cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Factors Affecting the Successful Implementation of a Common Assignment for First-Year Composition Information Literacy

This article describes a two-year pilot program in which instruction librarians introduced a common assignment to measure information literacy in freshman composition courses. The resultant artifacts showed discrepancies between course sections and indicated the need to design an assignment collaboratively with instructors from the ground up. The process revealed nuances of collaboration, and it exposed assumptions about sharing learning goals across multiple sections of a course taught by a diverse group of instructors. Although the first year of the pilot did not result in usable data, it revealed key factors for success in programmatic assessment that we were able to implement in the second year, resulting in a much stronger leadership role for the library.
Faster checking of software specifications by eliminating isomorphs

Both software specifications and their intended properties can be expressed in a simple relational language. The claim that a specification satisfies a property becomes a relational formula that can be checked automatically by enumerating the formula's interpretations. Because the number of interpretations is usually huge, this approach has not been thought to be practical. But by eliminating isomorphic interpretations, the enumeration can be reduced substantially, with a factor of roughly k! contributed by each type of k elements.
Molecular field effects in Mössbauer spectra of FeSb2O4

Mossbauer effect measurements have been made using57Fe in FeSb2O4. At liquid helium temperature a combined electric quadrupole and magnetic hyperfine interaction is observed withHeff=185±2 kOe, 1/2e2qQ=2.94±0.09 mm/sec and α=0.37±0.09. The direction ofHeff is perpendicular to thec axis of the crystal and at 33° to the direction. Thec axis is determined to be the direction of the intermediate principal EFG tensor axis. Calculations are made using a molecular field term in the Hamiltonian for the Fe2+ orbitals. The results of these calculations are used to explain the observed values of 1/2e2qQ and η and permit a determination of the ordring of the T2g orbitals among the T2g energy levels.
Substrate-mediated DNA delivery: role of the cationic polymer structure and extent of modification.

DNA complex immobilization to substrates that support cell adhesion can enhance gene transfer by maintaining DNA within the cellular environment while limiting complex aggregation. This report examines the tether design (e.g., extent of functionalization) and cationic polymer structure for their effect on complex binding to the substrate and cellular transfection. DNA is complexed with cationic polymers (polylysine, PL; polyethylenimine, PEI), which are functionalized with biotin for binding to a neutravidin (NA) substrate. Surfaces densities ranging from 0.4 to 2.6 μg DNA/cm2 were obtained for PL, and from 0.7 to 1.0 μg DNA/cm2 for PEI. The distribution of biotin groups for PL/DNA complexes had a dual effect on cellular transfection. Increasing the fraction of PL with biotin residues decreased luciferase activity; however, increasing the number of biotin residues per PL increased luciferase activity. For PEI, the number of biotin groups present on the complex did not affect transgene expression. Release studies demonstrated that 20–30% of the immobilized DNA was released over 8 days, with 8–20% released during the first 24 h. Enzymatic degradation of cationic polymers is not necessary for transfection. Additionally, the duration of transgene expression was extended for surface-mediated delivery relative to bolus delivery.
Treatment of chronic rhinitis by an allergy specialist improves quality of life outcomes.

Background Allergic rhinitis is associated with significant impairment in quality of life and therefore has a significant impact on the indirect health care costs associated with treatment of chronic rhinitis in the United States. It has been stated that early intervention in the treatment of chronic rhinitis by an allergy specialist improves health outcomes but few unbiased studies have been conducted to substantiate this claim. Objective This study measured quality of life outcomes in the treatment of chronic rhinitis by an allergy specialist. Methods Quality of life changes were assessed using the Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ) and the "Short-Form" 36-item questionnaire (SF-36) in patients before and after treatment of chronic rhinitis symptoms by a board-certified allergist. Patients with chronic rhinitis were asked by a 3rd year medical student to complete these questionnaires prior to any contact with the allergist. Treatment by the allergist included counseling on avoidance measures when appropriate and a new medication regimen. Patients were contacted by the 3rd year medical student 3 to 5 months later to complete follow-up RQLQ and SF-36 surveys. All data analysis was conducted independently by the 3rd year medical student. Results Complete sets of pre-treatment and post-treatment surveys were obtained from 19 patients. Perennial allergic rhinitis was diagnosed for 13 patients, perennial allergic rhinitis with a seasonal component was diagnosed for three patients, vasomotor rhinitis was diagnosed for two patients and mixed allergic and non-allergic rhinitis was diagnosed for one patient. Statistically significant improvement was observed in four of the nine health concepts measured by the SF-36 questionnaire. Significant changes above the minimal important difference (MID) were observed post-treatment in six of eight RQLQ dimensions. Conclusions This study indicates that intervention by a board-certified allergist significantly improves many areas of health-related quality of life. Further studies comparing health care outcomes and costs of treating chronic rhinitis by primary care physicians to early intervention by allergy specialists are warranted.
The Epidemiology of DHEAS and Cardiovascular Disease

