cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Duration of positive urine for cocaine metabolite after ophthalmic administration: implications for testing patients with suspected Horner syndrome using ophthalmic cocaine.

Abstract PURPOSE: To determine the duration of positive urine for benzoylecgonine, the major metabolite excreted in the urine, after topical ophthalmic administration of cocaine as one would perform for testing the presence of Horner syndrome. METHODS: Two drops of cocaine 10% were applied to each eye of 50 normal subjects. Urine samples were collected 4 to 6, 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours later. Each sample was assayed for benzoylecgonine using a screening competitive enzyme donor immunoassay followed by a highly specific and sensitive confirmatory gas chromatography–mass spectrometry assay. We employed assays and cutoff levels that fulfilled guidelines required by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services of the United States Department of Health and Human Services to mimic measures that exist for federal workplace drug testing. RESULTS: Of the 50 subjects, there were 25 women and 25 men, ranging in age from 19 to 59 years (median age, 40 years). Positive screening samples were obtained in 47 of 50 subjects (94%) 4 to 6 hours, 35 of 50 (70%) 24 hours, and 1 of 50 (2%) 48 hours after topical application of cocaine. None of the samples tested positive at 72 hours or beyond. Using the confirmatory assay’s cutoff as the gold standard for a positive test, the sensitivity of the screening assay was 96% 4 to 6 hours, 90% 24 hours, and 14% 48 hours after topical application. Urine benzoylecgonine concentration was negatively correlated with body mass index and positively correlated with urine creatinine concentration. CONCLUSIONS: Patients should be informed that their urine may test positive for cocaine, if assayed according to US federal guidelines and using the protocol employed in this study, up to 2 days after undergoing testing for Horner syndrome.
Analysis of particulate removal in venturi scrubbers—role of heat and mass transfer

In a previous paper, a theoretical model of venturi scrubber performance was presented in which the operating variables, scrubber geometry, and droplet and dust size distributions are specified. The present paper examines the roles that heat and mass transfer have in determining the particle collection efficiency. The mechanisms of inertial impaction, interception, and diffusiophoresis are analyzed simultaneously to account realistically for heat and mass transfer effects on particle collection. Operation at elevated gas temperatures can substantially reduce collection, primarily due to the increase in gas density which occurs as the gas contacts the spray liquid. Mass transfer effects are important only when condensation onto the drops occurs, such as that during the scrubbing of saturated gas streams or when using cold liquid sprays. Under these conditions, mass transfer effects increase the collection efficiency.
Trajectories of Evening Fatigue in Oncology Outpatients Receiving Chemotherapy.

Abstract Context Fatigue is a distressing persistent sense of physical tiredness that is not proportional to a person's recent activity. Fatigue impacts patients' treatment decisions and can limit their self-care activities. Although significant interindividual variability in fatigue severity has been noted, little is known about predictors of interindividual variability in initial levels and trajectories of evening fatigue severity in oncology patients receiving chemotherapy. Objectives To determine whether demographic, clinical, and symptom characteristics were associated with initial levels and the trajectories of evening fatigue. Methods A sample of outpatients with breast, gastrointestinal, gynecological, and lung cancer ( N = 586) completed demographic and symptom questionnaires a total of six times over two cycles of chemotherapy. Fatigue severity was evaluated using the Lee Fatigue Scale. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to answer the study objectives. Results A large amount of interindividual variability was found in the evening fatigue trajectories. A piecewise model fit the data best. Patients who were white, diagnosed with breast, gynecological, or lung cancer, and who had more years of education, childcare responsibilities, lower functional status, and higher levels of sleep disturbance and depression reported higher levels of evening fatigue at enrollment. Conclusion This study identified both nonmodifiable (e.g., ethnicity) and modifiable (e.g., childcare responsibilities, depressive symptoms, sleep disturbance) risk factors for more severe evening fatigue. Using this information, clinicians can identify patients at higher risk for more severe evening fatigue, provide individualized patient education, and tailor interventions to address the modifiable risk factors.
Determination of steady state temperature in a two-layer body with different form factors

Abstract The analytical determination of the spreading resistant as appears in electronic cooling applications is the subject of the investigation. A selected system consists of solid blocks of different sizes attached to each other; mainly to accelerate cooling effect by spreading the induced heat from a die structure. The objective is to provide a steady state analytical solution for a system that consists of two rectangular bodies of different size attached to each other. Then, using the function specification technique, the heat flux at the interface is analytically determined. The convergence of the analytically acquired data becomes an important issue and the related information is presented. It was remarkable this analytical solution technique is equivalent to a standard inverse methodology.
Interaction of Phenobarbital and Phenytoin in an Experimental Model of Seizures in Rats

