cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Square Wave Spectrum of a Markov Renewal Process

The power spectral density of a stationary square wave process with sign changes at the transitions of a finite state Markov renewal process is derived. Particularly explicit formulas are obtained for the Markovian Arrival Process, a generalization of the Poisson process with a natural matrix formalism which commonly leads to useful explicit results. An application to a procedure for the quantification of burstiness is discussed.
The Case for Financial Education Programs

Demand for information on establishing a financial education program in colleges and universities is high as evidenced by ongoing requests to the editors for assistance. Financial education programs for students are growing in number and offer promising opportunities. Colleges and universities have a vested interest in establishing a financial education program for their students. In this chapter we explain why.
Balloon Test Occlusion and Postocclusion Patient Care

Therapeutic occlusion of an internal carotid artery or vertebral artery is an accepted alternative treatment for inoperable aneurysms, fistulas, pseudoaneurysms, dissections, or as part of the treatment of neck and skull-base tumors when less radical alternatives cannot be applied. Arterial occlusion can be performed as part of a surgical procedure or can be accomplished endovascularly using coils or balloons. Preoperative test occlusion of the carotid artery is necessary in all but the most urgent cases in order to avoid complications of hemodynamic ischemia following permanent occlusion. Approximately 80% to 90% of the general population can tolerate sudden occlusion of an internal carotid artery without hemodynamic complications provided that no other adverse factors affecting the patient’s hemodynamic status prevail.1,2 With careful postocclusion management of patients’ hemodynamic status, mean arterial pressure, and state of hydration, the percentage of the population that can undergo permanent safe occlusion of an internal carotid artery can be raised even higher.
MITRAL REGURGITANT VOLUME QUANTIFIED BY MRI PREDICTS POST VALVE CORRECTION LEFT VENTRICULAR REMODELING

Patients with chronic mitral regurgitation (MR) that have valve correction adapt primarily by decreasing left ventricular end diastolic volume (LV EDV). There is a strong correlation between pre-procedural MR and the change in LV after surgery. We hypothesize that the change in LV EDV is the
Revisiting Scaling Laws for Robotic Mobility in Granular Media

The development, building, and testing of robotic vehicles for applications in deformable media can be costly. Typical approaches rely on full-sized builds empirically evaluating performance metrics such as drawbar pull and slip. Recently developed granular scaling laws offer a new opportunity for terramechanics as a field. Using non-dimensional analysis on the wheel characteristics and treating the terrain as a deformable continuum, the performance of a larger, more massive wheel may be predicted from a smaller one. This allows for new wheel design approaches. However, robot-soil interaction and specific characteristics of the soil or robot dynamics may create discrepancies in prediction. In particular, we find that for a lightweight rover (2–5 kg), the scaling laws significantly overpredicted mechanical power requirements. To further explore the limitations of the current granular scaling laws, a pair of differently sized grousered wheels were tested at three masses and a pair of differently sized sandpaper wheels were tested at two masses across five speeds. Analysis indicates similar error for both designs, a mass dependency for all five pairs that explains the laws’ overprediction, and a speed dependency for both of the heaviest sets. The findings create insights for using the laws with lightweight robots in granular media and generalizing granular scaling laws.
Efficient light emission from inelastic tunneling junctions (Conference Presentation)

Efficient light generation from inelastic electron tunneling (IET) using self-assembled edge-to-edge (EE) single-crystalline silver nanoparticles has been demonstrated with an efficiency up to ~2%. Various nanostructures including nanocube, nanobar, and square prism, have been explored, where the emission wavelengths covering from the visible to the near infrared. The excellent performance is attributed to the use of high-quality atomic level plasmonic cavities created within ultra-small gaps (~1.5 nm) as well as of optical nano-antenna formed by the EE nanoparticles. The realization of 2% efficiency based on IET brings on-chip ultrafast optical sources one step closer to reality.
Mesoscopic and macroscopic fluorescence lifetime imaging (Conference Presentation)

Diffuse optical imaging techniques offer the unique advantage of high sensitivity as well as imaging of multiple biomarkers to enable the noninvasive functional and molecular investigation of deep biotissues. In this talk, we will present our efforts at RPI in establishing novel instrumental and theoretical approaches for fluorescence lifetime-based 2D and 3D imaging at the mesoscopic and macroscopic scale within the context of bioprinted tissues and in vivo drug delivery assessment.
Panel Acoustic Contribution Analysis Using HELS

In this chapter we show how to use the HELS method to assess the relative contributions of individual panels of a complex vibrating structure toward SPL at any field point, for example, in diagnosing vehicle interior noise or reducing noise emission from any vibrating machinery. Being able to identify the major contributors of acoustic emission is the first step toward an effective noise reduction of a vibrating structure in engineering applications.
Attitudes Toward Family Medicine Among Students Choosing Other Primary Care Specialties.