In 1986 we reported that high levels of plasma dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) reduced the risk of fatal cardiovascular disease (CVD) in 242 men and increased the risk in 289 women from the Rancho Bernardo cohort who were followed up for 12 years. We report here an update on the epidemiology of DHEAS and CVD based on a 19-year follow-up of 1,029 men and 942 women aged 30-88 years from the same cohort. In cross-sectional analyses, DHEAS levels decreased with age in both sexes and were lower in women than men. Men who were overweight were more likely to have low DHEAS levels; women who had hypercholesterolemia or hypertension or were nonusers of estrogen therapy had higher DHEAS levels. Alcohol intake and cigarette smoking were associated with higher DHEAS levels in both sexes. All differences were no longer statistically significant after adjusting for alcohol intake. All participants were followed for vital status. After 19 years there were 254 CVD deaths in men and 199 CVD deaths in women. DHEAS was not associated with CVD or ischemic heart disease (IHD) deaths in age-adjusted analyses where the comparison group was individuals without CVD or IHD death. In contrast, when the comparison group was survivors, multiply adjusted models showed a statistically significant, modestly reduced risk of fatal CVD (RR = 0.85) in men and a nonsignificant increased risk of fatal CVD (RR = 1.11) in women.
On the Exegetical Function of the Abraham/Ravens Tradition in Jubilees 11

Those familiar with the biblical Abraham cycle and its surrounding traditions no doubt find odd the account in Jubilees 11 of the young Abraham, or Abram, and his strivings against rapacious crows. This story does not lend itself as readily to explanation as do, for example, the exegetical accounts in Jubilees of Abram's conversion to monotheism and his study of astronomy.' According to Jubilees 11, well before Abram's birth, the land of his fathers was devastated by swarms of ravens that would eat the farmers' seed before it was covered by the ground. The problem persisted until Abram was "two weeks of years old," at which time he went out with the planters and drove the birds away. He continued doing this until the harvest, and thus the plague was lifted for that year. In the following year, Abram taught the "skillful woodworkers" to make a plow that inserted the seed directly into the ground, thus rendering the crows' efforts ineffective and freeing the farmers from their fear of the ravens.2 To date there has been no successful attempt to explain the provenance of this unusual pericope. The few works that treat it tend to focus on its counterparts in other literatures, on its reflections in later writings, or on the contextual role of the story with respect to Jubilees as a whole.3 The purpose of this short study is to probe the origins of this account in Jubilees by emulating James L. Kugel's well-established modus operandi. Kugel argues that the origins of postbiblical traditions, especially those ostensibly linked to the Hebrew Bible, may often be attributed to the desire to reconcile a perceived conflict in the canon.
Organic matter contained in soil aggregates from a tropical chronosequence: correction for sand and light fraction.

Abstract A cultivation sequence of Ultisols (sandy loam) from the Amazon Basin of Peru was physically fractionated using wet sieving followed by heavy liquid separation and total organic C and N analysis. Soils were sampled to an equivalent plow depth (22.5 cm) in a cultivation chronosequence containing the following treatments: an old growth forest (75 plus years), a 13-year fallowed forest, a 3-year continuous cultivation corn-soybean rotation following a 10-year forest fallow and a 16-year intensively managed corn field. The soil was air dried and re-wetted (misted) to field capacity before shaking for 10 min and wet sieving into five size classes: 1.0 mm. The weight of soil, total organic C and N, and percent sand was determined on each size class. Subsamples of each size class were gently stirred in sodium metatungstate (specific gravity = 1.8), left overnight and the floating material removed by aspiration. The removed material was filtered through pre-ashed glass fiber filters and analyzed for total organic C and N. The sand content of size classes ranged from 45 to 95%. Light fraction C comprised 24, 28, 14, 5 and 2% of the total C of the size classes ranging from the largest to smallest particle sizes. Total C concentrations were highest in the largest and smallest particle size classes. Within any size class, all treatments had similar C concentration except for the We applied methods that allowed correction of soil organic matter in aggregate size classes and suggest the importance of such corrections when interpreting aggregate organic matter data. Trends in organic matter concentrations were quite different when fractions were corrected for light fraction and sand content compared to when they were not corrected.
Interpolation and denoising of nonuniformly sampled data using wavelet-domain processing

We link concepts from nonuniform sampling, smoothness function spaces, interpolation, and denoising to derive a suite of multiscale, maximum-smoothness interpolation algorithms. We formulate the interpolation problem as the optimization of finding the signal that matches the given samples with smallest norm in a function smoothness space. For signals in the Besov space B/sub q//sup /spl alpha// (L/sub p/), the optimization corresponds to convex programming in the wavelet domain; for signals in the Sobolev space W/sup /spl alpha//(L/sub 2/), the optimization reduces to a simple weighted least-squares problem. An optional wavelet shrinkage regularization step makes the algorithm suitable for even noisy sample data, unlike classical approaches such as bandlimited and spline interpolation.
Virtual reality applications

