cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Generalizing to Continuous Shape Parameters for Surfaces

The evaluation and perturbation of a Beta-spline curve has been investigated under the assumption that β1 and β2 are uniform shape parameters. Now they will be generalized to be continuous shape parameters, each varying continuously along the curve. The continuous analogues of β1 and β2 will be denoted β1 i (u) and β2 i (u), respectively, and describe the value of each shape parameter along the curve segment Q i (u), i = 1, 2,..., m. This generalization will enable the user to have more precise control over the shape of the curve. The user is no longer constrained to choose a unique value for each shape parameter over the entire curve. Now, different values of the shape parameters can be used to reflect the local character of the curve.
Selected Current Effectively Connected Income Issues for Investment Funds

A great deal of uncertainty currently surrounds the determination of whether the activities of certain investment funds will give rise to income effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business within the United States (ECI) for the fund itself (if a corporation) or for its non-U.S. investors (if a partnership). These uncertainties have multiplied as quickly as the range of activities in which these funds engage and the asset classes in which they invest. They have led to two types of inefficiencies. In the case of certain types of funds, such as issuers of collateralized debt obligations (CDOs), they have produced a series of byzantine, constantly shifting practitioner-developed rules that seek to achieve a "will" opinion level of certainty at the cost of artificially restricting the funds' activities, and, on the margin, the extent to which the funds add liquidity to U.S. capital markets. Other types of funds also adopt some byzantine structures, but otherwise settle for a lower level of certainty and as a result risk losing some foreign investors as a source of capital. Neither of the foregoing is entirely satisfactory in light of the fact that our system of inbound taxation was generally designed to attract passive foreign investment capital. While the authors believe that, at least in some respects, current law may provide somewhat greater comfort than is generally understood, that belief, of course, could benefit from confirmatory guidance from the Service (or, perhaps in some cases, legislation). Part I of this paper outlines the general rules applicable to ECI. Part II presents the historical background of the taxation of inbound investment generally, including the use of the trade or business concept, and traces its development from 1913 to the present. Part III provides an overview of the limited statutory and regulatory guidance relating to "trade or business" specifically in the ECI context. Part IV explores relevant judicial and administrative development of the trade or business concept in specific areas that may be relevant to the investment funds that are the subject of this paper. Part V describes CDOs and their uses, and then applies relevant statutory, regulatory, judicial, and administrative authorities to analyze ECI issues raised by the activities of CDO issuers and distressed debt funds. Part VI considers selected ECI issues confronting foreign persons who invest in private equity funds.
Low Complexity Approach of Material and Relative Appearance Detection for Beverage Cup

The beverage cups influence food culture and environmental issues. EPA announced that the amount of beverage cup amounted to 1.5 billion in the 2011, and gradually pays attention to this problem. The beverage cups include the paper, PP, PS, PLA, PET etc. In this paper, we proposed an image-based recognition system to detect the beverage cup. These methodologies contained the image processing techniques and simple geometric operations to find the appearance of the cup, such as cup cover, straws, cup body. The image processing technologies contained the gray level transformation, Gaussian distribution and edge detection (Canny). Furthermore, we use the image matching approach based on Sum of Absolute Difference (SAD) to find the corresponding material. It can improve recycle efficiency, saving the labour power of beverage cup recycle, and making a contribution to the environment and recycle. The average time cost was 103ms. The accuracy rates were: straw 90%, PLA 66%, PP 95%, PS 100%, PAPER 100%.
Greasepaint and Cordite: How ENSA Entertained the Troops During World War II. By Andy Merriman. (London, United Kingdom: Aurum Press, 2014. Pp. xvi, 304. $15.99.)

Maintaining the morale of armed forces at war is important but often difficult. This was clearly true in World War II, when millions of men were torn from civilian life and often sent to distant an...
Spatial distribution and geomorphology of lunette dunes on the High Plains of Western Kansas: implications for geoarchaeological and paleoenvironmental research

AbstractThe High Plains are a vast, low relief landscape that contains thousands of upland-embedded depressional playa wetlands. Lunettes are isolated dunes that form from prolonged periods of aeolian deposition along the downwind margin of some larger playas. Playa-lunette systems are important landscape elements that have the potential to preserve high-resolution records of past environments, and several archeological sites have been associated with playa-lunette systems throughout the High Plains. While a comprehensive playa wetland geospatial database has been developed for the High Plains, lunettes have only been mapped for the Southern High Plains of Texas and New Mexico. The purpose of this research was to map and characterize the geomorphology of all lunettes associated with playas in the High Plains and bordering regions of western Kansas. Results indicate 129 lunettes are associated with 104 playas in Kansas. All lunettes are associated with playas larger than 5 ha, and about 10% of these larger...
The Effects of Prior Subcutaneous Shock on Agonistic Behavior Elicited by Foot Shock and Subcutaneous Shock