Background and objectives Little is known about how medical students choose between primary care specialties. We compared the attitudes toward family medicine of medical students intending to practice primary care but not family medicine (PCNFM), with students intending to practice family medicine (FM) and those intending nonprimary care (NPC) careers. Methods The Family Medicine Attitudes Questionnaire (FMAQ) was distributed to 2,644 fourth-year medical students at 16 medical schools in spring 2017. Respondents were stratified by career intention. In this secondary data analysis, we used descriptive statistics to characterize responses to each questionnaire item and FMAQ total score, and analysis of variance with Bonferroni post hoc analyses to compare category and item mean responses. Results Of 2,644 fourth-year medical students who received the FMAQ, 1,188 (41.8%) submitted usable responses. The 14-item FMAQ has a maximum score of 70. Mean total scores differed by category: 59.05 for FM, 52.88 for NPC, and 54.83 for PCNFM (F=108.96, Pl.01); the differences between each possible pairing were significant (Pl.05). Comparing the responses of students intending PCNFM careers with those of students intending NPC careers, there were no differences in mean responses for 8 of 14 FMAQ items. Responses of students intending PCNFM careers were similar to students intending FM for only 4 of 14 items (Pl.05). Conclusions Fourth-year students intending to match into PCNFM have attitudes toward FM that more closely approximate the attitudes of NPC students than the attitudes of FM students. Future research should explore implications for curricular development, student mentorship, and career advising.
Viscous Maxwell-Chern-Simons Theory for Topological Photonics

Chern-Simons theories have been incredibly successful explaining integer and fractional quantum Hall phases, as well as topological insulators. Here, we develop viscous Maxwell-Chern-Simons theory to capture the fundamental physics of topological electromagnetic phases.
A Probabilistic Fatigue Framework to Enable Location-Specific Lifing for Critical Thermo-mechanical Engineering Applications

The present paper describes a probabilistic framework to predict the fatigue life and failure mode under various thermo-mechanical loading conditions. Specifically, inclusion- and matrix-driven competing failure modes are examined within nickel-based superalloys. The critical accumulated plastic strain energy density (APSED) is employed as a unified metric to predict fatigue crack initiation in metals, which is favorable due to the usage of a single unknown parameter and its capability to predict failure across loading conditions and failure modes. In this research, we characterize the temperature-dependent variation of the critical APSED using a Bayesian inference framework and predict the competing failure modes in a coarse grain variant of RR1000 with varying strain range and temperature. The critical APSED appears to decrease along a vertically reflected sigmoidal curve with increasing temperature. Further, (a) the prediction of a failure mode, (b) failure mode associated with the minimum life, and (c) the change in the location associated with the matrix-driven failure mode with increasing temperature and decreasing strain range are consistent with the experimentally observed trends in RR1000, as well as other Nickel-based superalloys, documented in the literature. Finally, for each simulated loading condition, the uncertainty in the fatigue life is quantified as a prediction interval computed based on a $$95\%$$ confidence level of the critical APSED and the computed APSED from simulations. The overall framework provides a promising step towards microstructural-based fatigue life determination of components and enables a location-specific lifing approach.
Construction Engineering and Management Programs in USA

The authors of this paper briefly describe the development of the construction engineering and management programs in the United States.They cover the undergraduate and graduate programs,the basic requirements of professional engineer exams and certified professional constructor exams as well as the cooperation between the United States and Chinese in the area of construction education.Within the undergraduate education,the authors introduce the construction engineering curriculum and the construction management curriculum and the major differences between these two.Within the graduate program,the authors outline the research emphases and shortcomings in the construction engineering and management.This paper will help the Chinese educators in the construction engineering and management programs to better understand their US counterparts.
Oral delivery of therapeutic proteins bioencapsulated in plant cells: Preclinical and clinical advances

Oral delivery of protein drugs (PDs) made in plant cells could revolutionize current approaches of their production and delivery. Expression of PDs reduces their production cost by elimination of prohibitively expensive fermentation, purification, cold transportation/storage, and sterile injections and increases their shelf life for several years. Ability of plant cell wall to protect PDs from digestive acids/enzymes, commensal bacteria to release PDs in gut lumen after lysis of plant cell wall and role of GALT in inducing tolerance facilitate prevention or treatment allergic, autoimmune diseases or anti-drug antibody responses. Delivery of functional proteins facilitate treatment of inherited or metabolic disorders. Recent advances in making PDs free of antibiotic resistance genes in edible plant cells, long-term storage at ambient temperature maintaining their efficacy, production in cGMP facilities, IND enabling studies for clinical advancement and FDA approval of orally delivered PDs augur well for advancing this novel drug delivery platform technology.
Intersectional Minority Stress and Intimate Partner Violence: The Effects of Enacted Stigma on Racial Minority Youth Assigned Female at Birth.