Virtual reality, known as VR, is a system in which a user encounters a computer simulated environment through the use of a physical interface. The user can interact with the environment to the point of becoming a part of a the experience and the experience becomes reality. In this environment, natural and instinctive body movements are translated by the interface into computer commands. The author looks at the applications of VR. >
Lipids of the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris

The lipid composition of the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris has been reexamined under conditions intended to avoid enzymatic and chemical alterations during storage, extraction, and fractionation procedures. The simple lipids included aliphatic hydrocarbons, steryl esters, glycerides, and at least nine different sterols, all thought to be derived from the diet. Free fatty acids, previously considered to be major components of worm lipids, comprised only 0.3% of the total lipid weight. Phospholipids included (in order of relative abundance) phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, and phosphatidylinositol, as well as sphingomyelin. Glycolipids included cerebrosides and sulfatides containing both glucose and galactose, and gangliosides containing glucosamine and sialic acid. The fatty acid compositions of these lipid classes appeared to be a mixture of what are considered typical plant, bacterial, and animal acids. Several fatty acids found in the worms, including cis-vaccenic and eicosapentaenoic acids, were essentially absent from the dietary components, and it is concluded that these acids were synthesized in the worms. The earthworm derives much of its lipid adventitiously, but exerts at least some control over its tissue lipid composition.
Stronger influence of maternal than paternal obesity on infant and early childhood body mass index: the Fels Longitudinal Study.

Excessive early childhood adiposity is a prevalent and increasing concern in many parts of the world,1 particularly given the difficulty in reversing overweight/obesity once it is established2 and the subsequent associated morbidity and mortality.3–5 Parental obesity is one of several factors previously associated with infant body size. Prior studies have consistently shown that maternal body mass index (BMI) is positively associated with offspring birth weight and/or BMI6–11 and less consistently correlated with birth length,6,8 implying the maternal environment plays a substantial role in determining birth anthropometrics. Many studies also reported correlations between maternal BMI and offspring weight, BMI, and/or adiposity from birth-3 years,7,8,11–16 although some did not.6,17–19 Conversely, paternal BMI has generally not been associated with infant birth size.6,8,10 While less frequently examined, associations between paternal BMI and offspring weight and/or BMI tend to emerge later; specifically, associations were first observed at ≤3 years in most studies,6–8,11,13,14 were not observed until 712 years in another, and were nonsignificant in the remainder.17,19 Fewer studies have formally compared parental obesity effects. A handful of studies reported significantly stronger correlations for offspring birth anthropometrics with maternal versus paternal BMI,6,8–11 but only one found a stronger maternal BMI association in later infancy.14 Large cohort studies examining offspring BMI in middle- and later-childhood have not substantiated this greater maternal BMI effect, however,20,21 suggesting maternal effects are only stronger in the early postnatal period. A minority of published studies performed longitudinal analyses,6,7,18 while most have presented correlations between parental BMI and offspring anthropometrics at selected time points.8–17,19 The relative effects of different determinants of infant BMI may vary during this period of very rapid growth, however, rendering a growth modeling approach more valuable. Establishing a better understanding of the differential effects of parental BMI on infant growth, including timing of these effects, is an important step toward disentangling how obesity risk is transmitted from parents to children. For example, stronger maternal contributions would suggest that genetic predisposition to obesity is not solely responsible and aspects of the maternal environment, including pre- and postnatal nutrition, should be examined more closely. This study aims to evaluate relationships between maternal and paternal BMI and offspring growth from birth-3.5 years in a well-characterized cohort with extensive serial BMI measurements and measured parental BMI.
HER-2 signaling, acquisition of growth factor independence, and regulation of biological networks associated with cell transformation

Activated oncogenes are the dominant drivers of malignant progression in human cancer, yet little is known about how the transformation from proto-oncogene to activated oncogene drives the expression of transformed phenotypes. An isogenic model of HER-2-mediated transformation of human mammary epithelial cells was used along with HER-2-amplified human breast cancers to investigate how HER-2 activation alters its properties as a signaling molecule and changes the networks of HER-2-regulated genes. Our results show that full oncogenic activation of HER-2 is the result of a transition in which activated HER-2 acquires dominant signaling properties that qualitatively alter the network of genes regulated by the activated oncogene compared with the proto-oncogene. Consequently, gene expression programs related to invasion, cell stress, and stemness become regulated by HER-2 in a manner not observed in nontransformed cells, even when HER-2 is overexpressed. Our results offer novel insights into biological processes that come under the control of HER-2 after it acquires full oncogenic potential.
Engineerable femtosecond pulse shaping using SHG with aperiodic QPM structures