Thirty-six male Long-Evans hooded rats served as subjects in an experiment designed to compare the effects of (a) electrode vs. foot shock and (b) prior shock on agonistic posturing in response to shock. Aggressive responses were elicited more often by foot shock than by subdermal shock. Unpaired animals which had received 2 mA subdermal shock exhibited more aggressive postures when later paired and administered shock than did naive animals or animals simply adapted to the experimental apparatus. These results were discussed in terms of a response competition interpretation of prior shock-produced changes in later behavior.
Integration and visualization framework for data-driven resistance spot welded assembly design

Recently, data-driven design and manufacturing provide industries potential competitive edge. With this emerging paradigm, designers can make efficient design decisions considering various manufacturing process data. Resistance Spot Welding (RSW) process is well utilized in various manufacturing industries including the automotive industry. However, the utilization of the RSW process data is still limited due to the disconnected welded assembly design models and associated process data challenges. This article presents a framework to integrate and visualize the welded assembly design and weldability knowledge extracted from RSW process datasets. In this article, a design database stores the geometric assembly design information and the STM (SpatioTemporal Mereotopology) ontology is connected to the design database. For this study, a real industry RSW test datasets are utilized to extract weldability decision rules with data mining algorithms. To build a shareable RSW weldability knowledge, an RSW ontology is utilized. Afterward, welded assembly design and weldability knowledge sets are extracted from the two ontology-based models and integrated with a X3DOM data to visualize the assembly design and weldability knowledge. Finally, multiple welded assembly models are generated and tested with the developed visualization framework.
The Effects of Training in Linguistics on Teaching: K-12 Teachers in White Mountain Apache Schools

There was a clear and direct impact of training in applied linguistics for the teachers involved. As evident in some of the teacher quotes, when they began the course they held negative attitudes toward their students’ language abilities. They believed that their students were unable to express themselves in English. They did not understand that their students spoke a dialect of English with rules that differ from those found in standard English. One example is the fact that their students seldom formed plurals or past tenses as prescribed in English grammar textbooks. Once they realized that, perhaps, some of their students were using an Apache language model for plural and past tense formation, their attitudes toward what they had considered a serious error began to change.
Treatment of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Related Disorders

According to SEER data, between 2003 and 2007, the median age at diagnosis for chronic lymphocytic leukemia was 72 years and age-adjusted incidence rate was 4.2 per 100,000 men and women per year. A European study estimated the 1- and 5-year prevalence rate of CLL in European Union countries to be 0.2/10,000 and 0.9/10,000, respectively [1].
Tanks Focus Area: Technology Program to Meet Doe’s Tank Waste Clean-Up Needs

The Tanks Focus Area (TFA) was created by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Environmental Management to leverage resources to remediate the ∼94,000,000 gallons of radioactive waste. This waste is stored in 273 underground tanks at the Hanford Site, Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL), Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR), and Savannah River Site (SRS). The TFA is an integrated program that develops and deploys innovative solutions, such as technologies, processes, and data, to safely and efficiently meet the sites’ needs. To meet the needs, the TFA has assembled a team of experts from national laboratories, government contractors, industry, and academia as well as stakeholder and regulatory organizations. These people are organized into a variety of smaller teams. These functions of the teams are footnoted when the team is first mentioned. Technically, the focus area is organized around the functions needed to remediate the waste and close the tanks: retrieval, pretreatment, immobilization, characterization, and closure. Each function is assigned to a Technology Integration Manager (TIM);1 in addition, a TIM is assigned to oversee safety as it relates to safe waste storage and to the other functions.
Synthesis, Surface Reactivity, and Catalytic Activity of High Specific Surface Area Molybdenum Nitride Powders

High specific surface area powders of Mo 2 N have been prepared by temperature-programmed reaction of MoO 3 and ammonia. This topotactic transformation produces small nitn'de particles that have an orientation relation with the original large trioxide platelets. Unsupported stable powders have been obtained with as much as 224 m 2 g -1 as measured by N 2 BET adsorption. Bulk structure was studied by x-ray diffraction, and the surface was characterized by selective chemisorption of CO. The powders were active catalysts for NH 3 synthesis. Turnover rates based on titration of sites by CO indicate a pronounced effect of particle size on catalytic activity. This confirms the structure-sensitive character of ammonia synthesis.
Additive manufacturing of functionally graded transition joints between ferritic and austenitic alloys