The combination of phenobarbital (PB) and phenytoin (PHT) was recommended for many years for treatment of epilepsy in humans. We tested the effectiveness of the combination in a model of hippocampal seizures termed maximal dentate activation (MDA). Two parameters of MDA were measured: duration and time to onset. Neither the vehicle controls nor PHT 80 mg/kg had an effect on duration or time to onset of MDA. PB 20 mg/kg delayed the normal increase in MDA duration and had no effect on time to onset. Addition of increasing doses of PHT to the 20-mg/kg dose of PB caused a dose-dependent decrease in MDA duration and a dose-dependent increase in time to onset. These effects do not appear to be due to an increase in serum level of either drug when administered together. We showed that the combination of PB and PHT has actions in an experimental model of limbic seizures that are not produced by either drug alone. Therefore, clinical use of the combination does have some experimental justification.
Metabolism of Cocaine by Cholinesterase During Pregnancy: Maternal and Fetal Activity

The objective of the present study was to analyze the metabolism of cocaine during pregnancy in vivo. Pregnant rats were injected with cocaine (25 mg/kg). Two treatment groups of 20 rats each were ...
Pacemaker Function in Relation to Electroconvulsive Therapy

The use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is reported in a patient with a permanent transvenous demand pacemaker (Medtronics 5841). Although electrocardiographic monitoring by telemetry did not demonstrate arrhythmias, ECT is capable of interfering with the proper function of certain types of pacemakers because of the electrical frequencies employed. Those patients who require ECT should undergo careful evaluation of possible contributing risk factors.
Youth smoking prevention and tobacco industry revenue.

Objectives: Epidemiological surveys make it clear that youth smoking contributes to both current and future tobacco industry revenue: over 80% of adult smokers reportedly began smoking before age 18. This paper estimates annual and lifetime revenue from youth smoking, and highlights the association between declines in youth smoking and declines in tobacco industry revenue. Main outcome measures: This paper reports the amount of tobacco industry revenue generated by youth smoking at two points in time (1997 and 2002), and describes the distribution of youth generated tobacco income among the major tobacco companies. The authors project the amount of tobacco industry revenue that will be generated by members of two cohorts (the high school senior classes of 1997 and 2002) over the course of their lifetimes. Results: In 1997, youth consumed 890 million cigarette packs, generating $737 million in annual industry revenue. By 2002, consumption dropped to 541 million packs and revenue increased to nearly $1.2 billion. Fifty eight per cent of youth generated revenue goes to Philip Morris USA, 18% to Lorillard, and 12% to RJ Reynolds. The authors project that, over the course of their lives, the 1997 high school senior class will smoke 12.4 billion packs of cigarettes, generating $27.3 billion in revenue. The 2002 high school senior class is projected to smoke 10.4 billion packs, generating $22.9 billion in revenue over the course of their lives. Conclusions: Cigarette price increases from 1997 to 2002 have resulted in greater revenue for the tobacco industry, despite declines in youth smoking prevalence. However, in the absence of further cigarette price increases, declines in youth smoking are projected to lead ultimately to a loss of approximately $4 billion in future tobacco industry revenue from a single high school cohort.
Cure of ulcerative cecitis of rats by streptomycin.

SummaryThe lesions of ulcerative cecitis of rats resolved within 10 days of streptomycin treatment. The antibiotic was added to the animals' drinking water in an average dose of 0.1 g per day per rat. The bacilli of the Salmonella group which are invariably associated with the ulcers of cecitis were sensitive to streptomycin in the test tube and they could no longer be grown from the cecums of treated rats with healed lesions.
EPR Oxygen Images Predict Tumor Control by a 50% Tumor Control Radiation Dose

Clinical trials to ameliorate hypoxia as a strategy to relieve the radiation resistance it causes have prompted a need to assay the precise extent and location of hypoxia in tumors. Electron paramagnetic resonance oxygen imaging (EPR O2 imaging) provides a noninvasive means to address this need. To obtain a preclinical proof-of-principle that EPR O2 images could predict radiation control, we treated mouse tumors at or near doses required to achieve 50% control (TCD50). Mice with FSa fibrosarcoma or MCa4 carcinoma were subjected to EPR O2 imaging and immediately radiated to a TCD50 or TCD50 ± 10 Gy. Statistical analysis was permitted by collection of approximately 1,300 tumor pO2 image voxels, including the fraction of tumor voxels with pO2 less than 10 mm Hg (HF10). Tumors were followed for 90 days (FSa) or 120 days (MCa4) to determine local control or failure. HF10 obtained from EPR images showed statistically significant differences between tumors that were controlled by the TCD50 and those that were not controlled for both FSa and MCa4. Kaplan-Meier analysis of both types of tumors showed that approximately 90% of mildly hypoxic tumors were controlled (HF10%< 10%), and only 37% (FSA) and 23% (MCa4) tumors controlled if hypoxic. EPR pO2 image voxel distributions in these approximately 0.5 mL tumors provide a prediction of radiation curability independent of radiation dose. These data confirm the significance of EPR pO2 hypoxic fractions. The 90% control of low HF10 tumors argue that 0.5 mL subvolumes of tumors may be more sensitive to radiation and may need less radiation for high tumor control rates. Cancer Res; 73(17); 5328-35. ©2013 AACR.
Experts' saliency ratings of speech-language dimensions associated with cluttering

