits with terminal amounts of antibody in excess of 0.06 mg nitrogen per ml exhibited vascular lesions. Cutaneous hypersensitiveness failed to develop in rabbits which did not produce detectable amounts of anitbody.
Group forating in colonial web-building spiders

Colonial orb-weaving spiders from Mexico were studied to test predictions of risksensitive foraging theory: 1. group foraging increases prey capture/individual, and reduces prey variance; 2. spiders should be expected to exhibit risk-averse behavior (forage in groups) when the average level of prey exceeds individual needs, and exhibit risk-prone behavior (forage solitarily) when prey are searce. Laboratory and field studies show that group foraging increases capture efficiency and reduces variability in prey captured per spider. In desert/mesquite grassland habitat, where prey availability is low, M. atascadero forage solitarily in most cases. In tropical rainforest/agriculture sites, M. increassata forage in large colonies of thousands of webs. In intermediate habitats, M. spinipes forages solitarily or in groups, depending on prey availability. Over a range of sites with varying levels of prey, M. spinipes shifts from a risk-prone to a risk-averse group foraging strategy as prey increases. Group foraging behavior observed in colonial Metepeira fits the predictions of risk-sensitive foraging models. These findings explain why spiders tend to group webs together only in areas of superabundant prey. The role of risk-sensitivity in the evolution of coloniality in spiders is discussed.
Empirical Prediction Models for Training-Group Assignment:

A double cross-validation procedure consisting of 58 subjects in Sample 1 and 40 subjects in Sample 2 was used to develop combined sample empirical prediction models for assigning students to one of two training conditions based upon predicted training time for each type of training. The effectiveness of these multiple regression equations for training-group assignment was tested in a subsequent study. In the study evaluating the assignment procedures, 40 students were assigned to either a fixed-difficulty or adaptive training situation based upon their shorter predicted training time (optimal assignment). An additional 40 students were assigned to a training group based upon their longer predicted training time (mismatched assignment). Finally, a control group of 40 students was randomly assigned to one of the two training conditions. Using multiple linear regression models and predicted training times to match students to training alternatives resulted in a 47% savings in training time compared to rando...
Investing in People Who Inject Drugs: A PrEPonderance of Opportunities.

Bernard and colleagues' study highlights key points about PrEP for PWID, one of which is the staggering financial resources required. However, deaths due to opioid overdose in 2014 eclipsed the num...
The practice of enhancing the quality of specialized pediatric nursing care and its evaluation

Objective: To explore the effect of specialized nursing care in enhancing quality of nursing care, and patient satisfaction. Method: A new system was used in evaluating quality of nursing care and patient satisfaction before and after the implementation of the specialized nursing care. Results: After the implementation of the specialized nursing care, there was a significant improvement in ward management, fundamental nursing care, nursing documentation, nursing procedure, emergency medicine management, disinfection, isolation and patient satisfaction, and an incidence decrease in nursing care defects. The differences were all statistically significant. Conclusion: The implementation of the specialized nursing care is able to improve quality of nursing care, enhance patient satisfaction, reduce the incidence of nursing care defects, and improve nurse-patient relationship.