Many sexual minority youth of color experience enacted stigma based on each of their minority identities. We examined whether experiences of racist discrimination and heterosexist microaggressions were associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) among female-assigned at birth (FAB) sexual minority youth of color. Data were drawn from a larger study of FAB sexual and gender minority youth (FAB400; N = 488). We selected racial/ethnic minority participants who reported a sexual minority identity and reported a romantic relationship in the previous 6 months (N = 249). Negative binomial models were used to test for associations between enacted stigma (racial discrimination and heterosexist microaggressions) and IPV (psychological, physical, sexual, and sexual minority-specific) perpetration and victimization. When considered separately, both forms of enacted stigma was positively associated with perpetration and victimization across all four types of IPV. In multivariate models, racial discrimination and heterosexist microaggressions both had unique, additive effects on psychological IPV perpetration and physical- and sexual minority-specific IPV victimization. Only racial discrimination was uniquely associated with physical perpetration and psychological victimization. Only heterosexist microaggression was uniquely associated with sexual minority-specific perpetration and sexual IPV perpetration and victimization. Findings illustrate how enacted stigma based on each minority identity intersect to raise risk for IPV among sexual minority youth of color.
Why does collaborative retrieval improve memory? Enhanced relational and item-specific processing

Engaging in collaborative retrieval practice increases performance on subsequent memory tests taken individually (Blumen & Stern, 2011). However, the basis of these post-collaborative benefits is largely unexplained. Thus, the primary goal of the current research was to investigate the cognitive mechanisms underlying post-collaborative benefits vis-a-vis the theoretical framework of distinctiveness theory, which postulates that two processes influence memory. Relational processing refers to the encoding of similarity among a set of items, whereas item-specific processing refers to the encoding of information that differentiates items from one another. The central claim of distinctiveness theory is that memory is enhanced when differences among individual items are processed in the context of the similarity among those items (referred to as distinctive processing). The basic design of all three experiments was similar (i.e., close replications with intent to provide multiple estimates of effect sizes on which to base conclusions): Learners were asked to study lists of exemplars from taxonomic categories, followed by recall practice that occurred either collaboratively or individually. All learners completed individual final tests, immediately after practice and/or after a delay. Of greatest theoretical interest for diagnosing the extent to which post-collaborative benefits reflect distinctive processing, we examined indicators of relational processing (clustering and category access) and item-specific processing (items recalled per category and recognition performance). Results across the three experiments established that distinctive processing (i.e., enhancements in both relational and item-specific processing) contributes to post-collaborative benefits across both short and long retention intervals.
Transient effects and characterization methodology of negative bias temperature instability in pMOS transistors

We report a new effect - relaxation of pMOSFET degradation due to negative bias temperature instability (NBTI). "Apparent" NBTI degradation is reduced ("recovered") by as much as 30-50% after stress interruption, which can increase device lifetime by a factor of 10-30. Some problems associated with extrapolation of degradation with respect to time and stress voltage are also discussed.
Pseudomonas cepacia adherence to respiratory epithelial cells is enhanced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas cepacia are both opportunistic pathogens of patients with cystic fibrosis. The binding characteristics of these two species were compared to determine if they use similar mechanisms to adhere to respiratory epithelial cells. P. cepacia 249 was shown to be piliated, but there was no detectable homology between P. aeruginosa pilin gene probes and P. cepacia genomic DNA. P. cepacia and P. aeruginosa did not appear to compete for epithelial receptors. In the presence of purified P. aeruginosa pili, the adherence of 35S-labeled strain 249 to respiratory epithelial monolayers was unaffected, while that of P. aeruginosa PAO1 was decreased by 55%. The binding of P. cepacia 249 and 715j was increased by 2.4-fold and 1.5-fold, respectively, in the presence of an equal inoculum of PAO1. Interbacterial agglutination contributed to the increased adherence of P. cepacia, as the binding of 249 was increased twofold in the presence of irradiated PAO1. PAO1 exoproducts had a marked effect in enhancing the ability of the P. cepacia strains to adhere to the epithelial monolayers. A PAO1 supernatant increased the binding of 249 by eightfold and that of 715j by fourfold. Thus, there appears to be a synergistic relationship between P. aeruginosamore » and P. cepacia in which PAO1 exoproducts modify the epithelial cell surface, exposing receptors and facilitating increased P. cepacia attachment.« less
M‐finance and consumer redress for the unbanked in South Africa

The paper describes the nature and impact of mobile financial services (m-finance) and consumer protection in developing countries. Specifically, it explores consumer redress in South Africa's m-finance, a sector responsible for rapidly drawing unbanked consumers in developing countries into the financial mainstream. The Actor–Network Theory is used to identify key actors of transformational m-finance in South Africa. Complaint procedures of the identified providers are reviewed and evaluated against the 2007 recommendation by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on consumer dispute resolution and redress. The research shows that although South Africa is not an OECD member, the legal and self-regulatory environments have fostered what appear to be good consumer redress intentions by businesses. All providers in the study had consumer information on internal redress channels and some even provided additional information on alternative dispute resolution services in the country. Some shortcomings, however, were the lack of standard designs for online complaint forms and not providing expected time frames for the resolution process and possible solutions.
Energetics of the deformation of a peptide unit. Semi-empirical molecular orbital and ab initio study of N-methyl acetamide and N-acetyl-L-alanine N-methyl amide.