Manipulation of the temporal shape of ultrashort optical pulses is important for many applications. Conventional pulse-shaping techniques filter optical frequency components spatially dispersed with a grating apparatus. Here we demonstrate an alternative approach, which uses second-harmonic generation (SHG) with aperiodic quasi-phase-matching (QPM) structures. This technique allows generation of almost arbitrary second-harmonic waveforms using compact monolithic devices.
Large-deviations/thermodynamic approach to percolation on the complete graph

We present a large-deviations/thermodynamic approach to the classic problem of percolation on the complete graph. Specifically, we determine the large-deviation rate function for the probability that the giant component occupies a fixed fraction of the graph while all other components are “small.” One consequence is an immediate derivation of the “cavity” formula for the fraction of vertices in the giant component. As a byproduct of our analysis we compute the large-deviation rate functions for the probability of the event that the random graph is connected, the event that it contains no cycles and the event that it contains only small components. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 2007
You can't always get what you want: Evolution and true beliefs

McKay & Dennett (MD maladaptive misbeliefs may routinely elude selective pruning; reproductively neutral misbeliefs may abound; and adaptively grounded beliefs may reliably covary with but not truthfully represent reality.
Determinants of Mature Travelers’ Motorcoach Tour Satisfaction and Brand Loyalty

This study investigated attributes influencing mature travelers’ satisfaction and brand loyalty of motorcoach tour operators and tour packages. Data were collected from 817 individuals 55 years and...
The effects of insulation material and methods of fabrication on the performance of compact Helical Flux Compression Generators

Helical Flux Compression Generators, HFCGs, are powerful high current sources for pulsed power applications. Due to the single shot nature of HFCGs, electrical output reproducibility is of great importance. One factor known to contribute to unpredictable performance is mechanical inconsistencies introduced during manufacturing of the stator. In an attempt to minimize these deviations during productions, two different winding forms for stator coils, designed to ensure repeatable generator dimensions, turn and coil pitch, were investigated. The differences between the methods were quantified by comparison of measurements made of the physical parameters of the coil (i.e. radius, inductance, etc.), as well as analysis of experiments conducted with the HFCGs fired into a 3 µH load inductor. With any particular fabrication method, the stator insulation material has a distinct impact on generator operation. Quad-built Polyimide coated magnet wire as stator insulation material and Teflon Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene (FEP) as field coil insulation material were investigate to improve HFCG performance. Insulation testing was carried out by firing HFCGs into the inductive load mentioned above. Experimental data and analysis, as well as conclusions on insulation material, will be presented along with a brief discussion of the optimum fabrication method.
The Image of the City: The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial as Monument to Progress

This interdisciplinary urban history examines the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial on the St. Louis riverfront as a case study of the Progressive response to the urban disorder resulting from ...
The Eyes Have It: Sex and Sexual Orientation Differences in Pupil Dilation Patterns

Recent research suggests profound sex and sexual orientation differences in sexual response. These results, however, are based on measures of genital arousal, which have potential limitations such as volunteer bias and differential measures for the sexes. The present study introduces a measure less affected by these limitations. We assessed the pupil dilation of 325 men and women of various sexual orientations to male and female erotic stimuli. Results supported hypotheses. In general, self-reported sexual orientation corresponded with pupil dilation to men and women. Among men, substantial dilation to both sexes was most common in bisexual-identified men. In contrast, among women, substantial dilation to both sexes was most common in heterosexual-identified women. Possible reasons for these differences are discussed. Because the measure of pupil dilation is less invasive than previous measures of sexual response, it allows for studying diverse age and cultural populations, usually not included in sexuality research.
Intraarterial 9-β-methyl carbacyclin improves canine polytetrafluoroethylene graft patency***

Abstract This study examined the effect of 9-β-methyl carbacyclin, a synthetic, stable prostacyclin analog, on canine polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) graft patency. Twenty-five dogs had 4mm × 7 cm PTFE grafts implanted bilaterally into the femoral arteries. A subcutaneous infusion pump was used to deliver either saline solution (control) or 9-β-methyl carbacyclin (Ciprostine) at 100 (CARB-100) or 200 ng/kg/min (CARB-200) through a femoral artery branch just proximal to one of the femoral grafts, with the contralateral graft serving as a noninfused control. Graft-platelet deposition (with 111 In-labeled platelets) was measured between the fifth and seventh days, with patency determined on the seventh day. Dogs were classified as aggregators (AGG [+]) if the preoperative epinephrine-enhanced sodium arachidonate platelet aggregation was greater than 20%. CARB-200 infusion significantly improved ipsilateral graft patency (80%) compared with noninfused grafts (50%, p p p p p
Childhood maltreatment and the risk of pre‐pregnancy obesity and excessive gestational weight gain