Abstract Dissimilar metal joints between ferritic and austenitic alloys are susceptible to premature failure due to diffusive carbon loss from the ferritic alloy driven by abrupt changes in carbon chemical potential. Compositional grading of transition joints fabricated using laser-based directed energy deposition additive manufacturing offers a means for limiting carbon diffusion. Here we fabricate functionally graded transition joints between a ferritic and austenitic alloy, characterize spatial variations of chemical composition, microstructure and hardness, and test their effectiveness to limit carbon loss from the ferritic alloy. Microstructural studies and carbon potential variations in the functionally graded material showed that the length of the joints can be shorter, and there is no benefit to continue compositional grading once the microstructure becomes fully austenitic. Since dissimilar joints have an expected lifetime of several decades, long service times were simulated through accelerated heat treatment experiments at elevated temperatures for both a dissimilar metal weld and a functionally graded transition joint. While the dissimilar weld showed pronounced carbon loss from the ferritic side, there was insignificant change in the carbon concentration profile in the functionally graded joint indicating effectiveness of the graded joints to perform under service conditions.
Bayesian latent time joint mixed-effects model of progression in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative.

Abstract Introduction We characterize long-term disease dynamics from cognitively healthy to dementia using data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. Methods We apply a latent time joint mixed-effects model to 16 cognitive, functional, biomarker, and imaging outcomes in Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. Markov chain Monte Carlo methods are used for estimation and inference. Results We find good concordance between latent time and diagnosis. Change in amyloid positron emission tomography shows a moderate correlation with change in cerebrospinal fluid tau ( ρ = 0.310) and phosphorylated tau ( ρ = 0.294) and weaker correlation with amyloid-β 42 ( ρ = 0.176). In comparison to amyloid positron emission tomography, change in volumetric magnetic resonance imaging summaries is more strongly correlated with cognitive measures (e.g., ρ = 0.731 for ventricles and Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale). The average disease trends are consistent with the amyloid cascade hypothesis. Discussion The latent time joint mixed-effects model can (1) uncover long-term disease trends; (2) estimate the sequence of pathological abnormalities; and (3) provide subject-specific prognostic estimates of the time until onset of symptoms.
The Practice Gap: Strategy and Theory for Emotional and Interpersonal Development in Public Administration Education

This article examines the relationship of emotional and interpersonal development to the gap between what individuals know about organization theory or management skills and what they are actually ...
The 7th Workshop on Active Internet Measurements (AIMS7) Report

On 31 March - 2 April 2015, CAIDA hosted the seventh Workshop on Active Internet Measurements (AIMS-7) as part of our series of Internet Statistics vand Metrics Analysis (ISMA) workshops. As with previous AIMS workshops, the goals were to further our understanding of the potential and limitations of active measurement research and infrastructure in the wide-area Internet, and to promote cooperative solutions and coordinated strategies between academics, industry, policymakers, and funding agencies. This report describes topics discussed at the workshop, including current state of Ark and related infrastructure, current and proposed experiments using these infrastructures, and participants' views of challenges and priorities. Materials related to the workshop are at http://www.caida.org/workshops/aims/1503/.
Variation in pathogenicity of different Leptographium terebrantis isolates to Pinus taeda L.

Variation in the pathogenicity of 42 isolates of Leptographium terebrantis to Pinus taeda was examined. Stems of 1‐year‐old P. taeda seedlings were artificially inoculated with the fungal isolates. Eight weeks following inoculation, L. terebrantis isolates caused dark necrotic lesion and sapwood occlusion in the seedling stems. The fungal isolates varied in their ability to cause lesion and tissue occlusion. Lesions caused by fungal isolates were, however, significantly longer than the control. Results suggest that different isolates of L. terebrantis may not put the health of P. taeda at equal risk.
The Formation of the Black Medical Movement and Its Implications for Social Work, Part I: African American Physicians

“ The world cannot progress beyond its present impasse...unless we begin to learn again what really happened in the world...to give credit where credit is due and have a different conception of the human being regardless of the race or color of that human .” - Sertima, 1986 Background: Health deficits have been present among Black and African American communities since having been brought to and enslaved in the United States. Black Americans have a legacy of finding ways to make ways to acquire the resources and access to medical care desperately needed among their communities. However, the narrative of how these communities gained access to medical methods, education, and training is largely neglected in the context of social work or in social work education. Objective: This historical review examines the efforts and accomplishments of African Americans to acquire medical training and resources to address the health disparities among their own and neighboring communities in need. Methods: Thematic analysis is used to investigate the existence of efforts of African Americans to acquire access to medical resources. Findings: The findings of this analysis identify that the efforts and achievements of Blacks and African Americans to acquire medical training and resources culminate in the Black Medical Movement (1788-Present). Conclusions: This existence of the Black Medical Movement presents at least four implications for the social work profession. A brief background of the genesis of health deficits among African American communities of provided, then followed by a description of the Black Medical Movement from its inception to present. This analysis concludes with a call to interrupt systems of oppression by using the presented findings to inform social work ways of knowing, practice, research, and approaches to social justice.
Ultrafast excitation of conduction-band electrons by high-intensity ultrashort laser pulses in band-gap solids: Vinogradov equation versus Drude model