Abstract Purpose The study aimed to investigate how cluttering specialists rated degree of prominence or saliency of various communication dimensions as contributing to the overall cluttering severity. Method Using a 9-point Likert type scoring system 31 cluttering specialists (with an average of 19 years of experience with cluttering) rated the relative importance of eight speech and language dimensions often associated with cluttering from ‘1’ (‘not important’) at the low end to a ‘9’ (‘very important’) at the high saliency end. Results Though the salience ratings differed the values in most cases were toward the high end of the rating scale. Additionally correlational analyses revealed several patterns of inter-correlation among the dimensions indicating that contribution of each communication dimension to overall cluttering severity may not be the same for all. Rather, it suggested that these dimensions may speak to cluttering severity through differential perceptual pathways that characterized the thinking of the experts who participated. Conclusion Greater understanding of the various communication behaviors contributing to cluttering, severity is needed for theoretical research and clinical purposes. To the extent that the dimensions studied are thought to be relevant for cluttering, the results strengthen the notion that these dimensions (and perhaps others) should be included if we are to capture a comprehensive picture of cluttering severity. Educational objectives: (a) describe the multidimensionality of cluttering; (b) discuss the perceptual saliency of speech-language dimensions associated with cluttering; (c) describe the interrelatedness of various speech-language dimensions associated with cluttering; (d) discuss how experts in cluttering rate the saliency of speech and language dimensions associated with cluttering when provided a list of these dimensions.
A critical analysis of international news flow research

This essay provides a critique of the existing literature on international news flow and coverage research. The analysis suggests that relatively few empirical investigations have contributed substantially to the development of theoretical foundations. Problems with (a) previous research concepts and methodological approaches and (b) theoretical linkages are identified as factors contributing to the limitations of this research tradition. Suggestions are presented for improving future research efforts.
Intraocular pressure-dependent dynamic changes of optic disc cupping in adult glaucoma patients.

The authors performed a study of intraocular pressure-dependent changes in optic disc cupping in 17 adults with chronic open-angle glaucoma. Analyses with the Rodenstock Optic Nerve Head Analyzer were performed at baseline low intraocular pressure during therapy, after elevation of intraocular pressure (from therapeutic failure or noncompliance), and after reduction of intraocular pressure with successful therapy. Optic disc cupping increased significantly upon short-term increase of intraocular pressure from baseline of 20.4 ± 2.5 mmHg to 31.1 ± 5.9 mmHg. Optic disc cupping reverted to baseline after persistent intraocular pressure reduction to 19.3 ± 4.8 mmHg. These data demonstrate intraocular pressure-dependent dynamic changes of optic disc cupping in patients with demonstrable glaucomatous optic nerve damage. They underscore the detrimental effect of elevated intraocular pressure and the beneficial effect of intraocular pressure reduction on optic disc cup changes.
Measurement of nonlinear optical coefficients by phase-matched harmonic generation

A wide range of nonlinear optical coefficients and various systems of notation have been used to describe optical second-harmonic generation (SHG). To avoid possible confusion, the techniques of optical nonlinear coefficient measurement and the elementary theory of SHG are briefly reviewed. Absolute and relative nonlinear coefficient measurements by phase-matched SHG are described. The following results were obtained: d36(KDP) equals 0.38 pm/V, d36(KD*P) equals 0.37 pm/V, d22(BaB2O4) equals 2.2 pm/V, d31(LiIO3) equals -4.1 pm/V, d31(5%MgO:LiNbO3) equals -4.7 pm/V, d15(KTP) equals 1.9 pm/V and d24(KTP) equals 3.5 pm/V. The accuracy of these measurements is estimated to be better than 10%. An example of high-repetition-rate pulsed SHG in AgGaSe2 is given to demonstrate the use of quantitative analysis of harmonic generation for evaluation of nonlinear optical material performance.
Enodthelin 1 is elevated in plasma and explants from patients having uterine leiomyomas.

Objective:To determine a role for endothelin (ET) in progression of uterine fibroids.Design:An in vitro model of fibroid and myometrium cultivation.Patients:A total of 32 women undergoing hysterectomies for uterine fibroids and 11 women undergoing hysterectomies for abnormal uterine bleeding (control population).Results:Women with uterine fibroids were hypertensive and displayed significantly greater circulating ET-1 compared to control patients. Secretion of ET-1 was greater from the fibroids compared to myometrium explants. Endothelin 1 secretion was attenuated with blockade of the angiotensin II type 1 or endothelinA receptors. Hypoxia stimulated ET-1 secretion from both myometrium and fibroid explants. Preproendothelin messenger RNA expression increased with hypoxia from fibroid explants compared to normoxic controls.Conclusions:These data support the hypothesis that uterine fibroids are associated with hypertension and increased ET-1, which is exacerbated with hypoxia. These data suggest a possible l...
Young adults and online political participation: search strategies and the role of social media