The problem of non-planarity of peptide unit has been inverstigated using N-methyl acetamide as a theoretical model. A semi-empirical molecular orbital method: Iterative Extended Huckel Theory viz. IEHT/2 (Adams, S. (1974) Doctoral dissertation, State University of New York at Buffalo, U.S.A.) and non-empirical ab initio method with minimal basis set, STO-3G (Hehre, W.J., Stewart, R.F. and Pople, J.A. (1969) J. Chem. Phys. 51, 2657–2664) were used to probe the energetics of the distortion of a planar peptide unit. Distortion of one of the peptide units in a dipeptide, N-acetyl-l-alanine N-methyl amide has also been investigated using ab initio method. The studies amply demonstrate the possibility of the existence of a non-planar peptide unit. Distortion of about 10–15° is predicted to bring about very small loss in energy. The results are substantiated by results from experimental studies.
RECAP: a requirements elicitation, capture and analysis process prototype tool for large complex systems

Complete, correct, and consistent requirements are essential to the development of large complex systems. The Requirements Elicitation, Capture and Analysis Process prototype tool (RECAP) provides automated assistance in identifying, capturing, analyzing, and using requirements. RECAP combines recent advances in natural language parsing, requirements specification, and knowledge-based rules to support semiautomatic capture elicitation analysis and the use of requirements data. The process begins with unformatted natural language text which is inherently ambiguous, incomplete and cumbersome. RECAP assists the user in translating requirements from natural language text into concise requirements data which can be organized and accessed by user defined views. Requirements and domain specific rules are used to help the user analyze and maintain the requirements data throughout the system life-cycle.
Stability of coaxial jets confined in a tube with heat and mass transfer

Abstract A linear temporal stability of coaxial confined jets in a vertical tube involving heat and mass transfer at the interface is presented in this paper. A potential flow analysis that includes the effect of viscosity at the interface is performed in analyzing the stability of the system. Film boiling in a vertical tube gives rise to the flow configuration explored in this work. The effects of various non-dimensional parameters on the growth rate and the neutral curve are discussed. The heat transfer at the interface has been characterized by introducing a heat flux ratio between the conduction heat flux and the evaporation heat flux. Viscous forces and the heat and mass transfer at the interface are found to stabilize the flow both in the capillary instability region and Kelvin–Helmholtz instability region. Increasing heat and mass transfer at the interface stabilizes the flow to small as well as very large wave numbers.
Rapid Gel Cast Prototyping of Complex Paraelectric (Ba,Sr)TiO3/MgO Composites

A rapid prototyping process for manufacturing complex three-dimensional RF structures in ceramic systems was developed. The process combines fundamentals from lost wax investment casting and ceramic gelcasting. The first step is to directly deposit a mold made of a low melting point wax using a high precision inkjet rapid prototyper. Then, a gelcasting slurry containing polymeric precursors, a high solids loading of ceramic powders and a free radical initiator is cast into the mold and polymerized to lock in the structure. Finally, the mold is melted and the remaining green part is sintered. Aqueous gelcasting slurries were developed for MgCO3, (Ba,Sr)TiO3, and a composite of (Ba,Sr)TiO3 and MgO. The maximum solids loading attained for each of the powders was 22 V%, 50 V%, and 25 V% respectively. The 50V% gelcast part had a more uniform microstructure, higher sintered density, less open porosity and smaller grain size than parts produced through dry pressing. The microstructural improvements resulted in a high dielectric permittivity.
Software as an Embodied Phenomenon: Cognitive, Social and Cultural Aspects of Programs and Programming

Summary form only given. "Practice," suggests Wenger, "is first and foremost a process by which we can find the world and our engagement with it as meaningful." What, then, should we make of the practice of programming? Developing software is a complex and demanding task, and a range of studies have explored cognitive aspects of programming - problem-solving, manipulation of formal systems, representational aspects of languages and environments, and so on. However, software development is also situated in social, organizational and cultural contexts that shape and give meaning to the activities that arise within them. The metaphors that shape the ways in which we encounter and imagine software systems are cultural currency as much as cognitive artifacts. In this talk, the author wants to consider some aspects of software as an embodied phenomenon, that is, as one that shapes, and is shaped by, the broader contexts within which it is produced, and through which collection social meaning is enacted
An Atraumatic Method to Establish Human Colon Carcinoma in Long-Term Culture