Heating of conduction-band electrons is one of the major processes of energy absorption and transfer in high-intensity ultrafast laser–solid interactions. It is frequently simulated by assuming a high rate of electron-particle collisions. We explore the approximation of low-rate electron–phonon collisions based on the Vinogradov equation for the intraband absorption rate by conduction-band electrons performing laser-driven oscillations. Band-structure modification by the ponderomotive energy of the ultrafast oscillations is taken into account. The Vinogradov equation combined with the Keldysh formula for the interband transition rate delivers a highly nonequilibrium energy distribution of the conduction electrons. Reported results suggest a substantial revision of the traditional models of ultrafast free-carrier heating by intense laser pulses.
Co-occurrence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy and prion disease

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease associated with repetitive traumatic brain injury (TBI). CTE is generally found in athletes participating in contact sports and military personnel exposed to explosive blasts but can also affect civilians. Clinically and pathologically, CTE overlaps with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a term mostly used in a clinical context. The histopathology of CTE is defined by the deposition of hyperphosphorylated tau protein in neurons and astrocytes preferentially with perivascular distribution and at the depths of the cortical sulci. In addition to hyperphosphorylated tau, other pathologic proteins are deposited in CTE, including amyloid β (Aβ), transactive response (TAR) DNA-binding protein 43 kDa (TDP-43) and α-synuclein. However, the coexistence of prion disease in CTE has not been observed. We report three cases of histopathologically validated CTE with co-existing sporadic prion disease. Two were identified in a cohort of 55 pathologically verified cases of CTE submitted to the CTE Center of Boston University. One was identified among brain tissues submitted to the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center of Case Western Reserve University. The histopathological phenotype and properties of the abnormal, disease-related prion protein (PrPD) of the three CTE cases were examined using lesion profile, immunohistochemistry, electrophoresis and conformational tests. Subjects with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) matched for age, PrP genotype and PrPD type were used as controls. The histopathology phenotype and PrPD properties of the three CTE subjects showed no significant differences from their respective sCJD controls suggesting that recurring neurotrauma or coexisting CTE pathology did not detectably impact the prion disease phenotype and PrPD conformational characteristics. Based on the reported incidence of sporadic prion disease, the detection of two cases with sCJD in the CTE Center series of 55 CTE cases by chance alone would be highly unlikely (p = 8.93*10− 6). Nevertheless, examination of a larger cohort of CTE is required to conclusively determine whether the risk of CJD is significantly increased in patients with CTE.
Laplace Transforms and Coupled Differential Equations

Chapter 3 considered systems in which the rate of flow between two compartments was described by zeroth or first order kinetics, and where flow was in one direction only. Solutions were obtained by solving for the amount in the first compartment of the chain, and then proceeding through the chain to the final compartment in the order in which compartments are encountered. This process of solution was effective because Bernoulli’s solution to any one compartment involved knowledge only of the functions describing compartments “higher” in the chain. At no time did the differential equation for a given compartment involve information on compartments “further down” the chain.
Mycoplasma pneumoniae-induced non-sexually acquired genital ulceration (Lipschütz ulcers).

We read with interest the case report by Fremlin and colleagues1 on non-sexually acquired genital ulceration (NSAGU), also termed Lipschutz ulcers. NSAGU is characterised by acute painful genital ulcerations in girls and young women and has been associated with a large spectrum of acute infections, for example, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV) and parvovirus.2 3 We would like to draw attention to the possibility of another important cause of this condition. …
Context-dependent effects of relative temperature extremes on bill morphology in a songbird

Species increasingly face environmental extremes. Morphological responses to changes in average environmental conditions are well documented, but responses to environmental extremes remain poorly understood. We used museum specimens to investigate relationships between a thermoregulatory morphological trait, bird bill surface area (SA) and a measure of short-term relative temperature extremity (RTE), which quantifies the degree that temperature maxima or minima diverge from the 5-year norm. Using a widespread, generalist species, Junco hyemalis, we found that SA exhibited different patterns of association with RTE depending on the overall temperature regime and on precipitation. While thermoregulatory function predicts larger SA at higher RTE, we found this only when the RTE existed in an environmental context that opposed it: atypically cold minimum temperature in a warm climate, or atypically warm maximum temperature in a cool climate. When environmental context amplified the RTE, we found a negative relationship between SA and RTE. We also found that the strength of associations between SA and RTE increased with precipitation. Our results suggest that trait responses to environmental variation may qualitatively differ depending on the overall environmental context, and that environmental change that extremifies already-extreme environments may produce responses that cannot be predicted from observations in less-extreme contexts.
Performance Parameter Analysis of Power Cable Modified Polypropylene (MPP) Conduit