We investigate the impact of recent government initiatives to increase political participation by young adults via the use of social media technologies and the involvement on social networks. In particular, we conduct an exploratory usability study with different experimental conditions to investigate whether individuals who seek engagement with the government are able to successfully search and locate appropriate touching points, and how that process involves new media technologies. Our investigative study shows how search is impeded by individual and institutional factors, and that social networks are still underappreciated by users when cues are delivered out of their most common usage contexts.
Multiwafer focusing neutron monochromators and applications

Multi-wafer silicon monochromators for neutron focusing instruments have been developed at MURR. A first unit, made from commercial thin silicon [100] wafers with manual control of horizontal curvature was designed and fabricated for the MURR stress machine. It was tested on the stress machine at the HFIR reactor at ORNL. A second similar unit but with stepper motor control of curvature was installed on the NIST stress machine. Both confirmed expectations, with significant intensity gains at equal or better resolution in comparison with the monochromators they replaced. A third unit with two back-to-back assemblies of non-standard silicon wafers custom sliced obliquely from big [100] ingots has been fabricated for an upgrade of the ORNL stress machine. The phase space analysis of the neutron optics of multi-wafer assemblies has revealed exciting new possibilities for applications. The correlation between the coordinates of real space and wavevector space allows a new type of focusing, the thickness focusing. The many wafers in a packet can be made to look as a single wafer when seen from a given point of a position sensitive detector (PSD). This allows high resolutions in scattering, corresponding to a bent thin single wafer, at intensities given by the whole packet, that is comparable with pyrolytic graphite crystals. One can thus have the best of two worlds - but only in PSD instruments. A whole array of new applications becomes possible, including dispersive and non-dispersive neutron imaging at the spatial resolution of a single thin wafer. Some of these applications are discussed and demo experiments are presented.
Urinary tract infection: self-reported incidence and associated costs.

Abstract PURPOSE: To estimate the annual incidence, cumulative probability of presumed urinary tract infection (UTI) by age, and the social costs. METHODS: Analysis of a random digit dialing survey of 2000 women in the United States. RESULTS: 10.8 percent (95% CI: 9.4, 12.1%) of women aged 18 and older reported at least one presumed UTI during the past 12 months, with the majority of the cases occurring among women with a history of two or more UTI episodes in their life. We estimate that by age 24, one-third of women will have at least one physician-diagnosed UTI that was treated with prescription medication. Overall, an estimated 11.3 million women in the United States had at least one presumed UTI treated with antibiotics in 1995. We estimate the annual cost of UTI cases with prescriptions to be $1.6 billion in 1995. If the costs occurring after 1995 are discounted at 5% annually, the total cost over 20 years has a present value of $25.5 billion. CONCLUSION: If a vaccine were developed that would prevent either initial or recurrent UTI the net benefits to society would be substantial, even at a developmental cost of one billion dollars.
The Great Cacti: Ethnobotany & Biogeography

Review of The Great Cacti: Ethnobotany & Biogeography . David Yetman. 2007. The University of Arizona, Tucson. Pp. 320, 366 color photographs, 17 maps. $59.95 (cloth). ISBN 9780816524310.
The impact of different modalities for activating patients in a community health center setting.

Abstract Objective Decision aids are designed to assist patients in understanding their health care choices but lower SES populations are less activated and may not be prepared to benefit. Activating interventions may help prepare patients for using decision aids. Methods We evaluated the impact of a decision aid video (DA) and the Patient Activation Intervention (PAI) on patient's level of activation measured by the Patient Activation Measure (PAM) and their decision-making confidence measured by the decision self-efficacy (DSE) scale. Patients were randomized into control, PAI alone, DA alone, and DA + PAI groups. Results PAM and DSE scores increased significantly in all groups with repeated measures. Restricting analyses to those with pre-intervention PAM scores at stages 1 or 2, the change in PAM scores was significant only for the intervention groups. The change in DSE scores was significantly only in the DA group. Conclusion These findings provide support for the utility of the DA, the PAI, and the DA + PAI in activating lower SES individuals. The DA alone changed DSE scores in the least activated patients while the PAI and DA both changed PAM scores. Practice implications Interventions directed at increasing patient engagement in their care may be useful particularly for less activated patients from lower SES populations.
Impact localization and scaling for SHM of inflatable habitats

This work focuses on the structural monitoring of an inflatable lunar habitat, more specifically, characterizing impacts on the surface of such a structure. Given the lack of an atmosphere, the moon is not shielded from small space debris that would normally incinerate on earth, creating the need for these additional safeguards. This project explores an accelerometer based system to localize and scale an impact on the structures surface. An inflatable testbed is setup with appropriately selected sensors and data collection hardware. Tailored for wireless sensor implementation, methodologies are developed that utilize the accelerometer array to accurately determine the location, and calculate the intensity of, an impacting object. Various approaches to the caveats of such a task are explored throughout. Finally, the resulting algorithms are tested and evaluated on the lunar habitat test structure, providing a working proof-of-concept for an accelerometer based wireless impact localization and scaling system‥
Proof Load Testing of Highway Bridges