Techniques for creation of colon carcinoma epithelial cells lines in long-term culture have been available for years, but these techniques have involved mechanical or enzymatic methods to separate epithelial cells from surrounding tissues. While this practice has been intermittently successful, the effect of these traumatic methods on long-term cellular behavior is unknown. Samples of colon carcinoma from patient volunteers were subjected to serial nonenzymatic disruptions of carcinoma cells from surrounding fibrous tissues. Cells were collected, allowed to proliferate, and then tested for their epithelial characteristics (mucin, vimentin, cytokeratin, colon-specific antigen, carcinoembryonic antigen) by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry. Growth characteristics were determined by phase-contrast microscopy, multiple passage, and freeze/thaw effects. Tumorigenicity was proven in nude mice. Of 11 initial attempts, three resulted in stable long-term culture lines of cells which are demonstrated to behave similarly to the original tumors from which they were derived. This technique adds another reliable in vitro tool for the study of colon carcinoma.
Indirect effects of a parasite on a benthic community: an experiment with trematodes, snails and periphyton

1. Few studies have directly addressed the role played by parasites in the structure and function of ecosystems. Parasites influence the behaviour, reproduction and overall fitness of their hosts, but have been usually overlooked in community and ecosystem-level studies. We investigated the effects of trematode parasites on snail-periphyton interactions. 2. Physa acuta (Gastropoda: Pulmonata) snails infected with the trematode Posthodiplostomum minimum (often >30% of within-shell biomass) grazed more rapidly than uninfected snails. Trematode effects on snail grazing indirectly affected the standing stock and community structure of periphyton. Populations of snails with 50% infected individuals reduced algal biomass by 20% more than populations with lesser (10% or 0%) infection rates. 3. The alga Cladophora glomerata dominated periphyton communities grazed by snail populations with 50% infection rates, whereas diatoms and blue-green algal taxa dominated when grazed by snail populations with lower infection rates. 4. Thus, trematodes indirectly affected periphyton communities by altering host snail behaviour, a trait-mediated indirect effect. These results indicate that trematodes can indirectly influence benthic community structure beyond simple population fitness, with possible related effects on ecosystem function.
Variable X-ray spectra of BL Lacertae objects - HEAO 1 observations of PKS 0548 - 322 and 2A 1219 + 305

X-ray spectra for the BL Lac objects PKS 0548-322 and 2A 1219+305 measured with the HEAO-1 A2 detectors during pointing maneuvers on September 30, 1978 and May 31, 1978 respectively are presented. Both fit single power law components with low energy absorption. For 2A 1219+305, a thermal bremsstrahlung form gives an unacceptable fit. From a comparison with other statistically poorer observations taken at 6 month intervals while the satellite was in its normal scanning mode, it is found that the sources exhibit spectral variability. A summary of measurements of the 5 BL Lac objects detected with the A2 experiment is presented and it is concluded that X-ray spectral changes in this class of source are common. Their general X-ray spectral characteristics distinguish BL Lac objects from other classes of X-ray emitting active galactic nuclei. Analysis of their total spectra indicates that most of the energy is emitted in the 5 to 100 eV band.
Quasiparticle breakdown in a quantum spin liquid

Much of modern condensed matter physics is understood in terms of elementary excitations, or quasiparticles—fundamental quanta of energy and momentum1,2. Various strongly interacting atomic systems are successfully treated as a collection of quasiparticles with weak or no interactions. However, there are interesting limitations to this description: in some systems the very existence of quasiparticles cannot be taken for granted. Like unstable elementary particles, quasiparticles cannot survive beyond a threshold where certain decay channels become allowed by conservation laws; their spectrum terminates at this threshold. Such quasiparticle breakdown was first predicted for an exotic state of matter—super-fluid 4He at temperatures close to absolute zero, a quantum Bose liquid where zero-point atomic motion precludes crystallization1,2,3,4. Here we show, using neutron scattering, that quasiparticle breakdown can also occur in a quantum magnet and, by implication, in other systems with Bose quasiparticles. We have measured spin excitations in a two-dimensional quantum magnet, piperazinium hexachlorodicuprate (PHCC)5, in which spin-1/2 copper ions form a non-magnetic quantum spin liquid, and find remarkable similarities with excitations in superfluid 4He. We observe a threshold momentum beyond which the quasiparticle peak merges with the two-quasiparticle continuum. It then acquires a finite energy width and becomes indistinguishable from a leading-edge singularity, so that excited states are no longer quasiparticles but occupy a wide band of energy. Our findings have important ramifications for understanding excitations with gapped spectra in many condensed matter systems, ranging from band insulators to high-transition-temperature superconductors6.
Sweep-out experiments: A new spectroscopy for the electronic density of states in doped semiconductors