The objective of this study was to estimate whether maternal history of childhood maltreatment was associated with pre-pregnancy obesity or excessive gestational weight gain. Pregnant women (n = 472) reported pre-pregnancy weight and height and gestational weight gain and were followed up to 16 years post-partum when they reported maltreatment on the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). CTQ score ranged from no maltreatment (25) to severe maltreatment (125). Prenatal mental health modified the association between CTQ score and maternal weight (P < 0.15), and thus stratified models are presented. After adjusting for race, prenatal tobacco, marijuana and alcohol use, a one standard deviation (1 SD) increase in CTQ score was associated with a 45% increase in the risk of pre-pregnancy obesity among the 141 women with elevated anxiety (≥75th percentile on the State Trait Anxiety Inventory) [relative risk, RR (95% confidence interval, CI): 1.45 (1.12, 1.88)], but was not associated among less anxious (<75th percentile) women [RR (95% CI): 1.10 (0.81, 1.51)]. Risk of excessive gestational weight gain was higher [adjusted RR (95% CI): 1.21 (1.07, 1.37)] with every 1 SD increase in CTQ score for anxious women. No association was observed for less anxious women [adjusted RR (95% CI): 0.89 (0.78, 1.02)]. Prenatal depression similarly modified the association between maltreatment and weight gain. Factors such as psychological status and traumatic experiences in early childhood may contribute to pre-pregnancy obesity and excessive gestational weight gain.
FlashLook: 100-Gbps hash-tuned route lookup architecture

Since the recent increase in the popularity of services that require high bandwidth, such as high-quality video and voice traffic, the need for 100-Gbps equipment has become a reality. In particular, next generation routers are needed to support 100-Gbps worst-case IP lookup throughput for large IPv4 and IPv6 routing tables, while keeping the cost and power consumption low. It is challenging for today's state-of-the-art IP lookup schemes to satisfy all of these requirements. In this paper, we propose FlashLook, a low-cost, high-speed route lookup architecture scalable to large routing tables. FlashLook allows the use of low-cost DRAMs, while achieving high throughput. Traditionally, DRAMs are not known for their high throughput due to their high latency. However, FlashLook architecture achieves high-throughput with DRAMs by using the DRAM bursts efficiently to hide DRAM latency. FlashLook has a data structure that can be evenly partitioned into DRAM banks, a novel hash method, HashTune to smooth the hash table distribution and a data compaction method called verify bit aggregation to reduce memory usage of the hash table. These features of the FlashLook results in better DRAM memory utilization and less number of DRAM accesses per lookup. FlashLook achieves 100-Gbps worst-case throughput while simultaneously supporting 2M prefixes for IPv4 and 256k prefixes for IPv6 using one FPGA and 9 DRAM chips. FlashLook provides fast real-time updates that can support updates according to real update statistics.
Systematized delusions and neuropsychological function in paranoid and nonparanoid schizophrenia

We extended research originating with the Tsuang-Winokur criteria for paranoid and nonparanoid schizophrenia. To partially resolve problems of subtype instability, 41 consecutive admissions meeting DSM-III-R criteria for schizophrenia were subdivided according to whether they ever experienced prominent systematized delusions. Neuropsychological profiles for paranoid patients and nonparanoids with a history of systematized delusions were extremely similar. When combined, this 'systematized' group had significantly better general verbal ability and verbal memory than patients who never manifested systematized delusions. There was also a significant neuropsychological function-by-group interaction. The neuropsychological data suggested that systematized patients had better premorbid cognitive functioning as well as a greater discrepancy between premorbid verbal ability and current attentional functioning. No between-group differences were found on a measure of prefrontal-executive function, nor were there any neuropsychological differences between traditionally defined (DSM-III-R) paranoid and nonparanoid subgroups. This study suggests a possible shift in the dividing line between paranoid and nonparanoid subtypes and illustrates the potential value of neuropsychological data for refining psychiatric nosologies.
Generic rank-one corrections for value iteration in Markovian decision problems

Given a linear iteration of the form x := F(x), we consider modified versions of the form x := F(x + @cd), where d is a fixed direction, and @c is chosen to minimize the norm of the residual @?x + @cd - F(x + @cd)@?. We propose ways to choose d so that the convergence rate of the modified iteration is governed by the subdominant eigenvalue of the original. In the special case where F relates to a Markovian decision problem, we obtain a new extrapolation method for value iteration. In particular, our method accelerates the Gauss-Seidel version of the value iteration method for discounted problems in the same way that MacQueen's error bounds accelerate the standard version. Furthermore, our method applies equally well to Markov Renewal and undiscounted problems.
Jacobian-free Newton-Krylov methods: a survey of approaches and applications