It is estimated that there are more than half a million highway bridges in the United States. Many of these bridges have deteriorated considerably because of age and inadequate maintenance and inspections, whereas the average daily truck traffic and truck loads have increased. Careful evaluation is required to make rational economic and safety decisions concerning the rehabilitation of each bridge. Proof load testing is an efficient tool that can be used to evaluate the performance of existing bridges. The objective of the study was to ensure the safety of two highway bridges located in Michigan by proof load testing. For the first bridge the design details were not available, and the second bridge had heavy corrosion in the lower flanges of its steel girders. Usually, the proof load level is about twice the maximum allowable load. Allowable loads in Michigan are considerably higher than those in other states. Therefore, military tanks on flatbed trailers were used to achieve the high target proof load le...
Relations between Structural Parameters and Adsorption Characterization of Templated Nanoporous Materials with Cubic Symmetry

A systematic approach is proposed to structural characterization of templated nanoporous materials with cubic symmetry by gas adsorption. The authors hypothesize that regular structures of these materials can be described in terms of triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS), similarly to bicontinuous mesophases observed in oil-water, lipid, block copolymer, and other amphiphilic systems. The authors relate topological characteristics of TPMS to the pore structure parameters evaluated from adsorption measurements, such as the specific surface area, pore volume, mean pore size, and also pore wall thickness. The relations obtained can be used for discrimination of possible TPMS morphologies. The method developed is used for characterization of newly synthesized MCM-48 mesoporous materials by low-temperature nitrogen adsorption. They show that adsorption data fully support the minimal gyroid model of MCM-48 structure (Ia3d space group) established earlier by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy studies. The mean pore size of MCM-48 can be accurately described by the hydraulic diameter calculated from the capillary condensation region of nitrogen adsorption isotherms by the nonlocal density functional theory method. Moreover, the adsorption method allows one to estimate the pore wall thickness, which cannot be done by XRD. For a series of high-quality MCM-48 materials reported recentlymore » in the literature, the calculated mean wall thickness varied from 0.8 to 1.2 nm. The adsorption method developed is recommended as a complement to X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy techniques for characterization of nanoporous materials.« less
The effect of body temperature on the “periodic complexes” of subacute sclerosing leucoencephalitis (SSLE)

Abstract The “periodic complex” associated with subacute sclerosing leucoencephalitis is highly responsive to alterations in body temperature. At an elevation in body temperature, the complexes progressively decrease in frequency and amplitude and are eventually abolished. A lowering of the body temperature has the opposite effect. Studies of the VER and H reflex at varying temperatures suggest that the changes in the periodic complexes are mediated by alterations in synaptic activity.
Computer simulation of solvation dynamics in hydrogen-bonding liquids

Abstract The dynamics of solvation following an instantaneous reversal of the dipole moment, ( e 2 , −e 2 ) → ( −e 2 , e 2 ) , of diatomic solutes immersed in methanol-water mixtures is investigated through molecular dynamics simulations. We study the solvation response functions for two different solute sizes in an equimolar methanol-water mixture and compare them with the corresponding responses in pure methanol. The total response functions for the mixture are separated into methanol and water contributions in order to identify methanol- and water-like features of the response. Several equilibrium solute-solvent site-site pair distribution functions are also calculated to help elucidate the effects of the solute size on the solvation response.
Interspecific acoustic interactions of the neotropical treefrog Hyla ebraccata

Hyla ebraccata, H. microcephala and H. phlebodes commonly occur together in Panama. The three species have calls exhibiting broad frequency overlap and call during the same season and time of day from similar microhabitats, frequently in close proximity. The vocal repertoires of the three species are structurally and functionally similar. All employ multi-part advertisement and aggressive calls which consist of a primary note followed by a variable number of clicks. H. ebraccata males often responded to heterospecific calls with multi-note synchronized responses, and calls with primary notes greater than 150–200 ms were most effective in eliciting synchrony. Playback experiments with synthetic 1-note advertisement calls of different durations and both synthetic 1-note advertisement calls and 200 ms tones of different frequencies demonstrated that H. ebraccata males will synchronize with stimuli which are similar in frequency and duration to conspecific calls. Data from a two-choice experiment with female H. ebraccata demonstrate that calls of individual H. microcephala can reduce the attractiveness of a H. ebraccata male's calls if primary notes overlap. By synchronizing response calls to those of H. microcephala, a H. ebraccata may reduce the chances that his calls are rendered less attractive to potential mates. Aggressive calls of these species are graded and are characterized by higher pulse repetition rates and often longer durations than advertisement calls. H. ebraccata males respond to aggressive calls of H. microcephala and H. phlebodes as they do to their own calls. Heterospecific aggressive interactions probably occur because the species interfere acoustically. Our results demonstrate that H. ebraccata males behave in ways which enhance their ability to communicate in a noisy assemblage of conspecific and heterospecific males.
Approximate Closed-Form Equations for Elastic Beam Experiencing Large Deflection