Abstract The forward-bias transient response of i–n–i and i–p–i semiconductor structures is analysed in terms of space-charge-limited and emission-limited currents. It is shown that an initial space-charge-limited current governed by the i-layer characteristics gives way at later times to an emission-limited current from the doped layer. It is shown that the emission-limited current response can be used as a new spectroscopy for determining the electronic density of states near the mobility edge of doped semiconductors. The analysis is applied to the previously reported experimental data on hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H). It is concluded that n-type a-Si:H has a sharp peak within 0.3 eV of the conduction-band mobility edge, while slowly cooled p-type a-Si:H has a broader peak within 0.4 eV of the valence edge.
Results of evaluation of 203 patients for photosensitivity in a 7.3-year period.

Abstract Background: Although photosensitivity disorders have been well described, their incidence in a referral institution had not been studied. Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence of photosensitivity disorders, including photocontact dermatitis, in a academic medical center. Methods: The results of the assessment of 203 consecutive patients, all of whom had phototests, referred for the evaluation of photosensitivity disorders during a 7.3-year period were reviewed. Results: The mean age was 50 years, and 63% of the patients were women. The most frequent diagnoses were polymorphous light eruption (26% of the total patient population), chronic actinic dermatitis (17%), photoallergic contact dermatitis (8%), systemic phototoxicity to therapeutic agents (7%), and solar urticaria (4%). Positive photopatch reactions, patch test reactions, or both were observed in 40 (29%) of the 138 tested patients. The frequencies of the positive photopatch test reactions were sunscreens (57%), fragrances (18%), and antimicrobial agents (13%). Of the positive patch test responses, fragrances elicited 47% of the total positive reactions, followed by sunscreens (39%) and antimicrobial agents (7%). Conclusion: Polymorphous light eruption, chronic actinic dermatitis, and photoallergic contact dermatitis were the most frequently made diagnoses. Sunscreens, fragrances, and antimicrobial agents were the most common clinically relevant photoallergens and allergens.
Bias in reported body weight as a function of education, occupation, health and weight concern

Comparison of self-reported and measured weights in a working population of 2046 men and 2393 women revealed systematic underreporting of 1.3% in men and 1.7% in women. Underreporting was significantly related to weight, height, and current participation in a weight reduction program in both men and women. In men only, it was also related to age, education, history of weight-control attempts, and history of weight-related health conditions. Overall, however, these predictor variables accounted for a small fraction of the variance in underreporting and the correlation between measured and self-reported weight was very high (rs = .99). It is concluded that self-reported body weight is an excellent approximation of actual weight across a broad range of population subgroups.
Emergent coronary angioplasty in the treatment of acute ischemic mitral regurgitation: Long-term results in five cases

AbstractSevere mitral regurgitation in the setting of an evolving myocardial infarction is associated with a high operative mortality rate. Five patients with acute severe mitral regurgitation seco...
Restoration of Bighorn Sheep Metapopulations in and Near Western National Parks

Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) once were ubiquitous in large areas, including lands now contained in the national parks of the Intermountain and Colorado Plateau regions of the United States. Due to catastrophic declines in the late 1800s and early 1900s, most extant populations now occur as small, isolated groups with a highly fragmented distribution. Three different subspecies of bighorn sheep were extirpated from 14 of 18 areas that are now managed by the National Park Service. We describe an eight-year plan to restore bighorn sheep to currently suitable historic habitats in the national parks within a six-state intermountain region of the western United States, 1991-1998. A seven-point program was recommended for each park unit that included: (1) survey the existing populations; (2) conduct a GIS-based habitat assessment to identify suitable habitat; (3) convene scientific advisory panels to review results of habitat assessment; (4) convene interagency panels to discuss metapopulation management and to plan the restoration(s); (5) draft interagency restoration and management plans; (6) conduct translocation(s); and (7) monitor the populations. We evaluated 38,781 km 2 of area; 32% (12,329 km 2 ) was potential habitat for bighorn sheep. The scientific advisory panels and the GIS modeling recommended bighorn restoration on 73 sites within these areas. By 1996, 36 of these sites (2,647 km 2 or 22% of the entire suitable area) were inhabited by bighorn sheep. By 1999, the translocated animals increased 25%, and restoration efforts will continue in many of the remaining sites.
Base excision repair and cancer

Base excision repair is the system used from bacteria to man to remove the tens of thousands of endogenous DNA damages produced daily in each human cell. Base excision repair is required for normal mammalian development and defects have been associated with neurological disorders and cancer. In this paper we provide an overview of short patch base excision repair in humans and summarize current knowledge of defects in base excision repair in mouse models and functional studies on short patch base excision repair germ line polymorphisms and their relationship to cancer. The biallelic germ line mutations that result in MUTYH-associated colon cancer are also discussed.
Immunizations and Infectious Disease Screening for Internationally Adopted Children