Modified polypropylene (MPP) conduits are increasingly used as protection conduits for trenchless power cables. In order to ensure the performance and quality of MPP conduits used in the field of power cables, this article has carried out research on its performance parameters and test methods. First of all, in view of the problem of excessive deviation of the MPP conduits appearance and size inspection, the relationship between the conduits wall thickness and the mechanical performance ring stiffness parameter was studied. Then, through the MPP conduits density, ring stiffness, Vicat softening temperature, and flattening test results, the correlation between the three parameters of density, ring stiffness, and Vicat softening temperature is analyzed. It also concluded that the ring stiffness and Vicat softening temperature have a moderate positive correlation. Finally, the article compares some similarities and differences between the MPP conduit and the CPVC conduit for two power cable protection conduits in terms of performance parameter test items.
A limbic circuit selectively linking active escape to food suppression

Abstract Stress and anxiety are precipitating factors for eating disorders, but the neural basis linking stress to alterations in feeding is not well understood. Here we describe a novel population of stress-responsive neurons in the lateral septum (LS) of mice that express neurotensin (LSNTS) in a sexually dimorphic, estrous cycle-dependent manner. We used in vivo imaging to show that LSNTS neurons are activated by stressful experiences when flight is a viable option, but not by a stressful experience associated with freezing or immobility. LSNTS activation leads to a decrease of food intake and body weight in mice, without altering locomotion or other behaviors associated with anxiety. Molecular profiling of LSNTS neurons showed that these neurons co-express Glp1r (glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor), and both pharmacologic and genetic manipulations of Glp1r signaling in the LS recapitulates the behavioral effects of LSNTS activation. Finally, we mapped the outputs of LSNTS neurons and show that activation of LSNTS nerve terminals in the lateral hypothalamus (LH), a well-established feeding center, also decrease food intake. Taken together, these results show that LSNTS neurons link stress and anorexia via effects on hypothalamic pathways regulating food intake.
The end of textiles quotas: A case study of the impact on Bangladesh

Abstract This paper assesses the effects on the Bangladeshi economy of phasing out textile and clothing quotas by industrial countries. Bangladesh relies heavily on textile and clothing exports and is potentially very vulnerable to the abolition of the quotas. We used up-to-date information on quota prices for Bangladesh to evaluate its competitiveness in a quota-free world, and subsequently incorporate the quota price information in the GTAP model to simulate the effects of quota phase out on Bangladesh. We also examine in detail the supply constraints facing Bangladesh's textiles and clothing industries. Based on this analysis, we conclude that without accelerated structural reforms Bangladesh is likely to face significant pressure on its balance of payments, output and employment in the aftermath of quota removal.
Mechanism of the Mitochondrial Respiratory Toxicity of Cephalosporin Antibiotics

In summary, cephaloglycin, a nephrotoxic cephalosporin, produces a specific pattern of mitochondrial toxicity, decreasing both respiration with and the net uptake of succinate in renal cortical mitochondria after either in vivo or in vitro exposure, with no effect on succinate efflux. There is little or no reduction of ADP uptake by the same toxic exposures. Cephalexin, which is not toxic in vivo, inhibits respiration and uptake only with in vitro exposure. Fragmentation of mitochondria, which allows access of succinate to intramitochondrial enzymes without the need for carrier-mediated uptake, partially corrects the respiratory toxicity of cephaloglycin. We conclude that cephalosporin toxicity to succinate transport parallels the pattern of injury to mitochondrial respiration and may be pathogenic in this respiratory toxicity. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that a) both nephrotoxic and nontoxic cephalosporins can fit the carriers for mitochondrial anionic substrate transport, and b) in situ nephrotoxicity develops as inhibition of transport becomes irreversible through acylation of these carriers.
The choroid plexus as a glucose barrier.