The problem associated with beams subject to large elastic deflection finds application in micro switches and other MEMS. Perhaps the most challenging task in finding approximate closed form equations is the choice of the function form. While systematic least squares fit of polynomial or power functions are means of finding such approximations, usually the error in the approximations rises with increase in the range of deflection. An interactive/optimization based scheme is employed in this paper to derive the closed form approximate equations for elastic beams experiencing large angular and transverse deflections as a result of application of relatively large loads. It is shown that the approximate equations provide prediction of beam tip angular deflection in the range 0–82 degrees, with error less than 0.2 degrees. The approximate equations are employed to define a pseudo-rigid body link of a compliant MEMS.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Synthesis of micro porous barium nitrate with improved ignition reliability as a reliable pyrotechnic oxidant

Abstract Pure barium nitrate is one of the most widely used oxidizing materials in the field of pyrotechnics. The ignition reliability of compositions based on this material is not very high and needs to be improved. In the present work, modified barium nitrate with micro porous structure has been synthesized using three different vesicants to make it more reliable as a pyrotechnic oxidant. Two pyrotechnic compositions were formulated by using pure and modified barium nitrate as oxidant and micro sized aluminum powder was used as a fuel. The ignition temperature of both the compositions was determined using differential thermal analysis. The composition formulated with the modified oxidizer ignited at lower temperatures as compared to the one formulated with pure barium nitrate depicting an improvement in the ignition behavior. SEM results show that the modified barium nitrate has obvious pores of the order of few micrometers. Bulk density of the modified oxidizer decreased due to the development of micro pores. Crystallite size of the barium nitrate also decreased after the modification.
Subsampling quantile estimator standard errors with applications

Several smoothed quantile estimators recently have been proposed as alternatives to the conventional sample quantile, and previous studies have shown that the Harrell and Davis (1982), Kaigh and Lachenbruch (1982), and Kaigh and Cheng (1991) subsampling estimators usually improve efficiency of population quantile point estimation. Bootstrap and jackknife standard error formulas are developed here for all three sub sampling quantile estimators. Applications to one-sample quantile confidence intervals and tests for equality of two population medians are illustrated with Monte Carlo results to indicate that the proposed methods provide improvements over existing procedures.
Experimental oral Salmonella dublin infection in cattle: effects of concurrent infection with Fasciola hepatica.

Abstract The effects of Fasciola hepatica infection on the susceptibility of cattle to oral infection with S. dublin were studied in 2 experiments. In the first experiment Friesian heifers were infected with F. hepatica and given S. dublin orally 13 weeks later. In the second experiment Friesian steers were dosed twice with S. dublin 10 weeks after an initial F. hepatica infection. The first dose of S. dublin was given the day before a second fluke infection and the second dose of S. dublin on the day after the second fluke infection. Susceptibility to oral S. dublin was not increased in either experiment, spread of infection from the gut was not enhanced and fluke-infected animals did not become persistent faecal excretors of S. dublin.
Leukocytosis in patients with neurologic deterioration after acute ischemic stroke is associated with poor outcomes.

Background Neurologic deterioration (ND) after acute ischemic stroke (AIS) has been shown to result in poor outcomes. ND is thought to arise from penumbral excitotoxic cell death caused in part by leukocytic infiltration. Elevated admission peripheral leukocyte levels are associated with poor outcomes in stroke patients who suffer ND, but little is known about the dynamic changes that occur in leukocyte counts around the time of ND. We sought to determine if peripheral leukocyte levels in the days surrounding ND are correlated with poor outcomes. Methods Patients with AIS who presented to our center within 48 hours of symptom onset between July 2008 and June 2010 were retrospectively identified by chart review and screened for ND (defined as an increase in National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score ≥2 within a 24-hour period). Patients were excluded for steroid use during hospitalization or in the month before admission and infection within the 48 hours before or after ND. Demographics, daily leukocyte counts, and poor functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale score 3-6) were investigated. Results Ninety-six of the 292 (33%) patients screened had ND. The mean age was 69.5 years; 62.5% were male and 65.6% were black. Patients with a poor functional outcome had significantly higher leukocyte and neutrophil levels 1 day before ND ( P = .048 and P = .026, respectively), and on the day of ND ( P = .013 and P = .007, respectively), compared to patients with good functional outcome. Conclusions Leukocytosis at the time of ND correlates with poor functional outcomes and may represent a marker of greater cerebral damage through increased parenchymal inflammation.
Pyogranulomatous peritonitis associated with Nocardia sp.-like organisms in a raccoon (Procyon lotor)

During 1992 raccoons (Procyon lotor) were live-trapped in northeastern Pennsylvania (USA). In one of these animals a localized pyogranulomatous peritonitis was seen. Grossly a large mass with a central area of liquifactive necrosis was present in the anterior abdomen. Microscopically the lesion contained multiple colonies of filamentous organisms with histomorphologic and histochemical charcteristics resembling Nocardia sp. This appears to be the first report of Nocardia infection in the raccoon.
DNA Methylation and Chromatin Organization in Insects: Insights from the Ant Camponotus floridanus