Jacobian-free Newton-Krylov (JFNK) methods are synergistic combinations of Newton-type methods for superlinearly convergent solution of nonlinear equations and Krylov subspace methods for solving the Newton correction equations. The link between the two methods is the Jacobian-vector product, which may be probed approximately without forming and storing the elements of the true Jacobian, through a variety of means. Various approximations to the Jacobian matrix may still be required for preconditioning the resulting Krylov iteration. As with Krylov methods for linear problems, successful application of the JFNK method to any given problem is dependent on adequate preconditioning. JFNK has potential for application throughout problems governed by nonlinear partial differential equations and integro-differential equations. In this survey paper, we place JFNK in context with other nonlinear solution algorithms for both boundary value problems (BVPs) and initial value problems (IVPs). We provide an overview of the mechanics of JFNK and attempt to illustrate the wide variety of preconditioning options available. It is emphasized that JFNK can be wrapped (as an accelerator) around another nonlinear fixed point method (interpreted as a preconditioning process, potentially with significant code reuse). The aim of this paper is not to trace fully the evolution of JFNK, nor to provide proofs of accuracy or optimal convergence for all of the constituent methods, but rather to present the reader with a perspective on how JFNK may be applicable to applications of interest and to provide sources of further practical information.
Neighborhood Resources and Adolescent Health and Risk Behaviors

Neighborhood conditions – risks and resources – influence a range of individual behaviors for both adults and adolescents. While a growing literature explores the effects of neighborhood resources on individual behaviors, few studies focus on adolescents. Moreover, limited research explores both neighborhood risks and neighborhood resources. Data for this paper are from adolescents (aged 13–18) in the Seattle metropolitan area surveyed from 1998 to 2003. We explore the impact of neighborhood resources on three behavioral and health outcomes (alcohol use, depressed affect, and risky conduct behavior), while controlling for neighborhood disadvantage. By exploring multiple outcomes among adolescents and different features of the neighborhood environment, this paper provides insight into the ways in which positive aspects of neighborhood context matter for youth.
Lack of relationship between body weight and pharmacological effect exemplified by histamine toxicity in mice.

SummaryData from 360 mice are presented which show that the toxicity of intraperitoneal histamine is independent of body weight. Adjustment for body weight in the range of 15 to 25 g increased the variation so that smaller animals appeared to be less sensitive to histamine than larger mice. Possible mechanisms are discussed.
Role of tetracycline speciation in the bioavailability to Escherichia coli for uptake and expression of antibiotic resistance.

Tetracycline contains ionizable functional groups that manifest several species with charges at different locales and differing net charge; the fractional distribution of each species depends on pH...
On Church's notion of ontological commitment

IN HIS recent symposium paper,' Church has put forward an emendation to Quine's criterion of ontological commitment. Very roughly, Quine's criterion is that we are ontologically committed by the sentences of a language L, or by the language L as a whole, to the entities over which the variables of the language range. L here is presumed to be based upon an "ordinary standard system of logic" and thus to contain variables and quantifiers in the usual way. (We may assume further if desired that it iSQ of first order with only one style of variables.) Quine usually presupposes that no individual constants are available primitively; if needed in the development of the system they may be introduced via Russell's theory of descriptions. Thus Quine's criterion can be stated exclusively by reference to variables and their range. Given any interpreted L, we can determine the objects to which it ontologically commits us by Quine's criterion using the so-called semantical rules of range (or of values). These rules state that the range of the variables is such and such a domain (Bereich) of objects.2 Different interpretations are provided by stipulating different domains. (Of course they may be provided in other ways also, by altering the other semantical rules.) Our ontological commitment may thus vary with different interpretations
Information theory improving reversible data hiding based on histogram pairs

To validate the meaning that information theory can guide reversible data hiding,the way to improve reversible data hiding based on histogram pairs by information theory is proposed. A new information theory proposed to prove the upper limit of reversible data hiding is studied to analyze for improving the embedding performance. Therefore,reverse zero run length( RZL) is applied to reversible data hiding,and a problem that RZL can not encode variable length of data is solved by proposed improved RZL. The experiment enhances the reversible data hiding based on histogram pairs with ways of all zero binary payload and improved RZL. It turns out that embedding performance will be better when a small amount of data embedded in most of images.
Facility characteristics and inhospital pediatric mortality after severe traumatic brain injury.

Abstract More than 500,000 children sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) each year. Previous studies have described significant variation in inhospital mortality after pediatric TBI. The aim of this study was to identify facility-level characteristics independently associated with 30-day inhospital mortality after pediatric severe TBI. We hypothesized that, even after accounting for patient-level characteristics associated with mortality, the characteristics of facilities where patients received care would be associated with inhospital mortality. Using data from the National Trauma Data Bank from 2009–2012, we identified a cohort of 6707 pediatric patients hospitalized with severe TBI in 391 facilities and investigated their risk of 30-day inhospital mortality. Pre-specified facility-level characteristics (trauma certification level, teaching status, census region, facility size, nonprofit status, and responsibility for pediatric trauma care) were added to a Poisson regression model that accounted for p...
Real-time and in situ monitoring of sputter deposition with RHEED for atomic layer controlled growth