Health care professionals play a critical role in providing age-appropriate immunizations and assessing newly arrived internationally adopted children for infectious diseases. A systematic approach to screening for infectious diseases combined with assessment of signs and symptoms that could be related to diseases prevalent in the child's country of origin supports children's long-term health and that of their new families.
Contracting over multiple parameters: Capacity allocation in semiconductor manufacturing

Abstract This paper is a generalization of Mallik and Harker [Mallik, S., Harker, P.T., 2004. Coordinating supply chains with competition: Capacity allocation in semiconductor manufacturing. European Journal of Operational Research 159, 330–347] that presented an integrated model of incentive problems arising in forecasting and capacity allocation. In that model, multiple product managers and multiple manufacturing managers forecast the means of their respective demand and capacity distributions, and a central coordinator allocates capacities based on these forecasts. A mechanism that elicits truthful information from the managers was the main contribution of that paper. The objective of this paper is to generalize our previous results to multiple statistics reporting. This work assumes that the central coordinator can ask the managers to report multiple statistics (mean and variance, for example) about their respective distributions. We propose a game theoretic model and design a mechanism (a bonus scheme and an allocation rule) that elicits truthful reporting of all statistics by all managers. It turns out that the structure of the optimal bonus schemes are rather simple with easily calculable parameters. We also show that a large class of allocation rules are manipulable. A bonus is often required for elicitation of truthful information. We compare our results of multiple statistics reporting with those from Mallik and Harker (2004). We also characterize under what conditions the reporting of the extra information is of limited use.
Intraindividual differences in levels of language in intermediate grade writers: Implications for the translating process

Abstract In contrast to much research on writing acquisition that has focused on interindividual differences among children by comparing good and poor writers at the extremes of the distribution of writing ability, this research focused on intraindividual differences within children along the continuum of writing ability. Advanced planning, on-line planning, translating, and posttranslation reviewing/revising tasks were given to 16 fourth, 16 fifth, and 16 sixth graders. Intraindividual differences occurred in the planning tasks and in levels of language at the word, sentence, and text levels on the translating and revising tasks. Neither individual differences in planning nor metacognitive understanding of translating was related to quality of translating. Verbal working memory generation but not verbal working memory-recall was correlated with the translating task and the reviewing/revising task at the text level. We concluded that intraindividual differences in levels of language and verbal working memory generation should be taken into account in modeling the translating process of developing writers.
A Friction Inclusive Cellular Automata Approach for Modeling Kinetic and Transitional Granular Flows

Granular flows continue to be a complex problem in nature and industrial sectors where solid particles exhibit solid, liquid, and gaseous behavior in a manner which is often unpredictable locally or globally. In tribology, they have also been proposed as lubricants because of their liquid-like behavior in sliding contacts, and due to their ability to carry loads and accommodate surface velocities. The present work attempts to model a granular Couette flow in an annular shear cell using a lattice-based cellular automata (CA) computational modeling approach. The CA framework has the flexibility to employ rule-based mathematics and/or first-principle physics to rapidly model physical processes. The model developed in this work incorporates dissipative effects due to friction between particles and boundaries, in addition to particle spin. This new model also includes a rigorous treatment of boundary-particle interactions. Additional work has been done to account for the transfer of momentum through particle chains, allowing for the modeling of transitional granular flows, which consist of both kinetic and contact flow regimes.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
A Note on the Effective Lamé Constants of Polycrystalline Aggregates of Cubic Crystals

It is well known that the Voigt and Reuss estimates of the effective shear modulus of a polycrystalline aggregate of cubic crystals are, respectively, the upper and lower bounds for this constant (μ R ≤ μ ≤ μ V ). It is pointed out in this note that the opposite is true for the Lame constant X (λ V ≤ λ ≤ λ R ).
Aluminum induced encephalopathy in the rat.

Abstract Aluminum tartrate (AlT) but not sodium tartrate (NaT) produces a progressive encephalopathy when injected intracerebroventricularly in the rat. This syndrome, lethal within 30–35 days, is characterized by progressively deranged behavior. An early startle reaction (day 14), later joined by locomotor discoordination (day 19) is followed by locomotor and electrocorticographic (ECoG) seizures (day 21) in chronically instrumented AlT rats. There is early dissociation between ECoG and locomotor aspects. When tested in the shuttlebox for estimation of learning and memory function 7–8 days after AlT injection, marked impairment of both active and passive avoidance was observed. Glucose uptake capacity of synaptosomes from brain areas of AlT and NaT animals was indexed by the 2-deoxy-D-glucose method. Striatal and cortical synaptosomes showed reduced uptake activity 7 days following AlT injection. By day 14, hypothalamic areas also became affected, striatal uptake was further inhibited, and cortical uptake was reduced to 57% of control. The ECoG background rhythm remained unchangeduntil days 20–23, when the mean peak frequency was reduced. The model may be useful in the study of central aluminum toxicity and may have predictive validity in the testing of procedures to counter aluminum-associated encephalopathies in man.
(Re)membering: Excavating and performing uncommon narratives found in archives and historical societies