Epigenetic information regulates gene function and has important effects on development in eukaryotic organisms. DNA methylation, one such form of epigenetic information, has been implicated in the regulation of gene function in diverse metazoan taxa. In insects, DNA methylation has been shown to play a role in the regulation of gene expression and splicing. However, the functional basis for this role remains relatively poorly understood, and other epigenetic systems likely interact with DNA methylation to affect gene expression. We investigated associations between DNA methylation and histone modifications in the genome of the ant Camponotus floridanus in order to provide insight into how different epigenetic systems interact to affect gene function. We found that many histone modifications are strongly predictive of DNA methylation levels in genes, and that these epigenetic signals are more predictive of gene expression when considered together than when considered independently. We also found that peaks of DNA methylation are associated with the spatial organization of chromatin within active genes. Finally, we compared patterns of differential histone modification enrichment to patterns of differential DNA methylation to reveal that several histone modifications significantly covary with DNA methylation between C. floridanus phenotypes. As the first genomic comparison of DNA methylation to histone modifications within a single insect taxon, our investigation provides new insight into the regulatory significance of DNA methylation.
Preferences in human mate selection.

In this article we examine preferences in mate choice within the broader context of the human mating system. Specifically, we discuss the consequences of mate preferences for the processes of assortative mating and sexual selection. In Study 1 (N = 184) we document (a) the mate characteristics that are consensually more and less desired, (b) the mate characteristics that show strong sex differences in their preferred value, (c) the degree to which married couples are correlated in selection preferences, and (d) the relations between expressed preferences and the personality and background characteristics of obtained spouses. In Study 2 (N = 100) we replicated the sex differences and consensual ordering of mate preferences found in Study I, using a different methodology and a differently composed sample. Lastly, we present alternative hypotheses to account for the replicated sex differences in preferences for attractiveness and earning potential. Neither men nor women prefer all members of the opposite sex equally. Some are favored over others, and one important research task is to identify the characteristics that prospective mates consider to be important. Although mate choice is clearly a crucial adult decision for more than 90% of the population (Price & Vandenberg, 1980), surprisingly little is known about the characteristics that men and women seek in potential mates (Thiessen & Gregg, 1980). In this article we develop a conception of the role of mate preferences within the human mating system. Specifically, we address the consequences for sexual selection and assortative mating. In two empirical studies we document several basic features of this conception.
The Role of Irreversible HER Family Inhibition in the Treatment of Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) of the human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) include the reversible epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR/HER-1) inhibitors gefitinib and erlotinib. EGFR TKIs have demonstrated activity in the treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring activating EGFR mutations; however, multiple mechanisms of resistance limit the benefit of these drugs. Although resistance to EGFR TKIs can be intrinsic and correlated with molecular lesions such as in Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS; generally observed in a wild-type EGFR background), acquired resistance to EGFR TKIs can evolve in the setting of activating EGFR mutations, such as in the case of EGFR T790M mutations. Several irreversible inhibitors that target multiple members of the HER family simultaneously are currently in clinical development for NSCLC and may have a role in the treatment of TKI-sensitive and TKI-resistant disease. These include PF00299804, an inhibitor of EGFR/HER-1, HER-2, and HER-4, and afatinib (BIBW 2992), an inhibitor of EGFR/HER-1, HER-2, and HER-4. Results of large, randomized trials of these agents may help to determine their potential for the treatment of NSCLC.
“No Time for Friendship” Shanghai Mothers’ Views of Adult and Adolescent Friendships

What is the relation between parents’ views of their own friendships and their beliefs and practices about their children’s friendships? Do parents who enjoy high-quality adult friendships understand and support adolescent friendships in ways different from parents who do not have close adult friendships? Relying on systematic analysis of interview data, this article demonstrates discrepancies between six Shanghai mothers’ perceptions of their own friendships and their beliefs, attitudes, and concerns about their adolescent children’s friendships. The article also presents five themes underlying the mothers’ ideas about adolescent friendship: (a) no time for friendship, (b) good friends must have good grades, (c) it is important to make new friends, (d) ambiguous feelings and contradictory attitudes, and (e) weariness of peers and society. The findings are interpreted from three cultural and contextual perspectives: The Chinese tradition of emphasizing academic learning and proper behavior during adolesce...
Increased Skeletal Muscle Tumor Necrosis Factor-α and Impaired Insulin Signaling Persist in Obese Women With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus 1 Year Postpartum