Publisher Summary The choroid plexus is composed of strongly vascularized connective tissue lined with an epithelial layer. It has long been considered a “barrier” between the blood and the cerebrospinal space. The present paper summarizes the results of preliminary experiments aimed at clarifying the role of the choroid plexus in the maintenance of glucose concentration between the blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Certain experiments are presented in the chapter, which includes: Sugar-concentrating transport mechanism in the choroid plexus, Direction of the sugar pump in dog choroid plexus in vivo and sugar transport in the isolated choroid plexus of the horse. Evidence is presented of an accumulating low-capacity sugar pump in the choroid plexus that transports glucose or gaIactose from the ventricle into the bloodstream. By experimentation it is found that the glucose content in the CSF is always below that in the plasma but is in rough accord with the concentration fluctuations in the latter. As it happens, the pump is regulated so that a ratio of roughly 1: 2 is maintained.
Effects of triclosan and biosolids on microbial community composition in an agricultural soil.

Triclosan (TCS) is a widely used antimicrobial agent found at high concentrations in biosolids produced during municipal wastewater treatment. The effect of adding TCS, in the presence or absence of biosolids, on the composition of an agricultural soil microbial community was measured using phospholipid fatty acid analysis (PLFA). Most changes observed in microbial community composition were attributable to addition of biosolids or passage of time, with smaller changes due to TCS exposure, regardless of the biosolids presence. TCS slightly reduced the relative abundance of Gram positive and negative bacteria and fungi, both with or without biosolids. Bacteria were more sensitive than eukaryotes, consistent with the mode of action of TCS, which selectively targets fatty acid synthesis and disrupts cell membranes of bacteria. TCS slightly increased biomarkers of microbial stress, but stress biomarkers were lower in all biosolid treated soils, presumably due to increased availability of nutrients mitigating potential TCS toxicity.
Setting Eligibility Criteria for a Care-Coordination Benefit

Objectives: To examine different clinically relevant eligibility criteria sets to determine how they differ in numbers and characteristics of individuals served. Design: Cross-sectional analysis of the 2000 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a nationally representative longitudinal health interview survey of adults aged 50 and older. Setting: Population-based cohort of community-dwelling older adults, subset of an ongoing longitudinal health interview survey. Participants: Adults aged 65 and older who were respondents in the 2000 wave of the HRS (n=10,640, representing approximately 33.6 million Medicare beneficiaries). Measurements: Three clinical criteria sets were examined that included different combinations of medical conditions, cognitive impairment, and activity of daily living/instrumental activity of daily living (ADL/IADL) dependency. Results: A small portion of Medicare beneficiaries (1.3–5.8%) would be eligible for care coordination, depending on the criteria set chosen. A criteria set recently proposed by Congress (at least four severe complex medical conditions and one ADL or IADL dependency) would apply to 427,000 adults aged 65 and older in the United States. Criteria emphasizing cognitive impairment would serve an older population. Conclusion: Several criteria sets for a Medicare care-coordination benefit are clinically reasonable, but different definitions of eligibility would serve different numbers and population groups of older adults.
Embodied cognition of movement decisions: a computational modeling approach

This chapter presents a cognitive computational view of decision making as the search for, and accumulation of, evidence for options under consideration. It is based on existing models that have been successful in traditional decision tasks involving preferential choice. The model assumes shifting attention over time that determines momentary inputs to an evolving preference state. In this chapter, the cognitive model is extended to illustrate how links from the motor system may be incorporated. These links can basically be categorized into one of three influences: modifying the subjective evaluation of choice options, restricting attention, and altering the options that are to be found in the choice set. The implications for the formal model are introduced and preliminary evidence is drawn from the extant literature.
Jaundice, terminating breast-feeding, and the vulnerable child.

Jaundice is the most commonly treated condition of otherwise well newborns. Although recommended treatments are thought to be safe and effective, the impact of jaundice and therapy on maternal attitudes and behavior is unknown. It was hypothesized that, in contrast to comparison mothers, mothers of jaundiced infants would be more likely to stop breast-feeding in the first month of life, have more separation difficulties with their infant, and be greater users of health care. Both groups of mothers were surveyed in the hospital and 1 month after discharge. Mothers were eligible if their infants were born at Yale-New Haven Hospital after February 1987 and were in the regular nursery. Jaundiced infants had a total serum bilirubin concentration greater than or equal to 205 mmol/L (12 mg/dL); control infants were not jaundiced. Of those who agreed to participate, 84% (85/101) of mothers of jaundiced infants and 80% (124/155) of control mothers completed the 1-month questionnaire. There were no substantial differences between the control and jaundiced groups, respectively, with regard to maternal age (29.1 years vs 29 years) education (66% vs 60% some college), or race (86% vs 82% white). Breast-feeding was more common in the jaundiced group (61% vs 79%, P less than .05). By 1 month, more mothers of jaundiced infants had completely stopped breast-feeding (19% vs 42%, P less than .01). They were more likely to have never left the baby with anyone else (including the father) or left the baby at most one time for less than 1 hour (15% vs 31%, P less than .05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Protein-Induced Membrane Curvature Alters Local Membrane Tension