This chapter explores the engagement of adult learners with dramatic works based on primary source materials found in local archives and historical societies, a creative process that reclaims overlooked individual and community stories.
Survey of antibiotic prescription use for inflamed epidermal inclusion cysts

Background:Symptomatic epidermal inclusion cysts (EICs) are variously called “inflamed” or “infected,” and the mechanism of inflammation or suppuration is controversial. Whether physicians routinel...
Unique opsonic requirements of rat pulmonary alveolar macrophages

Rat pulmonary alveolar macrophages (PAM) were compared with peripheral blood neutrophils for their ability to killEscherichia coli andStaphylococcus aureus in vitro. A wide range of opsonic conditions were studied, including from 10 to 40% autologous serum, alveolar lavage fluid (ALF), concentrated ALF supernatant, and several bacterial preopsonization procedures. PAM killed at most 41% of the initialE. coli inoculum in the presence of 40% serum and ALF. PAM killed only 5% of the initial inoculum ofS. aureus with 40% serum preopsonization, 10% serum plus ALF in the reaction mixture. No improvement in killing of either organism was seen after addition of ALF concentrated supernatant to the assay. In contrast to PAM, neutrophils killed more than 90% of the initial inoculum of either organism in the presence of 10% serum. The results imply that additional opsonic or physical factors in vivo are necessary for maximum PAM microbicidal function.
Segments from myosin rods.

Abstract The rod portion of myosin forms bipolar “segment” aggregates when precipitated with divalent cations. This in vitro structure establishes a minimum length for the rod, and indicates one mode of molecular packing which may be related to the bare zone of the myosin filament.
Correction for corneal polarization axis improves the discriminating power of scanning laser polarimetry

PURPOSE: Corneal polarization axis (CPA) has been reported to affect retardation measurements obtained with scanning laser polarimetry (SLP). The purpose of this investigation was to prospectively determine whether correction for CPA improves the discriminating power of SLP for detection of mild-to-moderate glaucoma. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of normal and glaucomatous eyes. METHODS: We constructed a noninvasive slit-lamp-mounted device incorporating two crossed linear polarizers and an optical retarder to measure the slow axis of corneal polarization. Complete ocular examination, standard automated perimetry, SLP imaging, and CPA measurements were performed on normal and glaucomatous eyes. One eye/subject was enrolled; if both eyes of a patient were eligible for the study, the right eye was selected. For each of the 13 SLP parameters, logistic regression was used to determine if including CPA in the model influenced the ability to discriminate between normal and glaucomatous eyes. RESULTS: Forty-three normal eyes (average visual field mean defect, −0.53 ± 1.4 dB) and 33 glaucomatous eyes (average visual field mean defect, −5.93 ± 6.5 dB) were enrolled. CPA was significantly correlated with summary retardation parameters (average thickness and integral values) in normal (r = 0.72–0.83, P < .001 for all values) and glaucomatous eyes (r = 0.43–0.62, P = .013 to < .001). Including CPA in the model improved the ability to discriminate between normal and glaucomatous eyes for five retardation parameters quantifying retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness (range of P values: 0.045–0.001). For inferior average thickness, area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve increased significantly (P = .002) from 0.70 to 0.78 after accounting for CPA; with a sensitivity set at 80% specificity improved from 33% to 72%. Correlations between visual field corrected pattern standard deviation and average thickness, ellipse average, superior average, and inferior average significantly increased (range of P values, .018–.001) after adjustment for CPA (r = −0.35 and −0.45, −0.38 and −0.47, −0.46 and −0.57, and −0.42 and −0.49, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Correction for CPA significantly increases the correlation between retinal nerve fiber layer structural damage and visual function and significantly improves the discriminating power of SLP for detection of mild-to-moderate glaucoma.
Injected carrier flow in a semi-insulator containing a density gradient of a deep impurity

Abstract Double injection theory in semi-insulators (semiconductors) containing deep acceptor impurities and a small density of shallow donors is extended to include the effects of gradients in the deep impurity density. The space-charge neutrality based solutions for the square-law region show strong dependence on the direction of injection with respect to the density gradient. The intersection point between the ohmic region and the square law region is shown to shift to lower voltages when hole injection takes place at the highly doped end of the π-type device. For electron injection at the acceptor-type trap rich end, a condition of single injection is approached and the double injection model does not hold. Experiments with semi-insulating silicon p+πn+ structures, where the π region contains a diffused gradient of indium as the deep acceptor, confirm the main conclusions of the theory.