OBJECTIVE —Women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) demonstrate chronic and progressive insulin resistance and a markedly increased risk of converting to type 2 diabetes after pregnancy. However, the cellular mechanisms underlying this insulin resistance are unknown. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS —We investigated the progression of insulin resistance in nine obese women with GDM during late pregnancy (30–36 weeks) and 1 year postpartum. Skeletal muscle biopsies were obtained at each visit, and insulin resistance was determined by the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp technique. RESULTS —Insulin resistance was not significantly improved in GDM women (4.1 ± 0.4 vs. 5.8 ± 1.1 10 −2 mg · kg FFM · min −1 /μU · ml −1 ). Subjects did not experience significant weight loss postpartum. Body weight, fat mass, fasting glucose, and plasma tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α remained higher 1 year postpartum than seen in previously studied normal glucose-tolerant women. Skeletal muscle TNF-α mRNA was elevated five- to sixfold in GDM women and remained higher 1 year postpartum. While levels of insulin receptor (IR), IR substrate (IRS)-1, and p85α improved postpartum, insulin-stimulated IR tyrosine phosphorylation and receptor tyrosine kinase activity did not significantly improve postpartum in GDM. The levels of 312 Ser-IRS-1 also did not improve postpartum and correlated with TNF-α mRNA ( r 2 = 0.19, P CONCLUSIONS —These results suggest the mechanisms underlying chronic insulin resistance in GDM women may be driven by increased inflammation that impinges on the IR and IRS-1 signaling cascade in skeletal muscle. These findings have important implications for the health of GDM women during subsequent pregnancies and their risk for progression to type 2 diabetes.
A low glitch 14-b 100-MHz D/A converter

A low glitch 14-b 100-MHz current output digital-to-analog converter (DAC) is described. In addition to segmentation of the four most significant bits (MSB's) into 15 equally weighted current sources, a proportional-to-absolute-temperature (PTAT) switching voltage is applied to the current steering devices to minimize glitch over temperature. A bidirectional thin-film trim network and high /spl beta/ n-p-n devices reduce the amount of laser trimming required to achieve 14-b accuracy, resulting in less post-trim degradation of DAC linearity over temperature and the life of the chip. The converter has been fabricated in a 4-GHz/1.4-/spl mu/m BiCMOS technology and exhibits a measured glitch energy of 0.5 pV/spl middot/s (singlet). Settling time to within /spl plusmn/0.012% of the final value is /spl les/20 ns for both rising and falling edges of a full scale step. Spurious free dynamic range (SFDR) for the described converter is 87 dBc at an update rate (f/sub CLK/) of 10 MHz and an output frequency (f/sub OUT/) of 2.03 MHz. The converter operates from +5 V and -5.2 V supplies and consumes 650 mW independent of conversion rate. The chip size is 4.09/spl times/4.09 mm including bond pads and electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection devices.
A survey of student perceptions of team-based learning in anatomy curriculum: Favorable views unrelated to grades

Team-based learning (TBL) combines independent out of class preparation with in class small group discussion. We adopted TBL in teaching first year medical gross anatomy. In this study, we evaluated student perceptions of TBL by using a survey that elicited perceptions of both pedagogy and mode of learning. Anatomy lectures were replaced with required preclass readings, self-assessment quizzes, small group discussions of assignments, and groups retaking the same quizzes for deeper learning. At the course conclusion, students were surveyed to assess their preference for TBL, their perceptions of TBL effectiveness, and their perceptions of successful interpersonal relationships within groups. Respondents (n 5 317; 89% response) were asked to rate the extent that they agreed (22 5 strongly disagree; 21 5 disagree; 0 5 neutral; 1 5 agree; and 2 5 strongly agree). A principal components factor analysis with varimax rotation identified two 8-item factors: ‘‘perceptions of TBL’’ and ‘‘perceptions of teamwork.’’ Internal consistency for each was high [Cronbach’s alpha 5 0.908 (preference for TBL); 0.884 (preference of teamwork)]. Results of one-way analysis of variance between Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail students indicated that Honors (n 5 73) tended to rate perceptions of TBL higher than Pass (n 5 54) [mean difference 5 2.92; 95% CI (0.05, 5.79)], and also higher than Fail (n 5 11) [mean difference 5 6.30; 95% CI (1.13, 11.47)]. However, each had overall positive ratings. No difference was noted between mean ratings of teamwork, which were also, overall, positive. We conclude that medical students view TBL favorably irrespective of their grades. Anat Sci Educ 2:150‐155, 2009. © 2009 American Association of Anatomists.
Managing Data Quality Risk in Accounting Information Systems

The quality of data contained in accounting information systems has a significant impact on both internal business decision making and external regulatory compliance. Although a considerable body of literature exists on the issue of data quality, there has been little research done at the task level of a business process to develop effective control strategies to mitigate data quality risks. In this paper, we present a methodology for managing the risks associated with the quality of data in accounting information systems. This methodology first models the error evolution process in transactional data flow as a dynamical process; it then finds optimal control policies at the task level to mitigate the data quality-related risks using a Markov decision process model with risk constraints. The proposed Markov decision methodology facilitates the modeling of multiple dimensions of error dependence, captures the correlated impact among control procedures, and identifies an optimal control policy. A revenue realization process of an international production company is used to illustrate this methodology.