Adsorption of proteins onto membranes can alter the local membrane curvature. This phenomenon has been observed in biological processes such as endocytosis, tubulation, and vesiculation. However, it is not clear how the local surface properties of the membrane, such as membrane tension, change in response to protein adsorption. In this article, we show that the partial differential equations arising from classical elastic model of lipid membranes, which account for simultaneous changes in shape and membrane tension due to protein adsorption in a local region, cannot be solved for nonaxisymmetric geometries using straightforward numerical techniques; instead, a viscous-elastic formulation is necessary to fully describe the system. Therefore, we develop a viscous-elastic model for inhomogeneous membranes of the Helfrich type. Using the newly available viscous-elastic model, we find that the lipids flow to accommodate changes in membrane curvature during protein adsorption. We show that, at the end of protein adsorption process, the system sustains a residual local tension to balance the difference between the actual mean curvature and the imposed spontaneous curvature. We also show that this change in membrane tension can have a functional impact such as altered response to pulling forces in the presence of proteins.
Space-time coding for doubly selective channels

Relying on a basis expansion model (BEM) to capture time- and frequency-selective propagation effects, we prove that the maximum achievable diversity of multi-antenna transmissions over doubly-selective channels is determined by the rank of the correlation matrix of the BEM coefficients from all channels. The diversity order is multiplicative in the effective degrees of freedom that the channels exhibit in space-, time-, and frequency-domains. Furthermore, we design a block precoded digital phase sweeping transmission that achieves full space-Doppler-multipath diversity for any number of transmit-receive antennas, and without bandwidth expansion. The theoretical diversity results are corroborated by simulations, and the BEM is validated.
Female "Circumcision" in Africa: Culture, Controversy, and Change

Female "Circumcision" in Africa: Culture, Controversy, and Change. Bettina Shell-Duncan and Ylva Hernlund (eds.). Directions in Applied Anthropology: Adaptations and Innovations. Boulder, CO, and London, UK: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2000. viii. 349 pp. (Cloth US$59.95)
Isolated profound cerebral cooling with a bi-carotid heat exchanger shunt in dogs

Intracerebral temperatures of 15 degrees C have been achieved in 20 canine brains using a simple cannulation of the carotid arteries and interposition of a highly efficient heat exchanger. The appropriate changes in cardiovascular function and cerebral electrical activities have been documented. The extracorporeal system does not require the use of a pump oxygenator unit.
Models of amorphous solids

Abstract The three classical models of amorphous solids are: the continuous random network model for covalent glasses (Zachariasen), the random close packing model for metallic glasses (Bernal), and the random coil model for polymeric glasses (Flory). Basic aspects of these models, their relationships, and their dimensionality dependences, are reviewed. The possible relevance of higher-dimensional packings is discussed, and Raman studies are presented of a glass exhibiting conversion from rcp to crn structure.
A Thermodynamic Evaluation of Thermal Recovery of Gas From Hydrates in the Earth (includes associated papers 11863 and 11924 )

An examination is made of the potential for recovering gas from naturally occurring hydrates. Factors to be considered in such a study are (1) location of the hydrate fields, (2) purity of hydrates in the reservoir, (3) types of media in which hydrates form, (4) thermodynamic conditions of temperature, pressure, and composition, and (5) thermal properties of the reservoir. Based on these considerations, calculations were made to determine the energy needed to dissociate hydrates and the amount of gas recovered per g mol of hydrate dissociated. 14 refs.
The regulation of trematode populations by density-dependent processes

Abstract 1. 1. Density-dependent processes act as negative feedback mechanisms and constrain parasite population growth with individual hosts and so regulate the growth of the total population within the community of hosts. 2. 2. Density-dependent processes exert this effect through the influence they have on the mortality, fecundity, and asexual multiplication rate of the parasite, and regulation is contingent upon a proportional increase in some adverse effect as parasite population size increases. 3. 3. Mathematical models provide important qualitative insights into the nature and consequences of density-dependent processes. 4. 4. The physiological mechanisms underlying the observed relationships are frequently difficult to identify, but, insofar as the models are implicit hypotheses about the characteristics of the mechanisms, they provide a template against which to test conflicting ideas. 5. 5. Density-dependent processes complicate the implementation and assessment of disease control programmes involving anthelminthics and explanatory schemes which ignore their effects are unable to account for or predict the full range of dynamic behaviour of helminth parasite populations.
Site-specific Interaction of the Antitumor Antibiotic Dynemicin with Branched DNA Molecules