Sputter deposition is a widely used growth technique for a large range of important material systems. Epitaxial films of carbides, nitrides, metals, oxides and more can all be formed during the sputter process which offers the ability to deposit smooth and uniform films from the research level up to an industrial scale. This tunable kinematic deposition process excels in easily adapting for a large range of environments and growth procedures. Despite the vast advantages, there is a significant lack of in situ analysis options during sputtering. In particular, the area of real time atomic layer control is severely deficient. Atomic layer controlled growth of epitaxial thin films and artificially layered superlattices is critical for both understanding their emergent phenomena and engineering novel material systems and devices. Reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) is one of the most common in situ analysis techniques during thin film deposition that is rarely used during sputtering due to the effect of the strong permanent magnets in magnetron sputter sources on the RHEED electron beam. In this work we have solved this problem and designed a novel way to deter the effect of the magnets for a wide range of growth geometries and demonstrate the ability for the first time to have layer-by-layer control during sputter deposition by in situ RHEED.
Mortality among high-risk patients admitted with septic shock to U.S. teaching hospitals in July: Does the 'July Effect' exist?

Abstract Background The ‘July effect’ is a phenomenon of inferior delivery of care at teaching hospitals during July because of relative inexperience of new physicians. Objective To study the difference in mortality among septic shock patients during July and another month. Methods Using the U.S. Nationwide Inpatient Sample, we estimated the difference in mortality among septic shock patients admitted during May and July from 2003 to 2011. Results 117,593 and 121,004 patients with septic shock were admitted to non-teaching and teaching hospitals, respectively, in May and July. High-risk patients had similar mortality rates in non-teaching hospitals and teaching hospitals. Mortality rates were higher in teaching versus non-teaching hospitals in high-risk patients both in May and July. Overall, mortality rates were higher in teaching versus non-teaching hospitals both in May and July. Conclusion Similar trends in mortality are observed in both settings in May and July and no “July effect” was observed.
Night-time lights: A global, long term look at links to socio-economic trends

We use a parallelized spatial analytics platform to process the twenty-one year totality of the longest-running time series of night-time lights data-the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) dataset-surpassing the narrower scope of prior studies to assess changes in area lit of countries globally. Doing so allows a retrospective look at the global, long-term relationships between night-time lights and a series of socio-economic indicators. We find the strongest correlations with electricity consumption, CO2 emissions, and GDP, followed by population, CH4 emissions, N2O emissions, poverty (inverse) and F-gas emissions. Relating area lit to electricity consumption shows that while a basic linear model provides a good statistical fit, regional and temporal trends are found to have a significant impact.
Addressing the General Education Curriculum in General Education Settings with Students with Severe Disabilities.

This systematic literature review examined research on stakeholders’ beliefs about addressing the general education curriculum in general education classrooms with students with severe disabilities...
Gay men and fatherhood: Doing gender, queering gender, and the package deal

The gay fatherhood literature offers a unique opportunity to analyze, apply, and explore the nuances of gender and family theories. To do this, this review will implement three theoretical models: doing gender, queer theory, and the package deal. Gay men can be viewed as both doing gender when parenting and undoing or queering traditional ideas about gender and family. It appears gay fathers are readily aware of these gendered parenting roles, but do not want their parenting to be constrained by them. Townsend's (2002) package deal, present in his sample of heterosexual fathers, is relevant to research on gay fathers. An explanation of the importance of research on gay fathers and suggestions of future research on this demographic are made.
Metabolomic signature of brain cancer

Despite advances in surgery and adjuvant therapy, brain tumors represent one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality and morbidity in both adults and children. Gliomas constitute about 60% of all cerebral tumors, showing varying degrees of malignancy. They are difficult to treat due to dismal prognosis and limited therapeutics. Metabolomics is the untargeted and targeted analyses of endogenous and exogenous small molecules, which charact erizes the phenotype of an individual. This emerging "omics" science provides functional readouts of cellular activity that contribute greatly to the understanding of cancer biology including brain tumor biology. Metabolites are highly informative as a direct signature of biochemical activity; therefore, metabolite profiling has become a promising approach for clinical diagnostics and prognostics. The metabolic alterations are well-recognized as one of the key hallmarks in monitoring disease progression, therapy, and revealing new molecular targets for effective therapeutic intervention. Taking advantage of the latest high-throughput analytical technologies, that is, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (MS), metabolomics is now a promising field for precision medicine and drug discovery. In the present report, we review the application of metabolomics and in vivo metabolic profiling in the context of adult gliomas and paediatric brain tumors. Analytical platforms such as high-resolution (HR) NMR, in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging and high- and low-resolution MS are discussed. Moreover, the relevance of metabolic studies in the development of new therapeutic strategies for treatment of gliomas are reviewed.
MicroRNAs regulate NKG2D ligands on tumor cells (88.21)

NKG2D is a receptor used by NK cells to detect virally infected and transformed cells. It recognizes ligands that are expressed constitutively on primary tumors and tumor cell lines. We have identified four microRNAs (miRNAs) that each was sufficient to reduce the expression of the NKG2D ligand MHC class I-related chain A (MICA). These include miR-106b, -302b, -372, and -520b. Interestingly, mir-372 was also found to reduce the expression of another NKG2D ligand, UL-16 binding protein 2 (ULBP2). One of these miRNAs (miR-520b) was induced by IFN-gamma, leading to a reduction in MICA surface protein levels. miR-520b acted on both the MICA 39-untranslated region and the promoter region and caused a decrease in the levels of MICA transcript. In contrast, an antisense oligonucleotide inhibitor of miR-520b increased the expression of a reporter construct containing the MICA 39-untranslated region but not the MICA promoter region. These findings demonstrate the novel regulation of NKG2D ligands by endogenous microRNAs.
Initial Treatment for Open-Angle Glaucoma—Medical, Laser, or Surgical?: Medication Is the Treatment of Choice for Chronic Open-Angle Glaucoma

WITHIN THE LAST 20 years several new, effective, and well-tolerated glaucoma medications have been introduced. No longer is the clinician limited to pilocarpine and other cholinergic agents, epinephrine, and systemic carbonic anhydrase inhibitors. Every medication we prescribe has its own list of adverse effects; however, many of the older medications are associated with effects that are problematic for many of our patients. Therefore, early surgery would have been my choice 25 years ago. Even 10 years ago, when an adrenergic antagonist was the primary therapeutic choice and laser trabeculoplasty was commonly performed, one could argue for laser therapy as an initial approach given the systemic adverse effects associated with β-blockers. Today, clinicians and patients have a wider range of choices, which generally are associated with fewer adverse effects and require less frequent administration. Medical therapy can now be defended as an initial approach to treatment.
Control of the Wind Induced Response of Structures

In recent years, a drive towards the construction of buildings of increasing heights and bridges of increasing span lengths has generated the most fascinating challenges in the civil engineering field. Indeed, the particular sensitivity to wind loads of such extreme structures has to be faced when designing structural systems that have to possess adequate stiffness and damping characteristics to ensure acceptable performance for survivability, serviceability and habitability. In order to meet these needs, several routes can be taken that involve different design aspects. In addition to the modification of the structural system, which is the first and foremost option for the structural designers, these can be divided in the adoption of shape tailoring measures, aimed at improving the aerodynamics/aeroelasticity of the structure, and the introduction of auxiliary motion control devices. In this chapter these two aspects are treated, with the intent of providing the reader with a general overview of the engineering solutions that may be considered for the control of the wind induced response of structures. In particular, discussion on the aerodynamic/aeroelastic shape tailoring is provided, alongside with meaningful examples of application of this strategy to real structures. The possibility of adopting motion control devices is also investigated. The most important typologies of devices for the control of wind induced vibrations are classified according to the principle on which they are based and their main characteristics are illustrated.
HOW DIVERSIFIED ARE EQUITY MUTUAL FUNDS

The paper investigates the degree to which the domestic equity mutual fund is diversified, and attempts to determine the extent to which any undiversified idiosyncratic risk, i.e. unsystematic or company specific risk is associated with the average fund returns. The sample consists of mutual funds from six investment objective categories, including aggressive growth, small company, growth, growth and income, equity income, and index funds. The results show that, except for the index funds category, the average domestic fund is substantially undiversified. The average idiosyncratic volatility as a percentage of the fund’s total volatility ranges from 0.82% for the index funds to 34.28% for the small company category. The explanatory power of the Fama-French-Carhart model declined during the 1986 to 2001 sub period, and then went back up from April 2001 to March 2006.
Selected Shapes of Shells

The combined effects of mass and geometry are major factors in structural strength. This chapter will focus on the role of geometry. The geometric surfaces used in architectural structures have been generated from different approaches developed over thousands of years of building experience. As discussed in previous chapters, when dealing with masonry the requirements of the material itself imposed forms that resolved superimposed loads by means of internal forces acting in compression. Having adopted by trial and error the geometric surfaces able to satisfy these requirements, the builder then needed to adopt geometric surfaces that would lend themselves to the requirements of the space designed. This geometry resulted intuitively from the building’s structural and spatial requirements, as seen in domes.
From Contract to Speculation: New Relations of Work and Production in Freelance Travel Journalism:

This qualitative case study of travel journalism in the USA explores how freelancers produce on speculation because publications do not contractually guarantee pay or advanced resources for travel....
Pediatric Bacterial Tracheitis-A Variable Entity: Case Series with Literature Review.

ObjectiveTo review the presentation and treatment of children diagnosed with bacterial tracheitis at our institution and to review the available literature focusing on key presenting symptoms and c...