Abstract A specific interaction of stable branched DNA molecules with the antitumor antibiotic dynemicin is reported. Dynemicin contains an anthraquinone and an enediyne unit, and belongs to the family of enediyne antitumor agents. DNA strand scission by dynemicin appears to involve interaction of the anthraquinone core with DNA and release of a phenyl diradical from the enediyne core that can abstract hydrogen atoms from the sugar phosphate backbone of DNA The cleavage patterns of each labeled strand in two branched tetramers of four 16-mers are compared with those of the same strands in unbranched duplex controls. Differences between the profiles corresponding to scission of branched and duplex DNA molecules can be detected in most of the strands. The strongest differences define a specific site flanking the branch in each of two branched structures. At 18°C, cleavage at strand positions demarcating the site of enhanced affinity in both junctions is observed to be 70–100% more efficient than at the corr...
Stabilization of the H,K-ATPase M5M6 membrane hairpin by K+ ions. Mechanistic significance for p2-type atpases.

The integral membrane protein, the gastric H,K-ATPase, is an α-β heterodimer, with 10 putative transmembrane segments in the α-subunit and one such segment in the β-subunit. All transmembrane segments remain within the membrane domain following trypsinization of the intact gastric H,K-ATPase in the presence of K+ ions, identified as M1M2, M3M4, M5M6, and M7, M8, M9, and M10. Removal of K+ ions from this digested preparation results in the selective loss of the M5M6 hairpin from the membrane. The release of the M5M6 fragment is directed to the extracellular phase as evidenced by the accumulation of the released M5M6 hairpin inside the sealed inside out vesicles. The stabilization of the M5M6 hairpin in the membrane phase by the transported cation as well as loss to the aqueous phase in the absence of the transported cation has been previously observed for another P2-type ATPase, the Na,K-ATPase (Lutsenko, S., Anderko, R., and Kaplan, J. H. (1995)Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 92, 7936–7940). Thus, the effects of the counter-transported cation on retention of the M5M6 segment in the membrane as compared with the other membrane pairs may be a general feature of P2-ATPase ion pumps, reflecting a flexibility of this region that relates to the mechanism of transport.
Antisense oligonucleotide intralesional therapy for human PC-3 prostate tumors carried in athymic nude mice

Previously we reported hemorrhagic necrosis in human-derived PC-3 prostate tumors, in athymic nude mice, produced by the intralesional injection of antisense oligonucleotides (oligos) directed against mRNAs encoding transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) and its target, the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). We now describe our experience with these oligos in treating additional mice with various doses and modes of administration. During prolonged treatment, a dose-response effect was observed, with the optimal dosage consisting of the combination of 400 micrograms of each oligo. Although responses varied, based upon amount and how oligos were administered, we found that tumors were best treated when initially less than 156 mm3. Intralesional inoculations produced necrosis and yielded responses, ranging from complete response (CR) or cure to partial responses (PR) in 9 of 12 tumors treated with full dose (400 micrograms of each oligo) and 1 of 1 treated with 800 micrograms of each oligo, against a large tumor. Included among the 9 positive responses with full-dose administration were 2 tumors that regressed (one completely). A single tumor treated with twice (2X) the normal dosage (800 micrograms of each oligo) also regressed. A single tumor treated with half (1/2) dose (200 micrograms of each) progressed similar to controls, as did 3 of 12 treated with the full dose. Limited experience with ALZET diffusion pumps gave CR (1 of 3) or PR (2 of 3) in 100% of tumors treated (including one mouse cured of multiple tumors in a five day period). It appears that multiple inoculations consisting of 400 micrograms of each oligo is most effective against these tumors, particularly when administered against tumors of <156 mm3 in initial size.
Changes in language learning beliefs as a result of study abroad

Abstract Learner beliefs have traditionally been considered stable and static. According to recent research, however, they are dynamic and variable. Under this theory, the current study explores the effects of study abroad on beliefs. Belief questionnaires were administered to 70 English language learners while studying abroad in the United States. Learners were asked to reflect on their beliefs prior to arrival and at the time of the questionnaire administration to investigate what beliefs may change due to study abroad. The learners were divided into two groups according to their amount of time thus far abroad to see if amount of time abroad has an effect on belief changes. Factor analysis identified three underlying dimensions of the learner belief system, which concerned the teacher’s role, learner autonomy, and self-efficacy. Comparisons between pre- and during study-abroad beliefs revealed that learners experienced changes in their beliefs on learner autonomy and the role of the teacher. Those with more time abroad had significantly more changes in their belief systems, suggesting that learning context and length of context exposure influence belief changes. Interviews provided insight into how study-abroad influences beliefs. This study supports the view that beliefs are dynamic, socially constructed, and responsive to context.